09282022 NEWS, FEATURES, SPORT AND BUSINESS

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Expat killed inside gated community

Cable Bahamas manager’s killing shocks quiet complex

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigat ing a homicide in western New Providence after a British man was discovered inside a condominium with multiple lacerations to the body yesterday.

While police did not give an official identification, The Tribune understands the victim was Marcus Hins bey, a technical accounts manager at the Cable Baha mas Group.

Press liaison officer Chief Superintendent Chris lyn Skippings said around 10.30am yesterday, coworkers alerted police that they had not heard from the deceased.

“Hence, police along with the property manager here, breached the condominium occupied by the deceased and once on the inside dis covered a Caucasian male who appears to be in his early 60s with multiple lac erations to the body,” she told reporters on the scene.

MP ADRIAN GIBSON BACK IN COURT TODAY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

LONG Island MP Adrian Gibson will be back in court today over corruption allegations before Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson despite his lawyer’s objec tion to the move.

These charges stem from Gibson’s tenure as

executive chairman of the Water and Sewerage Cor poration under the previous administration. During this time the MP is accused of enriching himself by over $1.25m through a series of cheques and wire trans fers in connection with contracts awarded to Elite Maintenance and Baha

WANTED SUSPECT SHOT DEAD BY POLICE

POLICE shot a wanted suspect dead in Gamble Heights yesterday after noon after he allegedly pulled a gun on officers.

According to press liai son officer Chief Supt Chrislyn Skippings, shortly after 5pm officers acted on intelligence that a wanted suspect was seen at a resi dence in Gamble Heights. She said officers went to the area and encountered the suspect who allegedly “engaged the officers and was fatally shot.”

She said police recovered a handgun and ammunition from the deceased.

This is the second fatal police-involved shooting in

two days. Police said a teenager allegedly involved in an armed robbery was fatally shot on Saturday after pull ing a gun on officers. In that incident, police also said a weapon was recovered from the deceased.

Yesterday, CSP Skippings told criminals that they could meet the same fate if they fail to obey the law.

“Police are here to main tain law and order, we are here to preserve the peace,

MUNROE CONFIDENT ANY POTENTIAL SECURITY SHORTFALLS WILL BE ADDRESSED

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said he has every confi dence law enforcement officials will address any potential security short falls following two recent escapes from custody.

His comment came after he was asked whether his ministry planned to tighten security measures following the escape of London Rah ming on Friday.

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas must soon decide whether to tell the European Union (EU) “to hell with it” and refuse to be cowed by its repeated ‘blacklisting’ threats, an ex-Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader argued yesterday.

Branville McCartney told Tribune Business the coun try’s financial services industry “continues to be wiped out” through the EU and other global bodies “moving the goal posts” over the regulatory standards The Bahamas must achieve every time it escapes their adverse listings.

FACE TO FACE: BUILDING THE CIVIL SOCIETY OF THE BAHAMAS

PETER

POLICE at the scene yesterday after Marcus Hinsbey (inset) was found dead.

Photo: Austin Fernander

BRAN: BAHAMAS MUST DECIDE WHETHER TO TELL EU ‘TO HELL WITH IT’

POLICE at the scene of the shooting yesterday. Photo: Moise Amisial

THE National Emergency Management Agency continues to closely monitor the track of Hurricane Ian which forecasters anticipate could bring heavy rainfall to the northwest Bahamas.

The storm is presently located in the Car ibbean Sea.

According to an alert on Hurricane Ian issued by the Department of Meteorology at noon yesterday, the storm was forecast to continue rapidly strengthening with rain bands from the hurricane expected to affect The Bahamas last night.

Yesterday, Ian was moving towards the northwest at 13 miles per hour. On its forecasted track, Ian will emerge over the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico today and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 80 miles per hour with higher gusts. Rapid strengthening is expected during the next day or so and Ian is forecast to become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) by early Tuesday.

Forecasters at the Department of Mete orology predict that on its current track, Hurricane Ian will pass some distance away from The Bahamas, but because of its expansive nature, the north-western Baha mas could encounter rainbands that could produce significant rainfall, gusty winds, thunderstorm activity and potential tornadic activity.

The northwestern Bahamas consists of Abaco, Andros, Bimini, the Berry Islands, Eleuthera, the northern Exumas and New Providence.

Arawak Homes subdivision named after Olympian Frank Rutherford

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

ARAWAK Homes yesterday honoured Bahamian three-time Olympian Frank Ruther ford, announcing that a new subdivision has been named after him.

Mr Rutherford, a retired triple jumper, won the Bahamas’ first Olym pic medal in track and field after he scored the bronze medal during the 1992 Olympic Games in

Barcelona, Spain. The new subdivision, Frank Rutherford Close, located just off Prince Charles Drive, has some 21 lots of single family homes and multi-family duplexes.

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg was in attend ance at the announcement yesterday at an Arawak Homes property off East Shirley Street.

He expressed his delight with the announcement.

“Mr Rutherford has paved the way for future generations of Bahamian athletes to represent their country in the interna tional arena, by helping them to secure scholar ships and opportunities abroad,” he said.

Mr Bowleg added that Mr Rutherford is one of several important Baha mians whose names now grace the entrance of Arawak Homes’ subdivisions.

“It is in this company’s (Arawak Homes) view that the accomplishments of the Bahamian athletes must continue to be cel ebrated and highlighted long after the athletes’ career. On behalf of the government, we say to Arawak Homes, with its holders, companies and partners, we thank you for your contribution not only to our country for your homes but also recogniz ing our (athletes),” Mr Bowleg said.

Arawak Homes chair man Sir Franklyn Wilson said, “What is the think ing? The thinking is that this time, some boy or some girl would ask their parents, their guardian,

their auntie, their uncle, someone, ‘Why is this subdivision named, so and so?’ ‘Who was so and so?’”

Mr Wilson added that Arawak Homes is also in the process of creating written content for Baha mians to have physical and factual information on important public figures.

“We are in the pro cess of preparing written material, which will be available in various halls, so that as generations go by people that (don’t) convey misinformation,” he said.

Mr Rutherford who joined the meeting vir tually by Zoom, along with several friends and family members said he was “honoured and I’m overwhelmed.”

Mr Rutherford added, “We have to have relics of our own successes, so Bahamians can see the success of themselves to be proud of themselves to know that they are the best.

“And they should con tinue to feel proud about who we are, and build a serious sense of national pride. That’s what I’ve always been about. “

This year, Arawak Homes has honoured sev eral influential Bahamians through the creation of subdivisions in their name.

In July, family and loved ones gathered at the open ing of the Winston “Gus”

Cooper Manor Subdivi sion, just off Faith Avenue, to remember the man best known as a visionary and leader of the Valley Boys Junkanoo group.

THE ARAWAK Homes press confrence to announce the naming of their newest subdivision in hon our of Frank Rutherford. Pictured from left: NACAC President Mike Sands, Arawak Homes Chair man Sir Franklyn Wilson, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg and BAAA President Drumeco Archer. Photos: Austin Fernander

YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg.

ARAWAK Homes chairman Sir Franklyn Wilson.

OLYMPIAN Frank Rutherford.

WOMAN CLAIMS POLICE GIVING LITTLE HELP OVER ABUSIVE EX

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A 24-YEAR-OLD woman is speaking out after claiming her former boy friend has been violent towards her, and that she is getting little help from police.

The woman also alleged the man has friends in the Royal Bahamas Police Force who, she claimed, have warned him in advance when a complaint has been made.

Rickia Smith told this newspaper that she recently had a hostile visit from her former boyfriend who alleg edly threatened to burn her house down and kill every one inside.

Police have confirmed a complaint was made and is presently being investi gated by the Southwestern Division.

The Tribune spoke with Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander about Ms Smith’s allegation that an officer or officers may be forewarning the man about complaints. He expressed an intolerance towards that behaviour.

“I don’t tolerate that and if we find that officers are doing that they will be dealt with themselves,” the police

chief said. “I’m not going to be a part or sit back and see that anyone is assisting the culprits who we are looking for – that is a no-no. And as we move with that investi gation and (if) it is revealed that the officers (are) assist ing the matter will be investigated,” he told The Tribune during a recent interview.

Ms Smith recounted that what she said was a pattern of abuse from her former boyfriend. She said she has asked police to intervene in the past, but has not got “that much help”.

“And then he also has a lot of friends on the police force that normally mes sages him as soon as he gets an issue or if they hear his name over radio that would forewarn him that the police are looking for him and he would give them whatever side of the story that he’d give them and then that’d be the end of that done,” she alleged.

On September 4, she said, the man in question dam aged her car after coming to her home and making threats.

“He would have came to my home about 5.30 that morning, basically want ing me to leave my house with him and he would have gone on to say that ‘oh, his

child is in the hospital on a respirator and I need to go carry him to the hospital’ and all these things basi cally telling me things that would make me feel bad to want to leave because I do have a soft heart when it comes down to his daugh ter. But I just knew that the story wasn’t making sense. So I would have constantly told him that I’m not leav ing - I’m not interested in leaving my home or any thing like that.”

She said she went back inside her home and heard rocks hitting her car’s glass.

“He just stood there and just kept smashing stuff and then he came to the door. He would have thrown a few big rocks at the door of my house and started to bam on the kitchen window and he said he was going to burn down my house. He would have killed everyone inside the house.”

She made a Facebook post with pictures of a smashed car window.

Ms Smith also told this newspaper that her car’s radiator cap was missing as well as the cap where the coolant goes; she did not know if he poured anything inside her radiator.

The estimated cost to

Funeral Service For

Memorial Service For Captain Cephas Lemuel Maycock, 93 affectionately called “The Lion”

a resident of Sheila’s Court, Sandilands Village Road and formerly of Duncan Town, Ragged Island will be held at 7:00pm on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 at Golden Gates World Outreach Ministries, Carmichael Road. Offciating will be Bishop Trent Davis assisted by other ministers of the gospel.

Funeral Service For Captain Cephas Lemuel Maycock, 93 affectionately called “The Lion”

a resident of Sheila’s Court, Sandilands Village Road and formerly of Duncan Town, Ragged Island will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, October 1st, 2022 at Holy Innocence Anglican Church, Duncan Town, Ragged Island. Offciating will be Rev. Fr. Canon Delano Archer assisted by other ministers of the gospel. Interment will follow in Lily View Public Cemetery, Duncan Town, Ragged Island.

EXPAT KILLED INSIDE GATED COMMUNITY

Asked for an estimate of how long the body was there, she could not say definitely, but said it appears that “it may have been a day.”

She said police do not know who killed the expat, but added that cameras on the property will be used to aid in the investigation.

When The Tribune arrived at the gated community on Atlantic Drive, crime scene investigators were processing the scene while a few neighbours looked on.

One resident, who did not want to be named, described the victim as a friendly person who was helpful to those who lived

in the gated complex. They said the kill ing came as a shock to the quiet Westridge community.

In a statement, the Cable Bahamas Group said it mourned the loss of Mr Hins bey, adding that the board of directors, CEO, executives as well as others extend condolences to his family.

The Tribune understands Mr Hinsbey was on the board of his condominium’s association.

Police are asking any member of the public who might have information to contact them at Criminal Investigations Department at 502-9991/2, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.

Left to cherish his precious memories are his loving wife: Maudline Maycock; sons: Lemuel, Cephas, Etienne, and Jared Maycock; son-in-law: Leeland Curling; daughters: Geleta (Irvin) Wilson, Constance (Melvin) Lewis, Christine Maycock, Stephanie Pintard, Patrice (Jerome) Maycock-Lusa, Lisa (Ted) Fowler, Ethel (Don) Smith and Krystal (Kadeem) Coleby, Norma Curling (pre-deceased); grandsons: Ervin (Adrianna), Gino (Theora), Dusty, Ashley (Melissa) Wilson, Dr. Louis Justin (Richardette) Pintard, Norvian (Kamarah), Stancio, Raje Curling, Jason, Travis, Scharad, Jamal, Mario, Jerado Emersine), Lemneshon, Raegan, Etienne Jr., Ahmad, Prescot (Patrina), Jaleel, Elian, Lemuel Jr., Daniel, Athario (Ashley), Javon, Ehryn Maycok, Melvin (Arianna) Lewis, Patrick Lusa and Kyrie Coleby; granddaughters: Tanya Maycock, Melanie Lewis, Mia (Cerone) Ramsey, Shakara Maycock, Janette Newton, Kristin Higgins, Resha & Tyla Fowler, Jayla & Jalia Maycock, Ashanti & Dreamia Smith, Ethenique (Gerard) Rolle, Destiny Maycock, K’Anna Coleby; great-grandchildren: Jaylin, Jason, Jamal, Jasmin, Jermaine, Jerado, Lemuel III, Jared, Jalia, Nathan, Prescott Jr. , Preston, Brayden, Brayell, Athena Maycock, Amir Hamilton, Kai Pintard, Kiari Curling Melia Bridgewater, Milena Lewis, Romero, Isaiah, Romel Jr., Caleb, Judah, Aliyah, and Emma Wilson, Adriel Alburay, Germir and Emeri Rolle, Salease Fynes, Zion Rolle, Irie Roker, Reign Edgecombe; nieces & nephews: Cyril (Claudine)Joffre, Franklyn (Marsha)Thompson, Fayceta Wallace, Kendal, Alvin, Harlam, Horace, Wesley, Kingsley, & Monica Wilson, Emmett, Juanita, Joseph, Angela, & Orion Munroe, Oraline Maycock, Nelson Moxey, Elkenny, William, Ellery & Dr. Freeman Lockhart, Cyprianna Mullings, Sheena Pinder, Lee Ambrister, Phill, Greg & Aniska Maycock; cousins: Jane Adderley, Maurine Rahming & Astrid Brooks; other relatives & friends including: Paul Moxey, Ernie Wallace, Glen & Florinda Hepburn, Daniel & Maxine Wallace, Joseph Moxey Sr., Ty, Phicol & Erica Wallace, Dr. Beveton Moxey, Perry & Tyrone McKinzie, The Smith Family of Buck Town, Exuma, Dr. Franklyn Walkine, The Moxey, Wallace, Hepburn, Munroe, Maycock, Wilson, Lockhart, Pintard, Curling, Ambrister and Pinder families; and a host of other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.

Relatives and friends may pay their respects at Gambier House, Farrington Road on Wednesday from 10:00am to 1:00pm and at Cedar Crest Funeral Home and Crematorium Ltd, Robinson and Baillou Hill Roads from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

we are here to protect life and property. And those persons who fail to obey law and order this can be your fate,” she said.

She said yesterday’s suspect was wanted for a number of armed robberies and was in his early 20s.

In August, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said officers have “the right to do what they have to do” when confronted with armed people who put their lives in danger.

He added that the police are not “in the business” of let ting off “warning shots” in these situations.

Last year, 21 police-involved shootings were recorded, of which 13 were fatal.

The Tribune had previously reported that The Bahamas has one of the highest per capita rates of police involved killings in the world, with 11 recorded in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

FNM VOICES

ALARM OVER UNREGULATED COMMUNITIES

THE Free National Movement has urged government to act on the “out of control construction” of a number of unregulated com munities throughout the country.

“Bahamians throughout the country, and in particular New Providence, Abaco, North Andros and Eleuthera, are raising the alarm that there are a significant number of unregu lated developments or shanty towns springing up in their communities and expanding on a daily basis,” the party said in a statement.

“The concerns from many tax paying residents have fallen on the deaf ears of a number of Progressive Liberal Party MP’s, some of whom represent these various communities. What is even more disappointing and shocking is the deafening silence from the government of The Bahamas, most especially the Prime Minister and the Minis ter of Works in response to this matter.

“Not only are Bahamians concerned about the number of these developments that are popping up in their backyards but we are also worried that the Davis administration seems par alysed, unable and unprepared to address this very serious issue. Many are also concerned about the impact that these unregu lated communities are having on their property value and the health concerns and real risk to the water tables and the overall environment,” the FNM said.

Last week, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears advised people who are contemplating building on land that does not belong to them to cease and desist because “we will not toler ate it”.

He said officials have a team from building control and also town planning who have visited Abaco and prepared a report on unregulated communities there. According to the minis ter, officials will be announcing “shortly” the measures that they will be taking.

“With respect to persons who are squatting on land, we have put together two working groups, there is one dealing with Crown land in New Providence and the Minister of National Security is heading an intimate ministerial group. The Min istry of Works when we were in Abaco, I could not help to observe that on some of the land, there were what appeared to be irregular buildings,” he said.

“We’ve had a team from building control, and also town planning to go into Abaco and they have prepared a report for us.

“And we will be announcing shortly the measures that we will be taking because we cannot allow anybody to be on land that you don’t have a right to be on and building without town plan ning, without building control, and without inspection before the issuance of an occupancy certificate,” Mr Sears said.

Minister plans to recruit more for key agencies

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

WHILE noting that his ministry has embarked on an “aggressive” recruitment exercise to beef up manpower in the law enforce ment community, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said plans are underway to recruit even more people to several key agencies under his remit.

They include the Royal Baha mas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Bahamas Department of Correc tional Services.

Mr Munroe did not say exactly how many people are being sought.

“We have been with the concur rence of the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister, able to run an aggressive recruitment,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an opening ceremony for the law enforcement chaplaincy training yesterday.

“Since taking the chair, we have recruited two squads into every law enforcement agency. Currently, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force is gearing up to recruit a squad. BDCS is gear ing up to recruit a squad and the police are gearing up to recruit a squad. So, the recruitment con tinues in order to replace the manpower we lose by attrition and to make up for some of the defi ciencies we met in place.”

Plans to beef up manpower in law enforcement comes as the nation continues to see an increase in homicides, with nearly 100 mur ders recorded so far for the year.

Yesterday, the minister com mented on the rising murder count, saying the majority of the country’s homicides continue to

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

be either gang or domestic related.

He said while officials are seek ing to clamp down on gang related activities through increased satu ration patrols, domestic issues can only be addressed socially.

“You would have seen at the swearing-in of the new com missioner, he spoke about the creation of a firearms task force. All the agencies have committed their membership to those,” he told reporters.

“The causes of homicides still continue to be either gang related

for the bigger part or domesti cally related. The gang related is addressed through the uptake of the saturation patrols through the firearms unit and the domes tic results, where people seem to get in arguments or can’t resolve the violence is a matter for us to socially address.”

Mr Munroe continued: “Until we get that in our mind, it will con tinue to happen. It’s not enough to simply say that crime is up tick ing all over the world at the end of the pandemic, as we see in our

neighbours to the south in Turks and Caicos. That is not enough, we have to take steps to address the frustration that (was) pent up during the lockdowns and human beings have to take responsibility so if you have an issue with your spouse, if you have an issue with your neighbour, then talk to some one about it.

“Don’t let it get to the point where y’all fighting and killing one another cause that’s the second largest class of homicides that we have.”

MUNROE CONFIDENT ANY POTENTIAL SECURITY SHORTFALLS WILL BE ADDRESSED

FROM PAGE ONE

The 25-year-old led police on a two-day hunt after his escape from the Magistrate’s Court on South Street where he was sen tenced to 15 months behind bars for violating his bail conditions.

He was captured by authori ties on Sunday.

The incident came less than a month after a Jamaican man escaped from the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Speaking on the recent escapes, Mr Munroe said, “I’m not aware of two escapes from police custody. I’m aware of those escapes from the remand centre at BDOCS and then I’m told, although I haven’t seen a report, that somebody escaped from the Magistrate’s Court Complex at South Street.

“I don’t have the facts on that, but the police and the correctional institution clearly re-evaluate security measures every time something happens.

I remember when I was very young in the practice, down town at Bank Lane, someone had thrown somebody a fire arm, and he tried to shoot his way out of custody and so eve rything that happens ought to be a learning experience.

“Only the foolish repeat the same mistakes over and over again. I have great confidence that the police, the Correctional

Services Department will be addressing any shortfalls that are highlighted.”

As for how the men escaped, Mr Munroe was still unable to say yesterday. He said he was still awaiting a report on both matters.

Asked yesterday when he is expected to receive those reports, the minister said this in relation to the BDCS incident:

“I received indication of the default that would have caused it to be possible surrounding an event that was happening at the time, and steps were already taken to reinforce training. If you recall, there was train ing about a particular type of escape that the press thought was an actual escape, but those types of trainings continue in the institution.”

MP ADRIAN GIBSON BACK IN COURT TODAY

FROM PAGE ONE

Maintenance and Restoration by WSC.

It is further alleged that he gained the money through bribery and then laundered it through the purchase of properties and vehicles, including those used in Gibson’s company in Long Island.

While Gibson is further accused of failing to declare his interest in the WSC contracts awarded to the companies, he along with his co-accused, face 98 charges altogether ranging from conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, fraud, receiving and money laundering.

Gibson with his alleged co-conspirators - Elwood Donaldson Jr, WSC’s former general manager; Gibson’s cousin, Rashae Gibson; the MP’s former campaign manager Joan Knowles; Peaches Farqu harson and Jerome Missick – all pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the allegations on Friday.

Despite Gibson’s lawyer Murrio Ducille’s objec tion to Justice Grant-Thompson presiding over the trial, Justice Bernard Turner moved not to reassign their case after deliberations in chambers yesterday.

Proceedings in this matter will commence today in the Supreme Court.

repair her car’s glass is about $1,000, she said.

She said the pair dated a few years ago and recon nected this year as friends. They do not have children together.

“I was just trying to be there for him because I know that we both knew each other on a particular level, but it just became problematic as usual, when he starts to get angry and aggressive,” she explained.

“We kept going back and forth on that over like the past five months, because he wanted to just be around me but able to do anything that he feels like.”

She said when she tried to give him life advice, he would become aggressive.

“Whenever those conver sations come up, it becomes aggressive, or he starts get ting into feelings about everything that he’s been through. And then it will be like when he starts to attack me or becomes physical I be like I’m not on this run. I would like for you to leave me alone,” she said.

She recalled one argu ment in July when he smashed her cell phone.

“I remember one morn ing at one point he was staying with me. It wasn’t a permanent solution —it was just me assisting again. One morning he came there, he would have slept out – he just came (here) the next morning and he just went through my phone and just spazzed out. So he would have smashed my phone and he would have fought me in the house.

Whereas he would have body slammed me, choked me or whatever and I would have fended him off - I went to the station for that.

“And, like I said, in that particular matter, I had access to his Facebook, and I watched this police officer messaged him and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on with you? Your name ringing out over the system. Come talk to me so we can figure this, we could work this out. So we get rid of the problem.’

He would’ve told the police that he did absolutely noth ing, I’m lying on his name, and that was that.”

Ms Smith said she went to the police again some time in August when there was a disagreement.

“He needed a ride some where or wanted a ride somewhere, but essentially, I didn’t want to carry him or more or less he wanted to drive but I didn’t want to go in the car with him and I told him that I’m not going anywhere unless I’m driv ing. And it became a back and forth.

“My sister’s boyfriend would have intervened and told him ‘this is not making any sense – the girl just wants her keys’. So he would have been in the road, he would have car ried my car keys with him. I would have kept asking for my keys - he didn’t want to give me my keys. He would’ve also had my bank card and he would have smashed the back wind shield glass out of my car.”

RBDF Commodore to present capital development plans

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King says he plans to meet with govern ment officials next week to present them with capital development plans the agency wants to have executed to help expand opera tions and enhance its crime fighting capabilities.

Commodore King said the pro posal includes the acquisition of properties as well as the construc tion of additional lodging facilities, mechanical workshops, new RBDF bases among other things.

He also estimated the capital works could cost in excess of $100m, but noted that he will have a better idea of the actual price later this week.

“I have a meeting planned with my capital development team this week, in which that formal plan and the costing should be completed and I look forward to presenting that to the honourable minister and the government sometime next week,” Mr King told reporters yesterday.

“The government’s intent is to pursue those development aspects by way of private public partnership and so we are seeking to specify everything that is needed for the expansion of our bases and our operations throughout the Com monwealth of the Bahamas.

“We want to simply get it right so you want to ensure its accuracy and that will be presented to the govern ment which would lead to either an expression of interest or requests for proposal being settled to the public to invite private investors to come on board.”

He also outlined what the RBDF exactly needs and why.

Mr King said: “Some of the items needed include additional lodging facilities for our men and women

who will be stationed in those areas for a sustainable period. We need mechanical workshops, we need air craft hangars (and) we need to, in some cases, acquire property, par ticularly in the northern Bahamas, for a base to be in Grand Bahama, as well as Abaco, and even in Bimini.

“And so that includes logistics to include facilitating our vessels being able to berth within these islands and for us to operate our coastal radar, which we anticipate from the United States government. We have four that have already been approved and to include our drone operations along with drone operations, which we expect to be co-located and so the lodging, the maintenance and the operations needed comprise of costs needed and the items needed to have

sustainable operations throughout the length and breadth.”

In terms of manpower, the RBDF chief said officials are hoping to add some 125 new recruits by mid-October.

He said nearly 1,900 officers are currently working for the RBDF but noted that officials would ide ally like to have 3,000 members as a result of a manpower audit that was conducted by the agency.

He added: “So, we continue to build but at the same token, we still have that attrition rate of some 3.5 percent. We normally lose about 45 persons annually for various reasons.”

Yesterday, the RBDF commander also commented on their efforts to crack down on illegal migration activity.

“Well, within the last two months, we would have had three migrant interdictions within the Common wealth of the Bahamas,” he said. “We also still have that trend with Cuban migrants leaving Cuba towards the United States.”

“Our partners are making those intercepts and in the Southwestern Bahamas around the Cay Sal Banks and handing those persons over to us and we still have the trend with mixed nationalities who enter The Bahamas legitimately and before the end of their visas, they would either move towards the northern Bahamas to be a part of those smug gling rings to the United States.

“Those are some of the trends that we are seeing that we are countering with our sister law enforcement agencies and we con tinue to reach out.”

MINISTRY ADDRESSES ROAD TRAFFIC ALLEGATIONS

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell @ tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Trans port and Housing was yesterday forced to address allegations pertaining to Road Traffic Department staff after claims of discord among workers were aired on social media.

In a statement yesterday the ministry said while it is not the policy of the govern ment to publicly comment on internal staff matters, it took “grave exception” to personal allegations against employees being made public while claims remain under active investigation by independent parties.

“Public officers are reminded of the provisions of General Orders which disallows public state ments on any matter,” the statement read. “The min istry continues to foster and encourage a harmoni ous and respectful working environment at the Road Traffic Department and all agencies under its remit.

“The ministry remains strongly committed to

strengthening the audit and compliance oversight of the Road Traffic Department and will not be deterred in its efforts to safeguard the government’s revenue stream.”

Earlier in the state ment, the ministry, which is responsible for the department, said that with the collection of revenue from vehicle licensing and inspection fees, it draws more than $60m in revenue for the government.

“This revenue is criti cal in supporting the programmes and initiatives of the government of The Bahamas and covers the operating costs of the Road Traffic Department.

“The revenue must be protected,” the statement also said.

“To ensure the integ rity of revenue collected, numerous processes and procedures have been implemented. Addition ally, several audits have been undertaken to ensure that employees act in accordance with the estab lished protocols of the Department.”

The statement came after it was alleged that a contracted worker had been verbally abusive to staff members at the Road

Traffic Department. There were also calls made for Transport and Housing Minister JoBeth ColebyDavis to remove the worker

and address staff griev ances. A photograph of a staff petition about the matter was also circulated on Facebook.

ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King.

The Tribune Limited

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

PICTURE OF THE DAY

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.

Publisher/Editor 1972-

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(THE CONVERSATION) Coastal urban centres around the world are urgently looking for new, sustain able water sources as their local supplies become less reliable. In the U.S., the issue is especially pressing in California, which is coping with a record-setting, multidecadal drought.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently released a US$8 billion plan for coping with a shrinking water supply. Along with water conserva tion, storage and recycling, it includes desalination of more seawater.

Ocean desalination, which turns salt water into fresh, clean water, has an intuitive appeal as a water supply strategy for coastal cities. The raw supply of salt water is virtually unlim ited and reliable.

Ocean desalination is already a major water source in Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Cities in the Middle East, Australia, Mediter ranean Europe, the U.S. Southwest and Australia also rely on it. There are more than 20 ocean desalination plants operating in California, plus a few in Florida. Many more plants across the U.S. remove salt from brackish (salty) water sources such as groundwater inland, especially in Texas.

Nonetheless, current evidence shows that even in coastal cities, ocean desalination may not be the best or even among the best options to address water shortfalls. Here are the main issues that communi ties evaluating this option should consider.

Scalable technologies for removing salt from water have improved stead ily over the past few decades. This is especially true for treating brackish groundwater, which is less salty than seawater.

But desalination still can have major environmental impacts. Fish can be killed when they are trapped against screens that protect desalina tion plants’ intake valves, and small organisms such as bacteria and plank ton can be sucked into the plants and killed when they pass through the treatment system. In May 2022, the California Coastal Commission unanimously rejected a proposed $1.4 billion ocean desalination plant in Huntington Beach, partly because of its potential effect on sea life.

Desalination plants discharge brine and wastewater, which can also kill nearby aquatic life if the process is not done properly. And generating the large quantity of energy that the plants consume has its own environ mental impacts until it can be done carbon-free, which is still years off in most cases.

Cost is another major hurdle. In most areas, the cost of ocean desalination is projected to remain considerably higher than the cost of feasible alternatives such as conserva tion for the next several decades – the timeline that utilities use when plan ning new investments. My colleagues and I found this in our research com paring water supply alternatives for Huntington Beach, even though we made favourable assumptions about ocean desalination costs.

Cost breakthroughs on major, market-ready technology in the near to medium term are unlikely. And desalination costs may increase in

response to rising energy prices, which represent up to half the cost of removing salt from water.

Moreover, capital cost projections for desalination plants often greatly understate these facilities’ true cost. For example, the final cost ($1 bil lion) to build the ocean desalination plant in Carlsbad, California, which opened in late 2015, was four times higher than the original projection.

Our centre has also explored whether piping in desalinated ocean water is a viable option for small, typically rural areas with public water systems or private wells that have run dry or are close to giving out. In diverse parts of California where this has happened, such as Porterville in the Central Valley and Montecito along the coast, the state is paying over $1 per gallon to truck in small supplies of bottled and vended water. That’s much higher than even the most expensive desalinated seawater.

In these cases, we have found that the relative economics and even the environmental impact may pencil out, but the politics and management of new pipelines do not. This is because water supply is typically governed locally, and many local areas beyond those benefiting would need to agree to a new pipeline from the coast.

More broadly, we find that pro ponents of these projects do not proactively pursue strategies that would make water access more equi table, such as designing utility rate structures that shield low-income households from higher costs, provid ing financial aid to small communities or consolidating water systems.

reuse, storage and trading

In most places, several other supply options can and should be pursued in tandem before ocean desalination. All of these steps will provide more water at a lower cost.

The first and relatively cheapest way to address water shortages is by using less. Finding ways to get people to use less water could reduce exist ing demand by 30%-50% in many urban areas that have already begun conservation efforts.

Second, recycling or reusing treated wastewater is often less expensive than desalination. Technology and regulations in this area are advanc ing, and this is already making large investments in recycling possible in many arid regions.

Third, storage capacity for enhanced capture of stormwa ter – even in areas where it rains infrequently – can be doubled or quadrupled in regions like Los Angeles and parts of Australia, at one-third to one-half of the cost per unit of desalinated water.

Even cleaning up polluted local groundwater supplies and purchas ing water from nearby agricultural users, although these are costly and politically difficult strategies, may be prudent to consider before ocean desalination.

The feasibility of desalination as a local supply option will hope fully change by midcentury as water scarcity problems mount because of climate change. For the medium term, however, ocean desalination is still likely to play a small role if it fig ures at all in holistic water strategies for coastal urban areas.

(This article is by Gregory Pierce University of California, Los Angeles for theconversation.com)

No reason to delete cheques

EDITOR, The Tribune.

SO, the good Governor of The Central Bank thinks cheques are redundant and in 2023 he will declare them a dinosaur.

When employees were paid cash or by cheque there were plus - about 25,000 chequing accounts identified to the middle class and more wealthy people average Joe Baha mian dealt solely in cash and that was it.

Employers decided to go to transfer of pay cheques to employee bank accounts wow! chequing accounts exploded to over 160,000 plus, but what the good Governor is missing is those accounts are active once a week when the pay cheque is withdrawn and cash taken leaving the same honest-to-God cheque users mostly, as said middle class and more wealthy, using cheques

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

— historically almost as old as currency you don’t need a printed cheque format, just I promise to pay and the appropriate postage stamp it’s legal.

Consumers today used to an extent electronic trans fer a lot even the small salaried person debit cards and you see them making small purchases, I mean small, a few dollars Credit cards if you wish to increase the amount of cash you have available.

There is absolutely no reason to delete cheques. They don’t cost the bank or the Central Bank a dime printing and clearing are to the cost of the user.

What is strange, remem ber all the bally-hoo about

electronic clearing, $1 plus million bush crack gonevery recently CIBC added to their now costly ser vices forwarding scanned cheques you use, that has had to have a cost — you mean CIBC didn’t cheque what the cheque policy of the Central Bank was? Hard to swallow that.

It is totally illogical why The Central Bank plans to remove the use of cheques. The same group that used them before will continue to use them. Pensioners will be happy if they stay, as will a lot of businesses. Tracking payments is far easier with paper than electronically.

No, protect the right of over 25,000 living Bahamians we want cheques to stay.

K FERNANDER Nassau, September, 2022.

Many are called but only a few are chosen by God to lead a nation

EDITOR, The Tribune. Many are called, but only a few are chosen by God to lead a nation by being his instrument and servant to make a dif ference in the world for humankind. My spiritual steps, walk and journey with God made me realise and understand that I had a direct spiritual mystical relationship, communica tion and connection with God, God had directed my steps, dreams, visions and inspired my writ ings, my life legacy, history, story and uni versal testimony can be proven, verified and con firmed with my actions, deeds, achievements and accomplishments that are recorded on videos, published in newspapers articles and with pictures of my Community service works in the Bahamas.

In 1995 God gave me this dream, vision and inspired my writing for A One Bahamas poem, A Bahamas where there would be no hatred, but love.

A Bahamas where there would be no disloyalty, but sincerity. A Bahamas where there would be no dishonesty, but sincerity.

A Bahamas where there would be no injustice, but fairness.

A Bahamas where there would be no degrading of one another, but respect for each other, a Baha mas where there would be no differences because of sexual orientation, race, creed, religious and politi cal beliefs, but being a One Bahamas.

Then in December 1995 I had a dream of this poem One Bahamas being inscribed on a Plaque on

the Yellow Elder Primary School building. This dream did become a reality on October 29, 1996 my dream for One Bahamas was inscribed on a Plaque on the Yellow Elder Primary School building making me Pedro Smith the first Bahamian to have had his own writing ever in Bahamas history on a Government School Building in the Baha mas, making me realise that with God the impos sible dream can become the possible dream giving me the greatest universal testimony to share with the world Pedro Smith Chosen One by God.

PEDRO SMITH Nassau, September, 2022.

Desalinating seawater sounds easy, but there are cheaper and more sustainable ways to meet people’s water needs

RESIDENTS of the El Fanguito neighbourhood move their belongings to a safe place as they prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Ian, in Havana, Cuba, Monday. Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

MAN FACES FRAUD CHARGES

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter

A MAN was charged in a Magistrate’s Court yes terday for allegedly defrauding scores of people of more $50,000 under false pretences over the course of a year.

Vaughn Johnson, 49, represented by attor ney Ian Cargill, faced Magistrate Kendra Kelly on 29 counts of fraud by false pretences and 15 counts of money-laundering.

Between November 10, 2021 and September 20 of this year, Johnson is accused

of defrauding 18 people across both New Providence and Long Island of an esti mated collective $54,410 under false pretences. The accused allegedly claimed to be able to repair these peo ple’s property, falsely saying on multiple occasions that he was a mechanic.

In court Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charges, after which prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom revealed that the accused also had prior charges.

The accused was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services as he awaits his bail hearing on September 30.

PAIR CHARGED WITH ARMED ROBBERY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services yes terday in connection with the armed robbery of a restau rant supply store in Mackey Street earlier this month.

Tarrico Bowleg, 24, and Wayne Smith, 24, stood before Assistant Chief Mag istrate Subusola Swain on a shared charge of armed robbery.

Around 1.30pm on Sep tember 12, the two, while allegedly armed with a black handgun, are accused of rob bing Diana Drecius while she was working the register

at Restaurant Supplies Store no.2.

The accused reportedly stole a deposit bag and two cash registers worth of cash with an estimated total value of $18,220.80.

Due to the nature of the offence neither accused was required to enter a plea in court. Their case will go to the Supreme Court through a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

The magistrate told them that as she lacked the jurisdiction to grant them bail, they can apply for it in the Supreme Court.

They are expected to be served with their VBI on December 6.

FORMER EMPLOYEE ACCUSED OF STEALIN RO CLIENT’S ACCOUNT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER employee of CIBC FirstCaribbean was granted bail in Magis trate’s Court yesterday after being accused of stealing $3,700 from a client’s bank account.

Cameal Bowleg, 51, faced Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on two counts of stealing by reason of employment and money laundering.

On October 5, 2021, Bowleg while employed at

FirstCaribbean, is alleged to have transferred $1,500 and $1,200 out of Hubert Brown’s bank account.

These funds were then reportedly placed in sepa rate bank accounts in Commonwealth Bank and Royal Bank of Canada respectively.

In court the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

As prosecutor Inspector Lincoln McKenzie made no objection to bail, $7,000 bail with one surety was granted. Bowleg’s trial is scheduled for December 8.

Severe lightning conditions caused BPL power cuts

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

AMID complaints from residents in western New Providence about recent power outages, a Bahamas Power and Light represent ative said the power cuts were a result of severe lightning conditions.

Sunday night, lead ing into Monday morning, residents of western New Providence reportedly started experi encing power outages after a thunderstorm.

“The outages were a result of severe lightning

conditions last night (Sunday),” the company representative said. “We also experienced our own network failure last night (Sunday) so we weren’t able to receive customer calls.”

On its Facebook page yesterday, the Baha mas Department of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the islands of South Andros, Cat Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, New Providence, Central Andros and the Exumas. “Some of these showers

will be locally heavy and thunderstorms will be strong to severe at times causing strong gusty winds, dangerous lightning, heavy downpours, hail and possi ble waterspout or tornadic activity. Localised flooding is also possible during these storms,” said the Depart ment of Meteorology.

Some people took to social media to express their frustration on the power outages.

One Facebook user said: “Bahamas Power and Light had our electricity off for six plus hours tonight.

No consideration for fami lies that have young kids or kids in general or the elderly or persons who are sick and need electric ity for care and to operate machinery.

“That’s what’s worst. Sweating in the dark, no apology or a valid reason why it was off for so long. And it ain’t like they’ll compensate their custom ers for the inconvenience; if anything, they do increase your light bill.”

The company said power was fully restored to the affected areas.

Tributes to acclaimed pianist Lee Callender

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

ACCLAIMED pianist and vocal coach Lee Beauford Callender died at his home on Saturday, as his loved ones sang to him in his final moments.

Mr Callender was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a few months ago, said his family when contacted by The Tribune.

As an accomplished pianist, vocal and piano coach, adjunct faculty in the Music Department at University of the Bahamas, Mr Callender was well known for his artistry and talent.

He began playing the piano at five years old and was taught by his grandfather Timothy Gibson, the composer of the Bahamas’ National Anthem.

Mr Callender carried on his grandfather’s legacy through his accomplishments in his career and teaching.

His family noted he had a passion for teaching and motivating others. Mr Callender inspired people to become the best at whatever they desired for their lives.

His wife, Bahamian soprano JoAnn Deveaux-Callender said that

LEE Beauford Callender

it is believed by some medical experts that a person can hear until the final moments of their lives. Mrs DeveauxCallender sang for her husband in German, Latin and English until long after he stopped breathing.

She told The Tribune in her hus band’s final moments their daughter Jody Knowles and his son-in-law Dana Knowles also joined in to sing

for the pianist for the last time.

“Lee has always said that his favourite instrument is the human voice, so I felt it was a perfect moment in time that those would be his final sounds here on earth,” Mrs Deveaux-Callender said.

Mr Callender’s only sister, Laura Callender Brown, and his niece, Kea Callender, were also there to support him.

He also had three grandsons, David, Daniel and Dillon Knowles.

After his death, tributes poured in on social media.

“I literally couldn’t (bear) the news this morning,” one former student wrote on Facebook. “I am extremely saddened. The best vocal coach anyone can ever ask for. You never ceased to encourage me even after being a former student of yours.”

Another person wrote: “You were full of life every time I saw you. Always high-spirited and giving words of inspiration. The stories you told will live on in my arsenal of good memories. Play on Lee Callen der. You were a musical genius in its truest form.”

In May, Mr Callender, 64, was shot in one of his arms during an attempted robbery.

Honoured for work in building the civil society of The Bahamas

WE often hear the cry of the public concerning affairs of the country. Issues of govern ance, crime, immigration, opportunity and advance ment are hot topics throughout Bahamian soci ety. People often call on the government to make changes that would improve their quality of life in all aspects. While the cries may be valid, they must be balanced with action. That action can come from the very individuals making their concerns known.

Bahamians have the power to make a difference - and that power comes through their role in civil society, according to three nation builders set to be honoured for their long standing work in building the civil society of The Bahamas.

Terry Miller, Richard Johnson and Leonard Archer have been agitating for Civil Society Bahamas for decades. They believe that if more organisations and individuals committed to making a difference in society, join hands with an organisation committed to doing just that, the coun try and its people would elevate.

Civil Society Baha mas (CSB) is an umbrella organisation represent ing the interests of all the non-profit and non-gov ernmental organisations in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

It is a non-partisan, non-governmental, civil society organisation which focuses on the betterment of individuals through improvement of their general social, economic, spiritual and mental wel fare. CBS seeks to influence national policy and pro mote greater collaboration

with the government. The organisation advocates for a National Good Govern ance Plan that involves Government, Civil Soci ety and the Business Community.

I spoke with both gen tlemen over the weekend, as they prepare to be honoured by CSB for their decades of work in forging a stronger, more united society, utilising its power as the third arm of government.

“This is the time when we need to come together,” Mr. Miller declared, noting the interest of the current administration in commu nicating with and including CSB in national affairs.

“Civil Society Bahamas is for all non-profits, chari ties and associations in The Bahamas, working together to accomplish all the goals and ideals of its members. But it also consists of all those people, places and things working together to make society what it is. This is for all of us. We all come from civil society and we all return to it.”

CSB seeks to strengthen civil society generally and Civil Society Bahamas members specifically. They organise events and work shops for the civil society sector. These events pro vide opportunities for members to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing civil society.

Mr. Johnson concurred that the timing is right for CSB to be brought to the forefront and made to rep resent the interest of the Bahamian people. Encour aged by the engagement of the current administration, he made a clarion call for all NGOs, NPOs and asso ciations to join now, adding that “unity is strength”.

He believes that as a uni fied voice, CSB can take a stand and assist the gov ernment in making the advancements called for by the public.

A pioneer in the Trade Union Movement in The Bahamas, Mr. Johnson has given his life to promoting the unions and civil society, in the spirit of promoting the common man. Calling them “primary producers”, Mr. Johnson says a part of the success of the coun try lies in the economic

empowerment of people such as public service driv ers, straw vendors, and longshoremen and women.

People on the frontline of the number one indus try, tourism, he said, must have a voice, must have a place at the table of deci sion making, and must be economically empowered to become owners in their country. These primary producers, he said, were the ones who led the Gen eral Strike of 1958. They led the fight that brought

about majority rule. As the country approaches its 50th Independence, Mr. Johnson adds, they must be celebrated.

“The revolution is still ongoing, because until we become economically independent, our job is not done,” Mr. Johnson said.

“I believe the basis for achieving economic inde pendence is now here.

All we need is to have a unity of purpose for this to succeed.”

The call for unity is echoed by Leonard Archer, who will also be honoured by Civil Society Bahamas in a gala awards banquet to be held on October 7. A vet eran in foreign affairs, Mr. Archer was first introduced to CSB while employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Upon his retire ment in 2007, he increased his involvement and advo cacy, noting the power of the people to improve their society.

He spoke of the impor tance of not only national, but regional support.

Therefore, CSB came under the umbrella of the Caribbean Policy Develop ment Centre (CPDC).

Back in the early 200s, when the government was in talks with the citizenry concerning the treaty of CHAGARAMAS (to establish the Caribbean Community, including the Single Market and Economy), Mr. Archer became involved as meet ings were led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Citizens representing vari ous factions of society saw the usefulness of banding together with a single voice representing Bahamian society. Therefore, meet ings continued.

Eventually, CSB was born, and the CPDC encouraged members to seek widespread support, noting that “there wasn’t enough involvement of the ordinary citizens of the country in the affairs of the country.”

“There ought to be spe cial mechanisms whereby the government hears from the people,” Mr. Archer pointed out.

“If you are my repre sentative (Member of Parliament) you are sup posed to do what I would like for you to do. I believe very strongly that citi zens ought to be involved in what the government does. If you are working for me, and I am paying your salary if I let you in

office, you ought to listen to me about what I want and need, and your actions should be accordingly.”

Civil Society Bahamas has been active over the years. Mr. Miller shared about the years of work put into the Civil Society Act. This proposal was thwarted, he said, when a Non-Profit Organization Act 2019 was “hurriedly” passed in Par liament, based on pressure from international organi zations. That Act, he said, still conveniently left out issues of campaign finance reform, which CSB has been agitating for.

He noted that political parties themselves should be registered with CSB, but shy away based on the level of transparency and accountability that CSB requires.

He believes that empow ering civic organizations is key to a successful society: “While governments look at giving out building con tracts, we need civil society contracts, social contracts! Put an RFP together, let civil society organizations bid on it.

“When governments find a solution, they choose to put people in the leadership position of commissions who really are not inter ested in it. We need people with passion filling these social contracts.”

CSB has documenta tion with tangible advice for immigration, economic empowerment and other issues that have merit con sidering what society faces today. For those who are truly passionate about change, Mr. Miller said, they should join hands with the CSB and speak with a unified voice.

Mr. Miller, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Archer are among three honourees who will be highlighted at the Dis tinguished Leaders Awards Banquet on Friday, Octo ber 7, 2022 at the Willamae Bridgewater Conven tion Centre, formerly the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) Hall on Far rington Road. The event starts at 7pm, and tickets can be purchased from the BCPOU office. To become involved with Civil Society, visit civilsocietybahamas. org or email civilsocietyba hamas@gmail.com.

Civil Society Bahamas will also honour: Freddie Munnings, Marilyn Zoni cle and Reginald Loboski (posthumous).

FROM LEFT: Terry Miller, founder of Bahamas Association for Social Health (Bash), Civil Society Bahamas honoree; Leonard Archer, veteran foreign affairs official, Civil Society Bahamas honoree; Richard Johnson, pioneer in the Trade Union Movement, Civil Society Bahamas.

MEMBERS of Civil Society Bahamas.

TIME WILL TELL IF A NEW MONARCH AND PM CAN DELIVER ON THEIR EARLY PROMISE

These have been momen tous times in Britain. The nation has suddenly, and simultaneously, had to face up to the loss of a much-loved and revered head of state and to an enforced change of Prime Minister. In a less politically stable country that could have had serious repercussions.

A few weeks ago, in the run-up to the announcement of the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest, people were talking about a new British premier being left with the ‘most horrendous inheritance’ since Winston Churchill in 1940. This was because of the myriad seri ous problems currently affecting Britain, though others suggested the political and economic tur moil facing the incoming Margaret Thatcher in 1979 was almost as bad. However, none could have foreseen that, the new Tory leader, Liz Truss, would be confronted - so soon after assuming office - with the demise of the nation’s head of state.

The passing of The Queen has already had overwhelming con sequences for the whole country. The likely lasting effects will be so extensive as to be incalculable. But it is inevitable that some of them will have a major influence from the word go on the work of the new PM. Meanwhile, for many people it was hard to take in that The Queen received Britain’s new head of gov ernment in her last public duty as head of state only two days before passing away.

In Britain as a constitutional monarchy, continuity is a key ele ment in maintaining stability. For the nation as a whole, the accession of King Charles III seems to have taken place almost seamlessly. He

has hardly put a foot wrong in lead ing the national mourning for his mother, the longest serving mon arch in Britain’s history. He has led the mass of tributes to her, speaking eloquently and movingly about his own, and the wider Royal Family’s, loss as well as that of the people. By immediately visiting other parts of the United Kingdom, he has also brought people together in their grief and affection for an illustri ous monarch; and this has served to strengthen the Union itself.

The mantle has been passed to the new King who has pledged to carry on his mother’s work based on her well-established values, but it remains to be seen how he will do

this in practice. As emotions recede and the reality of everyday life reemerges, the public will be watching closely as he gets in to his stride. Almost inevitably, he will introduce change, and, even though that will be welcomed by many, it will bring with it uncertainty, concern and, sometimes, apprehension.

Meanwhile, for her part Liz Truss has made an impressive start. She has behaved with notable dignity, showing tact and decorum at a time of national sorrow and there has been no attempt to exploit the nation’s grief for political advan tage, as others might have been tempted to do. She is reputed to be a plain-speaking woman of principle with an inner steel and to possess a formidable work ethic.

The new premier has already been faced with a number of crises to which she has reacted with energy and decisiveness, and this has demonstrated her resilience.

While stressing the UK’s constitu tional monarchy, underpinned by a democratic society, has consistently delivered stability and progress for Britain, she is already talking about fundamental and radical change in a new era, and that this involves charting a fresh course for the coun try with an emphasis on economic growth.

This comes as no surprise because she explained during the leadership contest her belief in the importance of wealth creation and

that high taxes and regulation were holding back Britain’s economy. In simple terms, she says her mission is to increase the size of the economic pie, not just work out how to slice it up as politicians normally do.

Truss has made it clear she plans to do this by cutting taxes and creat ing the right conditions to kick-start the economy and stimulate growth. She has taken decisive action already. Last week, the new Chan cellor of the Exchequer produced what is being called a tax-cutting mini-budget to begin reform of the fiscal and regulatory system with the aim of unleashing the country’s full potential post-Brexit.

However, one immediate nega tive effect is to have contributed to pushing sterling to its lowest ever level against the US dollar. This increases the cost of imports and is thus inflationary, but it also boosts exports.

This new policy is, of course, controversial. Economists have dif fering views and will challenge it, not least because of concerns about incurring more debt and the higher cost of borrowing needed to offset the loss of revenue. It also raises questions about the extent of state control and involvement and how much money is taken from people’s earnings, which is invariably the key dividing issue in politics. The Tory creed is small government, low taxes and minimal bureaucracy, but also incentives and support for

commerce and industry in order to achieve economic growth and increase prosperity; and it is clear Truss believes in all of that.

Interestingly, she made an impressive - and what has been labelled even magisterial - address at the UN General Assembly last week in which she spoke of the values of individual liberty, self-determination and equality before the law, stressing freedom and democracy must prevail. She pledged further support for Ukraine while hurling defiance against Putin’s latest sabre-rattling threat about using nuclear weapons - and she confirmed Britain’s longterm commitment to the struggle against what President Zelensky has called the fight between ‘good and evil, light and dark’, as Russia had undermined the stability and security of the whole world.

The new PM has demonstrated she has a clear vision of how Britain ought to be governed. Some will be unhappy about her new approach. But the evidence shows already that it will be music to the ears of others to learn she is a believer in a limited state, personal responsibility and free enterprise.

The general consensus at this early stage appears to be the coun try’s two new leaders - both King and Prime Minister - have started on the right foot. That augurs well for the nation. But, as always, only time will tell.

Russia’s aversion to the truth

REPORTEDLY,

in the centre of the Lithu anian capital, Vilnius, a large banner has been taped to a tall building above a Ukrainian flag that reads: ‘Putin, The Hague is wait ing for you’. That refers, of course, to allegations of Russian war crimes now being investigated. It may only be one individual expression of discontent but it is an indication of grow ing opposition to Putin’s so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, known to everybody else simply, and brutally, as war.

Moreover, it is also a sign of the times that this should be in Lithuania which was part of the Soviet Union for 50 years and which, with the other Baltic states Latvia and Estonia, has banned all Russian tourists on the basis that they should not be enjoying democracy and freedom in Europe while their own country attacks those same values in Ukraine.

With this in mind, last week’s proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly have been a plat form for many countries to express their frustration and opposition to the war in Ukraine. It has shown Putin is facing growing global discontent over his actions there - although, in the case of countries that con tinue to rely on Russia for oil and gas supplies, there has been a shift of tone rather than substance in referring to negative global fallout as they have stopped short of openly taking sides and voicing outright condemnation.

Even Russia’s staunch est allies like China and India, which purchase Russian energy and have stayed friendly towards Moscow, are now question ing the wisdom of the war and are calling for a cease fire. President Xi Jinping has expressed ‘concern’ and Prime Minister Nar endra Modi has told Putin that ‘today’s era is not an era of war’. Simultane ously, Putin has announced

an escalation of the war and threatened the use of nuclear weapons.

In the midst of all this, the Russian Foreign Minis ter has cut a defiant figure at the UN but has become increasingly isolated. As well as maintaining Russia could not ignore NATO’s expansion towards the east, he continues to insist the war is justified on the grounds that Russia was defending itself - and the supposedly oppressed Ukraine-based Russian speakers - against a neoNazi regime in Kyiv. But most people know such a claim is not based on reality. He also continues unjustifi ably to attack the US for undermining the global rules it claims to uphold. Anger and opposition are also growing domestically as Russians stage street pro tests and young men seek to leave the country to avoid military service.

Russia is now hold ing a referendum at very short notice in each of the four eastern Ukrain ian regions that are mainly Russian-speaking. It has become clear this is aimed at annexing territory which Moscow has already taken by force. People there are not allowed to leave their homes and, it is claimed, are being coerced into voting.

The West and Ukraine have condemned these ref erenda as illegitimate and a sham. They amount simply to a land grab since they will be manipulated. This action is irresponsible and unacceptable and Putin is showing contempt for international law. Having suffered losses on the bat tlefield, which show Russia cannot win a conventional war, he is now seeking to declare that these regions are part of Russian terri tory – and under the full protection of the state – so the use of nuclear weapons to defend them would be justified.

This past week has displayed a lingering oppo sition within the UN itself to events in Ukraine. Many member states are now saying that the world

body is not living up to its promise as a forum to resolve global disputes. It is increasingly being said that Russia’s role as a

veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council has simply made the UN irrelevant. In the words of one observer,

when such a state violates so blatantly and with impu nity the rules of the UN Charter and also threatens the use of nuclear weapons,

that only draws attention to the weakness of the UN as an enforcement body –a conclusion that should surely worry everyone.

BRITAIN’S Prime Minister Liz Truss and King Charles III. (AP Photos)

17 DEAD, 24 WOUNDED IN SCHOOL SHOOTING IN RUSSIA

MOSCOW (AP) — A gunman opened fire in a school in central Russia on Monday, killing 17 people and wounding 24 others before shooting himself dead, authorities said.

The shooting took place in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometres (600 miles) east of Moscow in the Udmurtia region.

Russia’s Investigative Committee identified the gunman as 34-year-old Artyom Kazantsev, a grad uate of the same school, and said he was wearing a black t-shirt bearing “Nazi symbols.” No details about his motives have been released.

The government of Udmurtia said 17 people, including 11 children, were killed in the shoot ing. According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, 24 other people, including 22 children, were wounded in the attack.

The governor of

Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, said the gunman, who he said was registered as a patient at a psychiatric facility, killed himself after the attack.

“President Putin deeply mourns deaths of people and children in the school, where a terrorist act took place,” Peskov told report ers Monday.

The school educates children between grades one and 11. It has been

CANADIAN NAVY VESSEL HEADED TO AREAS HIT HARDEST BY FIONA

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s defence minister said Monday that 100 soldiers have been deployed to each of three Atlantic provinces hit by former Hurri cane Fiona and a navy vessel will visit the most devastated area of Newfoundland, where 76 homes were destroyed or structurally damaged.

Defence Minister Anita Anand said the HMCS Margaret Brooke will conduct wellness checks at four hard-hit communities. She more troops are ready if called upon.

After surging north from the Caribbean as a major hurri cane, Fiona came ashore before dawn Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New foundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, rains and waves.

Fiona swept homes into the sea in one Newfoundland coastal community and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Eastern Canada.

Anand said troops would help remove fallen trees, restore trans portation links and do whatever else is required for as long as it takes.

Fiona was blamed for at least five deaths in the Caribbean, and two deaths in Canada.

Authorities found the body of a 73-year-old woman who had been missing in Channel-Port Aux Basques, a town on the southern coast of Newfoundland.

And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Monday they have ended a weekend search for an 81-year-old Nova Scotia man missing since Friday who is believed to have been swept out to sea during the storm.

Gudie Hutchings, the fed eral lawmaker for the area in

Newfoundland hardest hit, said 76 families did not have a place to live.

“Pictures do not portray the utter devastation in this area,” Hutchings said. “It will be a long time before this area gets back on its feet.”

Across Atlantic Canada, east ern Quebec and in southwestern Newfoundland, the economic impact of the storm’s wrath is still being tallied.

And electricity had yet to be restored to 266,000 homes and businesses.

At the height of the storm on Saturday, more than 500,000 were in the dark, including 80% of Nova Scotia Power’s customers and 90% of Prince Edward Island.

Utility companies warned it could be several days before the power is back on for everyone.

evacuated and the area around it has been cor doned off, the governor said. Russia’s National Guard said Kazantsev used two non-lethal handguns adapted to fire real bullets. The guns were not regis tered with the authorities.

A criminal probe into the incident has been launched on charges of multiple murder and illegal posses sion of firearms.

Izhevsk, a city of 640,000, is located west of the Ural mountains in central Russia.

Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov described the shooting as “a terror ist act” and said Russian President Vladimir Putin has given all the neces sary orders to the relevant authorities.

LEFT AND ABOVE: People gather to lay flowers and toys and light candles in memory of victims of the shooting at School No. 88 in Izhevsk, Russia, Monday. (AP Photo/Sergei Kuznetsov)

ABOVE: Remains of a home destroyed during Hurricane Fiona are seen in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, Monday. Across the Maritimes, eastern Quebec and in southwestern Newfound land, the economic impact of Hurricane Fiona’s wrath is still being tallied.

LEFT: A search and rescue worker and a resident are seen on the lawn in front of a destroyed home in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, Monday.

(Photos: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

New school tour to address ‘toxic, abusive relationships’ school-aged kids increasingly find themselves in

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

MORE and more school-aged children are not only finding themselves in relationships that cross major boundaries, but they are normalising toxic and abu sive behaviours that occur in their relationships. This, according to Denise Major, the advocacy direc tor at the Bahamas Sexual Health & Rights Association (BaSHRA), formerly Bahamas Family Planning.

The problem, said Ms Major, is widespread, and without interven tion, young people will stay stuck in demeaning circumstances that rob them of their youth, sound ness of mind, a healthy self-image, and ultimately, their lives.

She said young people are increasingly accepting and normalising toxic, unhealthy behaviours that occur in their relationships.

“They are crossing all bounda ries when it comes to setting limitations as to how far some one can go with them. Due to the lack of a healthy sense of self, they are more accepting of verbal, emotional and physical abuse from their partner. They do not take these signs or behaviours as seriously as they should. Many young people look at it as a game or just part of growing up. Many try to emulate what is portrayed on social media, which is not a good example of real and healthy relationships. Yearly, around the world, we have millions of teens experiencing abuse,” she said.

To combat this and share more knowledge with the youth of the country, Ms Major has re-engaged the LoveSmart School Tour pre sented by the Empowerment Group.

Ms Major, an author, certified life coach, as well as a women’s rights advocate, launched the Empowerment. Group to help

young people navigating through relationship chaos.

The school tour kicks off this Thursday and wraps up on Friday. It is being held under theme “Mental Health & Relationship: They Go Together.”

School students will hear from various speakers, including Valerie Willaims, Lorrie Brinson and Jennawade Pratt. On October 1, speakers will also share their stories and give advice during the Cupcakes, Coffe & Conversation event, also spearheaded by the Empowerment Group. The venue for this event will be announced soon.

LoveSmart is a programme that aims to teach young people about healthy relationships, both friend ships and romantic unions, as well as how to identify toxic ones and

what do if they or someone they know is in an abusive situation.

The aim of the tour, Ms Major said, is to give participants tools so that they can find solutions to situations that they are going through.

“We want students to think on what’s best for them and to navigate and come out of toxic relationships, because unfortu nately, we are seeing this far too often in their relationships inti mate and within their families,” she said.

“Our hope is that we help mould a generation that doesn’t need the validation of others to thrive, but a generation who can think for themselves, know what they want, put it into perspective and achieve them positively. Our aim is to give them the encourage ment, affirmation and resources

that they need to heal, draw strength and soar.”

Although its list has not been finalised as yet, some schools the tour is expected to visit include Boost Academy, New Providence Classical, R M Bailey, Anatol Rodgers and CH Reeves.

Ms Major said the tour is so vitally important because many young people are being affected negatively by toxic relationships that make it hard for them to be emotionally stable enough to be productive throughout the course of their school life.

“There is a direct connection between mental health and rela tionships amongst children and adults. Children are experienc ing anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges at an alarming rate. Children suffer ing from depression become

Big dreams in the Big Apple

Local artist overcomes mental struggles; hopes to inspire other young women

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

Crippled by anxiety and living under a cloud of depression, Monika Anne Cunningham took up her paint brush to battle her inner demons and create a new body of work which will now be exhibited in New York.

The Bahamian artist said before completing her newest work, she felt like every time she fought for something or things were going right, there was a new challenge to face. But Monika’s resilience and persistence paid off, and now she’s about to open her latest exhibit in the Big Apple.

It is her second show as a solo artist and will open in Brooklyn on September 29 at the Thames Art Center. It is fittingly called “Persist”.

Her first solo exhibit, “Sus pense”, took place at Travellers Rest in Nassau last summer. Monika said it was an amazing experience and she was delighted to see so many people come out to support her and her art.

“All of the paintings were sold and I went back to Arkansas to the University of Central Arkan sas to finish my studies. When I returned, I was awarded the CAF Charitable Arts Foundation Artist Grant. Simultaneously, I was also struggling a little adjusting to being back to in-person classes at university and my mental health had taken a turn. It felt like after being resilient and strong that I was now fighting again,” she said.

During those months, Monika decided she wanted to create a body of work to help with the battle.

disinterested in activities around them and at school and may with draw. They are less motivated to learn or make new friends. Chil dren suffering from anxiety come to school worried about every thing other than school. These children can be irritable, anx ious, and distracting to others. Their interactions with others can be unpredictable because they cannot always control their thoughts,” she said.

Ms Major said mental health disorders affect every aspect of the child’s life, including friend ships and eventually intimate relationships.

A person who is not mentally healthy or stable can hurt others intentionally or unintention ally if this issues are not being addressed, she explained.

“I don’t think we realise how important mental wellness is when placed in the perspective of rela tionships. There are choices and opportunities that we make daily that are affected by our mental health, and vice versa. If we high light the impact of the connection between the two, I think it gives us the opportunity to step back and take the time to better evalu ate what’s before us so that we can make more relevant decisions,” she told Tribune Woman.

Unfortunately, she said mental health and wellness is not advo cated for as it should be, especially among youth.

“We are attempting to discour age the taboo about it after what felt like the scourge of a pan demic. There are people who are depressed, grieving and anx ious and don’t know why. They also do not know how to process these emotions – and may even be afraid to share how they feel for fear that they will be ostracized or criticised for it. The school tour offers us the opportunity to shine a light into that darkness by start ing the conversation,” she said.

For more information, contact 242-812-2974.

the power of persistence,” she said.

Monika is looking forward to seeing her mentors, art collectors and Brooklyn community come out to support her show. She is also looking forward to meeting new people and hope everyone who sees her artwork is inspired to not give up on themselves.

came about after she took the chance to presenting her work to a Brooklyn gallery owner.

“The owner ended up being impressed with my determina tion, art and message, and agreed that this would an amazing oppor tunity for me to get experience and exposure in Brooklyn. I am extremely excited and grate ful, and honestly, it does not feel real,” she said.

Speaking about the evolution of her art style over the years, Monika said:

“I believe my art has grown in terms of me knowing and devel oping my voice as an artist. I am not afraid to be vulnerable. I use movement, emotive, vibrant col ours with portraiture to tell my story and connect mental health with my art. I try to be authenti cally myself without hesitation and use my paintbrush to hope fully inspire and help others.”

For the upcoming Brooklyn show, Monika said the pieces she’s exhibiting are vibrant portraits that take viewers on a journey of persistence. They speak about the people she has encountered along the way and helped shape who she is today. The art also expresses her battle with anxiety, depression and the beauty in the struggle.

“I am just grateful to see my work exhibited in New York City and proud of myself for taking on this challenge. To young, striv ing females in the Bahamas, keep going. Don’t belittle your dreams, but rather continue to work on them and stay open-minded. I know it can be difficult sometimes and you may not always have the support you need, but you can do this,” she said.

“Keep putting yourself out there and developing your voice and talents, because your voice matters. Also, don’t just think about your dreams on the island or in the Bahamas only, think globally, internationally, think a big as you can dream of. It is indeed possible. Lastly, when you feel at your lowest or defeated, take the time to feel it, but always remember to get back up and try again. Success comes outside of comfort zones and you will make an impact on this world once you continue to work hard and stay focused on your goals and dreams.”

“The idea to use these pieces to share with the world in an exhibi tion became real. I finished the semester and continued to work on paintings, and was so grateful to receive an internship in Penn sylvania where I worked in a studio as well as teaching kids art.

Reflecting on my last exhibition in my home, the Bahamas, and now this new body of work developing, I decided I am going to challenge myself and have a solo exhibition in New York City,” she said.

The opportunity to display her work in New York, she explained,

“This past year, it sometimes felt like my anxiety was taking over and depression wouldn’t fade, but I had to keep going, keep persevering. One of my close friends one day told me, ‘Monika, if persistence was a person, it would be you. You always make a way even if the hardest situa tions.’ That conversation stayed with me and that’s when I decided to title this exhibition the ‘Persist’ art exhibition. The pieces express overcoming fears and failures and

In the near future, Monika hopes to continue showcasing her work around the United States, and hopefully in the Bahamas as well.

“I want to also launch a new collection for my Art Heals merch and business. I am also going to be preparing for graduation and my move to New York, to go after my art dreams as a professional artist and study fine art and art therapy for my masters and go on to obtain my PHD,” she said,

The “Persist” exhibition will be on display in Brooklyn until Octo ber 1.

THE LOVESMART School Tour seeks to help children get out of demeaning circumstances that rob them of their youth and healthy self-image.

ARIST Monika Anne Cunningham

The ‘Esthetic Aesthetic’

hopes more Bahamians take skin health seriously

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

All throughout middle school and continuing into her high school years, Radiyah Cleomi witnessed kids make fun of and bully others because of their skin conditions.

“To make fun of acne or ‘shift ing clouds’ (light patches of skin) or the darkness that appears on the backs of some peoples’ necks, these are health and skin issues; it’s not being ‘nasty’. The lack of education affects young adults and they carry that their whole life,” she told Tribune Woman.

An aesthetician certified by the Bahamas Technical and Voca tional Institute (BTVI), as well a certified medical aesthetician from Florida Academy of Medical Aesthetics, Radiyah specialises in microneedling, microchannel ling, dermaplaning, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, hydro facials, oxygen Facials, ultrasonic treatments and microcurrent treatments.

“In my field of work, I deal with the skin – the largest organ on the body...Making someone feel beautiful, and more importantly healthy, is an amazing feeling,” she said.

“When (my clients) express that they enjoyed their service or that the investment was worth it, I truly feel that I have provided the work I was put here to do. Even when someone comes and explains an issue and you can see they simply need an answer or a reason; being able to provide that and help them, or send them to the right place for help, to give them that relief makes me truly happy.”

Radiyah is the owner of the local skincare Esthetic Aesthetic. She is also a medical aesthetician at The Art of Skin Clinic located in the One West Plaza.

She said her brand is built heavily on education and making information easily available to Bahamians so they can be more knowledgeable about skin con ditions and therefore more compassionate towards others.

“The Esthetic Aesthetic has three pillars: retail skincare, wholesale skincare and advanced aesthetic training for certified pro fessionals, and education for the public, highlighting young adults and pre-teens,” she explained.

“Our retail skincare spans over 11 medical and spa-grade brands guaranteed to provide a differ ence in the skin; especially as you will be consulting with a profes sional, me. Advanced aesthetic training will be available for

As for the education aspect, Radiyah said the Esthetic Aes thetic aims to go into schools and educate pre-teens about the

The young queens who shaped Britain’s history

By ELENA WOODACRE Reader in Renaissance History, University of Winchester

(THE CONVERSATION) –

Imagine being 25 years old and 5,000 miles from home when you get a call delivering the worst possible news – your parent has died. For Elizabeth Windsor, this call had a far greater impact. She was now taking on the greatest of responsibilities, shouldering the burden of the sovereign’s role.

Already a young wife and mother of two, she would become a mother to the nation, and to the Commonwealth of nations around the globe. It would have been a lot to process for the young queen on that day in 1952.

Her son Charles is now expe riencing that same combination of mourning for the loss of a beloved parent while simultane ously being catapulted into the role of monarch and head of state. King Charles III had 70 years to prepare for this moment and a lifetime to act with the greater freedom of the heir.

Elizabeth did not have this luxury. As the daughter of the Duke of York, she was not the immediate heir to the throne until her uncle Edward VIII’s abdica tion in 1936 suddenly made her heir apparent.

In taking the throne, she joined the ranks of Britain’s cohort of reigning queens. This long tra dition of female rule has left an indelible impression on Britain’s history.

Queen Elizabeth I

The Queen’s namesake, Eliza beth I, was also 25 when she transitioned from princess to queen. Like Elizabeth II, she was a somewhat unexpected heir. Eliz abeth Tudor was in and out of the line of succession to her famous father Henry VIII during her childhood.

While her mother, Anne Boleyn, fought to ensure that Elizabeth’s claim would be supe rior to her elder half-sister Mary’s, Anne’s fall made Elizabeth Tudor a bastard. Later restored to the line of succession, Eliza beth was relegated to the rear of the direct Tudor line, after Mary and her half-brother Edward VI. She spent years as a shadowy heir who was considered a threat to her half-sister and was briefly held prisoner at the Tower, before finally coming to the throne in 1558 on the death of Mary I.

Coming to the throne as a young woman was a dual chal lenge. Any young ruler faced being perceived as inexperienced or even incapable of rule. If they

importance of skincare, taking care of your skin, wearing sun screen, knowing when to talk to your parents about skin issues, and most importantly, eradicat ing the bullying around looks and skin.

Her desire is to have the Esthetic Aesthetic make it easy for Bahamians to talk to a sea soned professional about their

skin issues, without even having to leave the comfort of their homes.

“Through WhatsApp or our website that is coming soon, you can find the help and the advice you seek,” she said.

Explaining the reason she joined the team at The Art of Skin Clinic, owned by dermatolo gist Dr Deidre Nelson, said:

“When I furthered my stud ies in Florida, I knew that I had

were still a child or even in their teens, a regency or minority coun cil could be set up to govern for them. Women were normally sec ond-choice heirs who only came to the throne in the absence, or death, of sons.

Women could face opposition as monarchs due to their gender. In 1558, the same year as Eliza beth I’s accession, the Scottish religious reformer John Knox published The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, which derided female rule as “unnatu ral” and ineffective.

Despite these challenges, the two Elizabeths were not the only women to become queen at a young age and in unexpected cir cumstances. In 1689, the often overlooked Mary II unseated her father James II in the so-called Glorious Revolution, just shy of her 27th birthday.

Unlike the two long-lived Eliza beths, Mary II died only five years later, provoking public outpour ings of grief at the untimely death of their young queen. Mary’s unexpected death also left her grieving husband William III, with whom she had shared the dual monarchy, to rule alone.

Lady Jane GreyLady Jane Grey, the first female monarch of England, was only 16 during her nine-day reign. Like Mary II, Jane too was accused of steal ing a throne – that of her cousin, Mary Tudor, who moved swiftly to retake it and send the teenage Jane first to the Tower, and then to the executioner’s block.

Queen Victoria

Victoria was another teenage queen, just 18 at her accession in 1837. Her uncle, William IV, sup posedly was determined to hang on long enough to avoid a royal minority council governing for Victoria until she came of age.

reached the furthest I could titlewise. As a medical aesthetician, however, I still wanted to learn so much more and learn how to help so many more people. I made the decision that instead of going on my own, I really wanted to expand my knowledge. Dr Deidre Nelson-Sands has taken and continuously takes the time to educate me in skin issues and diseases every day,” she said.

She believes aestheticians need to be more honest with their cli ents, to know enough to realise when they can’t do a job and instead recommend them to a dermatologist.

When it comes to an average person’s skin care routine, Radi yah said their regimen should include a cleanser, a scrub, a toner and sunscreen.

“You want to be able to clean your skin, you want to be able to restore the pH balance, you want to be able to scrub off the dirt and debris from the day, and you want to be able to protect your skin,” she said.

“Black people believe that we don’t need sunscreen, but sun damage takes 10 plus years to show up. It’s not worth guessing about. Even moreso, (there is the danger of skin cancer), and you need SPF 45+, but 50+ preferably, to protect your skin.”

Exfoliating is also extremely important, said Radiyah.

“You want to remove the dirt and debris from your pores by unclogging them. Proper exfolia tion can shrink the appearance of pores and stop the spreading of bacteria on the face. You should exfoliate two to three times a week, but up to daily depending on your lifestyle and skin,” she said.

“The whole body is covered with skin and it should be taken care of. All of the skin should be paid attention to. Skin health is health. Many things that help the skin, like drinking one half of your body weight in ounces of water, taking vitamins and sup plements like multivitamins and collagen, wearing sunscreen, and more are also beneficial for the body as well. Proper exercise and a healthy diet work wonders for your skin, but it does everything it needs to do on the inside as well. Being conscious of your skin can lead to being more attentive to what the body needs,” she said.

To see the Bahamas become a country that priorities health and skin health would be amazing, she added.

Neither Victoria nor William IV would have come to the throne if another heiress, Princess Char lotte of Wales, had not died in childbirth at age 21 in 1817. Char lotte’s beautiful and emotive tomb at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor –where Elizabeth II will be buried – visibly expresses the tragedy of her early, unexpected death.

From unexpected heirs to senior sovereigns

While they were sometimes unexpected heirs, Britain’s young queens have transcended chal lenging accessions to become historically significant sover eigns. Mary II’s short reign saw an important shift in the balance of power between monarchy and parliament, marking the beginning of the constitutional monarchy we still retain today.

Elizabeth I reigned for 44 years, Victoria for 63 and Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest reigning mon arch with her 70-year reign. They all faced the challenge of assum ing power at a young age and in very challenging circumstances. Elizabeth I had to cope with sta bilising the realm after decades of religious and political turbulence under her father and siblings.

Victoria had to rebuild the rep utation of the monarchy after the scandals of her Georgian prede cessors. Elizabeth II came to the throne in the post-war era when Britain’s empire was dissolving rapidly.

Yet these three women gave their names to eras that resonate in history – the Elizabethan and Victorian ages. Britain’s history has been profoundly and posi tively marked by female rule and shaped by women who were able to shoulder the burden of sover eignty, often at a young age, and take to the task of rulership.

BTVI graduates as well as inter national certified and licenced aestheticians to advance and stay updated with the newest treat ments and skills, with wholesale retail, backbar and machinery to elevate their businesses and treatments.”

RADIYAH Cleomi is passionate about helping people achieve healthy skin

YOUNG Queen Victoria by Herbert Smith, 1848

LADY Jane Grey (c. 1537–1554)

ELIZABETH I, Darnley Portrait c. 1575

Curing prostate cancer by freezing it

Cryotherapy is also referred to as cryoablation or cryosurgery. It uses freezing gas to destroy prostate cancer cells, while leav ing the prostate gland intact. The term cryotherapy is mislead ing as it is not a form of surgery. Cryotherapy was US Food and Drug Administration approved for prostate cancer treatment in the year 2000. It has been used in the past 20 years as an effective, minimally invasive management option for prostate cancer.

How does cryotherapy destroy prostate cancer?

Living tissue and cells of the body and prostate cannot toler ate extremely cold temperatures. Nitrogen or argon gas infused into the prostate gland rapidly extracts heat from the prostate gland. Ice crystals are formed as

the heat is drawn out of the pros tate gland, which causes rupture of the prostate cancer cells and cell death. Following death of the prostate cancer cells, white blood cells clean up the dead cells and the body’s immune system attacks and destroys any remaining pros tate cancer cells.

There are two types of cryother apy: Whole prostate cryotherapy that treats the whole prostate gland, this includes the prostate cancer cells and the healthy pros tate tissue. Focal cryotherapy only treats the prostate tissue that involves the prostate cancer, thus less healthy prostate tissue is frozen when compared to whole prostate cryotherapy.

Cryotherapy is an excellent treatment for men with localised prostate cancer, cases where the prostate cancer has only extended out of one side of the prostate

gland or in the case of a prostate cancer recurrence after radiation therapy.

Men with very large prostate glands are not very good candi dates for cryotherapy, but these patients may have their pros tate glands reduced in size by hormonal therapy then receive cryotherapy.

The occurrence of stress urinary incontinence with cryotherapy is generally much less than with other prostate cancer treatments such as radiation therapy or surgi cal removal of the prostate.

The cryotherapy prostate cancer treatment is minimally invasive and incision free. It is performed as an outpatient pro cedure or sometimes involves an overnight hospital stay.

A patient found to be a suitable candidate for cryotherapy pros tate cancer treatment will receive

general or spinal anesthesia. The urologist will use image guidance to place six to eight tiny needles through the skin in the perineum and into the prostate gland.

Argon gas cools the needles within the prostate, which freezes the prostate tissue and kills the prostate cancer cells.

Cryotherapy is less invasive than even the da Vinci robot assisted or laparoscopic prostate cancer removal surgery, so there is a shorter hospital stay, quicker recovery, it is less painful and there is less possible blood loss.

Cryotherapy, like all prostate cancer management options, has possible side effects such as

impaired erectile function, blad der and bowel dysfunction, blood in the urine and acutely painful urination. Focal cryotherapy gen erally has less side effects than whole prostate gland cryotherapy.

The key to prostate cancer cure is always early detection. Ensure early detection by getting a Pros tate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test annually starting at the age of 40 years old.

Cryotherapy is one of many prostate cancer treatment options, including cancer removal surgery, radiation therapy, brachytherapy, High Intensity Focused Ultra sound (HIFU), hormonal therapy and active surveillance.

One in six men will be diag nosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with men of Afri can ancestry often having a more aggressive form of prostate cancer that occurs earlier in life than their other racial counterparts.

Seek comprehensive, confiden tial and compassionate care for prostate cancer treatment and surveillance.

Giving blood to save lives – Bahamas Sickle Cell Association hosts donor drive

Sabascio Armbrister initially went to the Mall at Marathon with the intention of purchas ing a new phone, but a chance encounter with a member of the Bahamas Sickle Cell Association prompted him to step forward to donate a pint of blood for the very first time. His decision could save up to three lives.

“I always wanted to do it, but I was scared to. I’m not scared as much as I used to be, so I decided to just do it. We should give blood to help those who need it,” said Mr Armbrister following the 10-minute process, which was almost painless, if one discounts the tiniest pinch of a needle at the beginning.

Giving blood is a quick and easy way to save lives. Still, many Bahamians are hesitant to undergo the procedure, unless the person in need is a relative or close friend. The result is a chronic shortage of blood at the Princess Margaret Hospital’s Blood Bank, which places patients’ lives at risk.

Chief among them, those diag nosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) – a painful, inherited blood disorder that plague millions worldwide. SCD patients could require multiple blood transfu sions over the course of a lifetime.

That’s because sicklers have abnormal haemoglobin, the sub stance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. It leads to deformed, cres cent-shaped blood cells that do not carry oxygen well. They also have a shorter life span than normal. To make matters worse, when these C-shaped, red blood cells move through small blood vessels, they can stick together and clog them, causing pain, organ damage and strokes.

“Having this blood drive is not only to replenish the blood supply at the blood bank but it’s also to identify persons who are willing to come forward to donate so that when we have warriors in need of blood we would have already col lected a pool of potentially willing candidates which could speed up the blood transfusion process and help to preserve lives,” said Kristin Beneby, president of the Bahamas Sickle Cell Association.

Between October to December last year, Ms Beneby, a married mother of one, had to undergo three blood transfusions herself.

She is not alone. Regular blood transfusions are used to treat anaemia and can help prevent other symptoms associated with sickle cell, including strokes and acute chest syndrome, which is when blood flow to the lungs becomes blocked.

“It really is a life-or-death situ ation when it comes to a sickler needing a blood transfusion. It’s something that needs to happen very quickly to ensure their qual ity of life. When you come out and donate, you are giving back in a big way,” said Amanda Dean, the Association’s secretary.

Ms Dean’s daughter is a sickler. She had her first blood transfu sion when she was only six months old. When the seven-year-old was hospitalised this past July, a blood screening revealed she had devel oped antibodies from previous transfusions, making it even more challenging to find a donor.

That’s why blood drives like the one hosted by the BSCA in

near to the BTC store, attracted a small but steady stream of per sons who came to be screened for sickle cell and to give blood. It also provided an opportunity

to raise awareness for the blood disorder.

In Exuma, BSCA director, Kerisca Kemp organised a simi lar initiative at Exuma Primary Health Care Centre.

“Most of the persons who par ticipated in the screening were not aware of what sickle cell was or what it meant to have the trait. We shared knowledge of the disease and distributed pam phlets and flyers. We are making inroads, but we have our work cut out for us,” said Ms Kemp.

Among those donating blood on September 17 was Dameeka Roberts. She was accompanied by her son, Arjay, and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.

“I had my mind made up to do this in memory of our soror, Dan ielle Ferguson-Gibbs. Considering all of the incidents we have in our community that creates a need or a strain on the blood bank it’s imperative that we all take the position to give when we can.”

Ms Roberts’ sorority president, Valderez Miller of the Nassau, Bahamas’ alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, presented the Danielle FergusonGibbs Foundation with a cheque for $1,000. Ferguson-Gibbs, a former BSCA board member and executive board member of the sorority, died earlier this year from sickle cell disease.

More recently, the sorority lost another member, Taliah Cooper, to SCD.

“We thought it important to always be our sisters’ keeper, even in death. So, we came out to day to support the foundation and the Bahamas Sickle Cell Associa tion,” said Ms Miller.

Another attendee and donor, Joseph Ferguson, viewed his donation as a way to make a dif ference in the lives of others.

“Every so often I do this,” said Mr Ferguson, who learned about the event via Facebook. “It makes me feel like I’ve helped someone. The hospital always needs blood. You might save a life.”

Throughout September, Sickle Cell Awareness Month, the Association has focused on rais ing awareness and educating the wider community about SCD. Throughout the year, the advo cacy group works to provide financial support to sickle cell warriors and their families.

“Not only are we working to boost our membership numbers, we are also working to gauge just how prevalent sickle cell is in the Bahamas,” said Ms Beneby.

“We continue our call for free sickle cell screening at birth and during blood drives such as this one, with the goal of creating a National Sickle Cell Registry.”

Other long-term goals of the Association include transform ing the Accident and Emergency experience throughout hospi tals in the Bahamas; expanding the organization’s physical pres ence into more Family Islands; establishing a home to provide temporary accommodations for sickle cell warriors from the Family Islands travelling to New Providence for treatment; and the creation, passing and enforcement of a Sickle Cell Disease Care Act.

For those interested in joining the BSCA, there are opportuni ties to assist in administration; education; social and support, as well as financial and fundraising.

Dr Greggory Pinto

conjunction with the Danielle Ferguson-Gibbs Foundation at the Marathon Mall on Saturday, September 17, are so important.

The weekend event in New Providence, held in the corridor

BSCA President Kristin Beneby (left) and Amanda Dean, the Association’s secretary. (Photos/Precision Media)

RETIRED police officer Joseph Ferguson is prepped to donate blood by Vendolyn Hepburn, a phlebotomist at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

BLOOD donor Dameeka Roberts attended the Bahamas Sickle Cell Association’s blood drive with her son, Arjay, and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.

SABASCIO Armbrister took the time to participate in a blood drive. He is pictured here with PMH phlebotomist Tounia Knowles.

New 3D breast exams offer better accuracy and lessen discomfort

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH some women may experience anxiety around scheduling their annual mam mograms, they are encouraged to do so, especially now that the technology available locally offers better accuracy in cancer detec tion and less discomfort.

A mammogram is an X-ray pic ture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer.

During a mammogram, your breasts are compressed between two firm surfaces to spread out the breast tissue. Then an X-ray captures black-and-white images that are displayed on a computer screen and examined for signs of cancer. Mammograms play a key role in breast cancer screening. They can detect breast cancer before it causes signs and symp toms. Mammograms have been shown to reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer.

A traditional mammogram cre ates two-dimensional images of the breast. A newer type of mam mogram, the 3D mammogram, creates, like the name suggests, three-dimensional images of the breast.

A 3D mammogram (also known as breast tomosynthesis) is an imaging study that combines multiple breast X-rays to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast.

Dr Tonya Roker-Davis at the Family Medicine Centre said 3D mammography is used to detect breast cancer in patients without signs and symptoms.

“As a diagnostic tool, it is used to investigate the cause of a breast lump or other breast abnormali ties. At the Family Medicine Centre, we are also able to utilise 3D mammography to perform biopsies if a suspicious breast lump is found,” she told Tribune Health.

Dr Roker-Davis said 3D technology offers much more information than traditional breast examinations do.

“In the past, mammograms were painful for a large majority of patients. Advanced technology has resulted in a more comfort able experience. Some women may experience mild discomfort during the process as a result of the slight pressure applied to the breast by the machine. However, this is normal and short-lived. I would advise women to avoid factors that increase breast ten derness prior to the procedure. This includes the week prior to menstruation (breasts may be

more sensitive during the premenstrual period) and caffeine (as it has been shown to increase breast tenderness in some women).”

This type of mammography, she said, provides more images of the breast and in thin sections of breast tissue.

“This makes it more accu rate and more precise than 2D mammography. It allows the radi ologist and the physician to view the breast tissue layer by layer as opposed to a flat image. This is best explained using the anal ogy of a book. If you look from above at a book, you are able to see the cover but not the actual pages. This describes standard mammography. However, if you were to open the book you can go through the entire book…page by page to see every layer between the covers. This is how 3D mam mography works,” she explained.

Dr Roker-Davis said 3D mam mography has several benefits in that it detects more cancers than standard mammography, reduces the need for follow-up imaging,

and improves breast cancer detec tion in dense breast tissue, and is

overall more comfortable for the patient.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she is encouraging women not to hesitate in scheduling the breast cancer exams.

“Women should always speak to their healthcare providers about the benefits and risks of screening tests when deciding when to start and how often to get a mammogram. As a general rule, screening should begin at age 40. However, based on your risk factors for breast cancer, your healthcare provider may recom mend screening at an earlier age,” she said.

“Women should have mam mograms performed annually. A yearly mammogram for women aged 40 years and older helps women to become proactive as it relates to earlier detection of breast cancer. This results in less aggressive treatment options if necessary and an increased chance of survival.”

Cancer survivor ‘Walking for the Cure’ to raise funds and awareness

The loss of two close family members to cancer means David Prabhu knows all too well about the frightening disease.

Last August, he further understood following a doctor’s visit that con firmed he had a stage 1 cancerous tumour growing in his sinus cavity.

“My grandmother passed from breast cancer in 1984, and in 2018, I lost my mom as well, so I have always been a strong sup porter of the cause and the awareness of this dreadful disease,” he said.

For David, this sup port led to his annual participation in CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Walk for the Cure (WFTC) over the last six years.

Monies from the fund-raising walk and associated events are used primarily to assist with the purchase and mainte nance of equipment used in the diagnosis and treat ment of cancer patients. They are also used to pro vide assistance, care and

counselling to patients and their families as well as to raise awareness, and stress the importance of early detection, through educa tion campaigns across the region.

David’s early detection made a significant impact on his cancer experience.

“I was able to schedule surgery to have the tumor removed in September and thankfully didn’t have to do radiation. Subse quent scans have shown everything is clear,” said David.

Noting “love, support and positivity” as keys in his experience, David is also motivating and encouraging others to sup port Walk for the Cure.

“I look forward to this year’s WFTC and I will be bringing along about 60 persons”, he said.

Following two years of alternative fundrais ing activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CIBC FirstCaribbean has announced the return to the usual in-person walk

to be held on October 1 on streets across New Provi dence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera.

WFTC registration is $25 for adults and $12 for kids under 12. Everyone is encouraged to participate by stopping by any CIBC FirstCaribbean branch, or by emailing Walkforthe CureBAH@cibcfcib.com to register. Companies and individuals can learn more about how they can support WFTC and keep up to date with this year’s walk-through CIBC First Caribbean’s website and social media pages.

Individuals can join David, his 60 invitees and other supporters, by stopping into any CIBC FirstCaribbean branch to make a donation or transfer funds online to the CIBC FirstCaribbean Walk for the Cure account 201646737.

CIBC First Caribbean customers can also use the convenient first pay option to donate when they log in to their online banking accounts.

CANCER survivor David Prahbu is continuing his annual commitment to raise funds and aware ness through CIBC FirstCaribbean’s regional fundraiser, Walk for the Cure.

SAC senior boys dominate

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The St Augus tine’s College Big Red Machine rolled past the Kingsway Academy Saints in an abbreviated 28-6 victory to start their Bahamas Asso ciation of Independent Secondary Schools’ 2022 senior boys softball cam paign on a high note.

Playing at Kingsway Academy yesterday, SAC didn’t show any mercy as the game was stopped via the 15-run rule after four innings. While it was just the first game for the Big Red Machine, it was the second straight loss for the Saints, who marched past the Temple Christian Suns in their season opener.

“I think overall, we could do better, but overall

we did well,” said Amos Hanna, SAC’s starting pitcher. “We could shake it up a little, so when we get to practice, we will work on some things to get us ready for our next game.”

The Big Red Machine put seven runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first, added eight in the second, five in the third and eight more in the fourth as they dominated from start to finish with every batter in their line-up scoring at least two runs.

Demani Scott, who played right field, said although it was their first game, they could have done better.

“We got to shake off the cobwebs,” he said. “We have practice tomorrow and on Wednesday, we will play much better.”

The Saints had a pretty good bottom of the first,

AYTON: ‘I’M LOCKED IN ON GETTING BETTER AND STARTING TRAINING CAMP’

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DEANDRE Ayton’s off season contract situation and his role in his return to the Phoenix Suns were one of several highlights from the team’s media day.

Following a lengthy restricted free agency pro cess, Ayton officially inked a four-year, $133 million contract in July to return to the Suns.

“I was happy, It was all done...I guess,” Ayton said. “I’m locked in on getting better and starting training camp.”

Ayton, a highly coveted restricted free agent target, signed a maximum offer sheet on July 14 with the Indiana Pacers and within moments, the Suns matched the offer to retain the no.1 overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.

During the negotiation process, Ayton said that he continued to work on his improvements on the floor while his team handled the business side of profes sional basketball.

“I was under a rock just working. I was leaving all

that in my agent’s hands and trusting my team. Why look back? I don’t want to take steps back, I just want to move forward,” he said.

“No weight, no pres sure, just trying to do the best at what my task is and let the rest take place. Just trust my team to do what they had to do to put me in the situation where I’m at now.”

In his fourth season, the 24-year-old centre averaged 17.2 points on a career high 63 percent from the field and 10.2 rebounds per game in 58 appearances.

“Relentlessness,” he said when asked what he hopes to bring to the table in the upcoming season.

“Being that player I always wanted to be since I got drafted. I’m older now, there’s no more taking baby steps, it’s just going out and taking what’s yours…I’ve been working on every thing. I’m just trying to be the most dominant person right now and I feel like I can do that.”

He recorded both his 3,000th career point and his 2,000th career rebound this

producing four runs and added two more in the second. But SAC managed to shut them down in the final two innings, pulling off a pair of 1-2-3 feats to seal the deal.

Tyler Nairn scored a pair of runs and Lamond Davis, Nicholas Knowles, Ethan Brown and Ricardo Smith

all scored a run each, but it wasn’t enough. Kingsway Academy’s coach Juliette Douglas-Sands said they came into the game, having to adjust their line-up and that made a huge differ ence in the outcome.

“The boys are holding it together, but we just made a lot of silly mistakes,”

Douglas-Sands said. “Our starting pitcher called in sick today and so I had to move our third baseman over to pitch. That was his first game pitching. “But other than that, I think the team still performed very well. We still have some more work to do during our practice session, so once we can get our plays down-packed, we will be able to perform a lot better the rest of the season.”

As the Big Red Machine prepares for the rest of the season, Scott said he’s con fident that they can bring home the championship title to SAC. “At SAC, that is want we are trying to do this year, win the championship,” Scott said. “We want to win this one. Hopefully we can do it by going undefeated as well. We feel we have a team to do it.”

BLUE JAYS BEAT YANKEES 3-2 IN 10, AARON JUDGE STALLED AT 60 HOMERS

TORONTO (AP) — Aaron Judge stayed at 60 home runs, one shy of Roger Maris’ American League record, and the New York Yankees’ bid to clinch the AL East stalled when Vladimir Guerrero Jr hit an RBI single in the 10th to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 3-2 win last night.

Judge led off the game with a single, then struck out twice and walked twice as New York’s winning streak ended at seven. The Yankees would’ve sealed the division with a win.

Judge has gone six games without a home run. He’ll try again tonight to match the AL mark of 61 set by Maris in 1961.

Guerrero’s two-out single off Clarke Schmidt (5-5) scored automatic runner Cavan Biggio from second base. Toronto won its third straight and increased its lead atop the AL wild-card race by 2 1/2 games over

PITCH IN FOR YOUTH BASEBALL MAKES INAUGURAL VISIT TO THE BAHAMAS

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

PITCH In for Youth Baseball, a non-profit organisation created to assist with the collection and distribution of baseball equipment throughout the Caribbean and South and Central America, made its inaugural visit to the Baha mas over the weekend.

During the trip, arranged through the Bahamas Base ball Association, Pitch In presented its first distribu tion of equipment to Mario Ford’s Community Base ball Programme at Windsor Park on Saturday.

The husband and wife team of Dr Amar and

PAGE

China eyeing a medal for first time in 28 years

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

SYDNEY (AP) — It’s been 28 years since China last won a medal at the World Cup, finishing second in the 1994 games.

With a dominant inside presence, led by Han Xu and Li Yueru, plus talented shooters and quick guards, the Chinese team has gotten off to a strong start in Australia and could find its way onto the podium.

China is 3-1 in pool play, with the lone loss coming against the United States.

In the three victories, the Chinese team won by an average of 48 points and scored close to 100 points a game.

Even a 14-point loss to the US showed that China has improved from finish ing sixth in the 2018 World

Cup and fifth in last year’s Olympics.

“Compared with the US team, the confrontation and intensity of the Chi nese team in the first two

games of the group stage are not at the same level. I hope the players can ben efit from it,” China coach

Undefeated Eagles looking dominant three games in

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts bounded off Washington’s field and waved his arms while the Eagles fans who turned the stadium into a South Philly pep rally chanted “MVP! MVP!”

Too soon? No way.

Through three games, three wins and a sharp rise in Philadelphia’s most popular athlete rankings, Hurts’ performance has soared to MVP standards and has fans already pre dicting the NFC East will be won in a walkover.

Hey, did you hear Rihanna will headline the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show? Cool. Bummer for Hurts, though, he’ll be game-planning at half time and have to miss the performance.

OK, that’s a bit of a stretch for late September — and with the Phillies still in a pennant race.

But Hurts and the Eagles have barely scratched the surface of what a healthy team can achieve. Hurts was 22 of 35 for 340 yards and three touchdown passes, one each to DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown and

Dallas Goedert in Sunday’s 24-8 win over the Washing ton Commanders.

“I think we have yet to play our best ball,” Hurts said.

The Eagles and their fans are overjoyed they have Hurts and not his predeces sor, Carson Wentz — the quarterback Hurts replaced as the starter went down more often than the price of his still-for-sale authen tic Eagles jersey. Wentz was sacked nine times, lost a fumble that set up one Phil adelphia touchdown and all but 24 of Wentz’s passing yards came in the second half, long after the outcome had been determined.

Thy Kingdom Crumble.

The game went Phila delphia’s way. So did the franchise’s decision to scrap Wentz for Hurts.

UNITED States’ Kelsey Plum runs past China’s Han Xu during their game at the women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)

JALEN Hurts (AP)

PHOENIX Suns’ Deandre Ayton, of The Bahamas, poses for a photo during an NBA basketball media day yesterday in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

SAC senior boys defeated the Kingsway Academy Saints 28-6 yesterday to start their BAISS softball campaign on a high note.

Photo: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter

CHAVANO “Buddy”

Hield was the focus of trade rumours for months, but after his first offseason as a member of the Indiana Pacers, the veteran guard is optimistic about the poten tial of his team’s young core for the 2022-23 campaign.

Hield, one of just two players returning to the Pacers roster at least 29-years-old, said the young group is already show ing signs of bonding and familiarity.

“It’s energetic, a lot of the guys are new and are learn ing how to be a part of the NBA life and how we go about it everyday. It’s a fun group. Everybody is just hands on each and every day,” he said.

“The young atmosphere keeps you healthy. Run ning around with young guys, I love the competitive spirit they bring everyday, it’s a grind, it’s a challenge

everyday, but once you’re mentally prepared and locked in and prepare the summer to be around young athletic talent, there’s noth ing to worry about.”

Hield was traded to the Pacers last February and in 26 games with the club, he averaged 18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He shot 45 per cent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range in just over 35 min utes per game.

Prior to the trade, he averaged 14.4 points per game and made 182 three pointers, and was shooting a career-low 37 percent in 28 minutes per game with the Sacramento Kings.He averaged just 8.1 points in his final nine games with the Kings, but scored in double figures in 24 of 26 games with the Pacers.

The young Pacers core is expected to be led by 22-year old point guard Tyrese Haliburton, 2021 lot tery pick Chris Duarte and 2022 lottery pick Benedict

PACERS’ Buddy Hield. (AP)

Mathurin. “Everybody’s voice is needed. We just have to learn quickly, adapt, and when train ing camp comes get after it. We brought in a group of guys that are a great fit, have great personalities, when you understand and like each other, it’s easier to have a great vibes,” Hield said. “When guys bring in their egos and go about things in different ways it’s not a good vibe. I think the

guys we have in the locker room are a good group of guys.”

Already traded twice in his NBA career, Hield’s name was floated in trade rumours involving the Los Angeles Lakers. “It’s the business of basketball. No matter what happens I love playing basketball,” Hield said.

“Once I have a job, and I’m able to play in this league for a long time it doesn’t matter where I go, I’m happy, I’m still here I’m just glad to play basketball at a high level with the best basketball players in the world.”

In addition to his improved scoring num bers, Hield also reached his career high of nine assists on three separate occasions during his time in Indiana. He credited head coach Rick Carlisle’s free flowing offence.

Hield’s 4.8 assists per game with the Pacers was an increase from 1.9 per game with the Kings. “Rick

does a good job just let ting me be myself and just letting me play freely and do random things but in accordance with his offence and control in the system. As a player, you want to be free and be myself but in the structure of his offence,” he said.

“Rick’s offence allowed me to expand a little bit more. I was able to do more with the ball, be creative and play freely.”

Over his six seasons in the NBA, Hield has missed only three games due to injury or illness and played in 81 games last season. His only missed game was due to logistical reasons follow ing the trade to Indiana.

“Thank God, number one, for blessing me to play at a high level. Working on my craft, staying in the weight room and doing eve rything I do to stay ready,” he said. “I got to put that on being a Bahamian too, there some durability in me coming from The Bahamas. I’m blessed and I thank

Splash Brothers Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson ready to repeat

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry’s brightcoloured “Sour Patch” sneakers squeaked loudly announcing his media day arrival. He then took his spot, tucked in that iconic No. 30 jersey and posed with all of his championship hardware.

A trophy on either side of him, his elbows propped on the other two.

The two-time MVP is showing that his swagger is as strong as ever heading into his 14th NBA season.

“That championship glow is real,” Curry said with a smile.

The Golden State star and reigning NBA Finals MVP will turn 35 this season and is still at the top of his game, ready to lead another championship run as the Warriors seek to repeat.

He certainly doesn’t take any of this success for granted, knowing how hard it is each season to get back to the top — even when Bucks superstar Gian nis Antetokounmpo calls him “the best player in the world.”

“And embracing it. My 14th year. I feel fresh and prime, ready to go,” Curry said Sunday. “I feel like in my head still getting better, trying to feed off that. Understand it’s a long jour ney and we are doing some defensive strategy and stuff like that yesterday, and it kind of felt for a second we were still preparing for the

PITCH

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Celtics and the finals series because it didn’t feel like that long ago.”

Except for the fact this season he will have Splash Brother Klay Thompson alongside him from the opening tip for the defend ing NBA champions, who depart the Bay Area today for Tokyo to face the Wash ington Wizards in a pair of preseason games Friday and Saturday in Saitama, Japan.

Thompson returned Jan uary 9 from an absence of more than 2 1/2 years fol lowing a pair of devastating injuries. The 32-year-old Thompson hadn’t played since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals as Toronto clinched the cham pionship. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging on his own in November 2020.

“I’m hungry as ever still because I still remember those two years I had to watch. I’m eager to play a full season and show people what I’m capable of again,” Thompson said.

Curry cherished another shorter offseason in which a highlight was going back to Davidson College to celebrate his graduation and coach Bob McKillop’s retirement after a 33-year career at the school.

“Obviously you enjoy the offseason and know all the work you’ve put in over the course of your career and especially the last three years,” Curry said. “To get back there was meaningful,

and you embrace it and appreciate it. Appreciate the vibe you’ve built with the new-look team built on the core, the guys that have been around the block.

“Very excited about what it means coming into this season trying to defend, knowing there will be new challenges for everybody as a team and everybody individually.”

Draymond Green warned of the “championship hang over” and how he will strive to keep Golden State from becoming complacent.

One big key in that effort: Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, 38, was expected to sign and arrive yester day ahead of the trip. “We are all so proud of what we

accomplished last year, but that’s in the past,” Thomp son said. “The greats stay hungry, and we all have our motivations for why we want to win another one.”

Both Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins said they haven’t spent added energy worrying about their unset tled contract situations.

“I really haven’t been paying attention too often,” Poole said of landing an extension.

Green, who along with Curry, Iguodala and Thompson are the core and have been around for each of the finals runs dating to the 2015 championship, doesn’t expect to secure a new deal himself before the season.

“I don’t think it will happen,” he said. “And so for me, I’m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be, I know I’m capable of being, and winning another champi onship and reaching my individual goals.”

Big man Kevon Looney hopes to play all 82 games again after becoming one of just five to do so last season — if the training staff approves, of course.

“That’s the goal,” he said. “As long as I feel good, make it happen.”

When told of Looney’s goal, Thompson could only ponder that in amazement.

“Does he, back-toback?,” Thompson said. “Crazy.”

MAKES INAUGURAL VISIT TO THE BAHAMAS

organisation to support of their son, Vinay, were in town to make the presen tation. They indicated that

NBA UNVEILS NO. 6 PATCH TO HONOUR BILL RUSSELL ACROSS LEAGUE

CANTON, Mass. (AP) — As the longest-tenured player on the Celtics, Marcus Smart has been in Boston long enough to appreciate what Bill Russell meant to the team, the city and the country.

“We’ve heard things like ‘pioneer,’ ‘trailblazer,’” Smart said yesterday while wearing a patch honouring the Celtics Hall of Famer who died this summer. “To mention, you know, Bill Russell and the impact that he brought to this game is undeniable.”

The centrepiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years, Russell is being honoured this season not just for his unmatched success on the court but for a lifetime commitment to civil rights. The NBA has announced that it will retire his No. 6 leaguewide, and every player will wear a black No. 6 patch on his jersey.

The Celtics have other tributes planned, with two nights set aside to honour Russell’s legacy, including the October 18 opener. They have painted the No. 6 in the free throw lane. “The presence that Bill Russell had — not only on the court, but in the community — it’s something that will always be present, and he’ll always have a legacy because of that,” Celtics forward Grant Williams said, adding that Boston was his grandfather’s favourite team because of Russell. “I’m fortunate to be playing for this organisation.”

they intend to come back in the future to continue to assist other local leagues in the Bahamas.

Shane Albury, the vice president of the BBA, said they welcome the gesture by Pitch In.

“We are trying to pro mote the various leagues in the country and this is just the start of things to come,” Albury said.

He said Ford’s camp was selected for the first donation because of the work he’s been doing and the need for him to secure more equipment to assist with his programme, which is conducted every Satur day between the hours of 9:30am to noon at Windsor Park. “Things like this will go a long way in helping to further improve the level of baseball in the country,” Albury said.

As the initial benefactors of the donation, Ford said he appreciates the support from the BBA and Pitch In and he vowed to make the most of what they have received in assisting the many young boys and girls who pass through their

programme that is ran for nine months of the year.

“When we got the call from Shane Albury and the BBA, we were excited because these are some equipment that we could use for the betterment of the many young people who participate in our pro gramme,” Ford said.

“We want to continue to keep these youngsters moti vated as they move forward and so this donation will go a long way in assisting in that regard.”

As a programme that caters mainly to youngsters out of the grassroot areas, Ford said most of the par ticipants lack the proper equipment when they come out to participate. But the equipment will further motivate them to compete.

“We started our final ses sion on September 3 and it will run until October 9 at every Saturday,” Ford said. “The youngsters come out every Saturday and they get a chance to develop their skills in training sessions and they also display those skills in game situations. He noted that the players

are all enthused about the programme and he’s seen a vast improvement in a lot of them. “We feel that by them coming out on Sat urdays, when they start to play baseball in the high schools, they will be better able to perform,” he said.

“There are a lot of activi ties going on, so we try not to overcrowd them, but just provide an avenue for them to train on a weekly basis.”

Albury said Pitch In intends to come back every few months and provide equipment to other leagues just as they do in other areas, including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic since 2020. The Bahamas is the first island touched in the Caribbean.

Pitch In was formed by Rajadhyaksha, an orthope dic spine surgeon in Miami who played baseball all of his life and is a big fan of the Boston Red Sox.

God everyday for allowing me to play at a high level.”

Hield said one of his main goals this offseason is to improve his three-point percentage. He ranked fourth this season in both three-point makes (262) and attempted (716).

As a Pacer, Hield reached another career milestone as one of the NBA’s premier shooters. He moved into 50th place in career threepoint field goals made when he surpassed 1,397 through his six-year career.

Hield surpassed former Three Point contest cham pion Brent Barry and at the conclusion of the season, has made 1,417 three pointers. He now trails the Hawks’ Danilo Gallinari at no.49 on the all time list with 1,426.

The Pacers will face the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason opener on Octo ber 5.

Opening night of the reg ular season for the Pacers is October 19 at home against the Washington Wizards.

ITALY ADVANCES IN NATIONS LEAGUE, ENGLAND, GERMANY DRAW 3-3

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

PART one of the heal ing process is complete for Italy.

Looking to regain respect after failing to qualify for a second straight World Cup, the Azzurri advanced to next year’s finals tournament in the Nations League by winning at Hungary 2-0 thanks to goals by Giacomo Raspadori and Federico Dimarco yesterday.

By topping a group also containing Eng land and Germany, the Italians joined the Neth erlands and Croatia in qualifying for the final four, which will be hosted by the Dutch in June.

Portugal or Spain will complete the lineup when they face off today.

Unlike Italy, England and Germany will be going to the World Cup in Qatar in less than two months and they’ll head to the Middle East on the back of a wild 3-3 draw at Wembley Stadium, where all the goals were scored in the second half.

Trailing 2-0, England scored three goals in a 12-minute span from the 71st — through Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Harry Kane’s penalty — only for Kai Havertz to pounce on a fumble by England goalkeeper Nick Pope to equalise in the 87th.

England’s winless run stretched to six games, with Gareth South gate’s team finishing its Nations League cam paign without a victory and relegated.

Germany isn’t in much better shape ahead of the World Cup, with just one win in its last seven games.

Italy won Group A3 with 11 points, one more than Hungary, which went into the game in Budapest needing only a draw to reach the Nations League final four for the first time.

However, when his 11-year-old son Vinay got involved in the sport, he noticed his keen interest in helping other young players his age. Vinay, who pitches and plays at first base, started collecting new and gently used baseball equip ment and also to raise funds for uniforms for leagues in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

In addition to the Baha mas, he hopes to extend his philanthropy to Cuba, Honduras, Colombia and Venezuela.

Meghana Rajadhyak sha, who formed the

GOLDEN State Warriors guard Stephen Curry poses for a photograph during an NBA basketball media day in San Francisco on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Godofredo A Vásquez

Jones: ‘With my athleticism, I can have a two-way impact’

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter

THE Charlotte Hornets have a stacked depth chart in the frontcourt headed into the 2022-23 campaign but Kai Jones looks to use his versatility to take advan tage of every opportunity in year two.

Jones called his rookie season “a beautiful expe rience” at Hornets media day but looks forward to making a bigger impact this season.

“With my athleticism, I can have a two-way impact,” he said. “Lob threat, blocking shots, just being versatile.”

New Hornets head coach Steve Clifford called Jones “an exceptional athlete” and “phenomenal worker” when asked about his pos sible role in the frontcourt.

“Kai [Jones] to me, right now, is more of a centre. He can play some four. Even for our league he’s an exceptional athlete and physical. How quickly he puts himself in a place where he can legitimately play night in and night out in NBA games is just pur pose of play,” Clifford said.

“For all young players, especially inside guys, that’s the hardest thing. Playing to your strengths, helping your

teammates play to their strengths, so we’ll see.”

The Hornets return vet eran centre Mason Plumlee, third year player Nick Richards and rookie Mark Williams all at the five spot.

Jones came into training camp sporting the blue hair he had this summer when he made his debut with The Bahamas’ senior men’s national team.

He said his hairstyle is inspired by several things, including his favourite anime.

“The blue hair is for a lot of reasons, in The Baha mas our water is blue like this, the Charlotte Hor nets’ colour is blue and I love anime so Super Saiyan god Goku has blue hair, all of my anime fans out there know what I’m talk ing about so all of those reasons.”

Jones finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Venezuela and fol lowed with 16 points and six rebounds against Argen tina in the latest window of FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers.

At the NBA level with the Hornets, Jones appeared in 21 NBA games this past season but played sparingly in few moments off the bench.

He excelled at the G-League level on

assignment with the Greensboro Swarm aver aging 16.5 points on 61.4 percent shooting from the field – 32 percent from 3-point range – 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks in 32

total G League games. He also posted 15 total doubledoubles. The no.19 pick in the 2021 draft, Jones and the other members of the Hornets rookie class played sparingly as the Hornets chased a spot in the NBA

playoffs. Jones highlighted his G-League campaign with a career high 30 points with nine rebounds in a 139-119 win over the Long Island Nets at the Greens boro Coliseum in North Carolina on March 27.

COWBOYS EARN 23-16 WIN OVER GIANTS

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHER

FORD, N.J. (AP) — CeeDee Lamb made a one-handed touchdown catch with 8:30 to play to cap a go-ahead drive that featured a big fourthdown gamble by Mike McCarthy, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants 23-16 last night.

Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 1-yard run to ignite a comeback from a sevenpoint deficit and Brett Maher kicked three field goals as Cowboys (2-1) beat the Giants (2-1) for the 10th time in 11 games.

Cooper Rush threw for 210 yards, including the 1-yarder touchdown to Lamb, in winning his second straight game fill ing in for the injured Dak Prescott (thumb).

Saquon Barkley scored on a weaving 36-yard touchdown run that gave the Giants a brief 13-6 lead. Graham Gano added three field goal, including a 51-yarder with 3:37 to play to make it a one-score game.

The Giants got the ball back with 1:45 to play, but the series ended quickly with an interception by Trevon Diggs, sending New York coach Brian Daboll to his first defeat.

If there was a big play in the game, it came from McCarthy. Faced with a fourth-and-4 at the Giants 41 with the score tied at 13 and 10:27 to play, the Dallas coach went for the first down. Rush hit Lamb right at the sticks on the next play and then hit tight end Peyton Hender shot for 10. He then found Lamb on consecutive passes of 26 and then the sensational one-hander on a fade route for the goahead score.

A 28-yard punt return by KaVontae Turpin set up a 44-yarder by Maher that stretched the lead. Dallas came into the game having allowed only one touchdown in each of its first two games.

past season, becoming the second-fastest player to reach these milestones in a Suns uniform behind only Charles Barkley.

The Suns finished with an NBA best and new fran chise record of 64-18. The no.1 overall seed in the Western Conference, they were upset in the second round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks in seven games.

Despite the setback, Ayton said the focus of the roster remains the same, the chase for the franchise’s first NBA title.

“Being prepared, making sure I’m in shape, bringing energy and mental focus, I think that will set the

EAGLES

FROM PAGE 15

“The work we put in, in the offseason is supposed to show in times like this,” Hurts said.

“The trust we have in one another, being on the same page to see it pan out now is great. We know there’s more to it and it’s just the beginning.”

WHAT’S WORKING

The offence. The defence. The Eagles are 3-0 for the 10th time in fran chise history and won their first two road games for the first time since 2010.

tone and everybody should follow,” he said.

“Just being around the guys, all of us being in the gym playing against each other and just feeling that energy in this environment, it’s still the same, nothing’s changed. We’re a lot older now to where there’s no more baby steps, we know the task at hand so there’s really not much talk.”

There was much specu lation on the relationship between Ayton and the Suns’ head coach Monty Williams.

Ayton appeared in only 17 minutes of the Suns’ 123-90 elimination loss to the Dallas Mavericks in game seven of the West ern Conference semifinals. He finished with just five points, four rebounds and two assists. Williams told

“We see 3-0 teams, 5-0 teams, start hot all the time, but it’s just about going back to work because this game will humble you very quickly if you get too high on it,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said

WHAT NEEDS HELP Not much. Hurts and the Eagles are rolling and it’s hard not to watch them play and think the NFC East is a mere formality. But have you noticed?

The Eagles scored all 24 points in the first half against Minnesota and all 24 in the first half against Washington. The secondhalf shutouts might not be a

reporters postgame that Ayton’s limited playing time was the result of an “internal” decision and did not expand on the matter.

big deal in a romp but can certainly come back to bite them when the games get tight.

STOCK UP Smith was held without a catch in the season opener and had seven receptions for 80 yards against Minne sota. He went wild against Washington and had career highs with eight receptions, 169 yards, and he scored his first touchdown. Smith’s 156 yards receiving in the first half were the most by an Eagle since Kevin Curtis had 205 in Septem ber 2007. Nicknamed the Slim Reaper because of his 6-foot, 170-pound frame, he tied a career-high in

Headed into this season, Williams said his offence will find more inventive ways to get other playmak ers like Ayton involved and

receptions in the first half alone with seven.

“You may have a game like that where you don’t get the ball or you don’t get your opportunities but when they come, you’ve got to make the most of them,” Smith said.

STOCK DOWN Wentz. Oh, wait. He’s not Philadelphia’s problem anymore. Hard to nitpick a team playing with the poise and precession of a Super Bowl contender. The Eagles did have only 72 yards rushing and haven’t had a 100-yard rusher yet.

KEY NUMBER 9. One small knock on the Eagles over the first

take advantage of his skill set. “I wouldn’t say there’s a total remake of what we do I think there are some wrin kles in what we do that will allow for some of his talents to show more,“ Williams said.

“It’s not just a scoring thing, I think one of the things I did not do a good job of last year was for allow other guys to grow in their ability to initiate offence which takes a lot of pressure off Chris [Paul], which allows for him to be fresher.

“So yeah I think there are some wrinkles that we are certainly going to explore to try to take advantage of DA’s ability to score in the mid-range, taking threes from the top of the key, corner threes, those are things that I have

two games was a pass rush that had only three sacks. But the Eagles had six sacks in the first half alone.

Among the nine for the game, Brandon Graham led Philadelphia with 2½, while Fletcher Cox, Haason Red dick and Josh Sweat each had a sack and a half. Cox and Graham lead Philadel phia with three sacks this season and are tied for the fourth-most sacks (61) in franchise history.

NEXT STEPS

The reunion tour contin ues. The Eagles head home to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by coach Doug Pederson. Pederson, of course, was the first Eagles

watched him work on this summer and we certainly have talked about it this summer.”

Phoenix will open the preseason at home on October 2 when they host the Adelaide 36ers of Aus tralia’s National Basketball League and will follow with their first NBA competition when they travel to Califor nia to face the Los Angeles Lakers on October 5.

Phoenix will open the 2022-23 regular season at home against the Dallas Mavericks on October 19. For the second consecutive season, the Suns will be fea tured in a franchise record tying 34 nationally televised games.

A total of 22 games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or TNT, with an additional 12 on NBATV.

coach to ever win the Super Bowl, knocking off the New England Patriots after the 2017 season. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons. He guided the Eagles to two division championships and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020.

Pederson was fired with two years remaining on his contract. Pederson was a starting quarterback in Philadelphia in 1999 and later served as an assistant coach under Andy Reid with the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles hired him in January 2016 after abruptly firing Chip Kelly a month earlier.

CHARLOTTE Hornets centre Kai Jones, of The Bahamas, at the NBA basketball’s team media day in Charlotte, N.C., yesterday. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

FROM left; Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, head coach Monty Williams, Mikal Bridges and Chris Paul pose for a photo with team photographer Barry Gos sage during an NBA basketball media day yesterday in Phoenix.

PHOENIX Suns’ Deandre Ayton poses for a photo during an NBA basketball media day yesterday in Phoenix. (AP Photos/Matt York)

COWBOYS wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. (AP)

Ohtani vs. Judge the latest of baseball’s great MVP races

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer

WHEN Shohei Ohtani is pitching impressively and hitting over 30 homers, he might always be the MVP favourite unless another player in his league comes up with something awfully special.

Like hitting 60 home runs, for example.

Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge for the American League MVP figures to be the most hotly debated postseason award this year. Judge is closing in on Roger Maris’ AL record of 61 homers and might also win the Triple Crown.

He’s done it while playing quite a bit of centre field for a team that’s nearing a divi sion title.

Ohtani, on the other hand, is pitching better than he did when he was the unanimous MVP last year. He may even be putting himself in the Cy Young conversation, to go along with his 34 homers.

According to BaseballReference’s wins above replacement stat, the two are pretty close. Judge was at 9.9 entering Sunday, with Ohtani at 9.0.

MLB

As phenomenal as he is, there are a couple factors — both last year and this year — that keep Ohta ni’s WAR a bit below the Barry Bonds/Babe Ruth stratosphere.

As well as he’s pitched, the Angels are careful about not overusing him. He threw only 130 1/3 innings last year and has 153 this year.

His lack of defensive value also works against him.

That’s just nitpicking, of course. If Ohtani doesn’t win MVP this time, it will have taken a truly spectac ular performance to beat him.

famous head-to-head MVP races through the years:

1941 (AL): Joe DiMaggio over Ted Williams. Perhaps the most famous MVP race came in the year DiMag gio had his 56-game hitting streak and Williams hit .406.

1961 (AL): Maris over Mickey Mantle. This was a close race even though Maris — who beat out Mantle for the 1960 MVP as well — hit his 61 home runs to break Ruth’s record.

Mantle played a tougher position and, while this obviously wasn’t a factor back then, he had a signifi cant 10.4-6.9 edge on Maris in WAR.

1987 (AL): George Bell over Alan Trammell. Tram mell’s Tigers rallied past Bell’s Blue Jays for the AL East title, but the Detroit

shortstop couldn’t over come the Toronto slugger’s 47 home runs and 134 RBIs.

1998 (NL): Sammy Sosa over Mark McGwire. McG wire (70) outlasted Sosa (66) in the home run race after both broke Maris’ record, but the MVP vote was lopsided in Sosa’s favor. His Cubs made the playoffs, and he led the league in runs and RBIs.

2012 (AL): Miguel Cabrera over Mike Trout. In a contentious race pit ting traditionalists against new-age stats, the Triple Crown-winning Cabrera took the MVP — and the vote wasn’t all that close. Trout settled for second

place despite producing 10.5 WAR as a rookie.

After finishing second to Cabrera again the follow ing year, Trout won three MVPs of his own.

TRIVIA TIME

This past weekend, Hou ston’s Dusty Baker became the fourth manager with a 100-win season in both leagues. Who were the others?

LINE OF THE WEEK

Kolten Wong hit three home runs and drove in five runs to lead Milwaukee to a 5-1 win over Cincinnati on Thursday night. The Brew ers finished the week 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia

PAGE

Tampa Bay. Judge scored the opening run of the game on a first-inning sacrifice fly by Gley ber Torres.

With runners at first and second and two outs in the 10th, Blue Jays interim manager John Sch neider replaced right-hander Anthony Bass and brought lefthander Tim Mayza (8-0) on to face Judge. Toronto intentionally walked Judge to load the bases for left-handed hitter Anthony Rizzo, who grounded out.

BRAVES 8, NATIONALS 0

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Elder threw a six-hit shutout for

his first career complete game, and Atlanta defeated Washington to close within one game of the first-place New York Mets in the NL East and hand the Nationals their 100th loss of the season.

Matt Olson and Orlando Arcia hit two-run homers and Mar cell Ozuna added a solo shot for Atlanta, which like New York has already clinched a playoff berth. Both teams have eight games remaining, including a head-tohead three-game series beginning Friday in Atlanta.

Elder (2-3) threw 106 pitches and allowed only one runner to reach third base while taming the Nationals in his eighth career start. He struck out six for the Braves, who have won three in a row and eight of 11. The Nation als are a major league-worst

53-100, their first 100-loss season since going 59-103 in 2009. Wash ington starter Cory Abbott (0-4) set down 10 of the first 11 Atlanta batters. He allowed five runs (four earned) in five-plus innings while striking out a career-high seven.

PIRATES 8, REDS 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jack Suwinski hit a two-run double to key a four-run seventh inning, powering Pittsburgh past Cincinnati.

Suwinski turned on a slider from Derek Law (2-1), sending it to right field. Fellow rookie Oneil Cruz, who opened the inning with his third of four straight singles, and Miguel Andújar scored to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-2. Law

Australia hands Canada its first loss of World Cup, 75-72

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

SYDNEY (AP) — Ezi

Magbegor had 16 points and five blocks to help Australia beat Canada 75-72 last night in the wom en’s World Cup.

The win caused a log-jam atop Group B with Aus tralia, Canada and France all with three wins with one game left for each team.

“We knew coming into this it would be a tough group for us” Magbegor said. “Everything would count for us. We have another tough one tomor row against Japan.”

Australia led 71-69 when Steph Talbot converted a reverse layup to extend the advantage. On Canada’s next possession, Magbegor blocked Natalie Achonwa’s shot right before the shot clock ran out.

Talbot then made two more free throws with 19.3 seconds left to make it 75-69. Nirra Fields hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left for the final margin.

In other games Monday, the U.S. set a World Cup record for points in a 145-69 win over South Korea. France and Bel gium advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Japan and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia topped Mali 81-68 to keep alive its quarterfinal hopes. China routed Puerto Rico 95-60.

Australia trailed 33-19 with four minutes left in the first half before scor ing the final 19 points of the period to lead by five at the break. Magbegor and Tess Madgen each had six points during the run.

“I knew (Ezi) would have his kind of game and I didn’t know when it would be,” said Sami Whitcomb, who had 15

points. “It was massive for us tonight, I’m so proud of her. She showed up when we needed her in the big gest moment.”

Canada rallied in the third quarter and led 57-51 before the Opals got going to take the lead and set up the tight finish.

Fields led Canada with 17 points.

Australia was missing Bec Allen, who injured her ribs late in the fourth quar ter of the Opals game on Sunday against Serbia. The team said she was resting this game.

UNITED STATES 145, SOUTH KOREA 69

Brionna Jones scored 24 points, A’ja Wilson added 20 and the U.S. used a dominant inside effort for a record performance in the win over South Korea.

It broke the World Cup record of highest-scoring game, surpassing the 143 points Brazil had in 1990. It also shattered the previ ous U.S. mark of 119 points achieved against Angola in 2014 and China in 2006.

The scoring margin was the biggest in U.S. history as well.

The win was the 26th in a row in World Cup play for the Americans, who haven’t lost since the 2006 semifinals when they fell to Russia. The U.S. also won 26 in a row from 1994-2006.

The Soviet Union holds the World Cup record with 56 straight wins from 1959-1986.

Other U.S. records broken on Monday included the 62 field goals made, 36 assists and 94 points in the paint.

BELGIUM 85, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 55

Hind Ben Abdelkader scored 18 points while Julie Vanloo and Kyara Lin skens each added 13 to help

Belgium reach the quar terfinals with the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

To win a medal, though, they’ll have to do it without star Emma Meesseman, who injured her left calf. She’s out for the remain der of the tournament, the team announced after the game.

The Belgian Cats (3-1) led 26-19 midway through the second quarter before going on an 11-3 run to close the half, capped by Vanloo’s 3-pointer with two seconds left. She scored seven points during the spurt.

The victory was the third straight for Belgium after losing to the U.S. in its opener. The Cats have now advanced to the quarterfi nals in both of their World Cup appearances.

“It feels good because sometimes I think that we forget that we’re small Belgium and that is only our second women’s World Cup,” guard Julie

Allemand said. “I think it’s something we can be proud of. Sometimes it’s like ‘Oh, this is normal’ but it’s not! We still have to win the games, we still have to get better and better and I think we can be proud of this.”

Nikolina Elez and Matea Tavic each scored 13 points to lead Bosnia and Herze govina (0-4). Jonquel Jones was held to just eight points and eight rebounds. It was the first time in the tour nament she didn’t score at least 15 points.

SERBIA 81, MALI 68

Sasa Cado scored 20 points and Tina Krajisnik added 17 to help Serbia top Mali and reach the quarterfinals.

Serbia (2-2) led 43-39 at the half before slowly pulling away in the third quarter. The Serbians led 62-50 heading into the final period and Mali could get no closer the rest of the way.

Sika Kone had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Mali (0-4), which is playing in its second World Cup. The African nation was a late replacement for Nigeria and went 1-4 in its other appearance in 2010.

FRANCE 67, JAPAN 53

Gabby Williams scored 16 points and France used stellar defense in the fourth quarter to beat Japan and advance to the quarterfinals.

Iliana Rupert added 15 points and 12 rebounds for France (3-1). France led 48-46 18 seconds into the fourth quarter after Maki Takada made a layup. That would be the last points Japan would get until Saori Miyazaki’s layup with 1:53 left. The French scored 15 straight points over that nearly 8-minute stretch to blow the game open.

Japan (1-3) missed eight shots and had five turno vers during its drought. Miyazaki scored 13 points to lead Japan. She was the only player in double figures for the team.

With the loss, the Tokyo Olympic silver medal ists were eliminated from reaching the quarterfinals.

CHINA 95, PUERTO RICO 60 Li Yueru scored 16 points to lead a balanced China offense in a rout of Puerto Rico.

China (3-1) jumped out to an early lead and wouldn’t let Puerto Rico recover. The efficient Chi nese offense had 39 assists on its 41 baskets.

Puerto Rico (1-3) can advance to the quarterfi nals with a win over South Korea on Tuesday. With that in mind, most of the Puerto Rican starters played sparingly.

Trinity San Antonio led Puerto Rico with 19 points.

for the last wild card in the NL.

COMEBACK OF THE WEEK

The Kansas City Royals scored 11 runs in the sixth inning Sunday to wipe out a nine-run deficit against Seattle. Kansas City went on to win 13-12. Not that we need advanced stats to put that in perspective, but Baseball Savant lists Kansas City’s win probabil ity as 0.3% during that sixth inning.

The Royals had five walks and seven hits in the inning. Seattle still leads Baltimore by four games for the last AL wild card — and has the tiebreaker over the Orioles — but if the Mariners do miss the playoffs, this game will be a tough one to forget.

TRIVIA ANSWER

Sparky Anderson (1970, 1975 and 1976 with Cincin nati, 1984 with Detroit), Whitey Herzog (1977 with Kansas City, 1985 with St. Louis) and Tony La Russa (1988 and 1990 with Oak land, 2004 and 2005 with St. Louis). In addition to this year, Baker did it with San Francisco in 1993, his first season as a manager.

hit Ke’Bryan Hayes with a pitch and walked Cal Mitchell before being replaced. Kevin Newman dropped an RBI single into right off Joel Kuhnel. Hayes scored on a sacrifice fly.

The last-place Pirates (57-97), who have won their past five against the Reds, must win at least six of their final eight games to avoid reaching 100 losses for the 10th time. Cincinnati has dropped four of five.

Yohan Ramirez (1-1) pitched the seventh and eighth for Pitts burgh, allowing two hits.

Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl had a solo homer, his eighth of the season, before a rain delay halted play for 38 minutes after the top of the fourth.

FROM PAGE 15

Zheng Wei said through a translator. “Throughout the game, our team only played poorly in the first few minutes and the last three minutes of the second quarter, and the rest of the time was good. I am proud of the performance of the players!”

US coach Cheryl Reeve has seen a lot of improve ment in China and joked that she doesn’t want them to get too much better.

“We have all the respect in the world for China, we’ve seen them grow ... this is a great time for the women’s national team,” Reeve said. “It’s a great time. It’s a very, very good team.”

China plays a more uptempo unselfish style under Zheng, who took over in May.

In yesterday’s win over Puerto Rico, the team had 39 assists on its 41 baskets.

Chinese fans have taken notice. Besides the host team, China has drawn the biggest crowds at the World Cup. The players have been appreciative of the support, signing autographs and posing for pictures after games.

“I like that our fans come to watch,” said Han, who is averaging 12.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in the tournament.

She came into the tourna ment after having a strong season in the WNBA for the Liberty and has a huge fan following.

A win over Belgium today would secure the No. 2 seed in the pool and more importantly have the team avoiding a rematch with the US until the gold medal game.

AUSTRALIA’s Steph Talbot lays up to score goal as Canada’s Kayla Alexander, left, watches during their game at the women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, yesterday. (AP Photo/ Mark Baker)

LOS Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani flies out during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)

YANKEES’ Aaron Judge spits out his gum after striking out in the 6th in ning against Blue Jays yesterday. (AP)

world’s most heavily-regu lated jurisdictions.

Recalling the thenIngraham administration’s FATF-enforced regulatory overhaul in 2000, he said: “Twenty years later we’re still having threats of being blacklisted. What do we do? I really don’t know, in the sense that they’re threatening to blacklist a country that has gone over and beyond what is required over the years, certainly to the detriment of our financial industry to say the least.

“They keep on moving the goal posts. As a finan cial services provider, as my firm is, we have to go through hell every year in terms of certain reporting requirements because of the laws put in place over the years. Where does it end? Where does it end? When they talk about blacklisting, it causes the administration of the day to go into a panic so that we’re not adversely affected in any form or fashion.

“Because of the threat of blacklisting 22 years ago, we started to wipe out our financial services industry, the second industry in the country,” Mr McCartney continued. “Every time they speak about blacklist ing, and the administration

of the day addresses their demands, our financial ser vices industry continues to be wiped out. If they keep this up we’ll soon not have a financial industry in The Bahamas, and I think that’s really what they want to happen.

“No matter what we do, they’ll continue to threaten and move the goal posts until we don’t have a finan cial industry whatsoever. The question I think the administration needs to determine is whether it’s best to comply with their requests, knowing that they will continue to move the goal posts as they have been doing for the last 22 years, or say ‘to hell with it; let them blacklist’. Are we going to be better or worse off? That’s something the administration will have to determine.”

While there is likely to be increasing temptation for The Bahamas to assert its sovereignty, defying the demands of the EU and other ‘blacklisting’ bodies would also come with potential consequences.

Besides the reputational damage from being ‘black listed’, The Bahamas could also be subjected to sanc tions that add to the time and cost of conducting transactions with European financial institutions, com panies and clients, hurting

competitiveness and the ease of business.

Access to the EU finan cial services market for Bahamian institutions could be restricted, while local affiliates whose par ents are based in the bloc’s 27 member states will also come under increased scru tiny that could ultimately lead to pressure for them to exit this nation. And a ‘blacklisting’ by the EU will also lead to The Bahamas’ inclusion on its members’ own national blacklists, further deterring possible investors and permanent residents.

Meanwhile Sir Franklyn Wilson, too, hit out at the double standards employed by the EU, questioning why it was not threatening to ‘blacklist’ US states such as Delaware, Nevada, Wyo ming and South Dakota - all of which now offer the secrecy and tax advantages that The Bahamas has been driven away from by the international regulatory onslaught.

Branding Europe’s actions as “a blight” on the global financial and eco nomic system, the Arawak Homes chairman asserted: “It has nothing to do with objectivity. They pick on small countries, and do what they want to do. It’s terrible. It’s just abusive. It’s crazy. It’s crazy.....

“Tell them go talk to the state of Delaware. All these things they tell us we can’t do, they allow in Del aware. Tell them go after that and let the US deal with them. It’s abusive.” Sir Franklyn argued that, like any “abuser”, the EU and OECD will “find some way to rationalise their abusive conduct” towards small international financial cen tres (IFCs) such as The Bahamas.

Yet while international pressures continue to “erode” the financial ser vices industry, he added that “the good news” was that most of the damage and loss has already been suffered by The Bahamas. “Life goes on,” Sir Franklyn said. “We’ve had industries before that have shrunk in size. There was a time when the sponging industry was booming. We’ll find a way to survive, but the ‘black list’ issue is terrible. It’s abusive. It’s abusive.”

The Prime Minister, responding to the latest EU threat, branded it “pre mature” and hit out at the arbitrary, discriminatory “name and shame” tac tics employed by the EU and other bodies when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly over the weekend.

“When we look at the countries that are flagged

as high-risk and blacklisted, several startling commonal ities emerge. Why is it that European states that oper ate frameworks akin to that of high-risk or blacklisted countries are not even eli gible for inclusion on these lists? Why are all the coun tries targeted – all of them – small and vulnerable, and former colonies of Euro pean states?” Philip Davis KC said.

“We find it astounding that the $2-$3trn which is estimated to be laun dered each year through the developed countries are never flagged as causes for concern. And yet my country, which is widely recognised as one of the best-regulated countries in the world, and other coun tries like The Bahamas, are singled-out for such reputa tional attacks?”

Few would disa gree with the Prime Minister’s ‘big picture’ analysis. Many observ ers believe the EU and OECD’s ultimate goal is to undermine the competitive ness of The Bahamas and other international financial centres (IFCs) by imposing overly-burdensome regula tion that drives them out of the industry, and helps their member states regain millions in tax dollars they believe are being lost offshore.

Indeed, Mr Davis’ was backed by Kwasi Thomp son, the Opposition’s shadow finance spokesman,

who said in a statement: “The Opposition stands in support of the Prime Min ister’s recent statement at the United Nations Gen eral Assembly condemning these punitive blacklistings which unfairly harm our reputation in the interna tional community.

“We agree with the Prime Minister that these actions seem to be unfairly targeted towards former colonised and vulner able small island states. We remain resolute in our previous communications with the EU while in office that these drastic actions should only be issued in the most extreme and stubborn circumstances.”

However, Tribune Busi ness uncovered evidence showing The Bahamas was warned on December 13, 2021, about the EU’s concerns over its “eco nomic substance” and tax reporting regime. The Government responded with three letters in six weeks, all signed by the Prime Minister, promising Brussels this nation would address these issues - all of which involve technical implementation matters rather than policy - within the required deadline.

This raises questions of whether the imminent EU blacklisting was avoidable, and The Bahamas failed to follow through and execute. Similar questions were also raised by the Free National Movement (FNM).

High

Today Wednesday Thursday Friday

9:22 a.m. 3.4 3:12 a.m. 0.4 9:38 p.m. 3.2 3:41 p.m. 0.4 10:03 a.m. 3.5 3:49 a.m. 0.3 10:19 p.m. 3.0 4:25 p.m. 0.5 10:47 a.m. 3.5 4:28 a.m. 0.3 11:04 p.m. 2.9 5:12 p.m. 0.6 11:36 a.m. 3.5 5:12 a.m. 0.4 11:54 p.m. 2.8 6:05 p.m. 0.7

Saturday Sunday Monday 12:31 p.m. 3.4 6:02 a.m. 0.5 7:04 p.m. 0.9

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AND MOON

a.m.

Just two diseases cost taxpayer $35m

with late-stage cancer, which in turn reduces treat ment effectiveness and life expectancy.

“NCDs have a significant impact on health expendi tures. The total direct cost of diabetes and hyperten sion is $34.8m per year, representing 17.6 percent of public health expenditures. The cost of cancer treat ment is also high. It can reach up to $23,059 per case in The Bahamas.”

Primary healthcare pro viders and facilities, the IDB paper added, need to be better prepared “to deliver preventive and cura tive care” for Bahamians and residents with NCDs so that the number of patients seeking emergency/hospi tal care is lowered, thereby reducing healthcare costs.

However, the Govern ment has admitted that primary healthcare capac ity and infrastructure

throughout The Bahamas - and especially in the Family Islands - is in “dire condition” and in need of significant transformation. This was acknowledged by Colin Higgs, the Minis try of Health and Wellness permanent secretary, in an April 20, 2022, letter to the IDB.

Confirming that the min istry “has had to adapt its activities to align with the new mandate of gov ernment” following the September 16, 2021, gen eral election, Mr Higgs told IDB officials that the fund ing required for the clinic upgrades needed to be increased from the original $20m to $26m as the Davis administration wanted to double the number of either new-build or reno vated locations from nine to 18.

With some $5m in Euro pean Union (EU) grant financing taking the total clinic investment to around

$31m, Mr Higgs wrote: “The Ministry of Health and Wellness was man dated to do more with the funds allocated given the dire condition of health infrastructure and the extraordinary requirement for improvement.

“The facilities selected for air conditioning system retrofit were in no condi tion for that activity. Works identified as critical to the function of the health system are now proposed.”

The former Minnis admin istration had sought to initially improve primary healthcare infrastructure across seven Family Islands.

However, Mr Higgs wrote: “The Ministry of Health later prioritised the construction of five new clinics and renovation of 12. Each facility to be built would factor in resiliency to disaster and climate change risks, sustainabil ity and energy efficient design to comply with the

EDGE certification, and sound design to care for and contain the spread of transmissible diseases, such as COVID-19, and handle other infectious disease out breaks that might occur.”

The new clinics will be built in Fresh Creek and Mangrove Cay, Andros; Smith’s Bay, Cat Island; Staniel Cay, Exuma; Long Cay; and Rock Sound and Palmetto Point, Eleuthera.

The primary healthcare clinics set for upgrade and renovation are based at Matthew Town, Inagua; Marsh Harbour and Fox Town, Abaco; Mastic Point, Andros; Simms and Dead man’s, Long Island; Alice Town, Bimini; and Fox Hill Clinic in New Providence.

An IDB cost-benefit analysis of the healthcare upgrades projected that they will produce a net return of some $37.141m, with a collective $249.863min benefits out weighing $212.722m in costs

associated with the project over its lifespan.

Pointing out that the Bahamian public health care system is fragmented, and producing an uneven quality of healthcare, the IDB added: “The main objective is to improve the population’s health status by strengthening The Baha mas health system to meet the priority health needs.....

“The Ministry of Health and Wellness is modernis ing its health information system to reduce the public healthcare sector’s frag mentation and bridge the gaps in their asym metric development. The National Health Insurance Authority has a primary healthcare electronic health record system that serves 43,000 people and enables them to access their health information through a digi tal patient portal.

“By contrast, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is about to begin a transition

Ex-Central Bank guard loses $18k firing award

FROM

instant case Deveaux, by his own admission, altered his name on an insurance certificate that was related to the vehicle which the bank was to be holding as security. In my judgment, there was no legitimate reason for him to alter his name even if he genuinely believed that he had multi ple names.

“Deveaux could have easily informed the insur ance company of the desired name to be placed on the insurance certificate rather than altering it him self. At a minimum, altering the insurance certificate can constitute evidence of a fraudulent offence or dishonesty, both of which

made him susceptible to summary dismissal under section 31 of the [Employ ment] Act.”

Sir Michael said insur ance contracts require “good faith on the part of the insured”, and added: “Good faith cer tainly cannot include altering one’s name on the insurance certificate.” He wrote that the Central Bank’s industrial agreement with the union representing its staff enabled it to dis miss off-duty workers who were guilty of “grave mis conduct” off-premises that reflected badly on it, with altering the insurance cer tificate likely to be covered by such a term.

“This issue of the altered insurance certificate

becomes even more egregious given that the insurance certificate also has a different VIN number from the VIN number on the bill of sale. Deveaux also admitted to this dispar ity in the trial transcript,” Sir Michael ruled

For my part, I take judi cial notice of the fact that every vehicle is manu factured with a single and unique VIN number. When Deveaux’s admitted alteration of the insurance certificate is combined with the inexplicable mystery of two vastly disparate VIN numbers (7199 and 9576) for allegedly the same vehi cle, the bank had more than enough reasonable basis to conclude that there was sig nificant dishonesty involved in this whole matter.”

Not content to leave it there, the Court of Appeal president blasted: “Finally, Deveaux’s conduct must be considered in light of the fact that he is a secu rity officer responsible for guarding the premises of,

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

The Public is hereby advised that I, DEMETRIA LAKEISHA ANNEKE COOPER of P. O. Box CB-13022, #52 Beach Way Drive, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, intend to change my name to DEMETRIA LAKEISHA ANNEKE ANDREWS. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Offcer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE is hereby given that SCARLETT WILSON of P. O. Box F43231, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 27th day of September, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

LEGAL NOTICE

International Business Companies Act (No. 45 of 2000)

AsiAmerica Fund Limited (the “Company”)

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Section 138 (8) of the International Business Companies Act, No.45 of 2000, the Dissolution of AsiAmerica Fund Limited has been completed, a Certificate of Dissolution has been issued and the Company has therefore been struck off the Register. The date of completion of the Dissolution was the 26th day of October, 2021.

Joaquin Antonio Russo Liquidator

from a paper-based to a digital-based health information system. Cur rently, data management in the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ healthcare facilities is predominantly paper-based with manual data entry and reporting.”

The project aims to “introduce the electronic health record and digital technology in 85 clinics, which represent 100 per cent of existing primary care clinics of the Depart ment of Public Health”. Care for NCD patients will be modernised through the introduction of a “com munity-centred model of care” along with mecha nisms to improve the quality of patient treatments.

“Primary care interven tions to improve NCDs care are the most efficient way to reduce hospital admissions and premature mortality,” the IDB report reiterated.

not just any bank, but the foremost bank in The Baha mas. One would expect a person in his vocation charged with securing life and property to be imbued with the highest integrity.

“Accordingly, the bank would reasonably require its employees, including Deveaux, to be trustworthy and conduct any business that they have with the bank in a trustworthy manner. It is a reasonable expectation of the bank that its employees will operate with the utmost probity in their dealings not only with the bank but with the gen eral public.

“Suffice it to say, in my judgment, there was suf ficient evidence to enable the bank to form an honest and reasonable belief that Deveaux’s actions amounted to gross miscon duct. Deveaux’s actions met the threshold of gross misconduct (the Act) and a major offense (the indus trial agreement),” Sir Michael continued.

“Deveaux’s conduct in altering the insurance certificate, and the perplex ing issue of the two VIN numbers for a single vehi cle, undermined the trust and confidence which was inherent in the employment contract. Accordingly, the bank should no longer be required to retain Deveaux in its employment.”

Sir Michael concluded by criticising the original Supreme Court verdict. “I cannot agree with the trial judge’s finding that while the bank ‘would wish that employees and persons who represent their organisation act with the highest inten tion and integrity, this is not a realistic function. Mr Deveaux’s actions did not represent the highest level of integrity; however by no means was a fundamental aspect of his employment contract breached’,” he said.

“It is also incredu lous that the judge admitted that Deveaux’s ‘actions might give way to

suspicions of dishonesty” which is utterly incongruent with her conclusion that the same actions did not admit of gross misconduct and therefore warrant summary dismissal’.

“That determination was in my view unreason able and irreconcilable. The only logical conclusion under the circumstances was that Deveaux’s actions amounted to gross miscon duct and undermined the trust and confidence that the bank would have required to retain him as an employee.”

26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 29-Jul-2022 21-Apr-2050 27-Aug-2028 15-Oct-2049

30-Sep-2025 31-Mar-2022

SIR MICHAEL BARNETT

COVID-19 controls ‘saved’ $900m external reserves

is already grappling with an $11bn plus national debt.

And, while the Central Bank has estimated that some $400m in external reserves were saved by the additional exchange controls it imposed in April 2020 at COVID’s peak, the paper determined - via a broader cross-country analysis that accounts for transactions on behalf of government and with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - a further $500m was “indirectly” pre served. This took the total saving to $900m, or 50 per cent of the Central Bank’s $1.8bn pre-pandemic exter nal reserves.

The research, which was published yesterday on the Central Bank’s website, and its findings will likely reignite debate over The Bahamas’ fixed exchange rate regime and the associ ated capital controls that

currently preserve the one:one peg with the US dollar.

The Central Bank, prior to COVID, had embarked on a gradual easing of exchange controls designed, in particular, to facilitate overseas investments by Bahamians in productive assets such as stocks and real estate. The peg, which has existed since 1973, is generally seen as having served The Bahamas well thus far, but several in the private sector have privately voiced frustration to this newspaper over what they view as a too-conservative policy.

Their argument is that a fixed exchange rate regime is anachronistic, and out of place, in a world where cap ital is increasingly allowed to flow freely across bor ders - especially with the continued digital assets evolution. They view faster, and greater, liberalisation as critical to spurring greater

Bahamian and foreign direct investment (FDI) in this nation, providing the private sector and produc tive economy with greater access to capital.

Mr Titkov’s paper said The Bahamas ranks among the 11 nations with the most “strict” capital controls in the world. How ever, unlike the other ten, he described this nation as being relatively wealthy and prosperous, with a per capita income three times’ higher than the others at around $30,000.

Describing this nation’s exchange control regime as “relatively effective” and “relatively successful”, given that parity with the US dollar has been main tained for almost 50 years, the paper said: “If the ben efits of capital controls are evident anywhere, then they should be evident in The Bahamas.....

“I estimate that con trols have put one to

two percentage points of downward pressure on the interest rates paid on domestic government debt in recent years, and up to five percentage points since the onset of COVID-19. As the debt-to-GDP ratio of The Bahamas has risen to around 100 per cent, this represents substantial relief for the fiscal balance.”

That ratio has since come down, according to the Prime Minister, to around 85 percent. Mr Titkov then wrote: “Turn ing to the external balance, it has been estimated that extra controls imposed in response to COVID19 prevented or delayed the depletion of $400m of The Bahamas’ foreign exchange reserves, which totalled $1.8 bn prior to the pandemic.

“Cross-country evidence suggests that existing con trols may have saved an additional $500m of reserve outflows, though this esti mate is rough at best.” He added that the exchange rate regime, and extra con trols imposed, enabled The Bahamas “to have weath ered the shock well” with COVID-19 in comparison to other Caribbean nations with looser monetary restrictions.

“Early in the pandemic, the Central Bank estimated that its reserves could need to decline by more than $1bn from a pre-pandemic level of around $1.8bn to counteract the pressure on the peg arising from the halt in tourism inflows,” the paper said.

“Based on this estimate, the Central Bank imposed extra capital controls to ensure that its reserves remained sufficient. Cen tral Bank staff subsequently estimated that the extra capital controls saved the depletion of around $400m of reserves.”

Some $220m of that $400m, or more than 50 percent, was estimated to have been saved by sus pending dividend payments by the Canadian-owned

banks, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Scotiabank (Bahamas) and CIBC First Caribbean International Bank (Bahamas), to their parents.

A further $80m was conserved by allowing com mercial banks to sell more foreign currency to their cli ents, thereby easing demand on the Central Bank’s reserves. The “remainder” came from suspending foreign currency sales to Bahamians for investments overseas, while the National Insurance Board’s (NIB) sale and repatriation of overseas investment assets provided a further $60m boost.

Comparing The Bahamas to other Caribbean coun tries, Mr Titkov said it “saw the least depreciation in its currency while achieving the greatest accumulation of reserves relative to GDP” during COVID as a result of the restrictions imposed.

“For The Bahamas, these results can be interpreted as suggesting that the indi rect effect of its existing controls may have been to save around $500m in foreign exchange reserves from depletion,” he wrote.

“Taking my estimate at face value and adding it to the estimated effect of extra controls, I assess that The Bahamas’ capital con trols saved around $900m of reserve depletion over COVID-19, though this overall estimate should be seen as only rough at best.”

As for the impact of exchange controls on the Government’s debt, and associated interest rate costs, the paper added that “the benefit of cushioning the Government’s borrow ing costs in the context of a large debt burden and rising global interest rates may outweigh” the distortionary impact of what it described as “a form of so-called financial repression” for Bahamas-based investors by keeping returns artificially low.

“This suggests that the Government’s debt costs

could increase meaningfully alongside any further capi tal account liberalisation, if the liberalisation occurred while the debt burden was still large,” the Australian researcher wrote. “ As gov ernment debt is high in The Bahamas, an increase in the cost of servicing the debt could mean a noticeable deterioration in the fiscal balance, and a large enough deterioration could cast doubt on The Bahamas’ fiscal sustainability.”

Based on the Govern ment’s $6bn domestic debt, he added that “we arrive at a potential impact of between $20m and $300m in extra interest costs annu ally (or between around 0.2 and 2.5 per cent as a share of GDP)” in the absence of exchange rate and capital controls.

“The strict capital con trols imposed by The Bahamas appear to have had first-order benefits for its macroeconomic stability, in particular in the postpandemic period. I estimate that two benefits have been sizeable in the context of COVID-19,” Mr Titkov added.

“For the Bahamian fiscal balance, the controls have cushioned the effect of the debt burden on the govern ment’s budget by up to 2.5 per cent as a share of GDP. For its external balance, the controls prevented or delayed the depletion of around half of The Baha mas’ pre-pandemic level of foreign exchange reserves

“One potential policy implication of my estimates is that, were the capital con trols to be removed, these benefits could be lost. This may make The Bahamas more vulnerable in future crisis situations and put some strain on fiscal policy over time if the controls were removed while debt is still high,” he continued.

“Although many of the costs of capital controls (aside from administrative costs) are second order, this does not mean that they are necessarily outweighed by the benefits in the case of The Bahamas. For example, both theory and evidence suggest that the liberalisa tion of controls on outflows can even have the effect of increasing inflows on net, which would itself support reserve accumulation.

“Future research could try to estimate the costs of The Bahamas’ capital controls to put policymak ers in a better position to weigh up the prospects of any further capital account liberalisation.” While some will argue that the reliance on Central Bank data was likely to produce a paper favouring the existing regime, the contents never theless provide fuel for an ongoing debate.

ATLANTIS: COVID MASK WEARING STAYS OPTIONAL

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

AN ATLANTIS execu tive yesterday said mask wearing on its property will remain for optional for both guests and staff alike once their mandatory use nation wide ends on October 1.

Vaughn Roberts, the Par adise Island mega resort’s senior vice-president of government affairs and special projects, told Trib une Business that its mask policy has been “optional” for several months now ever since the Government relaxed this restriction for specific areas within hotels - such as lobbies and cor ridors - plus the outside grounds.

Affirming that Atlantis will not be forcing people to abandon mask wearing when the mandate comes to an end, Mr Roberts said: “We welcome the move that the Government is making, and it’s consistent with what we’re seeing elsewhere in competing destinations

and elsewhere around the world. But we have been fortunate to have had the option of wearing masks for a few months now.

“If staff members feel it is uncomfortable to take their masks off for whatever reason, they can keep them on, but everybody seemed to have been waiting for the Government to remove the mandate. I imagine a lot of locals will stop wear ing them. But more than 50 percent of our staff are not wearing masks as of today, and perhaps even more than 75 percent.”

Robert Sands, the Baha mas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, said: “We simply advocate or support a posi tion, and the advocated position becomes the col lective position of the BHTA and then individual properties decide how best they wish to implement it.

“I can’t speak to what individual properties will do. I think the important issue is that the Govern ment has agreed to relax the mask mandate. If some

people wish of their own free will and accord to wear a mask, I think they’re enti tled to do so. But if they do not wish to wear masks, they’re also within their rights to do so.”

Other industries are also voicing relief that the mask mandate is being lifted. Anton Minnis, vicepresident of the Bahamian Cosmetologists and Bar bers Association (BCBA),

said: “We will maintain our safety protocols throughout our membership like we did before and during the pandemic.

“So while the mask man date is being lifted, we still will be keeping our mem bership safe. We clean on a daily basis. We mop and clean regularly to ensure that no pathogen, whether it is COVID-19 or not, fes ters in our establishments.

We maintain a very high standard of hygiene in and outside of the barber shop.”

Harrison Moxey, the United Public Transporta tion Company’s (UPTC) president, speaking on behalf of the jitney indus try, said: “We knew that this is something that would have been coming. With the busses being enclosed it’s probably good, and the

Homeowners: Treasure Cay value down by half

FROM

ago. The counter offer made by residents is under stood to be $32.5m.

Mr Bethel added: “Well, the Meisters only own part of Treasure Cay, which is the golf course, the marina and the common area, and the homeowners own the rest. I don’t know about this $22m. Treasure Cay was selling for $57m some ten years ago, but every time the father (Ludwig Meister) got close to final ising the sale, he wanted to put something else on the table and it never went any where. So now they went from $57m to $31.5m, and they are still having trouble selling the property.”

Craig Roberts, a hotelier on Abaco, who is leading a group of residents in a counter-offer to buy the Treasure Cay resort, said: “We’re just waiting to see.

Dr Kovats from what I understand is threatening to sue everybody, so we just want to see what he does.

“Treasure Cay des perately needs a new, experienced and wellcapitalised developer to transform our tiny island community into a first-class and world-renowned resort destination. It’s certainly possible with the right lead ership and team.” Efforts to contact Dr Kovats proved unsuccessful yesterday.

Tribune Business last month obtained a copy of

a 13-page booklet, dated August 15, 2022, and enti tled Towne Centre Master Plan for Treasure Cay. The renderings have been drafted by Charles J Nafie Architecture and Design, the same Naples, Florida, firm working on Dr Kovats’ Love Beach project.

Besides the 350-room hotel, and a beach club and restaurant, the proposal also features a 150-unit condo hotel; 60 luxury condo units; a parking facility; offices; retail; and other amenities associated with a mixed-use resort development.

Bill McLean, of Beach Villa Owners Association, in an August 22 e-mail to members, said: “I’ve

attached a copy of a plan that has been submitted by Mr Kovats, the still-pend ing buyer of Treasure Cay Ltd, to the Prime Minister’s office, apparently to be for mally presented this week.

“The centrepiece of the proposal is a 350-room hotel (eight floors?) on the beach at the location of the former Coco Beach Bar. To say that this would forever change the appear ance and character of the beach, and of Treasure Cay, is an understatement. It is doubtful that Treasure Cay property owners will ever be given the opportunity for input, which govern ment regulations appear to require.”

It was just six weeks ear lier that Tribune Business reported Dr Kovats was planning to initiate legal action after the Govern ment refused to approve his purchase. A resident of Lyford Cay, Dr Kovats has also initiated litigation that, for the moment, has halted Albany’s acquisition of the adjacent South Ocean property in southwestern New Providence.

He is understood to be arguing that he has a bind ing purchase agreement with South Ocean’s Cana dian pension fund owners that was signed before the latter agreed the Albany deal, and is still valid.

The financier has also attracted controversy in his

COVID-19 seems to be not as potent as it was before.

“It’s good that if folks want to wear the mask they still can, and we will encour age the drivers to wear the masks at the onset just to monitor if there will be any new outbreaks. At least for the next four weeks we will encourage our driv ers to wear the masks until they feel comfortable to go without.”

native Austria throughout his business and investing career, despite building his publicly-listed industrial group, A-Tec Industries, into a conglomerate that once featured over 70 companies and more than 10,000 employees, with turnover pegged at more than one billion euros.

Numerous companies he was involved with early in his business career became insolvent, and Dr Kovats has faced numerous civil lawsuits during his business career, being criminally indicted twice. He was sentenced to six months’ probation in 2000 by the Vienna High Court over the bankruptcy of a night club he had invested in. Dr Kovats was also charged over another nightclub insolvency in 2007, although he was never convicted.

ATLANTIS RESORT & CASINO

Just two diseases cost taxpayer $35m

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

JUST two diseases con sume more than one out of every six dollars in the Govern ment’s annual health budget, it was revealed yesterday, with its public clinics facing an “extraordinary requirement for improvement”.

Documents associated with the $60m Inter-American Devel opment Bank (IDB) financing to upgrade Bahamian primary healthcare disclose that the treatment of diabetes and hypertension alone is cost ing Bahamian taxpayers close to $35m per annum, or almost 18

percent of public health spend ing, as the Government ramps up efforts to combat chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

Detailing the rising costs, and consequences, associated with an increasingly unhealthy Baha mian population, one IDB paper warned bluntly: “NCDs are highly prevalent. One of every ten adults has diabetes, and four of every ten adults have hypertension.

“There is an NCD-related gender health gap since more women are obese (women 54.8 percent, men 31.8 percent), have hypertension (women 77.5 percent, men 66.2 percent) and have malignant tumors (women 66.2 percent, men

COVID-19 controls ‘saved’

$900m external reserves

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Baha mas’ capital controls saved “around” $900m in external reserves at COV ID’s peak, an economic researcher has estimated, while also helping to lower the Government’s annual interest burden by 2.5 per cent of GDP.

Dmitry Titkov, an Aus tralian central bank official, in a paper produced for his studies at the Harvard Kennedy School, argues that this nation’s exchange control regime delivered “sizeable first-order ben efits for its macroeconomic stability” during the global

pandemic when economies shut down and foreign cur rency inflows dried up.

The paper, which drew heavily on data provided

Homeowners: Treasure Cay value down by half

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

HOMEOWNERS yesterday asserted that Abaco’s Treasure Cay resort has lost at least close to half its value since it was first placed on the market for sale at around $57m one decade ago.

Eric Bethel, property owner and an amenities board member, and the development’s former head of security, told Tribune Business a higher offer had been made to the Meister family than the $22.325m bid put forward by Austrian investor, Dr Mirko Kovats. Government approval for the latter’s purchase was rejected by the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) in June, although he was said to be making a fresh approach last month.

“There are homeowners inside Treas ure Cay that are ready to buy the resort now and will come in at a higher price than Dr Kovats gave. I just don’t know why the Meisters are stalling on the other offer,” Mr Bethel argued.

While other media reported the price at $22.325m, sources within the Treasure Cay community said Dr Kovats’ total bid was $31.5m to acquire all the Meister family’s property. This, they said, repre sents a steep drop from the original $57m sought for Treasure Cay some 10 years

47.9 percent). The most common cancers are prostate, breast, colo rectal and cervical cancer .

“Additionally, NCDs are the leading causes of ambulatory and hospital care, and cause 63 percent of disability-adjusted life years. Moreover, the top five leading causes of death per 100,000 inhabitants are ischemic heart disease (52.5), cerebro vascular disease (39.8), prostate cancer (31.9), breast cancer (28.8) and diabetes (27.1). The esti mates indicate that between 2000-2030, the probability of premature death from cancer per year will increase from 7.9 per cent to 9.23 percent.”

The Government, aided by IDB funding and technical

support, is aiming to catch these illnesses and treat them earlier by overhauling primary healthcare infrastructure and improving the efficiency of services offered to patients. And, in doing so, it is seeking to generate greater value for money for Bahamian taxpayers while also lowering healthcare costs.

“Appropriate preventive and curative care in primary care facilities and hospital settings can reduce health costs, and up to 25 percent of the mortal ity rates, for NCDs,” the IDB paper added. “For example, more than 70 percent of breast cancer patients are diagnosed

Bahamas must decide if ‘to hell with’ the EU

by the Central Bank of The Bahamas and help from its research department, said that besides conserving the external reserves these capital controls are also saving the Government up to $300m in annual debt servicing costs on its domestic debt by keeping interest rates lower than they would otherwise be.

While some observ ers will argue that this disadvantages Bahamian investors, Mr Titkov wrote that any increase in domes tic debt servicing costs would be troublesome for the Government given that this could cause “a notice able deterioration” in its fiscal position given that it

Ex-Central Bank guard loses $18k firing award

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Central Bank security guard has seen his $18,529 unfair dismissal award overturned by the Court of Appeal which found he failed to act with “the utmost probity” over a vehicle purchase.

Lorenzo Deveaux’s bid to hit a home run by seeking the full $97,013 damages sought in the original Supreme Court trial, and be reinstated to his previ ous $23,490 per annum job, was never considered as the appel late court instead found for the banking and monetary policy regulator.

Sir Michael Barnett, the Court of Appeal president, in a unanimous September 26, 2022, verdict ruled that Mr Deveaux’s admission to altering his name on the insurance certificate for a 2005 Nissan Murano, purchased with a loan from his then-Central Bank employer, and provision of two separate Vehicle Identifica tion Numbers (VINs) for the car, was sufficient for the regu lator to find him guilty of gross misconduct.

Ex-justice Ruth Bowe-Dar ville, in the October 29, 2021,

Supreme Court ruling found that Mr Deveaux “never intended to misrepresent or perpe trate a fraud” on the Central Bank when he changed his name on the insurance certificate so it matched that on his identifica tion documents.

Describing the “mismatch” between legal and street names as “a somewhat common Baha mian malady”, she found his actions did not amount to gross misconduct and merit the sum mary dismissal that the Central Bank imposed. The insurance certificate was significant for the Central Bank as it had wanted to be identified as the “loss payee” to whom the proceeds of any insurance claim should be paid.

However, Justice Bowe-Dar ville noted that it never bothered to register or stamp any mort gage security, and the failure to do so meant that - under the Stamp Act - this became inad missible as evidence in court.

Sir Michael and the Court of Appeal, though, took an entirely different view.

Noting that the former Central Bank security guard admitted to his actions during the original trial, Sir Michael wrote: “In the

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas must soon decide whether to tell the European Union (EU) “to hell with it” and refuse to be cowed by its repeated ‘blacklisting’ threats, an ex-Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader argued yesterday.

Branville McCartney told Tribune Business the country’s financial services industry “continues to be wiped out” through the EU and other global bodies “moving the goal posts” over the regulatory stand ards The Bahamas must achieve every time it escapes their adverse listings.

Speaking after the Gov ernment confirmed the EU is again set to ‘black list’ The Bahamas at its upcoming Council meet ing in October, he said this nation’s 22-year effort to comply with Europe’s demands - and those of the Organisation for Eco nomic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and Financial Action Task

Force (FATF) - had yielded nothing but a steady con traction in the country’s second most important industry.

Disclosing that, as a financial services provider, his Halsbury Chambers law firm “has to go through hell every year” to meet the reporting and recordkeeping demands imposed on The Bahamas, Mr McCartney told this news paper that the country has “gone over and beyond” in making itself one of the

BRANVILLE MCCARTNEY