Bahamas Blog Bahamas blog international about the going ons in the Bahamian society, region and world. You are updated from an island blogger's perspective. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 5 1706

Articles from Bahamas Blog

The level of criminality in The Bahamas has gotten out of hand says former Bahamas Commissioner of Police - B. K. Bonamy 2008-02-11 16:23:00 Case Backlog Frustrates Police: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas: Many police officers are frustrated by the inability of the powers that be to deal with the tremendous backlog of cases that exist, according to former Commissioner of Police B. K. Bonamy. Mr. Bonamy said as a result some police officers are losing the will to perform their jobs effectively. The former commissioner, who was a guest on the Love 97/JCN TV programme "Jones and Company" on Sunday, said the courts appear overwhelmed by the numbers of cases they have to deal with. "The police see that nothing is happening with that, so they turn a blind eye to things they are supposed to be dealing with," Mr. Bonamy said. "You put people before the courts and you don’t hear about them any longer, then they (the police) step back." Mr. Bonamy also said the level of criminality in The Bahamas has gotten out of hand. One reason for this state of affairs is that many police officers are not enforcing the laws as they rel ...

Bahamas: Mourners Remember Former Playboy Playmate And Guess Model Anna Nicole Smith At Graveside 2008-02-10 16:44:00 Howard Stern Remembers Anna Nicole - By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR: Nassau, Bahamas: Former Housing and Immigration Minister Shane Gibson and his wife, Jackie, were among scores of mourners that gathered yesterday at Lakeview Memorial Gardens on John F. Kennedy Drive, to mark the one year anniversary of the death of former U.S. reality t.v. star Anna Nicole Smith. Members of the U.S. media were kept behind barricades as Smith’s former attorney turned boyfriend Howard K. Stern recalled the memories he shared with the former Playboy Playmate. He said Anna Nicole should have lived to hear her daughter call her "momma," rather than the child only knowing her mother through photographs. He said if she had lived, Anna Nicole "would be bragging to everyone who would listen" about her baby girl. "She would make people listen about how beautiful and smart DannieLynn is, and she would be right," Mr. Stern said. "That’s how things should be and no matter what anybody tells me it doesn ...

Bahamas: Marijuana and Bahamian Youngsters 2008-02-09 16:39:00 Marijuana and Youngsters: By Macushla N. Pinder - Nassau, Bahamas: The use of illegal drugs among some school age students remain a serious concern for local police and drug abuse officials, who say while the average age for Bahamian youngsters to begin using narcotics is 14, children as young as nine have begun drug use. In fact, according to Drug Abuse Officer Gayle Hamilton, more juveniles were referred to the National Drug Council (NDC) in 2007 when compared to the previous year. "We saw close to 30 juveniles last year. And that was probably double the number in 2006," Mrs. Hamilton said in an interview with the Bahama Journal Friday. "We had a lot of them referred for in-patient treatment. There were also some of them who were caught with drugs, being disruptive, with guns, simply because of marijuana use." Commander of the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) Anthony Ferguson further revealed that the drug of choice remains marijuana. Crime statistics for 2007 indicate that polic ...

Lenten Season's A Time For Reflection And Prayer 2008-02-07 15:25:00 Lent-A time for reflection and prayer: By KARAN MINNIS,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter, Nassau, Bahamas: We should all remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," says Father David Cooper, priest at St. Michael's Catholic Church, West End, Grand Bahama, as Catholics began the start of their Lenten season yesterday on Ash Wednesday. "On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: 'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return,'" explains Father Cooper. The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. Adding that the cele ...

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham Says Bahamians Could Help To Curb The Problem Of Illegal Labour By Not Giving Illegal Immigrants Jobs 2008-02-06 22:06:00 PM Tells Public Remove Demand For Illegal Labour: By Kendea Jones - Nassau, Bahamas: While noting that illegal immigration is a vexing problem in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said recently that Bahamians could help to curb the problem by not giving immigrants jobs. "What society can do for us is to not engage the service of immigrants. Remove the demand and that would help us considerably," he said. "They are here because there are jobs. If they didn’t have jobs they wouldn’t be here." Mr. Ingraham, who was speaking at a "Meet the Press" event on Sunday at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel, said the government is doing all it possibly can to address illegal immigration. "We are systemically apprehending and repatriating large numbers of illegal immigrants," he said. "We are also intercepting at sea and we are giving major focus to equipment [for] the Defence Force." The prime minister said he expects the government will spend "tens of millions of dollars" ...

Bahamas: No Decision On Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Proposals 2008-02-05 17:38:00 No Movement On LNG Proposals: By Kendea Jones - Nassau, Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham indicated Sunday that his government had not made any decisions on proposed liquefied natural gas [LNG] projects for The Bahamas. "I have had no discussions whatsoever with any of the LNG persons or projects or companies," he said during a ‘Meet the Press’ conference at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. "One of them has written a letter to my office. I am aware that they have had some contact with agencies of the government and I expect that the other one that hasn’t yet made contact will do so based on what I am told. "We will look at the situation and make some judgments, but it was not a matter when we came to office that we gave very high priority to." Three companies submitted their proposals under the former Ingraham administration, which had granted approvals in principle for the projects. The companies that submitted proposals included El Paso, AES Corporation and Trac ...

Bahamas Government Is Committed To: "eventually" putting in place a system of National Health Insurance (NHI) 2008-02-04 21:06:00 Gov’t Committed To NHI: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham assured on Sunday that his administration is committed to "eventually" putting in place a system of National Health Insurance, but he said there are many things that would have to be done to get to that stage and gave no timeline for its full introduction. "One day that will happen in The Bahamas," said Mr. Ingraham, when asked whether his government was committed to NHI. "Unfortunately for The Bahamas my predecessors in office marketed a programme to the public and used the words ‘national health’, everybody is going to be covered’, without doing adequate work to cause that to happen. They were not prepared to produce that." Prime Minister Ingraham spoke to reporters during his first "Meet the Press" event held at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel in downtown Nassau. He said his government will move in a phased manner as it regards NHI, beginning with a National Drug Plan to provid ... Health

Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham Announced That Development Concessions Will Become Available To Bahamian Owners Of Businesses That Cater To Tourists 2008-02-01 18:52:00 Gov’t To Provide Incentives For Businesses That Cater To Tourists: By Kendea Jones - Nassau, Bahamas: While pointing to the challenges facing the Bahamian tourism product and outlining his government’s plans to address the problems, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on Thursday announced that development concessions will become available to Bahamian owners of businesses that cater to tourists. The prime minister, who spoke at the launch of National Tourism Week at the Wyndham Nassau Resort, said developers of retail outlets, restaurants and entertainment facilities catering to tourists both within and outside of traditional hotels will benefit. "Such concessions might prove useful, for example, in convincing downtown merchants to better maintain their premises, to undertake periodic and regular maintenance and to upgrade their properties," Mr. Ingraham said. He reiterated that the leakage of tourism revenues expended on tourism-related imports of goods that can be produced in The ...

Caribbean Nations Lobby For Extension Of The Caribbean Basin Initiative Acts To Allow Jurisdictions Continued Trade Preferences 2008-01-31 17:44:00 Caribbean Holds Pressure: By Tameka Lundy - Nassau, Bahamas: This week, Caribbean lobbyists were back on Capitol Hill in the United States telling an investigative panel how absolutely imperative it remains to have the Caribbean Basin Initiative acts extended to allow jurisdictions in this region continued trade preferences. They were giving testimony at a public hearing of the United States International Trade Commission, a move that was suggested by U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee as a means of properly identifying the ways that U.S. trade and aid policy can most help the Caribbean Basin. “The OAS would support the renewal and extension of the CBTPA in order to lock in the continued benefits to those countries presently reaping strategic economic and political benefits within the present construct,” said Secretary General José Miguel Insulza. He was one of several Caribbean officials who gave testimony before the panel and argued that endin ... Caribbean

Bahamas: Daniel Wayne Smith - Late Son Of Former Playboy Playmate And Guess Model Anna Nicole Smith (Deceased) Coroner's Inquest Resumes 2008-01-30 22:12:00 Inquest Resumes Into Death of Anna Nicole Smith’s Son: By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR - Nassau, Bahamas: A Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard how pregnant U.S. reality T.V. star Anna Nicole Smith traveled with a satchel of prescription drugs – including methadone – a narcotic that two toxicologists’ reports indicated caused her son’s death in September 2006. South Carolina real estate developer, Ford Shelley, told the court that when he and his wife unpacked Ms. Smith’s belongings when she came for a visit in May 2006, he saw a pharmaceutically labeled bottle of methadone belonging to the former Playboy Playmate. He testified that she had the drug in both the tablet and liquid form and that Ms. Smith traveled with a Coach duffle bag filled with her “medication.” Methadone is used to wean heroine addicts from their addiction. It is also used as a pain killer. “I never saw Anna personally take any of the medication. She told us what she was taking. I was concerned bec ...

Effective Child-rearing Tips 2008-01-28 17:01:00 Child-rearing tips that work: By Kermit B. Fernander, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: Raising children requires such vital and varied skills that parents and families need all the help and support they can get. Dr. Ruth Peters, a clinical psychologist and an expert on parenting, has come up with five parenting tips that work. She is not suggesting that parenting methods used in the past have been either right or wrong; but she is advising parents to think about and assess what has worked well with their child, and what has not. Don't major in the minors: In other words, don't sweat the small stuff. Don't knock yourself out over petty things that leave you so emotionally drained and exhausted, you are incapable of tackling the important issues. "If it won't have a lasting effect beyond a few days, let it go ... I've never heard of a kid being harmed by skipping the tooth brushing for a few nights, or by not using soap in the shower, or by the bed actuall ...

Prayer is key to cultivating and maintaining a strong relationship with God 2008-01-26 16:57:00 Strengthen and develop a relationship with God: By KARAN MINNIS,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: A relationship is defined as a linkage between two elements, and the bond that connects us all. They can be good, bad, or even neutral, and all need work — even your relationship with God. "We believe that communication through prayer is the best way to strengthen any relationship with God," says Father Crosely Walkine of St. Anne's Anglican Church, Fox Hill. Additionally, studying the word of God to find out what he has for you to do is also important. But you have to be open to finding God and to connecting with him before any deep connection is possible. "Everyone has to have a relationship with God, but developing it is a personal thing. Christianity is a community religion, it's one that has to be developed through attending church, reading the Bible and speaking to God. No one can force you to develop your relationship with Him, however. It's something that ...

Bahamas: "If Florida [legislators] repeals the sales tax exemption and it makes them uncompetitive, then they'll lose our business . . ." 2008-01-24 15:18:00 Bahamians encouraged to join fight to keep Fla. tax exemption: By INDERIA SAUNDERS,Guardian Staff Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: A hike in prices on goods imported from the Sunshine State may be looming as Florida legislators debate repealing an exemption on the six-percent sales tax directed at foreign importers — a concession that has made Florida the top supplier to Bahamian businesses. The legislative move may come as early as this year and in the midst of an economic downturn in the state's economy, said Adam Hasner, the Majority Leader in the Florida House of Representatives He was in Nassau yesterday trying to enlist the help of local businesses in the fight against the Democrat-led initiative. He fears that if the concession is removed and enough regional importers decide to take their business elsewhere, his state's economy will fall further into what increasingly appears to be recession. At a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Hasner argued that possible devel ...

Bahamas: A major alcohol importer says, "Raising taxes on alcohol, especially wine, would have a strong negative impact on the hotel sector, it would increase already high prices on the wine list..." 2008-01-23 20:01:00 Bristol says spiking alcohol tax would hurt hotels: By VERNON CLEMENT JONES, Senior Business Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: A major alcohol importer is cautioning the government against adopting recommendations to raise taxes on that product, arguing the move would devastate a hotel industry already awash in complaints over high bar tabs. "It certainly would not be a good thing," said Eddie Gardner, VP of sales and marketing for Bristol Wines and Spirits. "Raising taxes on alcohol, especially wine, would have a strong negative impact on the hotel sector, it would increase already high prices on the wine list. "Tourists already complain that the prices are too high because they're paying $19 for wine that would cost them $9 in the States." Gardner is focused on possible fallout from any move to increase the government's revenue stream courtesy of alcohol taxes. Last week, a special committee of public servants proffered the idea, suggesting an increase in duties and stamp tax ...

Autistic Children And Family Life In The Bahamas 2008-01-21 06:53:00 Stresses of autistic children on families: By Nadine Thomas-Brown, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: A child screaming loudly, darts into the men's rest room, her father scrambling to stop her. He asks a small boy trying to gain access if he minds using the women's rest room, while he waits for his daughter to emerge. "She is a special needs child, she is not being hurt" he tells onlookers, as the child's loud wails could be heard. "What's wrong they ask?" He explain that she is autistic. Outside, her little sister, rhetorically asks "Why do I have to have a sister like that?" Dad returns and reveals that the autistic child is 13, and tells onlookers that they noticed something was wrong with their child at around 18 months when she was not hitting her milestones. He excuses himself again and returns with the teenager. The hair peeping out from under her baseball cap is lank and wet with sweat, her face puffy from crying. She is sniffling. The crying has s ... Children