Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
• Rating :

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis planet to recover Spock's body....

Franchise Summit Gives Entrepreneurs a Financial Kick-start

Success of summit sparks creation of annual event

Bahamian entrepreneurs needing financial aid for business
development got a shot at winning $1,000 at the recent International
Franchise and Entrepreneurial Summit and Trade Show by showcasing their
'5 minute elevator pitch' skills.

The event held by the Horizons Marketing Group and
the National Association of Black Hotel Owners Operators and Developers
(NABHOOD) saw dozens of interested Bahamians flocking to the Hilton
on April 21, 2012 to learn more about how to get more cash for their
businesses...

read more »

Ultimate Vibes Radio Re-Launch Party

Sunday 4th September 2011  7:00 PM

Ultimate Vibes Radio holds their Re-Launch Party. Live Remote hosted by V-Mac, Toni & Manifest. Music by Kingdom Dub Sound Systerm. DJ Nuff Sed & DJ Elevator. Admission: $5 Start Time: September 4th at 7:00pm Location: Kingdom Vibes Lounge, East St.

Progress on Baha Mar

Nassau, Bahamas -

Baha
Mar's progress continues to be a marvel of engineering, construction and
teamwork. This picture, taken at 8:30 pm Saturday April 21, shows the start of
a 24 hour continuous pour of cement for the Grand Hyatt's elevator pits. 2500
yards coming out of a batch plant on site at a 120 yards per hour. A great team
effort bringing Baha Mar another step closer to reality!

read more »

Inspectors probe crash landing

The crash landing of a Southern Air plane at Deadman's Cay Airport on Long Island is being blamed on an "elevator jam" that prevented the plane's landing gear from activating.
According to the Department of Civil Aviation, inspectors visited the site on Saturday morning. Hubert Adderley, the manager of the department's Flight Standards Inspectorate, said the full cause of the dysfunction is unclear. he noted that inspectors have gathered enough information to begin a full-scale investigation into the incident.
"The first report we have received is that the pilot had a control surface jam, or an elevator jam with the landing gear," he explained. "Nevertheless, he landed the plane. That accident had the potential to be a whole lot worse than it was. The pilot did an excellent job landing the aircraft based on the information we have."
Adderley told Guardian Business it could take several months for his office to complete the investigation.
"We are still determining exactly what caused it. We have not concluded that yet," he said.
Last Saturday, The Nassau Guardian reported that the nine-seater plane, a Beechcraft 100, crash landed and came to a halt near bushes off the airport's runway. The incident left the plane's propellers mangled.
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, the minister of tourism and aviation, called the crash landing "a very serious matter, and we want to make sure we get the investigation done properly".
He said that his office "wants a report very quickly", and the minister expressed relief that nobody was injured in the crash.
"When you live on a nation of islands, the most efficient way to get around is air transportation. The public has to have high confidence in the system," he told Guardian Business.
Back in early 2007, a Bahamasair Cash 8 crash landed at Governor's Harbour in Eleuthera.
None of the passengers were seriously injured in that incident.

read more »

Rising Star Tribute To Zoe Kravitz

Friday 2nd December 2011  8:00 PM

Friday, December 2 / 8:00pm Atlantis Theatre Rising Star Tribute To Zoe Kravitz The Festival’s prestigious Rising Star Award is given to an actor or actress whose noteworthy performances have put them on the path for elite and lasting stardom in the industry. Zoe Isabella Kravitz will be on hand for the special award tribute presentation. Kravitz was nominated for two Teen Choice Awards in categories Choice Movie Breakout for a Female and Choice Movie Chemistry for her co-starring role as Angel Salvadore in the hit franchise “X-Men: First Class” (2011), starring January Jones, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Kevin Bacon. The film was released on June 3, 2011 and debuted as #1 at the box office.

Kravitz appeared in her first lead role in the film, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” (2010) as character Nia, based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, co-starring Zack Galifianakis, Lauren Graham and Emma Roberts, in which she was nominated for a Black Reels Awards in the Best Breakthrough Performance category. Kravitz also landed a lead role as Sweetness O’Hara in “Yelling to The Sky,” (2011) which tells the story of a girl who has a sometimes-absent father and a present but mentally unstable mother. The film debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2011. The film will also be featured at BIFF, with Kravitz in attendance to introduce the film. The film will be screened at the Galleria JFK on December 2nd and 4th. Kravitz made her acting debut as character Charlotte in Scott Hicks’ “No Reservations” (2007) with Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart. In the same year, Kravitz appeared as Chloe in “The Brave One” directed by Neil Jordan, starring Jodie Foster and Terrance Howard In addition, Kravitz has starred in “Beware the Gonzo” (2010) as character Evie Wallace opposite Amy Sedaris, Campbell Scott and Ezra Miller, and as Gabby in the Joel Schumacher film “Twelve” (2010) co-starring Kiefer Sutherland, 50 Cent, Chase Crawford and Emma Roberts. Zoe just wrapped the lead role in the film “The Boy Who Smells Like Fish” opposite Doug Smith. Outside of her film endeavors, Kravitz has kept busy with various projects – performing with her band Elevator Fight, where she serves as lead singer and co-writer; being the face of Vera Wang’s Princess perfume; and appearing in music videos for artists such as Jay-Z and Will.I.Am’s “We Are the Ones” during Obama’s campaign. Ticket Price: $50.00

Glinton wears many hats, and sturdy heels

Many "hat" changes are needed for Dominique Glinton to get through her workday, juggling the jobs of property manager, office manager, litigation administrator, administrative assistant to the director of finance and operations, and immigration administrator at the law firm where she works.
"And I do it in heels," Glinton said, referencing the three flights of stares and no elevator at the firm's premises. "I'm just running from flight to flight, getting it done."
Glinton has been with Glinton Sweeting O'Brien (GSO), since 2005. GSO is one of the country's leading law firms specializing in offshore financial services. Accord ...

read more »

88M Balmoral sees 40 spike in sales

One gated community located in western New Providence is showing a 40 percent sales increase in comparison to last year, according to Balmoral's President Jason Kinsale.
"We are happy with what we are seeing because the development is already showing a 40 percent increase in comparison to last year. The development is really getting to where it's beginning to look like a real development. It's not just a plan of what might be coming," Kinsale told Guardian Business.
"People can drive through and see that it is real and feel comfortable with the fact that we are here to stay and that it is moving in the right direction."
Kinsale attributed Balmoral's success since launching more than three years ago to the variety of products the development has to offer, along with keeping a close eye on international market trends as well.
"[We are] offering homes beginning at $279,000 and going up to $479,000, along with our lots and our single-family homes. This has enabled us to adapt to what the market is looking for. At our previous price point of $329,000, we had priced ourselves out of the young professional buying market until now," he noted.
He explained that this accounts for nearly 30 percent of sales in the real estate market. Kinsale pointed out it was this trend that led to the development adding Aristo condos to its product listing.
Despite its three-week launch, Kinsale revealed to Guardian Business that these homes are nearly sold out.
"We have sold nine out of 12 units already. We haven't had a response to a product like that in a long time. This tells that there is a market for this and I think we will sell the other three within the next 10 days or so," he shared.
Estate Agent and Senior Appraiser at HG Christie Ltd. Ryan Knowles pointed out that the Balmoral development has attracted a lot of attention due to its prime location, just minutes from the airport, the Baha Mar development, the U.S. Ambassador's residence and the downtown area.
In 2012, Knowles has already sold two homes in that development, one priced at $479,000 and the other at $279,000.
"This development has paid off because Kinsale and his team have been smart enough to offer a variety at affordable price with top-notch amenities available for a gated community. Sales within the development have been consistent. There has been no need for them to drop their prices. And overall the development has been built fairly quickly," Knowles said.
"Balmoral is located in an extremely secure area so considering the country's crime climate, security is a non-issue. The clubhouse has international notoriety as it has hosted event for the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) and the Miss Universe pageants."
Knowles believes that the Balmoral is one of the more successful developments built in The Bahamas within the last 10 to 15 years as it caters to different buyers, whether it's for a young couple, a single person, a young family or for investment purposes.
As the multimillion-dollar Baha Mar project is being constructed, Knowles noted that the Balmoral development will continue to be the talk of the town.
To date, Kinsale estimated that approximately $28 million has been invested but another $50 to $60 million is expected to be pumped into it over the next three years.
Another trend Kinsale is noticing is the change in the development's buyer demographic.
"Initially we had 23 percent foreigners and 77 percent Bahamians buying. And now we are seeing 50 percent foreign and 50 percent Bahamian ownership," Kinsale explained.
"Most of those foreigners are Canadian but we are seeing an increase in our European buyers as well. There is a strong dollar in Canada right now and a very strong real estate market in Canada."
"We are still seeing 70 percent of our buyers are residing here and 30 percent are using as an investment."
Despite the success of its lower-end product, the Aristo condo, the development's chief said they have no plans to offer any similar products but is looking to add another type of product.
"Our next product will be focusing on the empty nesters. We are looking at a condo priced at around $385,000 that's all on one floor, a little bit larger. There are a lot of people that have sold off their homes. They are nearing retirement, they don't want stairs and we are considering a building with elevators, that's three stories here as well," Kinsale said.
"That's probably the next market that we are going to target. I am working on the plans for that now."
Kinsale estimated the design plans will be completed within the next three to four months.

read more »

The art of politics

If artists and politicians had a relationship status on Facebook, it would certainly read as "It's Complicated".
Art in its many forms has undeniable power, able to bring groups of people across social strata and cultures and even social beliefs together in an instant - just think of the myriad of pop culture musical references and local performances used in our political rallies. Did people really think Tina Turner would appear at an FNM rally? Did it matter once the turnout stretched beyond the eye? And how many undercover PLPs, DNAs or undecided voters attended - or attentively kept an eye on their TV screens at home - waiting to catch a glimpse of the beloved internationally-acclaimed musician? That's some powerful art.
Yet local artists will openly admit feeling like the jilted sweetheart of their political paramours, finding a lack of funding for their endeavors and no certain systems for their craft that can only be put in place by politicians through law. The truth is being an artist in The Bahamas means paying 45 percent duty on your supplies, battling a one-dimensional view of Bahamian culture that is synonymous with Junkanoo, a lack of government-issued incentives to develop their craft (funding, scholarships, awards, residencies, gallery/performance spaces, public art initiatives) and the push for sun-sand-and-sea tourism over untapped cultural tourism.
On the other side, politicians balance the cries from the art community for such change with the ever-pervasive belief that art is a luxury. Such efforts often give only just enough to artists for boasting rights during election time, yet leave artists unsatisfied and often resentful. The unfortunate inability to commit wholly to the arts in all of its forms just continues to perpetuate the art-as-luxury idea instead of helping the public to realize the necessity of art to expand the definition of Bahamian/Caribbean culture and identity.
After all, here in The Bahamas, the major political parties are reduced to a single color to drive their campaigns - "Red Splash" and "Gold Rush". And if that's not art as the most basic, one-dimensional way to powerfully define Bahamian identity, then I don't know what is.
Yet the resistance too from the political side comes from a long history of spats between artists and politicians - after all, art, as said before, is powerful, and when not in favor of the status quo can be quite problematic for authority figures defining issues for society in black-and-white terms or altogether pulling the wool over the public's eyes. Through socially critical work, artists keep authority figures and societies honest, and complicate objective stances with subjective realities.
Take the work by artist Dionne Benjamin-Smith. In her earliest printmaking pieces, she explored the politics of the feminine in raw, honest linoleum-cuts that confronted viewers with its uncensored imagery and themes.
Now working in digital media and drawing more heavily from her graphic design background, she continues to make work that keeps authority on its toes. For that she's been called an artist that expresses social commentary or a political artist, and has garnered equal shares of criticism and praise for her fearlessness and ability to present troublesome political decisions or social trends in clever representations, such as the "Black Crab Pledge of Allegiance" and "Bishops Bishops Everywhere But Not a Drop to Drink".
"What drives me is speaking the truth - showing the naked emperor - so people can make their own decisions on how they view a situation," said Benjamin-Smith. "I am constantly thinking about issues I see before me. I pray about them and I am often moved to express them in some way through the work. Hopefully, people will see the truth of a situation and that the authority figures will see that the people aren't stupid. Hopefully, it helps bring truth to a world that is very messed up."
Her latest collection of work, "Birthright for Sale" which was on display at Popopstudios Center for the Visual Arts during the Transforming Spaces 2011 tour, aimed to bring new perspective to recent political decisions regarding the sale of Bahamian land and Bahamian companies. Ripped-from-the-headlines issues such as the BTC sale to Cable & Wireless and the Mayaguana land sell-off are repackaged as everyday cheap Bahamian products like Mahatma Rice, Wesson Oil and Carnation Cream, shown as individual products then represented in ubiquitous food store ad placements, all shared on a loop of digital image slides to non-descript elevator music.
"All these huge swaths of land being given away for such little in return; it grieves me," said Benjamin-Smith. "I'm witnessing these things and I wondered how to express this indignation, how to show people what's being done because so many people don't see. How do I express that our land is being sold away from under our feet?"
"The idea of them selling The Bahamas as a product came to me, selling these places that were and are special to me and is the birthright of me and my Bahamian brothers and sisters," she continued. "I included the details of the transactions on each product so people could see the truth of the matter - that their birthright was being sold like a product off the shelf - for a pittance."
Like in her earlier pieces, Benjamin-Smith brings the absurdities of reality to extremes in order to shake a response from her viewers. Indeed the pieces, critical of both politicians' decisions to sell off Bahamian land like a cheap product and of the public for not holding them accountable, are a case of "laughing so as not to cry" - the product design itself is enough to weigh on any viewer's conscience.
Indeed her work is a powerful voice in contemporary Bahamian art, being one of those artists who feel the responsibility to keep authority figures and their decisions in check for the greater good - and in a smart, respectful way, too. She even makes her pieces first and foremost for the people she's questioning, allowing society at large to bear witness to such confrontation and find their own voice in the crossfire.
"I'm respectful of the position of authority, and God says to be so, however when they're doing wrong or they're not honoring or doing the things they need to be doing, then they need to be shown," she said.
"I want them to see how their actions affect society. I'm always wanting the politicians to see - and to understand that they're not doing these things in darkness, they're not doing this without people seeing and knowing, and hopefully they will be convicted that some of their actions are hurtful and detrimental and affect people."
With work like that by Benjamin-Smith, the fear shared by many politicians is always that the art itself will not supplement them and their decisions but rather come to define them or usurp them and become the center of controversy - and a force for social or political change - themselves.
Indeed when it comes to politics, often a single image can define an entire political movement or change - from J. M. Flagg's 1917 Uncle Sam "I Want You" poster to Shepard Fairey's 2008 Obama "Hope" poster, artists have been taking their social and political beliefs to the public eye. But whether to slant public opinion or shed truth on a matter, such work has great power that stays in the public's consciousness throughout time - whether they consider such work fine art, tribute, or extreme propaganda.
Take a mural recently designed by Kishan Munroe, commissioned by the Democratic National Alliance candidate, Wayne Munroe. The impressive piece shows Wayne Munroe close to the front of a pack of people from a wide cross-section of Bahamian society walking in the glow of a lighthouse toward a better future, leaving catastrophe - in the symbol of a shipwreck and natural disasters - behind.
It's easy to label the work as a piece of political propaganda, yet Munroe insists it's an idea he's been manifesting for some time during his travels abroad. As quite the global political and social activist, Munroe has traveled worldwide to find the source of the human experience which he reflects in his artwork. He's attended protests for Occupy Wall Street and stood in solidarity with global groups calling for justice. Knowing this progressive background may be the difference between taking a cursory look at his mural and searching for the deeper meaning he always aims to incorporate into his work.
"The sketch wasn't specifically for them, it was an idea I've always had, a theme I've always wanted to work with," said Munroe. "Wayne Munroe has always supported my endeavors, and he wasn't trying to take advantage of me for political reasons."
"In the beginning he was only asking for something to beautify the place, and me being the artist that I am, I decided to take it to a totally different level, especially after my mural (on 'Da Balcony') burned down on Bay Street," he continued. "I felt compelled to make a statement, another national statement about contemporary issues we have, and something that is more uplifting, relevant, and doesn't sugar coat issues."
So is it propaganda? Then again, it depends whose interests are being served, and how damaging that is to the wider public. Many may find the road signs sharing "abstinence-only" tips or blatantly declaring "homosexuals aren't allowed into my kingdom" as problematic pieces of propaganda Bahamians see every day that perpetuate ignorance and hatred, however well-intentioned they may be by those who placed them in the public's eye.
From the artist's perspective, Munroe believes his piece doesn't exist to gain DNA votes from the public - it's a call to action to the Bahamian public in general, including politicians. After all, it's only DNA-centered because the party commissioned it - he insists he would have made a similar mural had the FNM or PLP approached him instead.
"The message would still be the same, it would have the same feeling. The piece isn't of Wayne Munroe; Wayne Munroe is of the piece," he said. "I don' feel it has that strong of a political implication because at the end of the day this is about the progression of a people to move forward."
"That's why he's closer to the front - not right at the front - because he is of the people. But most of the dynamic figures are those before and behind him, because the composition overall comes from the motion of the people as one."
Indeed, by no means is the poster one-dimensional: from the "in-between" orange hue mixing red and yellow, to the figures - worker, educator, planner - who all have a role to play to salvage society, to Wayne Munroe's garb of half-lawyer, half-everyday man, the mural is an impressive call to arms to not only the public, but to politicians as well, to move through these turbulent times with a master plan to uplift the nation.
Indeed, to Munroe, everything we see and do is a political act whether we are consciously aware of it or not, and has consequences. For him, such work is a rarity in Bahamian culture, and he calls for artists to continue to make work that challenges its viewers with its social commentary.
"Any art is propaganda, because at the end of the day you're trying to get people to respond to your thoughts, to what you believe and what you want the piece to say," pointed out Munroe.
"It's important for me to be able to not only share my international experiences but also to actually use a visual language to create an alphabet for Bahamians to understand. This is a visual language of globally turbulent times but it's also a Bahamian dialect of a visual language they can understand."
In the end, who can say when art crosses into the sphere of propaganda? If an artist's work isn't openly critical and rather praises a politician or a movement, then many may say such a tribute - like Munroe's - is propaganda by nature. Is this fair? Must artists only be critical, or can they be in support of an idea without being blamed for selling themselves out?
A clever way to address political beliefs no matter what the alignment is through humor - and with the road to the 2012 election unfolding the way it has been with a exhausting amount of mudslinging and bipartisanship from three main political parties, there is no shortage of material for satire, as seen in the various comics or cartoons in the daily newspaper.
Especially in this digital age of social media where nothing escapes the public eye, the true ugliness of political races happen in real time - more so now than in any other time in history. For artist Damaso Gray, whose piece "The Amazing Spectacular Circus 2012" has been making the rounds this political season, the use of satire can keep things in perspective. In this outrageous piece, Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie battle it out on sea creatures while Branville McCartney observes from a distance, giving new meaning to "the silly season".
"I wanted to bring humor to the occasion to enlighten the people of the grandeur of events in Bahamian history," said Gray. "I feel that it was about time that we see politics from an unbiased and insightful point of view."
"I think that the audience should see it as just that amusement rather than take it so seriously. I would hope the public sees the election campaign as it really is: a spectacle to amuse and gain the interest of the people at any cost, using multiple props and comedic mudslinging."
Yet Gray also operates from a space of honoring history, recognizing his role as an artist often intersects with that of a historian, and makes his work accordingly. In the diptych, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide", two elderly figures sit in front of two political signs - one for the PLP and one for the FNM. Gray points out that he wanted to show that these people are very set in their ways, but that the younger generation could "capitalize on their mistakes" to move the country forward.
In the end, he insists it's important, once the viewer understand the humor in his work, to move past it and come to the realization that Bahamians have to be for Bahamians - not for a certain party.
"My work I would hope gives an unbiased report of the event and gains a humorous but rationale response where it is plausible to see the event retrospectively," he said. "I would hope the public would embrace and appreciate the art as it is one of the greatest political battles in Bahamian history."
"I would hope politicians value our opinions on the how we feel about the process. It is significant that they engage artist to document Bahamian history and I hope that they see it fit to create historical spaces for the arts."
Indeed, at the root of every politically- or socially-minded piece - despite criticism, despite support, despite humor - is that very hope to be taken seriously as a member of the voting public who wishes to see a better Bahamas - a member of the voting public who sees the potential in Bahamian society and culture as still tragically untapped by their political caretakers.
For the artist, politics continues to offer a torrid affair, a constant balancing act what is and what could be, that irresistible urge to ask "what if?" even when presented with hopelessness. And if their work can help even one other member of the voting public not to decide who to vote for but to think beyond red, yellow and green, then perhaps they too can demand politicians of any party build that bridge between reality and dream together.

read more »

Ghost

• Genre : Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
• Rating :

After being killed during a botched mugging, a man's love for his partner enables him to remain on earth as a ghost....