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Happy and Healthy 2008 To You and Yours! 2008-01-01 10:24:00 How to have a happy, healthy 2008: By Kermit B. Fernander, Guardian Religion Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: The following tips for a happy, healthy 2008 are offered as reminders only. While we are familiar with all of them, we sometimes fail to put them into practice. So, instead of stressing about the things that did not go well in 2007, let's try and learn from our mistakes so as not to repeat them in 2008! 1. Be generous. The more you give, the more blessings you will receive. 2. Be obedient, even when God's plan doesn't make sense to you. 3. Love your neighbor as yourself by practicing that rarest of virtues: hospitality. 4. Give to those who have less than you. Don't give just to receive something in return. 5. Don't be afraid. God said He would never leave us nor forsake us - and He meant what He said. 6. Take time to rest and enjoy the company of friends. 7. Value, honor and enjoy your family. They are all you have, no matter how strange they may seem t ...

Bahamas: Cost of Living Soars For Bahamians 2007-12-28 21:08:00 Cost of Living Soars By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas: Bahamians are paying more for everyday goods and services as the cost of living continues to climb amid weakening economic growth. As an example, the Department of Statistics says in its latest consumer price index report that Grand Bahamians paid 21.19 percent more for electricity in the month of November compared to the previous month. New Providence consumers also saw a continued increase in the Consumer Price Index during that period. The report says the Consumer Price Index for Grand Bahama showed "a considerable increase" and the CPI for New Providence also "moved forward." In New Providence, the major groups that helped moved the CPI forward were: clothing and footwear, medical care and health and food and beverages. Increases were also noted for transportation and communications, housing and other expenditures. In Grand Bahama, the housing index was the leading group with an increase of 4.21 percent. This was follow ...

Americans seek the authority to search Bahamian-registered vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction 2007-12-21 17:38:00 U.S. Pursues Security Initiative With Bahamas: By Macushla N. Pinder - nassau, Bahamas: If all goes as planned, there could be an initiative in place that would give Americans the authority to search Bahamian-registered vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction. According to U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Ned Siegel, the government is in the process of finalizing a Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). "We all know and read that keeping commercial air travelers safe is a high priority and we will continue to work with the security at the airports and seaports to make sure that the Bahamian authorities that are working those transit points are strengthened," he said. "This initiative gives us the ability - with protocol - to board Bahamian registered ships around the world [where there is] information or intelligence [to suggest] that there may be weapons of mass destruction or materials to prevent them from even getting to port." The Bahamas has the third large ...

Who are the "Christians" and where can you find them? 2007-12-20 14:50:00 What is a Christian? By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: The Bahamas. A country developed upon "strong Christian" beliefs. Created by God, but developed by man, with laws and rules that reflect the essences of the Bible. Simply put, these are the theories that support our nation. However there is one more: That we as a Christian nation, and citizens of the Bahamas, are Christians. But how does one become a Christian? Is it a birthright or something that happens over time with careful thought and consideration? Or is it something to be learnt and thought, or does it just simply happen? These are questions that have plagued the minds of many Bahamians for decades. And as a result some still have no idea what a Christian is. "A Christian is simply one who is following the principles of Christ that are outlined in His Word for us to follow," says Pastor John Carey of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. "For one, we have to be loving and ...

The Judicial Committee of Her Majesty’s Privy Council, the Final Appellate Court of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas - At Work in The Islands Again 2007-12-19 21:42:00 Privy Council Sitting In Bahamas For Second Time - By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR: Nassau, Bahamas: With much pomp and pageantry, the country on Monday welcomed the U.K.-based Privy Council to The Bahamas before the law lords got down to the business of hearing the first case – a murder appeal – on their agenda while here. On Monday, the Judicial Committee dealt with murder convict Quincy Todd’s appeal of his conviction. The delay in appeal was a result of Todd’s difficulty to obtain legal representation. Todd was found guilty of the 1994 murder of Venette Bellizaire. He was convicted on February 23, 1998 of the murder of the young Haitian woman and sentenced to death. It is reported that he picked up Bellizaire from a bus stop in downtown Freeport on August 25, 1994 in a grey Nissan Sunny. The victim was never seen alive again. The court heard that on September 21, 1994, police interviewed him and he eventually directed them to an area where skeletal remains, clothing, a ...

Climate Change Impact On The Bahamas 2007-12-18 21:22:00 Warning On Climate Change’s Impact on Bahamas: By Rolanda Epstein - Nassau, Bahamas: The Bahamas has become vulnerable to the effects of climate change with its marine life facing threats, according to the Director of Meteorology and Chairman of the National Climate Change Committee Arthur Rolle. Mr. Rolle told the Bahama Journal on Monday The Bahamas could possibly be severely affected in the years to come due to a rise in the sea level. Mr. Rolle attended the recent United Nations Climate Control Conference in Bali where representatives from more than 180 participating countries discussed a secure climate future for all nations. Also attending the conference was Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr. Earl Deveaux, who addressed the attendees on The Bahamas’ views on climate control. In 1996, a study commissioned by the government of The Bahamas showed that the maximum temperatures were increasing along with the rise in rainfall on New Providence, according to Mr. Rolle. ...

Bahamas: Sex, HIV-AIDS And Genuine Reform In A Tourism-driven Culture 2007-12-17 16:44:00 HIV-AIDS Surely Matters: Bahama Journal Editorial - Nassau, Bahamas: In a matter of days Christmas will be here. In a matter of days Christmas will be gone. In a sense, this is emblematic of life itself, a process suffused with expectation, joy and sad regret. Today we make this point as we reflect on some of the harsher realities that often occur in times like these. One of these realities has to do with the fact that there are very many Bahamians who routinely profane this most holy season, using it as an occasion for ribald excess and pure bacchanal. Compounding the matter is the fact that this Christmas season will also provide occasion for unlimited alcohol consumption, leaving some of our people sick or dead. In other instances, some other Bahamians will find themselves victimized by some depraved sexual predator or the other. What we are suggesting is that things have gotten so much out of whack in a supposedly modern Bahamas that people are describing their destruction ...

The Meaning of Christmas 2007-12-16 14:33:00 Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask him. The words choked in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, TEACH THE CHILDREN! I was puzzled: What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, Teach the Children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that a now-a-day Christmas has forgotten! Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE a ...

Bahamas: Religious Leaders Deplore The Secular Aspect Of Christmas In The Islands 2007-12-15 16:18:00 The meaning of the season: Holiday or holy day? By Kermit B. Fernander, Guardian Religion Reporter: Nassau, Bahamas - Many Bahamian adults would agree that Christmas has lost much of its religious significance, and is far more secular today. Not surprisingly, the local religious leaders questioned on this point all deplore the secular aspect of Christmas now evident in The Bahamas. Youth activist of the "228 Generation", Minister Diana Johnson, believes the situation is as much the fault of the church as it is of secularism: "The problem is that we, as Christians, rely on the world too much to promote the birth of Christ as the central theme of Christmas, when, in fact, we should be the ones setting the Christmas traditions. We should be writing and animating Christmas cartoons, TV programs, plays, radio songs, and holding community gatherings and so on. "But, once again, the church has failed to get the community involved in these ways. We just stay within the four walls [of th ...

Coroners Inquest Bahamas: Daniel Wayne Smith - Late Son Of Former Playboy Playmate And Guess Model Anna Nicole Smith (Deceased): Key Witnesses Out Of The Jurisdiction 2007-12-13 08:21:00 Smith Inquest Pushed To New Year: By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR - Nassau, Bahamas: The Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Daniel Smith wrapped up a day early on Wednesday when the Office of the Attorney General was unable to produce seven witnesses – some of them expected to deliver key evidence into the death of Daniel Smith, the son of the late American celebrity Anna Nicole Smith. Daniel Smith died at Doctors Hospital on September 10, 2006 while visiting his mother, who had recently given birth to a daughter. The AG’s office is now working to make contact with the last few witnesses on its list to have them come to court when the inquest resumes on January 28. Since the matter commenced last month, 26 witnesses were called to give testimony in the inquest that aims to determine how and why the young man died. On Monday, Neil Braithwaite, senior counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, told the court that more witnesses were expected to be called Wednesday. At that t ...

Coroners Inquest Bahamas: Daniel Wayne Smith - Late Son Of Former Playboy Playmate And Guess Model Anna Nicole Smith (Deceased): "red frothy material" found in Smith’s lungs were "a clear sign of an overdose." 2007-12-12 20:12:00 Officer Testifies Gibson, Wife Were In Hospital After Smith Died: By Tosheena Robinson-Blair - Nassau, Bahamas: Former Immigration Minister Shane Gibson and his wife were in the hospital room where a sobbing Anna Nicole Smith lay over the body of her son Daniel Smith last September, a police investigator testified on Tuesday in the coroner’s inquest into the younger Smith’s death. The inquest is being held more than a year after Daniel Smith died at Doctors Hospital where he was visiting his mother who had given birth to his baby sister. Frederick Taylor, an inspector at the Central Detective Unit [CDU] of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, said he arrived at Doctors Hospital on September 10, 2006 to find 20-year-old Smith lying on a bed, with his mother lying at his feet crying. Mr. Taylor told the court that Mr. Gibson and his wife; Anna Nicole’s companion, Howard K. Stern and emergency room physician Dr James Iferenta were all in the room at the time of his arrival. He did ...

Coroners Inquest Bahamas: Daniel Wayne Smith - Late Son Of Former Playboy Playmate And Guess Model Anna Nicole Smith (Deceased) - Autopsy Revealed Eight Different Drugs In His System 2007-12-11 16:27:00 Raju: Only one of eight drugs was prescribed to Daniel Smith: By INDERIA SAUNDERS - Nassau, Bahamas: Only one of eight drugs that an examiner found during an autopsy of Daniel Smith's body was actually prescribed for the 20-year-old at the time of his death, pathologist Govinda Raju told jury members yesterday. Facing a courtroom of onlookers at Monday's resumed inquest into the death of the late Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith's son, Raju said it was his belief that the lethal combination of drugs had been consumed anywhere from four to six hours before his death on September 10, 2006. According to the pathologist, five of the drugs in Smith's system were prescribed medications and three were most likely given to Smith during the medical intervention to resuscitate him. He said the three most lethal drugs - Methadone, Lexapro and Zoloft - were at significantly high levels, even though only Lexapro was prescribed. Raju further added that as a result, Smith's respirator ...

Fayne Thompson - Bahamian attorney says that the resumption of capital punishment in The Bahamas may not be legally possible 2007-12-10 19:43:00 Resumption of death penalty may not be possible, says lawyer: By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter- Nassau, Bahamas: Despite the Prime Minister's assurances that his government would do all it could to ensure the resumption of capital punishment, a seasoned attorney said that may not be legally possible. Acknowledging that nothing has been done to address the March 2006 Privy Council ruling, which found that the mandatory death sentence was "unconstitutional," Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said last month that the government would do its "utmost to have these legal obstacles determined" in the shortest possible time. However, yesterday attorney Fayne Thompson said he did not know that the legal positions allow the prime minister "to even consider that unless some of these mediations are clarified." In the face of an escalating murder rate, Bahamians have been calling for the government to do something -- with capital punishment at the top of their lists. And with the la ...

Hubert Ingraham - Bahamas Prime Minister Highlights The Caribbean Region’s Vulnerabilities To Climate Change 2007-12-08 16:36:00 Ingraham Highlights Region’s Vulnerabilities: By Tameka Lundy - Nassau, Bahamas: Against the backdrop of an environment that is under heavy threat from the effects of climate change, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has appealed for clear and urgent action. He made the call at a plenary dinner of the Caribbean-Central American Action Conference in Miami, Florida that was underway at the same time that international figures were meeting in Bali, Indonesia on the global threat of climate change. Mr. Ingraham said with stepped up global integration comes increased risk of transmission of threats across boundaries. "For the small states in the region, it is not possible to overestimate the threat that environmental degradation poses for their sustainability, indeed their survival," he said. "Climate change has the potential to undermine the most vibrant, and for many, the largest economic sector in the region – that is tourism. "Tourism is for many of the small island states the p ... Caribbean

Bahamians Address Bahamas Crime Problem 2007-12-07 17:30:00 Society speaks out on crime PROBLEM: Lack of faith, leadership highlighted as contributing factors - By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter: Nassau, Bahamas - When the murder rate rose to 74 on Wednesday, it probably did not come as a surprise to many. Since the beginning of the year, when the first murder was committed, it was clear that crime was becoming a major problem in The Bahamas. Patrick Rolle was gunned down early New Year's morning on his way home from Junkanoo. After that many others have lost their lives to crime -- most recently with the murder of 35-year-old Ryan Neil Wood, who was gunned down during a brazen drive-by shooting shortly after 2 p.m. in Grand Bahama. On Tuesday, the Ministry of National Security announced the appointment of what some have described to be a "desperately needed" National Advisory Council on Crime (NACC). Yesterday Council member Carlos Reid, a gang member turned activist, said the reason he believed crime is so rampant is because ...