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In The Bahamas, Drinking Like James Bond

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By Tim Cotroneo
CJ Contributor

Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig had one thing in common when starring in the legendary James Bond movie series.

They all preferred their martinis shaken, not stirred.

The lobby bar at The Ocean Club, a Four Seasons Resort located on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, served one of the signature movie locales for the 2006 remake of Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first film in the role of 007. (Another Nassau watering hole, now the home of The Bahamas’ John Watling’s Rum, was also the location of a major scene in the film.)

Long-time Ocean Club bartender Keith Cash watched from the wings while Daniel Craig’s martini scene was shot at the six-seat bar in which Cash has worked since 1987.  Read more >>

BTVI teams up with Cisco to empower future innovators

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Queen’s College student, Danille Issacs (L) and St. John’s College student, Kaitlyn Micklewhite were two of the girls chosen from the government’s three-year Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program to participate in a one-day Girls Power Tech conference sponsored by tech giant, Cisco. The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) is facilitator of the ICT program.  Photos: BTVI

The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) recently joined a list of other countries encouraging girls and young women to consider educational and career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

A one-day Girls Power Tech conference sponsored by Cisco was held at the BTVI New Providence and Grand Bahama campuses. Cisco is a worldwide leader in IT, networking and cyber security solutions.

Participants had the opportunity to interact with women who are technology professionals, who shared stories about their careers and their vision for a technologically advanced future. The girls were selected from students who are already a part of the government’s three-year Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program which is the brain child of Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Hubert Minnis.

St. John’s College student, Kaitlyn Micklewhite, who is in her second year of the ICT program, has already seen the benefits of the program.

“Not a lot of girls are exposed to IT the way we are being exposed. We are gaining lots of knowledge in cryptocurrency and blockchains, in basic IT, advanced fundamentals and in programming. It has helped me a lot in IT in school. It has been a platform to do better in the subject,” stated Kaitlyn.
“The world is moving with technology and I want to be a part of the advancement and be able to contribute,” added the 15-year-old.

Danielle Issacs also expressed how privileged she feels to be a part of the ICT program, but also to have been selected to participate in the Cisco conference.

“We’re learning more IT and working on blockchains…it’s really hard, but it’s fun. I feel lucky to be chosen to part of the program and would like to use my IT knowledge in business,” said the Queen’s College student.

The girls in New Providence toured the data centre of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), while those in Grand Bahama, toured Cable Bahamas and the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC). There was also a video conference with Cisco representative, Monica Gomez.

BTVI’s Chair of Information Technology, Anthony Ramtulla recalled when BTVI’s IT program had about five females to now there being such interest in the IT field that the ICT program has nearly 50% girls.

“I thank the prime minister for making this whole venture possible. This is his idea; BTVI is facilitating it. You are a seed that has been planted to move this country into a new era,” said Mr. Ramtulla.

Mr. Ramtulla believes that out of the program will emerge the nation’s leading experts in Software Engineering, Network Engineering and Information Technology Management.

Meanwhile, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, Leroy Sumner, noted that information technology is fundamental in today’s tech-savvy environment.

“Technology runs the world. If you don’t be a part of it, you will be left behind. It is driving everything. You are in the right place at the right time,” said Mr. Sumner.

He also pointed out that the world is changing as previously, certain jobs were associated with males; however, he reminded the girls that the world is their oyster and encouraged them to keep in mind the purpose of being in the program.

“Stay focused. All of the other things will follow; they can wait. Be young, upstanding women. Don’t get into the program and demean yourselves. Take your rightful place. There is a place for you somewhere in The Bahamas, somewhere in the world,” he emphasized.

Shown here are participants of the Cisco Girls Power Tech conference, facilitated by BTVI. From left to right Kalista Miller, Stenasia Wilson and Clarece Moxey. The one-day conference was held at BTVI’s New Providence and Grand Bahama campuses.

The ICT program comes at a time when there is a wide gap in the number of males and females working in the IT field. According to Cisco, women comprise 27% of workers in the computer science, engineering and physics fields in some of the world’s emerging economies.

Last year, 123 students from private and public schools in New Providence were awarded certificates after completing phase one of the three-year ICT program. There were 175 students combined between the program in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

The Tribune Weekend

Religious children are meaner than their secular counterparts, study finds

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Religious belief appears to have negative influence on children’s altruism and judgments of others’ actions even as parents see them as ‘more empathetic’

By Harriet Sherwood

Children from religious families are less kind and more punitive than those from non-religious households, according to a new study.

Academics from seven universities across the world studied Christian, Muslim and non-religious children to test the relationship between religion and morality.

They found that religious belief is a negative influence on children’s altruism.  Read more >>

Brookfield Is Exploring Sale of Atlantis Resort in Bahamas

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Atlantis Paradise Island resort Photographer: Jessica Koscielniak/Biloxi Sun Herald/TNS/Getty Images 

By Gillian Tan
and Scott Deveau

Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is exploring the sale of Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, a luxury destination in the Bahamas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The firm is working with an adviser to solicit potential interest in the sprawling resort, which includes multiple hotels, a casino and more than 10 swimming pools, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. A representative for Toronto-based Brookfield declined to comment.  Read more >>

Govt eyeing crackdown on opioid prescriptions

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The government intends to crack down on pharmacies that have “a disproportionate business” in control substance prescriptions, Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands said.

The United Nations World Drug Report 2019, which was released last month, said synthetic opioids pose a “serious threat to health” globally, noting that overdose deaths have risen in North America and the trafficking of fentanyl has expanded worldwide.

Sands said The Bahamas has not seen a problem with opioids that’s “anywhere near as serious” as what’s occurring in the United States.

However, he told The Nassau Guardian, “Our problem has been the availability of opioids for cancer care, for pain relief, et cetera, typically when we move toward the end of the clinical year. Whether that is due to visitors accessing our consignment of opioids when they come to visit, or whether there’s misappropriation or inappropriate prescribing patterns.”  Read more >>

Back to Angola festival celebrates shared history of Bradenton and the Bahamas

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By Anna Bryson

In March, Mineral Springs Park was officially recognized as a stop on the Underground Railroad Network by the National Parks Services’ National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Daphney Towns, a native of the Bahamas, lived in Bradenton for 25 years before she knew that it was the land where her ancestors once lived.

The story taught in textbooks is that when slaves escaped their owners in the U.S. in the early 1800s, they went north to free states or to Canada. But researchers discovered that some of them went south, to Florida. Escaped slaves and Seminole Indians created a Maroon community along the Manatee River that became known as the Angola settlement.  Read more >>

Industrial action looming at BTC

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Union: “We will continue to agitate until Mr. Sinclair is gone”

Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Dino Rolle said yesterday that the union will continue to agitate until Liberty Latin America CEO Balan Nair and BTC Chief Executive Officer Garry Sinclair resign, saying if the pair do not step down, the union will “do what it must”.

“We will continue to agitate; we will continue to push and we will continue to have our voices heard,” he told Eyewitness News Online.

“We are not comfortable with the likes of Balan and Sinclair trying these plantation tactics of trying to put one group of persons against the other, and that is why we are calling for his resignation because that is a clear indication of poor leadership, and he can carry Mr. Sinclair with him because he seems to be running rudderless, and has the company running rudderless. We will continue to agitate until Mr. Sinclair is gone.

During a recent Liberty Global meeting in Jamaica, Nair said BTC is one of Liberty’s lowest performing subsidiaries.

He linked the performance of the company directly to its employees.  Read more >>

Attack Shadow On Shark Conservation

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BNT President Eric Carey

By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE death of an American woman from a shark attack in Bahamian waters has presented significant challenges to conservation efforts.

Bahamas National Trust executive director Eric Carey pointed to “back channel” campaigns to introduce legal provisions that would justify killing a shark under certain circumstances following the death of 21-year-old Jordan Lindsey. His comments come as researchers at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) celebrate hard-won scientific breakthroughs that have crystallised the country’s global reputations as a leading site for shark conservation and protection.

The college student died from a shark attack off Rose Island on June 26 as researchers descended on a mission to successfully satellite tag a deep-sea bluntnose sixgill shark some 500m beneath the surface in Exuma Sound. Read more >>

Sky Bahamas In Fight To Survive: Flights Grounded And Airline Could Face Total Collapse

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By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Sky Bahamas’ principal yesterday said the airline and its 63 employees are fighting for its survival following a two-week long grounding due to delays in a key permit’s renewal.

Captain Randy Butler, the airline’s chief executive, told Tribune Business that the private Bahamian-owned carrier had been told by the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority, the industry regulator, to “discontinue” commercial passenger services from July 8.

While Sky Bahamas’ air operator certificate (AOC), the approval required for an airline to carry fare-paying passengers, had expired on June 29, 2019, Captain Butler said normal protocol was for the previous licence to remain in effect until the new one was granted provided it was not “suspended, revoked or terminated”.

Producing a copy of Sky Bahamas’ just-expired licence to show it contains such a clause, Captain Butler revealed that he was called to a July 9 meeting at The Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority where the regulator “came up with some ridiculous findings” in relation to a recent safety inspection conducted on the airline.  Read more >>

Spider Wasps & Tarantula Hawks: Step away from this insect

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I’ve recently had a flood of online hits for a creature I wrote about several years ago. It’s an aggressive-looking insect that I found in the coppice on South Abaco. I have revisited and revised the original article, with some better images than my own original ones. I could only get a partial shot of the insect, and I wondered whether to try to reach it and get a more complete shot. Perhaps I could have, but very fortunately for for me (as it later turned out) I didn’t touch it.  Read more >>

Bahamas Consul General To Atlanta Applauds Citizens For Representing The Nation Well During 46th Independence Celebrations

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The Atlanta Junkanoo Group performs at Stone Mountain during the Bahamas Independence Day celebrations in Atlanta.

By Arthia Nixon

Atlanta, Georgia… Historic Stone Mountain Park came alive with Bahamian culture, cuisine and of course the sweet sounds of Junkanoo, when those living in the diaspora joined the Bahamas Consulate General’s Office of Atlanta to celebrate the nation’s 46th Independence.

Bahamas Consul General, Astra Armbrister-Rolle thanked the crowd of over 500 attendees for being apart of the weekend of activities that included a play, church service and family fun day.

“The Bahamas Consulate General, Atlanta would like to thank the Bahamian community for their full show of support for our Independence celebrations,” said Armbrister-Rolle. “We are confident that our community has become closer as a result of the past weekend. The Consulate will do its endeavor best to continue to foster closer ties with our Diaspora throughout the jurisdiction. We ask for your continued support and encourage Bahamians living, working and attending school in our jurisdiction to register through our website to stay abreast of our events and activities.”

Attendees were treated to performances from Tara Lynne Brown, Ron Jon Bovi and the Rake ‘n’ Scrape general Stileet.

Brandon Lafleur, founder of the Atlanta Junkanoo Group, Annette Hanna owner of Conch Heaven Bahamian restaurants in the Atlanta area and Annmarie Turner were honored for their contributions within the jurisdiction.

The Bahamas Consul General’s Office of Atlanta’s jurisdiction includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

 Atlanta Bahamas Independence Committee member Beverly Maycock and Atlanta Junkanoo Group President/2019 Service Award Recipient Brandon Lafleur join Bahamas Consul General to Atlanta Astra Armbrister-Rolle in cutting the cake.


 Michael Thomas who produces several Caribbean events in the Atlanta area showing support at the Bahamas 46th Independence celebrations in Atlanta.


 Bahamian Rake ‘n’ Scrape artist Stileet and Bahamas Consul General to Atlanta Astra Armbrister-Rolle


Some of the volunteers at the Bahamas Independence celebrations in Atlanta, Georgia.

Damage to Bahamas shipyard leaves cruise lines scrambling

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The aft end of the Carnival Vista on the Boka Vanguard at the Grand Bahama Shipyard.

Damage to a drydock facility at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in the Bahamas is proving inconvenient and expensive for the cruise industry, and it demonstrates how few drydock options exist on the U.S. East Coast.

The damaged drydock, the largest of three at Grand Bahama, was put out of commission on April 1 when a crane collapsed while raising the stern of the Oasis of the Seas to repair its propulsion pods.

The accident forced Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) to take the Oasis to a yard in Europe to finish repairing it.

The repairs, plus the cost of three canceled Oasis cruises, will pare an estimated $52 million from RCCL's 2019 earnings. 

But Royal is not the only line affected by the loss of the Bahamas drydock.  Read more >>

Bahamas new tax regime for web shop revenue, punters’ winnings

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By Steven Stradbrooke

Bahamas ‘web shop’ gambling operators caught a tax break from the government, while shop customers won’t be taxed on their online casino winnings.

On Monday, the Bahamian Senate approved amendments to the country’s Gaming House Operator Regulations, following similar approval in the House of Assembly late last week. The approval hopefully brings an end to over a year of squabbling between the government and its gambling operators over what level of taxation the sector can handle.  Read more >>

Face To Face: Butch Or Plati Dread - Life’S Never Been Conventional

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Plati Dread and his band, Naykid I.

By FELICITY DARVILLE

A trend is growing in Nassau. More and more people are becoming interested in alternatives to traditional ways of living. They are engaging in healthier lifestyles, trying out new diets like the Keto craze currently underway; buying herbal remedies and vegan or gluten-free food products; taking an exercise regimen seriously; exploring acupuncture, massage and other forms of healing. They are even considering other forms of religion and spirituality.

What may have seemed weird or even crazy in the general society as little as ten years ago, are now becoming accepted forms of behaviour.

Long before these trends were catching on, Dr Tyrone “Butch” Bartlett was always unconventional. Yes, he’s a general practitioner, but he’s spent decades on a path of enlightenment and he doesn’t hesitate to share his knowledge if you ask. If you visited his office back then, you would have found him in his white coat wearing crystals around his neck and a crown of dreadlocks during a time when they weren’t as popular as they are today.  Read more >>

Help Us Raise Money for Dundas Repairs!

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Dundas Burgled and Vandalized

At 3 AM on Monday July 22, the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts was burgled and vandalized. A 50-inch television, a DVD player and a surveillance DVR were taken. In the main theatre, every locked interior door was destroyed. The exterior door to the Black Box theatre was also wrenched open. All communications to the theatre—security cameras, cable and telephone wires—were cut. Both alarm keypads were ripped from of the walls and both alarm panels were destroyed. A kitchen sink was broken. Altogether, an estimated $10,000 in damage was left behind.
The Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit community theatre which operates on a shoestring. It receives no government subsidy and has no ongoing corporate support. Ticket revenues and rentals are its primary source of income. The staff who work there are part-time employees and volunteers who work full-time and receive an honorarium for their services. There is a caretaker's cottage on site, but finding the best fit for the job has been challenging.
Operating costs for the Dundas include very high electricity bills to keep the air conditioners and lighting running at the theatre. These bills are met by our rentals. The Dundas is an old building which needs a number of repairs, particularly after the damage wrought to the perimeter fencing and the roof by Hurricane Matthew.
Numerous improvement projects have been identified for the upgrading and expansion of the facility. But what is most important is being able to pay our staff fair full-time salaries that will enable the theatre to grow. We can ill afford to handle the extra damage done by the burglars.
So many people have expressed support and asked how they can help with the repairs of the theatre. We are working on making online and credit card donations possible, but in the meantime you can make donations straight to the Dundas bank account:
 
Dundas Civic Centre
Royal Bank of Canada
Palmdale Branch
05745-003-1181171 
Email: admin@ringplay.org to find more ways to assist!

Beres Hammond Live in Atlanta

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BERES HAMMOND + ROMAIN VIRGO + PRESSURE BUSSPIPE Will Be Live @ The Biggest Reggae Concert Of The Summer Love & Reggae Friday August 23rd @ The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Doors Open 6PM • Showtime 7PM

Get Tix NOW @ BERESHAMMONDATL.COM or Ticketmaster Box Office

Music By: Dj Inferno + Mix Master David

Call 678.559.8993 or 770.231.1229 For More Details

Financial sector continues to record declines in The Bahamas

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By Chester Robards

NASSAU, Bahamas — The financial sector continues to face declines in the number of banks and employed people in 2018, and the sector’s total domestic assets also declined in that year, according to the Central Bank of The Bahamas’ (CBOB) Gross Economic Contribution of the Financial Sector in The Bahamas 2018 report.

The report reveals that the financial sector has faced continued declines over the past five years, with added pressure being placed on the sector by international financial services regulators such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“For international businesses, the response to tax transparency requirements has exacerbated operating cost pressures, culminating in both the repositioning of business outside the jurisdiction and significant outsourcing of support for the remaining operations,” the report states.  Read more >>

OECD concludes that The Bahamas legal framework is ‘not harmful’

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The Bahamas passed the latest assessment by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), confirming that the jurisdiction is a safe place for financial services and corporate investment activities. The OECD concluded that the domestic legal framework is in line with international standards and therefore “not harmful”, which is a nod to the slate of legislative and regulatory reforms undertaken by the Government since the New Year.

On July 19th2019, the Global Forum on Harmful Tax Practices and Exchange of Information, through the Inclusive Framework on BEPS, approved the latest results of Peer Review of The Bahamas’domestic laws on economic substance, which was conducted by the OECD Forum on Harmful Tax Practices (“FHTP”) at its meeting in June 2019 in Paris.  Read more >>

Govt. approves MSC Ocean Cay as marine protected area

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Multi-million dollar development expected to open in November

The government affirmed its commitment to MSC cruises yesterday as it recognizes the cruise company’s multi-million-dollar development at Ocean Cay as a marine protected area once the private island officially opens in just over three months.

Two years after breaking ground for its $300 million project, MSC cruises is preparing to officially launch the world’s biggest private cruise resort at Ocean Cay.

The resort opening is pegged for November 9, according to MSC developers.

The man-made island was a former industrial sand extraction site.

The international cruise company has not only transformed the 95-acre island into a destination that is expected to welcome over 500,000 visitors in its first year, but has also received government’s stamp of approval for the island to become a marine reserve protected area.

MSC developers received the green light from Cabinet following its sitting Tuesday.  Read more >>
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