06212016 business

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2016

business@tribunemedia.net

told: Customs ‘challenged’ Bahamians ‘It’s two months to match courier pace of energy hell’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Customs yesterday admitted it had been experiencing “challenges” in keeping pace with the fast-growing courier sector, and the surge in imports generated by Bahamians purchasing online.

Charles Turner, the Customs Comptroller, said the “tremendous volume increase”, caused by the shift to e-commerce and online ordering, had caused difficulties in ensuring due import duties were paid on every shipment.

He added that legislative changes accompanying the 2016-2017 Budget, which will require courier compa-

‘Huge volume increase’ creates revenue difficulty Budget changes to give ‘greater control’ over sector Import owners warned: Your responsibility to pay nies and freight forwarders to obtain customs broker licenses, were designed to give Customs “greater con-

trol” over this emerging sector.

Mr Turner, while unable to provide any figures, said the problem was not ‘out of control’, but acknowledged that the courier/freight forwarding industry had expanded significantly in recent years as Bahamians seek to achieve price/cost savings from the comfort of their own homes.

“We’ve been having some challenges, not only with courier companies but with goods coming in,” the Customs Comptroller told Tribune Business.

“It’s not to the extent that we don’t have it under control. Couriers are a new business, and the fastestmoving business, not only in the Bahamas but around

the world.

“What is happening with courier goods is that individuals are bringing in items like shirts and shorts, after ordering them online.

We have to give an account for every object and piece that comes in.”

Rather than the large, bulk shipments it has traditionally dealt with in the past, Mr Turner explained that the rapid growth of online retailing and the courier industry was forcing Customs to collect duties on much smaller packages.

He said many contained just one item, such as clothing or a pair of sneakers, thus requiring Customs to deal with a greater volume of lower See PG B4

Landfill recycling resumption ‘still couple weeks away’

Natural justice ‘can’t be inferred’ into job contracts

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

NATURAL justice “cannot be inferred” into a private employment contract, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday, dismissing an action brought by a former Bahamian employee of US Airways.

Cherelle Cartwright’s appeal against the initial Supreme Court verdict, which found the airline had not unfairly dismissed her, argued that the “rules of natural justice were breached” when she was suspended in late 2013 as a result of two supervisors’ reports that were completed the same day.

Claiming that she never saw these reports until after her termination, Ms Cartwright and her attorney, Trades Union Congress (TUC) president Obie Ferguson, also argued that she had “a proprietary right to her job”.

Appeal Justice Jon Isaacs. writing the verdict

THE Government has yet to reach a decision on the New Providence landfill operator’s request for its fiveyear management contract to be revised, with its recycling facility still a fortnight away from resuming operations.

Kenred Dorsett, minister of the environment and housing, told Tribune Business yesterday that the Christie administration had “made no determination one way or the other” on Renew Bahamas’ call for the terms of its deal with the Government to be altered.

The landfill operator revealed two months ago that the request was made after it had “lost millions of dollars”, which showed its original business model and financial projections were invalid.

Mr Dorsett said he expected to meet with Renew Bahamas and its senior executives this Thursday, having been informed by the Government’s own advisers that talks had reached the stage where “my intervention” was necessary.

He also confirmed Tribune Business’s previous revelation that the Government had hired the Kikivarakis & Co accounting firm to help it “better understand” Renew Bahamas’ financial model, and whether it was sustainable.

“No decision, no determination has been made one way or another on that matter,” Mr Dorsett told

‘No decision made’ on Renew-ed management deal Minister to meet operator on Thursday Kikivarakis & Co hiring confirmed Tribune Business, when asked about the status of the Government’s negotiations with Renew Bahamas. “I’m expecting to sit down with them on Thursday to have See PG B4

$4.15 $4.20 $4.21

$4.21

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Court: Workers ‘don’t have proprietary right’ to job Dismisses claim by Bahamian ex-US Airways worker Judgment details stormy employment history on the court’s behalf, was notably unimpressed with these and the four other grounds of appeal advanced

by Mr Ferguson.

He noted that ‘natural justice’, as a concept and rule, was better applied to public sector employment and administrative decisions by public bodies, rather than private sector employment contracts.

See PG B4

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net THE head of Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) managerial union yesterday blamed ex-chairman, Leslie Miller, and his Board for Nassau’s ongoing power blackouts, and added: “The next two months are going to be hell.”

Clinton Minnis, the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union’s (BEUMU) president, yesterday came to the defence of Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) and its manager, PowerSecure International, charging that they had inherited a mess from the Government and Mr Miller.

Mr Minnis charged that the protracted negotiations with PowerSecure over the outsourcing of BPL’s management have contributed to the current energy generationa challenges plaguing New Providence, as maintenance was placed on hold.

“They walked in to machines that are ill-equipped See PG B5

Union boss blames blackouts on Miller, Gov’t Slams ex-chairman’s ‘hypocrisy’ Predicts no relief until August

LESLIE MILLER

Energy crisis an investor ‘turn off’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas’ energy crisis is “turning off” both local and foreign investment in this economy, the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader charging yesterday that consumers were being “kept in the dark” on changes.

Branville McCartney called for Bahamas Power & Light (BPL), the successor operator to BEC, and its manager, PowerSecure, to divulge the business plan for reforming the troubled energy monopoly so that Bahamians could have

Bahamians ‘kept in dark’ on BPL plans Bran: PowerSecure out of time before it started some hope of improvement.

“PowerSecure have come on stream, and they’re not telling us what the plan is,” Mr McCartney told Tribune Business. “We’re still looking and asking, and no one is telling us what the plan is for BPL and PowerSecure.

See PG B5

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 21, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Marketplace gives vendors ‘Tru’ help THE first-ever Tru Tru Bahamian Marketplace drew numerous businesses and interested Bahamians to the Atlantis resort last weekend.

Vendors invited to attend, and exhibit, at the marketplace said they were grateful for the exposure.

Amanda Ferguson of Biggity, a company that produces soy candles, body butters, body scrubs and other all-natural products, said the event was a positive initiative to help Bahamian businesses.

“We are a small Bahamian company,” she said. “I’m an entrepreneur and it’s difficult to get your name out there in the marketplace.

“So, at an event like this, it actually puts together a very well-rounded set of people that you get to expose your products to and your company.”

Ms Ferguson added: “We’re here for exposure and hopes that businesses would like to carry our products, too.

“It’s been good. It’s a bit slow right now, but it’s picking up.”

The Marketplace was designed as a ‘one-stop shop’ for Bahamian vendors to showcase their products and expose them to large buyers.

Janet Johnson, director in the Minister of Tourism’s office, said the Marketplace was devised by Obie Wilchcombe.

“He was at the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) Marketplace, which is a buyer/seller forum, and he got the idea from some of the vendors there to start something for them, where we bring in the buyers and the sellers,” Ms Johnson said.

After the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Perry Christie and Mr Wilchcombe toured the Marketplace, visiting each vendor.

Sharon Andrews, of Coconut Queen from Andros, has been making virgin coconut oil for the past six

PRIME Minister Perry Christie and minister of tourism, Obie Wilchcombe, tour vendors’ stalls at the Tru Tru Marketplace at Atlantis. Scores of vendors displayed authentic Bahamian goods for sale at the marketplace.

Photos/KEMUEL STUBBS years. She uses organic coconuts to make her products.

“I think this is a good opportunity for me, and this is a marketplace different from all of the other festivals,” she said. “There are people here who can buy in bulk.

“This is an opportunity where you can put your business out there. My most favourite product I want to put out there is my soaps. I’m doing coconut soaps naturally.”

Chralda Arnett, the Sandyport Beaches Resort’s front office manager, had already placed several orders on Friday after seeing the diversity of products on display.

“We believe in being 100 per cent Bahamian,” she said.n“We’re looking at a variety of stuff to enhance our already awesome product.

“We want to move away from the regular hotel soaps and move into Bahamian made soaps.”

Describing the Marketplace, Ms Arnett said: “It’s like a one-stop shop.

“Instead of having to look around or call around, we came here and everything is here, from spices to soaps, artwork, crafts; everything is here. This makes it so much easier.”

Mr Wilchcombe said he was impressed by the diversity he saw in the Marketplace.

“The quality is good and they [the vendors] just lacked the opportunity,” he said. “I’m very pleased that we have the banks and investors here to take a look at what the vendors have to offer.”

Mr Wilchcombe added that he hopes the Tru Tru Bahamian Marketplace can grow and expand to attract international buyers.

“You have to market your product,” he said. “We’re going to be able to do so online very shortly. We have events that we can attend and, by taking those events, doors can open.”

He continued: “Seeing the diversity here, that surprises me. “What I do like about it is that these people have been working quietly and just waiting for that opportunity. We haven’t touched them all, so we are going to have to go some other islands.

“We have to continue. It has to be almost regular. We have to find different staging grounds to always attract people to see what we have to offer.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, PAGE 3

NIB gains $400,000 in past due payments

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net THE National Insurance Board (NIB) has gained more than $400,000 in outstanding contributions since launching a payment plan incentive for employers in February, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday.

Shane Gibson, minister of labour and national insurance, acknowledged that ensuring maximum compliance has been challenging

for NIB. “Although having fallen short of its broad target of $263 million in [contributions in] 2015 by some $2.8 million, NIB launched a highly successful installment agreement initiative in February of this year to coincide with Business License renewals, resulting in the Board collecting more than $400,000 in outstanding payments,” Mr Gibson said during the 2016-2017 Budget debate.

He added that the Board would seek to partner with

other government agencies to improve compliance and collect outstanding payments from employers.

“There are many businesses who deduct National Insurance money and refuse to turn it over,” Mr Gibson said.

“It isn’t until an employee comes in for either a shortterm benefit or some longterm benefit that they are advised that their payments have not been made.”

He urged employers not to wait until they require a ‘Letter of Good Standing’ to

seek to become current with NIB payments.

“If you don’t become compliant you can’t get your Tax Compliance Certificate,” Mr Gibson said.

“Don’t wait until you can’t collect a cheque from the Government to try and get a Letter of Good Standing.

We don’t want to see any employee disadvantaged as a result of employers not paying contributions.”

Mr Gibson said that at April 30, 2016, some 206,000 NIB smart cards have been issued. The card is consid-

ered the gateway to National Health Insurance (NHI) registration.

“Registration for the smart card begin in April 2014, and NIB launched the enhanced drive in January 2016,”he added.

“As of April 30, 2016, some 209,000 smart cards have been issued by NIB. With approximately 80,000 school children and 600,000 insured persons remaining to be registered, registration will continue.”

Baha Mar implosion BISX unveils four blamed for NIB miss more fund listings

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net A CABINET Minister yesterday blamed the National Insurance Board’s (NIB) failure to meet its $260 million contribution target for 2015 on Baha Mar’s failure to open, with income coming in $2.8 million below forecast.

Shane Gibson, during his contribution to the 20162017 Budget debate, said: “Based on preliminary results for 2015, NIB collected some $260 million.

“This is $2.8 million below budget. Overall income for NIB was impacted by the failure of Baha Mar to open as projected.”

Baha Mar was originally supposed to open in December 2014, but then set a soft opening for March 27, 2015. After that date was delayed days before

the planned opening, Baha Mar officials said they were aiming for an early May opening.

On June 29, however, Baha Mar and 14 of its affiliated Bahamian companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court, blaming the resort’s contractor, China Construction America (CCA), for the delays that caused it to miss its previous opening deadlines.

The Government subsequently filed a winding-up petition in the Supreme Court for the appointment of provisional liquidators to speed up completion of the stalled resort.

In October, Baha Mar’s joint provisional liquidators, Bahamas-based KRyS Global and UK-based AlixPartners, announced that more than 2,000 Baha Mar employees were made redundant from the resort.

The joint provisional liquidators said the lay-offs were due to the financial insolvency of the $3.5 billion resort. The layoffs affected approximately 1,440 nonactive employees and approximately 580 active employees, including members of management and staff.

Mr Gibson, minister of labor and national insurance, told Parliament yesterday that NIB’s investment income had decreased by about $7.1 million, mainly due to losses associated with its shareholding in Bank of the Bahamas.

There was a reduction in administrative expenses of some $8.1 million. As of March 31, 2016, total assets in the National Insurance Fund stood at $1.8 billion, with investments representing $1.65 billion of that figure.

A GROUP of insurance industry workers pose for a photo.

MARSH’s senior vice-president of property, Ed Cotterell, gets on the microphone to sing Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’.

Insurance executives enjoy the Sunshine EXECUTIVES from Marsh, the worldwide insurance broker and risk manager, recently attended a welcome reception hosted by Sunshine Insurance (Agents & Brokers).

Marsh’s senior vice-president for property, Ed Cotterell, and a group of his associates were in the Bahamas to attend the 36th annual Caribbean Insurance Conference which was held at Atlantis.

The Marsh team and invited guests were treated to dinner at the home of Sir Franklyn Wilson, chairman of Sunshine Holdings.

(SHL).

Sunshine Insurance (Agents & Brokers) is the Bahamian correspondent for Marsh.

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THE Bahamas International Securities Exchange (BISX) yesterday unveiled a further four investment fund listings, enhancing a segment worth more than $2.3 billion at the 2015 year-end.

The exchange’s latest fund listings are the Lewisham Investment Fund; 3Ps Investment Fund IC Commons Quotas; 3Ps Investment Fund IC Preferred Quotas; and Delmonte Fund Ltd SAC. All four are open-ended funds, and have successfully completed the BISX listing process. They join those funds already listed on BISX. Keith Davies, BISX’s chief executive, said: “We continue to be pleased with the traction being experienced by our Mutual Fund

Listing Facility, with total assets under management of funds listed on the exchange passing $2.3 Billion at December 31, 2015.

“We are also pleased that 3Ps Investment Fund IC becomes the second ICON to be listed on the exchange. We intend to continue to enhance the market with our commitment to development through innovation.”

Lewisham and Delmonte are incorporated as Bahamian International Business Companies (IBCs).

Lewisham is registered as a Smart Fund Model 7, while Delmonte is registered as a professional investment fund.

The 3Ps Common Quotas and 3Ps Preferred Quotas are sub-funds of the 3Ps Investment Fund IC, the

SHANE GIBSON

second Investment Condominium (ICON) to be listed on BISX following passage of the Investment Condominium Act 2014.

Credit Suisse’s Nassau branch served as the BISX sponsor member that brought these funds to the Exchange.

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PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Natural justice ‘can’t be inferred’ into job contracts From pg B1 Describing the process employed by US Airways (which subsequently merged with American Airlines) in dismissing Ms Cartwright as “fair”, Appeal Justice Isaacs wrote: “I do not find that any rule of natural justice was breached by the respondent when it followed its disciplinary processes as outlined in the” Bahamas Personnel Policy Guide (BPPG).

“It must be noted that contracts of employment are privately negotiated contracts, usually between the employee and the employer,” Justice Isaacs continued.

“Issues of natural justice are not terms to be inferred

into in the contract in the absence of specific reference thereto, and are more appropriate to matters of employment in the public sector or to administrative decisions taken by quasigovernmental bodies.

“Although natural justice and fairness are intersecting principles, the rules of natural justice are more applicable to reviews of administrative actions in the field of public law than in the area of private employment law.”

Appeal Justice Isaacs also emphasised that “no employee has a proprietary right to his job”, and could only expect that they will not be wrongly or unfairly terminated by the employer.

The Court of Appeal judgment detailed Ms Cartwright’s seemingly turbulent 18-and-a-half years with US Airways after she was hired in mid-1995 as a customer service representative, based at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).

“The appellant’s employment history over the period was characterised by unsatisfactory workplace relationships between herself and co-workers, commencing at least as early as three years following the start of her engagement with [US Airways],” Appeal Justice Isaacs wrote.

He said Ms Cartwright received her first Level III disciplinary warning, in accordance with US Airways’ staff conduct policies, in 2003 following a complaint that she “had threatened to knock a co-worker to the floor”.

This resulted in a threeday suspension without pay, and the Court of Appeal judgment then referred to complaints made in 2010 that Ms Cartwright had “created a hostile work environment for co-workers”.

US Airways’ Nassau station manager, Caroline Hollingsworth, wrote to Ms Cartwright in mid-2013, warning that it was “imperative” that she improve her workplace conduct, and not initiate verbal or physical altercations that created a “hostile workplace environment”.

Ms Cartwright used US Airways’ grievance procedures to make unsuccessful appeals, and she was issued with another year-long Level III warning in July 201.

A “unique” situation then arose because, as Ms Cartwright was appealing that warning, she was “suspended with pay in Oc-

tober 23, 2013, after three US Airways supervisors complained about her lack of respect and “very poor, very unprofessional attitude”.

US Airways ultimately decided to rescind the July 2013 warning, and replace it with a third Level III warning that would run for a year from the October incident.

Ms Cartwright was then involved in another incident on January 8, 2014, when a fellow US Airways worker, Eric Fowler, claimed she directed a “very loud and unprofessional” outburst at him at the door of one of the aircraft’s flights.

The altercation was witnessed by two US Airways flight attendants, and two officers from Candid Security Ltd. After conducting an investigation, involving interviews and written reports from all parties, the airline terminated Ms Cart-

wright.

Justice Ian Winder dismissed her claim in the Supreme Court, and the appeal was founded on allegations that Ms Cartwright was unfairly dismissed because of a ‘breach of the rules of natural justice’.

Justice Winder, too, dismissed the ‘natural justice’ claim, and the Court of Appeal said the appeal “seems to imply” that US Airways’ disciplinary process was inadequate, with no proper investigation undertaken.

Appeal Justice Isaacs backed the Supreme Court’s conclusion that Ms Cartwright’s “dissatisfaction emanated not from the process not being fair, but from the results”.

He added that she knew “the Sword of Damocles could fall on her” if another infraction occurred, as the third Level III warning was in place.

one is looking to make sure the best decisions are being made.

“We want to be sure, and the Government wants to be sure, that any changes made are in the best interests of all parties involved.”

Mr Beukes told Tribune Business that Renew Bahamas had “a long list” of changes it was seeking to its management contract in order to make the landfill operation viable.

While declining to go into specifics, he added: “The biggest issue is that the country needs to change how we do things. We cannot expect a different result by doing the same thing.”

Mr Beukes explained that he was referring to the Ba-

hamas’ culture, and attitude towards, waste collection, processing and disposal, which currently sees virtually all waste go into the New Providence landfill - something that contributes to the frequent outbreak of fires.

The Renew Bahamas principal, though, confirmed yesterday that its only revenue source - the MRF facility - was likely to be out of action for a further fortnight at least.

“We’re probably still a couple of weeks away from that,” he told Tribune Business. “We want to get that up and running, as it’s our only source of revenue.

“If we don’t sell product, we don’t get any money from any source, including the Government. The key is that we just want to have that fixed as soon as possible, as it’s the backbone of our operation.”

The recycling plant is currently inoperable because of the fire that damaged its bailer. While Renew Bahamas can still sort incoming waste streams for appropriate materials to recycle, the bailer’s absence meant there is nothing to form them into product suitable for sale and export.

Mr Beukes said the MRF had also been transforming incoming food waste, which is not suitable for recycling, into fill or aggregate that was used to compact the landfill.

In a previous interview with Tribune Business, he had estimated that Renew Bahamas could lose $750,000 - or $250,000 per month - as result of its MRF facility and bailer being inoperable, a projection that now looks reasonably accurate.

Explaining then why Renew Bahamas was seeking changes to its management contract, Mr Beukes said:” “What we are asking government to consider is to change the financial terms of our arrangement. We have lost millions of dollars.

Our financial situation is not good.

“What we are trying to do is change the profile of the contract, which means that we would be a viable business going forward. There are some ideas we are working on to ensure that a significant piece of ownership is transferred to Bahamians.”

He described the landfill management contract as “a

classic frontier investment”, and said there had been numerous “unknowns” that Renew Bahamas was now aware of, but which it had not allowed for in its original business plan and projections.

“It’s a classic frontier investment, given the state of solid waste management and recycling compared to other countries. The revenue, and the costs associated with this project, were very difficult for anybody to project,” Mr Beukes said.

“There were multiple unknowns, and as we developed the project we realised what the unknowns are, and were able to quantify them.

A lot of it you can see, but a lot of it you can’t. We have a better understanding of what a viable project is.”

The company’s attempt to re-negotiate its contract, which runs until 2019, was an unwanted further headache for the Christie administration, which is already under immense public pressure over the recurring landfill fires - and the associated environmental, health and economic impact on nearby communities and businesses.

been following through in ensuring couriers made due payment.

“There must be an awful lot of that,” they told Tribune Business. “Customs’ system appears to be getting better, so they can determine who owes what or even if there was a clerical error, where the Customs officer did not attach payment to the right entry. But it’s obviously a problem.”

Mr Turner, meanwhile, told Tribune Business that the legislative changes accompanying the 2016-2017 Budget would require courier companies to obtain a Customs broker licence.

Besides placing that sector on a regulatory ‘level playing field’ with other importers and brokers, the Comptroller said the changes would also enable Cus-

toms to update and “keep up” with the fast-growing industry.

“We want to make sure they’re legitimate businesses,” Mr Turner said. “We want to have greater control over the courier business.

“More and more persons are ordering this stuff online as opposed to going away themselves and bringing it in. We also want to be consistent with the customs brokers. They have to be licensed, so the couriers must have a customs broker licence.

“The volumes have increased tremendously, and the fact is that every shipment coming in by courier must be documented, even if it is just a pair of shorts.

We have thousands and thousands [of shipments] coming in, and people buy-

ing online.”

The courier/freight-forwarding business has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years, as Bahamian consumers - buffeted by soaring prices driven even higher by developments such as Value-Added Tax (VAT) - have sought out ‘deals’ via their computer screens.

Mr Turner said the legal changes would also require couriers to submit manifests of incoming shipments to Bahamas Customs one hour before the plane carrying them landed, in a bid to prevent any import duty revenue from being missed.

“It gives us an ability to perform risk analysis, and lets us know who is bringing it in, and what, before the plane even arrives,” he added.

Mr Turner emphasised that it was the responsibility of the importing company or individual to ensure that due import duties were paid, not the courier, freight forwarder or broker.

“It’s the duty of the importer to ensure that the revenues are paid into Customs, and that they have Customs receipts for goods received,” he said. “They should be concerned when they don’t have one.

“The owners of the goods have the responsibility.

If the shipment is in their name, even if the courier company clears things for them, they have a duty to ensure they have a Customs receipt to show duty was paid.”

Landfill recycling resumption ‘still couple weeks away’ From pg B1 discussions.”

Mr Dorsett emphasised that the Government’s technical advisers and third-party consultants had been engaged in ongoing talks with Renew Bahamas for several weeks.

He added that he now wanted to “understand” himself what was happening with the New Providence landfill, and Renew Bahamas’ materials recycling facility (MRF), which has been inoperable since its baler was damaged by fire in early April.

Explaining the Government’s decision to hire Kikivarakis & Co, the firm founded by ex-Deloitte & Touche (Bahamas) partner, Anthony Kikivarakis, Mr Dorsett said Renew Bahamas had yet to meet its contractual obligation to provide it with audited financial statements.

“By virtue of the agreement with Renew Bahamas, we expect them to provide audited statements,” the Minister said. “Those fi-

nancials have not been completed for the financial year 2015 yet.

“We introduced Kikivarakis & Co to better understand the financial models, and to better understand it from a sustainability perspective, to see whether or not the financial model is working.”

Gerhard Beukes, Renew Bahamas’ chief executive and president, told Tribune Business yesterday that the company and the Government were working together to reach the best solution for all concerned.

Confirming that both sides were still talking, Mr Beukes said Thursday’s upcoming discussions were “not like a big crunch meeting”.

“We’re still working with the Government,” he added, “to ensure we come up with the best option for all the parties involved - the company, the Government and the country.

“The options are still being evaluated. There’s a very open dialogue and many moving parts. Every-

Customs ‘challenged’ to match courier pace From pg B1 value import shipments thus making the agency’s job more complicated and ‘fiddly’.

Tribune Business contacted Mr Turner after several business owners informed this newspaper that Customs was pursuing them for import duties it claimed had not been paid on past shipments.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the business owners said that when they checked their records, the documents indicated that funds to pay the relevant duties had been passed to courier companies.

Questioning whether the duty money had then been paid to Customs, one businessman suggested that the agency appeared to be releasing goods based “on the strength of the bond” that courier companies are supposed to lodge with it.

These ‘performance bonds’ are supposed to guarantee that importers will fulfill their obligations to Customs and the Public Treasury, as they can be used by the Government to satisfy any outstanding debts and liabilities.

However, the businessman suggested that Customs appeared not to have

THE TRIBUNE

KENRED DORSETT

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, Tuesday, June June 21,21, 2016, 2016, PAGE PAGE 5 5

Bahamians told: ‘It’s two months of energy hell’ From pg B1 with no proper maintainance schedule,” Mr Minnis said of BPL and PowerSecure.

“The maintenance issue was held captive, meaning we couldn’t do maintenance until they concluded certain arrangements with PowerSecure. The Government had everything on hold, and with everything being on hold this is what you get.”

Mr Minnis continued: “Mr Miller and those didn’t have a plan, and even if they had a plan no one moved on the plan, because the Gov-

ernment held up the process.

“That’s how it really played out. This is a maintenance issue, and then our transmission and distribution system has not been properly upgraded and protected.

“Any little lightning storm passing, we have a problem. Our system is very soft right now. We are in bad shape. This summer is not going to be easy. I think they got the approval on the [generation] rentals, but that’s not happening until the end of August.”

Mr Minnis said that

Energy crisis an investor ‘turn off’ From pg B1 “We are left in the dark, just like when the current goes off on a continuous basis. The Bahamian people are left in the dark. We want to know what the plan is.”

PowerSecure signed a five-year contract for BPL’s management with the Christie administration in early February 2016. However, following its $431 million purchase by Southern Company, it is only now following the appointment of Pam Hill as BPL’s chief executive - that moves are being made to execute on its business plan.

That document’s contents, though, have yet to be made public, with a press conference to discuss it cancelled by BPL. Mr McCartney said it had to involve lower energy costs, and greater supply reliability and security, together with a focus on renewable energies and switch to cleaner fuels.

A reliable, consistent power supply is likely to be among PowerSecure’s first objectives but, with the expectations of Bahamians already raised by the Government following the PowerSecure deal, the

Carolinas-based firm may have little time in which to effect improvements before public sentiment becomes negative.

Mr McCartney suggested yesterday that PowerSecure may have run out of time before it had even begun, saying: ‘These woes should have been fixed a long time ago before they came in.

“We don’t have time for them to fix it. We should know, as a people, what they plan to do, and the determine whether they have time to do it. Right now, we’re literally in the dark as to what their plans are, so we can’t tell whether they need more time.

“We as a country don’t have time. In 2016, we should not be where we are.

I cry shame on the current and previous administrations for that. It’s ridiculous.

I’m fed up and continue to be fed up, and the Bahamian people ought to be fed up.”

New Providence last week suffered rolling blackouts, induced by a generation capacity shortfall, and then an island-wide outage that many hoped would become a thing of the past once BEC’s operating assets were taken over by a

while BPL and PowerSecure would ultimately bring improvements to the energy monopoly, consumers weer running short on patience.

BPL and PowerSecure’s first four months in charge of BEC’s operating assets have already seen many of the outages, blackouts and energy supply inconsistencies that occurred under the previous structure.

“The people want reliable power now. Unfortunately, the next two months are going to be hell,” added Mr Minnis.

Mr Miller enjoyed a somewhat rocky relationship with the two BEC unions, having attempted to blame much of the Corporation’s woes on their alleged ‘greed’ over overtime payment, and non-contrib-

utory pensions and health insurance.

While many informed observers believe BEC (now BPL) employees should contribute to financing their retirement and healthcare, they also suggested that its main problems lay elsewhere in its aged, inefficient and poorly maintained generation equipment, coupled with a ‘below cost’ base rate.

Mr Miller last week described BPL’s meeting with the private sector as “hot air and elementary rhetoric”, telling this newspaper: “I was most unimpressed.”

He argued that BPL and PowerSecure International were offering no new solutions or anything that Bahamians could not have done, as he kept up

his seemingly one-man crusade to undermine the new management structure.

Mr Minnis, though, accused Mr Miller of gross hypocrisy, recalling how the ex-BEC chairman had sought PowerSecure’s assistance just two years ago.

He said: “He is the one who brought them here and now he is saying that they are a bad deal. When we had a meltdown in 2014, he brought in PowerSecure from North Carolina.

“When they got approved last year, he was shouting that he had brought them here. Now, they’re a bad deal. He’s being hypocritical.”

PowerSecure signed a five-year management services agreement with the Government to run BPL,

the Bahamas Electricity Corporation’s (BEC) newly-created operating subsidiary, on February 9.

Then, on February 25, PowerSecure announced that the Atlanta-based utility giant, Southern Company, would acquire it for $431 million, with PowerSecure becoming a become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company.

Jeff Wallace, BPL’s first chief executive, resigned suddenly in March for ‘personal reasons’.

Pam Hill, who most recently served as vice-president of retail sales support at Exelon Corporation, a Fortune 150 energy company headquartered in Chicago, was appointed as his replacement.

private sector manager.

“What that does to businesses is tremendous,” Mr McCartney said of last week’s power outages.

“The losses that businesses incur as a result of these blackouts, and the inconvenience for some businesses, having to let staff go home. There were a number of businesses that could not do business because of the blackout, and it causes tremendous strain on the private sector.”

Mr McCartney said reliable energy supply was vital to the Bahamas’ “future existence”, and pointed to the ramifications of last weekend’s events for business and investor confidence.

“Many persons are turned off from coming to this country, investing in this country, by high energy cost and lack of reliability,” he told Tribune Business.

“Local businessmen are turned off from investing further in their own coun-

try by high energy costs. It is literally a turn-off to persons investing in this country, Bahamians and foreigners alike.

“You would have thought a more progressive government would have taken that in hand from the beginning, but we are experiencing the same Bahamas we experienced four-and-a-half years ago; the same thing this government complained about and said they were going to fox. It’s the same thing, the same old.”

BRANVILLE MCCARTNEY

Legal Notice

NOTICE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT (No. 45 of 2000)

VICTORIA INC. In Voluntary liquidation

“Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act (No. 45 of 2000).

VICTORIA INC., is in Dissolution.”

The date of commencement of dissolution is the 17th day of June, 2016.

MR. ROLAND FRANCOIS FELICIE of Revolution Avenue, Mahe, Seychelles Liquidator

PAGE 6, Tuesday, June 21, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

China’s president Xi visits Poland to boost trade, business WARSAW, Poland (AP) — China's President Xi Jinping said Monday that he sees an important role for Poland as his country looks to increase commercial ties with Europe.

Xi spoke during a visit to Warsaw that was intended to boost Chinese investment in infrastructure and energy and open the Chinese market to Polish food producers.

Poland has been China's largest partner in central and eastern Europe, with trade worth tens of billions of euro. But Poland is chiefly an importer and is hoping to boost its economy by increasing exports, mainly of farm products and especially beef and apples, banned by major importer Russia.

"I am convinced that Poland can continue to have a very important role in building ties between China and Europe," Xi told a news conference. "There is a very high convergence between China's initiative (to develop European ties) and Poland's development plan."

Xi noted that China's new approach to its own economic development is based on new technologies and environmental projects.

He and Polish President Andrzej Duda signed an agreement to step up bilateral ties. Some 40 deals and memoranda of understand-

ing were signed Monday, mostly related to construction, raw materials, energy, new technologies, finance and science.

"I hope that for China, Poland will become a gateway to Europe," Duda said, noting that Poland's biggest port in Gdansk has potential to handle large volumes of trade.

Duda's adviser, Krzysztof Szczerski, said that Poland wants to have a role in upgrading and creating new land and sea transport links between China and the European Union. Talks were also to include human rights issues in China and global security," he said.

Jacek Bartosik, an expert with the Jagiellonian Club's Analysis Center, said it's important for Poland to establish strong links with fastgrowing economies outside of Europe.

"The center of gravity of the world economy is no longer in Europe, but on the Pacific coast," he said.

Xi and Duda were due to attend the arrival of a China Railway Express cargo train in Warsaw, in a symbolic opening of a land connection between China and Europe. They will also attend an economic forum and meet Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Parliament speakers.

CHINESE President Xi Jinping, left, and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda walk in front of the Guard of Honor during the welcoming ceremony in Warsaw, Poland, yesterday. Xi Jinping came to Poland for an official visit. (AP Photo)

CALL THE TRIBUNE AT 502-2394 TO ADVERTISE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that NADEGE DALMOND of Apt. 16B, Rolle Ave., New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 14th day of June, 2016 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that NWAOKPARA M. NGOBIDI of Third Terrace Centreville, P.O.Box SS-19068, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 21st day of June, 2016 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, DARIO PATRICK DELANCY of New Providence, The Bahamas intend to change my name to DARIO PATRICK TRECO. If there are any objections to this change of name

by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this Notice.

MARKET REPORT MONDAY, 20 JUNE 2016

t. 242.323.2330 | f. 242.323.2320 | www.bisxbahamas.com

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: CLOSE 1,925.76 | CHG 0.37 | %CHG 0.02 | YTD 101.81 | YTD% 5.58 BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 3.40 17.43 9.09 3.50 4.70 0.18 8.34 8.25 5.84 10.60 15.50 2.57 1.60 5.80 7.55 11.00 7.40 6.90 12.25 11.00

52WK LOW 2.21 17.43 9.09 3.00 4.70 0.12 5.32 7.25 5.50 6.85 14.50 2.25 1.27 5.51 6.00 9.85 6.01 5.25 11.75 10.00

PREFERENCE SHARES 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 105.50 100.00 100.00 100.00 105.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

1.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Bank of Bahamas Benchmark Cable Bahamas CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Colina Holdings Commonwealth Bank Commonwealth Brewery Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Famguard Fidelity Bank Finco Focol ICD Utilities J. S. Johnson Premier Real Estate Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Commonwealth Bank Class E Commonwealth Bank Class J Commonwealth Bank Class K Commonwealth Bank Class L Commonwealth Bank Class M Commonwealth Bank Class N Fidelity Bank Class A Focol Class B

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00 100.00

SECURITY Fidelity Bank Note 17 (Series A) + Fidelity Bank Note 18 (Series E) + Fidelity Bank Note 22 (Series B) +

SYMBOL AML APD BPF BWL BOB BBL CAB CIB CHL CBL CBB CWCB DHS FAM FBB FIN FCL ICD JSJ PRE

LAST CLOSE 3.30 15.85 9.09 3.50 5.22 0.12 6.56 8.20 5.84 10.60 14.50 2.48 1.50 5.80 7.55 9.98 7.40 6.36 11.93 10.00

CLOSE 3.40 15.85 9.09 3.50 5.22 0.12 6.56 8.20 5.84 10.60 14.50 2.64 1.45 5.80 7.55 9.98 7.40 6.36 11.93 10.00

CHANGE 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 -0.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA CBLE CBLJ CBLK CBLL CBLM CBLN FBBA FCLB

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

SYMBOL FBB17 FBB18 FBB22

LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00

113.95 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

113.95 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

VOLUME 2,000

646 1,500

VOLUME

EPS$ 0.304 1.351 1.086 0.220 -1.134 0.000 0.185 0.551 0.508 0.541 0.528 0.094 0.166 0.510 0.612 0.960 0.650 0.703 0.756 0.000

DIV$ 0.090 1.000 0.000 0.160 0.000 0.000 0.187 0.260 0.200 0.360 0.610 0.060 0.040 0.240 0.275 0.000 0.280 0.120 0.640 0.000

P/E 11.2 11.7 8.4 15.9 N/M N/M 35.5 14.9 11.5 19.6 27.5 19.5 8.7 11.4 12.3 10.4 11.4 9.0 15.8 0.0

YIELD 2.65% 6.31% 0.00% 4.57% 0.00% 0.00% 2.85% 3.17% 3.42% 3.40% 4.21% 2.27% 2.76% 4.14% 3.64% 0.00% 3.78% 1.89% 5.36% 0.00%

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

INTEREST 7.00% 6.00% Prime + 1.75%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2017 31-May-2018 19-Oct-2022

6.95% 4.00% 4.00% 4.25% 4.25% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.00% 4.25% 4.50% 6.25%

20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2017 30-Jul-2018 16-Dec-2019 30-Jul-2020 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2018 26-Jun-2020 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing) 115.03 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

113.70 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-3Y BGS: 2015-1-3Y BGS: 2014-12-5Y BGS: 2015-1-5Y BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-3Y BGS: 2015-6-5Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y

BAH29 BG0103 BG0203 BG0105 BG0205 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0303 BG0305 BG0307 BG0330

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 1.97 3.82 1.91 160.64 138.35 1.43 1.64 1.53 1.05 6.67 8.16 5.81 10.66 10.12

52WK LOW 1.67 3.04 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.37 1.51 1.45 1.03 6.11 6.93 5.55 10.37 8.65

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund FG Financial Preferred Income Fund FG Financial Growth Fund FG Financial Diversified Fund FG Financial Global USD Bond Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Bah Int'l Investment Fund Principal Protected TIGRS, Series 5 Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund

NAV 1.97 3.83 1.91 164.74 133.64 1.43 1.64 1.53 1.05 6.67 8.01 5.81 10.66 8.65

YTD% 12 MTH% 1.35% 4.06% 1.43% 6.57% 0.70% 3.23% 1.67% 5.13% 0.66% -3.41% 1.23% 3.88% 0.55% 8.17% 0.86% 5.37% 1.07% 1.61% -0.14% 9.15% -1.87% 15.62% 0.83% 4.82% 70.00% 2.80% -6.29% -13.65%

NAV Date 30-Apr-2016 30-Apr-2016 29-Apr-2016 31-Mar-2015 30-Sep-2015 30-Apr-2016 30-Apr-2016 30-Apr-2016 30-Apr-2016 29-Feb-2016 29-Feb-2016 29-Feb-2016 29-Feb-2016 29-Feb-2016

MARKET TERMS BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks 52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Change - Change in closing price from day to day Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths NAV - Net Asset Value N/M - Not Meaningful

MUST SELL Commercial Building

Located at Lots 12B & 12E situate in the Heavy Industrial Area, Queens Highway, Freeport, The Bahamas

Properties Type: Office Spaces/ Warehouse.

Furniture, fixtures, equipment and chattels: The sale of the properties will include such right title and interest that the vendor may have with respect to the furniture, fixtures, equipment and chattels situate in or about the properties.

Location: The properties are located in the area of the City of Freeport known as the Heavy Industrial Area. The area can be accessed via Harbour Drive off Queens Highway.

Rentable Area: Approximately 20,791 sq. ft. (5,744 sq. ft. office building, 15,047 sq. ft. warehouse building) Properties size: Approximately 2.083 acres or 90,735 sq. ft.

Appraised during 2014 at $1,300,000.

Make Us An Offer!

Telephone inquiries and/ or sealed offers with telephone contact and postal address should be submitted to: The Associate Director, Special Loans P. O. Box N-8329, Nassau, Bahamas Telephone: (242) 394-9853 or (242) 394-9896 Telefax: (242) 393-4288 Terms: 10% upon acceptance; balance upon completion

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | FG CAPITAL MARKETS 242-396-4000 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225

We reserve the right to accept or reject any offer.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, PAGE 7

US stocks rise as investors grow hopeful about British vote NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose sharply on Monday as investors grew more hopeful that Britain will remain in the European Union, letting go of fears that have pulled stocks down in the last two weeks.

Asian stocks traded higher and indexes in Europe soared as the latest opinion polls and betting markets suggest it's more likely Britain will stay in the EU than leave it. Britons vote on the matter on Thursday.

The British pound rose sharply and investors dumped ultra-safe assets like U.S. government bonds, gold and utility stocks, sending those prices lower. Machinery and consumer companies jumped and energy companies rose with the price of oil.

Jim McDonald, chief investment strategist at Northern Trust, said Britain's status within the EU won't affect U.S. businesses very much, although it would hurt European banks. But he said investors are worried what will hap-

pen to the union if Britain does leave. For example, other countries might also think about backing out of the EU, doing greater damage to Europe and the global economy.

"It's not the direct effects that people are worried about, it's the indirect ones," he said.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 129.71 points, or 0.7 percent, to 17,804.87. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 12.03 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,083.25. The Nasdaq composite gained 36.88 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4,837.21.

U.S. stocks were on pace for much larger gains earlier in the day. At one time the Dow was up 271 points.

The pound rose to $1.4693 from $1.4375, a large move.

Machinery companies climbed. Aerospace company Boeing added $2.93, or 2.3 percent, to $132.75 and Honeywell advanced $1.14, or 1 percent, to $117.06. General Electric rose 23 cents to $30.83.

Consumer stocks rose as investors bet people will spend more on shopping and travel. Amazon gained $7.62, or 1.1 percent, to $714.01 while travel booking site Priceline added $32.72, or 2.5 percent, to $1,341.96 and Nike rose 65 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $54.36.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose $1.39, or 2.9 percent, to $49.37 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained $1.48, or 3 percent, to $50.65 a barrel in London. After a six-day losing streak, oil prices are up about 7 percent over the past two days.

Among energy stocks, Chevron rose $1.04, or 1 percent, to $102.61. Marathon Oil jumped $1.32, or 10 percent, to $14.48 after it agreed to pay $888 million for PayRock Energy.

Bond prices dropped as investors moved money out of ultra-safe assets. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.67 percent from 1.61 percent

late Friday. That's an encouraging sign for banks since bond yields are used to set interest rates on many kinds of loans including mortgages, and banks will be able to make more money from lending as rates increase.

Bank of America rose 14 cents, or 1 percent, to $13.54 and Wells Fargo, the nation's biggest mortgage lender, rose 33 cents to $46.93.

JD.com stock jumped after the second-largest ecommerce site in China said it was buying Wal-Mart's Yihaodian marketplace as part of a broad partnership with the company. JD.com jumped 93 cents, or 4.6 percent, to $21.06.

FedEx rose after the federal government moved to dismiss charges against the shipping company. Prosecutors had planned to charge FedEx with knowingly delivering illegal prescription drugs to dealers and addicts, but late Friday the government dropped the case. The trial was set TRADER MARK MULLER, foreground center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, yesterday. U.S. stocks are jumping Monday morning as investors grow more optimistic that Britain will remain in the European Union, and banks are rising on the prospect of higher interest rates. (AP Photo)

to begin Monday. FedEx picked up $2.22, or 1.4 percent, to $164.47.

Britain's FTSE 100 leaped 3 percent and France's CAC 40 rose 3.5 percent. Germany's DAX rocketed 3.4 percent higher.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index surged 2.3 percent. South Korea's Kospi climbed 1.4 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.7 percent.

In other energy trading,

wholesale gasoline added 8 cents to $1.58 a gallon.

Heating oil edged up 5 cents to $1.53 a gallon. Natural gas rose 12 cents to $2.75 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold slipped $2.70 to $1,292.10 an ounce. Silver rose 10 cents to $17.51 an ounce. Copper added 4 cents to $2.09 a pound.

The dollar fell to 103.96 yen from 104.23 yen and the euro rose to $1.1314 from $1.1275.

MUST SELL Commercial Building

Located at Block Q, Harbour Drive, in the Harbour Zone, Freeport, The Bahamas

Property Type: Office and Industrial Furniture, fixtures, equipment and chattels: The sale of the property will include such right title and interest that the vendor may have with respect to the furniture, fixtures, equipment and chattels situate in or about the property.

Location: The property is located in the area of the City of Freeport known as the Harbour Zone.

Rentable Area: Approximately 13,916 sq. ft.

Property size: Approximately 1.299 acres or 56,584 sq. ft.

Appraised during 2014 at $1,120,000.

Trump backtracks on guns-in-clubs statement WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is backtracking from his contention that victims of the Orlando massacre should have been allowed to carry arms into the nightclub where they were attacked — a stance even the NRA says is untenable.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee tweeted Monday that he was "obviously talking about additional guards or employees" of the Orlando, Florida, nightclub where the attack happened when he spoke about the value of having more people armed to challenge the gunman.

That's not what Trump said previously.

A day after the attack, he told radio host Howie Carr: "It's too bad that some of the young people that were killed over the weekend didn't have guns, you know, attached to their hips, frank-

ly, and you know where bullets could have flown in the opposite direction, Howie.

It would have been a much different deal. I mean, it sounded like there were no guns. They had a security guard. Other than that there were no guns in the room.

Had people been able to fire back, it would have been a much different outcome."

Trump had repeated his suggestion at rallies across the country last week. In Atlanta he said the carnage would have been lessened if "some of those great people that were in that club that night had guns strapped to their waist or strapped to their ankle."

His statements were a step too far for the National Rifle Association, a powerful lobby for armed self-defense and broad permissions to carry weapons. "No one thinks that people should

go into a nightclub drinking and carrying firearms," the NRA's chief lobbyist, Chris Cox, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "That defies common sense. It also defies the law."

The NRA dustup came as the Senate prepared to vote Monday on expanded gun background checks and proposals to keep people on a government terrorism watch list or other suspected terrorists from buying guns.

But prospects for any significant change in gun laws were dim.

The Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, was added to a government watch list of people known or suspected of being involved in terrorist activities in 2013, when he was investigated for inflammatory statements to coworkers. But he was pulled from that database when that investigation was closed

10 months later.

Trump made the case on the weekend that the U.S. should consider profiling Muslims inside the country as a terrorism-fighting tool, the latest example of his backing positions that could single out a group based on its religion.

"We really have to look at profiling," Trump told CBS's "Face the Nation." ''It's not the worst thing to do."

Make Us An Offer!

Telephone inquiries and/ or sealed offers with telephone contact and postal address should be submitted to: The Associate Director, Special Loans P. O. Box N-8329, Nassau, Bahamas Telephone: (242)-394-9853 or (242) 394-9896 Telefax: (242)-393-4288 Terms: 10% upon acceptance; balance upon completion We reserve the right to accept or reject any offer.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, PAGE 9

B O DY A N D M I N D

Getting ‘sugared’ Ancient body hair removal art makes a comeback

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE HISTORY OF SUGARING Sugaring, also known as sugar waxing or Persian waxing, is a method of hair removal that is believed to have been in use since 1900 BC. The earliest references to hair removal come from the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece. In early writings from Mesopotamia mention is made of kings asking that women be brought to them clean and smooth, and Egyptian hieroglyphics describe how

T

hough it is an ancient art of hair removal, many people are still unfamiliar or aware of the method of body sugaring.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the procedure around the world, as well as here in the Bahamas, which has led more spas and salons offering the service.

Here in Nassau, the Radiance Day Spa & Body Sugaring Studio in Palmdale has offered body sugaring since opening in March 2014. However, owner Amier Taylor said she recognised that there are still many people who do not know what the procedure entails, why it is done and how beneficial it can be.

For this reason, a special open house event was hosted over the weekend at the spa to educate people on body sugaring.

During the open house, demonstrations of the procedure on various parts of the body were conducted so that potential clients were able to see and feel

AMIER Taylor of the Radiance Day Spa applies a paste made of sugar, water and lemon juice. the sugaring process.

“Body sugaring is an all natural form of hair removal. A paste made of

sugar, water and lemon juice is moulded onto the skin and it extracts hairs from the root. Sugaring is

also a form of exfoliation because its removes dead skin,” Ms Taylor told Tribune Health.

“The open house event was created because a lot of people know nothing about sugaring or they are sceptical about it.”

For women, some of the most common areas that are sugared are the face, the bikini area and underarms. Most men get chest, back and Brazilian sugaring done.

“The benefits of sugaring is that it is all natural, has no chemicals or additives, helps to remove darkness from shaving or hair removal creams, helps to eliminate ingrown hairs,” she said.

Ms Taylor said sugaring

DOWNTOWN Nassau Yoga Festival held in Pompey Sqaure.

Photos/SHAWN HANNA

A celebration of yoga HUNDREDS once again flocked to Pompey Square on Saturday to attend the third annual Downtown Nassau Yoga Festival.

Touted as the largest gathering of Caribbean yogis in the region, the event not only offered yoga classes, but also music, healthy food options, artwork and crafts at the Embry Village and Cultural Bazaar.

There were more than 20 guest presenters and a lineup of seven yoga teachers from around the world.

Representing the Bahamas were yoga instructors Mychal Bryan, Craig Smith, Alexis Bethel and Ellen Key-Cepeda.

To top off the day, en-

tertainment was offered by the Silva Dance Company from Brazil.

Organisers said the event was a celebration of the unique Caribbean culture through yoga.

The annual festival seeks to expose and create a greater appreciation for the art of yoga and start a “yoga revolution” in the Bahamas. It was also a celebration of the diversity, the spirit of creativity, and the eclectic spectrums of expression that all represent the growing culture of yoga around the world.

The festival is the vision of Mr Bryan, who was inspired by New York’s “Solstice in Time Square”, where over 15,000 people gather to practice yoga.

slave girls serving Pharaoh were expected to remove their body hair. Even Cleopatra is rumoured to have used the method.

Historically, sugar was confined to the regions surrounding Persia, until the first millennium AD. As a result, it is speculated that honey was the first sugaring agent. It is believed that Egyptian women created their own depilatory methods by using a sticky concoction of oil and honey to remove unwanted hair from the root.

will never tear the skin, because the paste does not stick to living skin.

“Sugaring will never burn the skin. The paste is heated at a low temperature and melts with body heat,” she said.

Preparation for body sugaring involves cleansing the skin of any lotions or oils, and sometimes powder is lightly applied. The paste is first put on against the direction of hair growth, for example the leg. The paste is then warmed and applied.

“Sugaring is less painful than waxing. Along with being all natural, when having a sugaring done you can go over the same area more than once because the paste does not tear the

skin, giving you smoother, long lasting results. The clean-up process is easy because warm water removes any paste left behind,” she said.

Ms Taylor is a licenced aesthetician with the Florida Board of Cosmetology. She has been in the skin care field for seven and a half years. In addition to sugaring, she does threading, facials, chemical peels and 3D brows (brow extensions).

Radiance is a full-service day spa offering massage, skin care, threading and sugaring services. House calls are also available.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 21, 2016

SAMMI Starr “Gives Life” on World Blood Donor Day

THE TRIBUNE

VISAGE and Baha Men singer Dyson Knight gives blood to help a fellow band member’s relative in a time of need.

Bahamian celebrities donate blood to “Give Life” HITMAKERS Dyson Knight and Sammi Starr are among a group of Bahamian entertainments who are leading by example, proving that donating blood “Gives Life”.

The “#242GivesLife” initiative is being promoted by the Ministry of Health to bolster reserves at the Princess Margaret Hospital blood bank.

Sammi Starr, the first Music Masters champion of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, donated on World Blood Donor Day, June 14.

The singer will be featured in brief two-part interview on the Bahamas Ministry of Health’s Facebook page this Friday regarding his experience and healthy lifestyle choices.

Visage singer Dyson Knight was the inspiration

for the first feature, as he gave blood to help a fellow band member’s relative in a time of need.

The ministry reached out to him after he posted his “donation selfie” and he answered a few questions about his healthy lifestyle choices and the blood donation process.

The purpose of the #242GivesLife initiative is to remove the stigma often

attached to blood donation and motivate more persons to save lives, “as one pint of blood can save three lives,” the ministry said.

“The PMH blood bank is always in need of donors and we want to encourage person’s to take a little time out of their week to stop in and ‘Give Life’.

The response has been tremendous as we have many more entertainers that

have expressed an interest in donating and aiding in this initiative, such as Rik Carey (Baha Men) and Willis Knowles (Willis and the Illest) to be featured on the Ministry of Health Facebook page in similar interviews. Any interested artist is asked to send a message via the Ministry of Health Facebook page and persons that donate can use the hashtags #242GivesLife

and #BahamiansGiveLife as we wish to highlight, thank them and share the photos on the page. We also want to encourage Bahamians to ‘like’ the Ministry of Health Facebook page for updates on universal healthcare coverage, health system strengthening initiatives, to learn more about programmes at local clinics, and for healthy lifestyle tips.”

Understanding cravings “Once we realise that the body is a reliable bio-computer that never makes mistakes; it’s much easier to concede that cravings are critical pieces of information that help you understand what your body needs.”

– Joshua Rosenthal WHEN experiencing cravings we go for the quickest choice around and most of the time that choice is going to be a fast food laden with sugars, refined ingredients, oils, additives and preservatives. What many people don’t realise is that there are many healthy alternatives that can help with cravings. One of my philosophies is that if you understand what’s happening you are in a much better position to make positive change.

Here are four primary causes of cravings, according to nutritional teacher Joshua Rosenthal: 1. Dehydration The body doesn’t send the message that you’re thirsty until you are on the verge of dehydration.

Dehydration occurs as a mild hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a craving is drink a glass of water.

2. Lifestyle Being dissatisfied in a relationship, having an inappropriate exercise routine, being bored, stressed, uninspired by a job or a spiritual practice can all contribute to emotional eating. Eating can be used as a substitute for entrainment or to fill the void.

3. Lack of nutrients

Transform your Life

Christine Carey If the body is getting an inadequate amount of nutrients it will produce odd cravings. For example, inadequate mineral levels produce salt cravings, and overall inadequate nutrition produces cravings for non-nutritional forms of energy like caffeine.

4. Hormones When women experience menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and oestrogen levels may cause unusual cravings.

Are you craving something sweet?

As much as possible, try to satisfy your sweet flavour craving with a food that doesn’t contain refined white sugar. Try a rice cake with a nut butter or agave syrup, various cookies or pastries made from whole-grain flour and

Bleeding gums DO you get bleeding from your gums? Does it happen occasionally? Does it happen daily? Does it happen with pain?

Bleeding gums is a common dental complaint. It can be experienced in people of all ages.

However, it has less significance when seen in young persons, and the most when seen in adults 35 years or older.

What do bleeding gums mean?

Generally speaking, and taken as a singular event, bleeding gums suggest that an individual is experiencing some type of gum inflammation or gum infection.

What is the meaning of occasional bleeding gums?

Occasional bleeding gums mean that bacteria have infiltrat-

Dr Sparkman Ferguson Registrar of the Bahamas Dental Council ed the gum line and have caused gingivitis. Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums. This inflammation occurs because bacteria

GET to the bottom of your cravings and find healthier alternatives sweetened with fruit juice. Certain vegetables are called sweet vegetables because when they’re cooked the body recognises that taste as sweet. Some of them are corn, carrots, onions, beets, sweet potatoes, yams and squash.

Are you craving salty foods?

Cravings for salty foods are often a mineral deficiency. Natural sea salt contains 60 different trace mineral which are the foundation for forming vitamins, enzymes and proteins. Most people use regular table salt which has been refined and missing many of these essential minerals. Instead of reaching for the bag of pretzels have a dark leafy green salad with some natural Bahamian sea salt and see if you can curb your salty flavor need. Dark leafy greens are full of minerals.

Are you craving bitter foods? causes ulcerations at the gum line and the gums in turn respond by bleeding.

This kind of gum bleeding sometimes serves as a reminder to many individuals that a professional dental cleaning is needed.

This bleeding stops immediately after a professional dental cleaning is performed. The reason is that the professional cleaning eliminates bacteria, which has caused the gum inflammation and bleeding.

What does everyday bleeding mean?

If you are experiencing everyday bleeding, you are likely suffering from chronic gum inflammation. This type of inflammation comes about as a direct result of long periods of dental neglect. The result of this neglect is that bacteria form a crusty material that takes up residence under the gums.

Once this inflammation is en-

Bitter foods enhance digestion so craving for a bitter flavour may actually be a craving for nutritious foods to cut through fat and stagnation on the body’s digestive tract and organs. Try eating dark leafy greens like dandelion, mustard greens, arugula, kale and collards.

Are you craving pungent or spicy flavours?

Wanting these flavours can be a signal that circulation may be slow or weak. You can use a variety of spices and condiments like cayenne, scallions, ginger, onions, leeks, garlic, pepper and hot pepper sesame oil.

Are you craving something crispy or dry foods?

If you are looking for something crisp and dry you may be drinking too many fluids. To fulfill this craving choose rice cakes, trenched for a long time, simply having a professional cleaning does not solve the concern. It is, however, a necessary first step in beginning to solve the problem.

Such persons have advanced gum disease and often require the services of a dental gum specialist (periodontist). The treatments offered by a periodontist are all geared toward reversing the effects of the chronic inflammation, and eliminating the features of the disease. This requires the concentrated effort of the patient and the specialist.

What’s happening with bleeding gums and pain?

If you are experiencing bleeding from the gums and it is accompanied by pain, you are likely suffering from an acute gum infection.

Acute gum infections can take many forms and may be caused by an accidental scratch with the fingernails, or by microorganisms.

Whatever the cause, the net re-

high-quality crackers without oil or sugar-free sesame sticks. You can also bake your own potato chips or sweet potato chips.

• This column shares preventative health tips and life transformation tools aiming to enlighten the reader to living their full potential with passion and purpose.

Christine Carey is a certified holistic health and life coach, blogger (www.christine-carey), and co-owner of Liquid Nutrition (www.liquidnutrition.com).

This content is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases.

It is intended to be provided for informational, educational, and self-empowerment purposes only.

Please consult with your wellness team, and then make your own well informed decisions based upon what is best for your unique genetics, culture, conditions, and stage of life. sult it that there is pain along with the bleeding. Treatments of these are all focused on treating the offending source, and returning the gums to normal health.

Conclusion Bleeding from the gums should always be taken seriously. Although there are several other reasons for gum bleeding not mentioned in this article, when experienced, it is usually a warning sign.

Warning signs offer an opportunity for persons to become proactive and check on bleeding gums. It is not advisable for persons to hope that these conditions will magically disappear.

As noted earlier, a person may be suffering from a minor concern such as gingivitis, or they could be experiencing symptoms of an advanced gum disease that has the capability of threatening the general health of the entire mouth.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, PAGE 11

Bonding with Dad IN honour of Father’s Day this past Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss dad bonding with baby. Surely, the men aren’t interested in reading about all of these women and mother conversations, but you may be surprised to know that some men actually feel a little left out during the whole pregnancy journey.

First of all, they have no idea what it’s like to be pregnant, feel pregnant or give birth – thank goodness!

I don’t think watching a man give birth would be anything close to graceful. I have had the pleasure over the past couple of years to watch the interesting and beautiful dynamic between a new father and his baby. Most of them aren’t really sure what to do, or say, but they still want to be involved.

Involving the daddy-to-be can and should start from the gestational period and continue all the way into delivery and beyond.

Apart from requiring that he come to every doctor’s visit, you can encourage a personal relationship with him and your grow-

Bun In The Oven

Bianca Carter ing baby belly.

At about 16 weeks, the baby’s hearing is developed. Many studies and researchers have suggested that a baby cannot only hear, but that language absorption may actually start 10 weeks prior to delivery. Some people play music, talk and sing to their babies in utero. It may actually be possible for the baby to show signs of recognising their mother’s voice just

after being born. By allowing the daddy to also connect, sing, read and talk to the baby while in utero sets into motion the father/child bond early on.

If the mother decides to breastfeed, some people believe that the father can’t connect to the baby during this time. That assumption comes from the belief that feeding equals bonding, which is not the case. You don’t have to feed the baby in order to show love and develop the same strong bond as the mother. Bathing, changing diapers, getting the baby dressed, holding and playing with the baby are all great ways to foster a close bond between the father and baby.

Allowing and empowering the father to do this not only shows your trust in him, but gives you the extra help, support and rest you need when you have just had a baby. It may even strengthen the bond between the mother and father as they engage in their first parenting efforts together. Being a parent is a beautiful thing. It’s even better when you can learn, parent and experience having a baby together.

ALLOWING the dad to sing, read and talk to the baby while in utero sets the father/child bond into motion early on.

Love & hugs!

Follow BITO on Facebook at babybunintheoven, and check out the BITO Blog every Monday and Thursday at http://babybunintheoven.com.

• Bianca Carter is a certified lactation counsellor and founder of Bun in the Oven.

For more information, email her at info@babybunintheoven.com.

Father’s Day in the Bahamas THE island seemed to stop on Sunday to celebrate Father’s Day. But what are we really celebrating? Are we celebrating the kind of fatherhood that is taught in society where young men are encouraged to reproduce themselves without thought of maintaining or supporting woman, child or brood?

They are encouraged by their mothers to show ‘dey is man and bring dem some pretty babies’, but not to be concerned about keeping children.

Ironically, daughters are strongly discouraged from having babies outside of marriage until they can look after them. Education first, babies later. Again, interestingly enough, it benefits women more to have children when they are unmarried because they do not have to be burdened by an unproductive male depending on them to produce for him as well as for the children.

Socially our gender constructs are very interesting. We talk about men running the public sphere, yet many men are never taught how to be responsible or productive.

Masculinity means that they should smoke weed all day and if they can’t function at work, well too bad, they ain’t getting paid enough anyhow!

The social development of our country has fallen into chaos. We encourage our men not to function. It shows strength to be able to drink all day and still stand and on the job. If you drink and function, that’s even better. So by noon, many male employees are already smelling like rum, their

Dr Ian Bethell-Bennett

“Once these young men are born into a single mother-headed household in a particular part town with a certain earning power, the outcome is all but guaranteed.

They are going to fall in line with the patterns of masculinity in their neighbourhood and before they are 12.”

eyes bloodshot or glassy, and they can hardly carry on a sensible conversation in a normal tone. To be a man is to be hard drinking, even if you can’t afford it.

It’s cool to be a womaniser who cannot afford to support any of the women or children. Society celebrates this kind of character.

We also value the kind of man who fights easily and violently with any other man who seemingly challenges his masculinity; that challenge can come in as simple a form as stepping on someone’s shoe.

That can cause such offence that someone can lose their life for it. ‘Stealing’ a man’s woman, because you know, we tell these young fellows that they own women once they go out with them once. Your woman is your property! We create the expectation that no woman can ever deny a man’s advances nor can she ever break up with him. She is his. When they do break up, he can threaten her, and he can even shoot or kill the man she is has taken up with after their relationship ends. So society condones a certain understanding that promotes this code of behaviour. Of course, music and other forms of popular culture also idolise this kind of masculine and feminine ethos.

In Dr Ian Strachan’s recently staged play, “Gun Boys Rhapsody”, many of the young men live by these cultural understandings.

They fear nothing because they have nothing to lose.

The bad boy is celebrated, loved and feared. He has no-good father and his mother does all she can to make him into a man who is re-

spected by society. That respect only comes from being a thug.

The role models in the community are all the same – tough, hard-drinking, drug-pushing, gun-toting, cussing, womanising misogynists who have no time for the softness of education.

Once these young men are born into a single mother-headed household in a particular part town with a certain earning power, the outcome is all but guaranteed.

They are going to fall in line with the patterns of masculinity in their neighbourhood and before they are 12. They will be co-opted by that structure that is seen in the streets. These are the same boys the government argues are destabilising the country. Yet they provide those young boys with no other options. They send them serious lip service, but no allowance is made for their social and economic limitations. As far as many politicians argue publicly, they are worth nothing. However, the politicians’ behaviour is what they are often duplicating. Whose sons are these?

We talk about fatherhood, yet many of the fathers we are told to admire are empty of any kind of commitment to family.

They may visit form time to time, or tell their sons that they will be there to pick them up on their birthdays, so their young sons get dressed and wait, expectation dissipating into hurt which then grows into anger and eventually forms disaffection and social disassociation.

They can cut themselves off from humanity because they have

become weapons of destruction through all the hurt and rejection they have faced in their lives. And much of this is due to those very same fathers of whom we speak of so highly.

Dr Strachan’s play made us look at our social chaos and our misogynistic structure, but what next?

What can we do to change this?

One thing we can do is to demand more of fathers. These damaged young boys are brought up in single mother-headed households where men are hated except for what they can provide, and women are abusive because they are so angry and tired. They have no time to be mothers to children because they are at work all day and night, but then they value the same kind of masculine behaviour they claim they detest.

The system is broken; the structures are only replicating the same kind of behaviour and social chaos the politicians blame the people for. Many of those same politicians serve as fathers and role models to many of those same thugs and murderers they claim to despise, but they do nothing to change the roles they play in their lives. Real fathers are becoming an endangered species. The reality of Father’s Day is that a great deal of it is celebrating empty and destructive behaviour, and tough damaged masculinity that passes for engaged fatherhood.

• bethellbennett@gmail.com

Do you have the habit of action or inaction?

THERE are many habits that we adopt along the way. Some of these habits support our quest to live an empowered life, while others hinder our every move.

In order to keep moving towards the life that we desire to live, it’s a good idea to periodically evaluate our habits.

A habit is defined as a routine behaviour that is repeated regularly and often tends to occur subconsciously. This means that once any behaviour becomes a habit, you do it without even thinking.

Since our habits can become so automatic we ought to be very specific about the habits we adopt.

One thing is for certain, no matter what your habits are, they are either empowering or disempowering your life.

Here you’ll find no neutral ground. Habits are like arrows – steadily moving towards a particular outcome. Whether that outcome is positive or negative

Michelle Miller Motivationals

Michelle M Miller depends on the quality of the habit. Let’s take the habit of action or inaction. While one habit moves you forward, the other keeps you stuck.

Do you have a habit of action or inaction? The best clue to answer

this question lies in your results.

Your results are a direct reflection of your habits. It is for this reason that many say “change your habits; you change your life”. Personal success is to the result of the habit of taking action.

Nothing happens without action.

No amount of talking points can point you forward like the habit of taking action.

Action indeed speaks louder than words. However, action must become a habit; it must be the way you behave on a consistent basis.

The main reason why many fall prey to the habit of inaction is because of fear. Fear is a powerful emotion that causes many to become a hostage to the safe shores of life. Rather than take action and swim towards their dreams, they settle on the shores of uncertainty.

But habits can be broken. The best medicine to breaking the habit of inaction is to adopt a new

habit. That’s what so great about habits, you can always trade in a bad one for a better one. The question is, are you willing to take action to break the habit of inaction.

We know habits can be hard to break. In particular, some say ‘bad’ habits are hard to break, but I suspect that any habit is hard to break. Bad habits may seem harder to break because they often involve habits of substance abuse – drugs and alcohol – which may require detox intervention.

To get over those kinds of habits does require a massive effort.

Even so, once you are willing to take action you can begin to move towards adopting a better habit.

Another great point is to realise that anything can become a habit.

It seems that the term ‘habit’ in and of itself is often blindly associated with negative behaviours, when in truth for every negative habit there is an equally positive

one to match.

Leader to leader, understand that your habits determine your destiny. You have full authority to evaluate your habits and develop the ones that improve your life.

The habit of taking action is one of them; taking the kind of action that moves you towards the person you are born to be.

By adopting the habit of taking positive action you enjoy the results of living an empowered life.

Yes, you can do it!

What do you think?

Please send your comments to coaching242@yahoo.com or 4296770.

• Michelle M Miller is a certified life coach, communication and leadership expert. Visit www. michellemmiller.com; mail can be sent to PO Box CB-13060.

Ten parenting hacks of ingenious dads (BPT) - It takes a village to raise a child, and dads play an important role in taking on tough parenting duties. Sometimes their methods don’t always go by the book, but through that out-of-the-box thinking can emerge some pretty amazing parenting tips and tricks.

Try these 10 genius parenting hacks that dads around the country use every day to save time, money and have a few laughs.

place a new Luvs diaper underneath the dirty one before removing it from your child. A few quick wipes and a fresh one is right where it needs to be.

1. Clean up diaper duty: Changing diapers can be a mess, so think ahead for a smoother swap. Simply

3.

Quick clean-up: Small toys can be incredibly time consuming to pick up. Rather than bending

2. Laundry basket tub time: Is your kids’ tub time making your knees and back ache? Stop toys from floating away by placing a laundry basket in the bathtub before filling. Sit your child in the basket and toys stay close by.

over for each piece, put a sock over the vacuum hose and suck up blocks, plastic figures and more with the greatest of ease.

4. Save mega money: Kids can be expensive, especially babies who need diapers, wipes and feeding supplies. consider downloading apps that offer exclusive savings and rebates, like Ibotta.

5. Bye bye blowouts: Simplify diaper duty by choosing an affordable diaper. With large refastenable stretch tabs and specially designed leak barri-

ers around legs, you’ll say goodbye to blowouts for good.

6. Toilet paper line: When big kids are potty training, they often use far too much toilet paper.

Eliminate the endless rollout by placing a piece of painter’s tape on the wall below the roll so kids know how much to take.

7. Monster no-more spray: When the boogie man lurks in the middle of the night, children look to parents for reassurance.

That’s when monster spray is an essential. Simply fill a

spray bottle with water and label with a drawing of a monster crossed out. Spray in times of need to put little minds at ease.

8. Reading anarchy: If you want big kids in bed at nine, set bedtime for eight but allow them to stay up to read if desired. Kids will jump at the chance to ignore bedtime and think reading is their way of breaking house rules.

9. Capitalise on competition: Dads love a good game and kids are naturally competitive. Use this to your advantage by mak-

ing chores a contest. Set a timer and see who can pick up toys the fastest or get dressed first in the morning.

10. Robe it up: Mornings are busy and many parents get themselves ready for the day prior to waking up the kids. Keep office clothes free of spills, smudges and spit-up by wearing a robe over work attire until you head out the door.

These simple tricks will help make every day a little easier for you and your family so you have more time to have fun and make memories.

SECTION B

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2016

New programme encourages women to love themselves

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

I

t might sound trite, but learning to love yourself is one of the most valuable lessons a woman can master, according to life coach Stanya Davis.

Ms Davis is on a mission to help Bahamian women learn how to let go of past hurts, release their fears, forgive and invite healing.

While all these things cannot be achieved overnight, Ms Davis hopes to point women in the right direction with her new “I Must Love Myself Enough” project.

Designed to help women love themselves and rid themselves of their baggage so that they can move on to healthy relationships, the project encompasses a seven-day online programme which starts on July 1.

On each day for seven days, participants will receive a valuable lesson, accompanied by a healing activity. The lessons and activities will serve as a blueprint and show women how to let go, move beyond fear, love themselves, forgive, and live the life we were intended to live.

Participants will also be able to share their stories in a private online forum. “ ‘I Must Love Myself Enough’ was originally a poem I wrote years ago,” Ms Davis told Tribune Woman. “Writing for me has always been a way for me to express myself and to heal the parts of myself that required healing.”

Ms Davis said the poem served as a reminder to always love herself enough to make the best decisions, because she is a person of worth.

“The thing about loving one’s self is that when you do, you won’t let anyone mistreat you; you will know that if you are in a

LIFE coach Stanya Davis wants Bahamian women to learn how to love themselves.

“Something powerful happens when women get together and we collectively set an agenda.

This will be good ground for healing, manifestation and the first step towards living a life that you love.”

place where you are not being honoured then you are dishonouring yourself. When you love yourself you will know that you are unique and special, that you are deserving of big love; that you deserve to live the life that you want and not what others want for you. When you love yourself you know that you are a good person just as you are,” she said.

Ms Davis said she hopes the project will help women connect that inner voice within that whispers, “There must be more to life than this”, and then propel them into action.

Women who are afraid to be alone, in an unhealthy relationship, are at a crossroads in their personal and professional life, have recently ended or need to end a relationship, feel stuck, are ready for true love, want/need to forgive, want to mend the relationship with a child, or are ready to stop existing and start living should consider participating, Ms Davis said.

“Even though it is an online programme that can be done at any time, I have opted to offer it on a set date so that we all can do it together. Something powerful happens when women get together and we collectively set an agenda. This will be good ground for healing, manifestation and the first step towards living a life that you love,” she said.

“What I hope to achieve is simply the importance of loving yourself; taking care of the most important person in your life and loving yourself enough to know that you are an amazing woman.”

For more information contact 328-8668, 451-6767, or e-mail journeytoeve@gmail.com.

Simmone Bowe helps students tackle “The Real Deal”

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

A DESIRE to help graduates understand some of the real life challenges they will face after school is what led businesswoman Simmone Bowe to release her new book, “The Real Deal”.

The book, her seventh published work, was inspired by a graduation speech the author delivered at a school in Abaco five years ago. The students at the school, she said, challenged her to tell them some of the real lessons and experiences they will encounter after graduation.

“This is the second book that was inspired by this type of occasion. ‘The Real Deal’ discusses 10 life

SIMMONE BOWE lessons high school graduates can expect to learn and should keep their eyes open for. These lessons are to help them to be better people, to make great priorities and foster positive relationships. These

lessons came from things that I have learned in life.

Somehow society teaches us to chase things that become unimportant in the scheme of things: fortune, fame and other elusive things that tend to make people very unhappy and unfulfilled. There is more to life than that. This is my seventh book and it excites me because it expresses the passion I have for teens to find direction and guidance, something I found was lacking in my past and still is for many young people today,” she said.

Ms Bowe said she always knew that writing would play an important role in her life. She recalled stories her mother told her about writing on the walls of her home as a child.

“My mother said I wrote

my first word all over the walls of the house. My sisters recount tales of me pushing notes under their doors expressing how I felt about them at the time,” she said.

As an adult, this hobby developed into an outlet for Ms Bowe to process her thoughts and feelings, and soon after she realised the power of writing as a tool to share information and inspire others. Now a transformational speaker, author, mentor and empowerment advocate, her work in this area is driven by the belief that people should live in purpose, authenticity and joy.

Through her presentations, workshops, retreats, empowerment programmes, training modules and books, she seeks to

inspire purposeful women, progressive business leaders and potential-filled youth to discover self and vision, explore strategies for success, and pursue their dreams, she said.

“The Real Deal” is currently available on Amazon and locally from the author and The Bookcase Outlet Store on Robinson Road.

Ms Bowe is also looking forward to hosting an official launch event for her new book in August, along with reprints of her second and third books: “Help, I Need a Job” and “By Design: Principles for Choosing a Career”.

This event will be held in collaboration with a friend and colleague, Duquesa D Dean, who will also be releasing her first book.

“Somehow society teaches us to chase things that become unimportant in the scheme of things: fortune, fame and other elusive things that tend to make people very unhappy and unfulfilled.

There is more to life than that. “