As a business we engage regularly with Bahamians who are out of work. People call and email us asking if there is anything available for them to do. When we conduct interviews and review the resumes of desperate Bahamians, we find that many have not worked in years. They want any opportunity we can offer in our businesses.
Some don't even ask what the pay will be. They simply want some income to help feed their families; to help pay their bills.
The unemployment rate in The Bahamas was last measured at 15.4 percent. Since the financial crisis in the fall of 2008 our jobless rate has been high. So many Bahamians see Baha Mar as the only hope to help bring that rate down to a reasonable figure.
What makes this economic climate even more challenging is that the government is seeking to raise taxes via value-added tax (VAT), at a time when many businesses are just trying to survive.
In this context, we wonder if some of our union leaders inhabit an alternate reality -- one in which jobs are readily available and money falls from the sky.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC), an umbrella union group, held a news conference yesterday to announce it will to hold a "mass" rally next Tuesday ahead of plans for major industrial action.
TUC President Obie Ferguson foreshadowed the rally last month during a standoff between the government and the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union over the government's refusal to increase workers' benefits.
"What this country needs is a complete shutdown in my humble opinion," Ferguson said at the House of Labour on Wulff Road.
"...So After May 6 you may very well hear a cry from this body inviting all workers to stand still for a couple days."
What a silly thing to say. What a silly thing to call for. What we need in these times of slow growth is more productivity from workers. All workers should seek to make themselves more valuable to their employers. All workers should be working with their bosses to improve the services and products they offer.
Workers should not listen to anyone suggesting they do less work or no work at all. This is a way to lose standing with employers or to get fired. Employers across the country are taking note of workers who are giving a little extra during these challenging times. And if things get worse, these employers will be happy to let go all those people who want to do less or nothing at all.
There is dignity in honest work. All Bahamians who are employed should realize how lucky they are. If you have a job and do not feel fortunate, go and speak to someone who has been unemployed for two or three years, who has had his or her home repossessed, or people who have been without electricity in their dwelling places for months. See if they think you should stop working and shut the country down, or if you should be loyal to the company or person who gives you money each payday in order to meet your obligations.

Police released the identities of five homicide victims yesterday including the latest victim, Rolley Gibson Jr., whose burned body was found behind a church off Cowpen Road on Tuesday.
Gibson, 23, was a resident of Sandilands Village Road, police said.
His body was discovered after 10 a.m.
Superintendent Paul Rolle, head of the Central Detective Unit, said police believe someone dumped Gibson's body at the site the night before it was discovered.
It was found behind Refuge Tabernacle on Refuge Court wrapped in a sheet, according to police.
The other victims have been identified as Quentine Rolle, 20, of Plantol Street; Carleau Prudhomme, 17, of East Street; Neko Lloyd, 35, of Gibbs Corner and Braven Hanna, 18, of Constitution Drive.
Rolle was shot as he walked through the Wilson Track area around 9:30 p.m. on April 24.
He died in hospital.
Police arrested two 17-year-old boys, a 37-year-old man and two 24-year-old women in connection with the incident.
Prudhomme was shot and killed on Cordeaux Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. on April 25.
Lloyd was shot and killed on Gibbs Corner after midnight on April 27.
Police said he was at the rear of a friend's home when he was killed after being shot to the stomach and chest. His death marked the sixth killing in four days.
The shooter fled on foot and the victim ran to the front of the house, where he collapsed and died.
Hanna, who was previously identified by family members at the crime scene, died after he was shot in the head during a shooting on Constitution Drive before 9 p.m. on April 28.
Hanna was a recent graduate of C.C. Sweeting High School. He was sitting on a bench outside a friend's home, playing a game of dominoes with friends, when a masked man emerged from the rear of the building and started shooting.
This week, South Beach MP Cleola Hamilton called for an end to the violence. She spoke to reporters at the scene where Gibson's body was discovered.
"I just regret what is happening in the country today," she said. "...It appears as if almost every day there is a murder. It appears as if people aren't talking anymore. It appears as if we have very angry people in the country.
"...People don't appear to care. I am praying for the country. We all need to pray because we are going through a very bad time."

Success breeds success and this past weekend's Bahamas Star Gymnastics (BSG) Invitational challenged gymnasts to "compete hard and claim high" rewards.
The third annual BGPBC-Bahamas Star Gymnastics Invitational, which was hosted April 25-26, at The Source River Complex (formerly Bacardi Plant) on Bacardi Road has been dubbed "a successful affair". Among the competing Bahamian teams were the Freeport-based Grand Bahama Gymnastics Academy (GBGA), the Nassau-based Bahamas Dance Theatre (BDT) Flyers, Nassau Nastics and host club Bahamas Star Gymnastics. High Flyers of Jamaica entered a team and became the first gymnasts from a neighboring Caribbean country to join in on the action. On hand to present medals were distinguished guests Wellington Miller, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC), Mesdames Barbara Thompson and Nikita Thompson-Wells, president and treasurer, respectively, of the Gymnastics Federation of the Bahamas (GFB) and Wilfred Jack, Castrol Brand Manager at Bay Street Garage, platinum sponsor for the event.
With the meet doubling in size since its first year, organizers engaged two U.S.A. Gymnastics Level 10 certified judges from Illinois, Suzanne Carmona and Betty Axelson-McClelland, to officiate the meet of more than 100 registrants. The judges served as clinicians at the free coaches clinic on Friday afternoon; patterned after the same format of previous years, they offered tips and techniques on mastering the U.S.A. Gymnastics Code of Points for the Junior Olympic Compulsory Program (Levels 1-5).

Team and all-around individual awards levels 1-4: hotly contested
All teams faced off in the Levels 1-3 and GBGA and Nassau Nastics held the show down in Level 4.
In Level 1, the All-Around Individual Award was won by Gabriel 'Gabby' Sauer of BSG (37.250 of 40) and the Level 1 Team Award was won by Grand Bahama Gymnastics Academy (74.1 of 80). GBGA was led in scoring by Marissa Albury and Lila Cafferata.
Level 2's All-Around Individual Award was captured by Markaria Moss of BSG (38.10 of 40) and the Level 2 Team Award was dominated by BSG. Leading team BSG in scoring for the win were Markaria Moss and Soraya Halkitis who totaled 76.15 (of 80).
For Level 3, Zia Joos mounted the podium as the all-around individual scorer with 37.80 (of 40). Team BSG dominated and won the Level 3 Team Award with contributions from Joos and Aniyah Pratt (75.5 of 80).
Level 4's Christamarrah Brennen of Nassau 'Nastics won the Individual All-Around Award (34.850 of 40) ahead of GBGA's Julia Mellor. Two scores were required to win team awards, which allowed Brennen and teammate Kyla Rolle to be the sole qualifiers for the Level 4 Team Award, winning by default with a score of 69 (of 80).
Levels Xcel and 5-9: Unchallenged
Team Nassau Nastics gymnasts were the sole competitors in Levels 5-9, as was Team Bahamas Star Gymnastics in the Xcel divisions. As a result, gymnasts competing in these divisions were default winners in the team standings.
All-around level winners from Nassau Nastics were Zoe Deveaux (Level 5), Zerline Johnson (Level 6), Sydney Wells (Level 7), Toneka Johnson (Level 8) and Simone Hall (Level 9). Tess Carter (Xcel - gold), Kasha Neilly and Cheyanne Powell (Xcel - silver tied) were the all-around winners for their respective categories for Bahamas Star Gymnastics.
Individual apparatus awards
The vault champions were Marissa Hield (Level 1 - Nassau 'Nastics - 9.2), Ryanna Higgs (Level 2 - GBGA - 9.45) and Candace Murphy (Level 3 - BSG - 9.60). Uneven bars champions were Danielle Moore (Level 1 - Nassau 'Nastics - 9.50), Marissa Albury (Level 1 - GBGA - 9.50), Camryn McDonald (Level 2 - GBGA - 9.6) and Savannah Gardiner (Level 3 - GBGA - 9.60). Balance beam champions were Kimoya Banks (Level 1 - High Flyers - 9.60), Lauryn Clarke (Level 2 - BSG - 9.70) , Aniyah Pratt (Level 3 - BSG - 9.650) and Summer Sturrup (Level 3 - BSG - 9.650). Floor exercise champions were Gabrielle 'Gabby' Sauer (Level 1 - BSG - 9.70), Markaria Moss (Level 2 - BSG - 9.55) and Zia Joos (Level 3 - BSG - 9.60).
It is clear that competition between the clubs has intensified since the inception of the meet. GBGA is only in its second season since opening its doors in 2012 and is already a formidable foe. The BDT Flyers, although competing only in floor exercise and Vault, are churning out impressive scores. Nassau Nastics, the country's oldest program, fielded gymnasts in all levels except Xcel. BSG, the host club which like GBBA has launched programs within the last four years, has drawn both local and international attention as a real contender in the levels they are currently competing.
BSG's invitational has proven critical in the expansion of the number of gymnasts participating in the sport. Finances deter many local gymnasts from competing at meets abroad. Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational, sponsored by BSG and this invitational together now provide athletes more opportunities to test their skills and measure their progress on home soil. The historical significance of these signature meets cannot be understated or undervalued. BSG and Nassau Nastics are the only clubs to have gymnasts overseas competing during the season; the international exposure certainly was obvious in the scores and victories claimed, locally and abroad by Team BSG.
High Flyers Head Coach Nadeen Whyte, in a testimonial issued regarding the event, encouraged Bahamians to "continue to build champions". Whyte and many of her Caribbean counterparts are supporting the launch of CARIFTA gymnastics. Team chaperone of the High Flyers team, Charmaine Gray, also praised BSG meet organizers for being "very professional, most accommodating and fair".
"Gymnastics in this country was in a state of complacency and hit a recharge when BSG opened its doors in 2010. With GBGA adding to the mix in 2012, the machinery is operating at throttle speed," observed meet organizers. "We are looking forward to the years leading into the future Olympiads when national team spots will be earned by contested skills rather than by default. The sport and gymnasts will benefit from the higher degree of competition."
Clinics such as those hosted in April by both the Gymnastics Federation of the Bahamas and BSG offer coaches the tools to prepare gymnasts for both Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) and U.S.A. Gymnastics (USAG) Junior Olympic programs respectively.
BSG now looks forward to its summer camp, which will kick off with a special event, FlipFest Summer Jam, in June.

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 2:5
I love the adventure of shopping for bargains, whatever, wherever. I get a lot of people complimenting me on my dress style and coordination, who think I spend every dime I make on clothing. I simply tell them that God shops for me. I can go into a store and head to the clearance rack, and usually there is only one size - my size - and it is ridiculously marked down. I don't even have to try it on. Imagine buying a suit that was $425 for $29.99. My God and I have such great times together. He surely looks out for me, and yes, I do get the best for less! And yes, he also guides me in my writing every week, insomuch that there are instances and occurrences, locally and globally that tie right in with the message that he gives to me.
I was parking in front of the bank just a few days ago, and a gentleman attempted to get out of his car, but I noticed that there was not enough space for the full opening of his door; I continued the parking process. He was neatly dressed, and as he walked there was an air of calmness and confidence about him. I caught up with him behind him on the bank lane. While waiting for the teller to return for his transaction, we engaged in conversion - of course I began it. Strangely, I asked him if he was a Jehovah's Witness; he smiled and said that he was an Adventist. My curious mind found out who he was -- Dr. Joseph L. Evans, director of the Bahamas Urology Center. I told him my name and he said that he knew and how he enjoys reading "Along Life's Road".
Leaving the bank, Paul's admonition to the Church at Philippi came to me: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus". Yes, it is the mind of a man that lifts him out of his environment and circumstances to lofty heights of professionalism, dignity, decorum and wellness of mind, body and soul.
And again, as I begin to write in the wee hours of the morning, I read Internet headlines and see one about a tourist giving a doggy bag of food to a homeless person. I laughed to see how my heavenly father gives me nuggets that tie in with what I am writing about.
A first-time French visitor to New York was walking through the famous Little Italy neighborhood when she saw a bearded homeless man rummaging through a dumpster looking for food. Carrying the remainder of a pizza in a doggy bag for later, her kind heart offered it to the homeless man. He accepted and thanked her for it. She went on her way. It was not until the next morning while at the breakfast table and reading the morning paper that she could not believe her eyes: Her picture with the hobo was in the newspaper, accompanied by a story. Richard Gere, famous Hollywood mega star, was on the set of a movie scene dressed as a homeless hobo. The name of the movie is "Time out of Mind". What a story for a first-time visitor!
One has to have the right mind to carry out the mandate that Jesus gave -- "Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me."
I was sick and you did not visit me; hungry and thirsty and you gave me no food nor drink; naked and you offered me no clothes; in prison and you had no time for visitation.
To do these deeds of kindness and acts of love, the right mind, the pure mind, the focused mind must be patterned after Jesus of Nazareth.
As children we grew up with admonition from parents and elders, that it is the mind and mannerly actions that make a man and woman too.
There are many books that are written about character and the role it plays in leadership. Who better than Saul-turned-Paul to write about the power of a good character?
With his notorious past behind him - and how I pray that we begin to leave people alone with their pasts and encourage them in their quests for newness of spirit - Paul is writing to the Church at Philippi from Rome. It is reciprocity of love and gratitude for the affectionate generosity and cheerfulness of the Philippians.
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
Oh how we need people, especially those of the household of faith, to continue to have the mind of Christ. The only hope for our nation in this time of national distress over the crime wave will not be found in legislation, but in salvation. We must put away strife, malice, backbiting, envy, bad minds and all those evils that are the nesting place for crime and violence. People are singing and shouting about what Jesus has done for them and their actions and deeds refute it. Sometimes I think that David must have been pointing at some of us when he sternly warned us that we are standing in the way of sinners to repentance.
When Paul spoke about the mind and spirit that should characterize the Christian community, his meaning was determined by the reality of that mind encountered in Jesus Christ. It is the attitude and disposition expressed in Jesus that governs the Christian in his or her relationship with other believers and the desire for sinners' acceptance of Christ.
It is my prayer, dear readers, that our constant prayer be "O to be like thee, full of compassion, loving, forgiving, tender, kind, holy, harmless, patient, brave, helping the helpless, cheering the fainting, meekly enduring cruel reproaches and seeking the wandering sinner to find".
o Email rubyanndarling@yahoo.com, or write to P.O. Box 19725 SS Nassau, Bahamas with your prayer requests, concerns and comments. God's Blessings!