01112023 NEWS AND SPORT

MITCHELL BLASTED BY DAME MARGUERITE

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

DAME Marguerite Pindling caused a stir yesterday when she demanded an apology from Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell as she publicly accused him and the PLP for using a Majority Rule Day event at her husband’s grave as “a stepping stone”.

She gave the blistering rebuke

at a graveside service as part of the government’s holiday celebrations, but did not go into details about what she was displeased about.

However, her remarks suggest the former Governor General was not formally invited to the event.

Mr Mitchell later told The Tribune he has no idea why she was upset, but he said she is entitled to her views.

REVEREND Dr C B Moss, a long-time advocate for the Over-the-Hill community, is hospitalised after collapsing during the Majority Rule Day church service at St Anges Anglican Church yesterday.

After he collapsed, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville assisted him.

Rev Moss was taken to hospital by EMS personnel and accompanied by

It

induced coma.

Relatives could not be reached up to press time.

The Mt Olive Baptist Church pastor is a longtime inner-city community leader who is dedicated to meeting the needs of people in the area.

Over the years, Rev Moss has continuously contributed to the country through his involvement in community efforts, and political and religious programmes.

DAME Marguerite Pindling speaking yesterday as she said that PLP chairman Fred Mitchell was using a Majority Rule Day event at her husband’s grave as “a stepping stone”. Mr Mitchell is pictured left at the event.

Photos: Moise Amisial

opposition leader Michael Pintard.

is understood that he is still alive, but in a medically

DAME Marguerite Pindling holding a wreath yesterday accompanied by dignitaries including Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and his wife Ann Marie, former Prime Minister Perry Christie, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper and Cynthia “Mother” Pratt.

Photo: Moise Amisial

CELEBRATIONS in Grand Bahama, left, above and below.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis at Majority Rule celebrations yesterday.

Mitchell blasted by Dame Marguerite

from page one

As she stood at the podium, Dame Marguerite said before the event got underway, she wanted to “set the record straight” and reminded people about the contributions she made to the PLP and her husband’s political career.

“There was a man called Lynden Pindling – who didn’t know a thing about South Andros until I had to go and tell the people he was coming to run against Cyril Stevenson, because if we hadn’t put Pindling there, Stevenson would have won,” she said.

“Pray for me please, because I’m feeling very, very something today — I don’t like what I see because nothing happened until Pindling came on the scene. I support — I thank you for coming out today but the leadership were so excited they forgot I existed, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m alive, doing well, of sound mind and in good health and waiting for all that is going to take place because I do not like it. I’m sorry, Mr Mitchell.

“I’m sorry I cannot contain it any longer because you’re using this as a stepping stone and I do not appreciate it.”

Her remarks stunned the audience, some of whom exclaimed as she spoke.

One person said: “We still love Pindling and he is a great man.”

Dame Marguerite responded: “I should hope so because we’re standing on his shoulders and the other men who fight with him in the trenches. When the House of Assembly was dissolved in 1966, Pindling was in London fighting the PLP’s battle. When nomination day came, Pindling wasn’t even in the country to be nominated. I had documents prepared in case the magistrate decided not to accept his name in his absence and I was ready with Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, who was the then chairman of this party, who took me down to South Andros but thanks be to God the magistrate said they would accept him in his absence.

“I come here today in respect out of the work that my husband has done along with his other fellow workers in this country and I don’t want anyone to use this to play him cheap because I will not stand for it. I’m sorry, Mr Prime Minister, I promised you I was going to behave, but I think all of you should know who I am by now. And you owe me an apology and I expect Mr Chairman right now.”

At that point, she walked off stage.

Mr Mitchell then returned to the podium in

response to her, assuring her of their support.

“A new generation of Bahamians are here today who were not here a year ago. Who were not here when this momentous occasion took place and if any apology is due it’s due because of the goodness of our heart,” Mr Mitchell said.

“It’s due because we wanted to pay tribute to your husband. It’s due because we wanted to move with a quick pace to ensure that that memory is etched in the minds and the collective history of our country - no disrespect to you,” he said.

“We all are here to support you today. You remember when it was just you and I standing up here alone in this graveyard. It makes a difference to be in government and our Prime Minister led us to a victory. So we are here in government today one year later, much better off than we were a year ago. I thank you for allowing this ceremony to go forward and know that in our hearts we love you. We support you... So Dame Marguerite, I say again, we love you. I’ll give kisses right now.”

Speaking with reporters later, the chairman appeared not to be bothered by the situation.

“Well here’s my general reaction to these things.

When you get to a certain age and stage, you can say whatever you want. I really can’t rise to that — that’s as simple as that. She is who she is and she is the widow of the former Prime Minister. She was there at the start, so she’s entitled to her views. I leave it at that.”

Asked if he would give an apology, he added: “Well I’ve already said what I’ve had to say. As far as I’m concerned, the matter is closed - I’m sure it’s going to make all the headlines tomorrow, but what you will say from me is that I have nothing to say on the matter. She has her viewsthat’s the end of that.”

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis made no mention of what transpired nor did he give an apology during his remarks, but thanked Dame Marguerite.

“It could not have been

done without you and I appreciate your presence,” he said.

He later gave recognition to her in his speech as well.

Earlier at the event, Dame Marguerite’s name had also initially not been read out in the list of those acknowledged at the beginning of proceedings, although her name was added after an intervention, along with the name of former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia “Mother” Pratt.

Yesterday was not the first time a Pindling publicly expressed their frustrations about the PLP.

In March 2021, Monique Pindling, the daughter of former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling, said the party’s “leadership” told her she would not receive a nomination because the PLP does not “want a

“They alluded to something about negativity of my dad and didn’t want it to be the focus and things like that,” she said.

Back then, she ended her bid to secure the PLP’s nomination in Central and South Andros. Ms Pindling suggested the PLP only wants to use her father’s name when it is convenient for party leaders.

“It’s not that we have sole ownership (of his legacy), but my thought is, you can’t use him when it’s convenient for you, you can’t use him for good and then say it’s bad, you can’t use him when it’s good occasions or certain occasions and then drop him when you feel like it,” she said.

Pindling on the ticket”. She made her comment during an appearance on the 96.9FM talk show “The Revolution”.

DAME Marguerite Pindling with Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday.

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander and Governor General CA Smith at yesterday’s church service.

RODNEY Moncur yesterday.

THE START of the Majority Rule Day march yesterday.

Photos: Moise Amisial

CELEBRATIONS in Grand Bahama yesterday.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

Halt to elective surgery at Princess Margaret Hospital

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRINCESS Margaret Hospital has temporarily suspended elective surgeries that require overnight stay due to limited bed capacity because of ongoing ward renovations among other issues, health officials confirmed on Monday.

Aubynette Rolle, Public Hospitals Authority managing director, told The Tribune that a lack of availability in beds coupled with a surge in the number of patients seeking hospital admission after the holidays led to the decision to postpone elective surgeries.

“Post the holiday, we have now seen a lot of admissions and you know that we are doing renovations. We would’ve spoken about that a few weeks ago and, therefore, we have a few of the wards that are closed for renovations

and as a result of that, we cannot do those elective cases,” Ms Rolle said.

“So, what happens is that when you go to surgery, you have to be guaranteed a bed afterward and because of that, we have had to postpone them.”

She also explained that elective surgeries that do not require an overnight hospital stay will still be performed as scheduled.

“Those day cases, meaning those who just come in for surgery and can go home that same day, are still being scheduled and being performed but those persons who are requiring a stay over post-surgery, those individuals, we have now had to cancel some of those cases,” she added.

“So, they are not persons who need a caesarian section and those because they happen, and you cannot control when the babies are coming but the other cases.”

Officials anticipate that operations will be back to normal by next week as more patients are transferred to Doctors Hospital West.

An agreement to allow for the transfer of PMH patients to Doctors Hospital West to facilitate much needed repairs at PMH was announced last month.

However, Bahamas Nurses Union President Amancha Williams told The Tribune on Monday that officials have not been moving fast enough in this regard and called for patients to be transferred more quickly so other people needing care can be accommodated.

“Elective surgeries have been suspended due to the fact of not COVID, but you know that we (are) working with a small space in A and E (Accident and Emergency Department) and, this weekend, we’ve had 31

patients for admissions,” Ms Williams said.

“We’ve had boarders. We’ve had about no more than three or four COVID cases and we still have persons waiting for COVID tests and here again, the government said that our patients are supposed to be going over to Doctors Hospital.

“They’re not moving as fast as we would like. For what reason I don’t know, if we are paying you to do a service for us, when you know that we are in a crisis at this time, it should be moving faster.”

She added: “The organisation, whoever is organising that, if we have five patients today, come and get the five patients — don’t wait three or four days afterwards to get the five patients when you’ve already did an internal assessment and see the conditions of your patient.”

Ms Williams told The Tribune that PMH is in a “serious crisis” and in need of help as she lamented the deteriorating state of infrastructure at the hospital.

“Our infrastructure has failed us,” she continued.

“We’ve got almost seven wards down, including the half of paediatric, which has been down for years.

It’s deteriorating, and the ones that the nurses are working in are still not up to the level. Right now, in oncology, there is no airconditioning for almost two weeks (or) three weeks this week.”

The BNU president said while the union appreciates and understands that a number of wards are currently undergoing renovations, the reality is the country is in need of a new and functioning hospital.

“We’re building on a break down system,” Williams added.

“We’ve been waiting for that Accident and Emergency for almost three years, going on almost four years. It has not been fixed yet. Yes, we understand you are repairing an old building and you will come up with some stuff — old wires, old pipes, old this — but you should have already known your structure on what you are anticipating coming in to.

“Yes, we thank Dr Darville because I know he has his hands full... (we) have a number of issues in nursing and I stay fighting. It’s just like we need a structural organisation.”

Last week, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville told reporters that renovations at PMH were on target to be completed in the next several weeks.

He had previously reported that hospital renovations would take place for approximately 14 weeks.

BANK DONATES TO HELP DISABLED ASSOCIATION

REV DR CB MOSS COLLAPSES AT CHURCH SERVICE

from page one

The prominent pastor is the executive director of Bahamas Against Crime and president of Bain and Grants Town Advancement.

During yesterday’s church service, Venerable Archdeacon Keith Cartwright remembered Rev Moss in prayers before the sermon.

He said: “We ask your healing hand to be placed upon our dear brother (Rev CB Moss).

“We ask you to send your holy angels to guard and protect him. We ask you, dear God, that in your infinite mercy to forgive him of all his sins.”

He continued: “We ask you Heavenly Father to guide the doctors and the nurses who will have the care of him. We ask for your healing power today, in Jesus’ name we pray.”

Meanwhile, Bishop Walter Hanchell of Great Commission Ministries described Rev Moss as one of the “most sincere

and compassionate in The Bahamas”.

Bishop Hanchell commented on his Facebook page yesterday.

He said: “Rev Moss is a living legend, who has perhaps done more for the average Bahamian than any person I know. He has not received all that is rightly due to him and has been taken advantage of by many leaders in recent years.

“Just three weeks ago, I was blessed to spend a twohour lunch with Rev Moss. We reminisced on the good old days and talked about the hardships our people are going through and what we could do to ease the burdens.

“CB has a heart for the people of Bain and Grant’s Town like nobody else. In my view, he’s a genuine national hero of the highest order, who has been overlooked for too long. He’s not seeking recognition, but he indeed deserves it,” he continued.

In ending his heartfelt post, he asked people to join him in celebrating Rev Moss’ healing.

“As a corporate citizen, we recognise the role we play in creating an equitable environment where everyone can thrive,” said David Slatter, RF Vice President of Investment Management.

“Differently-abled persons have unique challenges which can be financially and emotionally taxing. We are happy to support organisations like BAPD that offer support to individuals and families that can be so critical,

particularly as children with physical disabilities transition into adulthood.”

BAPD is working towards expanding their facilities to accommodate Bahamians of all ages with disabilities. Currently, as children turn 18, they are no longer eligible for the services and training offered at BAPD due to capacity restraints. With individuals with varying degrees of disability, from moderate to severe, this “aging out” process can create a monumental challenge to family members that have to find adequate care for their loved ones. It can also result in serious risks to the safety of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

“We are extremely grateful to RF for their continued support,”

BAPD provides support to young people with special needs, through the provision of daycare, special education, physical therapy, computer training, and speech therapy, in an environment dedicated to promoting self-esteem, improved social skills, and functionally independent living wherever possible. The BAPD is actively looking for volunteers and encourages persons to reach out to find out how they can get involved.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF CHILD NEGLECT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MOTHER was granted $5,000 bail on Monday after being accused of neglecting her six children last week.

The 35-year-old mother, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the children, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt. There she faced six counts of cruelty to children.

It is alleged that on

January 7, the defendant neglected her six children while they were in her custody causing them unnecessary harm. These children range in age from one to 14-years-old.

In court, the accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her attorney, Glenda Roker, told the judge that her client’s only concern that day was whether her children had made it to school.

After being informed that

the children are currently no longer residing with the mother and that the prosecution had no objection to bail, the magistrate granted bail at $5,000.

Under the conditions of this bail, she is expected to sign in at Nassau Street Police Station every Monday by 6pm.

The defendant was then told to return to court on January 16 for a trial date before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux.

THE REV Dr CV Moss pictured in 2021.

RF BANK & Trust (Bahamas) Limited (RF) recently made another donation to the Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled (BAPD) in time for the Christmas holiday. BAPD will use the funds towards their expansion efforts.

commented Charlotte Albury, BAPD chairperson. “BAPD relies on these types of donations to remain in operation, and we value all of our community partners who are compassionate to those with special needs.”

STUDENTS and team members of BAPD pose with community partner RF. Back row, from left, Charlotte Albury, BAPD chairperson, David Slatter, RF VP of Investment Management, Linda Smith, BAPD administrator.

Pregnant Bahamian killed in US

By

A FATHER is trying to cope after the tragic killing of his pregnant daughter in America last week, who, he said, went to the United States for a better life for herself and her family.

Joel Philips, the 50-yearold father of Joanna Gomez-Simo, expressed remorse at not returning a recent call to his daughter who had been asking him repeatedly to visit.

“We had a close relationship, she used to call me, we used to talk,” he told this newspaper. “I spoke with her on Christmas and then after the Christmas. She messaged me New Year’s night. I didn’t get the chance to call her and talk to her,” Mr Philips said. “She had called me and

told me she was pregnant and she wanted me and my fiancée to come over and I keep telling her I’m going to come this month, I’m going to come, but I never had the chance to come.”

Last Thursday morning, Orlando police reportedly found the 29-year-old, who was more than 20 weeks pregnant, strangled to death in her apartment in Orange County, according to Florida news reports.

Police reported that a 41-year-old man who had been living with Ms Gomez-Simo and her children was arrested following her death.

Ms Gomez-Simo’s death comes after a recent history of domestic violence in the home.

According to US reports, Florida police said there was a documented history

of domestic violence with the man arrested for Ms Gomez-Simo’s killing, including an incident on December 2 where he was arrested and accused of aggravated battery on a pregnant person.

Mr Philips said yesterday that his daughter worked hard, both in New Providence and in the United States, to provide for her four children.

“She loved her kids. When she was over here she worked in the hotel. But she went to the United States for a better life. She had one or two other jobs over there, working in a hotel, but the last thing I know, she was babysitting,” Mr Philips said.

“She was a nice, loving, sweet person you know. She was outgoing and just loved her kids.”

ROOTS WANTS JUNKANOO JUDGING CHANGE

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

MEMBERS of The Roots have called for the “abolition” of Junkanoo’s “flawed” judging system, adding it is overdue to be changed.

Duane Ellis, deputy chairman of Roots, told The Tribune on Monday that the group was not protesting One Family’s win of the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades, however, they had an issue with the judging system.

“We’re not protesting the results in terms of who won the parade or lost the parade. The group did a post mortem and we were going through some of the issues we had. The main concern that we have is with the judging system that is currently in place, (it) has a lot of flaws in it,” Mr Ellis said.

Roots also held a press conference on Monday where they lambasted the judging system, saying it is filled with errors.

Mr Ellis claimed that multiple judges were disqualified during the Junkanoo parades for a range of infractions, adding there is a concern with the validity and reliability of scores that came from the judges.

He added that there was also some inconsistency in judging during the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades.

“Inconsistency with the scores of judges, versus in the category. If you have four judges, three judges would have given you a 95 or 98 average and then here comes a fourth judge giving you a 50. In the past, we used to throw out the high and lows and go with

the average scores in each category.

“But due to the lack of numbers there’s a projected number that we use each parade for judges. But this year we didn’t make the quota with that and secondly a lot of persons didn’t show up. Judging for this year was really short.”

Mr Ellis said the Roots were not in any way trying to challenge One Family’s deserved wins. The group is instead seeking more accountability and transparency as it relates to the judging scoring system, he said.

Mr Ellis said that it’s “no secret” that the Valley Boys and Saxons have always had advantage over the other groups, claiming it has left other A groups overlooked.

The Roots in a press statement on Monday also suggested the “abolition” of the judging system and the inclusion of foreign judges.

“The executive steering board of Roots Junkanoo group suggests the abolition of the present judging system in favour of a more objective system. We believe, as so many others do, that trained professionals are better able to judge music, choreography and art design.

“It remains a myth that only Bahamians can judge Junkanoo and we encourage the inclusion of professionals from North America and other Caribbean nations who may have similar artforms. The inclusion of international professionals and media would add further international exposure to the cultural expression we call Junkanoo similar to what has been done in our carnival parades,” the statement said.

For his part, Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) chairman Dion Miller said he believes the judging system is effective, adding there’s nothing wrong with it.

“In my humble opinion there isn’t anything wrong with the system,” he said.

He noted that the Roots mentioned judges had been disqualified during the parade and argued this showed the system is working.

“Judges were disqualified, or scores were thrown out for various infractions so that shows that the system itself works.”

Mr Miller said at the beginning of the year the members of the Junkanoo groups decide which method the parades will be judged on, adding the process for judges was detailed.

“We started with 264 applicants, after groups would have investigated these persons we were left with 84 judges. So we went from 264 judges, down to 84 judges. Those 84 judges that passed the vetting from the groups then had to attend a six-week judges training course.”

Mr Miller dismissed claims that the scores were inconsistent as he explained judges have the right to be “objective” and have an opinion.

“We can’t tell a judge how he or she must judge,” Mr Miller said.

Asked if the JCNP was open to recommendations made by Roots, Mr Miller responded: “Every year we review and look back into any manner of recommendations that groups would have put forward. The JCNP is inclusive of all groups, it is not a

EIGHT INJURED AS BOAT HITS ROCK

EIGHT people were injured after a boating accident in Exuma on Monday.

According to a police report, the accident occurred shortly before 7pm in the area of Pelican Point, South Staniel Cay.

Police said that a

cream-coloured vessel with twin engines was travelling north from Black Point towards Little Leaf Cay when it hit a rock on the southern point of Staniel Cay.

Three of the injured were taken to a local clinic

for treatment and later discharged. The remaining five victims, inclusive of a man and four women, were airlifted to New Providence for further medical treatment.

An investigation into the matter continues.

secret society or secret body that makes rules up. The various groups come up with these rules, the various groups that make recommendations.”

He said recommendations can be used once the majority votes for them to be enacted.

One Family emerged as the unofficial winner of the New Year’s Day and Boxing Day Parades.

In the Boxing Day Parade, Roots placed fourth with 86.52 points and on New Year’s Day Roots finished third with 90.61 points.

JOANNA GOMEZ-SIMO

ROOTS pictured during the New Year Junkanoo parade.

Photos: Austin Fernander

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES News

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An apology demanded for a rift long in the making

A RIFT appeared very publicly in the ranks of the Progressive Liberal Party – given voice by Dame Marguerite Pindling.

Her words were strongly directed at the party chairman, Fred Mitchell, who afterwards said he was sure it would make “all the headlines”. On that part, he is right.

So what is going on in the PLP that has caused such a rift?

Well, let us first look at the words of Dame Marguerite, wife of former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling.

She said she “wanted to set the record straight” and went on to say the following:

“There was a man called Lynden Pindling – who didn’t know a thing about South Andros until I had to go and tell the people he was coming to run against Cyril Stevenson, because if we hadn’t put Pindling there, Stevenson would have won,” she said.

“Pray for me please, because I’m feeling very, very something today — I don’t like what I see because nothing happened until Pindling came on the scene. I support — I thank you for coming out today but the leadership were so excited they forgot I existed, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m alive, doing well, of sound mind and in good health and waiting for all that is going to take place because I do not like it. I’m sorry, Mr Mitchell.

“I’m sorry I cannot contain it any longer because you’re using this as a stepping stone and I do not appreciate it.”

At that point, one person called out: “We still love Pindling and he is a great man.”

Dame Marguerite responded: “I should hope so because we’re standing on his shoulders and the other men who fight with him in the trenches. When the House of Assembly was dissolved in 1966, Pindling was in London fighting the PLP’s battle. When nomination day came, Pindling wasn’t even in the country to be nominated. I had documents prepared in case the magistrate decided not to accept his name in his absence and I was ready with Cecil WallaceWhitfield, who was the then chairman of this party, who took me down to South Andros but thanks be to God the magistrate said they would accept him in his absence.

“I come here today in respect out of the work that my husband has done along with his other fellow workers in this country and I don’t want anyone to use this to play him cheap because I will not stand for it. I’m sorry, Mr Prime Minister, I promised you I was going to behave, but I think all of you should know who I am by now. And you owe me an apology and I expect Mr Chairman right now.”

For his part, Mr Mitchell responded by saying “if an apology is due it’s due because of the goodness of our heart”.

He cited several other reasons why it was due but he did not actually go on to make that apology.

Asked if he would after his speech, he said: “I’ve already said what I’ve had to say. As far as I’m concerned, the matter is closed – I’m sure it’s going to make all the headlines tomorrow, but what you will say from me is that I have nothing to say on the matter. She has her views –that’s the end of that.”

Just prior to that, he had said: “When you get to a certain age and stage, you can say whatever you want. I really can’t rise to that – that’s as simple as that. She is who she is and she is the widow of the former Prime Minister. She was there at the start, so she’s entitled to her views. I leave it at that.”

Quite what that age is, the 69-yearold party chairman did not say. However, given his reticence to make the apology, his only options were to try to move on from the criticisms or get into a public disagreement with a prominent figure from the founding days of the party. That would perhaps be a battle that would earn him no favours.

This is not the first time, of course, that there has been criticism of the PLP leadership from a member of the Pindling family.

In 2017, during the party’s convention, daughter Monique Pindling drew considerable praise in the country for her comments that the party had “become weak” and “dishonest” and allowed the political ambitions of “a few men to dash the aspirations of a whole people”.

At the time, she said: “Many of us forgot how to treat people. We made promises we did not keep. Appointments were made and either they didn’t show up or they kept us waiting for hours and yet wonder why or how our party suffered its most crushing and humiliating defeat in this past general election. Many in the party became overcome with envy, consumed with jealousy and some of us were stung with greed. We became too concerned with who became ministers but ignored the taste and values of those who would make good representatives.”

She called for a “new, fresh and vibrant leadership”, but in 2021 she failed to receive a nomination from the party, saying the party’s leadership told her she would not be nominated because the party did not “want a Pindling on the ticket”.

And yet here they were, at the side of Sir Lynden’s grave, in Dame Marguerite’s words “using this as a stepping stone”.

The wait goes on, it seems, for Fred Mitchell to say sorry, but perhaps the bigger question is what this split will do for the party’s support.

For the Davis administration, it seems the honeymoon of being a new government is definitely over.

Waiting for RBC

EDITOR, The Tribune.

CALLING if not the leading commercial bank one is told calling their Client Service there might be a delay – what is a reasonable delay I have to ask?

Call wait - patiently hoping - then praying and still eternal silence. Thanks RBC.

Now can I contact my branch without going to

it? No one answers, thanks Cable Beach.

With Central Bank pushing deliberately their digital policy maybe Central Bank will insist banks answer their telephones - as simply as courteous as that - answer the stupid telephone.

Hoping by writing someone might buy a Tribune and act - public wants to have access we are tired of you removing

services and making it more and more complicated and, of course, increasing fees.

It is courteous to answer your telephones.

Truly an annoyed RBC customer of 40 plus years – boy years ago far, far better courteous service when they cared.

D ROLLE Nassau,

December 30, 2022.

Nothing is changing over NIB

ON THIS Majority Rule Day, I think of things relating to the “true true” meaning of the word ‘majority’ particularly after reading a newspaper article that yet again references another immediate call for action relative to the looming depletion of the National Insurance Board (NIB) funds in a mere few years, whilst da gubment dem ain taking “the lazy way out” but are “being creative and finding additional ways” to mitigate any depletion - whatever that might mean!

I am not an economist, but the practical commonsense approach to achieve a higher bottom line is by reducing the expenses and/ or increasing the income.

I would also like to emphasise the pathetic dearth, (but more like the death) of any investigative journalism in this country. What is the purpose of that sacred Fifth Estate if journalists are not questioning the obvious, asking pertinent questions, and digging for answers to constantly share pertinent information with the public and expose wrongdoing? I guess it is easier to drive to the latest homicide scene instead and make that your immediate headline on social media or for the next day’s paper, and then sit back and wait for the next sensational event to occur?

So who is looking at, thinking of, and questioning the state of our Bahamian society – the past, the present, and the future – going beyond the surface and lifting up the band-aid to seek out questions and answers of the whos, the whys, and the wherefors? Something is definitely lacking in our society if we are not demanding our people to do better and our leaders to lead.

When it comes to the NIB debacle, all ‘gubment’ entities are culpable - from the time National Insurance was formed way back then in 1972 as we are so eloquently discussing in articles and videos depicting the history of today’s holiday! It is so pathetic that nobody is even referencing the many ‘elephants

in the room’ relating to the following salient points:

1) NIB, from the first beginning, was regarded by all gubments as a readily available and fattened cash cow that was constantly and recklessly milked like there was no tomorrow. Money was squandered left, right and centre, in one ridiculous scheme after the other, such as: huge developments, institutions, buildings atrociously built, or never built, nor opened, or rebuilt several times over; money gone missing from contracts awarded locally and abroad, and work not completed nor accounted for.

2) Trips abroad to here, there, and everywhere on a whim with huge unnecessary contingents and lavish spending;

3) Administrative entities using public NIB funds to constantly entertain themselves and friends with lavish meals and expensive drinks on the public dime;

4) New Governors General being appointed every change of gubment to give fat pensions as a juicy award to politicos. Why? Where are those funds coming from, and why aren’t we, the public, being told exactly how many millions upon millions of dollars are being paid out monthly? In addition – are these funds also being handed down to family members? Just asking, because inquiring minds should ask and would like to know ..and as an aside, why are Queen’s and King’s honours still being handed out anymore anyway? What sort of proud Majority Rule/50 Golden Independence Anniversary action is that? - but I digress;

5) Apparently NIB is deducted from the civil servants pay packet. Remember that during the many months of COVID lockdowns apparently all civil servants were being paid full salary whilst they were staying at home. But does gubment pay NIB employer contributions for civil servants? And if not, why not, seeing as

government is the largest employer in the country? I do not know – do you know – has anyone asked the questions – where can you go to get the answer? We know that Bahamians on the whole actively look for a gubment job, particularly with an eagle eye focused on the pension benefits upon retirement, and that Pension Fund it seems is now operated through NIB, with civil service pensioners apparently paying into the scheme. Maybe some journalist out there would take the time to investigate.

6) When I was growing up, The Bahamas was actively advertised as being attractive because “there were no taxes”. Why hasn’t The Bahamas truthfully declared the many ways that we, the majority of the people, are nowadays being taxed (and sometimes double taxed), and operate our country like the taxed jurisdiction that it is;

7) Why aren’t employees who make mega salaries being charged larger NIB contributions? Isn’t that a no-brainer solution to increasing the bottom line? Meanwhile members of the opposition continue to lambast their opponents about ‘where the money gone’ and demand Freedom of Information (FOI), transparency, and accountability - until they cross the aisle to the other side and suddenly become mum - and why would they want FOI, transparency, and accountability since the above examples and the present status quo for those in power provide them with a smooth walk down easy street without them.

By the same token, why aren’t “true true” journalists spending time researching all of these points and so much more, and publishing their findings for public education and knowledge? And what are we, the stupid, paying majority public, gan do about?

Bottom line, and however many years later - ain nuttin much changed you all - it’s still the same story, different day.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

MAJORITY Rule Day celebrations in Grand Bahama yesterday. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

Sunwing returns to Grand Bahama

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ABOUT 500 Canadians visitors were in Grand Bahama last week with the return of Sunwing Airlines non-stop jet service to Freeport.

The low-cost carrier operates two direct services from Toronto and Montreal weekly, with guests staying at the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach.

The domestic section at the Grand Bahama International Airport has been renovated and serves as the passenger terminal for Sunwing.

The visitors spent a week on the island.

Anita and Matt Kushner said they enjoyed their trip to Grand Bahama and will come back again.

“We had the most fabulous time,” said Mrs Kushner on Saturday. “We are beach lovers. We love this island, and we

love to come back. The flight is nice and shortthree hours - and you’re here.

“We stayed at the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach, and we loved it. We loved the room, the beach, and the pool - everything.

“We went snorkelling, we hung out on the beach, and we walked along Fortune Beach. We loved it. We saw a lot of stingraysit is amazing. We will come back again big time,” Mr Kushner said.

Tristan Drouin, of Montreal, said this was his first trip to Grand Bahama. He looks forward to returning.

“The hotel, pool, and beach were great. It was a very good experience,” Mr Drouin said. “We will come back again.”

He said the highlight of the trip was the beach and white sand and blue water.

“The ocean was turquoise, and the food was really good,” he said.

Mr Drouin said The

Bahamas has a good reputation as a travel destination.

“We like it has a really good reputation for the beach and sand. It is like a dream vacation for us,” he said.

He said the three-hour flight is convenient. “It is not a long flight and that is really good,” he said, adding that he is going back home with a tan. I am going back to snow, cold, and slush on the ground. It is very different (from here),” he said.

The new Sunwing terminal at GBIA was opened last week. The building sustained significant damage during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

GBIA is owned by the government. It was purchased in April 2021 from Hutchison Port Holdings and Grand Bahama Port Authority. The facility has an 11,000 ft runway and includes 741 acres of land. The government plans to redevelop GBIA through a private-public partnership.

POLICE URGE PEOPLE TO PLAN A STRATEGY IN CASE OF HOME INVASION

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are urging people to plan a strategy or have one in the event of a burglary or home invasion.

The advice from Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings came after an early morning burglary on Sunday in which a woman in the home was sexually assaulted.

Police are also searching for a man who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl at her home this month,

however the details of that incident are not clear.

“I would wish that every family would plan a strategy or have a strategy in the event that their home is burglarised,” CSP Skippings said yesterday.

“I don’t want to say it publicly just because criminals are always listening in as well. So family members need to sit down and plan a course of action so that in the event something happens they know exactly what it is they are going to do and then for more tips that they can do, they can

reach out to our National Crime Prevention Office. They can call that office at 302-8430/1 and we will provide them with the information that they need.”

Police are searching for three men who reportedly entered a residence in southern New Providence and burglarised the home shortly after 5am on Sunday.

Officers were told that a man, a woman and other relatives were at their home on Marshall Road when three gunmen entered.

The residents were

MAN ACCUSED OF DECEMBER MURDER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded to prison on Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of a man on bail for possession of a prohibited weapon last month.

Kirkland Bullard, 31, represented by attorney Ian Cargill, faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson Pratt on a charge of murder.

According to police reports, around 7.30pm on December 22, 2022, it is

alleged that two men got out of a small white Japanese vehicle on Eighth Street in Coconut Grove. While there, it is said, they opened fire on D’Amatto Deveaux as he sat on the porch of his residence, resulting in him being shot multiple times in his body.

The suspects fled the scene in their car. Emergency Medical Services later pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

Police said the deceased was recently released from prison and was being

electronically monitored in connection with possession of a prohibited weapon.

Due to the gravity of the offence, Bullard was not required to enter a plea in court. He was informed that his matter would proceed to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

The chief magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant him bail, however he has the right to apply for it in the Supreme Court.

Bullard’s VBI will be served on April 4.

BAIL DENIED AFTER 1,000 ROUNDS FOUND

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN Abaco man was denied bail after being accused of having nearly 1,000 rounds of unfired ammunition and a large quantity of Indian hemp on a family island last week.

Fred Smith, 46, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney. There he faced charges of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply, four counts of possession of ammunition with intent to supply and

two counts of possession of a component part of a firearm.

According to police reports, around 4pm on January 4 officers in a special operation conducted a search of a single-story residence on St Andrew’s Drive in Abaco. It is there that Smith is alleged to have been in possession of 921 rounds of various unfired rounds ammunition without a firearm certificate.

These include 34 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 110 rounds of .223 ammunition,

502 rounds of .22 ammunition and 275 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. At the same time police confiscated a black rifle muzzle and a black rifle magazine.

It is further alleged that police found Smith with 15 bags along with 260 blocks all containing marijuana.

In court the accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was denied bail and sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Smith’s trial will commence on February 6.

reportedly tied up and robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash. During the burglary, a woman in the home was sexually assaulted, police said.

On Monday, police said they were actively

searching for a man who reportedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl while at her residence in eastern New Providence.

Police added that according to reports, the incident

occurred between Monday, January 2, and Sunday, January 8.

However, no specifics were given on whether the man was known to the teen or he broke into her residence.

CANADIAN passengers arriving in Grand Bahama after the return of Sunwing Airlines.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

Crime and corporal punishment

OVER the past few days, in addition to the usual crime reports, there have been stories about the need to address what the prime minister called a “serious a chronic problem”.

Crime has plagued The Bahamas for a long time. Every government administration, upon arrival, blames it on the previous administration, and every Opposition blames the sitting administration for failing to find the solution.

While political parties blame each other to escape responsibility, members of the public convince themselves that the most violent crimes have nothing to do with them. It is often said that the criminals are killing each other, and some people go further to say this is a good thing. One of the reasons crime continues at high rates is that very few people and entities — including families, churches, and workplaces — are prepared to accept responsibility or take action to prevent it or intervene.

Violence does not come from nowhere. It is a learned behaviour. We all understand the threats of physical pain and death as a motivator. They can get a person to take or refrain from taking a particular action. Physical pain and death are understood as punishment. If a person fails to take or refrain from taking a particular

By Alicia Wallace

action, especially after being threatened, they may be physically harmed or killed. This can be useful for learning not to, for example, touch fire because the direct consequence is the pain of being burned. It is unhealthy when fear is weaponised against a person. A person brandishing a weapon and giving a directive does not necessarily have to verbalise a threat for another person to understand that they must do as they are told to avoid being physically harmed or killed.

Unfortunately, children are taught, by example, to use other people’s fears against them very early in life. Children are beaten for any number of actions and inactions, including accidents. Get a bad grade, get beaten. Don’t finish dinner, get beaten. Spill juice on the couch, get beaten. Say a bad word, get beaten. Knock over a glass, get beaten. Text a boy, get beaten. Cry, get beaten. They are not only experiencing violence as a response to certain behaviour, but living with

the threat of violence and how it shapes their behaviour. This is uncomfortable and feels as unsafe as it is, and it is training for abusing other people with the same tactics. Children learn that threats are scary, they can be made with or without words, and they can drive action. By practising the use of threats with their peers, they learn that anyone can do it.

When the issue or corporal punishment is raised, many parents become upset. Corporal punishment is what they know. It is the way they were “corrected” and “raised” by their parents, and it is what they use to “correct” their own children and any other minors in their care. They find the suggestion that it is wrong to be inconvenient. They do not like when it is referred to as violence. They see it as “discipline”.

Violence is “behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something”. Corporal punishment, including the spanking, hitting, and

pinching of children, is, indeed, violence. It hurts, and it can cause damage.

Who are We Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority is the premier Air Navigation Service provider in the Bahamas. We provide reliable and quality air navigation services through a profcient workforce, servicing the global community. We are dedicated to being the regional leader in air navigation services.

Position Overview

The Legal Counsel will provide a wide range of legal services connected to the operations and administration of the Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (“the BANSA”). Among the primary functions are providing legal advice and counsel to management, the Director, and the Board of Directors; conducting legal research; drafting legal documents; reviewing authority action for legal suffciency; and representing BANSA in civil litigation and administrative hearings.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

1. Provides sound and timely advice and direction to the Director, management and the Board on any legal matter related to BANSA, its functions and operations.

2. Undertakes legal suffciency reviews of BANSA’s programs, policies, procedures, and practices to ensure compliance with institutional priorities and statutory obligations—including legislative initiatives of the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAA-B) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

3. Performs or supports due diligence, negotiations, requests for proposals and contract development for proposed commercial transactions and manages associated documents.

4. Implements, tracks, and monitors legal aspects of strategic organizational initiatives.

5. Defnes budget and other resources necessary for the optimal provision of legal services.

6. Collaborates with management in respect of labor relations matters, including assisting with industrial agreement negotiations.

7. Supports the HR function by managing high-risk, complex employee matters, including overseeing judicial and administrative proceedings.

8. Drafts new and amended legislation, regulations, notices, etc., as required by BANSA.

9. Maintains currency on all relevant laws and contributes to the enhancement of the knowledge base of the BANSA management through training programmes.

10. Coordinates with outside counsel on outsourced matters.

11. Serves as Board Secretary.

12. Performs other job-related duties, as assigned.

Qualifcation Requirements:

• Degree from an accredited law school.

• At least 3 years of responsible experience in the practice of law—preferable in a government or aeronautical setting.

• In good standing with the Bahamas Bar Association

Knowledge Requirements:

• Sound knowledge of national laws and regulations covering civil aviation, the provision of air navigation services and labour laws. Sound knowledge of the ICAO Convention and Standards and Recommended Practices.

• In-depth knowledge of administrative law and procedures

Ability to:

• Assimilate complex problems and identify solutions.

• Provide effective representation in negotiations and dealings with industrial agreements, governmental agreements, and international agreements.

• Develop and communicate proposals and recommendations clearly, logically, and persuasively in public, internal and international settings.

• Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive correspondence, reports, studies, and other legal written materials.

• Exercise sound, expert independent judgment within policy and legal guidelines.

• Exercise tact and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive, complex, and confdential issues and situations.

Competence Requirements:

• Capable of maintaining quality while working under pressure and adhering to deadlines.

• Demonstrate ability to work independently and largely unsupervised.

• Methodical and organized with a high level of attention to details.

• Professionalism and adherence to good work ethics.

• Results and performance driven.

• Team player.

Interested, qualifed candidates should submit their Curriculum Vitae and all relevant supporting documents to the attention of the Human Resources Department at Hrd@bansabahamas.com , on or before Friday, January 27th, 2023.

Discipline is “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience.” Punishment is “the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offence”. Interestingly, discipline has two components — training to obey and punishment as a response to failure to obey — and punishment is a response to offence. The response does not have to be physical, yet for many Bahamians, corporal punishment is the only familiar punishment. Perhaps it is that way because it is easy. It does not require thought. It could be that it is a generational practice that too many people are not prepared to question, challenge, or change, even when we know its association with slavery. More thoughtful, effective discipline takes thought and time. It is not immediate, and may require a cooling off period, so adults do not have the physical satisfaction of not only punishing a child, but offloading all of their frustrations in their delivery of corporal punishment.

‘Unfortunately, children are taught, by example, to use other people’s fears against them very early in life. Children are beaten for any number of actions and inactions, including accidents. Get a bad grade, get beaten.’

try, but an ill-suited learning environment or an undiagnosed learning difference. When children are wrongfully punished, resentment can build. We know that there are angry people among us, and we do not know why. Some of them are still angry about the ways they were treated as children. Some people have mental health challenges because of the violence they experienced as children. Some are in unhealthy and abusive relationships because they were told all their lives that violence is love. The crime we see in The Bahamas is not all due to violence against children. It is also not completely separate from it. We learn violence before we can speak. Years ago, ZNS played a recording of a child reciting “Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Law Nolte.

If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient.

approval, He learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world.

That recording was played so often that many of us memorised it without trying. There must have been a reason ZNS played it. I do not remember it being preceded or followed by a public service announcement about child abuse, parenting, or anything of the sort. It may have been expected that the message would be received through repetition, but here we are. Child abuse continues to be called discipline, and people who lived with hostility and ridicule enact violence against people known and unknown to them.

Even before punishment is doled out, parents get it wrong sometimes. Maybe the believe the favorite child, and that child knows they can blame everything on their siblings. Maybe what parents perceive to be an act of rudeness is an accident. Maybe poor performance is not a refusal to

If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice.

If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith.

If a child lives with

The family is the first institution we know. It is where we learn behaviors we take with us through all of our lives, and some of us work hard to unlearn along the way. It is the place we are most easily and deeply scarred. It could be the place we learn to love and be loved, to treat one another with respect, and to believe in and value justice. Will the government take a stand against corporal punishment? Will elders admit that violence is not the way to raise or discipline children, and that is has harmful effects? Will churches guide members in understanding metaphors and other literary devices so that “spare the road, spoil the child” does not become a license from god to abuse children? Will workplaces and other organizations support parents who need help balancing the work and family responsibilities, and to learn healthy parenting practices? We need all hands on deck. Everyone needs to participate in developing good, active citizens.

Recommendations

1. Shrill. Based on Lindy West’s memoir, “Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman,” this show is often referred to as “smart comedy”. Wrapped up with three seasons, Shrill is binge-ready. The main character is Annie Easton, a fat woman who is trying to work her way up in the world of journalism and transform her life without changing her body. The first episode is funny, even in the cringeworthy moment, and is a good indication of what is to come. Someone really does tell Annie should could be pretty if she lost weight. Annie sticks it to the fatphobic world in her article titled “Hello, I Am Fat”, and this is not completely made up for the show. Lindy West’s 2011 article of the same title

paved the way for Shrill, the Hulu show. Annie navigates strange workplace dynamics, a terrible relationship, and the complications of being an adult child with a sick parent. Shrill is easy to watch, raises important topics, and has at least one character—Fran—you probably want to have their own show.

2. Feminist Book Club. Meet Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press every fourth Thursday to discuss the book of the month. The first book is Jamaica Kincaid’s “A Small Place”, chosen for its clarity and brevity which do not compromise the statement it makes on (neo)colonialism and tourism. Set in Antigua, it could easily be in The Bahamas. Join the discussion at Poinciana

Paper Press on Thursday, January 26 at 6pm. To sign up and receive more information, complete the form at tiny.cc/fbc2023.

3. Why rest is an act of resistance. Author of “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” Tricia Hersey is the guest of this 25-minute episode of NPR Life Kit. She talks about the importance of recognizing our humanity and that it comes the need and the right to rest. There are four tenets of what Hersey dubbed the Nap Ministry. The first tenet is that rest is resistance because it pushes back against white supremacy and capitalism. This episode delves into this idea and explores ways to understand it and change behavior in order to embrace rest, even in the face of guilt.

POLICE at the scene of one of last year’s shootings. Photo: Austin Fernander

CES 2023: A COLOUR CHANGING BMW AND A BOBA TEA ROBOT

By ADRIANA MORGA, JAMES BROOKS and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tech companies showed off their latest products last week at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show.

Crowds of investors, media and tech workers have streamed into cavernous Las Vegas venues to see the latest tech from big companies and startups. There are flashy concept cars, screens of every possible variety, robots that can help with a range of tasks and technology for homes. Some tech innovations are already available to buy while others may never make it past the prototype stage.

Here are some highlights:

VIDEO CALLS WITH A TWIST

Tired of the same old videoconference calls? Zero Distance thinks it may have the answer.

The company’s Wehead device helps people at a meeting feel like a remote attendee is in the room with them. The device looks something like a machine you might find at the eye doctor, but with screens on the front. The person participating from afar looks like they’re there in 3D and when they look around or nod, the machine also moves.

Wehead works with standard computer or smartphone webcams.

“If there are a few people around the table and just one screen, not everybody can see the screen, and the person in the laptop, he or she is not able to see everybody,” Wehead creator Ilia Sedoshkin said. “That’s the obvious application.”

“But for people who spend like 40 hours a week in their home office, they don’t see other people a lot. So feeling the real person in the room, using some space on your table, can give you less loneliness,” Sedoshkin said.

The Wehead costs $1,555, with a pro version available for $4,555.

COLOUR-CHANGING

CAR

BMW is betting on a car that can change colours.

The German car manufacturer’s latest concept car can display up to 32 colours and allows drivers to customise their cars digitally.

That’s not the only thing — the mid-size sedan has a voice assistant as well

as physical and digital elements that allow the headlights to create facial expression and express moods such as joy, astonishment and approval.

The car is called BMW i Vision Dee — Dee for “digital emo tional experience.”

The splashy ride is the next iteration of BMW’s colour-changing tech nology unveiled at last year’s CES, when the company showcased a car that had the ability to change from black to white.

The body of the latest version is divided into 240 seg ments, all of which the company said can be controlled individ ually and allow for an endless number of patterns to be generated.

The car will be available in 2025.

A BOBA ROBOT

From milk tea to passion fruit, ADAM the robot can make any boba tea drink you like.

ADAM also can function as a bartender or barista, but it made boba tea for delighted CES attendees who used digital touch screens to select their drinks.

“ADAM is intended to be basically a way to attract guests and a way to make drinks fully automated and very efficient,” Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics said.

The two-armed robot has two grip handles that can be customised to make specific drinks.

While taking a break from mixing beverages, ADAM can dance to

keep people entertained. ADAM, which can be rented for events or hired full-time, is among a range of robots on display at CES this week doing a variety of tasks from disinfecting surfaces to making deliveries.

NUT MILK ON DEMAND

During the pandemic shutdowns in 2020, California resident Luiz Rapacci had a hard time finding his favourite almond milk at grocery stores. He looked up online recipes to make his own, but they were

messy and time-consuming. Almost three years later, Rapacci is at CES to unveil his nut milk brewing machine, the GrowUp brewer. With GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes with water and their chosen variety, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios, Rapacci said. The machine costs $599 and is available now for pre-order.

PERFECT EYEBROWS

L’Oreal’s Brow Magic is bringing augmented reality to your eyebrows. The company’s app

scans your face and uses AR to make personalised recommendations for choices of shape, thickness and effect. You apply a primer, then the Brow Magic device uses 2,400 tiny nozzles to brush over and paint your eyebrows.

L’Oreal developed Brow Magic in partnership with Prinker, which makes a device that quickly applies temporary tattoos. The makeup in Brow Magic, which is expected to launch later this year, can last up to two days and be taken off with regular makeup remover.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM CES 2023

INTERACTIVE COOKING CLASSES

Blok wants to be the Peloton of cooking classes.

It’s a large cutting board with a docking station and a digital display where subscribers will be able to watch live cooking classes taught by professional chefs and chat with other participants.

Creators Alissa and Tony Frick envision groups of family members and friends doing classes together virtually four or five times a month. The classes will all be 30 minutes or less.

The idea was born during the pandemic, when the Fricks couldn’t get together to cook meals with their family.

“We missed that so much,” Tony Frick said.

The Fricks have sold 100 units that will be delivered this summer and are hoping to scale up production after that. They anticipate selling the cutting board for $299 or $399, with an app subscription expected to cost $9.99 a month.

UNCERTAINTY-FREE COOKING

Some people love to experiment in the kitchen. If you’re not one of them, there’s the Tramontina Guru.

The Brazilian company’s smart induction cooktop promises to help you make perfect risotto, steak au poivre and caramel toffee, among 200 other recipes.

An app guides you through every step of the cooking process. You can even choose whether you’d like to your meat to be rare, medium or well-done.

You weigh your ingredients in the pot on the cooktop.

When you’re ready, you press a button and the cooktop heats to the right temperature for the right amount of time.

“This takes out the guesswork,” said Tramontina, head chef Flavia Gois.

The basic set including an induction cooktop and pot will be available in the U.S. this spring for $299.

A VERY SMART MIXER

GE Profile unveiled a smart mixer that lets you weigh your ingredients in the bowl while you’re working.

The mixer also has an auto sensor that can monitor changes in texture and viscosity and adjust speed accordingly. It shuts itself off automatically to avoid overmixing.

And it has voice control so you don’t have to stop what you’re doing and wash your hands off to operate it.

All that precision doesn’t come cheap — the mixer costs $999.95 and is only available at Crate & Barrel.

AN ADAM beverage robot makes boba tea at the Richtech Robotics booth during the CES tech show. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A MAN looks onto the show floor from a Wehead spatial video communication device at the Wehead booth during the CES tech show Friday in Las Vegas. The device, controlled via a smartphone, laptop, or tablet, allows the user to remotely look around through the device’s camera and observe the environment an interact with people in the room. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Political vacuum in Haiti as senators’ terms expire

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Associated Press

HAITI awoke yesterday stripped of its last democratically elected institution — this time, its Senate — an alarming development that solidifies what some call a de facto dictatorship nominally in charge of a country wracked by gang violence.

While only ten senators had been symbolically representing the nation’s 11 million people in recent years because Haiti had failed to hold legislative elections since October 2019, their terms expired overnight, leaving Haiti without a single lawmaker in its House or Senate amid a spiraling political crisis. Organised crime groups have been running virtually unchecked since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, who himself had been ruling by decree.

“It’s a very grim situation,” said Alex Dupuy, a Haitian-born sociologist at Wesleyan University, “one of the worst crises that Haiti has had since the Duvalier dictatorship.”

The bloody regime of

Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, who fled the country in 1986, marked the last time Haiti lacked elected officials.

The Parliament building in downtown Port-au-Prince remained deserted yesterday, with only security guards at the gate. Similar scenes were evident outside Haiti’s nonfunctioning Supreme Court and electoral commission.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who assumed leadership of Haiti with the backing of the international community after Moïse was killed, has failed to hold general elections despite multiple pledges over the last year and a half to do so. His latest promise, on January 1, was that the Supreme Court would be restored and a provisional electoral council tasked with setting a reasonable date for elections.

But Henry offered no timeline, even as he asked Haitians to trust each other and “take me at my word when I speak of my government’s desire to do everything possible to

reconstitute our democratic institutions”.

“There are no powers to check his decisions,” Dupuy said. “As long as that situation continues, Henry is going to be behaving like a dictator.”

A spokesman for Henry’s office declined to comment.

The UN has warned that security in Haiti needs to improve before elections are held. Reported kidnappings soared to more than 1,200 last year, double what was reported the previous year, according to the UN, and at least 280 killings were reported in November alone, the highest monthly record.

Briefing the UN Security Council in December, Helen La Lime, who was appointed Haiti’s UN special envoy in October 2019, described what she called “alarmingly high levels of gang violence” in Haiti, which has fewer than 9,000 active police officers nationwide.

The gangs increasingly rely on kidnappings to fund their operations, with experts estimating that they control about 60 percent of Port-au-Prince.

“We are scared to step out of our houses,” said Daniel Jean, 25, who sells phone chargers and other equipment in the capital. “We are cornered: kidnapping, extortions. Gangs are killing people because we don’t have ransom.”

Haitians have lost all trust in the democratic process, Jean said, adding that he won’t vote if the same politicians and parties appear on the ballot: “They have more influence than the gangs. They control all the gangs.

“This is why the country is not going to move forward until the international community... comes in to help,” he said.

Henry requested the immediate deployment of foreign troops in October after the most powerful gang seized control of a key fuel terminal, cutting off supplies to hospitals, schools, businesses and homes.

But the United States and Canada, among others, have responded only by implementing sanctions, not sending troops.

“Haiti needs stability,”

decried Andrea Marcele, 29, who sells yams, lemons, carrots and other goods in the streets of the capital after migrating from the northern region of Grand-Anse.

“The country has no president... no elected officials,” she said. “Everybody is hungry for power. We are paying the consequences.”

As the situation worsens, Haitians increasingly flee by plane or aboard rickety boats, desperately risking their lives to reach some safety and economic security. Many aim for The Bahamas, or Florida.

President Joe Biden’s administration intercepted tens of thousands last year, sending them back to Haiti.

Rodelie Kator, 49, sells rice, beans and other goods, hoping to send her 18-yearold son to Chile or Brazil, popular destination points for Haitians who then try to reach Mexico and cross into the United States.

“I’m hoping for a better life for my son,” she said. “I don’t want to witness him being killed.”

Kator said she wishes he could stay in Haiti because

she has seen in the news “what my brothers and sisters have to go through to get to Mexico... being treated like animals.”

But Haiti holds no promise for her son, even as Biden announced last week that his administration would immediately turn away Haitians and other migrants at the US-Mexico border.

Haitian economist Enomy Germain tried to use this moment, with zero elected officials in Haiti, to encourage his countrymen.

“This date will have marked the beginning of the end of a political class without vision — without regard for the common good and without balance — if you good people get involved,” he tweeted. “Know that tomorrow will not be better without you.”

But even if elections were to be held, many Haitians wonder whether any candidate will be worthy of their support as they fear for their life.

“It feels like we’re heading toward a civil war,” said Marcele. “You’re walking with a coffin under your arm.”

DOJ REVIEWING POTENTIALLY CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT BIDEN CENTRE

WASHINGTON Associated Press

THE Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden’s former institute, the White House said on Monday.

Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said “a small number of documents with classified markings” were discovered as Biden’s personal

attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center, where the president kept an office after he left the vicepresidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The documents were found on November 2, 2022, in a “locked closet” in the office, Sauber said.

Sauber said the attorneys immediately alerted the White House Counsel’s office, who notified

the National Archives and Records Administration — which took custody of the documents the next day.

“Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,” Sauber said.

A person who is familiar with the matter but

not authorised to discuss it publicly said Attorney General Merrick Garland asked US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch to review the matter after the Archives referred the issue to the department. Lausch is one of the few US attorneys to be held over from former President Donald Trump’s administration.

Irrespective of the Justice Department review, the revelation that Biden

potentially mishandled classified or presidential records could prove to be a political headache for the president, who called Trump’s decision to keep hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida “irresponsible”.

Trump weighed in on Monday on his social media site, asking, “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?”

The revelation comes as

Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden’s administration.

It also may complicate the Justice Department’s consideration on whether to bring charges against Trump, who has launched a repeat bid for the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed that the department’s inquiry of his own conduct amounted to “corruption”.

BOLSONARO EYES EARLY RETURN TO BRAZIL

MIAMI Associated Press

THE Biden administration is under growing pressure from leftists in Latin America as well as US lawmakers to expel Jair Bolsonaro from a post-presidential retreat in Florida following his supporters’ brazen attack on Brazil’s capital over the weekend.

But the far-right ex-president may pre-empt any plans for such a stinging rebuke. Yesterday, he told a Brazilian media outlet he would push up his return home, originally scheduled for late January, after being hospitalised with abdominal pains stemming from a 2018 stabbing.

“I came to spend some time away with my family but these weren’t calm days,” Bolsonaro told CNN’s Portuguese-language affiliate in Brazil. “First, there was this sad episode in Brazil and then my hospitalisation.”

Bolsonaro arrived in Florida in late December, skipping the January 1 swearing-in of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who became the first elected Brazilian president not to receive

the presidential sash from his predecessor since democracy was restored in the 1980s. Bolsonaro is reportedly staying at the Orlando-area home of Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter Jose Aldo, a fervent supporter.

His visit to the Sunshine state went largely unnoticed in the US until Sunday’s attack by thousands of diehard supporters who had been camping for weeks outside a military base in Brasilia, refusing to accept Bolsonaro’s narrow defeat in an October runoff. Their invasion of Brazil’s congress and presidential palace left behind shattered glass, smashed computers and slashed artwork.

Almost from the moment the images of destruction were broadcast to the world, Democrats voiced concern about Bolsonaro’s continued presence on US soil, drawing parallels between the rampage in Brazil and the January 6, 2020, insurrection by allies of Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol to try to overturn the US presidential election results.

Among those calling for President Joe Biden

to give Bolsonaro the boot was Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Nearly two years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil,” the New York City lawmaker said. “The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida.”

It should be a no brainer for the White House, experts say.

Biden has never had a close relationship with Bolsonaro, who made common cause with Trump’s top allies on the far right. And any action to expel him is likely to play well in Latin America, where Biden is courting a crop of new leftist leaders who have risen to power in places like Chile and Colombia expressing similar concerns about threats to democracy.

“It’s one thing to make statements about support for democracy,” said John Feeley, a long-time US diplomat in Latin America who resigned as ambassador to Panama in 2018 over differences with the Trump administration.

A PROTESTER carries a piece of wood simulating a weapon during a protest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in the Petion-Ville area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on in October last year.

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

Dolphins focus on getting healthy ahead of Bills game

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) — Moments after the Dolphins’ playoff-clinching win over the Jets, coach Mike McDaniel went over to embrace the man who brought him to Miami, owner Stephen Ross.

“I know how many other teams were interviewing me, so the answer is zero,” McDaniel said, “and he felt in his gut that that didn’t matter, that this was the right fit for everything that we’re trying to do here, and I’ll forever be loyal to that.”

McDaniel made a strong impression in his first year by designing an explosive offence around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and leading the Dolphins to an 8-3 start. Miami followed that with a five-game skid while dealing with major injuries.

But the banged-up Dolphins (9-8), with rookie third-stringer Skylar Thompson at quarterback, did enough to beat the New York Jets 11-6 on Sunday and make the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 7 seed. Miami will face AFC East rival Buffalo in the wild-card round on Sunday. They’ve hardly looked like world-beaters lately, but the Dolphins are still playing.

“For myself, and what I tell the guys in our room, we just have to look beyond that,” wide receiver Tyreek

Hill said. “We have to find ways to look at our losses, take accountability and get better from it. That’s what we’ve been doing this whole season.”

Hill had 23 yards receiving Sunday as he dealt with an ankle injury. He’s one of many Dolphins players hoping to get healthy ahead of the Buffalo game.

Running back Raheem Mostert broke his thumb Sunday after rushing for 71 yards on 11 carries, and McDaniel said he expects Mostert will have surgery.

“It’s serious injury,” McDaniel said. “It’s hard to know if he’ll be able to play this week. I never put anything past Raheem Mostert. I’ve learned that over time. But it was a significant break of his thumb.”

Meanwhile, McDaniel said all three of the quarterbacks on Miami’s active roster are dealing with injuries.

Starter Tua Tagovailoa remains in the concussion protocol and hasn’t yet been cleared to return to football activities.

Teddy Bridgewater dislocated a pinky finger in Week 17 at New England. And Thompson, making his second start of the season, appeared to have his leg twisted up on a hit in the second half against the Jets and limped off the field. He briefly went to the Dolphins’ medical tent but did not miss any snaps.

McDaniel called Thompson’s injury “bumps and

anything more than one game,” he added. “The team that wins is the team that plays the best that day, not the team that had the best record or the home field. The team that plays the best that day is the one that advances.”

Brady played little less than two quarters on Sunday, when Tampa Bay was outscored 20-0 in the second half of a 30-17 regular season-ending loss at Atlanta.

Nevertheless, coach Todd Bowles felt his regulars played well enough before exiting the finale to maintain momentum generated by a division-clinching victory over the Carolina Panthers the previous week. “We got in some good work in the first half. ... I think if you rest them and don’t play them at all, then you lose momentum,” Bowles

said. “We still had that competitiveness and that eager-to-go once the game starts. I think we started fast on both sides of the football, so that’s still there, and that was important.”

Now the challenge is to regroup for a fresh start against the Cowboys, who have lost to Tampa Bay in each of the past two regular-season openers.

Brady and the Bucs — two years removed from winning the quarterback’s seventh Super Bowl title — are 5-1 over the past two postseasons.

Bowles noted the team has a “clean slate” entering the playoffs.

Linebacker Devin White knows some people are counting the Bucs out because of their record.

“We didn’t play the way we wanted (most of the season) ... but we got in,” White said. “We found a way to get in, and we showed resilience. We like

bruises” and said he’s hoping to have more clarity on the health of his quarterbacks later this week.

He added that Bridgewater was active against the Jets and could have entered the game in an emergency.

“There will be some question marks,” McDaniel said, “but fortunately this team has proven not to blink in any sort of question marks either way. We have guys that we really believe in, and we’ll go with the healthiest group up to Buffalo and play a very good football team.”

Thompson didn’t turn the ball over against the Jets and moved the Dolphins into range for a last-minute, go-ahead field goal. He said afterward he wasn’t thinking about whether he’ll be the starter at Buffalo.

being doubted and counted out because the only thing that matters is the people in this room.”

WHAT’S WORKING

Brady broke his own league record for completions in a season with 490 and enters the playoffs on a high note after throwing for a season-best 432 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina, then getting the Bucs into the end zone on a game-opening drive for only the third time all season against Atlanta.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Once again, the defence showed against the Falcons that it can be vulnerable to the run, yielding 174 yards rushing on 35 carries at Atlanta. Sure, the starters didn’t play the entire game; however, the Bucs have allowed over 150 on the ground seven times this season.

STOCK UP

After only forcing four turnovers during a 10-game

“That will be something for a couple days from now,” Thompson said. “I’m enjoying this. It’s important to celebrate stuff like this for the time being and soak it all in, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

WORKING

WHAT’S

Miami’s defence couldn’t deliver game-saving plays or key stops during the five-game skid. But the Dolphins didn’t allow a touchdown against and the Jets and got the stops they needed in the fourth quarter. It’ll be much tougher to stop Josh Allen and the Bills’ high-powered offence, but Miami at least has a strong performance to build on.

Miami’s offensive line, playing without veteran left tackle Terron Armstead, only gave up one sack.

stretch from Oct. 9-Dec. 18, Tampa Bay’s defence has seven takeaways over the past three weeks.

STOCK DOWN Despite playing much of the game with young backups on the field, Bowles felt the Bucs should have been able to protect a sevenpoint halftime lead and beat Atlanta.

“Regardless of who’s out there, we’re trying to win the game. We went into halftime with the lead. We should’ve been able to preserve the lead and try to win the ballgame,” Bowles said. “We got beat on fundamental stuff with some of the younger guys, and we’ve got to go back to the drawing board with those guys.”

INJURIES Bowles said he did not have an update Monday on C Robert Hainsey, who left Sunday’s game with a sore hamstring. LT Donovan Smith (foot), RT Tristan

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Penalties are still an issue that have killed promising drives and are part of what kept the Dolphins out of the end zone Sunday. Miami has been penalised 22 times for 180 yards in its past three games.

STOCK UP

Jason Sanders was 1 for 6 on field goals of 50-plus yards before his 50-yarder with 18 seconds left against the Jets that extended Miami’s season.

STOCK DOWN

Miami’s passing game clearly isn’t the same without Tagovailoa, but Hill and Jaylen Waddle should have been much more involved Sunday. The receivers had just five targets each against the Jets.

INJURED Hill briefly left in the first half with his ankle injury. ... Mostert broke his thumb in the fourth quarter. ... OL Liam Eichenberg left in the third quarter with an arm injury. ... Armstead (toe/pec/knee/hip) missed his second straight game.

KEY NUMBER 17 -- The number of catches by Waddle in four career games against the Bills. He has 293 yards receiving against Buffalo and caught three passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Bills in Week 15.

NEXT STEPS Miami and Buffalo will meet for the 3rd time this season. They split in regular season, with the home team winning both times.

Wirfs (ankle), NT Vita Vea (calf), WR Julio Jones (knee), S Mike Edwards (hamstring/hip), CB Carlton Davis (shoulder), LB Carl Nassib (pectoral) and S Logan Ryan (knee) all sat out vs. the Falcons due to injuries that will be evaluated as the week progresses.

KEY NUMBER 2 — With six catches for 55 yards at Atlanta, WR Chris Godwin joined Keyshawn Johnson as the only players in Bucs history to finish with more than 100 receptions in a season.

Godwin had a career-best 104 catches for 1,023 yards. Johnson set the franchise record with 106 catches in 2001.

NEXT UP Tampa Bay hosts the Cowboys next Monday night.

The Bucs are 0-2 all-time vs. Dallas in the postseason, though the teams haven’t met in the playoffs since January 1983.

DOCTORS: BILLS’ HAMLIN IN GOOD SPIRITS, UNDERGOING TESTING

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — An upbeat Damar Hamlin said yesterday he is “not home quite just yet,” as the Bills safety spent his second day in a Buffalo hospital undergoing a series of tests to determine why he went into cardiac arrest on the field last week and when he can be discharged.

“Special thank-you to Buffalo General it’s been nothing but love since arrival!” Hamlin added in his Twitter post, while asking his followers to keep him in their prayers. Buffalo General Medical Center issued a news release saying Hamlin was in good spirits and was joined by his parents, Mario and Nina Hamlin, as well as his younger brother, Damir.

The hospital said its team of doctors was “tasked with identifying any possible causes of the event, potentially treat any pathology that may be found, as well as plan for his recovery, discharge and rehabilitation.”

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated after being struck in the chest by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins while making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of Buffalo’s since-cancelled game at Cincinnati on January 2.

The 24-year-old from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh exurb, spent a week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he experienced what doctors are calling “a remarkable recovery.”

Able to breathe on his own as well as walk and talk, Hamlin was transferred to Buffalo on Monday for the next step of his treatment and recovery, while also being closer to home and his teammates. He is listed in stable condition.

Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane were among the first to visit Hamlin upon his return to Buffalo.

The Bills (13-3) return to practice today to prepare to host their division rival Miami Dolphins (9-8) in a wild-card playoff game on Sunday.

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer

EVEN if Kansas City doesn’t get the coveted home-field advantage in the conference championship that typically comes with being the AFC’s top seed, coach Andy Reid said the important thing is the Chiefs are still playing.

Reid said Monday he was too preoccupied last week with preparing for Saturday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders to worry about whether the Chiefs would be at home or elsewhere should they make it that far.

The NFL made the decision last week to alter the playoff format.

The Chiefs took care of the business of capturing the No. 1 seed with their 31-13 victory at Las Vegas.

“They understand the magnitude of where they sit right now and the opportunity that they have,” Reid said of his players.

“It’s not a lot of teams playing right now, so it’s a great opportunity and you want to take full advantage of that, the best you can.”

If Kansas City faces the Bills in the AFC championship, that game will be played at a neutral site because Buffalo’s game at

Cincinnati on January 2 was declared a no contest.

The Buffalo-Cincinnati game was stopped when safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest. He has recovered enough to be transferred Monday from a Cincinnati hospital to one in Buffalo.

The Chiefs, of course, have some work to do before they can think about the AFC championship.

They will get a break because of the bye that comes with the top seed.

Kansas City will host one of four teams on Jan. 21 and 22.

Reid is a master of the bye weeks, with a career record of 21-3 after a week off. “I think he has a great balance of the amount of time he gives guys off and the amount he gets guys in there to get them moving and prepare for the next week, and then obviously the coaches did a great job of game planning,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said.

“I’m sure this week they’ll game plan like three or four different teams and try to get a good game plan to the guys early in the week so they can execute it at a high level.”

WHAT’S WORKING

It starts with Mahomes, who set an NFL record

with 5,608 yards of total offence even with deep threat Tyreek Hill having been traded to Miami in the offseason. With Mahomes again calling the shots, the Chiefs this season ranked first in the league in total

offence (413.6 yards per game), passing yards (297.8) and scoring offence (29.2 points).

WHAT NEEDS HELP

The Chiefs won the turnover battle against the Raiders, getting two

takeaways while not losing the ball. That was a rare win for Kansas City, which even after that game is minusthree in turnover margin.

For the Chiefs to achieve their postseason goals, they need more games like the win over Las Vegas.

Otherwise, they’ll likely watch someone else hold up the Lombardi Trophy.

STOCK UP Breaking a record held by Derrick Johnson is notable any time.

Linebacker Nick Bolton made 180 tackles this season, one more than Johnson had in 2011.

Johnson sent a congratulatory tweet, saying he was “not surprised at all” that Bolton beat his Chiefs record.

STOCK DOWN

Even though the Chiefs are 14-3, they haven’t always looked impressive over the final month. They beat struggling Denver by six and three points and Houston by six.

Even against the Raiders, Kansas City sleep-walked through the second half and was outscored 10-7. That level of play won’t cut it in the postseason.

INJURED WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) continues to recover. Hardman came off

injured reserve last week but didn’t play against Las Vegas.

“He’s trying to get this thing right,” Reid said. “It’s just a matter of time. He’s really day to day, although he feels better today than he did on Saturday. So we’ll just see how it goes during practice.”

Reid said DE Frank Clark (groin), who was injured against the Raiders, wasn’t seriously hurt.

KEY NUMBER

2 — Two of the Chiefs’ losses were to the Bills and Bengals. Both were close, a four-point loss to Buffalo and a three-point defeat to Cincinnati.

Both teams are potential AFC championship opponents.

STEPS

NEXT

Kansas City will play the Chargers, Dolphins, Jaguars or Ravens the weekend of January 21-22 in the divisional round.

KANSAS City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco celebrates following an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 31-13. (AP Photo/David Becker)

MIAMI Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) aims a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets on Sunday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

BELT, BLUE JAYS FINALISE $9.3M, 1-YEAR CONTRACT

TORONTO (AP) —

First baseman Brandon Belt and the Toronto Blue Jays finalised a $9.3 million, one-year contract yesterday.

The 34-year-old had spent his previous 12 big league seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

He was limited to 78 games last year due to a right knee injury that required season-ending

surgery. He hit .213 with eight homers and 23 RBIs, playing his last game on Aug. 20.

“As we continue to improve upon a strong Blue Jays roster, the elite offensive skills and veteran presence of Brandon is an addition that will greatly complement this team,” general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement. “His consistency and

experience on the game’s biggest stages make him a great addition culturally and within our clubhouse.”

Toronto also acquired 29-year-old right-hander Zach Thompson from Pittsburgh for 25-year-old minor league outfielder Chavez Young.

Belt gives the Blue Jays a left-handed bat who likely will serve primarily as a designated hitter and

a backup to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Belt has a .261 career batting average and .356 on-base percentage. He won World Series titles with the Giants in 2012 and 2014.

Thompson was 3-10 with a 5.18 ERA in 22 starts and seven relief appearances for Pittsburgh last season. Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2014, he made

his big-league debut in 2021 with Miami. Thompson is 6-17 with a 4.44 ERA in 36 career starts and 19 relief appearances.

Young hit .237 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 70 games last year for Class A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo.

Right-handers Julian Merryweather and Junior Fernandez were designated for assignment.

Outfielder Corey Dickerson, Nationals agree to deal for 2023

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer

COREY Dickerson hopes to show he can still hit for power and make an impact in the majors in his 30s. Signing with the Washington Nationals should give the well-travelled outfielder the chance to show that.

Dickerson finalised a $2.25 million, one-year deal with the Nationals yesterday. After combining for just 19 home runs over the past three seasons, he joins a young team in Washington that’s coming off three consecutive lastplace finishes in the NL East and seems to match his mentality.

“I always feed off negative emotion,” Dickerson said during a video news conference. “I’ve always been an underdog. I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder. That’s the way I play. I feel like I kind of lost that chip for the last couple years trying to please and mold to people’s needs a little bit, and this year I’m going to try to definitely help my teammates but really put that chip back on my shoulder and be able to play with the emotion I need to.”

Dickerson, who turns 34 in May, is a left-handedhitting left fielder and could fill a void there for the Nationals. He was a

free agent after playing for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022, batting .267 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 96 games.

He would like to play the field more often than serve as designated hitter but said he and the Nationals would figure it out. Washington will be his eighth major league organization.

“Whatever the team needs is the role you have to be ready to play,” Dickerson said. “Guys always mess with me about bouncing around and things like that, but I always say there’s a reason why I’m still here. There’s a reason why I still have opportunity and it’s just because I love to compete. When I get out there and compete, it tends to just work out.”

Over 10 seasons so far, Dickerson has on All-Star appearance in 2017 with the Tampa Bay Rays. For his career, Dickerson has a .281 batting average and .805 OPS, with 134 homers and 452 RBIs and no qualms with bouncing around.

“A lot of times if you stay with a team too long, it can become monotonous with people’s routines and things like that — being in one place too long,” he said. “I take fulfilment in getting to know people right away, trying to learn the sense of humor of every single guy, how you

can joke with them, how are they approachable and just try to be a good teammate.”

Dickerson’s salary last season was $5 million.

His is the latest short-term signing by Washington general manager Mike Rizzo as he continues to try to reconstruct a roster that was torn down in the aftermath of the club’s 2019 World

Series championship. The Nationals had a worst-inthe-majors record of 55-107 last season.

The additions include first baseman Dominic Smith, pitcher Trevor Williams and infielder Jeimer Candelario.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Nationals designated right-handed reliever Andrés Machado for assignment. Machado,

who turns 30 in April, finished last season by not allowing an earned run over 19 2/3 innings over his final 17 outings.

In a swap of right-handers announced by the Nationals on Wednesday, the club received Cristian Jimenez from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for A.J. Alexy, a week after Alexy was designated for assignment by Washington.

MARLINS ACE, CY YOUNG WINNER ALCANTARA GETS KEY TO CITY

MIAMI (AP) — Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young winner, was awarded a key to the city of Miami from Mayor Francis Suarez yesterday.

“His dedication has influenced hundreds, if not thousands of people in our community,” said Suarez, with Alcantara standing to his right and Marlins general manager Kim Ng next to them.

“And he’s established himself as a positive leader and a role model.”

Suarez also declared January 10 “Sandy Alcantara Day” in Miami.

Alcantara, 27, made history as the first Marlins pitcher to win the Cy Young award. It was a unanimous vote after he pitched a league-high six complete games in 228 2/3 innings, also a league-best, this past season.

He was the 15th unanimous NL Cy Young winner and said he hopes to win more.

“It’s such a great day,” Alcantara said. “I will never forget this day. That key is going to mean a lot for me in my life.”

With about a month before the Marlins begin spring training, Alcantara said that as long as he’s healthy for the upcoming season, he’s confident in his ability to follow a 2022 campaign where he had a 2.28 ERA with another successful outing.

His six complete games were the most in the majors since Chris Sale had six in 2016, and his innings pitched and wins (14) were both career highs.

“I’ve been ready since about two weeks after the season last year,” Alcantara said. “I’ve been ready. I got to keep being ready because you never know what can happen.”

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

CARLOS Correa has reversed course again, bringing him back to where he started in the most convoluted free-agent negotiation in baseball history.

Correa agreed yesterday to a $200 million, six-year contract that keeps him with the Minnesota Twins after failing to complete deals with the New York

Mets and San Francisco Giants, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.

The agreement for the All-Star shortstop could be worth $270 million over 10 seasons if Correa remains healthy.

The contract is subject to a successful physical, and Correa was in the

Minneapolis area yesterday for the physical, the person said.

More than 100 free agents negotiate contracts each offseason, and letters of agreement routinely are signed by agents and clubs that are subject to successful physicals.

A player goes for exams and tests at a team-selected medical facility, club physicians review the results and the team finalises the contract, which then is reported

to Major League Baseball and the players’ association.

While 99% of deals follow that path, Correa and agent Scott Boras twice reached agreements that collapsed, an unprecedented twist for a star.

Correa agreed December 13 to a $350 million, 13-year contract with the Giants, who scheduled a news conference a week later to announce the deal, then called off the announcement hours before it was set to begin over concerns with a right ankle injury Correa sustained in 2014.

Correa agreed that night to a $315 million, 12-year deal with the Mets, and high-spending owner Steve Cohen even confirmed the pending agreement.

But the Mets also had concerns about the ankle after a December 22 physical and held off finalising the agreement while attempting to negotiate protections over the next two weeks.

The deal with the Twins reached Tuesday calls for an $8 million signing bonus, half payable next month and half in February 2024, and salaries of $32 million in each of the first two seasons, $36 million in 2025, $31.5 million in 2026, $30.5 million in 2027 and $30 million in 2028.

Minnesota’s deal includes team options for $25 million in 2029, $20 million in 2030, $15 million in 2031 and $10 million in 2032, salaries that would become guaranteed if Correa has 575 plate appearances in 2028, 550 in 2029, 525 in 2030 and 502 in 2031.

The contract could be worth $225 million over seven seasons, $245 million over eight years and $260 million over nine seasons.

Correa’s options also could be triggered by a

top-five finish in MVP voting, a Silver Slugger award or World Series or League Championship Series MVP. He gets a notrade provision.

New York’s deal guaranteed $157.5 million over the first six seasons, the person said.

Following Correa’s December physical for New York, Mets chief legal officer Katie Pothier proposed that Correa be subject to an annual physical starting after the 2028 season.

The physical would be directed by a doctor of the team’s choosing and Correa would have to demonstrate he was capable of physically performing to his top potential the following season offensively and defensively, the person said.

Pothier did not immediately respond to an email from the AP seeking comment.

While the guaranteed money kept decreasing in each successive agreement, the average annual value increased from $26.9 million with San Francisco

to $33.3 million with Minnesota. New York’s deal originally would have guaranteed $210 million in the first eight seasons.

Correa left Houston and joined the Twins last offseason for a $105.3 million, three-year deal that included opt-outs after each season. He pulled out of the deal after making $35.1 million in 2022 to chase a longer-term contract.

Boras maintained last month that the player’s 2014 surgery to repair a broken right tibia should not have been an issue. Dr. Kevin Varner, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Houston Methodist Hospital, operated on Correa.

Boras in prior years had worked out medical issues in contracts for Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordóñez with Detroit and for J.D. Drew and J.D. Martinez in Boston, specifying time on the injured list or a seasonending injury that would eliminate the guarantee.

Correa, the first overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft and the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year with Houston, has a .279 batting average with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight major league seasons. He also has been a stellar postseason performer with 18 homers and 59 RBIs in 79 games, winning a World Series title in 2017 with the Astros.

The two-time All-Star and 2021 Gold Glove winner raved about his time with Minnesota and how much he and his family enjoyed the community, maintaining all along the Twins were in the mix even with the bigger spenders pursuing him in a particularly lucrative offseason for shortstops. Xander Boegarts, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson all struck it rich, too.

MINNESOTA Twins’ Carlos Correa reacts while batting during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Minneapolis.

(AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

ST Louis Cardinals’ Corey Dickerson watches his grand slam as Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jason Delay, left, kneels at the plate during the first inning of a baseball game on October 1, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Heat go 40 for 40 from free throw line to break NBA record, top Thunder

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler’s three-point play with 12.9 seconds left capped an NBA-record performance by the Miami Heat and gave them a 112-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder last night.

Butler’s free throw made the Heat 40 for 40 from the foul line, breaking the 39-for-39 mark by Utah against Portland on December 7, 1982.

Butler was 23 for 23 from the line, tying the secondmost makes without a miss in NBA history.

James Harden made 24 without a miss for Houston on December 3, 2019, and Dirk Nowitzki made 24 without a miss for Dallas in

ISAACS JR

FROM PAGE 16

much about it as they do about playing in the Home Run Derby,” Fox said. “So once we continue to inspire the kids coming up and we can teach them how to do this properly, our country can become one of the best baseball nations in the world. The Home Run Derby is the greatest show on sand.”

As a kid, 26-year-old Isaacs Jr said he vividly remembers going into the old Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium and seeing the bright lights. Now he said he finally got to see the completion of the new stadium and he can’t wait to make his debut in it.

“I remember coming home in December and on the Saturday before it opened up, I just wanted to come and see it and take it all in,” he said. “As a baseball player, it was the first time we came home and got to play in it.

“We play so many times away, but to come home and to see the lights on and the music playing and so many people in the stands, for me it was a surreal experience. It just goes to show that now we can do whatever we want to do in the sport with this stadium.”

Fox, 25, wasn’t able to play in the initial tournament because he was on a Major League roster, but he is still basking in his own success as the eighth Bahamian to crack the top echelon in the sport as a member of the Washington Nationals last year.

“Since I started playing baseball when I was seven, I told my father I wanted to make it to the Major League and since then he’s pushed me and given me all of the opportunities to reach my goal,” Fox said.

“Signing to become a professional player, I was just 18 years old. I only had Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright, who were before and they tried to explain it to me, but you really don’t know what it’s like until you get in there yourself.”

After seven years as a pro, three of which he suffered a series of injuries, Fox said when he got the call up last year, it was a special moment for him.

“There were so many moments that ran through my mind because you wanted to get there as quickly as possible,” he said. “But the game of baseball and sports in general is tough because injuries happen, so you just have to stay the course.

“Making it to the Major League this past season is the first step in my journey and I’m looking forward to trying to help the Washington Nationals win a World Series in the near future. It was a special moment for me. I got to share it with my family and friends, who were there with me from day one.”

Fox said he could feel the love of the Bahamian people as they rooted for him when he went out

a playoff game against the Thunder on May 17, 2011. Dominique Wilkins also went 23 for 23 in a game in 1992.

And Miami needed every bit of Butler’s perfection — along with everyone else’s.

Butler had 35 points for Miami, which had used only eight players and was down to seven when Dewayne Dedmon was ejected in the second quarter.

Max Strus scored 22 points and Victor Oladipo had 19 for Miami.

The Heat were without four regular starters — Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin — on Tuesday, along with reserves Duncan Robinson, Omer

there and played for them because although he was wearing the Nationals on his chest, he was still a Bahamian.

For Isaacs Jr, just knowing that he did it, made him more excited than Fox himself. “From nine years old, we waited for that day to come,” Fox Jr said. “Whatever I was into , he was into and whatever he was into, I was in it too. We talked about playing professional baseball and to see the work that he put in behind the scenes to get to the top is something that I will never forget.

“I remember when he felt so deflated and he told me that he was going to Triple A and after he drove all the way to Rochester, he got the news that the next day he was going to the big leagues. I remember calling my mom and telling her that Lucius was going to the Majors. I felt like I was going there too because we waited patiently for that day to happen.”

It didn’t happen to Fox Jr, who played for the Indians for four years and then went to the Rockies before he went to the Frontal League. But he said his goal is to get back into the minor

Yurtseven and Nikola Jovic, all because of injuries.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points for the Thunder. Josh Giddey had a triple-double — 18 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

76ERS 147, PISTONS 116

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Joel Embiid rocked braids and had 36 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden added a second straight triple-double and Philadelphia routed Detroit.

Harden finished with 16 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds.

Embiid returned from a three-game absence with a sore left foot with a new look. But it was the same

league and to work his way up the ladder.

“If anyone looks up at my numbers, they will see that I can’t be denied, so my goal is to just get better in the offseason and every game go out there and put on a good show for my team. My country and my family, which keeps me grounded,” Isaacs Jr said.

“So this season, I just want to build on what I did last season and just wait patiently for my opportunity to get back into minor baseball and eventually get the chance as well to play in the majors.”

One of the goals for Fox as he looks forward to making his presence felt is to become the first Bahamian to win “rookie of the year” honours.

He intends to go to Spring Training and hopefully if he stays healthy, he can play a full season with the Nationals.

“I missed a lot of time with injuries, but I want to play a full season without any injuries,” he said.

Once he earns that feat, Isaacs Jr said they will celebrate it when they host the sixth edition of the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in December in Montagu Bay.

dominant performance out of last season’s NBA scoring champion.

Two days after Harden also had a triple-double in the 76ers’ victory at Detroit, the Sixers raced to a 24-point lead in the first half.

Saddiq Bey, Jaden Ivey and Rodney McGruder

With his reliance on God and the support of his family, Fox said he was able to accomplish his feat, rather than just giving up due to the injuries and he missed so much time on the playing field. He said talking to Isaacs Jr and his mother has made a world of a difference.

“I know that God doesn’t make any mistakes, so you just have to continue to trust him and keep the faith in him,” Fox said. “Whenever he does it, it’s the perfect time, so you just have to trust him. We always have our plans, but God laughs at you. So keep your faith in God, believe in yourself and have people in your corner who have your back like Todd, who is always there to boost my confidence.”

For Isaacs Jr to get back on the road to the majors, he said he too has to continue to believe in God and to put his faith and trust in him because “God is making things happen that will keep me around the game forever.

“So I just have to keep the faith and just ask him to direct me. I know I can play at any and every level in the sport, but God’s plan

each scored 17 points for Detroit.

RAPTORS 132, HORNETS 120

TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 28 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 24 and Toronto beat Charlotte for its second straight victory. O.G. Anunoby had 22 points, matching

is different from mine, so I just have to wait for God’s direction,” he said.

“Every time I take the field, I can just go out there and put on a show for the people in the stands and hopefully the right people will notice what I’m doing and I will get the opportunity that I’ve been waiting on to get back in the league.”

Like a “peacock” with its chest standing out, Isaacs Jr said he’s like that every time he gets to represent the Bahamas, whether it’s in the minors or in the Frontier League, so he asks the country to continue to cheer and support them as they represent the country.

“We came from a small country with small islands, but we’re not small-minded individuals,” Fox added.

“I remember when we first came into professional baseball and we told people we’re from the Bahamas, they were astonished that we play baseball here.

“Now they take notice. They don’t say that anymore. So we just continue doing our part to push the game forward and put the world on notice that Bahamian baseball is here and it’s here to stay as we

BSAA BASKETBALL GAMES SCHEDULE

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

his career high with six 3-pointers.

The Raptors made a season-high 20 3-points in 44 attempts.

Terry Rozier scored 33 points and LaMelo Ball had 24 points and a season-high 14 assists for Charlotte. The Hornets lost for the fifth time in six games.

continue to keep our little small island on the map.”

Fox said every time they compete, they want to let the world know that they are from the Bahamas with their stellar plays and that there are many who went before them and many more to come after them.

“The sports world is tough. You are competing against athletes from all around the world,” Fox summed up. “You have athletes who are bigger, stronger and faster than you, but with your heart and determination, you can get the job done.”

“A lot of people don’t see how much time athletes put in trying to perfect their craft and the pain they go through and mental aspects that they have to endure. I know I have a lot more respect for athletes because I’ve been there and I’ve had to go through all of it myself.”

While they look forward to continuing on the path that they are heading, both Fox and Isaacs Jr said eventually they hope that one day they end up either playing against or with each other just like they did on their initial home turf at Freedom Farm.

MIAMI Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) celebrates after scoring during the final seconds against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night in Miami.

Bale retires at 33 with 5 CL titles, many Wales memories

By STEVE DOUGLAS and RON BLUM AP Sports Writers

GARETH Bale announced his retirement from soccer on Monday at the age of 33, ending the career of one of Britain’s greatest players after winning five Champions League titles and finally getting to play in a World Cup for Wales.

Bale was once the world’s most expensive player when he joined Real Madrid for $132 million in 2013 and, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, was a devastating forward capable of surging runs and brilliant goals with his powerful left foot.

He was a European champion with Madrid in 2014, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18 and last year, before finishing his club career by helping Los Angeles FC win the Major League Soccer title.

Affected by injuries in recent years, he ended his career saving the best performances for his country, for whom he played a record 111 matches and scored a record 41 times.

Key to qualifying Wales for its first World Cup in 64 years, Bale scored in the group stage in Qatar — a penalty against the United States — and his last match was a 3-0 loss to England on Nov. 29.

Bale said his decision to retire from international soccer was “by far the hardest of my career.”

“My journey on the international stage is one that has

changed not only my life but who I am,” Bale said in a statement. “The fortune of being Welsh and being selected to play for and captain Wales, has given me something incomparable to anything else I’ve experienced.

“I am honored and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the red wall, and together have been to unexpected and amazing places.”

GARETH BALE

successful stages in our history and forever represents many of the brightest moments of the last decade,” the Spanish club said. Madrid referred specifically to his go-ahead goals in the 2014 and ‘18 Champions League finals and his solo goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final in 2014 when he sprinted down the left wing, even outside the field through the coaches’ technical areas.

unexpectedly, memorably beating fancied Belgium in the quarterfinals before losing to Portugal.

Bale, who made his Wales debut in May 2006 in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, broke the previous Wales record of 28 goals set by Ian Rush. He has won Wales’ player of the year award six times.

“How do I describe what being a part of this country and team means to me? How do I articulate the impact it has had on my life? How do I put in to words the way I felt, every single time I put on that Welsh shirt?” Bale said.

MANCHESTER UNITED, NEWCASTLE ADVANCE TO LEAGUE CUP SEMIS

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

MANCHESTER United cannot stop winning. Marcus Rashford cannot stop scoring.

Make that eight straight wins in all competitions for United after a 3-0 victory over third-tier Charlton Athletic secured a place in the English League Cup semifinals on Tuesday.

Rashford came on as a 60thminute substitute and had enough time to grab two goals, scoring for the sixth game in a row.

While United is looking to end what will be a six-year trophy drought, Newcastle has a shot at a first piece of silverware since 1955.

Bale started out as a left back for Southampton, moved to Tottenham in 2007 for a six-year spell, and had another year at Spurs in the 2020-21 season on loan from Madrid.

He scored 53 Premier League goals and 81 in La Liga. He won three Spanish league titles, one Copa del Rey and one English League Cup title.

Only one player — former Real Madrid star Paco Gento — won more European Cup/ Champions League titles than Bale.

“I move on with anticipation to the next step in my life,” Bale said. “An opportunity for a new adventure.”

Madrid called Bale a “legend of our club and world football.”

“Gareth Bale has been part of our team in one of the most

However, there is a slight sense that his career is unfulfilled given the way his time at Madrid petered out after scoring twice — including a flying volley — in the win over Liverpool in the Champions League final in 2018.

Injuries and a breakdown in his relationship with former Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane led to Bale becoming a peripheral figure in the Spanish capital. He appeared to lack the motivation to play for Madrid but was always ready to go to great lengths to play for his beloved Wales.

While celebrating a win that qualified his country for the 2020 European Championship, Bale held up a Welsh flag with the words “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order” written on it.

He was at his best for Wales when helping the team reach the Euro 2016 semifinals

“My answer is that I couldn’t possibly do any of those things justice, simply with words.

“But I know that every person involved in Welsh football, feels the magic, and is impacted in such a powerful and unique way, so I know you feel what I feel, without using any words at all.”

Praising Bale’s impact, Wales said: “The term ‘legend’ is overused in the modern game, but there are few players as deserving of that accolade than Bale for the crucial part he has played in revolutionizing the image of the national team off the field and delivering success on it.”

He joined Los Angeles from Madrid in June, when his contract at Madrid expired, and helped his new team win the MLS championship, scoring a 128th-minute equalizer in the final. LA went on to beat Philadelphia on penalty kicks.

The Saudi-controlled club from northeast England dispatched Leicester 2-0 thanks to goals by Dan Burn and Joelinton and advanced to the last four of the League Cup for the first time since 1976. Not even 18 months into its new era, Newcastle is perhaps exceeding expectations after rapidly becoming a force in English soccer. It is the latest positive step in encouraging seasons for two teams who have also established themselves in the top four of the Premier League.

Newcastle and Man United are tied on points in third and fourth place, respectively, and are in relentless form, with just one loss between them since September.

The other two quarterfinals take place today, when Manchester City visits Southampton and Nottingham Forest hosts Wolverhampton in another all-Premier League matchup.

BUCKS RALLY FROM 17 POINTS DOWN, BEAT KNICKS 111-107

NEW YORK (AP)

— Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks used 3-point shooting to wipe out a 17-point deficit in the second half and beat the New York Knicks 111-107 on Monday night.

Joe Ingles added a season-high 17 points and Brook Lopez also scored 17 for the Bucks, who made 12 3-pointers after falling behind 70-53 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Jalen Brunson had a career-high 44 points and seven assists for the Knicks, who had their four-game win streak halted. Julius Randle had 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists, but was just 1 for 12 from 3-point range.

The Knicks were hoping to continue streaking to the midpoint of their schedule, having followed an eightgame winning streak and a five-game skid with four straight victories. They fell to 22-19.

CELTICS 107, BULLS 99

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, Jaylen Brown added 19 as Boston beat Chicago and reached the midway point of its season with the NBA’s best record.

Grant Williams added 20 points and Al Horford had seven rebounds and eight

points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play that helped seal the win for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are 29-12 after the first 41 games.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points for Boston, which played without injured point guard Marcus Smart.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 27 points, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter while leading the Bulls’ furious comeback bid.

Chicago, which had won three straight, lost DeMar DeRozan in the third quarter with a strained right quadriceps.

Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago. DeRozan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes.

GRIZZLIES 121, SPURS 113

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

— Tyus Jones, filling in for Ja Morant, had 24 points, Jaren Jackson Jr added 16 and Memphis withstood a second-half comeback attempt by San Antonio.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks finished with 15 apiece for Memphis, which played its second consecutive game without Morant, its leading scorer, who is nursing soreness in his right thigh.

Tre Jones led the Spurs with 18 points, while Josh Richardson added 16 points. Romeo Langford

and Jakob Poeltl finished with 13 points each as the Spurs lost their second straight and fifth in the last six.

3-pointers in a win over Orlando.

Domantas Sabonis extended his double-double streak to 17 games and finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Sabonis leads the NBA in double-doubles this season with 30. Rookie Keegan Murray finished with 15 points, knocking down five 3-pointers.

Paolo Banchero scored 17 points for Orlando (1526). The Magic have lost five of their last seven games. Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and Wendell Carter Jr added 15 points and seven rebounds.

PELICANS 132, WIZARDS 112

WASHINGTON (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 34 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 27 points and 12 rebounds as New Orleans beat Washington.

122, LAKERS 109

NUGGETS

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored a seasonhigh 34 points, Nikola Jokic recorded his 11th triple double of the season and Denver beat Los Angeles in a game in which LeBron James sat out due to a sore left ankle.

Jokic finished with 14 points — on 5 of 5 shooting — grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 16 assists to help the Nuggets win their 11th straight home game. It’s their longest home streak since capturing 12 in a row in 2018. Denver remains tied with Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Russell Westbrook finished with 25 and Thomas Bryant added 17 along with 10 boards for the Lakers,

KINGS 136, MAGIC 111

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 30 points and Sacramento hit a franchise-record 23

New Orleans (25-16), which had lost four of five, took the lead early in the second quarter and put the game away when it scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter to take a 115-88 lead with 8:44 to play. Washington (17-24) has lost three straight and was missing leading scorer Bradley Beal, who didn’t play for the fifth time in six games with a strained left hamstring.

Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Analysis: 3-point shooting leads to more NBA scoring binges

FROM PAGE 16

for the league since 196970. But the overall scoring environment tells only part of the story. In that 196970 season, teams averaged 116.7 points, but only two players had a 50-point game. In 1984-85, the highest-scoring season of the 1980s, teams averaged 110.8 points. But only five players — Bernard King, Larry Bird, Purvis Short, Kevin McHale and Moses Malone — produced a 50-point game that season.

So what’s happening lately is not just higher scoring league-wide. The top players are also producing huge games with remarkable frequency. Expansion may play a role. The number of teams is 30% higher than it was in 1985. More teams means more games, so it makes sense that there are more

examples of a player scoring 50.

But the sport has changed in other ways, too.

“Guys come into this league, and the most impressive thing is the skill set — the handle and the shooting,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “What’s lacking, I think, is the foundation, the institutional knowledge that players used to have when they came into the league after a few years of college. Sometimes the defence isn’t great. Transition defence is at an all-time low in this league.”

Nowadays, basically every top scorer has some degree of proficiency from 3-point range, whereas back in the ‘80s, some stars largely ignored the shot and nobody attempted all that many.

“Guys are taking 15 or 16 3s in some games,” Los

Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Teams are encouraging guys to take those shots, and if you take so many shots, and if you get hot and make some, you can score a lot of points.”

So current players have a variety of ways they can accumulate points in a hurry, and the 3-point shot affects the game even beyond that. With so many players capable of making open 3s, teams can space the floor in a way that punishes defences for double teams.

“You have to pick and choose the guys you try and double team and get the ball out of their hands because they are not great passers, but there are some guys who can score, but can also pick you apart with their passing,” Lue said. “So, when you have guys like that, you want to let

those guys try and get theirs and take everyone else out, but sometimes it can backfire on you as well.”

When King scored 60 points on Christmas in 1984, he didn’t attempt a single 3. Even this year, Antetokounmpo didn’t make any when he scored 55. But Mitchell attempted 15 and made seven in his 71-point game.

“I think that 3-point line, as we’ve seen over the years, has definitely changed the game,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.

“Now you’re getting more guys to embrace that. The volume of attempts creates those opportunities. It’s pretty rare that guys are shooting 2 repeatedly to get to that 50-point mark. It’s definitely the evolution of our game to see more of that. I would expect that trend to continue.”

who saw their five-game winning streak halted. James was ruled out hours before tipoff, joining injured forward Anthony Davis ( (right foot) on the bench. Patrick Beverley didn’t play after halftime due to a hip injury.

MILWAUKEE Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks on January 9 in New York.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Bell and Farrington win golf title

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE fourth edition of the Cancer Society of the Bahamas charity golf tournament saw the team of Andrew Bell and Marcus Farrington emerge as the champions on Majority Rule Day yesterday at the Baha Mar resort’s Royal Blue Golf Course.

The duo, playing under the team of Sands Beer, posted a net score of 53.10 to beat out the team of David Bethel and Aiden Gorospe, who shot 49.50. The third finishers were the pair of Billy Holowesko and Madison Carroll with 48.70.

A full field of 104 golfers participated in the two-man scramble that raised close to $100,000 for the Cancer Society of the Bahamas, according to Phil Andrews, one of the tournament committee members.

For Bell and Farrington, it was a total team effort.

“It was just all, just ham and egg. When I was out in the hole, my partner carried me and he was in it. He was the egg,” Farrington said.

Bell, a former national team swimmer and cyclist, said they just came out to

relax. “Our last tournament, we didn’t play too well. We were probably a little too tense,” he said.

“But we came out here and saw a lot of the professionals dressed in their orange and black, and the other teams, so we just decided to come out and have some fun.”

To do it one shot at a time, Farrington said they did it for his grandmother Sue Roberts, who was the woman behind the formation of the Cancer Society of the Bahamas and Jimmy Sands and Sands Beer.

As the runners-up, Bethel and Gorospe said they were pleased with their accomplishments.

“It was a lot of fun. Aiden carried the team with putts all day. He made it look so easy as one of the young and coming juniors,” Bethel said. “He’s going to show what the Bahamas can do in the future. I’m glad I played with him.”

Gorospe, however, refused to take all of the credit.

“He sunk some putts some time and he helped us as a team to win,” said Gorospe, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Windsor Academy. “It was great to

play with him and to finish as the second best team.”

Although they were third, it was a good effort.

“I felt that it was great. I just needed to work on my putting and I know my iron shots were off, but on the last hole, I made the shot for birdie,” said Carroll, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Tambearly School.

She noted that she couldn’t ask for a better partner than Holowesko, who helped her as they talked about each aspect of

their game as they played the course.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to play with such a talented junior,” said Holowesko, one of the top Bahamian sailors. “It was nice to get her perspective on what she likes to do on the golf course and what is her favourite hole. We had a great time out there. It was unexpected that we got third, but we just grinded it out.”

Finishing in order to receive awards were the

teams of Luke McCarroll and Mackenzie Brown, fourth with 48.65, Steve Tiller and Brent Chapman, fifth with 48.50, Phil Andrews and Sean Albury, sixth with 47.95, Jim Laroda and John Reckley, seventh with 47.90, Phil Gorman and Richie King, Alistar Chisnall and Curtis Robinson, eighth with 47.80, Marc Robinson and Jimi Thompson, ninth with 47.55, 10th with 47.00 and Neala Jones and Paul Winder, 11th with 46.70.

Sue Roberts, of the Cancer Society of the Bahamas, said they are very pleased to host the event for the fourth year because it’s for such a worthy cause.

“It brings out a lot of people and there’s great camaraderie and it’s played on such a wonderful golf course, but I have never played golf in my life,” she said.

“There’s not one family in the Bahamas that has not been affected by cancer, so it touches everybody’s heart.”

Gina Gonzalez-Rolle, a committee member for the Cancer Society golf tournament, said they had a great event.

“We had a wonderful day, the weather was well and everyone had a great time and we had wonderful prizes to give out,” Gonzalez-Rolle said. “We want to thank everyone for their support, everyone who volunteered and came out and worked and all of the sponsors.”

The committee, according to Gonzalez-Rolle, is now looking at how they can improve on this year’s tournament as they start to prepare for the fifth edition next year.

PHIL Andrews and Gina Gonzalez-Rolle present runners-up Aiden Gorospe and David Bethel with their awards.

THIRD place finishers Madison Carroll and Billy Holowesko receive their awards from Gina Gonzalez-Rolle and Phil Andrews (in the background).

CHAMPIONS Andrew Bell and Marcus Farrington receive their awards from Phil Andrews and Gina Gonzalez-Rolle.

Photos by Erin Stuart

SPORTS NOTES Double dose of victory

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

While it was a double dose of victory for Briana Houlgrave on the girls’ side, Jackson and Patrick Mactaggart made it a brothers affair on the boys’ side of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s New Year’s Tournament.

The three-day event, held at the National Tennis Centre, was completed on Majority Rule Day on Tuesday as Houlgrave knocked off Grand Bahamian Tatyana Madu in both the girls under-14 and under-16 finals.

In the under-14 finals between the pair of junior national team players, Houlgrave had to go to the third and tie-breaking set to win 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 before she regained her composure and came back and took the under-16 title 7-5, 6-2 over Madu.

Jackson Mactaggart got the ball rolling on the boys’ side when he disposed of William McCartney Jr 6-3, 6-1 and his younger brother, Patrick Mactaggart, followed suit with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Chase Newbold.

“It was amazing, especially since I knew I made my coach (Bradley Bain) and my parents proud, as well as myself,” said Houlgrave, a 12-year-old Bahamian-Canadian, who is in the seventh-grade at Windsor Academy.

In the under-14s final, Houlgrave admitted that it was a bit nerve-racking.

“I did a bit of overthinking, but once I looked over my notes, it all made sense and it made me extremely proud,” said Houlgrave, who took the opportunity after just about every crossover to check her notes she made to remind herself of what to do in the match.

After about a two-hour break, Houlgrave came back and put the finishing touches on a great day on the tennis court.

“I knew what to do, so even though it was very hard, it was still easy in some aspects of the game,” Houlgrave said.

Despite the pair of losses, Madu, a 13-year-old ninth grader, said she gave it her best shot.

“In the under-14s, I made a couple of errors here and there. I can’t do anything about that,” she said.

“In the under-16s, I was pretty tired, but I tried my best. That’s what came out.

But I think I can beat her the next time we play.”

Madu said she was one of the few players from Grand Bahama who knew about the tournament, so she was happy to come here to see where her game is going into the new season.

She said she just had to go back to the drawing board and make some adjustments in training.

With all eyes set on their match, Jackson Mactaggart knew there was no room for error and he controlled the tempo of both sides, especially after going up a

break in the first set and up two breaks in the second set.

“I’m very pleased with my performances here because all of the players were tricky players, especially in the final.

“I had to give it my all. Each (point) was tough and I had to fight for it,” said Mactaggart, who also plays golf.

“I just took it one point at a time. I worked hard to get to the final and the hard work paid off. I felt I played well in all of my matches.”

Mactaggart said hopefully this match will propel the rest of his season as he looks forward to a tournament in Grand Bahama and then on the Junior Davis Cup team with McCartney and Gerald Carroll.

Patrick Mactaggart said he didn’t play the “greatest,” but it was good enough to win, just like his big brother.

“I was just happy with winning. Next time, I hope to improve on what I did not do right today,” said the 12-year-old seventhgrader. “I was missing too much and double faulting.”

In getting to the final, Newbold got past Panagiotis Mousis 2-6, 6-3, 10-2 in his semi-final match earlier in the day. The 11-year-old sixth-grader at Summit Academy, who indicated that he wants to one day become the best player in the Bahamas, felt he didn’t have anything left in the tank for the final.

“Getting through the first match, like I did in all of my matches, I lost the first set and I came back in the second set and pumped myself up to win the game,” he said. “In my last match in the final, I tried my best, but he was just that much better today.”

Fox and Isaacs Jr encourage each other

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AS childhood friends, Lucius Fox and Todd Isaacs Jr have been each other’s greatest inspiration on and off the baseball field.

The duo, who switched their concentration from track and field in St Augustine’s College to baseball while playing at Freedom Farm, have transcended their relationship to partnership as the co-founders and hosts of the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby that staged its fifth edition at Montagu Bay in December.

At the same time, they are both doing what they love the most, playing baseball at the professional level, albeit, Fox in Major League Baseball, while Isaacs Jr is a member of the Frontal League.

Together, the pair sat down at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium on Friday where they described their journey to where they are and their

closely knitted friendship that is second to none as they indicated that they have been there for each other in every circumstance along the way.

“Every game that Lucius and I played against each other (in minor league), it was some of the best baseball to watch. We always wanted to be one up on the other, Isaacs Jr said. “So if he makes a good play, I have to follow up with something better.

“If he had a good game today, I had to follow up with one the next day. I remember the last time we played against each other in Lake County, I remember getting a walk home run against his team and he followed up the next day by getting four hits. Every time we stepped on the field together, we competed against each other, but we represented the Bahamas so we had to do it with pride.”

Having played together on teams since they were nine years old, Fox said it was hard to play against

each other even when they headed the two separate teams to play against each other in the Home Run Derby.

“In that game that he hit the home run, it was my brother’s team that won, so I was happy for him,” Fox said. “It was also a tough competition, even in the Home Run Derby. We

always wanted to win, but we also wanted to put on a show for our Bahamian people and to show the young people coming up that they can do it too.”

With so many young players looking for the opportunity to also get their chance to play professional baseball, Fox said they try to inspire them

Analysis: 3-point shooting leads to more NBA scoring binges

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer

GIANNIS Antetokounmpo set a career high with 55 points last Tuesday in Milwaukee’s victory over Washington — and it wasn’t even the week’s top scoring performance in the NBA’s Central Division.

That belonged to Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, with a staggering 71 the previous night.

The NBA these past few weeks has featured an almost nightly display of one-upmanship among the game’s greatest scorers.

Whether it was Mitchell’s extraordinary effort for the Cavaliers or Dallas’ Luka Doncic reaching 50 points three times in a nine-day span, everywhere you turn, it seems like another player is putting up a huge total.

“I think there are a lot of layers to it. You just see night after night, guys are having enormous offensive games,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr said.

“It’s fun to watch as a fan, of course. Frustrating when you’re trying to game plan to stop some of these guys because they’re scoring at all levels — the paint, the 3s, getting to the line.”

Ten different players have already scored 50 points in a game this season: Antetokounmpo, Mitchell, Doncic, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Pascal Siakam, Darius Garland and Stephen Curry.

Before 2016-17, no more than eight different players had ever had a 50-point game in one season, according to Sportradar. Since then, at least 10 have done

BASKETBALL GSSSA SEASON OPENING

THE Government Secondary Schools Sports Association will kick of its basketball season today with the junior boys and girls playing at the AF Adderley Gymnasium and the senior boys and girls at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

The GSSSA is headed by Varel Clarke-Davis, who indicated that they are looking forward to a really competitive season across the board.

games on tap today:

AF Adderley Gym

4pm - CH Reeves Raptors vs AF Adderley Fighting Tigers (junior girls)

CH Reeves vs AF Adderley (junior boys)

TA Thompson vs LW young Golden Eagles (junior boys)

Kendal Isaacs Gym

Senior girls

4pm - CC Sweeting Cobras vs Doris Johnson Mystics Marlins

CC Sweeting vs Doris Johnson senior boys to be played following the girls’ game.

BSAA BASKETBALL

THE Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association will continue its basketball regular season today at the Hope Center starting at 4pm with the following games on tap:

Junior boys – Freedom Farm Academy B vs ISBET.

Junior boys – Freedom Farm Academy A vs Akhepran International Academy.

Senior girls – CV Bethel vs Teleos Christian Academy.

Senior boys – Akhepran Internrational Academy vs Genesis Academy.

Senior boys – New Horizon Christian Academy vs Teleos Christian School.

BAISS BASKETBALL

THE Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools, which got its basketball season started just before the Christmas break, will resume competition today with a full slate of games at various private high schools, starting at 4pm.

Games will also be played on Thursday and Friday as the season swings into full gear.

as much as they can when they come home and participate in the Home Run Derby.

“I feel like the players look forward to it every year. I know some of the young kids who are on the verge of signing their contracts, they don’t talk as

NPBA BASKETBALL

THE New Providence Basketball Association will continue its regular season action at the AF Adderley Gymnasium with games on tap tonight, starting at 7pm.

Games will also be played on Friday and Saturday nights in both the men’s division II and division one.

For Tom Brady-led Buccaneers, playoffs provide fresh start

By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Florida. (AP)

— Tom Brady doesn’t waste a lot of time dwelling on the past.

Just as he understands winning the Super Bowl a record seven times doesn’t guarantee future success, the 45-year-old quarterback says entering the playoffs with a losing record shouldn’t be a hindrance for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

forward,” Brady said. The Bucs (8-9) won the NFC South title despite finishing with the only losing record Brady has compiled in 22 seasons as a starting quarterback. They will host the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) in an NFC wild-card game next Monday night.

it every season, including a record 14 in 2021-22.

Some of this is to be expected in what has become a very high-scoring era. NBA teams were

averaging 113.8 points per game entering Monday night, which if it continues would be the highest mark

“I was part of teams that were really good and didn’t make it very far. I was part of teams that were fighting really hard and made it a long way, so everything will be determined by what we do from here going

“We’ve learned a lot over what’s happened over the course of the season and now we have to put our best foot forward offensively, defensively and special teams. We’ve got to get a lot of guys healthy and put our best group out there and see if we can go,” Brady said. “You don’t think about winning

CAVALIERS guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots against Bulls centre Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half on Monday night in Cleveland.

(AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

PROFESSIONAL baseball players Lucius Fox, far left, and Todd Isaacs Jr, far right, pose with Todd Isaacs Sr, Dotlee Fox and Gina Gonzalez-Rolle.

PATRICK MACTAGGART BRIANA HOULGRAVE