Sunshine Marathon Bahamas III leads off historic sports year

The Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas III is scheduled for the January 14-15 weekend in 2012. As such, the race classic will lead off what is expected to be an eventful sporting year in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.There is the new state of the art Thomas Robinson National Stadium that will be officially opened, perhaps in February of next year. The Swimming Carifta Championships are to be hosted here in March. The International Tennis Federation-sanctioned Women's Open is slated also for March.

The regular basketball sports/tourism events(for Grand Bahama and New Providence)will be scheduled as per usual. Undoubtedly the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations will make a strong effort to have a major competition at the new stadium.

On top of all that, 2012 is an Olympic year. The Bahamas has been on a medal-winning streak since Frank Rutherford won the triple jump bronze at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. In 1996 at Atlanta, the Original Golden Girls won the sprint relay silver medal; in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics, Pauline Davis won the gold medal in the 200 meters and she teamed up with the other Original Golden Girls to win another gold in the sprint relay.

In 2004 at the Athens Olympics, Tonique Williams-Darling captivated the world with her thrilling 400 meters gold medal race and Original Golden Girl Debbie Ferguson gutted out a bronze medal in the 200 meters with an awesome drive to the finish.

Leevan Sands earned the country another triple jump bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This year it's a certainty that our athletes will be geared up. The preparation along the road to London 2012 should indeed be quite exciting.

Starting all of the anticipated sports delights for the nation in 2012 will be Marathon Bahamas.

I hold the view that a very special dimension to Marathon Bahamas this year would be for the finish to take place at the new stadium. I believe a scene of the governor general, Sir Arthur Foulkes and Marathon Bahamas Chairman Franklyn Wilson there at the new facility greeting the first place finisher would be truly awesome and quite historic.

It would in fact be the first event of note at the stadium.

That would be a great marketing tool to get a greater participation by locals. Bahamians would fly in from all over the country to be at the new stadium to enjoy the fanfare of the Marathon Bahamas finish there.

It would be a festival atmosphere.

Whatever the case though, Marathon Bahamas still holds down an important slot for 2012.

The organizers have been pushing to the limit to ensure that everything is in order. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K is a meaningful element. The expectation is that the competition itself, especially the full marathon will produce some really good times, at least in the mid-range two minutes area.

I believe Marathon Bahamas III will be something quite special. Chairman Wilson and his associates are to be congratulated for crafting a signature sports/social event in the country. At the very outset of planning for Marathon Bahamas III, Chairman Wilson expressed excitement and said all the factors would definitely be in place for the event to be dynamic.

Let's all go out and support it!

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Irene weakens as it nears Southeast Islands

Hurricane Irene has weakened to a Category 1 storm but re-strengthening is expected and Irene is still on track to develop into a major Category 3 storm, forecasters warned in their latest report this afternoon.
A hurricane warning remains is in effect for the entire Bahamas.
At 5 p.m. the center of Hurricane Irene was located near latitude 20.9 degrees north, and longitude 71.5 degrees west, about 110 miles east-southeast of Matthew Town, Inagua and about 465 miles southeast of Nassau.
Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with higher gusts.
Irene is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph. This motion is expected to continue through tonight followed by a turn toward the northwest on Wednesday.
The forecast track sees the center of Irene moving over the Turks and Caicos Island this evening, near or over the southeastern and central Bahamas tonight and Wednesday and proceeding near or over the northwestern Bahamas on Thursday.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles northeast of the center.
Storm surge and battering waves will spread into the Southeast Bahamas by tonight, forecasters said. Heavy downpour will result in widespread flooding of the low lying islands in warning areas."Extreme caution should be exercised in flooded areas where downed power lines may result in serious bodily harm. Storm surge heights of 10 feet or greater will posed a serious threat to islands in the Central Bahamas that include Cat Island, Long Island and Exuma. The surge will spread into the northwest Bahamas by Wednesday night," forecasters said.
The combination of the storm surge and the expected heavy rains of Hurricane Irene will create severe flooding in coastal low lying areas, said forecasters who are urging people living in those areas to seek higher ground.
All residents of The Bahamas (Long Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Cat Island, Exuma and its cays, Inagua, Mayaguana, Crooked Island, Ragged Island and Acklins, Bimini, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Berry Islands, Eleuthera, New Povidence and Andros)  should rush to complete preparations to protect their properties.
Forecasters urged all residents whose homes are not stable to contact their local administrators to locate suitable shelters closest to them.
Small craft operators should remain in port. 

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Irene intensifies to Category 2 hurricane

Hurricane Irene, now a Category 2 storm, could become a major hurricane on Tuesday as it moves through the Southeastern Bahamas, forecasters predicted tonight as the Southeast and Central Bahamas braced for impact from the season's first hurricane.A hurricane watch is now in effect for the Northwest Bahamas, and hurricane warnings continue for the Southeast and Central Bahamas.At 8 p.m. the center of Hurricane Irene was located near latitude 19.7 degrees north, and longitude 68.7 degrees west, about 288 miles east-southeast of Matthew Town, Inagua.
Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected during the next 48 hours and Irene has the potential to acquire the strength of a major hurricane on Tuesday, said the Bahamas Met Office.Irene is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph with a slight increase in forward speed tonight and Tuesday.
On the forecast track the center of Irene is expected to move just to the north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti tonight, near or over the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeast Bahamas on Tuesday and near the Central Bahamas early Wednesday, forecasters said.Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 185 miles northeast of the center.Storm surge will raise the water levels by as much as 9 to 13 feet over the Southeast and Central Bahamas, forecasters said.All residents of the Southeast and Central Bahamas (Long Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Cat Island, Exuma and its cays, Inagua, Mayaguana, Crooked Island, Ragged Island and Acklins) should rush to complete preparations to protect their properties.
Also, residents in the Northwest Bahamas (Bimini, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Berry Islands, Eleuthera, New Povidence and Andros) should begin to make the necessary preparations in advance of Irene.
Forecasters urged residents in the warning area whose homes are not stable to contact their local administrators to locate suitable shelters.Small craft operators in the southeast Bahamas should remain in port. Small craft operators in the Central Bahamas should not venture far from port.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingarham is scheduled to address a NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) press conference at 10:30 a.m Tuesday.

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Retro-Retrospective Peace and Nature

Saturday 16th March 2013  5:30 PM

You are cordially invited to the viewing of Retro-Retrospective Peace and Nature An Exhibition by Nicola Hepburn Show Dates: March 8th - April 6th, 2013 Opening Night Reception: Friday March 8th, 2013 Time: 5:30pm - 9:00pm “RETRO-RETROSPECTIVE: PEACE AND NATURE” Artist's Statement "Retro-Retrospective: Peace and Nature," is a showing of paintings from the past, some of which have already been shown, joining with those of the present, which have not been shown before. That is the meaning of "Retro-Retrospective" where this exhibition is concerned. "Peace and Nature" is a reflection of "Entropy", a metaphor of man's relationship with the universe. Overall, the concept of this exhibition is to show my continued affinity for "World Peace" and its connection with "Nature." NICOLA HEPBURN Biography Nicola Hepburn has a B.A. from Boston College in English Literature, and a M.Sc. from Boston University in Marketing Communication. She has worked for The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas' Gift Shop, selling admission tickets to the museum and retail sales of Bahamian craft objects. She also worked during the inaugural year of The Bahamas International Film Festival as an Advertising, Sales,and Marketing Assistant. For this event she organized an extensive database, put together press kits, and served as a messenger. Nicola has worked as a writer, and has written for What's On, The Tribune, The Nassau Guardian, The Bahamas Handbook, The Financial Digest, Destinations Bahamas, and The Punch. She has also assisted publishers and writers of The Illustrated London News, The Spectator, Vogue, and Country Living, in London, England. Most recently, Nicola has focused on being an artist, and has had shows at Jitter's Cafe, Compass Point, Cafe Europa, and The Ladder Gallery at NPCC. Her style is primarily as an abstract expressionist, with oil and acrylic paints as her mediums of choice. Her canvases are filled with raw emotion and energy. For a period of time Nicola has been through dark depression, and is now moving into the light. Painting has been very painful at times, but also nourishing to the soul. On this note, Nicola Hepburn invites you to view her current art exhibition, "Retro-Retrospective - Peace and Nature" at The Ladder Gallery of The New Providence Community Centre, Blake Road. The show dates are from March 8th to April 6th, 2013, with the opening reception on Friday, March 8th at 5:30pm-9:00pm. Please come and support another one of our country's talents. Thank you for your time and attention.

A cavalier disregard for facts

On a recent morning radio show on the new Guardian Radio station, a host chastised politicians for lacking the will to address various issues concerning young men. The fact that in that morning's Nassau Guardian was a story on the government giving $1 million in grants for urban outreach programs targeted mostly to young people, young men in particular, seems to have eluded the host.
Perhaps it was too much to ask that the host read even the newspaper owned by the company operating the station on which the host blabbered the vapid commentary.
Here again we were treated to a shop-worn cliché about politicians. It is one in a collection of clichés and lazy thinking. Others include, "the country (it could be any country) is going to hell", which has been a refrain since the Treaty of Westphalia codified the nation-state in 1648.
Alas, with notable exceptions, this is typical fare on talk radio where fact-checking has also become a dying art. This medium of mass communication is littered with channels of mass misinformation and downright disinformation by some.
More distressing is the uninformed commentary by those one assumes should know better. Recently, there was an unexpectedly disappointing letter to the editor on the state of political affairs in the country including the 2012 election cycle.
As society holds academics to a high standard of intellectual rigor, one expects more balanced and substantive analysis from someone in academia. One also expects analysis that is fact-driven and properly researched.

Disingenuous
The letter was not a well-crafted intellectual argument. It was disingenuous. Not because the individual is ill-willed. Indeed, the writer appears well-meaning in terms of concern for the country. It was disingenuous because it indulged in a series of gross overstatements and cavalier disregard of readily available facts.
The letter was lacking in historical and global perspective, yet another example of navel-gazing with little contextualizing of domestic affairs within the broader scope of global current affairs.
The letter writer posited: "One could argue (and I certainly would) that for four of the past five years, there was no governance at all, but just more of this sparring in the House of Assembly, just more trading of insults back and forth across the floor, while the world got on with changing its foundations all around us and the ground on which our society and economy rest crumbles away."
Such commentary is neither convincing nor dispositive. Any casual observer of the fierce parliamentary debates in a host of parliamentary democracies including the UK would view our political back-and-forth as tame.
The often vituperative nature of Australian politics would make the heads of many Bahamians spin. This is not new for Australia. It has a history of rough-and-tumble politics. Yet, Australia is often viewed as one of the better run countries.
To provide as evidence for our supposed lack of governance, the fierce nature of political debate would mean that Great Britain has not been governed for centuries. In democracies like South Korea and Japan, parliamentary sessions have degenerated into fist-fights. Are these countries also without governance?
But the claim of "no governance" belies other realities. That not a single civil servant was laid off during the Great Recession was not an easy feat. If more academics and civil servants were laid off in The Bahamas over the past five years, as has been the case in other countries, perhaps more of them would have a deeper appreciation of how tough it was to hold the country together.

Shocking
Not only were no civil servants laid off. There were also no cuts in salaries and benefits, and increments are on the horizon. It is shocking how cavalier is the analysis of some when they are not daily confronted with the enormous challenges of governing including prioritizing the apportionment of limited resources.
This supposed period of "no governance" achieved: $25 million more in scholarships for students attending The College of The Bahamas, the retraining of nearly 4,000 moderate income Bahamians, the introduction of a prescription drug benefit, the introduction of a landmark unemployment benefit, millions invested in new health facilities, new entrepreneurial programs for young people, and the most comprehensive upgrade of critical infrastructure in the nation's history inclusive of potable water and infrastructure urgently needed by Family Islanders.
None of these accomplishments magically appeared. They required leadership and governance. That the writer mentioned not one of these is more than being uninformed. Intellectual honesty requires an acknowledgment of facts.
The writer declared: "I have heard absolutely nothing from any party about what the future holds... The FNM has focussed very much on vague generalities like proven leadership and deliverance, and what has been done, largely in material, infrastructural terms, in the very recent past (one or two years at most)."
"Absolutely nothing"? This is intellectually disingenuous. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham's over two dozen rally addresses since the beginning of the year contain considerably more than the usual political boilerplate. They are dense with policy and programmatic proposals.
Of note is a discussion of his vision for The Bahamas including his party's philosophy of development and ideas for urban redevelopment. His remarks in North Eleuthera addressed the balancing of domestic and foreign direct investment.
Either the letter writer has not bothered to research these or is being purposely misleading. If one has a view of the prime minister's proposals that would be fair commentary. But to claim that his speeches are mostly about sloganeering and infrastructure is exceedingly unfair and disingenuous.
The prime minister has proposed the development of Jubilee Bahamas (a 10-year National Plan), the Public Arts Project, a Parks and Recreation Authority, the Summer Institute for Boys, the Youth Development Centre, a Heritage Tourism Initiative, a Native Food Market for Over-the-Hill, an Economic and Development Council of Bahamians Overseas, an expanded mission for BTVI, and a further upgrade of post offices to government service centers.
The FNM's manifesto details proposals ranging from increasing the minimum wage, introducing National Catastrophic Health Insurance, the promotion of aquaculture and mariculture, the development of head start programs to improve literacy, numeracy and fundamental computer skills for all children by age five, the provision of "a school place or a stipend of up to $1,500 for all five-year-olds in approved educational institutions", a large-scale program of return migration to the Family Islands, a Bahamas Youth Development Corps, and others.

Wholesale
Again, not a single one of these was mentioned by the letter writer. What conclusion might one reach about the utter and wholesale exclusion of these facts?
Leaving aside the letter writer, it seems the self-imposed burden of some of the supposed cognoscenti and literati in developing countries is to decry the backwardness of our governance.
There is the regular excoriation of our politicians, our political process, our elections and our governance. There is the "dismay" and "outrage" at the way opposing political partisans tear the other side down.
How different this must be from more civilized countries supposedly so much better governed than The Bahamas? Perhaps these countries include a hyper-partisan United States or European Community states in the midst of a dire economic and political crisis related to their supposedly superior governance even as they slash their budgets and look to the International Monetary Fund for help.
In the frenzy of the enlightened denunciation by some of our supposed backwardness, perhaps they can offer more credible and cost-accounted policy prescriptions. Some of them might even enter frontline politics and discover the demands of governance.
There should be an immersion program called "Prime Minister for a Day". One imagines that just a day in the prime minister's chair would give rise to more insightful and convincing commentary than we are daily treated to in various media.
Politicians deserve neither pity nor unfettered adulation. But neither should they take seriously the simplistic assaults on their service in office, and the lack of acknowledgement of their accomplishments by those who do not accord them such common courtesy and basic fairness.
It is an intellectual conceit and a conceit of ignorance to fail to acknowledge such contributions by those politicians who love The Bahamas no less than those who breezily opine on affairs of state in pursuit of a hypothesis unconcerned with facts.

ofrontporchguardian@gmail.com
www.bahamapundit.com

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15th Annual International Cultural Festival - October 16-17

NASSAU, The Bahamas -- The
stage has been set for the

15th Annual International Cultural Festival
in the

Botanical Gardens from

October 16 to 17, 2010.

"The countdown is on folks. Patrons are encouraged to go from stall
to stall and sample cuisine, fine wines, special brews, arts and craft,
exciting raffle prizes and the money centre's entertainment line-up,"

said The Hon Brent Symonette, Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

The International Cultural
Festival grew out of the idea to recognize United Nations Day, during
which foreign nationals would organize themselves in a setting to display
their culture and heritage...

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WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE, HAVE BAHAMIANS BLOWN THEIR PAST UP

WE BAHAMIANS are considered such philistines around the region that they laugh at us for stooping so low as to blow up our own culture.

And that's not a joke - it actually happened, when the government demolished Jumbey Village with explosives in 1987.

The village was an offshoot of a community festival launched in 1969 by musician and parliamentarian Ed Moxey.

An earlier and more "cultural" version of the fish fry, it featured music and dance performances as well as displays of arts and crafts, and local produce, and was aimed at locals as well as tourists.

In 1971, Moxey persuaded the Pindling government to let the festival take over a former dump site on Blue Hill Road and ...

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Acting PM Symonette questions souvenir imports need

Nassau, Bahamas -
Acting Prime Minister T
Brent Symonette has questioned the need to continue importing souvenir
items for tourists who visit The Bahamas.

"When we spend hundreds of millions of dollars importing souvenir
items, that might not be the smartest way of doing business as we go
forward," he said during last weekend's BahamArts Festival at the
Arawak Cay Culture Centre.

"The products here displayed are of an extremely high quality. We as
Bahamians are capable of creating art and craft of a quality that can
be sold world wide...

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Maria Rolle passing on Sewing skills

While some life skills are falling by the wayside or being considered old-fashioned, Maria Rolle is ensuring that sewing skills remain in the community.
"We've got to be able to pass on something to our generation," she says.
It's why she started The Sewing Lab this summer at her business, Maria's Sewing and Notions--to empower both young kids and adults in the practical art of sewing.
"If we get these kids early, then by the time they get into junior high school level they would have already learned the skill and perfected it and there's so much avenue in tourism," she points out.
Having such skills also gives her students the ability to alter clothes, teaching them the value of recycling and investing.
"Especially for people who have many kids and pass things down and want the pieces to look different--the jeans can be turned into a skirt with a ruffle," she says.  "It teaches them things so they're not throwing money away all the time."
Besides the practical aspect, sewing provides a creative outlet for students who may not entirely get one in schools.  Her smaller classes--of only six individuals this time around--means they can receive individual attention and create more pieces at a faster pace than that in a school curriculum.
"When you go to school you have needlework for two hours a week, and there are, say thirty students and twelve machines, there's no way you can complete anything," she says.  "I used to have to skip lunch to finish my things."
But for Rolle, she is teaching sewing because she has a passion for it--and always did.  She remembers being inspired by her mother who sewed on a hand-crank sewing machine and taught her how to sew, as well as other crafting methods such as plaiting.
"From an early age I would piece together news paper patterns and make little dolls clothes and I could sneak up onto her little hand-crack machine and try to sew together little clothes," she remembers.
By the time she was a teenager, she was saving up to buy her own hand-crack sewing machine she had spotted in a store's window, saving up from odd jobs and selling her plaited straw crafts in the straw market so she could invest in what she loved.
Once she did, she sewed for her eight siblings and even neighbors, ensuring they had well-made school uniforms.
She's even spent her vacation times earning certifications and building on her skills.  She's certified as the only international trained sewing instructor with the Sewing Craft Alliance with United States, and will soon be attending another course in Portland this year on sewing.
"I say it's only God," Rolle says.  "I've always told my kids, covet earnestly your best gifts and your gifts will make room for you.  I am so touched and humbled by the fact that so many people out there want to learn how to sew, want to have their kids learn how to sew.  That's what I'm here for."
Indeed, The Sewing Lab was so enjoyed by her summer students that they asked her about presenting them with a certificate of completion at the end to mark their time with her.
So this past Sunday, the students took part in a graduation ceremony at Remnant Tabernacle Ministries, with opening remarks, presentation of work and certificates for levels one and two sewing, and even special speakers.
Brian Brown of the FNM attended and read on behalf of Minister Charles Maynard, while Senator Michael Halkitis read as a special guest and even donated a sewing machine to Rolle as a testament to her positive impact on the community.
"It was a humbling experience for me," she says.  "He was really impressed.  He said he could remember growing up and his mom did sewing so I think he knows and understands the passion that I have to empower our young people because he's been around it with his mom."
The students also hope to continue with her beyond this summer--and she's excited to help them build upon their skills and creativity.  She also hopes to start providing special seminars and workshops for those who already have sewing skills but who may want to focus on a specialized area or improve on their technique.
It's all part of the plan to make The Sewing Lab a state-of-the-facility where students can have fun learning about the practical art of sewing.  It will be hard work for Rolle, who has a night job in the casinos at Atlantis, but she will always find time to share her passion with her community--and the community, she's found, will always support her, as many of her coworkers have encouraged and pitched in when she needed help.
"People ask how I do it.  I work until four in the morning and start classes at 10 in the morning," she says. "
"I said when you find something you love to do, you find the energy to get up and do it."
 
Do you know someone who positively impacts your community? Contact us to share their story!

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Retro-Retrospective Peace and Nature

Wednesday 20th March 2013  5:30 PM

You are cordially invited to the viewing of Retro-Retrospective Peace and Nature An Exhibition by Nicola Hepburn Show Dates: March 8th - April 6th, 2013 Opening Night Reception: Friday March 8th, 2013 Time: 5:30pm - 9:00pm “RETRO-RETROSPECTIVE: PEACE AND NATURE” Artist's Statement "Retro-Retrospective: Peace and Nature," is a showing of paintings from the past, some of which have already been shown, joining with those of the present, which have not been shown before. That is the meaning of "Retro-Retrospective" where this exhibition is concerned. "Peace and Nature" is a reflection of "Entropy", a metaphor of man's relationship with the universe. Overall, the concept of this exhibition is to show my continued affinity for "World Peace" and its connection with "Nature." NICOLA HEPBURN Biography Nicola Hepburn has a B.A. from Boston College in English Literature, and a M.Sc. from Boston University in Marketing Communication. She has worked for The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas' Gift Shop, selling admission tickets to the museum and retail sales of Bahamian craft objects. She also worked during the inaugural year of The Bahamas International Film Festival as an Advertising, Sales,and Marketing Assistant. For this event she organized an extensive database, put together press kits, and served as a messenger. Nicola has worked as a writer, and has written for What's On, The Tribune, The Nassau Guardian, The Bahamas Handbook, The Financial Digest, Destinations Bahamas, and The Punch. She has also assisted publishers and writers of The Illustrated London News, The Spectator, Vogue, and Country Living, in London, England. Most recently, Nicola has focused on being an artist, and has had shows at Jitter's Cafe, Compass Point, Cafe Europa, and The Ladder Gallery at NPCC. Her style is primarily as an abstract expressionist, with oil and acrylic paints as her mediums of choice. Her canvases are filled with raw emotion and energy. For a period of time Nicola has been through dark depression, and is now moving into the light. Painting has been very painful at times, but also nourishing to the soul. On this note, Nicola Hepburn invites you to view her current art exhibition, "Retro-Retrospective - Peace and Nature" at The Ladder Gallery of The New Providence Community Centre, Blake Road. The show dates are from March 8th to April 6th, 2013, with the opening reception on Friday, March 8th at 5:30pm-9:00pm. Please come and support another one of our country's talents. Thank you for your time and attention.