Earlier this year, Britney Seymour became the first member of her family to earn a college degree. On Wednesday, she expressed her heartfelt appreciation to those who made her dream of a higher education possible, while attending the Doctors Hospital Dr Meyer Rassin Foundation Scholarship program fundraiser. Britney earned a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science and is one of nearly 400 Bahamians who has received assistance from the Foundation.

This year, the Foundation hosted more than 180 people at a luncheon and fashion show to raise additional money to ensure that many more young Bahamians receive similar educational support. The event took place harbourside under sunny skies at Luciano's of Chicago and featured a spectacular fashion show by Rubins.

There are almost 5,000 students at The College of The Bahamas and they are not merely learners, they are potential problem solvers. That was precisely how the Minister of State for Investments Hon. Khaalis Rolle challenged COB students to see themselves when he spoke to them recently about their role as citizens and members of the science community.

"We often look at doctors, lawyers, bankers and businessman, as nation builders, and we forget the scientist, the physicist, the chemist and the biologist. These are the people who should really be making a greater mark in our country," said Minister Rolle, a former COB student.

Recognising World War II veterans who supported the struggle to neutralise tyranny from spreading in Europe throughout the world is the best remedy for stopping history from repeating itself.

Nine Bahamian veterans of that conflict which ended almost 70 years ago, assembled in a press conference at Police Headquarters Oct 17, to officially launch and promote the 2013 Remembrance Day activities to be hosted by the British Legion-Bahamas Branch.

Prime Minister Perry Christie officially opened the $83.5 million Domestic Arrivals and Departures and International Departures Terminal, during a special ceremony at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) on Thursday, October 17.

Entertainment included performances by by Baha Men, Children's Conservatory, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, Tingum Dem/Visage and a video tribute entitled "Sir Lynden's Vision: The Journey Continues" in honour of the late former prime minister, for whom the airport is named. Twenty six hundred Bahamians are employed in the 105,000 square foot terminal in government agencies and businesses including retail shops and restaurants.

Plans to stage a National Book Fair 2013 Bahamas are in high gear according to the coordinating team. The fair is being scheduled for October 29 to November 5, 2013 at the Kendal Isaac's Sports Center.

The goal is ambitious, but imperative - to begin to put in the hands of every school-aged child an appropriate book; and to stimulate and motivate a dedicated cross-section of governmental and non-governmental businesses, professionals and care-givers to commit themselves to sustain the momentum over the long run.

Building a better community, like the hospitality industry, requires collaboration as well as a passion for people and service. Baha Mar is working to build a better community through BELIEVE, the Baha Mar foundation.

BELIEVE was founded on three pillars - community, culture, and conservation, and with the help of volunteers from Baha Mar, the Foundation takes on service projects to support initiatives in these categories. BELIEVE is part of an ongoing community service initiative at the Seahorse Institute, a non-profit center that provides treatment for children with autism and other developmental delays.

With matching team t-shirts, wide grins, muscles flexed, gear at the ready, Team ERA Dupuch Real Estate was hyped to take to the beach at Palm Cay, a 1500 foot strip of powdery white sand along New Providence's southeastern shore, the gem in the active residential community's crown. The stakes were high -- bragging rights, a mini iPad and most importantly, international exposure that could translate into sales.

The competition -- to create a video to enter into Palm Cay's real estate video contest and to do it so well they'd come away the winner.

It's been called the Bentley of rums, the crème de la crème of the sweet-tasting, tongue-loosening libation, the stuff of which lore about pirates and legends about love are made. And this week, Mount Gay introduced its newest entry into the market, Black Barrel, during high-end events at the Caribbean's first 5-star restaurant, Graycliff, in Nassau and Rum Runners Restaurant in Marsh Harbour Abaco.

On hand were sippers on a mission -- to taste the latest liquid delicacy in the Barbados-bred and famous rum family and welcome it to The Bahamas. The release of Black Barrel also helped Mount Gay, the granddaddy of grand rums, celebrate its 310th anniversary.

Report as of October 17, 2013

Nassau: Both Captain Adam Russell and captain Teddy Pratt report catching wahoo along the edge and small mahi offshore of Nassau.

North Eleuthera: There have been reports of yellowfin tuna (mostly in the 30/40lb range but one reported in the 80lb range) and mahi at the Dutch Bar.

Grand Bahama, West End: There have been plenty of wahoo caught from Indian Cay all the way north to Mantanilla Shoals.

Recently, apprentices from Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS) donated their time and services to upgrading schools in West Grand Bahama. Included in their donation were new bleachers built by the apprentices. The donation to the schools was made possible due to the GBS' annual fishing tournament, where this year's proceeds are being used to help Grand Bahama schools.

Students and staff at Holmes Rock Primary School were very appreciative of the donation, and it is the belief that the upgrades will go a long way in bettering the learning atmosphere.

It just doesn't get any better than this. Perfectly healthy, happy, socialized and pretty much housetrained puppies and kittens ready to move right in with their forever families! Thanks to two amazing foster families we are proud to feature Rosie, Walter, Lena, Felix and Peaches this week.

We have very few people willing to foster puppies and kittens; when we find good fosters we really hope they keep fostering when needed (when they can, of course), and one concern is always finding great homes for the little orphans they take in to nurture; as simply returning them to the shelter to languish is just not an option for loving foster parents.

Bourbon Street Limited is proud to announce the opening of Head to Toe Fashion Boutique, located in Building #4, Unit 3, just south of Prestige Perfume, offering shoppers at the Port Lucaya Marketplace (PLM) a new alternative for fashionable attire.

Proprietor, Mr. Donald Rigby, has taken the leap of faith and opened his fashion boutique aimed at dressing the male and female customer from head to toe as the name implies. Mr. Rigby is now living his dream of owning his very own boutique and masterfully providing clothing for persons who are fashion forward and trendy.

The Customer First Associates held their Sixth High School Speech Competition on Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:00a.m. at Foster B. Pestaina Centre. The auditorium was filled with excitement as the audience listened intently to the students presenting on the topic "How Can We Encourage The Youth of The Bahamas to Become Leaders in Quality Service?"

These students wowed the audience and the judges with their leadership talent and capabilities, as they revealed how they will accomplish improvements in the delivery of our quality products and services.

Resorts World Bimini (RWB) donated five state-of-the-art computers to the North Bimini Community Center Friday during a taping of the television show Bahamas @ Sunrise, which airs on October 25th on ZNS. Making the presentation was RWB President Dana Leibovitz.

"It is my privilege and honor to present these computers to the Bimini Community Center and the people of Bimini," said Mr. Leibovitz. "This donation is in keeping with our commitment to positively impact the lives of the people of Bimini."

The Bahamas National Trust continues to be concerned about the proposed jetty for Bimini Fast Ferry. The BNT is gravely concerned that construction has begun on the jetty including off shore structures on the seabed that are near to coral reefs. BNT has not been able to confirm from government that a full comprehensive review of the EIA has been done.

The Trust requested and did recently receive a copy of the EIA from Resorts World Bimini. That document although voluminous was incomplete and did not contain appendices or the EMP needed for a completed review. BNT requested the additional documents (which have since been received) and has begun a review of the EIA as provided by Resorts World Bimini, but the Trust continues to be concerned that the EIA has not been made available to the public nor has there been any public consultation within the community on the proposed jetty.

On December 5-9, the shores of Hope Town Abaco will be blessed with some of the most musically talented people in the Country Music industry. Chris Farren of Combustion Music, Mark Mason and Mary Loving of BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), and Steven Johnson of Hope Town Harbour Lodge have pooled their expertise to bring you The Hope Town Music Festival.

Steven Johnson, a partner and director of the Hope Town Harbour Lodge, has helped BMI host these events in Nassau for over ten years. "We have had some really big names down here before they were big names: Eric Church, Lee Brice, Dustin Lynch, and Thompson Square." This year's event will feature top-rated song writers as well as up-and-coming artists like Kree Harrison - runner up from last year's American Idol, Jon Pardi, who has a single climbing the charts, "Up All Night", and Native Run, a duet who are increasing in popularity."

Platinum recording artist, Olivia, has joined forces with the Sandals Foundation to raise awareness for the P.A.C.E. Program, which provides education and support to teenage mothers, while promoting awareness to help reduce teen pregnancy. The Sandals Foundation aims to make a positive difference in communities existing in Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada and the Bahamas. The Sandals Foundation, which has undertaken over 300 projects since its inception in 2009, has been raising funds for and awareness of the P.A.C.E. Foundation, which has assisted over 3,000 adolescent mothers in the Bahamas.

"I am hoping that by joining forces with the Sandals Foundation, together we can raise awareness for P.A.C.E., which is such an important program, and achieve the resource goals necessary to continue re-building this essential facility," Olivia said. In an effort to raise funds for the P.A.C.E. building fund, the Sandals Foundation and Coca-Cola present "Vibes On The Island" on Sandals Island at Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island, and will feature a performance by Grammy-Award winning artist, Shaggy.

On any given day during the semester, Independence Park, a gathering spot at the centre of The College of The Bahamas' Oakes Field Campus, is a beehive of activity. But on the day that the School of English Studies concentrated much of its attention on increasing awareness of the utility of higher education studies in English, the area was transformed into a vibrant centre of learning.

The reason was an annual affair dubbed "English in the Park", a non-conventional platform for the dynamic display of English studies in various forms. The audience was students from various high schools and The College and the message was how courses offered by the School of English can add value to their future careers.

When October 12, 2013 was proclaimed TK Records Day in Hialeah, Fla. to honour legendary founder of the label, Henry Stone, Bahamian Raphael "Ray" Munnings of Funky Nassau fame was also given a Certificate of Appreciation by City Mayor Carlos Hernandez. Mr. Stone, now 92-years-old, received the proclamation from the mayor at the Milander Performing Arts Centre, where more than 1200 disco fans gathered for one big night of the Miami Disco Fever Reunion. He was also recognised by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism for the part he played in promoting Bahamians in music.

"I am so proud, look at this official recognition I got from the Ministry of Tourism of The Bahamas," Mr. Stone said to the crowd. "And my buddy Raphael Munnings right here with me. What a guy!"

The third installment of FLIFF on Location: Grand Bahama Island 2013 will take place in Freeport from October 31 - November 3rd at the Pelican Bay Hotel in their state-of-the-art Canal House facility.

The festival has seen a pronounced increase this year in the College submissions and have accepted and approved films from Bahamian students enrolled at College of the Bahamas (C.O.B.); Full Sail University, Orlando and Hampshire College, Massachusetts. "The College of The Bahamas and the Journalism Department keep encouraging students to express themselves using new technology, and in the case of this event we work with video," said Hugo Zárate, Assistant Professor, C.O.B., Nassau.

A service to honour the memory of popular young rugby player Leon 'Animal' McPhee will be held at the Freeport Rugby Club on Saturday, October 26, at 3pm. All are welcome.

Due to the service taking place at the Rugby Club Coach Mary advises that girls' soccer will be cancelled for the week. Soccer will resume again on Saturday, November 2.

And in Nassau, out of respect for the funeral of Leon McPhee (Animal) in Freeport, the opening games of the season (The President's Game) will be postponed for one week.

A record number of local drivers and the world's number one award-winning historic Ferrari will highlight the third running of Bahamas Speed Week Revival, the event that fast tracks heritage and sports tourism. Announcement of the series of events set for December 4th through 8th was made at a press conference at Pompey Square this morning.

On hand was Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe who called the convergence of drivers, cars, local and foreign fans "an annual rite that is becoming an iconic, must-do event in the Caribbean. "For the past two years, Bahamas Speed Week Revival has successfully and significantly strengthened the nation's offering for visitors to our shores," the Minister said.

National statistics on Cancer rates continue to grow yearly and the need for awareness and prevention has moved to the forefront for more and more Bahamians of all ages. With this in mind, dozens of employees from The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA), recently attended and participated in the 2nd Annual Fast Track Relay for Cancer event, in support of the worthy cause.

At the break of dawn, the Pelican Bay parking area was the gathering point where enthusiastic groups received team assignments and were pinned with registration numbers. Shortly following stretch and warm- up exercises, 'Team GBPA' and many others trekked the mile-long stretch from Pelican Bay Resort to the Port Lucaya Police Station and back.

Out of 26 teams that competed in the Nassau Dart Association 2012-2013 season, the Sand Beer Bullets placed third. In the open season, they placed fourth, which gave them an opportunity to advance to the championship. The Sands Beer Bullets defeated the Conch Hill Breezers in the playoffs to win third place.

Team members include Mike Russell, James Newly, Brodie Townley, Captain Curtis Malone, Neil Behagg, Pete Malone, Ina Anderson and Graham Thornily. Lynden Johnson, Sales and Marketing Manager with Bahamian Brewery and Beverage commented, "We're happy as a company to be a sponsor of the dart team. It's a good sport and it has been around in The Bahamas for quite some time. We're proud that we can help to revitalise the sport of darts and they are pretty good about drinking our beer too!"

Bahamian Anglers Scott Deal and David Fingland accept the team trophy as winners of the 48th International Light Tackle Tournament held in Bermuda in July this year.

David Fingland won the 48th Bermuda International Light Tackle Tournament with his 74.6 lb Yellowfin Tuna on 12lb test line.