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Four more Zika cases confirmed L! ADS SEL PHOTO 351 002 / 502-2

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Minister reports total of eight virus cases

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE number of confirmed Zika cases in New Providence has doubled to eight, with Health Minister Perry Gomez reporting four new cases throughout the capital yesterday.

While Mr Gomez stopped short of supplying more details of the new cases, he did indicate that officials were still receiving results associated with the 83 suspected cases reported earlier this month. “I can tell you at this time that we are up to eight cases in New Providence,� Dr Gomez told The Tribune. “I can’t give you any more details on those cases, but you can relay to the public that

ROKER BLASTS LEADERSHIP AS ‘TAINTED’

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Cabinet minister Loftus Roker yesterday characterised the country’s political leaders as a “tainted bag of apples,� contending that the nation was now paying the price for years of unchecked corrupt practices by elected officials.

SEE PAGE SIX

MITCHELL LAUNCHES BID TO SECURE FOX HILL VICTORY IN 2017 ELECTION

there are now eight confirmed cases in New Providence.�

Dr Gomez said that health officials would provide more information on the four new cases in the coming days.

Both Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell and Pinewood MP Khaalis Rolle have urged residents in their communities to take the necessary precautions to prevent mosquito bites after Zika cases were confirmed in both areas.

The Bahamas reported an initial case of the virus on August 10 in a mane who had recently travelled to Jamaica. The man is a resident of Pinewood Gardens, officials have said.

SEE PAGE SIX

FITZGERALD SURPRISED AT BAHA MAR CONCERNS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said yesterday he is surprised by the “level of unhappiness� some Bahamians have expressed at news that the government has struck a deal with the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM) to pay creditors and employees of Baha Mar and to restart work on the resort.

In the wake of Prime Minister Perry Christie’s announcement of the deal last week, reactions have

been mixed.

Some have expressed relief and gratitude while others have knocked the Christie administration for not disclosing key details about the agreement.

Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet yesterday, Mr Fitzgerald said he was “privileged, honoured, humble and grateful� to be asked to participate in the negotiations.

Asked how much of his time was consumed by the negotiations, he said: “All of my time for the last six weeks.�

SEE PAGE THREE

FRED Mitchell speaking last night at the Faith Mission Church of God at Fox Hill Road South and Davis Street, as he launched his reelection bid ahead of the 2017 general election. See page two for more.

Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

SANDS ENDS BID TO WIN BAIN AND GRANTS TOWN MORE than a month after he announced that he was suspending his election campaign in the Bain and Grants Town constituency, Free National Movement member Leonard Sands announced that he has officially ended his candidacy. “There are times in life when we have to evaluate what is really most important at that time,� Mr Sands

posted on his Facebook page. “As I arrive at this place in my political life many will have much to say about my decision and many will be disappointed. I must, however, remind those persons that many are the plans of man, but it is the Lord’s will that shall prevail.�

SEE PAGE TWO

GOVT ‘NOT CONSIDERING ARAGONITE APPLICATIONS’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ENVIRONMENT Minister Kenred Dorsett said yesterday that his ministry is not considering any applications for aragonite mining in Andros at this time.

His statement came amid evidence that a company is

pursuing ways to engage in the activity.

The Tribune understands that a private company has had meetings with residents on the island about the matter this month.

Aragonite mining is typically a hotbed issue for some Bahamians who don’t believe the government is SEE PAGE SEVEN

PINDER TELLS OF SEEING SON DEAD IN DRIVEWAY

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net  UNION leader John Pinder said yesterday the memory of seeing his son dead in the driveway of their Hillside Park home will haunt him forever.

In an emotional interview with The Tribune hours af-

ter his son was murdered, Mr Pinder said it is taking “every bit of strength� he has not to break down and remain a “tower� for his wife and his family.

John Jamal Pinder Jr, a father-of-one who turned 27 just seven days ago, was shot multiple times and killed late on Monday night while playing video games in his

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Officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit, Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander said the victim was in the living room with several other people when unknown persons shot through a window of the home.

SEE PAGE SIX

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THE TRIBUNE

FOX Hill MP Fred Mitchell launching his re-election campaign last night.

Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

Mitchell launches bid to secure Fox Hill victory in 2017 election

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FOX Hill MP Fred Mitchell last night launched his re-election campaign, pledging to spend the majority of his time, if victorious in the 2017 general elections, combating social ills in the constituency.

While speaking to scores of supporters, Prime Minister Perry Christie praised the work of Mr Mitchell, who also serves as foreign affairs and immigration minister, insisting that over the years the MP displayed stellar performance in carrying out the nation’s work abroad.

He said this would explain to colleagues the minister’s travel expenses, which have been the subject of heated debate during the Christie administration’s term in office.

“The most important thing for me is that I have the opportunity to select a Cabinet and I have to determine who to best speak for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” Mr Christie told the audience packed into

the Faith Mission Church of God at Fox Hill Road South and Davis Street.

“When I made the choice initially my justification came as I travelled with him around the world firstly in the Caribbean. It didn’t take him long to be noted, to be recognised and to have his talents used by fellow prime ministers in the region.

“When it came to selecting persons in the region it was safe recognising that Fred had all of the skills.

And as we travelled the commonwealth of the world to global conferences where leaders assembled to address issues of the global nature, I had a remarkable experience where I saw foreign ministers walk up to him from places as far away as India, Australia and Africa and say ‘Hey Fred’ - that would explain to my colleagues why the travel is so expensive.”

For his part, Mr Mitchell briefly outlined his plans for the Fox Hill community, saying that he recognised the challenges prevalent in his constituency. Chief among these he said were

social problems among the youth.

He said: “All of our institutions are now increasingly dominated by females (and) there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but the males cannot be left behind and we cannot throw our hands up in the air and say ‘that’s just the way it is’.

“The administration under which I serve led by the prime minister believes in social intervention and that’s why Urban Renewal exists and that is why we committed to doubling the investment in education.

“So moving forward in order to assist this community here is what I propose to do: to spend most of my time trying to deal with this social issue, get all of our young men engaged, also lift the self esteem of our girls so that they know they can grow up to be anyone in this society. In doing so I plan to start in the fall, in February of next year, the production of West Side story which is of course a story about gang fighting and how that leads to death and destruction,” Mr Mitchell said.

PRIME Minister Perry Christie speaking at the election event.

FRED Mitchell with fellow Cabinet members at last night’s event.

SANDS ENDS BID TO WIN BAIN AND GRANTS TOWN from page one

“My fellow Bahamians, I have decided to officially end my candidacy for the Bain and Grants Town Constituency effective August 30, 2016. While there are significant personal reasons that have led me to this decision there are other reasons that are not so personal that contribute to this decision as well.

“Finally, as I end my leg of the race I am certain that there will be another to take my place in the coming months and to that person I offer my unwavering support and encouragement as

the FNM seek to become the next government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.”

In July, Mr Sands told The Tribune that the continued “infighting” within the FNM as well as “personal considerations” forced him to suspend his campaign.

His comments came weeks before the FNM’s contentious convention.

At the time, Mr Sands denied rumours that he suspended his campaign because of FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis’ leadership style.

That same month, a wellplaced source in the FNM, who did not want to be

named, told The Tribune that Mr Sands allegedly had problems financing his campaign, which was part of the reason for his decision. The source claimed Mr Sands had been promised campaign funding from the party.

Last September, the FNM announced that Mr Sands, an architect, had joined the party.

In a press release at the time, Mr Sands said: “I am proud to join this organisation because I am convinced that the Free National Movement is the only party that is capable of moving the Bahamian people from promise to possession.”

MASSACHUSETTS OFFICER CLAIMED PAY WHILE ON BAHAMAS HOLIDAY A VETERAN Massachusetts police officer is facing federal charges for what authorities are calling a double-dipping scheme that defrauded the city of Quincy out of more than $10,000.

Lt Thomas Corliss on Monday pleaded not guilty

in US District Court in Boston to 12 counts of mail fraud and one count of fraud involving federal funds.

Prosecutors say the 51-year-old Corliss, among other things, collected pay while on vacation in The Bahamas, collected pay for

working details and regular shifts that overlapped on multiple occasions and collected pay for 32 hours in a 22-hour period.

The 23-year-veteran, who has been suspended since September, was released with conditions and refused comment outside court.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 31, 2016, PAGE 3

‘Baha Mar committee is a sign of ad hoc governance’

By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

LONG Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday criticised the formation of a committee to oversee payments to Baha Mar creditors, insisting that this was evidence the Christie administration lacked the ability to plan well, instead relying on “ad hoc” governance.

The Free National Movement’s shadow minister of labour and social development said given Prime Minister Perry Christie’s “insatiable propensity” for creating committees, which often times hardly ever produced results, this raised questions of whether he was legitimately pursuing a resolution to Baha Mar or creating yet another deflection

from the recent Moody’s downgrade.

She told The Tribune that there were also concerns about the appointment of China Construction America (CCA) executive Tiger Wu to the committee. The MP said she found this “reprehensible” as CCA, which has earned a reputation of allegedly producing sub-par work, is now tasked with reviewing the craftsmanship of Bahamian contractors.

Her harsh critique of this committee follows reports in The Nassau Guardian yesterday that former Minister of State for Finance James Smith said the first time he learned of his appointment to the committee was on Sunday, the day the government made the announcement. At the time he said he had not spoken

to anyone from the government officially about his appointment.

“In this instance, Mr Christie has gone ahead and named a committee,” Mrs Butler-Turner said, “and one of the principles of the committee did not even know that he was on the committee.

“I find that to be absolutely incredible given the fact that Mr Christie says that this is something that they have been working on assiduously and this is the best that he can do? To actually name persons to a committee and they have not even been informed that they are on the committee?

“It just speaks to the whole issue of Mr Christie’s ad hoc approach to governance and lack of planning.

So it brings the question

for me of whether in fact Mr Christie is legitimately pursuing a resolution to Baha Mar or whether this is just a further deflection from the bad news with regard to our downgrade by Moody’s.”

She added: “On top of that Mr Christie has also named people from CCA. That raised very big questions for me because CCA to the best of my knowledge are the builders that have already given us subpar work. So who are they to actually determine the level of craftsmanship and work that has been done by the Bahamian contractors?

“I think that question needs to be answered. Are we in fact going to allow Mr Christie to advocate his responsibility to the Bahamian people by allowing

CCA who obviously from all suggestions produced this sub-par work? Are we going to allow them to determine what the value is of the Bahamian work? I find that reprehensible.”

On Sunday, BMD Holdings – Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian’s company - criticised the appointment of Mr Wu to the committee with oversight for the payouts, alleging that he has “engaged in documented questionable behaviour.”

The statement also added that it was CCA that created the situation, which led to Baha Mar’s troubles.

CCA is Baha Mar’s general contractor.

“CCA has proven itself to be a serial deceiver of the prime minister of the Bahamas and the Bahamian people. The unsecured creditors of Baha Mar have

every reason to be wary and concerned about the credibility of this committee and its agenda,” BMD Holdings said.

Earlier on Sunday, the government announced that Mr Smith; Grant Lyon, liquidation claims advisor to the government; Yanping Mo, representative of the Export-Import Bank of China; Norbert Chan, representative of court appointed receiver Deloitte & Touche and Mr Wu had been appointed to a committee to administer the claims of Bahamian and other creditors of the Baha Mar group of companies.

The government said it hoped that Bahamian employee claims would be settled no later than September 30 and that all other claims will be dealt with on or before December 31.

THE AS-yet unfinished Baha Mar - which is now due to have certain parts of it ready to open by the spring after the latest announcement by government last week.

FNM CHAIRMAN HITS OUT AT ‘DELUSIONAL’ ROBERTS

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Sidney Collie yesterday criticised his adversary Bradley Roberts for the latter’s defense of the “secret” Baha Mar deal.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Collie charged that the Progressive Liberal Party chairman’s “insults and nonsensical statements” on the matter are just distractions to cover up the “true facts” of the controversial agreement.

His comments came a day after Mr Roberts held

a press conference where he castigated FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, saying his position on the Baha Mar issue, specifically the Supreme Court’s sealing of the documents relating to the new deal to open the resort, disqualified him from serious consideration to lead the country. He said this was a “slap in the face” to the country’s judiciary.

Mr Collie, in a statement, said Mr Roberts’s “delusional” comments on the matter reflect his attempts to “distract” the Bahamian people from the Christie administration’s “terrible handling” of the Baha Mar deal with the

Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM), and on a larger scale the government’s “abysmal record of governance”.

Mr Roberts has frequently lashed out at Dr Minnis over his stance on Baha Mar. Last Thursday, he challenged Dr Minnis to petition to the Supreme Court to have the documents unsealed if he “gave a damn” about the details. Mr Roberts also accused Dr Minnis of selfishly posturing for political gain, likening Dr Minnis to a “jumping jack” that flip-flopped on issues while never articulating a “sensible policy position”.

“How does one know that the prime minister and the PLP government are in trouble? They send out their delusional chairman, Bradley Roberts, to defend them,” Mr Collie said in response. “Typically launching a series of insults and nonsensical statements, ‘delusional’ Roberts never fails to deliver.

“It’s time for this PLP government to face facts.

No one is shocked that the prime minister would strike a secret deal with the Chinese in the dark of the night, but what is shocking to Bahamians everywhere, is that the PLP thought they would simply shield the details of that secret deal from

the public and insist that we don’t need to know the details.”

Mr Collie also questioned the government’s rationale for sealing the documents from the public, charging that the government’s argument about “protecting the deal” does “not hold water”.

Last week, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced that a deal had been reached between the government and the Export-Import Bank of China to remobilize the stalled resort.

However, the highly anticipated address did not provide any clarity on a definitive buyer or sale price,

from page one

families that were involved which is why we’re just totally surprised to some great extent that so many people seem to be unhappy about what we have been able to negotiate for the Bahamian people because these are real people, real businesses and when you impact over 1,000 companies in this country you impact a lot of people so again I think we have to give God thanks for he is responsible for this outcome and we have to celebrate it with our people because to think of this happening anywhere else, it just doesn’t happen.

“Peter Whitehead said it right: it’s an impossibility in a liquidation where

unsecured creditors would be paid the amount of monies that will be paid them.

It just doesn’t happen. We have to give God thanks and just stop tearing each other down. It’s just sickening to be honest with you.”

The committee responsible for dealing with the claims of creditors and paying them met for the first time Monday evening, according to representative James Smith.

The members were told, Mr Fitzgerald said, to “take care of Bahamians.”

“The goal is to ensure they understand the parametres by which the committee would work and so forth,” he said.

Mr Fitzgerald did not confirm or deny Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller’s recent claim that creditors owed up to half a million dollars will be paid in full while those owed more money will be able to negotiate to receive 50 per cent of their debt.

“Leslie Miller would have to tell you where he got that information from,” he said.

“I know the only thing I can tell you is that at the end of the day we are satisfied that the arrangements that were made and the negotiations that were held means that Bahamians will be satisfied.

I think that’s the point at the end of the day.”

As for the creditors’ claims, Mr Fitzgerald said

the applications process for them “will be very simple.”

“Most of those claims have already been made so I think the committee has a working document from the receivers which outlines that,” he said.

or details on how unsecured creditors will be paid. Additionally, it was subsequently revealed that the court documents related to the deal have been sealed.

Mr Christie had insisted that lawyers have instructed him not to divulge relevant details because of the sensitivity of the matter and the amount of money being transacted among the parties.

The FNM has since railed against the secrecy surrounding the deal, however, citing mounting public distrust in the Christie-led government amid speculation over the concessions given to the Chinese by the government.

FITZGERALD SURPRISED AT BAHA MAR CONCERNS “When I say that, (I was) unable to sleep, got up two, three in the morning and did it again. A lot was at stake.”

Mr Fitzgerald did not directly answer questions about the overall amount of money that will be given to Bahamian creditors, but he said many are owed money.

“You’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of creditors,” he said. “We were surprised at how many Bahamian companies were involved, well over 1,000.

That gives you an appreciation for the amount of Bahamians and Bahamian

PAGE 4, Wednesday, August 31, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

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Lower Manhattan reborn 15 years after 9/11 NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen years after the Sept 11 attacks, Lower Manhattan has been reborn.

The revitalisation of the city’s downtown, powered by $30 billion in government and private investment, includes not just the reconstruction of the World Trade Centre site, but also two new malls filled with upscale retailers, thousands of new hotel rooms and dozens of eateries ranging from a new Eataly to a French food hall, Le District.

The statistics alone are stunning. There are 29 hotels in the neighbourhood, compared to six before 9/11. More than 60,000 people live downtown, nearly triple the number in 2000. And last year, the area hosted a record 14 million visitors, according to the Alliance for Downtown New York.

And while there’s plenty to do downtown for free, including seeing the 9/11 memorial park, visitors have also shown a willingness to pay relatively steep prices for certain attractions. The 9/11 museum, which charges $24, has drawn 6.67 million visitors since its May 2014 opening.

The observatory atop One World Trade Centre, which charges $34, has drawn 3 million people in the 15 months since it opened. In comparison, the Statue of Liberty gets about 4 million visitors a year.

“I don’t think anyone would have expected that we would have rebounded so robustly, so quickly,” said Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York. “There’s the physical transformation at the site itself, but there’s also the neighbourhood. There’s an energy here. People could have given up after 9/11 and nobody would have blamed them. Instead there has been a tenacity, a dedication that is inspiring.”

The Alliance for Downtown New York was founded before 9/11, in 1995, when the “neighbourhood was on its heels,” Lappin recalled. “The vacancy rate was going through the roof.” At the time, downtown was a strictly 9-to-5 area, keyed to the workday rhythms of Wall Street and City Hall, deserted at night and on weekends. Revitalization efforts were just getting underway “when 9/11 hit and changed everything.”

But as government funding for disaster recovery began to pour in, private investment followed, spurring a massive rebuilding that continues to this day. For blocks surrounding One World Trade, half-built towers and cranes still clutter the sky, barricades and scaffolding line the streets, and the whine and clatter of jackhammers fill the air. The recession hampered efforts to bring businesses back, but Lappin says private sector employment — 266,000 workers — is finally

nearing pre-9/11 numbers. Condé Nast and Time Inc. have relocated downtown.

Group M, one of the world’s biggest advertising firms, will move into Three World Trade Centre when it’s complete.

So far, three towers have been built with plans for more.

The neighbourhood is also becoming a shopping destination. Brookfield Place opened last year with luxury retailers like Gucci and Diane von Furstenberg. It also houses Le District, a French food hall with a creperie, café, bar and more, as well as Hudson Eats, with outposts of popular local eateries like Mighty Quinn’s BBQ and Num Pang’s Cambodian sandwiches.

A second shopping centre, Westfield, opened in August inside the Oculus, a striking white structure designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava. The curves of the Oculus’ two ribbed wings are silhouetted by One World Trade rising behind it. Inside the Oculus, retailers range from Apple to Kate Spade to The Art of Shaving. The complex connects to Four World Trade, where the new Eataly NYC Downtown offers a bounty of bread, cheese, coffee, produce, pasta and more. Below ground a massive transit centre houses subways and a New Jersey PATH train station.

Elsewhere in Lower Manhattan, a Tom Colicchio restaurant is planned for the just-opened Beekman Hotel; the soonto-open Four Seasons hotel will host a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, and the storied Nobu restaurant will move downtown from Tribeca.

But near the top of many visitors’ New York itineraries these days is a pilgrimage to the place where planes turned the twin towers into smoking piles of twisted steel and rubble. The tranquil park formally known as the National September 11 Memorial features tree-lined walkways and reflecting pools in the footprints of the twin towers. Bronze parapets around the pools bear the names of the nearly 3,000 dead.

On Monday, park visitors included three siblings from Barcelona, Arantxa, Meus and Pau Saloni, on their first trip to New York. “It’s really sad to see all the names, but it’s nice to remember them,” said Meus.

Also visiting Monday were Su-Ting Fu and his family, in town from suburban Westchester. “We lived in New York City when 9/11 happened,” he said. “But we hadn’t come to see this until today. It’s nice to see everything they’ve done to memorialize it, but I also love the greenery, and how it feels very much like a living type of memorial.”

Lappin said the neighbourhood’s rebirth is a fitting tribute to the 9/11 tragedy. “We honour those who were lost, but we also celebrate life and move forward.”

By Beth J Harpaz, AP Travel Editor

Abortion laws EDITOR, The Tribune.

I READ with sadness comments attributed to Dr. Duane Sands in which he shared his belief that the law against abortion in The Bahamas should be amended to permit abortions in cases where microcephaly has been identified. Dr. Sands has repeatedly called for abortion to be made legal in The Bahamas, so while saddened by his microcephaly comments, I’m not surprised by them.

Actually, I wonder if his recent comments are part and parcel of his back door approach to seek to have our law against abortion repealed in a gradual way.

Dr. Sands seems to believe that if an unborn baby has a birth defect, or is simply unwanted, he or she should be aborted (meaning, legally murdered).

Thus, to my mind, Dr. Sands does not value babies in the womb. But more than that, he does not seem to fear God, the Creator of all babies. But thankfully, Dr. Sands’ pro-abortion views are not shared by the over-

whelming majority of Bahamians.

While I can only imagine the anguish that parents suffer when they learn that their child in the womb has or is likely to have birth defects, the fact remains the child is still their child. And vulnerable children in the womb need their parents to protect them, not destroy them, and this is especially so for unborn children with actual or potential birth defects.

We live in a fallen world, and birth defects, whether from Zika or other causes, are all because of the fall.

But like the rest of us, those born with birth defects are created by God and loved

by God. And the state has a duty to protect all human life, inside and outside of the womb. In addition, the financial and other resources of the state should be used to assist parents in compassionately caring for children with birth defects.

Voters in Elizabeth, Dr. Sands is once again vying to be your elected representative in Parliament. Therefore, I urge you to evaluate whether you share Dr.

Sands’ moral values, like his support for abortion. If you do not, I encourage you not to vote for him (especially if you are living with a birth defect). I certainly would not vote for him if I were voting in Elizabeth. But this evaluation should not only be done for Dr. Sands’ values; it should be done for all candidates’ values. And we as voters should not be blinded by allegiance to a party or an individual and robotically vote for people whose values and morals we disagree with. Many people in the United States did that with Mr. Barack Obama, and they now regret it.

When political parties send candidates who clearly do not represent the values and morals of the constituents they seek to represent, especially on important issues like protecting the unborn, those candidates deserve to be rejected. And I pray that Dr. Sands and others like him are soundly rejected in the upcoming general elections.

PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS Nassau, August 30, 2016.

From college to university EDITOR, The Tribune.

AMONG the essentials for any development— whether of a product, or of a country, or of an institution, such as The College of The Bahamas—is history.

Knowledge of what has gone before is indispensable in developing quality and strength. Accurate history helps agents of development to avoid costly or painful mistakes, such as neglecting to honour the builders on whose shoulders we stand.

In announcing the imminent transition of The College of The Bahamas to the University of The Bahamas, Hon Jerome Fitzgerald declared that the process was a fourteen-year journey beginning in 2002.

Either through ignorance or misguided political partisanship, Mr Fitzgerald gave much of the credit to the current leader of his party and the country’s prime minister, Rt Hon Perry Christie. Hoping that the honourable minister is suffering from the former, I think it is important to fill in some of the missing milestones on COB’s journey to become a university and a few of the people who contributed in that regard.

It was indeed under the Progressive Liberal Party, the first majority government, that the College was established in 1975, and, from the beginning, it was envisioned that it would become the nation’s university.

The first major move in that direction came in 1995, when the College became a corporate entity under the governance of a Board. Although still largely dependent on a Government sub-

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net sidy, the institution could then acquire property in its own name and could manage its funds directly, free of the bureaucracy of the Consolidated Fund. It was then that the College began its quest in earnest to become a university. Mirroring the administrative structure of many North American universities, there was a change in nomenclature with the appointment of several vicepresidents. I became VP Academic Affairs in 1996.

There was also a VP of Student Affairs along with a VP for Finance, and a VP Research. The then Principal, Dr Keva Bethel, was named the institution’s first President.

In addition, the academic units were changed. Divisions became Schools; for example, the Humanities Division became the School of Humanities (later the School of English Studies and the School of Communication and Creative Arts).

These units were managed by two Deans, each responsible for a number of schools. The Dean of Arts and Sciences was Dr Brenda Cleare and the Dean of Professional Studies was Dr Linda Davis.

As the main business of a university is imparting knowledge, the Office of Academic Affairs took on the monumental task of upgrading the credentials of faculty to ensure quality in this regard. In the midnineties, only about 10 per cent of the faculty had terminal degrees. So, a very supportive faculty develop-

ment plan was launched.

Many members of faculty took advantage of this programme and upgraded their credentials from bachelor’s, to master’s degrees and from master’s degrees to doctorate degrees.

Simultaneously, the Office carried out significant programme development with the creation of new bachelor degrees. Additionally, there was the introduction of the UWI LLB programme and the establishment of the Law Department in 2000. We also witnessed the amalgamation of BHTC with COB in 2000. I was chair of both the amalgamation committee and the LLB Law Programme Committee. We also began offering a few master’s programmes in conjunction with US universities.

While the current Prime Minister certainly endorsed and supported the transition to university, he did not begin the process. To say so, negates all of the preparatory work and the magnificent efforts of the College’s administration, faculty and staff in the decade of the nineties, the years prior to 2002. I can only hope that on Charter Day the members of Government and others who will control and preside over the extensive ceremonies will make every effort to reflect the bravery and hard work of the many who contributed to the realisation of the dream.

RHONDA CHIPMAN-JOHNSON Former Executive Vice President and Vice President of Academic Affairs Nassau, August 30, 2016

More fogging to stop Zika EDITOR, The Tribune.

ZIKA - is the Ministry of Health, the Minister serious?

I have observed and had it confirmed that there does not seem to be the required intensive vecting (spraying) being carried out.

ZNS News reports of the lack of vehicles on Eleuthera, had three down to one.

The Minister of Tourism seemingly is worried about the rest of the Caribbean whilst The Bahamas gets more and more infections.

Surely the Ministry of

Health should be fogging household-household as you see what the authorities are doing in Miami and now Singapore. Are we different to everywhere else?

Eight confirmed cases 83+ suspected with unfortunately some being pregnant women.

We know the original case resided in Pinewood we know subsequent cases resided in Carmichael - if interviews were made with these people you could identify where these people moved around over the past four-five days prior to feeling sick ... immediately fog

those areas...

Ministry of Education what are you doing - what are the private schools doing to ensure around the schools vector control has been active?

Surely everyone should be encouraged to cut tall grass and vegetation?

Actually has anyone in recent days seen the Hon Minister of Health?

Surely he is not on vacation whilst Nassau gets bitten by dem mossies?

SIMONE ROLLE Nassau, August 30, 2016.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 31, 2016, PAGE 5

Ministry concern over spate of early retirement applications

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry Education, Science and Technology is concerned over the “unexpected” applications for early retirement from over 100 public school teachers this year, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said yesterday.

Mr Fitzgerald said 119 teachers applied for early retirement this year, which he said was a “big number” by the ministry’s standards that came “unexpectedly” to officials. Mr Fitzgerald also said the ministry has seen “a number” of teachers give notice of their intent to resign within the last two weeks, and added that he expects “more unforeseen resignations” to occur before next week’s commencement of the 2016/2017 school year.

To deal with the matter, Mr Fitzgerald said the ministry has focused its attention on ensuring that the Family Island schools are staffed as best as possible, adding that the ministry will likely have to employ some 30 “supply teachers” in order to fill the vacancies that were created.

New Providence, Mr Fitzgerald said, is not an is-

MINISTER of Education Jerome Fitzgerald. sue for the ministry, as he Fitzgerald added. “And so said the capital has enough at the end of the day we are teachers “we can bring in in aware of what’s going on and the challenge that exorder to fill the void.”

“We’ve given all the ad- ists and we’ve been able to ministrators notice so that meet that challenge.

“I just had a meeting they can make preparations during this week to (Monday) with the director make sure the teachers are and the deputy director, in place for next week,” Mr those who are responsible

for school management and they have assured me that they’re working with administrators and we’ll be ready for the proper complement of teachers and that repairs will be completed to the extent that it won’t hamper school opening.”

Mr Fitzgerald also said despite getting to a “late start” on public school repairs, his ministry is confident that nothing will delay next week’s opening of the 2016/2017 school year.

“We’ve been working very diligently with (the Ministry of Works and Urban Development) and the Ministry of Finance, the contractors have been working extremely hard, and it appears as if we’re going to have everything in order for opening of school, so that’s good news,” he said. “There’s going to be nothing that will impede us opening schools on time with regards to repair matters.”

And regarding repairs to schools in those islands most affected by Hurricane Joaquin last year, Mr Fitzgerald said: “In Salina Point (Acklins) there’s I think one class or two that the Ministry of Works was working on with regards to repairs but that’s not going to hamper anything,” he said. “In Crooked Island, we’re just still ascertaining how many students are going to come back. We’ve repaired both schools but we’re only using one. The other one we gave to local government because we just didn’t have the num-

bers there.

“We’ve contacted all of those parents who left and many of them came and were given full scholarships to St John’s school…I think about 47 throughout those islands went to St Johns.

So we’re still going to have to ascertain to see how many are coming back. But the schools are ready and they’re built to take the students in.”

Last year, Mr Fitzgerald said the government spent $7,673,851.92 on its public school repair programme.

He said 300 contracts were awarded throughout the Bahamas for the repairs.

At the time, Mr Fitzgerald said EP Roberts Primary School in New Providence required the most repairs. He also said that students at AF Adderley had to be relocated because some of their facilities had been “condemned.”

The Marathon MP said the government had to relocate the school’s 7th grade students because the school’s trailers, which had been set up as makeshift classrooms, were not fit for use. However, he said at the time that the government was in the process of constructing a 24-classroom block costing $10m-$11m.

COLLEGE NAMES CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER THE College of The Bahamas has announce the appointment of Dr Mychal Coleman as the institution’s chief human resources officer, effective September 26, for a period of three years.

Dr Coleman will lead and coordinate the recruitment, selection, assignment, orientation and evaluation of administrators, faculty and staff; ensure compliance with policies, procedures, contracts and collective bargaining agreements and

develop and implement training programmes to increase productivity, goal attainment, leadership training and development.

He will also formulate with key stakeholders long and short-range human resource departmental goals, including the creation and implementation of a strategic plan and other planning documents and processes to improve the overall operation and effectiveness of the institution.

Dr Coleman has extensive

experience in transforming human resources departments and building strategic partnerships. His corporate experience includes designing innovative post-merger integration human resources solutions, implementing cooperative learning and change management interventions, and developing competencies-based compensation plans and organisation-wide strategic initiatives.

Dr Coleman earned a master’s degree in industrial relations/human resourc-

es development from the University of Minnesota and later earned a doctorate degree in organisational development from the University of St Thomas.

He has taught courses on organisational behaviour and change, human resources management, and strategic planning. He has published in a variety of journals, including the Journal of the Organization Development Network, SAHRM, Journal for Quality & Participation and HR

Management.

“Dr Coleman’s human resources expertise will be an invaluable asset to the College of The Bahamas, scheduled to formally become the University of The Bahamas on November 10, 2016, which is in an era of unprecedented growth and development,” COB said in a press release.

Dr Coleman is married to Dr Michelle Bettin and has a 16-year-old daughter residing in Plymouth, Minnesota.

EXUMA AND ANDROS SUGGESTED FOR EXTRA MP SEATS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Perry Christie suggested that Exuma and Andros are two islands for which the establishment of additional House of Assembly seats should be considered.

His comments came during an appearance on the “Darold Miller Live” talk show on Monday, when he was asked about the work of the Constituencies Commission, which The Tribune understands has not yet met.

“I don’t know what the Constituencies Commission, when it begins, will recommend,” Mr Christie said.

“It’s for them to look at the size of populations, to look at places like Exuma where there’s only one seat and it’s a huge expanse of territory to cover. They have to look at all of those and balance whether in the scheme of things Andros should have an additional seat. You have Bimini with a whole population of 700 new employees working on the resorts. Questions come up. That’s the work of the Constituencies Commission. In the scheme of political things the Parliament has the final say. When you look at the history of boundaries people make changes and lose.”

Free National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest believes the Constituencies Commission should have already prepared a report on the constituency boundaries in the country and submitted it to Parliament as the country heads into an election year.

Mr Turnquest is the Free National Movement’s representative on the committee. He will work alongside Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, representatives of the government.

House Speaker Dr Ken-

dal Major will chair the commission and Senior Supreme Court Justice Stephen Isaacs is expected to serve as deputy chairman.

Although Mr Christie announced earlier this month that the committee would soon be established, the members of the committee have not yet met.

When contacted by this newspaper, Mr Turnquest said: “Nobody has contacted me yet,” adding that he believes a report should have already been produced.

“I understand that we’re plagued by a very low voter registry,” he said, suggesting this factor could be influencing the length of time it is taking the group to get started.

In fact, it’s not unusual for the Constituencies Commission to be activated late in the year prior to an election.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, for instance, announced that the commission was fully constituted and that members were appointed to it in October 2011. The next election was held in May 2012.

At the time, he expressed hope that the commission would complete its work by the first month of January.

The work of the commission has been a source of controversy in the past because of gerrymandering.

Respective Constitutional Commissions have recommended that the commission be made independent from the government and its members be offered tenure for a certain number of years.

The nature of the commission’s work is largely a secret, as the law pertaining to it does not specify in detail how members should determine the way constituencies should be composed.

Nonetheless, Mr Turnquest said: “The members of the government will have to dictate whether additional seats are necessary.

Some of the geography re-

ally does not work. But we have to come at this with a practical point of view and

a financial point of view recognising that every seat is another $50,000 added to

the public expenditure roll so we want to be very careful.”

DR MYCHAL COLEMAN

PAGE 6, Wednesday, August 31, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Roker blasts leadership as ‘tainted’ from page one

During an interview with The Tribune, he said he views Prime Minister Perry Christie as “poorly performing” but he does not see anyone else on the political landscape who is fit to replace him.

Mr Roker, who served as minister of immigration in a Pindling administration, said he is gravely concerned over the current direction of the Bahamas and its political development. He said he has had to come to the realisation that “past actions, actions during my time, has brought us here.”

“We didn’t get here overnight - it took sometime and a lot of doing,” Mr Roker said. “We, you and I, we are all responsible because we sat back and said nothing.

We picked sides and pointed fingers.”

Mr Roker, who contacted for comment on the PLP leadership race, admitted that his public calls for current Prime Minister Perry Christie to retire following his current term didn’t consider potential replacements.

“I said so almost a year ago that it was well past the time for Mr Christie to retire; backing a saying I heard recently, if you know what it means to spend shillings and pence, you should

not be aiming to run this country,” he said.

“But, looking at the full picture, I don’t see anyone that could assume that position. The country lacks leadership at every level, and as bad as the PLP is - in their current state - I think the FNM would be absolutely worst,” he added.

Mr Roker said his remarks should not be viewed as his endorsement of Mr Christie, but as an indictment of every other political leader.

“I regard (Christie) as poorly performing. But you can’t blame Mr Christie; the way politics works, if a person is performing poorly they are replaced. At the party level, they see no fault with this man, and at a national level he was elected as the best option available.

So what does that tell us?”

Moving to further clarify his assertions, Mr Roker said FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis’ actions on several occasions have already disqualified him ascending to the nation’s highest office.

He was referring to the fact that a company Dr Minnis has interests in had a rental contract with the Ministry of Health while he was minister of health.

The contract continued on a month-to-month basis while Dr Minnis was leader of opposition.

The PLP has said it is a conflict of interest.

Furthermore, Mr Roker said the matter, combined with the recent BEC bribery scandal, has confirmed a thought he has held for quite some time: “There is no fundamental difference between the PLP and the FNM - none.”

According to Mr Roker, the country’s political landscape has devolved into a two-party model in which the two sides have struck a gentleman’s agreement not to allow issues to go “too far”.

“Look at the BEC bribery scandal,” he said. “That is what the politics of the Bahamas has come to. Two political parties with an agreement, no one works to make it better, everyone is working for themselves and protecting each other, not the people, themselves.

“If you don’t believe me, look how corrupt issues are dealt with between the two groups. If I do something crooked and you discover it, I would tell you to mention it, but not to take it too far.”

In July, former Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) board member and former FNM candidate for Fox Hill Fred Ramsey, 79, was convicted of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to steer government contracts to a French power company.

The bribes took place more than a decade ago. He was ordered to a pay fine and did not receive prison time.

Mr Roker added: “That is what you see when you read the papers and watch the newscasts, we see the small bits and pieces that they are comfortable with. I dare you, look at it closer, go just a little deeper and you will discover that PLPs helping FNMs and the other way around.

“During his first term as prime minister, there was a period when Mr Christie got ill. If you recall, Mr Christie asked his political adversary and everyday friend to assist (the then Deputy Prime Minister) Cynthia Pratt. How in the world could you ridicule a man during a campaign for being bad for the country and then turn around and ask him to fill in for you?”

Mr Roker said this “gentleman’s agreement” between the two major parties has allowed corruption to fester.

CHANGE NEEDED Mr Roker went on to criticise the current crop of “new age politicians” suggesting that they would rather sit back and witness “foolishness” instead of speaking out against it.

“They are afraid that if

they speak up and speak out, they would be blacklisted by the political institutions. Most of them are trying to protect themselves, they are afraid to ruin their chances of a long political career.

“They need to understand that when people lose confidence in the system, then there is a serious problem. That is when things gets serious because there is no hope for development or change.”

Mr Roker said calls for new leadership can no longer be done so in a passive way, as he called on citizens to get fed up and “force a changing of the guards.”

He added: “You aren’t going to get it by asking Mr Christie to give it to you.

I take the view that when people want a change, they will make it.”

Asked if that could be viewed as an endorsement of PLP leadership candidate Alfred Sears, Mr Roker said no, insisting that Mr Sears himself still has much to answer for.

“All I would say is I know him well, really well,” he stated. “The Bahamas needs someone to bring sweeping changes the way that early PLP did in ’67.

They had a cause and a reason. That is why I am so critical of the young politicians. This is their time and they are sitting down and

allowing the old-ways to run rampant.”

Asked to clarify what he was referring to, Mr Roker offered up a matter that he was involved with in late 1970’s.

“By 1977, when I was minister of health and works, corruption could be seen as clear as day. At that point, politicians saw the post for what it could offer them financially – the ability to use public accounts as though it was their personal accounts. In ’77 I stood up in the House and reported that the chairman of BEC was corrupt.”

“I told the House that this man was using the company’s resources as if it was his personal resources. Free gas, free repairs for his personal vehicle - the House appointed a committee to look into my claims. That committee never spoke with me, they never asked for my supporting documents, none of that. That committee later reported to the House that they found nothing - that is where the political culture started to take precedence over national betterment.”

Mr Roker added that this is the culture being passed down to and accepted by young politicians.

Mr Christie, now 73, is seeking his third, non-consecutive term as prime minister.

PINDER TELLS OF SEEING SON DEAD IN DRIVEWAY from page one

The victim, who sat right under the window, was shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A second man was also shot and rushed to hospital by ambulance, where he remains in stable condition.

Mr Pinder, leader of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas and the Bahamas Public Services Union, said he received a call shortly after 10pm from his eldest son’s fiancée telling him that “some guys walked in the yard and shot Jamal” and she thought that he was dead.

He said five minutes later he arrived at home to see his son lying on the ground, bleeding and lifeless.

“This is shocking and hard for me,” Mr Pinder said. “I mean he was just there, dead. That morning when I left, we were talk-

ing about getting a business license for him because he wanted to get a contract from the government to clean parks and roadways because he was into landscaping.

“He wanted to make more money, he wanted to do better. He was very ambitious and very independent. He was also softspoken, most people in the community admired him and he was very respectful.

We are having a hard time with this.”

Despite the tragedy, Mr Pinder said he is thankful that no one else was killed during the shooting. He said his wife, another son and several grandchildren were all in the home at the time of the shooting.

Mr Pinder said he has no idea why the suspects shot up his home, but, said, “they could have been targeting one of the boys who was playing games” with my son.

SHATTERED windows yesterday at the house where John Jamal Pinder Jr was shot dead.

Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff “All we know is that some going back but he said the to fathom,” Mr Mitchell This latest murder pushed guys came in the yard by rest of the family “is not as said in a statement. “It is the county’s homicide count very sad. I wish on behalf to 69 for the year, according where the family room is strong” as he is.

He said he is trying to of the Fox Hill commu- to The Tribune’s records. and started shooting. Jamal was sitting right under the keep focused and pray that nity from which he hails to Police currently have no window and that’s why he the Lord grants his family extend condolences. The one in custody in connecwas hit so many times. There “strength and peace” dur- community stands with tion with the homicide. you in this time of bereavewere seven guys in that room ing this time.

Anyone with information Fox Hill MP Fred Mitch- ment.” and the curtain was closed so is asked to contact police Minister of Labour Shane at 911 or 919, the Central they were shooting blind,” ell extended condolences to Mr Pinder on Tuesday Gibson also gave his sympa- Detective Unit at 502-9991 Mr Pinder said.

He said despite the mur- morning calling the death a thies to Mr Pinder’s family, or Crime Stoppers anonycalling the murder another mously at 328-TIPS. der taking place at his “tragedy”.

“It must be quite difficult “senseless” death. home, he is “comfortable” Investigations continue.

FOUR MORE ZIKA CASES CONFIRMED from page one

Subsequently, on August 23, officials confirmed three more cases; two of which were reported in women and two of which were transmitted locally, via mosquitoes in the area infected with the Zika virus.

Due to the risk of the virus being spread sexually, health officials have recommended the use of condoms, with a special warning being given to pregnant women to use protection

HEALTH Minister Dr Perry Gomez.

Q&A on the Zika virus Q: What is Zika?

A: Zika virus disease is caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting up to a week, and many people do not have symptoms or will have only mild symptoms. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly and other severe brain defects.

Q: How do people get infected with Zika?

A: Zika is spread to people primarily through the bite of an

infected Aedes species mosquito.

A pregnant woman can pass Zika to her foetus during pregnancy or around the time of birth. Also, a person with Zika can pass it to his or her sex partners. People who have travelled to or live in places with Zika are encouraged to protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika.

Q: What are the symptoms of Zika virus disease?

A: The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. Other symptoms include muscle pain and headache.

Many people infected with Zika won’t have symptoms or will have mild symptoms, which can last for several days to a week.

Q: What if you feel sick and think you may have Zika?

A: Take acetaminophen (paracetamol) to relieve fever and pain. Do not take aspirin, products containing aspirin, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.

Get lots of rest and drink plenty of liquids.

Q: How is Zika diagnosed?

A: Your doctor will ask you about recent travel and symptoms you may have, and collect blood or urine to test for Zika or similar viruses.

Q: What health problems can result from getting Zika?

A: Many people infected with Zika will have no symptoms or mild symptoms that last several days to a week. However, Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect - microcephaly - and other severe foe-

while having sex or not engage in sex at all during pregnancy.

Officials have insisted that while the virus has been primarily transmitted as a result of mosquito bites, the increase in sexually transmitted cases of the virus has led officials to encourage use of condoms to guard against an outbreak.

Last Tuesday, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Zika virus travel notice for The Bahamas, following confirmation of local trans-

mission.

The advisory recommended that US citizens travelling to or residing in The Bahamas enrol in the Department of State’s Smart Traveller Enrolment Programme (STEP), which provides those enrolled with security updates and direct link to local consulates in case of emergencies.

It advised people travelling to The Bahamas to protect themselves from mosquito bites while there and for three weeks after returning home.

Pregnant women are advised not to travel to Zika infected areas or to have sex with partners who have lived or travelled to infected areas.

Prior to this warning, only Canada and Taiwan had issued Zika related travel warnings for persons coming to The Bahamas.

According to WPLG Local 10, a Florida news station, 43 people have contracted the Zika virus locally in Florida, with the majority having occurred in Miami-Dade County.

tal brain defects. Current research suggests that Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), an uncommon sickness of the nervous system, is strongly associated with Zika; however, only a small proportion of people with recent Zika virus infection get GBS. Once someone has been infected with Zika, it’s very likely they will be protected from future infections. There is no evidence that past Zika infection poses an increased risk of birth defects in future pregnancies.

net if air conditioned or screened rooms are not available or if sleeping outdoors.

• Zika can be spread by a person infected with Zika to his or her sex partners. People whose partners have travelled to or live in an area with Zika can prevent Zika by using condoms (or other barriers that protect against infection) every time they have sex or by not having sex.

mosquitoes.

Q: What can people do to prevent Zika?

A: The best way to prevent Zika is to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites: • Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents • Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants • Sleep under a mosquito bed

Q: Can someone who returned from an area with Zika get tested for the virus?

A: See your doctor if you have Zika symptoms and have recently been in an area with Zika.

Your doctor may order tests to look for Zika or similar viruses like dengue and chikungunya.

Take steps to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks so that they do not spread Zika to uninfected

Q: What if you are pregnant?

A: Talk to a doctor or other health care provider after your trip, even if you don’t feel sick.

Pregnant travellers returning from The Bahamas, or who have had possible sexual exposure, should be offered testing for Zika virus infection.

If you develop a fever with a rash, joint pain, or red eyes, talk to your doctor immediately and tell him or her about your travel or possible sexual exposure.

If you do not have symptoms, testing should be offered if you see a health care provider, up to 12 weeks after you return from travel or your last possible sexual exposure.

Source: US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

THE TRIBUNE

GOVT ‘NOT CONSIDERING ARAGONITE APPLICATIONS’ from page one

doing enough to cultivate the industry or to make money from it.

Mr Dorsett, speaking to reporters before a Cabinet meeting, said yesterday: “Either last week or the week before residents of Andros brought to my attention a memo or a notice being circulated by a private group who was meeting with the people of Andros for what they describe was a proposed mining activity.

“There is nothing that is before the Ministry of Environment in relation to that undertaking and certainly from our perspective it is not something that is going to be taken very lightly. The Bahamas National Trust has already been in communication with me and local administrators have attended those meetings and I have a briefing on what was said, but Andros is a very, very special island.

When it comes to mining activities throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas as you may know the commonwealth secretariat is about to be completing a comprehensive regime for the entire extractive industries within our country and they’ll be here next month to complete that exercise but there’s nothing before my ministry in relation to what was being discussed in North Andros and certainly from my perspective we have to look at any proposed mining activities to be taken very seriously in Andros where that island is unspoiled and is important so much to the biodiversity not only in The Bahamas but even to the Americans.”

Mr Dorsett said the company pursuing the matter “seemed to be a family owned company” although he did not elaborate on this.

“There’s no formal proposal before me to comment on who is behind it,” he said.

“From my perspective if there is a development activity that may require some dredging or mining it will go through the normal recourse of going through environmental impact (studies) and how it would be managed, but outright mining in Andros is not something that I certainly think will be considered favourably by this administration.”

Mr Dorsett’s comments came after some people speculated on social media that the government was considering a “70-year mining deal in North Andros.”

A flyer seen by The Tribune advertising a proposal for a mining business was attributed to Morgan’s Bluff Development Limited.

“This project will be a wonderful catalyst for economic growth and opportunity within the communities of North Andros,” they flyer said.

The meetings about the matter were held on August 18 and 19.

Teen killing suspect may give his defence

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A TEEN accused of murder may be called on today to give a defence to allegations that he had direct involvement in the fatal stabbing of schoolmate Adonai Wilson.

The 18-year-old, whose identity has been withheld because he was charged as a juvenile, denies that he intentionally and unlawfully caused Wilson’s death on December 9, 2015.

The accused, who does not bear the burden of proving his innocence, can choose to remain silent in the face of the prosecution’s case or he can take the witness stand to give sworn testimony.

He also has the right to call witnesses in his defence.

Last Thursday, two teens – aged 17 and 15 – who were also on trial for the murder of Wilson, changed their pleas.

The 17-year-old pleaded not guilty to murder, but admitted guilt to the lesser charge of manslaughter. He received a sentence of nine years after the judge took into account his time spent on remand and the fact that he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Meanwhile, the 15-yearold pleaded not guilty to murder, but admitted attempting to cause harm.

He was given a sentence of six months to be served at the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys.

On Monday, Crown prosecutors Kristan Stubbs and Bradford McKenzie concluded their case against the 18-year-

MURDER victim Adonai Wilson, aged 16. old with statements from two students who witnessed events leading up to Wilson’s stabbing, but could not be compelled by the prosecution to give sworn testimony in court.

One of the girls told police that on the day in question, she, the accused and his girlfriend left Popeyes heading east.

The accused walked ahead with a group of persons while she and his girlfriend followed behind.

She told police she noticed a commotion at the Superwash laundromat and noticed a fight between the accused and Wilson.

She ran towards the area where they were fighting and saw a teen, who she witnessed being given a knife by the accused when they were walking from Popeyes, run to and stab Wilson twice in the back before fleeing towards Fox Hill.

She then saw Wilson run across the street towards Blanco Bleach where he collapsed, while his friends followed behind.

The jury heard that the teen girl called 911 and while they waited for medical help to arrive, a friend

of Wilson called out to the bleeding teen with no response.

In the second statement police received from another witness to the incident, the teen’s then girlfriend told police that on the way to their Wendy’s after leaving Popeyes, the accused met up with his 17-yearold cousin who was an 11th grade student at their school.

The accused, the witness told police, handed his cousin the knife when they both then went to opposite sides of the street.

She said shortly afterwards she noticed her boyfriend, the accused, and Adonai “throwing punches at each other but it appeared (the accused) was losing.”

It was at this time that the cousin ran up to and stabbed Adonai, according to the girlfriend.

The teen girl told police that she watched the victim run across the road to Blanco Bleach but did not know where the accused and his cousin went.

When she crossed the road as well, she saw Wilson on the ground bleeding heavily.

She and a group of persons remained there until police came.

An amendment to the Evidence Act in 2012 gave judges the discretion to allow the statements of witnesses who are dead, cannot be found, or are too sick to testify into evidence.

However, this action meant that the 18-year-old accused, and his lawyer Murrio Ducille, were unable to cross-examine the teen to verify the contents of the statement.

PROCEEDINGS HALTED SIX YEARS AFTER MURDER

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

MORE than six years after a man was charged with murder, prosecutors presented the Supreme Court with a written directive from the attorney general requesting that proceedings against him be discontinued.

Vinson Ariste, 26, was to stand trial before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs concerning the July 16, 2010, murder of Noel Roach.

Roach was sitting in a car on Cascarilla Street with another man around 12.50am when two men pulled up in another car, got out and shot at the pair.

Roach was hit multiple times in his body. He was taken to hospital where he later died from his injuries.

In Monday’s brief hearing, Crown prosecutor Maria Zancolla presented a nolle prosequi - a notice abandoning prosecution signed by Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson to

the court.

Senior Justice Isaacs accepted the directives and told the accused man that regarding the current trial, the Crown would discontinue the case against him.

However, the judge informed him that the Crown had the right to reintroduce the charges at a future date if prosecutors wished.

Ariste remains in custody at the Department of Correctional Services due to other matters before the courts.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016, PAGE 7

PAGE 8, Wednesday, August 31, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Our glorious renewable energy future is just hot air I

F you visit the have made major strides in Stronger Bahamas climate change mitigation Facebook page, a re- and renewable energy decent post proclaims ployment.” our intention to cut greenIn support of this vague house emissions by 30 per assertion, Dorsett pointed cent within 15 years and to a reduction of tariffs on insists that the government energy-efficient appliances is “delivering” on its prom- and a new regulatory reises. gime for solar power genLet me explain. Last eration - a regime that has year, Prime Minister Perry never been implemented.

Christie announced Strong- He went on to insist that the er Bahamas as a “non-par- government is “advancing tisan public engagement renewable energy options and communications initia- to improve energy security, tive” with a $4m taxpayer- create jobs and provide for funded budget. public-private participation The Opposition de- in the power sector”. nounced it as a propaganda Touting the national encampaign. And it is cer- ergy policy (developed over tainly true that the com- three administrations and munications completely thrust is to ‘There is no out of touch paint a rosy transparent policy with realand (many he said or regulatory regime ity), would say) renewables totally un- governing renewable would have realistic pic- energy production a 30 per ture of the cent share current state in the country. I of our enof affairs in can attest to this ergy mix by our country. personally, having 2033 - so far The Fainto the fucebook post just gone through a ture as to be about car- tortuous process to meaningbon emis- install solar panels on less. Dorsions is a grandly a newly constructed sett spectacuenvisioned lar case in building.’ solar power point. The plants on post referred to Environ- many out islands - including ment Minister Kenred Dor- at the Bahamas Agriculture sett’s 2015 budget address. and Marine Science Insti“When we took office (it) tute (BAMSI) on Andros. was obvious we could not In his latest budget adgo about business as usual,” dress, Dorsett focused on he declared back then. “We the prospects of obtain-

THE POST on Facebook by Stronger Bahamas.

• There is no transparing international funding for unspecified “climate ent policy or regulatory rechange mitigation” pro- gime governing renewable jects. And he boasted about energy production in the his election as chairman of country. I can attest to this the International Renew- personally, having just gone through a tortuous process able Energy Agency.

But despite this porten- to install solar panels on a tous appointment, there newly constructed building.

• There is no public eduwas no talk of actual renewable energy projects cation or engagement on in The Bahamas. It was energy conservation or cliall about accessing mon- mate change issues. Referey from whatever source ring to some arbitrary emispossible for studies - typi- sions target in the far-off cally a means of delaying future does not constitute real change while looking engagement and requires no effort. busy.

• The government made In summary, as Dorsett said fantastically, “It special efforts to pass new should be clear to every- laws to facilitate oil exploone that we are on our way ration and production in to a renewable energy fu- Bahamian waters - which is ture.” And this is the talk- completely counter to our ing point that the Stronger interests as expressed by Bahamas campaign was government spokesmen in trying to articulate on its climate change conferences around the world.

Facebook post.

• Overseas, the Prime As we said above, it is a says climate totally unrealistic picture - Minister change (caused by the burnfor the following reasons:

ing of fossil fuels) “threatens the very existence of The Bahamas”, yet we do not have a single renewable energy development to our credit - although solar power plants now produce the lowest-cost energy around the world.

• Years of Requests for Proposals by the government and the electricity utility for a waste-to-energy plant at the Harold Road landfill have gone nowhere, despite frequent pronouncements that this was the best option to diversify the country’s energy mix and resolve long-standing public health issues at the dump.

So clearly, business as usual is precisely what this government is about. Our leaders only talk about change, they never get around to actually making it.

And those who think that renewable energy - wind

and solar in particular - are not at a stage of development that would allow us to effectively implement projects here should think again.

Bloomberg New Energy News has reported that the government of Chile recently accepted a bid from a Spanish developer to sell power from a 120-megawatt solar plant for less than three cents per kilowatthour.

“That’s the cheapest to date for any kind of renewable energy,” Bloomberg said, “and was almost half the price of coal power sold in the same (auction) event.

Prices for electricity generation have changed drastically in the last years.”

We suggest that the Stronger Bahamas writers and designers should diversify their reading beyond the convoluted and contradictory speeches of government ministers.

The unintentional Letter of Intent S

O let me get this straight - an official government document supporting an investment of hundreds of millions in a critical sector and bearing the title of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works is provided to a major international funding agency by the State Minister of Finance.

This document is later signed by a junior cabinet official in the Ministry of Works. The substantive minister (and Deputy Prime Minister) claims he knows nothing about it.

And nobody else is talking (including the Prime Minister), but a legal action has

been filed over the matter.

Meanwhile, the junior official who signed on behalf of the government has since crossed the floor and become a member of the Opposition, but still ain’t saying nothing - and neither is the Opposition leader, who once demanded answers on the matter.

This is the way we run things in The Bahamas?

We just do any old crap and don’t talk about it? But we are preparing a national plan to guide our development? The any-old-crapwill-do plan - because we are such great leaders, always looking out for our country’s interests.

PHILIP ‘BRAVE’ DAVIS

U-boats in The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos

C

APTAIN Eric Wiberg is the son of Anders Wiberg, a long-time hotelier out west who was the Swedish consul here for many years. A marine and naval historian, Eric Wiberg has operated oil tankers and sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans many times. He is now a shipping consultant in New York.

Some may recall his recent series of articles for The Tribune on Bahamian mailboats, which he is currently massaging into a book. But his latest publication focuses on the depredations of German and Italian submarines on Allied shipping around the Bahamian archipelago during the Second World War. From early 1942 to late 1944 some 54 Axis submarines sank 130 merchant ships around the Bahamas, killing hundreds of crewmen - with the loss of only four subs.

Among the stories Wiberg tells is the sinking of the O A Knudsen, a Norwegian tanker under British

Admiralty orders. She was torpedoed by the U-128 off Hole-in-the-Wall, Abaco in March, 1942.

Survivors made it to shore via lifeboats, where one of them - Olaus Johanson - died and was buried at Cross Harbour.

Thirty-eight others were taken to Nassau and put up at the Rozelda Hotel (later the Carlton House and now a parking lot) on East Street.

There are several similar stories, which all feature an astonishing depth of detail, about the Allied ships and crew and the Axis submariners, as well as how the survivors were processed on shore in The Bahamas.

Wiberg tells us that over 690,000 tons of Allied shipping were attacked by Uboats in the Bahamas area.

“Of the five ships sunk squarely in the Bahamas O A Knudsen, Athelqueen and Daytonian off Abaco, Nicarao off Eleuthera and Cygnet off San Salvador - three were sunk by Italian subs. It is not common knowledge that there was

a concerted Axis attack on the Bahamas region and the commercial chokepoints which the colony straddled.”

Indeed, even my nonagenarian father - who served on a Royal Air Force airsea rescue boat here during the war - was largely unaware of this submarine threat. In fact, the four Uboats lost in 1942 and 1943 were all sunk by American ships or aircraft According to US historian and author J Revell Carr, in his foreword to the book, “Wiberg has made a significant contribution to the bibliography of World War II history. His meticulous research allows us to relate to our heroes ... We also see the generosity of the people of the Bahamas.”

‘U-Boats in the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos’

by Eric Wiberg is published

by Brick Tower Press (377 pages, hard cover).

What do you think? Send comments to lsmith@tribunemedia.net or visit www. bahamapundit.com

THE THETRIBUNE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 2016,PAGE PAGE Wednesday, August 31st,31, 2016, A99

FIVE GADGETS TO IMPROVE YOUR

TECHTALK

MUSIC

LISTENING

IF YOU are listening to music coming out of the tinny speaker on your phone, you are not hearing much.

And inexpensive Bluetooth speakers or flimsy earbuds are not much better, as they fail to give you a proper spectrum of sound that your music deserves.

Consider quality Bluetooth speakers, finely crafted headphones and even a portable turntable for vinyl on the go, if analogue is your thing with these gear suggestions.

1 FULLER SOUND AT HOME The $500 Fluance Fi70 is the beefiest Bluetooth speaker you will likely come across. It sits on the floor, comes up to about waist-high and isn’t something to tote to the beach. Though the Fi70 is big, it has a nice wood finish and an eyeappealing shape and design.

The Fi70 sports dual 8-inch woofers to push those low-end sounds out powerfully. A remote control lets you shape the sound, adjust the volume and change songs. Or you can use the touch-sensitive buttons

on the top of the speaker.

The Fi70 is a solid choice for those who want the ease of Bluetooth connectivity, but desire a balanced output range that does your music justice.

2 SEXY BOOKSHELF SPEAKER If you want to pump your music to a Bluetooth speaker that looks like professional gear at a concert stage, try the $230 Marshall Stockwell speaker.

For sound quality, dual woofers and tweeters do a nice job at separating the sound and delivering an above-average tonal range.

Separate knurled knobs for volume, bass and treble are recessed into the speaker and pop up at the touch of a finger. The Stockwell also has an input port for devices without Bluetooth.

3 OVER THE EARS EXCELLENCE Blue Microphones make gorgeous equipment for the discerning ear, and it’s come through again with the $250 Lola headphones.

MARSHALL STOCKWELL SPEAKER These are over-the-ear headphones, not buds you stick into your ear. The fit is so well thought out that it adds to the experience of listening to music through them.

The earcups have pivoting arms so you can adjust both the height and angle over your ears. The result is a better fit and sound delivery.

4 FOR AUDIOPHILES ONLY The $600 Nighthawk headphones from Audioquest are not for everyone.

These are for times you simply want to hear music faithfully reproduced using the best gear you will find for this price.

The headphones are so meticulously crafted that you have to play 150 hours of sound through them first just to get the components properly seasoned.

The diaphragm (the part that vibrates to create sound) is made of a bio-cellulose material.

Audioquest believes the more commonly used Mylar material

Dotcom’s request and didn’t receive any objections.

Rothken said the US had opposed the plan on the basis it could taint a potential jury pool and could cede court control over evidence.

December’s lower-court ruling came nearly four years after the US shut down Dotcom’s file-sharing site Megaupload, which prosecutors say was widely used by people to illegally download songs, television shows and movies.

Megaupload was once one of the internet’s most popular sites. Prosecutors say it raked in at least $175 million and cost copyright holders more than $500 million.

But Dotcom and colleagues Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato argue they can’t be held responsible for people who chose to use the site for illegal purposes.

Rothken said the lowercourt judge made an error of law in his ruling, and that broad safe-harbour provisions protect internet service providers from the types of charges his clients face.

Lawyers acting for the

5 VINYL IS BACK For $100, the Electrohome Archer Briefcase portable turntable will handle your basic needs without breaking your budget. It’s a full turntable, built into a briefcase with speakers. It’s a self-contained way to pack some LPs for a road trip, or simply listen to them in various rooms around your home.

A headphone jack lets you listen in private. A USB port lets you temporarily succumb to the digital age by plugging in a flash drive with song files. The speakers aren’t huge, designed for a personal experience for the small space.

RON HARRIS Associated Press A SCENE from Gears of War 4. (AP)

JUDGE: KIM DOTCOM CAN STREAM LEGAL FIGHT AGAINST THE US INTERNET entrepreneur Kim Dotcom will be allowed to livestream his legal bid to halt his extradition to the United States, a New Zealand judge ruled Tuesday.

Dotcom and three of his colleagues are appealing a December lower-court decision which allows them to be extradited to the US to face conspiracy, racketeering and money-laundering charges. If found guilty, they could face decades in jail.

Dotcom’s lawyer Ira Rothken told The Associated Press he was pleased with the decision.

“It provides everybody in the world with a seat in the gallery of the New Zealand courtroom,” Rothken said.

“It’s democracy at its finest.”

Rothken said the livestreaming would begin Wednesday on YouTube.

He said there would be a 20-minute delay to prevent any evidence that was protected by the court from becoming public. The appeal is expected to last six weeks.

Justice Murray Gilbert, the New Zealand judge hearing the appeal, had asked other media about

creates a false sense of detail for high-frequency sounds. These headphones are full of little details like these. Your ears will thank you. Your wallet? That’s another matter.

KIM DOTCOM. (AP) US in New Zealand have declined to comment on the case while it’s being litigated.

Born in Germany as Kim Schmitz, Dotcom has long enjoyed a flamboyant lifestyle. He was arrested in New Zealand in 2012 after a dramatic police raid on his mansion.

Out on bail soon after, he released a music album, started another Internet file-sharing company called Mega, and launched a political party which unsuccessfully contested the nation’s 2014 election.

More recently, Dotcom has promised to launch a reboot of Megaupload next year.

NICK PERRY, Associated Press

‘GAME OF THRONES’ COMPOSER CREATING ‘GEARS OF WAR 4’ SCORE LOS ANGELES (AP) — The composer for “Game of Thrones” is swapping the sword-filled realm of Westeros for the alien-plagued world of Sera.

Emmy- and Grammy-nominated Ramin Djawadi has crafted the score for “Gears of War 4,” the forthcoming fifth installment in the intergalactic shooter series for Xbox One and PC. The prolific film and TV composer says he put his own spin on the game’s soundtrack while remaining faithful to the nearly decade-old “Gears” series.

“Obviously, I wanted to make it very different from ‘Game of Thrones,’” said Djawadi. “Whenever I approach a new project, I want to make sure I’m setting up a new sound — even through we’re still using a lot of orchestra and percussion.”

Djawadi described the score, which was recorded at Sony Pictures Studios, as emotional and orchestral with synth elements. He said the music will also feature a few unique acoustic instruments he’s collected in his travels.

“There are some really nice scenes that are probably unexpected for ‘Gears,’ where we’re really pushing the emotional undertones with strings,” he said.

DERRIK J. LANG, Associated Press

• APPLE is expected to show off a new iPhone next week when the company holds its autumn product launch event in San Francisco.

The tech giant announced the date for the September 7 launch on Monday but did not provide any details, in keeping with its usual practice.

Traditionally Apple announces one or two new iPhone models at its annual September event. But sales are down from a year ago, and analysts will be watching closely to see what changes Apple has made in the newest models.

• THE world’s first selfdriving taxis are picking up passengers in Singapore.

Select members of the public began hailing free rides last week through their smartphones in taxis operated by nuTonomy. The autonomous vehicle software startup says it is the first to offer rides to the public and beat ride-hailing service Uber, which plans to offer rides in autonomous cars in Pittsburgh, by a few weeks.

The service is starting small with six cars, growing to a dozen by the end of the year. The ultimate goal, say nuTonomy officials, is to have a fully selfdriving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018, which will help sharply cut the number of cars on Singapore’s congested roads.

For now, the taxis are only running in a 2.5-square-mile business and residential district called “one-north” and pick-ups and drop-offs are limited to specified locations.

The cars - modified Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electrics - have a driver in front who is prepared to take back the wheel and a researcher in the back who watches the car’s computers.

• OCTOBOT, the latest revolutionary robot, is squishy, wireless, battery-less and made for pennies by a 3-D printer. It looks like a tiny octopus and is designed to mimic that slithery creature to get through cracks and tight places, making it ideal as a rescue robot.

A team at Harvard University has created the cheap robots, which are powered by a chemical reaction in fluids and fit in the palm of a hand.

Experts have hailed the Octobot: Tufts University professor Barry Trimmer called it “ingenious” and Daniela Rus at MIT said the discovery was what the soft robotics community has been looking for.

“The octopus robot is a first self-contained soft robot system whose components are all soft,” she said. “It is a very beautiful machine.”

• FACEBOOK is taking new steps to reduce the role of human judgment in its “Trending Topics” feature, which drew controversy earlier this year over claims the service was suppressing conservative views.

Although it denied bias, Facebook has sought to reassure users that it’s not showing favouritism when it highlights stories that are drawing comment on the social network.

Facebook says topics are selected by an algorithm that considers how often users post or share articles. Editors will still vet the list, but the feature will no longer include headlines or summaries written by editors. Instead it will show a selection of user comments and an excerpt from a news article.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, August 31, 2016

ROSEMARY BURROWS, senior assistant at the Mangrove Bush Primary School in Long Island (left), and Sylvia Bodie-Mitchell, special assistant to the president and CEO of The Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Foundation, share a laugh during the live webcast of the Custom Computers ‘A’s for Excellence’ random prize drawings on Saturday.

THE TRIBUNE

ERINN AVERY SPENCER, a 12th grade student at Queen’s College during the 2015/2016 academic year (centre), was the winner in the high school category of the Custom Computers ‘A’s for Excellence’ campaign. She is pictured with Custom Computers Know-How Team members Tammie Hall Thompson and Cyeon Fox. Photos: Bahamas Visual Services

A for amazing students SCORES of eager students, parents, guardians and educators tuned in to the ‘A’s for Excellence’ random prize drawings as they were broadcast live on the Custom Computers Facebook page on Saturday.

Hosted by local media personality Anastarcia Palacious and featuring several special guests, including representatives of the Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Foundation, the webcast was as informative as it was enter-

taining.

Every summer, Custom Computers rewards excellence in education by inviting primary and high school students from across the country who earned at least one ‘A’ grade in their final report card to enter for a chance to win an exciting prize. Students are entered once for each ‘A’ they received (up to a maximum of 10), so the better they do in their studies, the greater their chance to win.

The high school category

winner was Erinn Avery Spencer, a 12th grade student at Queen’s College during the 2015/2016 academic year. She won a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 twoin-one laptop/tablet along with a stylus and keyboard.

She was on her way to the airport to travel to Canada, where she will be attending Trent University to study biochemistry, during the live raffle drawings.

She stopped by the Custom Computers Know-How Store at Old Fold Bay Town

Centre to pick up her prizes before boarding her plane.

She said that she had not planned to enter ‘A’s for Excellence’ but did so after being encouraged to do so by a family friend. She, in turn, urged other students to believe in themselves and be willing to take chances in order to accomplish their goals.

The primary school category winner was Madison Elizabeth Cartwright, a second grade student at Mangrove Bush Primary,

Long Island, during the academic year just ended. She earned seven A’s and a 3.68 Grade Point Average in her final report card. Her prize was an HP bundle including a laptop, printer and several accessories.

The prize for the Family Island school with the most A’s entered, a category established as part of ‘A’s for Excellence’ in 2014, went to Mangrove Bush Primary School, Long Island, which entered 133 A’s.

Still recovering from the devastation brought by Hurricane Joaquin, during which the school lost approximately 90 per cent of its furniture, teaching supplies and technical equipment, Principal Carla Rodgers had made it her personal challenge to submit her students’ report cards.

“Each year, we encourage our students and parents to enter this campaign,” she said. “I knew that most of my parents are still in recovery mode, which is why I took the initiative to personally enter my students.”

On hand to accept the school’s prize, an HP multifunction machine, toner and paper, was Rosemary Burrows, Senior Assistant at Mangrove Bush Primary.

Every student at the school will also be receiving a goodie bag.

In a surprise twist, Custom Computers also decided to reward the New Prov-

idence-based school with the most A’s entered. The winner was Temple Christian Primary, which submitted 439 A’s. The school also received an HP multifunction machine.

“Temple Christian has always been at the top of the list in terms of entries, so we felt it was time to reward the school’s teachers and administrators for their continued support and success of their students,” said Custom Computers Director Pia Farmer. “We would like to thank everyone for their participation, especially the teachers and parents without whom none of this would be possible, and who are the reasons for the children’s success.”

This year’s ‘A’s for Excellence’ received more than 600 entries, representing 4,847 ‘A’ grades from across the country.

“We are always amazed by the response to our campaign,” said Mrs Farmer.

“This year, we made an even greater effort to let students know about this opportunity to be rewarded for their hard work. Our team visited 47 randomly selected schools in New Providence, and eight in Eleuthera, and next year we hope to reach out to even more.”

Mrs Farmer encouraged students to visit www.aforexcellence.com for regular updates and to be part of the 10th annual campaign slated for next year.

PRAISE FOR RBDF EFFORTS TO PROTECT FISHING GROUNDS READERS on tribune242.com were happy to be commenting on some good news for once: The role of the Defence Force in helping to make the lobster season “the best for 20 years”.

Sickened said: “Good news indeed!”

Islandboy242242 was pleased, but called for better records: “Good news, hope they keep up the good work and I hope the lobster abundance isn’t just a climatological anomaly. We need better records of the annual tonnage of lobster harvested country wide though.”

Birdiestrachan offered this: “Here is something that has been done RIGHT. The money spent on the Defence Force boats was money well spent. What does the gloom and doom people have to say?”

Baha10 wanted acceptance of the good news: “Let us as a nation try to simply accept what appears to be ‘good news’ without negativity, particularly as the ‘good news’ appears limited at this point in our history.”

Asiseeit said: “This is great news, but let’s be real, if they were doing their job from the get go this would not even be news. I applaud the RBDF for their efforts but also remind them that their job is never ending, take these compliments and strive for many more!”

Truetruebahamian had this to say: “There should be a lowering in price locally for crawfish if this is so abundant and export should be made only after the local market is well supplied at

an affordable price.”

The Bank of the Bahamas’ $24m loss for its 2016 financial year continued to spark a lively reaction online.

Sickened said: “The problem with BoB is that the Government is involved and thus the bank is full of PLP cronies. BoB will NEVER be a good investment. Period! End of story!”

But John was cautiously optimistic: “They are trying to put measures in place to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. They are trying to appoint members to the board who are minority shareholders to prevent the bank from making political loans and loans to unqualified persons and there is a good chance that the bank can return to profitability by third or fourth quarter 2017. If the bank was to shut its doors, the minority shareholders would lose everything and whilst persons have expressed interest in purchasing the bank it may need to do more housecleaning before is can fetch a fair price.

Banks are paying $43.92 interest on a $100,000.00 fixed deposit for one year. So investing in BoB, considering its potential, may not be as risky as you think.”

• Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 31, 2016, PAGE 11

YOUNGSTERS, above and right, at Camp Eco-Explorer.

GETTING CLOSER TO NATURE AT ECO CAMP THE word environment means a whole lot more to a group of Grand Bahama students now that they’ve completed the first ever Kids Version of Eco Explorer Camp.

Camp Eco-Explorer – Kids Version, a seven-day camp sponsored by Waterkeepers Bahamas and Save the Bays, was organised to get youngsters excited about their eco-systems and impress upon them how important it is to take care of our natural resources.

“Our facilitators had the experience of working with teenagers over the past three years and became painfully aware at times of the lack of knowledge about and appreciation for our wonderful, rich and precious environment.

It became obvious that a great deal of work has to be done to enlighten our youth about our natural treasures,” said STB Chairman Joseph Darville.

The theme for the week was ‘Protect. Preserve.

Lead’ and students learned about pine forests, composting, recycling, mangroves, caves, the water cycle, weather, and climate change.

Rashema Ingraham, ex-

ecutive director of Waterkeepers Bahamas, said her organisation focuses on ensuring swimmable, fishable, drinkable water for all.

“We are adamant about giving each Bahamian an opportunity to connect with the water, either for enjoyment or to ensure it is safe. Programmes like the Eco Explorer Camp give campers opportunities to really understand why and how all species of the Earth depend on clean water,” she said.

When they were done in the classroom, they headed to the great outdoors to see first-hand just what they were learning about.

Field trips to the Rand Nature Centre, Garden of the Groves, Lucayan National Park, Grand Bahama Meteorology Office, and Fortune Beach brought out the true explorers in each student.

They were supplied with binoculars, magnifying glasses and even snorkeling gear to help them really get into the role of the scientist or the observer.

According to Mr Darville, the programme was very ambitious.

“The content was challenging and demanded a

level of attention and involvement commensurate with and beyond their age.

However, with due diligence and encouragement, seasoned with a lot of patience, the facilitators were able to implant in those young minds and spirits an awesome regard and respect of our precious environment,” he said.

Both Ms Ingraham and Mr Darville agreed these lessons should be part of everyday learning.

“We can have beach cleanups every week, but if there is no focus on why littering and illegal dumping are toxic for our water supply, there will always be unsightly trash in our communities,” said Ms Ingraham.

Mr Darville is strongly advocating for the inclusion of a vibrant environmental curriculum in every school.

“If our children do not know and aren’t able to celebrate our natural blessings, they will be more inclined to destroy them,” he said.

Those 12 students left camp with more than certificates.

“From all indications, we have some future environmentalists on our hands,” Ms Ingraham said.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, August 31, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

THE FUNERAL service yesterday for Canon John Colin Clarke, held at Christ Church Cathedral.

Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

CANON JOHN CLARKE REMEMBERED THE funeral service was held yesterday for Canon John Colin Clarke, who died on Saturday, August 20, at Doctors Hospital.

The 75-year-old was hailed by Bishop Laish Boyd for his quiet dedication, keen interest in people and their circumstances, and a deep desire to help and uplift the downtrodden.

BISHOP Laish Boyd at the service yesterday.

Canon Clarke was born on Eastern Road, Nassau, on November 7, 1940, to James and Elizabeth Clarke.

Since his retirement from his role at St Margaret’s Parish, North Andros, he has assisted in various parishes, particularly that of St George and St James, New Providence.

He leaves his wife, Flo-

MOURNERS at yesterday’s funeral service.

rinda, and children Elizabeth, Michael, Miriam and Andrew, and grandchildren Shaniece, Ife, Traice, Justin, Jordan, Philip and Azaria.

The funeral service was held at Christ Church Cathedral, where he had been the first black Bahamian on staff in 1965, with interment at St Anne’s Cemetery, Fox Hill.

CANON JOHN COLIN CLARKE

THE MEMORIAL booklet for Canon Clarke.