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The Real Antwone Fisher Is In The Bahamas For The First Time To Hand Out Awards To Winners Of The U.S. Embassy's Martin Luther King Jr. Sponsored Essay Competition 2008-01-19 22:29:00 The real Antwone Fisher: By SHAVAUGHN MOSS, Special Sections Editor - EXCLUSIVE The Denzel Washington-directed movie Antwone Fisher, in which Derek Luke starred was riveting — all true, and about the life of Antwone Fisher. Luke's performance tugged at your heart, which ached for the character he played, but when you see pictures of the real Antwone Fisher, the first thing you notice is those mesmerizing eyes, which seem to tell the tale of his life better than any Hollywood movie. They just pull you in! And if you're one of the lucky ones, you just may have a chance to meet the real Antwone Fisher. He arrives in New Providence today to hand out awards to winners of the U.S. Embassy's Martin Luther King Jr. sponsored essay competition, which was open to students in grades 10-12 from throughout the archipelago. This will be Fisher's first trip to this country, and in an exclusive interview with The Guardian on Wednesday, he said he is looking forward to the visit which ...

The Public Sector Management of Change in Infrastructure Group Calls for Bahamas National Lottery 2008-01-18 16:20:00 Think tank calls for national lottery: By Betty Vedrine, Senior Guardian Reporter: Nassau, Bahamas: The government should introduce a national lottery and apply taxes to education, health care, crime and capital development, as well as enter private-public partnerships, tax households with more than two cars, increase court fines, and explore the introduction of income tax or value-added tax (VAT). These were the recommendations made yesterday by the Public Sector Management of Change in Infrastructure Group, which further recommended a tax on local beer and tobacco which can be used to install the proper infrastructure needed in the country. The group, a think tank which consists of a cross-section of professionals from various government agencies, presented the government with a list of recommendations to improve public infrastructure and increase economic growth. These recommendations were presented during a session held yesterday at the Colonial Hilton Hotel, sponsored by the ...

Abortion and Forgiveness 2008-01-17 09:14:00 The church's stance on abortion: By KARAN MINNIS,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: If you've had an abortion, can you be forgiven, and still enter the kingdom of God? This is the burning question for many people today, as millions of abortions, are performed worldwide every year, as women turn to abortion to end unwanted pregnancies. According to where you live, it can be legal as well as illegal. In The Bahamas, the procedure is illegal. An abortion, according to Wikipedia, is the removal, or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in, or caused by its death. This can occur spontaneously or accidentally as with a miscarriage, or be induced by medical, surgical or other means for therapeutic or elective reasons. By all accounts, the simple idea of anyone — let alone a professing Christian — having an abortion, and ending a life is wrong, and it is a sin that is strongly condemned — particularly in the Catholic church. Worldwide, the ...

US Recession Fears... The Bahamas will weather the bumpy ride just fine, providing the downturn doesn’t last too long 2008-01-16 21:54:00 US Recession Fears Bahamas Economy Still to Grow: By QUINCY PARKER - Nassau, Bahamas: While US financial observers and policymakers struggle to avert what some see as an impending recession in that country, State Minister for Finance Zhivargo Laing says The Bahamas will weather the bumpy ride just fine, providing the downturn doesn’t last too long. Consumer spending in the US, which accounts for two-thirds of America’s economic activity, had been showing resilience even as gas prices rose and the housing market fell, but observers have noted a sharp pullback in that spending that, if continued, may tip the US economy into recession. In fact, a chief economist at a leading financial commentator in the US was quoted by the Associated Press as saying its possible that the US has already entered a recession. "When all is said and done, we have probably entered into a recession. The weakness in the holiday season was the tipping point," said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Del ...

Bahamas Economic Outlook Assessed 2008-01-15 16:15:00 Economic Outlook Assessed: By Tameka Lundy - Nassau, Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sees a resilience that spurs job-creating growth. The World Bank predicts a global slowdown. The Central Bank of The Bahamas forecasts a relatively positive outcome. The dawn of a new year has brought with it various expectations and predictions about how the economy will perform in 2008 and to what extent outside factors will impact that performance. Despite the upheaval in the US housing market, dragging momentum in the US economy and continued high and increasing oil prices, the Governor of the Central Bank Wendy Craigg offered a glimmer of hope in her economic outlook. "I do believe that the prospect for the Bahamian economy for 2008 is, on balance, positive and this is because of the numerous foreign investment projects that are slated to commence during the course of this year," she said. However, over the course of 2007, there were undeniably some developments that caused ripple ...

Wayne Munroe - President of The Bahamas Bar Association Applauds New System To Speed Up Trials 2008-01-14 21:20:00 Bar Assoc. President Applauds New System To Speed Up Trials: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas: President of the Bar Association Wayne Munroe has applauded a recent announcement by Chief Justice Sir Burton Hall that he will re-introduce a system intended to speed up the time in which matters are brought before the courts. "I would welcome the reintroduction of any system where people understand that if you charge a man with a serious offence you should give him the opportunity to either be convicted if he is guilty or be shown not to be guilty as early as possible," Mr. Munroe said in an interview with The Bahama Journal. Last October, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest revealed that there were 114 murder suspects on bail. He said that up to September 2007, there were 39 people out on bail who were charged with rape, and more than 189 people on bail who were charged with armed robbery. His revelation came amid ongoing concerns that people on bail are responsible for ma ... President

"Nassau is no longer the little city we once knew" 2008-01-12 17:16:00 A new historic Nassau: By THEA RUTHERFORD,Guardian National Correspondent: Nassau, Bahamas - Valderine Barnett,77, remembers when they used to call Rawson Square "the park." When watching the ships sail into port on a Sunday afternoon was as entertaining as going to the movies on a Friday night. Bay Street was a street you could not avoid, its bustling sidewalks held the stores that you needed to go about the business of daily life. There was G. R. Sweeting on the corner of Charlotte and Bay Streets for your clothing and fabric, or the Park Store on Parliament Street. There was J P Sands for groceries and the Stop n Shop for books and pencils, mats for the house and linoleum for the kitchen. And who could forget the market teeming with fresh produce and even fresher meat slaughtered at the abattoir on the grounds. "Everything was on Bay Street," Barnett reminisced with a relative recently. "Bay Street used to be bubbling." While the number of cruise ship passengers strollin ...

Albany Development Company Offers Landowners 30% Above Appraisal Value To Secure Land For New Highway, And Clear The Way For Its $1.4-Billion Mixed-use Development Project To Go Full Steam Ahead 2008-01-10 09:57:00 Albany-Landowners offered 30% above appraisals: By VERNON CLEMENT JONES,Senior Business Reporter, Nassau, Bahamas: EXCLUSIVE About 30 percent extra. That appears to be the final offer for land appropriated to build a public road, replacing the one Albany will soon swallow up. "They (the landowners) have been offered about 30 percent above the average appraised value of the land," said Christopher Anand, managing partner for the $1.4-billion mixed-use development project. "That's our ceiling. "We expect final arrangements will be completed by the end of the month, and as soon as this is resolved you will see Albany going full steam ahead." If Anand's reading of the tea leaves is correct, the last obstacle standing in the way of his development will have been removed. It wouldn't have happened overnight. This fly has been stuck in the ointment since late last spring when the government decided it would appropriate each of those individual lots, arguing the move in the publ ...

Autism is becoming more prevalent in The Bahamas 2008-01-09 17:10:00 Autism On The Rise: By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR - Nassau, Bahamas: Imagine wanting to speak, but the only sound that comes out is a grunt or squeal. Imagine being so over stimulated by things like a bright light or a whirring fan, that all you can do is bang your head against a wall, or hold your ears and rock back and forth. People living with autism find it hard to make sense of the world around them, and according to the experts, the lifelong brain disorder - normally diagnosed in early childhood - is becoming more prevalent in The Bahamas. "Over the past several years we have noticed an increase in the number of children presenting autistic tendencies," said Carolyn Hall Knowles, special education officer at the Ministry of Education. "The Stapledon School and the Garvin Tynes Primary School Autism Unit are two learning institutions that provide instructional and life skills to students with autism." Her comments came during a brief opening ceremony Monday afternoon to kic ...

Bahamas Taxation System Is Unfair To Poor People 2008-01-07 21:22:00 Taxation System Unfair To Poor, Accountant Says: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas: The taxation system in The Bahamas is unfair to poor people, according to a prominent accountant, who was a guest on the flagship JCN programme "Jones and Company". "The poor bear a greater percentage of the tax liability in this country, and it is a system that was put in place by you know who many, many years ago," Raymond Winder said while on the programme, which aired on Sunday. "If you were rich or if you were a foreigner the percentage of taxes that you ended up paying on your dollar was much smaller relative to the poor, average Bahamian. Nothing has changed. If only to give a break to the average, poor Bahamian we need to change the tax system." Mr. Winder, a managing partner at Deloitte and Touche, said those who make more should pay more. "We have an increase in the expenses the government is incurring relative to running the government," he said. "I believe that the current tax system ...

Albany Development Company's Mixed-use Resort Development Moves Closer To Obtaining Final Permit 2008-01-06 13:39:00 Albany Looking Ahead: By QUINCY PARKER - Nassau, Bahamas: The directors of the Albany Development Company are set to meet with top government officials on Monday to hopefully cross the final hurdle preventing the developers from forging ahead full-scale, the Journal has learned. Albany Director Jason Callender spoke with the Journal over the weekend about the company’s plans for 2008. "Our expectations are to get going immediately in the new year. We recently have had a large measure of success in dealing with all departments of the Ministry of Works, and the prime minister’s office," he told the Journal on Sunday. "We have brought to swift conclusion the various items that we needed satisfied before we were able to move forward, and we don’t see any impediments to us moving forward early in the New Year." Mr. Callender laid out his expectations for the company over the coming 12 months. "Of course, we’ll commence construction of all first-phase amenities in the developm ...

Bahamas National Council For The Disabled Renews Call For Disabilities Legislation 2008-01-05 21:33:00 Renewed Call For Disabilities Legislation: By Rolanda Epstein - Nassau, Bahamas: The Bahamas National Council For The Disabled is hoping the government comes through and brings legislation to parliament this year, which would protect the rights of people with disabilities in The Bahamas. In the Speech from the Throne last May, the new government promised a sustained campaign of awareness aimed at educating the public on the rights of the disabled. The government said early attention will also be given to the completion of the National Disability Register. Council President Sherman Smith said Friday the Council is hopeful that legislation will soon be passed. He said such legislation would prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of life, including civil rights, employment, education, housing, goods, facilities and services, including health, access to justice and access to transportation. Former Minister of Social Services and Community Development M ...

Bahamas Record-breaking Murder Rate Directly Linked To Illegal Firearms 2008-01-04 17:32:00 Murder rate linked to illegal guns: By KRYSTEL ROLLE and INDERIA SAUNDERS, Guardian Staff Reporters - Nassau, Bahamas: The sale of illegal firearms on the nation's streets has been directly linked to the record-breaking murder count of 2007, a senior police officer revealed yesterday. Superintendent Glen Miller, officer in charge of the Central Detective Unit, said there is definitely a correlation between the proliferation of firearms and last year's high murder count, as statistics show that more than half of the murders were committed using guns. "We've seen that in 40 of these murders a handgun was used, and seven used shotguns. So we're talking about 47 matters with firearms alone. That certainly is an indication that the illegal guns are being used to commit serious crimes such as murder." Last year approximately 59 percent of the murders were committed with guns listed as the weapon of choice. The Guardian's records also showed that 47 of the 79 murders recorded i ...

Bahamas: 2008 is a Time for Bahamians to Really Take Their Country Back From All the Violence and Pain, and Recommit to Making The Islands a Better Place "...the Nation Itself Needs to Get Back to the Basics." 2008-01-03 14:46:00 Religion: A New direction and a brighter future in 2008: By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: Finally 2007 has past! And yes, we have all successfully brought in the New Year. The churches were filled and the Christians were out in full force making New Year's resolutions and spreading the holiday joy. However despite all of the holiday cheer, many of us have found it easy to sum up all of this year's events and to realize that despite the many good things that might have happened, there were many areas in which we may have fallen short. But as several local pastors have put it, the New Year is definitely not about our inadequacies. "This is a brand new year," says Pastor Trent Davis of Golden Gates Assembly. "It's a great time to reflect but not on the bad, but rather on the future and on God. And in this New Year we at Golden Gates Assembly see a manifestation of God's power and presence in the church and its family. So we are all expecting God ...

Bahamas Youth Ambassadors for Positive Living [YAPL] Battle HIV/AIDS in the Bahamian Society 2008-01-02 20:26:00 More Work Ahead For AIDS Group: By Rolanda Epstein - Nassau, Bahamas: Although Youth Ambassadors for Positive Living [YAPL] are making positive strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Chairman and CEO of the non-profit organization Keith Kemp says the group still has a whole more work to do in 2008. Mr. Kemp said in working closely with young persons in the community he perceives them as being very open and honest about the deadly disease. He said many of the myths young people believe about HIV/AIDS have been cleared up through forums YAPL holds at church meeting, schools and civic meetings. He also said through a continuation of educational programmes, young people are becoming more receptive and open towards persons who are HIV-positive. "I think they are now being able to see HIV as an ordinary chronic illness in terms of cancer and diabetes," Mr. Kemp told the Journal. He said the problem is that young persons are not applying the information they receive about HIV/AIDS in th ...