Grand Bahama, The Bahamas - In the international shipping business "the real contenders" know that their ports must not only be strategically located but cost-effective, able to accommodate vessels of all sizes and possess a skillful workforce. Freeport Container Port (FCP) has gotten high marks in each of these pivotal areas.   Despite the fact that it has only been operating since 1997, FCP has built an impressive reputation and has been carefully preparing itself for emerging opportunities. An excellent example of the company's forward looking plan was its decision to create, what is today, the deepest harbour in the region. This move was made in accordance with its investment plan to host the largest container ships afloat.

She's officially been the The Duchess of Cambridge for less than four months and she's already making fashion waves the world over. Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa have been busy making the rounds, and rarely make an appearance without finishing their look with a pair of sheer nude pantyhose with a slight sheen. With celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Mischa Barton and Hayden Panattiere riding the nude hose wave along with the royals, it's only a matter of time until this trend officially crosses the pond and trickles down...

Celebrating God's way can be just as fun as any other way and will prove it on a Gospel Sail Away on the August Monday holiday.
Hosted by Fam Entertainment, the holiday weekend sail away to Colonial Island will have some of the hottest Christian music artists, DJ Godson, Najie Dunn, Christian Massive and Lyrically Blessed will be performing.  And DJ Godson, says he is ready to get the party started and hopes all Christians and people who like gospel music are ready to be moved.
"We want people who aren't particularly interested in the secular forms of fun to not feel left out and have something to do as well. It will be great and I will be mixing it up good for the event.  We wanted to create a great social network event for Christians because there is always the complaint that there is nothing for us to do."
Najie Dunn, the artist who brought you songs like "Wan' Take Life," "Give Myself Away," "Hype Music," and "Pray for You" says this is the event you want to be at if you are looking for clean fun with a good message for your family.
"This event isn't just about having fun or what I will be bringing.  It's about bringing people to God in yet another great way and just having a good time without violence and profanity," says Dunn.  "Holiday weekends usually mean events surrounding alcohol or secular means of fun.  We want people to see that they can have a good time without all of that.  A sail away does not have to be about going to carry on badly.  It can be about having fun and just being able to be a family.  I'm excited because I have a mission to tell people about God through my music and I am glad to do so again this weekend."
While you rock away to gospel music or choose to take a dip in the ocean all day, other family activities will be going on throughout the day to keep everyone on their toes, like the lime and spoon race, sack races and obstacle courses.  A bouncing castle and face painting will also be available for the children.  To ensure safety in the water a lifeguard will be on duty for the entire event.
The Gospel Sailaway is all about the family and finding something that will bring everyone together for a good day away in a safe environment says organizer, Andrea Knowles.
"The reason we are doing this is because as families there is not enough places we can go to as a group where we can be excited about praising God and having fun together," says Knowles.  "What we find is you often can't take your children out during the holidays because there is so much negativity going on be it [cursing], people drinking or whatever.  There is only a promotion of things like that and that is not good for the family, so it was important to put on an event that can cater to everyone.  This is a great opportunity as it is a holiday weekend to get families together as well as uplift God and show that this is what music and fun is really about."
Because it is a family event, transportation arrangements were made specifically so persons who are early risers can board the Captain Harding, the sailaway boat at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. boats.  If you want to sleep in a bit later, a 12 noon boat will also take persons over to the island where the fun awaits.  There are also three convenient times of departure from the island to Prince George Wharf.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 from Forsythe's Communications on Rosetta Street, Wong's Rubber Stamp and Printing on Chesapeake Road and Sexy Thang on Robinson Road.

HAVING FUN GOD'S WAY
When: Monday, August 1
Where: Colonial Island, boarding from Prince George Wharf
Time: Boat departs 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, and returns 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Cost: $15 in advance, $20 at the boat

Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade flipped quickly through a booklet containing the names and photographs of all the victims murdered between January 1, 2011 and Wednesday night, when Dion 'Emperor' Knowles, 44, was shot to death.

Speaking to The Nassau Guardian at his police headquarters office yesterday, Greenslade insisted that "there are very few persons in here (the booklet of murder victims) who have not had contact of an adverse nature with police."  He stopped and looked intensely over a section of the booklet that showed a murder victim on one page with his accused killer on the other.

Their proximity in the booklet meant both men were murdered within days of each other.  Lengths of bold, black text below their names cataloged the number of times they had encounters with police.   In several cases throughout the booklet, bold, red writing popped out from amongst the black mass of offenses on each page. The red writing meant the murdered person had before been accused of a murder.

Greenslade lamented that the majority of the 81 people murdered in 2011 had at some time contact with police for a serious offense or was wanted by police.   The last page of the booklet held the photo and prior offenses of Knowles who was shot and killed Wednesday night at Faith Avenue and Milo Butler Highway, near the Texaco gas station. Knowles was wanted by police for questioning in connection to several recent murders, according to senior police officials.

Greenslade told The Guardian that shortly after the shooting on Wednesday night police were sent to an area Knowles was known to frequent (Fox Hill) in order to quell any uproar that might have occurred because of his death.   "What you will find happening is you will have an incident occur and then the streets talk and people move," he said.

When asked what effect Knowles' murder might have on the community, Greenslade said the effect "simply is that it added one" to the murder statistics for 2011.  He suggested that what was more important was that "another young Bahamian lost his life." Greenslade, as he does often, appealed to friends and families of wanted suspects to turn them in to police.

"If you are involved in drugs today in The Bahamas in any form, if you are committed to a life of crime in any form, there is a good chance that you are going to be seriously injured and killed or you will offend and seriously injure or kill someone," he said.  Greenslade also said that officers recently recovered a gun from a murder scene that police investigators had worked on for several days.

The gun was only found days after investigations began and was found to belong to the deceased man, according to police.  Greenslade said there is a core group of prolific offenders in New Providence who commit crimes repeatedly and have no respect for the law or any component of the law.

"Every victim that I show you with a number (in the murder booklet), I want you to look at the antecedents (rap sheet)," Greenslade told The Guardian. "That speaks to murders in The Bahamas. Your population; your everyday hard working Bahamian -- decent committed Bahamian -- is okay."