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VOLUME:114 No.218, OCTOBER 4TH, 2017

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Medical aid to be volunteers

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday the government intends to recruit medical professionals on a voluntary basis to assist Dominica.

Dr Sands told The Tribune he was distressed by the negative feedback on social media to the country’s humanitarian efforts, adding that the derisive commentary has exposed an ugly facet of Bahamian identity.

He said officials were still conceptualising how best to facilitate the pledge by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to send physicians to the devastated Caribbean

island, adding it was likely professionals would be allowed to utilise vacation time for the mission.

“Now we have to flesh out what is possible,” he said. “We’ll open it up to any doctor, any nurse, any paramedic in the country.

There are some Bahamians who will give the shirt off their back to somebody in need, unlike some people who believe it is only about them.

“I’m just distressed (by social media outcry) that this is who we are, we’re better than this.”

He continued: “Certainly while you can pay attention to print and radio, for better or worse social media has a

FORMER Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson outside Magistrates Court yesterday.

PHOTO: Terrel W. Carey

POLICE Staff Association Chairman Sgt Sonny Miller has confirmed more than 1,800 officers have received, in part or in full, overtime payments stemming from 12-hour shifts worked in 2013 and 2014.

Sergeant Miller in an interview with The Tribune on Tuesday, indicated 1,700 officers still enlisted with the Royal Bahamas Police Force have received the second tranche of payments due to them.

SEE PAGE SIX

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Nobody Does it Better!

THE Deputy Prime Minister yesterday said he “takes no comfort” in the $9.1 million Budget surplus achieved by the Government for the 2017-2018 fiscal year’s first month.

K P Turnquest told Tribune Business that the near-$25 million year-overyear reversal identified by the Central Bank did not account for future spending obligations already committed to by the Government, “some of which we don’t know about”.

While arguing that the Minnis administration’s “sacrifices” and austerity measures were moving the Government’s fiscal position “in the right direction”, he warned that unexpected events - such as hurricanes - had the potential to “cause tremendous setbacks” to the consolidation effort.

SUSPECT ACCUSES POLICE OF BEATINGS

SEE PAGE SIX

Additionally, he indicated approximately 150 former officers received lump sum payments via cheques available for pick up as of yesterday.

Sgt Miller, who has often referred to his communication with the Minnis administration as “great,” yesterday said he was “satisfied and happy” with the government’s “serious approach to getting officers their money.”

Sgt Miller also said he has already been made aware

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SEE BUSINESS SECTION

OFFICERS’ OVERTIME FINALLY PAID OUT

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

FNM GOVT RUNS $9M BUDGET SURPLUS

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

GIBSON CASE HEADS TO SUPREME COURT

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE number of bribery and extortion related charges against former Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson has decreased to 31, though the amount he is alleged

to have solicited from Jonathan Ash remains the same, according to Crown prosecutors.

Prosecutor Terry Archer, in presenting the Crown’s voluntary bill of indictment (VBI) against the former PLP Cabinet minister, said Gibson now faces the following charges in total:

15 counts of bribery and extortion each and one count of misconduct in public office. He formerly faced 39 charges.

It is alleged Gibson, between January 2 and April 30, 2017, concerned with another, extorted $250,000 from Mr Ash. As it relates to SEE PAGE THREE

‘DEVASTATED BEYOND WORDS’

They both flew to the Bahamas

By KHRISNA RUSSELL on Monday to deal with matters Deputy Chief Reporter brought on by the tragic ending of krussell@tribunemedia.net their mother’s life.

Mrs Kessinger was a 74-yearJANICE Mildred Kessinger’s old American citizen living on the daughters say they are “devastated island when she was killed. beyond words” by their mother’s “We have lost our beloved murder in Cat Island, a community mother, our children have lost their where she was fully embedded and committed herself to its advance- JANICE Mildred grandmother, and we are devasKessinger tated beyond words,” the sisters ment for the last 17 years.

Struggling with the loss of their mother said in an email to this newspaper yesterand grandmother to their children, Amy day. “Our mom loved the Bahamas and she Beth Kessinger and Callie Ann Debel- especially loved Cat Island, the place she lis told The Tribune yesterday the called home for the last 17 years. grief brought on by this tragedy was SEE PAGE THREE immeasurable.

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AN attorney for a 21-year-old man accused of murdering another man in the Farrington Road area last month, claimed his client was beaten to the point of vomiting blood while in police custody.

Ian Cargill, attorney for accused Marcello Harris of Farrington Road, told Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes that his client was beaten on two separate occasions SEE PAGE THREE

VIOLENCE BREEDS VIOLENCE AND IT BEGINS AT HOME

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Wednesday, October 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

PASTOR’S PAIN AFTER FIRE DESTROYS HIS CHURCH

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

EXTENSIVE fire damage at the Powerhouse Deliverance Apostolic Global Ministries Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

POWERHOUSE Deliverance Apostolic Global Ministries was completely destroyed by fire yesterday, its Pastor Julius Kemp told The Tribune, leaving him deeply pained to see what is left of the edifice.

While he is hurt to see the building his church has called home for seven years extensively damaged, Pastor Kemp said he and its parishioners have learned to lean on the word of God in all things, despite how the situation may seem.

Hurtful “Looking at it it’s very painful. It is a hurtful and painful feeling,” the pastor said yesterday in a brief telephone interview with The Tribune. “But through it all and in all situations whether good or bad, we learn to lean on the word of God. “The word says in all things we ought to give thanks and so that’s what we are doing. We give thanks in spite of this situation.”

“Inside is completely destroyed,” he added.

According to head of the Police Fire Services Unit, Chief Superintendent Walter Evans, authorities received a call shortly before 5am yesterday alerting them to the fire at the juncture of Market and Fleming Streets.

About six minutes later, Chief Superintendent Evans said the first fire truck arrived at the scene and saw flames coming from the roof of the building.

“When they saw that, they called for two additional units who immediately requested back up,” he said yesterday.

“Officers were able to extinguish the fire resulting in extensive damage to the roof.

“There is also extensive heat, water and smoke damage on the inside.

“The cause has not been determined, but an intensive investigation has been launched into this matter.”

CSP Evans appealed to anyone with information to contact police.

Investigation As for the way forward, Pastor Kemp said this has not yet been determined because the church is waiting for authorities to complete their investigation.

“We just have to wait and see what the damage is and how things look once the police have already done assessment of damage that has been done to the church,” he said yesterday.

THE TRIBUNE

‘FAKE NEWS’ ABOUT CRIMES PROMPTS POLICE PLEA FOR ONLINE RESPONSIBILITY

By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net SENIOR Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean has appealed to members of the public to “be more responsible while online” after he said a series of false murder reports and other “fake news” about serious crimes has caused the public “unnecessary panic and stress.”

In a statement, Senior ACP Dean said while social media is a helpful medium for both the community and police, the hoaxes, fake news and the dissemination of false information “not only sows panic among our communities, but also wastes the police’s time and resources.”

His comments came after a Facebook post claiming the police were “working with criminals” went viral.

In the post, which was also shared on the messaging platform WhatsApp, an unknown woman claimed she was pulled over by the police Monday for a “broken tail light” and shortly thereafter, she claimed “some men in a Honda” attempted to rob her by crashing into her car.

At the end of the post, the woman claimed the police told the wouldbe thieves that she was in the vehicle alone so “they could rob me.” She warned the public not to trust the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Senior ACP Dean described the post as “false.”

“In light of the growing trend of false posts on social media about murders and other serious crimes, which in some cases caused panic in our communities, the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is appealing to members of the public to be more responsible while online,” Senior ACP Dean said.

“More recently, social media sites such as Facebook and the popular WhatsApp messenger platform were being bombarded with various stories of multiple murders and armed robberies which were unfounded.

While social media is a helpful medium for both the community and the police, however, the hoaxes, fake news and the dissemination of false information which we have experienced of late not only sows panic among our communities, but also wastes the police’s time and resources.”

Senior ACP Dean urged members of the public to always seek information from the police and trusted news agencies “to avoid causing unnecessary stress to those affected or who may be affected by a crime.”

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, PAGE 3

PM ‘NOT OFFENDED’ BY McALPINE COMMENTS ON DOMINICA HELP

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was not offended by the contribution of Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine in the House of Assembly last week in which he questioned the government’s plans for helping Dominica in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold suggested yesterday.

Mr McAlpine had recommended that wealthy Cabinet ministers take money from their own pockets and contribute to Dominica’s restoration efforts rather than give Dominican people safe haven here.

And in what appeared to be a swipe at Dr Minnis who had wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke of the destruction in Dominica, Mr McAlpine said he was crying for his own people.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

FREDERICK McAlpine

Asked yesterday if Dr Minnis was taken aback or disappointed by Mr McAlpine’s comments, Mr Newbold said: “He felt that this is democracy; if that’s your view, go right ahead (and express it).

The prime minister is concerned with the Bahamas as a country. If one member of Parliament has a view, that’s his or their view. The

prime minister has to be concerned about Nassau, Freeport, West End (Grand Bahama), Abaco, and then not only does he have to be concerned about Nassau and the Bahamas, he has to be concerned about Nassau and the Bahamas and its place in the world, beginning with the region; how are we faring, situated,

viewed, performing in CARICOM? “How does the rest of the world view the Bahamas?

Again would you like everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet?

“Probably not, but people are entitled to their view and that is how the prime minister is approaching it.”

Mr Newbold said Dr Minnis did not have a conversation with Mr McAlpine about his comments, and he suggested there were no plans for him to do so.

In the Free National Movement, some believe Mr McAlpine is bitter that he wasn’t offered a Cabinet position. Some see his pointed criticism as springing from this.

Last week Mr McAlpine admitted he would like to have been given a Cabinet post.

At a constituency meeting on Saturday, he said: “I want to get this clear; I am

not a member of the Cabinet of the Bahamas. Yes, I was not appointed to the Cabinet after this being my second non-consecutive time in Parliament.

“I am no stranger to Parliament; I spent five years in the Senate, I know how the House works.

“And you all know (former Prime Minister) Hubert Alexander Ingraham would not have kept me there if I was doing fool.

Was I disappointed (to not be offered a Cabinet post)?

At first I was, but I mean this from the bottom of my heart, not being in Cabinet is a blessing in disguise. Me being out and not in is helping me to help you. “ The Tribune understands Mr McAlpine was offered the position of deputy speaker in the House of Assembly, but turned it down.

He was appointed chairman of the Hotel Corporation by the Minnis administration.

GIBSON CASE HEADS TO SUPREME COURT

FORMER Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson.

FROM PAGE ONE the bribery charges, it is alleged Gibson solicited more than $250,000 from Mr Ash between February 2 and March 30, 2017.

As Gibson stood before Acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain yesterday morning, one of his attorneys, Wayne Munroe, QC, informed the magistrate of his client’s difficulty in filing a notice of alibi.

Mr Munroe submitted the Crown’s allegations that the criminal acts occurred between January 2 and April 30, or a total of 118 days, were not specific to day and time. As such, he said it would be impossible to give a notice of alibi.

Magistrate Swain fast-tracked the matter to the Supreme Court, with Gibson now required to appear before Justice Bernard Turner for his formal arraignment on October 20 at 10am. Failure to appear would result in the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Mr Munroe subsequently noted the adjourned date falls within the 21-day deadline for Gibson to file a notice of alibi, and as such said he would raise the matter before Justice Turner at that time.

At his initial arraignment, which drew national attention, Gibson had to be assisted up the steps of the Nassau Street and South Street court complex by officers after injuring his leg in a boating accident prior to the arraignment.

He was later seen using crutches while at the Supreme Court for his bail hearing, which occurred about an hour after his arraignment.

In yesterday’s proceedings, however, he appeared to have recovered from the injury, as he was seen walking freely without the aid of crutches as he left the Magistrate’s Court complex with a number of family and friends in tow.

Gibson remains on $40,000 bail.

SUSPECT ACCUSES POLICE OF BEATINGS

FROM PAGE ONE

by police officers, once last Friday by someone identified as Officer Miller and again on Monday.

Mr Cargill said Harris’ initial requests to be taken to hospital were refused, and it was only until his client began throwing up blood that he was taken to receive medical attention.

The deputy chief magistrate noted Mr Cargill’s claims and said Harris should be seen by medical personnel at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

Harris was charged with one count of murder in connection with an incident that occurred on September 19.

MARCELLO HARRIS, 21, outside court yesterday. Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff It is alleged that on that day, Harris, being concerned with others, murdered Shenandoah Green.

According to initial reports, shortly after 11pm on the day in question,

police received a report of a man being shot on Christopher Street off Farrington Road. Responding officers ultimately found in a vehicle the lifeless body of a man who had been shot.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. After the incident, senior police officials said they were searching for the occupants of a white Nissan Note as the ones responsible for the shooting.

Harris was not required to enter a plea. The matter was adjourned to December 6 at 10am for service of a voluntary bill of indictment to the Supreme Court.

He was remanded in custody until that time.

DAUGHTERS OF MURDERED WOMAN ‘DEVASTATED BEYOND WORDS’ FROM PAGE ONE

“She was a fully embedded and active member of the community and her steady involvement over the years ranged from supporting youth literacy and art initiatives to aiding animal advocacy endeavours to promoting island cultural events.

“Our grief is beyond words and we hope that all of us who loved her deeply can eventually find peace and sanctuary in the wake of this senseless tragedy. We would like to extend our deep appreciation for everyone here in the Bahamas who continue to support us during this difficult time.”

Residents from the area of Pigeon Cay, Cat Island on Monday said their community was left “reeling” from Mrs Kessinger’s murder, adding the incident had left residents terrified and afraid to carry out daily activities.

A friend of the victim, who did not want to be named lashed out at the country’s “stupid” judicial system and insisted had the system done its job, Mrs Kessinger would still be alive today.

Loved Affectionately called “Jan”, Mrs Kessinger had been a year-round resident of Pigeon Cay for nearly 20 years and was “well loved and well known,” according to her friend, who was emotional during a telephone interview Monday.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said one of the suspects for the murder is a repeat offender who served time at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. He was released on bail about two weeks ago, The Tribune understands.

“It’s a tragedy.

It shouldn’t have happened (and) it could have been avoided,” the emotional woman told this newspaper on Monday.

“The person that we believe did it, a hardened criminal, shouldn’t have been allowed back here on the island.

“It’s awful.”

She continued: “Jan was part of the Humane Society, she was active in the community.

“She knew the people that hurt her, she knew them from they were babies. It’s an awful tragedy.

“The stupid judicial system let him out.”

She added: “Cat Island is such a great place and we are living in terror now.

“We shouldn’t be afraid to go for a walk or live life.

Something needs to be done to protect the people that just want to live here in peace.”

Another friend of the victim who requested anonymity said his prayers go out to Mrs Kessinger’s family.

The Cat Island resident said: “Our prayers are with Jan’s family and friends as we collectively process this horrific tragedy and senseless act.

“She was a loving and selfless person who served so many on Cat Island. She will be missed by all.”

Police have said they are looking at robbery as a motive for the murder.

Questioned Three men remain in police custody and are being questioned in connection with this murder, Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said yesterday.

Mrs Kessinger was discovered Sunday after police put out a missing

person’s alert. She was last seen on Friday around 3.30pm at Shanna’s Cove, a resort owned by her friends. They had asked Mrs Kessinger to look after the premises while they vacationed outside of the country.

The gruesome discovery, police sources said, also came after an SUV owned by the victim was found burned. Mrs Kessinger was found with cuts about her body, sources also said.

Mrs Kessinger was one of two people killed on the weekend after a man who was shot outside his Marshall Road home in New Providence died in hospital early Sunday morning.

The incidents marked the 106th and 107th murders in the country for the year.

Mrs Kessinger’s death was the first killing recorded in Cat Island this year.

The quiet community has an estimated population of 1,600.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, October 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

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How can today’s growing crime be controlled?

CRIME! Is there a solution? Will there ever be a solution?

When we think of crime we often recall Carl Sandburg’s poem – “The Fog”: “The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbour and city on silent haunches and then moves on…”

That is how crime quietly sneaked up on the Bahamas. However, unlike the fog, it didn’t move on — it grew slowly until it has become today’s vicious reality that if we, as a community do not destroy it, it will destroy us.

Crime news in the Bahamas in which we grew up appeared as a small item in The Tribune, near the “Hatches, Matches and Dispatches” (births, marriages and deaths) column. The most that it could report in those days was an unfortunate Bahamian being arrested for using foul language to the annoyance of a police constable. That is how far we have travelled in one life time to where we are today – already recording 107 murders for the first nine months of this year.

When we started our career as a crime reporter — other than the sensational Oakes murder — there was hardly a murder to report. However, what we do remember was that if a person were charged with murder, there was no question of whether there should be bail. He went straight to prison to cool his passion until the day of his trial. And, yes, if found guilty, hanging quickly followed.

Today, the police complain that the courts have become a revolving door for the criminal. Not only is the accused charged before the Bench, but no sooner in, than out on bail and the police chase starts all over again. The law was later changed to prevent magistrates granting bail for more serious offences. Instead the magistrate grants the accused a Voluntary Bill of Indictment to the Supreme Court, which will decide the bail issue. However, the Supreme Court is also generous with its bail. And now we have accused persons, some with long criminal records, out on bail, an ankle bracelet encircling one leg, as he continues on his life of crime. However, as the crime scene is now developing, justice is being carried out on the streets. The court system has

been removed as criminals conduct their own justice by murdering each other — unfortunately innocent children have been caught in the cross fire. And so the number of victims grow.

Crime started its downhill roll during the drug years in the seventies, gaining speed as it progressed until Bahamians today grapple with almost insurmountable problems.

The PLP won the 2012 election having convinced the majority of voters that if elected they had the magic potion with which they would eradicate crime.

Bahamians were bitterly disappointed when not only did the PLP government have no solution, but instead crime suddenly took off like a forest fire, leaving the present government to grapple with an almost impossible task. Now the PLP point accusing fingers as they call for an immediate solution from the FNM for a problem that was too much for them to grasp.

What can be done? We first have to recognise the problem. Today’s Bahamian is not the same Bahamian of pre-drug years. Bahamian mores in those days were grounded in Christian principles. There were certain rules that if broken brought such social ostracism, that only the brave would dare.

Then came the years when Bahamians were made believe that success was measured by the wealth that one could accumulate — and, of course, drug smuggling was the fastest route to money in the bank. It quickly produced all the outward trappings of wealth. From that point, with the Ten Commandments no brake on social behaviour, the new Bahamian was born.

He is the Bahamian with whom we have to deal today.

Tomorrow we shall examine how crime might be controlled, starting with the courts and lawyers, then taking into consideration the overcrowded prison system, a consideration of mandatory bail for those awaiting trial for serious offences, to rehabilitation schemes in which offenders can be assisted with rehabilitation in a scheme that will provide them with skills and business acumen by which they can support themselves and not be a charge on the community.

My experience at PMH Accident and Emergency EDITOR, The Tribune.

AFTER reading an article in The Tribune, about how tourists were treated at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama, I decided to write about my experience at Accident & Emergency at Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau.

On June 27, 2017. I fell and injured my shoulder. As I had no one at home to help me, I was forced to call an ambulance. When it came I was shocked to see an old vehicle, that looked like it came from the junk yard, instead of one of those new ones that I see driving around town with the lights flashing.

The steps on the back of the ambulance were quite high, for an eightyyear-old short person.

Anyway I was able to climb in, there was a bed, one attendant and a driver. I did not see any life saving equipment.

On the way to the hospital, the ambulance was shaking badly. I asked

the attendant what would happen, if this ambulance had to take a seriously injured person to hospital shaking like that. She said: “It would not matter, because they would probably be unconscious anyway”.

My paper work and X-ray was done in good time.

After this they put me in a bed, and rolled me over by the wall and left me there. Knowing the reputation of the PMH Emergency, I was able to find someone who could go with me. From time to time this person would go to the desk and ask for a pain killer for me. They would say “when the doctors changed their shift, someone would take care of you.”

About 7:00 p.m. a man with a brown suit, came and put a needle into my arm. I thought they were going to hook me up to an “IV” to give me a pain killer. The man went away and about two hours later my helper went to see about some help for me,

and they said that they had already given me a pain killer. Well they put the needle into my arm, but it never got hooked up to anywhere. Every time we asked for help they would say “When the shift changes”.

I am an eighty-year-old diabetic and I was not offered a drink of water.

I was there over sixteen hours and no one asked how I was doing! About 1:30 a.m. on Monday, morning a lady with a white uniform came and told me that she was going to put a cast on my arm.

As I was leaving the hospital about 3:00 a.m. on Monday, I found the “10” tag that should have been on my arm was on the floor.

If I had died, how would they know who I was? “Jane Doe”. Where would we be if God were not on or side!

PLEASE DO NOT PRINT NAME Nassau, October 2, 2017.

Applause for Minnis’ Humanitarian Gesture EDITOR, The Tribune.

EVENTS well beyond our borders can shape the term of any government for better or for worse.

To use a metaphor from the sport of cricket, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has opened for the Bahamas and is still carrying his bat after these first innings.

His latest shot to the boundary is the humanitarian way in which he has handled the preparation and the aftermath of a string of hurricanes that damaged the southern Bahamas but devastated our Caribbean family, including our American family in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, our British family in the British Virgin Islands, our French and Dutch family and our first cousins next door in Turks and Caicos.

When hurricane Irma destroyed the island of Barbuda, they were able to evacuate to their sister island of Antigua. When hurricane Maria devastated Dominica the next week they had nowhere to turn because their neighbours in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States were summarily tapped-out by the hurricanes.

Dr. Minnis moved quickly and in a humanitarian and compassionate gesture offered to take in students from Dominica on a shortterm basis, as well as those with family connections in the Bahamas. Some called it a very Christian gesture.

They are entitled to that opinion but kindness is not exclusively a Christian trait. Practitioners of other religions also see the spirituality embodied in Minnis’ decision.

Bahamian parents who have children who are set to graduate next summer can empathize with the decision to help students continue their studies and finish on time. Most teachers likewise would have no qualms with squeezing an extra desk into their classroom.

We all follow the same Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) curriculum so nobody would miss a beat.

Then there is the fact that we have a vibrant population of Bahamians of Dominican descent in this country who came here over 50 years ago and whose sweat and toil helped build this country.

We tend to forget that we in the Bahamas also produce expatriates. We have thriving communities letters@tribunemedia.net of “immigrant Bahamians” in places like Florida, New They are, for the most York and Britain, and even part, some of our most in Jamaica, Barbados, industrious citizens. There Trinidad & Tobago and in can be no doubt that this smaller numbers on just community will ensure about every island in the that no Dominican student Caribbean. Thankfully they or citizen given tempo- don’t suffer the same disrary leave to stay here will crimination that we espouse. become a ward of the state.

Nobody is advocating When we suffered permanent residency status through hurricane Mathew for these temporary evaculast year, the Dominican ees. But given the high Prime Minister, Roosevelt achievement level amongst Skerrit was one of the first Dominican students, it will to arrive in Nassau, on be an honour if, after some behalf of Caricom. Symbol- of these evacuees complete ically, he stood with us then. their tertiary education, It should be with pride that they return to the Bahamas we return the favour. as newly-minted teachers, Dr. Minnis proves his pro- doctors and nurses. gressive bona fides every Some blowhards among day. He stands tall as our us and on social media don’t first University of the West like immigrants here but Indies educated Prime were proud when native Minister. He is not afraid son Drexel Gomez became to embrace the Caribbean. Archbishop of the CarHe sees our betterment as ibbean for the Anglican tied in with the Caribbean Church living in Barbados. on those issues and in those Or when native daughter fora where unity is strength. economist Therese Turner His outreach to the lived in Bridgetown and Caribbean will pay huge div- advised the government of idends in the future as our Barbados on behalf of the diplomats follow through in IMF, or now as the woman promoting issues and poli- in charge of the Caribcies that help the Bahamas bean for the IDB, based in and that push Bahamians to Jamaica. new heights.

It is rank hypocrisy.

Already, thanks to There will be those who Minnis, we occupy the high say we cannot afford charity ground in Caricom on the at this time. That view must subject of tourism. Imag- be rejected. There is no ine when Bahamians seek wrong time to do the right high office in international thing. institutions such as the UN. Let’s welcome our neighThey will be able to count bours into our country and on a solid bloc of support never forget the anguish from Caricom because we they will take to bed with will have earned their trust them each night worryand their respect. ing about their friends and Right on queue the usual family back home while choir of naysayers and xeno- trying to concentrate on phobes went on the attack their school work. against the new arrivals Perhaps some enlightened before they even reach, let- souls will think of ways that ting rip some of the most we, the private citizens of hurtful comments which the Bahamas, can raise a showcased their prejudice, fund to support those whose their narrow-mindedness plight is so much more disand their fear founded in tressed than ours. ignorance and intolerance.

Remember, we still have A segment of our com- two more months to go munity, some of whom in this hurricane season, regularly fill the pews at var- and many years after that. ious churches, have a deep Should we encounter any of dislike of immigrants and these temporary residents they eschew multicultural- from Dominica we should ism and assimilation even as welcome them and then say they cut their eye at Donald to ourselves, “There, but for Trump and his cohorts who the grace of God, go I”. practice the same kind of bigotry in the United States THE GRADUATE that some of them covet Nassau, here.

October, 2017

LETTERS

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, PAGE 5

UNCERTAINTY OVER PROGRESS ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT PLANS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold said Tuesday he does not know if the Minnis administration has made progress in its plans to allow capital punishment to be resumed in the Bahamas.

After demanding in opposition that the law on capital punishment be enforced, the Minnis administration has, since its election victory in May, done nothing to suggest it has begun movement on the issue.

“I don’t know if or when that will happen,” Mr Newbold said yesterday when asked what the administration’s plans are to allow capital punishment to resume.

Laws “I will say this: the Attorney General’s Office is pretty busy right now doing a lot of things, like preparing the anti-corruption agenda the prime minister has talked about.

The attorney general spoke last week about the fact that our money laundering laws are a total mess. Is something being prepared to deal with capital punishment? I can’t say at the moment.

“I don’t know when or if, the prime minister hasn’t said anything to me certainly about capital punishment. In light of what’s happening, it’s certainly one I will ask him.”

One hundred and seven people have been murdered so far this year,

a number that outpaces last year’s rate up to this point when about 76 people had been killed, according to The Tribune’s records.

In February, while in opposition, Dr Minnis said unless the government is willing to enforce the death penalty, “criminals will continue to ravage our country and keep citizens in fear.”

“I don’t know when or if, the prime minister hasn’t said anything to me certainly about capital punishment.

In light of what’s happening, it’s certainly one I will ask him.”

Although the law allows for capital punishment, the death penalty has not been carried out since January 2000. That year, David Mitchell was executed for stabbing two German tourists to death.

In 2006, the London-based Privy Council ruled that the Bahamas’ mandatory death sentence for convicted murderers was unconstitutional.

In 2011, after a ruling from the Privy Council, the Ingraham administration amended the death penalty law to specify the “worst of the worst” murders that would warrant execution.

Under the amended law, a person who kills a police or defence force officer, member of the Departments

of Customs or Immigration, judiciary or prison services would be eligible for a death sentence. A person would also be eligible for death once convicted of murdering someone during a rape, robbery, kidnapping or act of terrorism.

Chief Justice Sir Hartman Longley said last year that the chances of ever imposing the death penalty under present laws are nil, adding that a massacre is a kind of event that may allow the death penalty to take place.

Last year, however, Dr Minnis said it’s time to pop the necks of “murderous scumbags.”

Issue “Our economy, Mr Speaker, will not grow until we solve the issue of crime and as you know crime is a multifaceted issue, which requires multifaceted approaches (involving) the family, the church, civil society and the government. (They) must all join forces to combat this societal mess,” Dr Minnis said in the House of Assembly in June 2016.

“Just the other day, a young man was gunned down at the ATM machine. We must, as hanging is on our books, we must hang these criminals. These murderous scumbags must be hung by the neck until they are dead.”

He continued: “The murderous scumbags must be hung as that is on our laws. Hang, hung, whatever… pop their necks.”

PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold Later that month, he told The Tribune if elected as prime minister, he would immediately seek to amend the Constitution to remove the UK-based Privy Council as the highest court of appeal for murder convicts.

He said last year in the case of such convictions, Supreme Court judges, if they believe the nature and circumstance of a murder merit a death sentence, should not have their ruling appealed to any court outside the country if the Court of Appeal upholds their ruling.

“I want to amend the Constitution so murder cases will only go as far as the Court of Appeal right here and would no longer go to the

Privy Council,” he told The Tribune last year.

“I will do everything to carry out the law and the law says hang so that is what I will do.

“This issue will be discussed and debated in the House of Assembly and then taken to the people. We will have this referendum because I am a strong advocate and believer of hanging.

“The crime has to stop and this is just one way we will attempt to stop it.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure that we start hanging these murderers,” Dr Minnis said in June 2016.

‘NO NEW IMMIGRATION POLICIES’ FOR DOMINICANS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

THERE will be no new immigration policies enacted to accommodate Dominicans citizens temporarily relocating to the Bahamas, according to Immigration Minister Brent Symonette who yesterday confirmed the government is considering various classifications of visas to facilitate the group.

Mr Symonette, who was a part of the government’s delegation that travelled to Dominica on Monday, said his office was considering the issuance of “short-term visitor visas or other types” as means to permit the displaced Dominicans into the Bahamas.

In response to those who have suggested the government is not regularising persons with outstanding citizenship applications, Mr Symonette said his ministry approved more than 200 of these just last month.

Referring to the destruction he saw while on a tour of the affected areas in Dominica, Mr Symonette urged Bahamians still questioning the government’s line of thinking to look at the wider issue.

The St Anne’s MP suggested the modern-day Bahamas has never sustained the degree of devastation experienced in Dominica as a result of Hurricane Maria.

He insisted the archipelagic make-up of the Bahamas has allowed for sections of the country to be up and running despite major destruction occurring in another part of the nation.

“You know, we are talking about an entire country in Dominica,” Mr Symonette told reporters before heading

IMMIGRATION Minister Brent Symonette (right) with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and members of the Bahamas delegation on their trip to Dominica on Monday.

PHOTO: Yontalay Bowe into a Cabinet meeting. “Fortunately, whether we like to say it this way or not, while we had devastation in some parts of the Bahamas, we have other parts of the Bahamas that are up and running like (here in Nassau). Business is normal.

“Their whole country was affected. They still have in the dogs from Cuba looking for bodies to see if there are people still alive (in rubble).

“The death count they write, will probably go up another 10. So I think we have to be sympathetic. You know, people don’t know if their aunty, cousin, sister, brother (or) child is alive.

They are having to sniff those out with dogs and that

is island wide, it is not one part.”

Mr Symonette added: “I know there has been a lot of interest in the schools, as you heard the president of the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) say last night (Monday), the schools are being used as housing centres similar to what we use (the New Providence Community Centre) for.

“So there are still a lot of persons in the schools seeking refuge. They are getting tents brought in, so they will hopefully be able to put people in tents and get them out of the schools.

“The education system, which again I think the BUT president alluded to, there

is going to have to be some changes in the way they teach because obviously, there is no classrooms. They will be in tents, and so on and so forth.”

The issue of Dominicans temporally relocating to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Maria has generated wide and intense public discourse, with many Bahamians taking issue with the government’s decision to offer aid.

Last week in Parliament, Free National Movement backbencher, Pineridge MP Rev Frederick McAlpine recommended that wealthy Cabinet ministers take money from their own pockets to contribute to the Dominica’s restoration efforts, rather than give its citizens safe haven in the Bahamas.

He also recommended the government pay Bahamians to work in Dominica and help with restoration instead of allowing storm victims to temporarily relocate here, as he suggested they may never leave once they get used to a better standard of living.

His comments were since branded by some as xenophobic and racist.

However, in response Tuesday, Mr Symonette said while he respected the idea of persons sharing points

of view, the Bahamas as a member of CARICOM, the United Nations and several other global organisations, is mandated to give aid where possible. The government is still awaiting a finalised list of Dominican residents interested in relocating to the Bahamas.

Mr Symonette said he expects Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to have such a register “up and running” this week.

Process He also said he was not concerned about backlash from foreigners living in the Bahamas, who are waiting out the regularisation process.

Mr Symonette clarified that Dominicans being aided fall into a separate category from non-Bahamians already in the Bahamas working their way through the system.

He said the government, like it did following Haiti’s major earthquake in 2010, shifted its policies to assist Haitians already in the Bahamas.

He stated: “When Haiti had that tremendous earthquake years ago I was minister of immigration then. We suspended repatriation back to Haiti. We let persons out of the Detention

Centre. So we have always tried with regard to nationals of countries that have had difficulties, to be able to deal with that issue.”

He continued: “Now, if persons want to raise the issue that they have waited 20, 30, 40 years for citizenship; that is a different issue. The ministry is still going full speed ahead to try to regularise as many people as possible.

“Last month we did 225 citizenships alone and I can’t remember how many permanent residents. I have had four or five, nearly every two weeks I swear in citizens that were either approved by myself of by (Former Immigration Minister Fred) Mitchell.

“And that swearing process is happening. We usually do 30 at a time, so it is an ongoing situation.”

He also said: “We took down from citizens and friends of Dominicans $60,000 which was raised in a very short period of time.

The last hurricane Dominica gave us $100,000; we have to bear all of this mind when reflecting on what Rev McAlpine had to say.”

Dr Minnis, in addition to extending an invitation to Dominican students, has also pledged to send physicians to Dominica.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, October 4, 2017

SIX IN CUSTODY OVER SUSPECTED HUMAN SMUGGLING OPERATION

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net IMMIGRATION officials on Grand Bahama broke up a suspected human smuggling operation over the weekend in the Lucaya area, where some six people were taken into custody.

Immigration officer Napthali Cooper said three Dominicans and three Brazilians were discovered on board a private vessel during the early hours on Saturday.

A team of immigration officers, with the assistance of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Marine Division, acting on information went to the Lucaya area where they intercepted a vessel believed to be involved in a human smuggling operation heading to the United States.

On stopping the vessel they discovered the six undocumented immigrants – five men and one woman on board the boat. Mr Cooper said the immigrants had initially entered the Bahamas legally, but their status had since expired.

He said that none of the immigrants possessed proper visas to enter the US and were taken into custody, then to Department of Immigration headquarters for processing.

Mr Cooper indicated immigration officials also conducted checks at various work sites on Saturday which resulted in the apprehension of five Haitian nationals and one Jamaican national.

He reported the Haitian immigrants – four men and one woman – had entered the country illegally by boat from Haiti – one of them in 2015 and three just this year.

The fifth had once possessed legal status which has since expired. Mr Cooper said a Jamaican male, whose legal status in the Bahamas had expired, was also apprehended in the Freeport area.

The three Brazilians, three Dominicans, five Haitians, and one Jamaican were all flown to New Providence on Monday to be detained at the Detention Centre to await repatriation to their respective countries.

THE TRIBUNE

NO ‘RESTING ON THEIR LAURELS’ FOR THE WORLD’S LEADING SHIP REPAIR FACILITY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH Grand Bahama Shipyard is the leading ship repair facility in the world, officials there are not “resting on their laurels” because new competitors have now emerged in the Caribbean.

Linda Turnquest, chief financial officer at GBSY, said the facility is aware of the multi-million agreements that were signed last year in Curaçao, and in Trinidad and Tobago for shipyards to be built in those countries.

A new shipyard in Curaçao started operations in February of this year, and a second one is due to open in Trinidad by 2018.

GBSY is the largest ship repair facility in the region. It was established in 1999 and officially opened in 2001. There are currently three floating docks and four wet berths there.

Ms Turnquest indicated that since its inception, the shipyard could boast of achieving “the undeniable title of being the largest cruise ship repair facility in the world.”

Of the 65 major cruise refurbishments that took place in 2016, she

Grand Bahama Shipyard aware of competitors in Caribbean reported that GBSY performed 21 refurbishments.

“We are number one, but we have a lot of competition in the world, and the other shipyards are not waiting and sitting idly and letting GBSY sit down on their laurels and say we are the number one cruise ship repair facility in the world,” said the CFO. Ms Turnquest noted that one of the competitors is Damen Shiprepair, a leading global shipyard group which has started operating its Curaçao shipyard in February 2017.

Agreement “When they signed the agreement Damen now expanded shipyard activity across the TransAtlantic – when they did this they strategically located on the route to the Panama Canal, and it is now outside of the hurricane belt,” she said.

“So, you now have a competitor who is basically outside of the hurricane belt and very close to us. We also have Trinidad and Tobago… the government has signed an agreement to build a $500 million facility. They see where we are, and so the competition is out there,” she said.

According to the official, Damen is also looking at Cuba where it has been operating an existing shipbuilding and engineering business over the past 25 years.

“They want to expand that into a shipyard simply because GBSY is here and it is the largest cruise ship repair facility in the world.”

She indicated that the company was also even looking at Puerto Rico before the recent hurricane which caused widespread destruction on that island.

In Europe, she said there are also competitors who are not happy with the GBSY and have now started pricing aggressively just to get ships in their shipyards.

Despite so much competition out there, Ms Turnquest said that GBSY is up for the challenge.

To be the largest cruise repair facility in 16 years, she said is an “amazing accomplishment” that did not come easily.

“The name GBSY is synonymous with quality work and respect for deadlines. This has not been achieved easily but as a result of the hard work and dedication of all employees in the yard. And to have accomplished this in 16 years as a new industry to the Bahamas, we believe is outstanding.”

Community In addition to the extensive dry-docking, the infrastructure improvements, contributions to the community which has allowed GBSY to achieve world-class recognition, Ms Turnquest said that they are most proud of their employees.

The company employs 803 Bahamians, representing 60 per cent of total employees at GBSY. There are qualified, and trained Bahamians are in every department at every level in the organization, from the apprentice through the executive level.

MEDICAL AID TO BE VOLUNTEERS FROM PAGE ONE

significant influence in our thinking. To deny that, is like being an ostrich and sticking your head in the sand. When you see it and hear it, and hear it spoken publicly, it’s like really?”

Following a tour of Dominica on Monday, Dr Minnis announced the Bahamas would increase its initial offer to accept Dominican students wishing to complete their studies and also provide physicians to the storm ravaged island. Dominica’s schools and medical facilities were extensively damaged by Hurricane Maria.

DR Duane Sands Dr Sands said: “I think we have a duty to assist wherever we can. Once the challenge was made known to me to try and identify resources, what we are

basically doing is conceptualising the approach, which will be primarily voluntary to allow individuals who might want to assist, to facilitate the leave time so they can make a contribution to the cause.

“Obviously we have staff with particular skill sets, whether emergency medicine, surgery, psychiatry, paramedics. Some of those have accrued vacation time so we can facilitate it and assist with getting down there.

“This is not five-star accommodations, this is a hardship post.

“You don’t have running water, electricity, not the best meals, anybody who volunteers for this type of thing clearly is doing it out of an abundance of concern for humanity.”

He added: “It’s one of the reasons I’m so distressed at the level of conversation.

This is a democracy and people are entitled to their opinions but I find it interesting when you see the response about an offer to identify medical personnel to travel to an area where the hospital has been wiped out, where medical staff have probably been working nonstop for almost two weeks and maybe themselves at a breaking point.

“Sometimes if we can go lend a helping hand for a day, two days, three days, it can allow them to recharge their batteries and start the fight again.

“For them (Dominican medical professionals) they have no place left, this is home,” Dr Sands said.

Meanwhile Dr Minnis appealed to Bahamians for empathy after he and his delegation visited the CARICOM member country and witnessed the devastation firsthand. He told media at Jet Aviation on Monday night that the trauma from the monster storm was still very visible on the faces of the Dominican people despite their resolve to return the country to a state of normalcy.

DOMINICA sufferered severe damage from Hurricane Irma.

PHOTO: Yontalay Bowe Yesterday, Dr Sands was steps to “decompress” asked to comment on con- PMH by redeploying addicerns over the country’s tional resources to clinics own healthcare challenges, like the Elizabeth Estates particularly at the Princess facility, which he noted was Margaret Hospital. now open until 11pm.

“We can spare it,” he said.

“To say I waited three, “I don’t think you can four, eight, ten hours at an relate the challenges that emergency room at PMH people have in the emer- and therefore until that gency room at PMH for waiting time is cut down instance, to a manpower there is nobody who should issue. open their hearts to some“It is a much more com- one who is in grave need, I plex issue. It speaks to think that’s a non-sequitur. infrastructure, it speaks to “I don’t think that is lack of bed space, it speaks a logical conclusion, it’s to availability of diagnostic an emotive conclusion. I and therapeutic services, acknowledge it, understand nursing complements, a it, appreciate it but I can say number of things, and when that we have to ensure that we think about it, it also the conversation is elevated speaks to an inappropriate to a different level.” model of healthcare delivDr Sands told The Tribery where many people une yesterday a major come to the emergency pharmaceutical comroom that ought not be pany had already given there.” a significant donation Dr Sands said the gov- of medical supplies and ernment has already taken pharmaceuticals.

OFFICERS’ OVERTIME FINALLY PAID OUT FROM PAGE ONE of when the remaining two tranches of payments will be made, but refused to say.

He told The Tribune: “This has been a long time coming and I am satisfied and happy by the government’s effort to do right by officers.

“Throughout our discussions, there has been a serious approach to getting officers their money.”

He added: “We are still talking about the last two payments, I am aware of when they are scheduled for, but I don’t want to disclose that at this time. But I am grateful for what the government has done and continues to do.”

About 1,799 officers from the rank of constable to inspector were given their first tranche of overtime pay in late May. It came after years of wrangling. In May 2016, the Court of Appeal upheld Supreme Court Justice Milton Evans’ ruling that a Force Order issued by former Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson in 2003 was

relevant as it mandated that public officers be paid when they work for more than 40 hours in a normal work week.

At the time, the PSA had estimated if money is given to officers, the government would end up paying as much as $16.4m in overtime pay.

The court’s ruling, however, allowed the government to either give the officers time back or give some combination of financial compensation and time-off.

The police commissioner decided last year to give officers time off and to give financial compensation only to those who worked overtime during the time period but had since retired or died.

However, after years of stalling on police overtime pay, the Christie administration announced about two weeks before the general election that officers would be paid in stages, with the first payment set for May 29.

He made the announcement days before officers voted in the general election’s advance poll.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, October 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Violence breeds violence and it begins in the home

C

RIME is never off our minds for very long.

News reports, stories from friends, social media evidence and personal experiences guarantee our awareness and vigilance. It’s difficult to manage our own fear of crime. For many years crime has been viewed as an evil affecting other people.

The likelihood that we, as individuals, would become victims of crime seemed low enough to allow us a relatively carefree existence. Now, with numbers rising — particularly violent crimes like murder and rape — we all feel a bit closer to the issue. It could be our homes, businesses, cars, or bodies next.

Our fear of crime is not irrational. It is a threat we know too well and consider far too often as we perform the most mundane tasks. We do not want to lose what we’ve earned, we want to avoid pain and we want to live. Unfortunately we will not survive without sober consideration of crime and its root causes.

From poverty to conflict there are a number of issues to study and remedy.

One of the most pervasive issues in Bahamian society is violence and the way we perceive, perpetuate and perform it.

Violence includes physical and nonphysical acts intended to cause harm.

For now, let’s focus on the former. Physical violence exists in the media and entertainment we consume including television shows, movies, music and video games. In many instances it

is the selling point. We have become so accustomed to on-screen violence it hardly elicits a response. We expect it. We ignore it. We encourage. We find endless ways to excuse acts of vio-

“Someone thinks their partner is cheating on them.

They respond with violence.

Someone loses their job because a former co-worker didn’t take responsibility for a mistake.

They respond with violence.” lence, insisting the victim deserves it because of some act or failure to act. Perhaps more disturbing this attitude is not limited to the fantasy worlds we enter through screen. It accompanies us in our daily lives.

We have a communication problem. Physical violence has become our go-to form of expression. It is the quickest and easiest way, it seems, to

express displeasure. Someone thinks their partner is cheating on them. They respond with violence.

Someone loses their job because a former co-worker didn’t take responsibility for a mistake. They respond with violence. Someone’s personal property is accidentally damaged. They respond with violence.

Where have we learned this behaviour? Why, when we feel we have been wronged, do we respond with acts of physical violence?

Behaviour It’s difficult for many to talk about, but there is an issue with the way we raise children, and it is manifesting itself every day in our society. In many cases, children are not regarded as human beings. Their participation is limited, they are heavily guarded and missteps are met with violence under the guise of discipline. Parents and guardians convince themselves that beating children is the best way to control their behaviour and mould them into what they deem to be acceptable human beings. Little thought, if any, is given to the negative — largely psychological — effects of corporal punishment. It is

simply known as the quick fix that “worked for me.”

It is believed to deter children from doing “wrong” and serves as an immediate means of correction.

As with every action, we must consider impact versus intent. Sure, parents and guardians may intend to do their best in raising law-abiding, mannerly, well-behaved people, but what else are they doing when they beat children?

Might this send the message that when someone does wrong, the appropriate response is to cause them physical harm?

What if we taught children to think critically?

Can we teach them to stop and think before acting? To acknowledge their emotions and recognize what they feel in any given moment may not be the most important thing? Could it be useful to teach them selfcontrol? We could do all of this, but probably not before we learn and model them ourselves. We must first come to the realization that punishment is not the most important thing, nor is it the most effective.

Our obsession with punishment is evidenced by our rigid positions on corporal punishment for children and the death penalty. We are more concerned about exerting power and using fear as a control mechanism than we are about building character and addressing environmental and societal issues that influence behaviour. In addition to the use of fear, punishment is frequently meant to cause embarrassment and prompts children to hide their mistakes instead

of talking about and learning from them. This focus on negativity leaves little room to acknowledge and encourage good behaviour.

Positive reinforcement is severely lacking and, in combination with the glorification of heavy-handedness in punishment, is causing harm to the psyche.

Survival It is critical to our wellbeing that we exercise more intentional thoughtfulness and constructive criticism of current behaviour and the long-lasting effects of the same. It is not safe to assume that our survival of our parents’ methods is indicative of their merits.

In fact, being in-one-piece is not all there is to survival and many of us carry the trauma of childhood abuse with us. Some among us are fighting mental illness, diagnosed and undiagnosed, further complicating navigation of everyday life.

There are apologies we may never get. Wrongs that may

never be made right. Healing that may never come.

Nothing could make any of these things worth the loss or grief, but admitting to ourselves that what we witnessed, survived, or mimicked has caused harm and choosing to find better, healthier ways is a start to tackling the seemingly unsurmountable issue of crime.

This, of course, is not the only reason for the rate of violent crime in The Bahamas, but that needs individual, family, and community response.

It is the beginning of a vicious cycle that teaches us, over and over again, that violence is an appropriate response. Corporal punishment has not remedied any social ills. This form of “discipline” in many Bahamian homes is a lazy, emotional response that forms the root of a larger problem.

It’s one that demands our attention on a daily basis and will not go away without a shift in our thinking and behaviour. Why not start in our own homes?

CABINET MEETS BACK IN CHURCHILL BUILDING AFTER RESTORATION WORK COMPLETED

THE Cabinet met in the Cabinet Room of the Churchill Building for the first time yesterday since the building underwent restoration after Hurricane Matthew, which hit the Bahamas in October 2016.

During restoration, the Cabinet met at the Office of the Prime Minister.

The ministers are shown assembled in the Cabinet Room. Seated from left: Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Lanisha Rolle; Minister of Agriculture Renward Wells; Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jeffrey Lloyd; Secretary to the Cabinet Camille Johnson; Prime Minister

Dr Hubert Minnis; Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar; Minister of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration Brent Symonette; and Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands.

Standing from left: Minister of State for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson;

TRUMP SEES ‘MIRACLE’ PUERTO RICO SURVIVAL AND IGNORES CRITICS

By JILL COLVIN AND CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Touring a small slice of Hurricane Maria’s devastation, President Donald Trump congratulated Puerto Rico on Tuesday for escaping the higher death toll of “a real catastrophe like Katrina” and heaped praise on the relief efforts of his administration without mentioning the sharp criticism the federal response has drawn.

“Really nothing short of a miracle,” he said of the recovery, an assessment at odds with the despair of many still struggling to find water and food outside the capital city in wide swaths of an island where only 5 percent of electricity customers have power back.

The governor of Puerto Rico said late Tuesday that the official death toll has been increased to 34 from 16.

In the heart of San Juan, in fact, a few miles from the air base where Trump gave his thumbs-up report on progress, people stacked sewage-fouled clothes and mattresses outside houses and businesses lacking electricity nearly two weeks after the storm. “Nobody’s come,” said Ray Negron, 38, collecting debris in the Playita neighborhood.

Budget Trump pledged an allout effort to help the island while adding, somewhat lightly: “Now I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico. And that’s fine. We’ve saved a lot of lives.”

Known deaths from Maria in the U.S. territory stand at 34. But local officials caution that any accounting of death and

destruction is far from complete as people suffer secondary effects from thirst, hunger and extreme heat without air conditioning. As for Katrina, as many as 1,800 people died in 2005 when levees protecting New Orleans broke, a toll in lives and property that took years to understand.

The visit offered fresh evidence of the unconventional path Trump has taken in responding to the one-two-three punch from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. His effusive praise for federal relief efforts has overshadowed his displays of empathy for those who are suffering.

And in Puerto Rico, in particular, his criticism of local people for not doing more to help themselves has struck an off note during a time of crisis.

Trump said his visit was “not about me” but then praised local officials for offering kind words about his administration’s

Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson; Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard; Minister of National Security Marvin Dames; Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes; and Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump hands out food to people effected by Hurricane Maria as he visits a disaster relief distribution centre at Calgary Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Tuesday. (AP)

recovery effort and invited one to repeat the “nice things” she’d said earlier.

Trump also singled out Gov. Ricardo Rossello for “giving us the highest praise.”

Storm “Every death is a horror,” he said, “but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina and you look at the tremendous, hundreds of and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering, nobody has ever seen anything like this.” He told local officials “you can

be very proud of all your people, all of our people working together.”

Trump’s most prominent critic in Puerto Rico, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, joined other officials at the air base for a briefing with him, shook the president’s hand and said afterward she hoped he now understood the gravity of the situation. But his comment implying Maria was not a Katrina-level event left her unsure.

“Sometimes his style of communication gets in the way,” she told CNN. “I would hope that the president of the United States stops spouting out comments that really hurt the people of Puerto Rico.”

On a more positive note, Cruz said: “I saw a real connection between the reality and the White House staff. I think they finally understood.”

Air Force One brought the president, first lady Melania Trump and aides to Puerto Rico for a tour stretching through the afternoon. At least parts of the itinerary seemed drawn to ensure a friendly reception: Trump visited with selected families waiting on their laws on a street lined with debris, including tree limbs and corrugated metal siding. Trump posed for photos, asked the residents what it was like during the storm and pledged his assistance.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, PAGE 9

TECHTALK

DUBAI DREAMS OF

FLYING TAXIS

Passengers in the air could free city’s clogged highways WITH a whirling buzz from 18 rotors, the pilotless helicopter gently lifted off the ground and soared up into the afternoon sky, the spire of the world’s tallest building visible behind it.

The recent unmanned flight by the German-made electric Volocopter represents the latest step in Dubai’s pursuit of flying taxis, which would not seem out of place among the Gulf city’s already futuristic skyline — imagine “Blade Runner,” with less rain.

Image Dubai already has invested in another model of a flying, autonomous taxi, and is working to design regulations for their use.

Putting more passengers in the air could free its already clogged highways and burnish the city’s cutting-edge image of itself.

“It’s public transportation for everybody, so you

can use, you can order it, you can pay for the trip and the trip is not much more expensive than with a car,” said Alexander Zosel, Volocopter’s co-founder.

“If you build roads, you build bridges, it’s a huge amount and it’s always much more cheaper to have a system where you don’t need that infrastructure.”

Driving in Dubai already makes one yearn for the open skies. Rush hour on Sheikh Zayed Road, a dozen-lane artery running down the length of the city, alternates between dense gridlock and sportscar slalom. Over 1.5 million Dubai-registered vehicles ply its roads, not counting those crowding in from the United Arab Emirates’ six other sheikhdoms.

The Volocopter’s designers envision the electric, battery-powered two-seat helicopters taking off and landing from pads set up across the city. The prototype used in Dubai has a maximum flying time of

A VOLOCOPTER prototype flies in front of the two hotel towers during a test flight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai is hoping to one day have flying, pilotless taxis darting among its skyscrapers. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) 30 minutes at 50 kph (31 mph), with a maximum airspeed of 100 kph (62 mph).

Batteries charged in climatecontrolled areas near the pads would be swapped in as needed.

“I believe (the) urban air taxi will contribute an interesting addition to the existing transportation modes,” Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter said. “There are certain routes that are just extremely beneficial if you can go to the third dimension.”

In practice, however, there’s a long way to go.

Convincing white-knuckled flyers to get into a buzzing, pilotless helicopter is just the beginning. Unpiloted

passenger flights represent a new frontier for regulators.

Dubai’s Road and Transportation Authority, which has invested an undisclosed sum in Volocopter, says it will work the next five years to come up with laws and develop safety procedures.

That’s a longer time frame than initially offered

by Dubai. Mattar al-Tayer, the head of the RTA, told a conference in February that the Chinese-made EHang 184, a Volocopter competitor, would be regularly flying through the city’s skies by July, though that deadline came and went. The RTA did not respond to a request for comment.

Still, Dubai remains at the front of the pack when it comes to embracing new technology.

Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, says he wants 25 percent of all passenger trips in the city to be done by driverless vehicles by 2030.

The city has a deal in place with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a hyperloop line between it and Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital. That technology has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism hurtle through low-friction pipes at a top speed of 1,220 kph (760 mph). (AP)

THIS artist’s rendering shows SpaceX’s new mega-rocket design on the Earth’s moon. With the 350-foot-tall spacecraft, Musk announced that his private space company aims to launch two cargo missions to Mars in 2022. (SpaceX via AP)

A CHEVROLET BOLT, surrounded by nine electric and fuel cell vehicles covered by tarps. (AP)

SPACEX: ROCKET FOR MOON, MARS AND NY-TO-SHANGHAI IN 39 MINS SPACEX CHIEF Elon Musk’s elaborate plan for a mega-rocket to carry astronauts to Mars may have some down-to-Earth applications.

At a conference in Australia on Friday, Musk said if you build a ship capable of going to the moon and Mars, why not use it for high-speed transport here at home. He proposes using his still-in-the-design phase rocket for launching passengers from New York to Shanghai in 39 minutes flat.

Los Angeles to New York, or Los Angeles to Honolulu in 25 minutes. London to Dubai in 29 minutes.

“Most of what people consider to be longdistance trips would be completed in less than half an hour,” Musk said to applause and cheers at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide. A seat should cost about the same as a full-fare economy plane ticket, he noted later via Instagram.

Friday’s address was a follow-up to one he gave to the group last September in Mexico, where he unveiled his grand scheme for colonising Mars.

He described a slightly scaled-down 348-foot-tall rocket and announced that the private space company aims to launch two cargo missions to Mars in 2022. “That’s not a typo,” he said, pausing, as charts appeared on a large screen. “Although it is aspirational.”

Two more cargo missions would follow in 2024 to provide more construction materials, along with two crewed flights. The window for launching to Mars occurs every two years.

For the approximately six-month, oneway trips to Mars, the SpaceX ships would have 40 cabins, ideally with two to three people per cabin for a grand total of about 100 passengers. Musk foresees this Mars city growing, and over time “making it really a nice place to be.”

Scott Hubbard, an adjunct professor at Stanford University and a former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, calls it “a bold transportation architecture with aspirational dates.”

Credibility A demonstration of some sort in the 2020s will add to its credibility, he said in an email. And while more details are needed for life-support systems, “Kudos to Elon and SpaceX for keeping the focus on humans to Mars!”

Former NASA chief technologist Bobby Braun, now dean of the college of engineering and applied science at the University of Colorado at Boulder, also sees Musk’s plan as a step in the right direction, building on technologies SpaceX already has demonstrated, like reusable rockets.

“While the timeline and capabilities are certainly ambitious, I’m bullish on U.S industry’s ability to carry out challenging and far-reaching goals,” Braun wrote in an email.

“It’s great to see the private sector lead in this way, and I hope we see more of it.” (AP)

GM TO OFFER TWO MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS

EVEN though gasoline-powered SUVs are what people are buying now, General Motors is betting that electric vehicles will be all the rage in the not-too-distant future.

The Detroit automaker is promising two new EVs loosely based on the Chevrolet Bolt in the next 1 ½ years and more than 20 electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2023. The company sees its entire model lineup running on electricity in the future, whether the source is a big battery or a tank full of hydrogen.

“We are far along in our plan to lead the way into that future world,” product development chief Mark Reuss said Monday at a news conference at the GM technical centre north of Detroit.

Future The event was billed as a “sneak peek” into GM’s electric future. The company also pledged to start producing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for commercial or military use in 2020. And it promised an increase in the number of electric fast-charging stations in the U.S., which now total 1,100 from companies and governments, taking a shot at electric competitor Tesla Inc. by saying the system would not be “walled off” from electric vehicles made by other manufacturers.

Tesla has 951 fast-charging stations globally that can only be used by Tesla owners.

The news helped push GM’s stock up 4.4 percent to a record closing price of $42.16 on Monday, besting the old high of $40.99 set on Dec. 20, 2013.

The hastily called event was short on specifics, and it came just a day before the CEO of Ford Motor Co., GM’s prime competitor, was to announce its business plan that likely will include electric and autonomous vehicles as priorities. The two new GM electrics in the immediate future likely will be SUVs or a sportier car designed to compete with Tesla’s upcoming Model 3 sedan, Reuss said. (AP)

• MICROSOFT is counting on virtual reality headsets made by other companies to help establish personal computers running on its Windows 10 operating system as the best way to explore artificial worlds.

The devices unveiled Tuesday include a Samsung headset called the HMD Odyssey. The headset requires a connection to a PC running on a Windows 10 update being released Oct. 17. That’s unlike Samsung’s less expensive Gear VR headset, which is designed to run on smartphones powered by Google’s Android operating system.

Samsung’s HMD Odyssey will cost $500 and begin shipping early next month. The Gear VR sells for $40 to $130.

PC makers Dell, HP, Acer and Lenovo also will be making VR headsets designed to work with Windows 10 machines. The prices for those headsets start at about $400.

Microsoft also disclosed it’s buying a startup called AltspaceVR to develop technology for holding business meetings in VR. • GOOGLE is ending a decade-old policy that required publishers to provide some free stories to Google users —though it’s not clear how many readers will even notice, at least for the moment.

Publishers had been required to provide at least three free stories a day under the search engine’s previous policy, called “first click free.”

Now they have the power to choose how many free articles they want to offer readers via Google before charging a fee, Richard Gingras, vice president of news at Google Inc., wrote Monday in a company blog post .

The goal is to help publishers build up digital subscriptions, an imperative for many media outlets that pay large sums for news production but are starved for advertising revenue.

Google’s previous approach had let readers skirt paywall policies by typing a headline into Google and getting access to a story without having it count against a monthly free article limit, said Kinsey Wilson, an adviser to New York Times Co. CEO Mark Thompson.

Many online readers may not notice a change overnight unless they visit a particular site several times a month without subscribing. And not every publication blocks users from reading stories with a paywall. Newer digital-only outfits tend not to.

Newspaper companies that do cut off readers tend to do so after a certain monthly allotment of free stories. The Times offers 10 free articles, for example; the Boston Globe, two.

Newspaper companies are trying to cope with steep declines in print-ad revenues as advertising has moved online.

Google and social media companies like Facebook and Twitter are powerful drivers of traffic for publishers. But mandated freebie articles can complicate publishers’ attempts to bolster their paidsubscriber base.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, October 4, 2017

GOP LEADERS SAY NO ACTION ON GUN LEGISLATION

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders made clear Tuesday that Congress will take no action on gun legislation in the wake of the massacre in Las Vegas.

They refused to entertain Democratic demands to expand background checks for gun purchases and tighten restrictions on semi-automatic weapons, but also shelved their own House bill that would have loosened access to gun silencers.

“I think it’s premature to be discussing legislative solutions, if there are any,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters after the mass shooting that killed at least 59 people and wounded hundreds more.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said there is no plan for the House to act soon on the silencer bill, which a Republican-led House committee backed last month. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, said it would help hunters protect their hearing.

The silencer bill is “not scheduled right now. I don’t know when it will be scheduled,” Ryan said.

The congressional inaction underscored the power of the National Rifle Association and the political stakes for lawmakers who maintain their support for the constitutional right to bear arms and fear any challenge to their fealty.

Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., said action on guns after Las Vegas was unnecessary, “We are not going to knee-jerk react to every situation.”

Four years ago, after the deadly school shooting in Newtown, a bipartisan bill on background checks failed in the Senate.

THE TRIBUNE

VEGAS GUNMAN TRANSFERRED $100K, SET UP CAMERAS AT HOTEL ROOM

By KEN RITTER AND MIKE BALSAMO, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas gunman transferred $100,000 overseas in the days before the attack and planned the massacre so meticulously that he even set up cameras inside his high-rise hotel room and on a service cart outside his door, apparently to spot anyone coming for him, authorities said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, investigators are taking a harder look at the shooter’s girlfriend and what she might have known about the attack, with the sheriff naming her a “person of interest” and saying the FBI is bringing her back to the U.S. on Wednesday for questioning.

Authorities are trying to determine why Stephen Paddock killed 59 people at a country music festival in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

They have been speaking with girlfriend Marilou Danley, 62, who was out the country at the time of the shooting and in the Philippines on Tuesday, and “we anticipate some information from her shortly,” Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.

Lombardo said he is “absolutely” confident authorities will find out what set off Paddock, a 64-year-old high-stakes gambler and retired accountant who killed himself before police stormed his 32nd-floor room.

Paddock transferred $100,000 to the Philippines in the days before the shooting, a U.S. official briefed by law enforcement but not authorised to speak publicly because of the continuing investigation told

AN INVESTIGATOR works in the room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino where the gunman opened fire from on a music festival Tuesday in Las Vegas. The gunman killed dozens and injuring hundreds at the festival. (AP The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Investigators are still trying to trace that money and also looking into a least a dozen reports over the

“The fact that he had the type of weaponry and amount of weaponry in that room, it was preplanned extensively and I’m pretty sure he evaluated everything that he did and his actions, which is troublesome.”

Sheriff Joe Lombardo past several weeks that said Paddock gambled more than $10,000 per day, the official said.

The cameras Paddock set up at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino were part of his extensive preparations that

included stockpiling nearly two dozen guns in his room before opening fire on the concert below.

“I anticipate he was looking for anybody coming to take him into custody,” Lombardo said.

During the Sunday night rampage, a hotel security guard who approached the room was shot through the door and wounded in the leg.

“The fact that he had the type of weaponry and amount of weaponry in that room, it was preplanned extensively,” the sheriff said, “and I’m pretty sure he evaluated everything that he did and his actions, which is troublesome.”

Lombardo said the investigation is proceeding cautiously in case criminal charges are warranted against someone else.

“This investigation is not ended with the demise of Mr. Paddock,” the sheriff said. “Did this person get radicalized unbeknownst to

GN1951

LAS Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock.

DEBRIS litters a festival grounds across the street from the Mandalay Bay resort and casino Tuesday, in Las Vegas. (AP us? And we want to identify that source.”

In addition to the cameras, investigators found a computer and 23 guns with him at the hotel, along with “bump stock” devices that can enable a rifle to fire continuously, like an automatic weapon, authorities said. Nineteen more guns were found at Paddock’s Mesquite home and seven at his Reno house.

Video shot outside the broken door of the room show an assault-style rifle with a scope on a bipod.

The sheriff said an internal investigation has been launched to find out how that footage was obtained.

Some investigators turned their focus Tuesday from the shooter’s perch to the festival grounds where his victims fell.

Investigators A dozen investigators, most in FBI jackets and all wearing blue booties to avoid contaminating the scene, documented evidence at the site where gunfire rained down and country music gave way to screams of pain and terror.

“Shoes, baby strollers, chairs, sunglasses, purses.

The whole field was just littered with things,” said Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt after touring the site Monday.

“There were bloodstains everywhere.”

More than 500 people were injured in the rampage, some by gunfire, some during the chaotic escape. At least 45 patients at two hospitals remained in critical condition. All but three of the dead had been identified by Tuesday afternoon, Lombardo said.

As for what may have set Paddock off, retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente speculated that there was “some sort of major trigger in his life — a great loss, a breakup, or maybe he just

found out he has a terminal disease.”

Clemente said a “psychological autopsy” may be necessary to try to establish the motive. If the suicide didn’t destroy Paddock’s brain, experts may even find a neurological disorder or malformation, he said.

He said there could be a genetic component to the slaughter: Paddock’s father was a bank robber who was on the FBI’s most-wanted list in the 1960s and was diagnosed a psychopath.

“The genetics load the gun, personality and psychology aim it, and experiences pull the trigger, typically,” Clemente said.

Paddock had a business degree from Cal State Northridge. In the 1970s and ‘80s, he worked as a mail carrier and an IRS agent and held down a job in an auditing division of the Defense Department, according to the government. He later worked for a defence contractor.

He had no known criminal record, and public records showed no signs of financial troubles, though he was said to be a big gambler.

Nevada’s Gaming Control Board said it will pass along records compiled on Paddock and his girlfriend to investigators.

His brother, Eric Paddock, said he was at a loss to explain the massacre.

“No affiliation, no religion, no politics. He never cared about any of that stuff,” he said outside his Florida home.

The FBI discounted the possibility of international terrorism early on, even after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Eric Paddock said his brother did show a confrontational side at times: He apparently hated cigarette smoke so much that he carried around a cigar and blew smoke in people’s faces when they lit up around him.

GUEST NEXT TO LAS VEGAS GUNMAN’S ROOM ‘SHAKEN’ LAS VEGAS (AP) — An Australian man who says he had the room next to the gunman’s says he’s “shaken” by Sunday’s attack.

Brian Hodge wasn’t in the room when 64-year-old retired accountant Stephen Paddock opened fire on an outdoor concert across the street, killing 59 people and wounding more than 500.

Instead, the 36-year-old was returning to the hotel after dinner, and made it up to the 32nd floor, when shots rang out.

Eventually, Hodge took shelter in the bushes outside the Mandalay Bay hotel.

Paddock had 23 guns in the room where he had been staying since Thursday. Hodge says it’s ‘unsettling’ to think he had been sleeping next to a room filled with guns and ammunition.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, PAGE 11

Storytime with ACP Stephen Dean Students at St. Francis & Joseph Catholic Primary School had a treat at their recent ‘Pyjama Book Night’ when Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean took on story telling duties.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff

PAGE 12, Wednesday, October 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

CIBC’S ‘WALK FOR THE CURE’ FUNDRAISER

PHOTO: DEREK Smith Jnr. MORE than 400 early morning risers jostling for front line position were etched against the night sky as a voice proclaiming, “Walk for the Cure” signaled the start of the 6th annual CIBC FirstCaribbean cancer awareness fundraiser Sunday morning.

Participants started arriving at 6am for registration and for the warmup exercise session with Regina Smith of Energy Fitness Bahamas. Dawn had not yet broken when the 400 plus walkers and runners set off at 6.30am from the Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre on West Bay Street. There were prizes to be won for runners and walkers in the long route to Sandals Resort or to the closer Melia Resort and back.

A musical cool down session with Fab Fit Studio greeted them on their return. A praise and worship service for survivors and in memory of those lost to cancer, a hot breakfast and fruits, and an interesting array of vendor booths primarily related to health and wellness filled the time until the much anticipated awards ceremony.

Growing concerns in communities on the proliferation of cancer related conditions regionally have brought an increased focus on raising funds to help care for those with the disease and to advance ways and means to help prevent it, to get people to get regular checkups, and to treat it.

Marie-Rodland-Allen, CIBC FirstCaribbean’s managing director, spoke at the event and pointed out that the fundraising walk was for the benefit of the many areas related to cancer awareness and patient care, and she applauded and thanked sponsors and attendees.

“Today, we’re not just walking for those who are dealing with this disease right now. We are also walking for those who, God forbid, might encounter the disease; and we’re also walking because through the efforts that we’re making here and with other fundraisers, through awareness and through education, we are trying to help keep anyone else from ever encountering this disease by early detection and prevention.

So thank you very much for your participation,” she said.

Trevor Torzsas, executive co-chair of Walk for the Cure and CIBC FirstCaribbean managing director of cards & customer relationship strategy, said that every cent raised by “Walk for the Cure” is donated to local cancer support organisations.

“The cancer support groups here are doing great work they are dedicated, selfless people on the front lines with the medical staff and family members; we are proud to be able to support them. We’re extremely grateful to all of the other corporate sponsors who are donating money and resources and putting teams forward to walk in the event each year – it’s become a real community effort,” he said.

ABOVE: Gandieze Reckley and Keya Young o’Team Caring and Sharing’, who won the best dressed team of the day, pin ribbons of support to the survivor’s board.

PHOTO: Derek Smith Jnr. LEFT: ‘Team Caring and Sharing’ stood out in the crowd with their matching pink uniforms and flower crowns that showcased their solidarity and victory in the fight against cancer.

They won the award for best dressed team. From left: Gandieze Reckley, Therese Johnson, Keya Young, and Tasha Roker.

PICTURED are CIBC executives Trevor Torzsas and Marie Rodland-Allen with 15 of the 37 sixth annual Walk for the Cure sponsors. Kneeling in front: Regina Smith, Energy Fitness Bahamas. First row: Doyle Rolle, Bahamas Power & Light (BPL); Nikolette Eldon, British Colonial Hilton Hotel; Kira Horton, Bentonite Beauty Clay; Trevor Torzsas, Managing Director of Cards and Customer Relationship Strategy, CIBC FirstCaribbean; Marie Rodland-Allen, Managing Director, Bahamas & TCI, CIBC FirstCaribbean; Patrice Knowles, Restaurants Bahamas; Basil Bodie, Wemco Security.

Second row: Keva Bridgewater, BTC Business; Michela Barnett-Ellis, Graham Thompson; Sasha Pratt, Caribbean Bottling Company; Alice Similien, Going Places Travel.

Third row: Don Davis, Quality Home Center; Lana Rademaker, Damianos Sotheby’s Realty; O’Niel Bain, Rubis Bahamas Ltd.; Lana Lee-Brogdon, New Oriental Laundry and Cleaners; Margo Gibson, Milo Butler Distributors. Back row: Leah Carr, Serena Williams PR; Juanita Edwards, AVIS; Deirdre Gardner, AVIS; Chris Brogdon, New Oriental Laundry and Cleaners. Photo: Derek Smith Jnr.

WALK for the Cure winners lined up for their prizes along with CIBC FirstCaribbean’s executives Marie Rodland-Allen and Trevor Torzsas. L – R: Patrick Ferguson, Martin Larralde, Marie Rodland-Allen, Trevor Torzsas, Wellington S. Ramsey, and ’Wendy’.

Photo: Derek Smith Jnr.

EXECUTIVES, staff and family members of first time sponsors AVIS are pictured with their van that they loaned for the use of the Walk for the Cure as a part of their sponsorship. From left: Dwayne Rolle, Phillip Rolle, Juanita Edwards, Joy Ferguson, Deirdre Gardner, Geraldo Bullard, Melonie Badmus, Florence Roberts, Ed Newell, and Tevia Lockhart. Not shown: Bill Saunders, Kevin Sears, and Ashley Newell. Photo: Derek Smith Jnr. CIBC FirstCaribbean team members were in charge of registering and rallying walkers at the Walk for the Cure sign-up station at Goodman’s Bay Corporate Center.

From left: Carla Hamilton, Tajah Bain and her dog Apollo, Tristan Farrington, Tayla Bain, and Anishka Bain (front).

Photo: Serena Williams PR

CABLE & Wireless BTC Business is the ‘CIBC Walk for the Cure’ Platinum Regional Sponsor for The Bahamas and the Caribbean. Connecting with the cause to raise funds and help increase awareness of cancer, four BTC Business team members showed their support by going the distance with nearly 400 others in the early morning hours on Sunday October 1. L- R: Dorothy Thompson, Salome Charles, Teniele Simmons, and Keva Bridgewater. Photo: Serena Williams PR.