Prime Minister Perry G. Christie was among 10 persons whose footprints were added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. The event was held on January 24 at the at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, National Park Service, in Atlanta, Georgia. The other honorees included: Roy Barnes, Bishop John Hurst Adams, Dr. Tommie Smith, Dr. Norman C. Frances, Rev. Jasper W. Williams, Jr. Dr. John Carlos, Sr., Representative Calvin Smyre, Thomas N. Todd and Harry E. Johnson,

Prior to the induction exercise, a programme was held at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and was hosted by Frank Ski with WHUR FM (96.3) Radio in Washington, DC. Also in attendance at the ceremony were: Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe and Minister of State for Trade and Investments, Khallis Rolle.

More than 60 members of the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) packed a meeting room at the Ministry of Finance for an open discussion on the proposed value added tax (VAT) government is recommending to raise revenue and better manage the national budget.

For senior lawyers, bankers, asset and wealth managers and others, the two-hour face-to-face meeting with Financial Secretary John Rolle was an opportunity to seek answers to highly specific questions. Those questions ranged from waiting to know if VAT would be due on services by companies with a physical presence in The Bahamas but no local activity to whether rent paid on housing for an ex-pat staff member would be VAT-able.

The Government plans to control the escalation of the national deficit by rearranging its developmental priorities in initiating a National Developmental Plan with the joint effort between the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Inter-Developmental Bank (IDB).

"At the request of the Government of The Bahamas, the InterDevelopmental Bank approved a technical cooperation, entitled 'Strengthening the Capacity in the Office of The Prime Minister'. The objective of this initiative is the development of an economic planning mechanism for the overall management of the Bahamian economy," said OPM's State Minister for Investments, Khaalis Rolle.

Over 300 persons have graduated from the government's national training programmes, which ended after 14 weeks of intensive training. Forty graduates have already been employed in various industries.

A ceremony marking the event was held at the Holy Trinity Activities Centre on Monday, January 27 with Prime Minister Perry G. Christie calling it a "red letter" day for the country.

Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) decided to reinstate their WSC Charities Committee and make a $1,000 donation to the Salvation Army after their public appeal to assist in the shortfall of donations. "The Salvation Army's appeal was the perfect jump start to bringing back the Charities Committee and got WSC employees involved in giving back to the less fortunate" said Samuel Percentie, Co-chair of WSC Charities Committee.

The WSC Charities Committee is comprised of WSC employees and chaired by Patrice Munroe and Samuel Percentie. Pictured are WSC employees with the Denise Ambrister the Salvation Army representative, they are (front row): Lakeisha Johnson, Vaneke Johnson, Denise Armbrister of the Salvation Army, Carmen Kemp, Samuel Percentie and Machelle Carroll; (back row): Cyprian Gibson, Tamico Allen, Karen Palacious and Oswald Poitier.

Ephraim Lyons is one of many residents who are thankful for the Government's Small Home Repairs programme. Three years ago a fire destroyed his home leaving him to live outdoors between an old vehicle and a wooden shack.

"I lost all my life savings, musical instruments and things I valued more than the house. I lost everything. I worked so hard and it just went away," he said.

Sandyport Beaches Resort and Hotel has won the coveted RCI Gold Crown Resort award, the highest of the three RCI designations largely determined by vacationers' comments. The announcement was made at the award presentation on January 23rd by Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe during a celebratory event at the Sandyport area hotel in Western New Providence.

Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe said at the presentation that everybody's efforts count every day in tourism and this major industry honour speaks to that as well as contributing to the overall growth of tourism in The Bahamas.

A few students of The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute recently experienced a cultural awakening when they visited Educulture, a museum on West Hill Street.

According to instructor of one of the institution's Student Success classes, Archilene Hepburn-O'Brien, the opportunity created a greater awareness of who we are as a people and where we came from. The field trip was not solely for students to view artifacts, but to participate in an experience.

Garvin Tynes Primary School celebrated the Chinese New Year with great fanfare to the delight of His Excellency, Yuan Guisen, and the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The celebration was done in a special assembly on Tuesday, 28th January, 2014 at the school on Alexandria Boulevard.

According to Mrs. Carolyn Wright-Mitchell, Principal of Garvin Tynes Primary School, the idea for the assembly was borne out of her experience studying for her Masters in Educational Leadership and living in China in 2011-2012. Mrs. Wright-Mitchell was a recipient of a Chinese Government scholarship. She determined that the assembly would be a good opportunity for teachers and students to learn about the rich Chinese history and culture to which she was exposed.

East End Primary, Bartlett Hill Primary, Martin Town Primary and Holmes Rock Primary School's classrooms will be a bit fuller these days after receiving an estimated $150,000 worth of reading material and educational literature for their classrooms.

This magnanimous donation was thanks to the efforts of the Rotary Clubs of Lucaya and Coral Gables, along with local companies, the Grand Bahama Shipyard and Control Chemicals.

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) have teamed up to increase water conservation awareness in The Bahamas through RBC's Blue Water Project.

As a part of the Blue Water Project, the BNT is in Grand Bahama this week speaking to schools, community groups, BNT members and the general public about the importance of water conservation.

Flying Fish has been chosen to be part of the World Gourmet Festival. There were 20 restaurants around the globe asked to bring forth their interpretations of "Discovering New Culinary Landscapes." This theme has been approached by each Chef in their own way and in Flying Fish style, Chef Tim has taken some classic Bahamian fare and elevated it through ingredient and technique to create something very special.

As an introduction to the festival, Michelin starred chef Gianfranco Chiarini had this to say: "Good food prepared with love and well-presented is powerful. It brings people together, creates a sense of community, and demonstrates the endless diversity between regions and cultures. Just as a language is composed of words and grammatical rules that can be used to tell a story to change the world, so too can food tell a powerful story through the use of varied ingredients and cooking techniques.

What a weekend! Four separate puppylift flights over four days!

Last Friday morning bright and early one dog and four puppies hitched a ride to Florida thanks to Elisabeth Jordgrav and family, where after a brief romp and rest, they continued on to Denver, to Outpaws Rescue and C.A.W.L. As an amazing postscript to the Denver part of this, THREE of the dogs have already found their forever homes! Puppies Beaker and Uma, and five year shelter resident, Bravo, was adopted by her foster mom who took less than 24 hours to fall head over heels with this sweet girl.

Prime Minister Perry Christie has declared Tourism's Golden Jubilee to be the "Year of Culture". He believes that proper promotion and integration of cultural tourism into the national, regional and international marketing strategies of The Bahamas will fit in well with the sustainable approach to tourism with the hope of having a vibrant product from January to January.

Pastor Stanford Symonette read the Prime Minister's Proclamation defining the role of cultural diversity in building tourism in Abaco during a special church service at the Parish of St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Marsh Harbour, January 22. Permanent Secretary at the MOT, Harrison Thompson, explained how tourism developed in Abaco since before Independence 1973.

Recently, the Member of Parliament for San Salvador, The Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Philip "Brave" Davis, held a public meeting in San Salvador to address the proposed national park system for the island, which includes five areas proposed for protection.

"The Bahamas National Trust commends the DPM and Member of Parliament for San Salvador for holding this public forum, particularly to obtain feedback from his constituents for a National Parks System for San Salvador" noted Lakeshia Anderson, BNT Parks Planner.

Resorts World Bimini proudly announces the launch of a new six-week Roulette training course for local residents. One of several comprehensive training programs created by Resorts World Bimini, the class provides participants the opportunity to further their career in the casino industry and underscores the company's commitment to providing employment opportunities for local Bimini residents. Upon successful completion of the course, selected graduates will be offered employment at the casino. Resorts World Bimini has already positively impacted the island of Bimini by creating hundreds of jobs at the resort, as well as opportunities for local businesses, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for the island's entrepreneurs and vendors.

"Resorts World Bimini is committed to providing new career opportunities and growth to the residents of the Bahamas," said Dana Leibovitz, President of Resorts World Bimini. "As development plans for the resort evolve, so too will employment opportunities for local residents."

If music videos had movie-like ratings, a new release by Save The Bays would get a 'G' for general audience, 'L' for lively and a 'P' for the powerful message it delivers - a clarion call to "Rise up, Bahamas, C'mon, let's Save The Bays."

So says Joseph Darville, the highly respected educator who participated in the making of the video featuring the voice and environmental passion of Kirkland 'K.B.' Bodie, the most popular musical artist in The Bahamas.

Doongalik Studios Art Gallery announces the Opening of an exciting evening exhibition of gourmet chocolates, just in time for Valentine shoppers that will be held on Wednesday, February 12 at the Gallery on #20 Village Road.

Bootleg Chocolates, a hand-made chocolate enterprise owned by Daphne Ormerod-Cates and her daughter, Amanda, was started 10 years ago in Freeport, Grand Bahama. These delicious artisan chocolates are made using local fruit and spices with all natural flavours and fillings including ganaches and caramels that are enrobed in a blend of premium European Dark Chocolate.

Minister of Youth Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson presented the 2014 PureSilk-Bahamas LPGA Classic winner Jessica Korda, with the sports jacket he wore at the 2012 London Olympic, where the country won the men's 4x4m relay.

"I present you with the shirt of my back; I wore this at the 2012 London Olympics when The Bahamas won Gold medal in the men's 4x4m relay. You did a great job. You are a fantastic talent," Mr. Johnson told Korda, who is one month shy of 21.

Grand Bahama Island is gearing up to host a fishing competition like none other! On April 24th- 27th, 2014, for the first time, anglers from throughout the United States will pack their gear and kayaks and head over to beautiful Grand Bahama to participate in the Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament (EKFT).

Extreme Kayak Fishing "Battle in the Bahamas" is a two day game fishing tournament and ultimate battle for the $5,000.00 jackpot cash prize. Unlike traditional fishing tournaments where anglers go out to sea on their boats, this particular tournament calls for kayaks or paddle boards. The last tournament that took place in Pompano Beach on September 27th, 2013 attracted some 82 anglers that traveled from various states including; Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

Dive legend Neal Watson, who recently joined forces with Guy Harvey as Director of Outpost Dive Operations, has been elected for a two-year term as President of the Bahamas Diving Association. Brendal Stevens, owner of Brendal's Dive Center in Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, was elected vice president.

Watson has been a pioneer in the dive resort business starting his first dive operation in Freeport, Bahamas in 1965. He has been involved in owning and operating hotels, establishing a chain of dive operations, working in the treasure salvage business, stunt coordinator for the movie and TV industry, owned and operated an airline charter company and established a chain of Neal Watson's Undersea Adventure franchise dive operations in the Bahamas and Caribbean.