Members of the Free National Movement (FNM) yesterday remembered Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting Obie Wilchcombe as a dedicated MP who served with passion and humility.

Wilchcombe, 64, died in Grand Bahama yesterday morning.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard said Wilchcombe was the "embodiment of professionalism".

"I vividly recall the last time we conversed, not in the context of political combat but in the spirit of fellowship within the sanctuary of God's house," Pintard said.

"It was during the

installation of Pastor Kellen Russell, a setting where Obie and I had often found ourselves sitting not far from each other in various church services and events.

"We followed the preacher's instruction to turn to our neighbor and exchange a greeting. Little did I know that this would be our final interaction in a place where divisions are bridged, and the essence of what truly matters becomes crystal clear.

"As we bid farewell to Minister Obie Wilchcombe, we remember him, not only as a formidable political force, but as a cherished colleague and friend. His legacy will endure in the hearts and minds of all who had the privilege of knowing him."

Former Minister of Tourism Dionisio D'Aguilar remembered Wilchcombe as an honorable man.

"I hugged Obie Thursday night at the relaunching of ZNS," D'Aguilar said.

"Thanked him for being a wonderful and incredible minister of tourism and for not making one critical comment about the way I was doing the job when I served after him in that post. He was a perfect gentleman and an honorable man."

Former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said Wilchcombe's death is a profound loss to the nation.

"His invaluable contributions to the betterment of The Bahamas will forever be remembered and appreciated," Minnis said.

"As a devoted public servant, he worked tirelessly to enhance the lives of our citizens, first in the area of broadcast and journalism, and secondly as a member of Parliament and as a Cabinet minister, leaving an indelible mark on our country's history.

"During his tenure in government, serving most recently as leader of government business in the House of Assembly, Minister Wilchcombe exhibited exemplary leadership and a deep commitment to the well-being of our people. As a parliamentary colleague, I enjoyed our political interactions and vigorous debates throughout the years.

"His dedication to the betterment of our nation, his passion for public service, and his tireless efforts to foster unity within our society will be remembered as a beacon of inspiration for future generations."

St. Barnabas MP Shanendon Cartwright said he's known Wilchcombe for over 30 years.

"It was truly an enriching and valuable experience to know Minister Wilchcombe who never passed on an opportunity to impart knowledge, wisdom and a deeper understanding of our history, our people and everything that embodies the greatness of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas," Cartwright said.

"He will be remembered as one who lived a life of service that was immersed in the journalistic, sporting, social, political and cultural fiber of our nation. The diversity of his life's work was a testament that he believed that each of us in our own unique way could make The Bahamas an even greater place."

Wilchcombe was first elected to office in 2002 and again in 2007 and 2012. He lost his seat in the 2017 election and won again in 2021.

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Lumps of a hardened, tar-like substance are still being discovered on beaches in East Grand Bahama.

The Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) has not determined the source of similar blobs found in August.

Last month, reports and photos of oil and tar-like blobs on the feet of beach walkers taking their early morning exercise, on the paws of their pets and on the legs of those taking a swim started flooding social media.

There were reports and photos of oil blobs below the sand underwater stretching from Coral Beach, Lucaya all the way to Gold Rock Creek at Lucaya National Park.

Freetown resident Glenroy Cooper took photographs of the blobs during recent daily walks on the beach.

"Normally every evening I go out to the beach and relax from the day's work. About two weeks ago, I saw these hard black lumps on the beach and that never used to happen before," Cooper said.

The frequent beach walker said that he thought nothing of it until he had a second and third experience.

"On one of the walks with my wife, I decided to let my inner child out and roll around in the sand. When I got home, I realized my whole body was covered in black stuff. The next time I went walking on the beach, when I returned to sit and relax, my feet were black at the bottom," he said.

Cooper said this had never happened in the many years he has been going to the beach for walks.

"Years back when you would go to the beach, you used to see maybe one or two little black balls; but not in this magnitude when you're walking and just about every step you make, you could identify these things," he said.

Cooper said he's also seen people collecting the lumps.

"I questioned them, asking what was going on," he said.

But he said that no one would tell him who they worked for or why they were collecting the blobs.

"I don't blame them; I know they have their jobs to do," he said.

Then he discovered a slab of the black material.

"I found a slab of the stuff measuring about 12×10. I broke it apart and I am sure it was some type of oil," he said.

Cooper said following that incident, he reached out to Chairman of Save The Bays Joseph Darville and told him about the large piece of black substance on the beach.

Darville confirmed speaking with Cooper and receiving the photos he took.

He told Grand Bahama News, "The smaller blobs are definitely the oil colligating among the weeds, sea weeds on the beach."

However, he was unable to identify the larger black slab.

"I don't know what it could be," Darville said.

"I haven't seen it up close myself, other than the picture that was sent. We used to have stuff like that a long time ago that came ashore on the north side of Long Island, and I think it used to be whale blubber or sperm which might be an extremely valuable thing."

Darville is planning to meet Cooper in the coming days to collect a piece of the slab and have it examined.

Founder of EARTHCARE, Gail Woon is not convinced that the lumps are tar, and said that they could be organic material made out of decaying vegetation.

"The decaying vegetation, which is what 'peat' is, is normally found underground on all of our beaches," Woon explained.

"It becomes exposed at certain times of year due to the changing tides ... when the waves remove the sand it becomes exposed. Later in the season, it will become buried again."

Department of Environmental Protection and Planning (DEPP) Director Dr. Rhianna Neely-Murphy said there have been no recent reports of discovery of the tar-like substance.

Regarding the reports received in August, she said, "At this time there are no results that have been shared. We still do not know the origins of the particles, but once they are available, we will advise."

Early in August, Buckeye Bahamas Hub reported an oil spill incident at its terminal.

In a statement company officials confirmed that the spill occurred just before 6 a.m. on August 2, during a flushing operation to facilitate the transfer of products between two tanks.

"Within minutes of the transfer commencing, the product fuel from loading arm 82, which was inactive and in the stowed position at the time of the incident, began spraying out. This resulted in approximately five to 10 barrels of product fuel spraying out. It is estimated that between two and three barrels of the product went into the water," they said.

Days after, DEPP announced that a joint task force made up of officials from DEPP, the government's Port Department, the GBPA's Environmental Department and Lucaya Service Company (LUSCO) was investigating the reports.

The DEPP said, "The responding agencies, with assistance from private citizens and non-governmental agencies, have enacted remediation protocols in conjunction with the relevant environmental agencies to ensure the swift and proper remediation of oil deposits."

The statement continued, "The task force is systemically checking beaches island-wide as they continue to monitor impacted shorelines."

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Energy drinks are quite popular. They are considered an alternative to sodas yet they, too, contain a high amount of sugar and caffeine. What you may not know is that the sugar and acid content in energy drinks can cause severe damage to teeth enamel.

Energy drinks and their impact on your oral health.

The makers of energy drinks promote their ability to enhance physical performance, mental alertness, and increased energy levels. In the United States and Canada, retail sales in 2022 are expected to hit over 1 billion dollars. The most popular of the energy drinks are said to be highly fortified with vitamins, minerals, and energy boosters.

The active ingredients in energy drinks are taurine - a dietary supplement; caffeine - a stimulant; guarana - a stimulant; and approximately 11 grams of sugar.

Energy drinks place stress on your oral health because of the high sugar and acid content. Bacteria naturally present in the mouth consume sugar then produce waste. The waste products given off are very acidic. The acid then causes a weakening of the outer layer of the enamel resulting in tooth decay and sensitivity. The more sugar present, the more acid produced by the bacteria. This action can cause irreversible damage to tooth enamel. Also, the high degree of stimulants in energy drinks cause central nervous system hyperactivity resulting in excessive teeth grinding and teeth fractures.

Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. It is much harder than bone, however, this very tenacious substance cannot withstand the constant bathing of these highly acidic drinks. The saliva has a pH of 6.8 or 7, which is considered neutral. A typical energy drink can decrease your saliva's pH to 2 on the pH scale. It takes the body approximately 30 minutes to stabilize the saliva back to a normal pH.

Since they appear healthier when compared to sodas, drinking energy drinks tend to give a false sense of security. When you choose to enjoy any high sugar or acidic drinks you should be mindful of your unique condition. Individual susceptibility to both dental cavities and tooth erosion varies depending on a person's dental hygiene, lifestyle, total diet, and genetic make-up.

We see the negative effects first hand of energy drinks in dental offices across The Bahamas. In children we see tooth decay commonly associated with fruit juices and sodas. However, in adults the common cause of teeth decay are sodas and energy drinks.

These drinks should be consumed in moderation. I would suggest rinsing with plain water after consumption and certainly brush your teeth before retiring to bed. Good general oral habits will go a long way in preserving your dentition. Be aware of these damaging side-affects in order to maintain a healthy smile for a life time.

  
• Dr. Kendal V. O. Major is the founder and CEO of Center for Specialized Dentistry, which is a comprehensive family dental practice operating in Nassau and Freeport. He is the first Bahamian specialist in gum diseases and dental implants since 1989. He also is a certified Fastbraces provider. His practice is located at 89 Collins Avenue, Nassau at (242)325-5165 or kmajor@csddentistry.com.

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There are many fintech companies looking at setting up in The Bahamas because of the regulatory regime for digital assets put in place by the government, fintech executive Will Haskins told Guardian Business yesterday.

Haskins, who is the head of strategy and content at fintech and Web3 community platform Finoverse, said there are still many jurisdictions that do not have legislation allowing for the operation of a blockchain technology or cryptocurrency trading company.

He said The Bahamas, with its Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges (DARE) Act, continues to attract the attention of firms that cannot find any other regulated jurisdiction.

"If you look, for example, at what's happening in the US right now, there is no legislative framework," said Haskins.

"There is no clarity. One of the financial regulators has filed a number of lawsuits against its market participants and has been unsuccessful in some of those lawsuits.

"And if you look at that, for example, it's a situation where there really isn't clarity. There's interest from large enterprises, there's interest from individual investors, but there isn't that framework in place.

"You can contrast that with what's happening in The Bahamas. There clearly is a framework in place that's been clarified again with the revised DARE Act."

Haskins explained that while some jurisdictions are trying to attract fintech firms, those firms are limited in terms of the products they are allowed to offer. He said many of these jurisdictions still do not have the necessary legislation.

"Some of them have provided industry guidelines and some clarity around regulation," said Haskins. "I think, like many new innovations, there's a technical aspect, and there is a policy-making, political aspect. I think it's something where with other jurisdictions, you know, there's a question around, 'okay, this is what the policy is right, now, how will that bear out over time?'. We've seen certain countries like Singapore, for example, encourage crypto companies to set up their blockchain companies, and then they decided that they didn't want any retail trading of cryptocurrencies."

He said there remains a large market for countries offering a safe harbor of regulations to investors and clients. According to Haskins, the desire is for people to set up in jurisdictions where they can get an official license.

"Some of them will find that in The Bahamas," he said.

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