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Volume: 121 No.22, December 20, 2023

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JOHNSON BANNED AND FNM GAGGED Judge’s decision given after recent altercation involving vice chairman

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net FREE National Movement Secretary General Serfent Rolle said a Supreme Court judge yesterday banned FNM vice chairman Richard Johnson from attending the party’s meetings or visiting its headquarters or precincts until

any further court order.

He said that Justice Deborah Fraser also ordered FNM officials to refrain from personal attacks on each other or any other member of the party in the press, social media or public platform before the substantive matter –– a lawsuit Mr Johnson brought against the party –– is dealt with.

LOCAL AND US LIQUIDATORS FOR FTX REACH SETTLEMENT

Christmas Columbus?

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net FTX’s Bahamian liquidators yesterday hailed the settlement reached with their US counterpart as “a landmark breakthrough” that will avoid “years of protracted litigation” which would cost creditors dearly.

SEE PAGE THREE

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

REPARATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR CALLS FOR HOTEL NAME CHANGE

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net MANY welcomed the reopening of the British Colonial Hotel on Monday, but some, including the Bahamas National Reparations Committee chair Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, believe the hotel should have

dropped its name.

“I think that if they were to take stock of what is happening not only regionally, if we look at the example of Barbados becoming a republic, but around the world, a lot of persons are recognising the tremendous harms that colonisation implored not just in this SEE PAGE FOUR

DORIAN AND COVID LEFT $500M HOLE IN REVENUE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net TWO years after a man took a sledgehammer to the Christopher Columbus statue on Government House grounds, the spot has a replacement: a Christmas tree. Tourists stopped to photograph the decoration yesterday, the first notable fixture there since the defaced statue was removed.

Photo: Dante Carrer

SEASONAL RUSH EXPECTED AT LPIA

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net LYNDEN Pindling International Airport officials urge travellers to pack patience for this weekend, which they expect to be the busiest of the year, surpassing the number of travellers last year.

Anticipating heavy traffic in and around the terminals, Jan Knowles, vice

LYNDEN Pindling International Aiport president of marketing and commercial development

at Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), said NAD expects nearly 15,000 passengers to arrive and depart from LPIA tomorrow.

She said that on Friday, NAD expects close to 16,000 passengers.

“These numbers are significantly higher than holiday 2022, and we expect that this trend will continue

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE THREE

THE two greatest crises in modern Bahamian history resulted in the Government’s 2019-2020 revenues falling $544.1m short of their target, its leading fiscal watchdog has affirmed.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

FOR JANET JACKSON CONCERT DETAILS SEE PAGE 3

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 20, 2023, PAGE 3

Seasonal rush expected at LPIA Johnson

banned and FNM gagged from page one

LYNDEN PINDLING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT from page one through the New Year,” she said.

“Similar to the busy summer travel peak where the airport experiences this level of demand,

airport stakeholders have scheduled staff and other resources in advance and in accordance with the projected numbers.”

Ms Knowles noted that the airport has returned to its pre-COVID-19

passenger numbers. The airport reported revenue of $108m and net income of $26m in 2023.

“We have surpassed revenues achieved prior to COVID-19,” she said.

She encouraged this

weekend’s passengers to check-in three hours before USbound flights and two hours before international departure flights, except early for morning flights.

The court’s order temporarily permits what Mr Johnson had challenged and what FNM leaders wanted all along: to bar him from meetings.

“Failure to comply with any of the court’s aforementioned directions will result in the defaulting/breaching party’s court pleadings being struck out and judgement entered accordingly with costs being awarded to the innocent party,” Mr Rolle said.

“Without question, it is the FNM’s intention to adhere strictly to the aforementioned orders of the court. We, therefore, admonish all FNM offices, council members and its general membership to likewise govern themselves accordingly.”

Mr Johnson sued the FNM after executives unanimously barred him from council meetings. He seeks $500,000 in damages, claiming that neither leader Michael Pintard nor chairman Dr Duane Sands had the authority to suspend his membership rights and reassign his vice-chair duties. He wants $250,000

for “loss and unlawful interference” of his membership, $250,000 for “mental distress concerning the matter”, and interest on damages.

Earlier this year, Justice Fraser instituted an injunction preventing the party’s leaders from barring him from council meetings until she had addressed the substantive matter. She also ordered them not to personally attack each other or other FNM members in public until she had ruled on the lawsuit.

However, after Mr Johnson was involved in a physical altercation outside the FNM’s headquarters on November 30, he publicly linked the attack to FNM leaders without evidence, potentially breaching the judge’s order.

Among other things, former Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister highlighted the attack on Mr Johnson while arguing that Mr Pintard should host a convention to settle leadership issues in the party.

Police have yet to say whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the alleged attack on Mr Johnson.

BELLA, Ken’Niyah, Symai and D’Ashae pose for a photo with Santa Claus at The Mall at Marathon yesterday. Six-year-old Bella whispered that she will be asking Santa for one hundred LOL Dolls.

Photos: Dante Carrer

CARMEN Forbes wraps Christmas gifts at The Mall at Marathon.

SHOPPERS are seen at The Mall at Marathon.

Janet Jackson concert coming to Atlantis Resort in April 2024 JANET Jackson is coming to The Bahamas.

The iconic entertainer will perform on Casuarina Beach at Atlantis on April 27, 2024, the resort said yesterday. The performance will launch its next Music Making Waves concert series.

A portion of the concert’s proceeds will reportedly support the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, a nonprofit organisation to protect the ocean.

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow at the resort’s website. Prices range from $149 for bronze seating to $349 for diamond seating.

“Concertgoers will enjoy a compilation of Janet’s charttopping songs, including ‘All For You,’ ‘Got Til It’s Gone,’ ‘That’s The Way Love Goes,’ ‘What Have You Done for

Me Lately,’ and more, while also having access to the concert village where guests of all ages can enjoy local food trucks, Instagrammable moments, and pop-up experiences at the Atlantis activity fun zone,” Atlantis said in a statement.

“For over two decades, Atlantis has hosted top-tier talent, entertaining fans from around the world with performances from Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, and Ricky Martin, as well as The Jonas Brothers, Pitbull, Doja Cat, Kesha, and Lizzo.”

The resort also detailed its New Year celebration event, saying in the statement: “Atlantis will close its milestone 25th anniversary year with a stellar weekend to ring in 2024. The

line-up will be full of superstar talent, including Tony Award and five-time Emmy Award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris, Grammy Award-winning super producer and artist Timbaland, surprise musical performances, Grucci fireworks, DJ Webstar, and more.

“Atlantis Paradise Island consistently offers immersive experiences inviting guests, visitors, and locals to create lifelong memories.

We look forward to welcoming back the legendary Janet Jackson and her fans to Casuarina Beach this spring to make even more memories at Atlantis, the world’s most remarkable destination resort,” said Audrey Oswell, president and managing director of Atlantis Paradise Island.

JANET Jackson coming to Atlantis on April 27, 2024.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Raparations Committee chair calls for hotel name change from page one

region but worldwide,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

“Even King Charles, you know, has made statements of regret regarding some of those colonial practices so I think that we’re at the stage where you can have nostalgia for a time gone without connecting that nostalgia to the crimes and sins of colonisation.”

Removal of colonial names and references has happened worldwide in recent times.

Local discourse about colonial symbolism exploded last year when a man used a sledgehammer to damage the right leg of a Christopher Columbus statue outside Government House. Before that, thousands signed a petition to remove the statue.

The government recently put a Christmas tree where the statue used to be.

Dr Campbell Dean noted the continued presence of a Woodes Rogers statue in front of the British Colonial Hotel, which

reopened on Monday after a nearly two-year closure and a $50m renovation project.

“I mean more than our recognition of the names of private companies, I’m more interested in removing all symbols of colonialism from our local spaces like the statue of Woodes Rogers,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I think that it is, you know, the corporation is going to do what’s in the best interest of themselves, not necessarily the best interest of the people, but maybe they will find that having that tie is not in their best interest as the world generally moves toward the ratification of what colonialism is.”

During his speech at the Hilton’s opening on Monday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis argued the hotel’s name has taken on new meaning.

“There is no doubt an irony in the fact that, as we celebrate 50 years of Independence, we are also celebrating the reopening of the British

NEWLY renovated the hostoric British Colonial Hilton hotel officially reopened on Monday.

Colonial Hotel,” he said.

“The meaning within the imperial legacy of

that name has changed.

It now signals the grand tradition of what tourism

was automatically once assumed to be: travel to unknown places, in the

Photo: Dante Carrer hope of pursuing adventure, luxury, style, and comfort.”

One Family: The finishing touches before Boxing Day/New Year’s Junkanoo

MEMBERS of the One Family Junkanoo Group work on costume pieces just days before the upcoming Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade to be held on Bay Street.

Photos: Dante Carrer

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that YVENET ALCIME of Hope Twon, Abaco, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 20th day of December, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that KERVENSON GESTIN of Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 13th day of December, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that NIXON ANESTOR, #10 Cowpen Road, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of December 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that WESLEY SINEUS of Montrose Avenue & Peach Street, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of December, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that EXANTE CHERELUS, P.O Box SB52580 Rudby Drive, Yamacraw, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of December 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that CHIDEL DURANT, Yamacraw Hill Road, Colony Village, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of December 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 20, 2023, PAGE 5

Pratt appointment to Immigration director likely to go to Industrial Tribunal, says Thompson

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE immigration union’s dispute over the Davis administration’s appointment of William Pratt as director of the Department of Immigration will likely be addressed by the Industrial Tribunal after two Department of Labour conciliation meetings failed to resolve the matter, according to new Labour Director Howard Thompson.

Mr Thompson said the parties met in November but did not come to an agreement. His department is now awaiting communication from either side to transfer the matter to the Tribunal, which Mr Thompson said may prioritise the complaint “because of the

nature of the dispute”.

When the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union filed a trade dispute earlier this year, BCIAWU president Deron Brooks said the union would challenge the administration in court if its decision is not reversed.

He said the union secured a Supreme Court victory in 2021 after arguing that immigration officers cannot be contract workers.

A former director of the department, Mr Pratt, 66, is past retirement age. He was brought back to lead the institution after Keturah Ferguson, 62, retired early under controversial circumstances.

According to court documents, the BCIAWU challenged the Minnis administration in 2021 for

appointing Clarence Russell as acting director of immigration.

The union sought a declaration from the Supreme Court that the power to make appointments to public offices belongs to the Governor-General on the advice of the Public Service Commission.

Under the Davis administration, the Office of the Attorney General did not fight the union’s position, leading then-Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles to settle the matter in the union’s favour. The government had to pay the union $10,000 in costs.

Mr Brooks said this experience should’ve prevented the Davis administration from appointing a contract worker head of the immigration department, a not

ACTING director of Immigration Department William Pratt. uncommon practice since the 1990s.

“They have replaced a

gazetted, fully pensionable officer with a contractually appointed person,” he

said in October, adding that qualified people are missing out on upward mobility.

NUMBER OF UNREGISTERED DAYCARE FACILITIES HAS RISEN SINCE PANDEMIC, SAYS EDUCATION DIRECTOR

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff REporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net EDUCATION Director Dominique McCartneyRussell said unregistered daycare facilities surged after the COVID-19 pandemic –– including one where a dog attacked a child in Grand Bahama last week.

She pledged action to find unregistered facilities

and ensure they meet requirements.

The Pre-school and Daycare Council is the regulatory body responsible for the centres.

Mrs McCartney-Russell said the council assesses centres’ buildings, staff, curriculum, and environment to see if they are suitable for registration.

“Sometimes, just like what happened recently, you would have an

incident, and you become aware that there is an organisation out there that is not registered,” she said. “Because people are opening these businesses sometimes in their homes, and sometimes, they don’t know what to do. And other times they may have issues with the registration process so once we are made aware we always steer them in the direction for registration.”

Mrs McCartney-Russell stressed that the ministry is concerned about the rise in unregistered daycares and pre-schools, emphasising the goal of ensuring children receive a high-quality education in a safe and conducive environment.

“We definitely are beefing up our awareness campaign because we want all potential operators to know that the Pre-school

and Daycare Council exists,” she said. “And that not only is it the regulatory body for pre-school and daycare centres, but they are there to support those centres.”

The council helps centres be aware of the operating standards and how to adhere to them so that their businesses can be run effectively.

Mrs McCartney-Russell added that the council is

always providing training for centres.

Last week, a one-yearold boy was bitten and injured by a dog in Grand Bahama at an unregistered daycare. The father of the child said he was considering legal action.

The father said both of his child’s legs were injured, with doctors deciding not to perform surgery because of his young age.

Bahamas signs joint statement condemning Houthi rebels attacks on Red Sea Shipping

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THIS photo, published by the Houthists, shows the seizure of the ship “GalaxyLeader”, in the Red Sea, on November 19, 2023.

Photo: Houthi Media Center/AP

THE Bahamas signed a joint statement with other countries condemning Houthi rebels in Yemen for their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The statement was released yesterday by the governments of the United States of America, High Representative Josep Borrell on behalf of the European Union and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on behalf of NATO and partner nations such as Australia, The Bahamas, Japan, Liberia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Yemen.

“The undersigned condemn Houthi interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, particularly the Red Sea,” the statement said.

“The numerous attacks originating from Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen, including the December 3 attacks against three commercial vessels in the Southern Red Sea connected to 14 nations, threaten international commerce and maritime security. The Houthi-led seizure of the Galaxy Leader on November 19 and the detention of its 25-member international crew – who remain unjustly detained – is appalling,” the

statement said.

“Such behaviour also threatens the movement of food, fuel, humanitarian assistance, and other essential commodities to destinations and populations all over the world. The undersigned further encourages all states to refrain from facilitation or encouragement of the Houthis.

“There is no justification for these attacks, which affect many countries beyond the flags these ships sail under. We again call on the Houthis to release the Galaxy Leader crew and ship immediately and to cease additional attacks on commercial vessels in the region’s vital waterways.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, explaining The Bahamas’ support of the statement, said yesterday: “The Bahamas has one of the largest ship registries in the world. It is in our interests to protect international shipping.”

The Galaxy Leader is registered in The Bahamas.

According to international reports, the vessel’s crew comprises nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, The Philippines, Mexico and Romania.

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea in response to the Houthi attacks.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The Tribune Limited Focus on NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

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

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

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

cost of living issues EDITOR, The Tribune.

Published daily Monday to Friday

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Should the name of Nassau’s historic hotel change?

“WHAT’S in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”

So says William Shakespeare as Juliet longs for Romeo though finds that it “tis but thy name that is my enemy”.

But what of the name of the British Colonial Hotel?

The newly reopened hotel has come under some criticism for retaining the name it has held down the years.

At the opening ceremony on Monday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis celebrated the history of the hotel – including its name, saying that “the meaning within the imperial legacy of that name has changed”.

He added: “It now signals the grand tradition of what tourism was automatically once assumed to be: travel to unknown places, in the hope of pursuing adventure, luxury, style, and comfort.”

Interestingly, while flagging up the tradition of a hotel, which dates back to 1901, although he says “the rest is history”, he neglects to note that for much of that history not all Bahamians were able to take part equally.

For a long time, race was an issue that divided Bahamians. People of colour were barred from hotels and restaurants in Nassau, and from the whites-only Savoy movie theatre on Bay Street.

It was a resolution on January 23, 1956, by then Tribune editor and publisher Sir Etienne Dupuch that ended such discrimination in The Bahamas, and changed the racial landscape in the country forever.

But at a time when such an injustice continued to take place, so too did that hotel carry the name Colonial.

For black Bahamians, there was no opportunity to pursue adventure, luxury, style and comfort in the hotels of the nation.

Sir Etienne spoke in the House, asking of the Speaker and 19 assemblymen present (with eight not attending), “Who of you tonight is prepared publicly to declare that a whole group of people should continue to live a life of

daily and constant humiliation because it might mean the loss of some material gain. All the evidence in the world today dispels the fear of economic loss but even so, why should any legislative body, representing all the people, feel that they have a right to put a price on the pride, the dignity and the self respect of any section of the population entirely on the basis of accident of birth.”

He added: “The day is past in the world when classes and races can be divided by some cruel invisible line. The time has come when people all over the world have become conscious of the fact that human freedom is indivisible. It is a quality of mind that cannot be broken up into parcels and one group handed one set of freedoms and another given another set. There can only be one freedom – and it must be the equal and indivisible freedom of all the people.”

It was no easy thing for Sir Etienne to take such a stance. At the time, it was an unpopular movie. It cost him financially – and on the night of the resolution, he knew that he faced possible arrest. But it was the right thing to do.

It made a difference. Three days after the resolution, on Thursday, January 26, 1956, the majority of Nassau’s exclusive hotels announce that they were open to everyone, regardless of race, the only standard being good behaviour and proper dress.

The last hotel to make its announcement did so on Saturday, January 28, 1956. It was the British Colonial Hotel.

The last one to declare there was no discrimination at their hotel.

Mr Davis went on to take about the rich history of the hotel – but discrimination is part of that history.

This was the last hotel in the country to lift discrimination.

Should the hotel’s name be changed?

Perhaps, perhaps not. But if we are going to consider the history of the location, let us consider all of its history, and remember those people who were barred from a life of adventure and luxury.

Christmas tree still half-done EDITOR, The Tribune.

ONLY our national Christmas tree doesn’t!

Each morning this past week on my drive through town, I convince myself that what should be our beacon of beauty will have been sorted out, but, lo and behold, it still stands half decorated. Are the authorities seriously going to leave

our national Christmas tree looking like this?

What an embarrassment this is and what must the tourists think when they walk into Rawson Square?

I can’t imagine any other self-respecting country having an unsightly, halfdecorated Christmas tree in their main square.

It looks like they either

ran out of decorations or put too many on the front. Whatever happened, please can it be rectified before Christmas Day, only six days away? We too deserve and want to see our national Christmas tree stand in splendid beauty.

VICKI LIDDELL Nassau, December 19, 2023.

THE TRIBUNE

LET me state from the outset that I am a dyedin-the-wool capitalist. I do not subscribe to the malevolent Marxist school of thought which is diametrically opposed to the Judeo-Christian worldview. My assessment of this economic system of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was reinforced after reading the late Richard Wumbrand’s Tortured for Christ and Marx and Satan.

As a Romanian Christian pastor, Wumbrand spent 14 years in communist prisons for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just thought I should say this before I am misread in the following.

Recently, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis spoke at St John’s University and St Benedict’s College in Minnesota on the subject of climate change. Davis also addressed this matter at the United Nations climate change conference in Dubai some weeks ago. Davis noted in his Minnesota address that the big nations have pledged $700 million for the so-called Damage Fund.

Even though thousands of Grand Bahamians have suffered through Hurricanes Francis, Jeanne, Matthew and Dorian, I do not sense that they’re as committed in campaigning against climate change as Davis and a host of American and British celebrities, such as Prince Harry, Pharrell Williams, Greta Thunberg, Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda and Jaden Smith. I am of the view that Davis and Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Motley are being influenced by President Joe Biden on the subject of climate change.

Biden seems to be more determined to fight climate change than in addressing inflation. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans marched on the streets of the major American cities after the murder of George Floyd when Donald Trump was in the Oval Office. The Marxist leaders of Black Lives Matter were successful in influencing the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential Election. Moreover, BLM was responsible for painting Trump as a racist.

Three years after the BLM marches, many of these African Americans are now catching hell financially, like millions of other Americans. Yet no one is marching nowadays.

While climate change might be Davis’ pet project, I think that the average Bahamian has more pressing matters on his mind.

One of those pressing matters is the unbearable cost of living in The Bahamas, especially food. I have noticed that the cost of a loaf of Wonder Bread is now about $4.95; a gallon of MacArthur Milk is around $9.50 and above and a dozen eggs for about $5.

Bloomberg has blamed the outbreak of Avian influenza on over 680,000 egg-laying hens at one of Cal-Maine Food Inc’s facilities in Kansas for the soaring cost of eggs. Cal-Maine Inc. is one of the largest producers of eggs in the United States. The price of eggs is

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net expected to further increase in 2024. Also contributing to the price increase is the holiday demands for eggs.

The soaring cost of bread and other wheat products, especially in Europe, is linked to the protracted Russian/Ukrainian War. A Bahamian family of six or more is now having to spend upwards of $250 weekly to buy adequate food.

Making matters worst is VAT. The minimum wage is $260 -- $10 more than what many families are having to spend to adequately feed themselves on a weekly basis. In many cases, Bahamians’ monthly grocery bills are exceeding their rent and mortgage payments. This is unsustainable. I understand that as a developing nation, much of the inflation crisis is linked to external factors that our domestic policymakers are unable to change.

Yet the Progressive Liberal Party government could at least put a small dent in the high cost of groceries by simply eliminating the 10 percent VAT on breadbasket items. The energy I see being exerted towards fighting climate change should be channeled toward Bahamians being able to feed themselves adequately. If the PLP balks at implementing this recommendation in order to alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of struggling Bahamian families, then it should then consider subsidising eggs, cooking oil, milk and wheat products, such as bread. These are the four staple items in the overwhelming majority of Bahamian homes.

The communist government in Cuba has a rationing system in place in which staple items are subsidised by the Marxist state. Such a massive undertaking can be done with the cooperation of the PLP government and merchants with impeccable character, such as Mr Rupert Roberts of Super Value. Either the government eliminate VAT on breadbasket items or it can subsidize the four items mentioned above. In a press release by the Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis in late November, the minister said that inflation is down and that the economy is growing. Halkitis pointed out that the debt to GDP ratio was at 100 percent in 2021; but it is now at 84 percent. I believe that there’s a direct correlation between the growth in the government’s revenue and the unbearable cost of living, owing to VAT on fuel and breadbasket items.

The state, despite getting a substantial amount of revenue via duty on fuel, still opted to take a second bite at the apple by adding VAT. I sincerely believe that the Bahamian GDP per capita of $27,478 is very misleading. Outsiders who read this would automatically assume that the majority of Bahamians are middle class, when in truth most Bahamians are struggling to keep their heads above water. Moreover, while it is true that the economy

is growing by leaps and bounds, the continued increase in the cost of living has effectively offset what otherwise would’ve been a time of unprecedented prosperity for tens of thousands of Bahamians in New Providence, Bimini, Abaco and Exuma. This crisis is threatening to wipe out the middle class. Walter Hanchell of Great Commission Ministries recently informed The Nassau Guardian that middle class Bahamian families are now seeking food assistance from his organisation.

These hardworking Bahamians are struggling to survive.

While President Joe Biden isn’t entirely at fault for the lagging inflationary crisis, his Bidenomic policies have exacerbated the crisis. Under Bidenomics, the Bahamian middle class has become an endangered species. The PLP government can no longer keep its head buried in the sand and pretend not to notice the massive inflationary elephant in the room.

One final suggestion to the honorable Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis would be to use his international platform to address the high cost of living on developing countries such as The Bahamas. We are extremely vulnerable to the collateral damages caused by the ongoing wars between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine.

Davis should lobby President Joe Biden to do more to lower the costs of food in the United States. The PLP government should also seek to import poultry, wheat products and cooking oil from other foreign markets in the Western Hemisphere. I recall either Sir Lynden Pindling or A D Hanna saying that they want to wipe the tears or dry the eyes (or however it is said) of every Bahamian citizen. This noble gesture is a common socialist rhetoric.

I am not saying that these National Heroes advocated wealth redistribution. Obviously, they didn’t.

Both Pindling and Hanna saw the catastrophic results of Michael Manley’s Marxist experimentation in Jamaica in the 1970s. Jamaica is still recovering from Manley’s communist policies. I mentioned this because Pindling and Hanna, as shrewd politicians, understood the intricate balance of being politicians, who cater to the needs of their denizens; and policymakers, who are tasked with managing the finances of the Public Treasury. At times I am left to wonder if Ministry of Finance officials view The Bahamas as a Wall Street or Silicon Valley corporation, without any regards for human beings. I think the current situation could have been prevented had the first PLP governments worked tirelessly to develop agriculture in the Out Islands, rather than just depending on tourism and banking.

This lackadaisical approach to farming has now come back to bite The Bahamas in its rear end.

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama December 17, 2023.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 20, 2023, PAGE 7

TEEN CHARGED WITH STABBING ANOTHER TEEN OUTSIDE MALL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A 17-YEAR-OLD youth was accused of stabbing a 16-year-old boy multiple times outside the Mall at Marathon earlier this month.

Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, charged the juvenile, whose name is withheld because he is a minor, with causing harm and assault with a dangerous instrument.

The juvenile appeared in court with his guardians.

Tavarrie Smith represented him in court.

The accused and a group

of men allegedly attacked the complainant, an RM Bailey student, as he stood outside the bus stop on Marathon Road at around 4pm on December 1.

The accused allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times, including his face, shoulder and back.

The victim was treated for his injuries at the hospital and discharged.

After denying his involvement in the incident, the accused was granted $4,000 bail with one surety. Under the terms of his bail, he must obey a daily residential curfew from 8pm to 6am.

The accused must return to court on May 22, 2024.

Englerston Christmas Tree lighting

MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING SCOOTER AND CASH GRANTED BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was granted bail yesterday after being accused of stealing a man’s scooter and extorting $200 cash from him last week.

Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Isaac Klonaris, 29, with stealing and extortion.

Klonaris, along with accomplices, is accused

of robbing Errol Hobanil of his red and white 2023 Yamaha Scooter valued at $2,420 in New Providence on December 12.

During the same incident, the accused allegedly extorted $200 from the same man.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, Klonaris’s bail was set at $5,000 with one or two sureties.

The trial in this matter begins on April 9, 2024.

MAN ORDERED TO PAY $1,500 FINE AFTER ADMITTING TO HAVING HEMP

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was fined $1,500 after admitting to having eight and a half ounces of Indian Hemp on him last week.

Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged Courtney Oliver, 36, with possession of dangerous drugs.

Oliver was arrested in New Providence after he was found with eight and a half ounces of marijuana on December 13.

Oliver pleaded guilty

to the offence. Magistrate McKinney ordered that the defendant pay $1,500 or risk three months in prison.

Another man was fined $400 after he admitted to a separate drug offence.

Magistrate McKinney charged Marvin Rolle, 51, with possession of dangerous drugs.

Rolle was arrested in New Providence after he was found with 1 1/8 oz of marijuana on December 17.

Following his guilty plea, Rolle was fined $400 for the offence. Failure to pay the fine will result in a onemonth prison term.

MAN BREACHES BAIL WHILE OUT ON ARMED ROBBERY CHARGES

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was fined $2,000 after admitting that he failed to charge his monitoring device while on bail for armed robbery.

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged Lyndano Whyms, 21, with four counts of violating bail conditions.

While on release for two armed robberies in New Providence and Andros in the summer of 2022, Whyms failed to charge his monitoring device four times between August 1 and December 17.

After admitting to the offence, the accused was ordered to pay a fine of $2,000 or risk four months in prison.

ELDERLY AMERICAN WOMAN DIES AFTER DIVING ACTIVITY IN EXUMA AN American woman died on Monday evening after a diving expedition.

Police said around 8pm, the 75-year-old woman visiting from Myrtle Grove, North Carolina, participated in a diving excursion in waters off Ship Channel Cay, Exuma. When she returned to the tour boat, she complained of exhaustion and later lost

consciousness.

She received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but remained unresponsive.

She was taken to a local marina on Paradise Island, where emergency medical technicians examined her and found no signs of life.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death as investigations continue.

MEMBER of Parliament for Englerston Glenys Hanna Martin held a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in her constituency last night, where residents were treated to food and gifts.

Photos: Moise Amisial

Christmas is not the same for everyone - share love, kindness and understanding PAGE 8, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

THE holiday season is one we generally expect to be full of good cheer. Even through their complaints, people happily spend money — often more than they can really afford — on festivities, from decorations and food to gifts and events.

Far too many cars are on the road during business hours, making traffic difficult to bear. Lines in commercial banks, that have actively been pushing customers outside of the branches, get longer and slower. Certain ingredients get much harder, if not impossible, to find in grocery stores. Parking spaces are hard to come by, and shopping carts are just as limited, if not more.

Purchases and exits are met with, “Have a merry Christmas!” and, “Have a happy holiday!”

It is easy to forget that, for some, this is a difficult time of year. In fact, it is the worst time of year for people who may be doing their best to hide it.

Here are some of the people who could use extra love and care at this time: 1. People who are grieving people who died during a previous holiday season, and people who are grieving people who died within the past year. For many people, there are activities that are repeated every holiday season, and the same people are involved every time.

Whether it is shopping, preparing meals, or attending annual events, undertaking these activities can magnify the absence of a person who was always there. Some people will opt out, trying to spare themselves the sadness and pitying looks, and others will try to push through in hopes of creating and getting used to a new normal. All of the firsts that come after a loved one has died are challenging, and we need to remember that this changes the season for some of the people around us.

2. People who are experiencing poverty or sudden changes in their finances.

There are many people who have never been able to comfortably participate in holiday festivities at the same level as others. Their children are not showered

THE TRIBUNE

By Alicia Wallace with hundreds of dollars of gifts, and their houses may not have Christmas trees, garlands, or lights.

For some, a change in circumstances may make this holiday season starkly different from previous years. Their children may wonder why there is no tree, or what they did wrong that resulted in less gifts. People are navigating difficult situations, and this often means difficult conversations with children and other loved ones who may not immediately understand what is happening. At the same time, they may not want to disclose personal details to others, so do not pry. If you notice that people are celebrating differently, or not at all, consider that the financial situation may dictate behaviour and bringing it up may not be welcome. Find other ways to support people experiencing financial difficulty at this time, and beyond this season. This could be inviting them to your holiday gathering, gifting them a fun decorative item like a wreath or dancing snowperson, or giving them a ham or turkey voucher.

3. People who have been separated from their families. For a myriad of reasons, including citizenship complications, the (mis)match of skills and industry, and institutionalisation, people can find themselves away from family members they would have liked to be with at this time of year. Whether it is a spouse working in another country, a hospitalised grandparent, or an incarcerated child, this is a difficult to bear. Video calls and brief visits are nice, but no replacement for being together for the duration of celebrations, sharing in the rush of shopping, menu

planning, and plotting surprises for others. Some people may isolate while others try to embrace those who are able to be around. Others are completely alone, not knowing anyone else or not invited by anyone else. Think of these people and find ways to welcome to your events, check on them at other times, and make them feel seen and loved.

4. People who are experiencing violence. Domestic violence and intimate partner violence do not take a break for the holidays.

In fact, it can get worse. Spending more time at home is not a

good thing for everyone.

There are also people in The Bahamas who are not Christian. There are people with other religions. In a place with many people loudly, consistently and incorrectly calling it a “Christian nation”, it is not surprising that people forget or ignore the fact that there are other

religions, and there are people who practice other religions here. Everyone here is not a Christian, and no one here has to be a Christian, yet many events and traditions— including those organised and upheld by the government of The Bahamas which is well aware of the fundamental rights and freedoms which include freedom of (and from) religion—center Christianity and Christians, whether they are practicing or not.

People of other faiths do not view Christmas in the way that Christians, both practicing and nonpracticing, do. They also do not typically view Christmas in the secular.

It is

a day, like any other day, with the exception of the ever-increasing lead-up— which now seems to begin before Thanksgiving— which is full of variations of Christian scripture and scenery, Santa and elves, dogged participation in capitalism, and lightdependent decorations.

They are generally unbothered by others celebrating the holiday, and should not be targeted, ridiculed, or insulted for not participating. Just as importantly, attempts to accommodate them ought not be met with hostility.

People get quite

offended by “Xmas”, insisting that the “Christ” be put back in “Christmas,” as though the written name is the only place that is losing the focus on Christ which is, according to them, the reason for the season. They are also quick to complain about more inclusive greetings like, “Happy Holidays!” and “Seasons Greetings” because, for them, the entire season is about Christmas, and not only do people with other religions or no religion at all not matter, but no other religious holiday exists during this period. This is, of course, incorrect, and it often goes unchecked.

Consult an interfaith calendar to learn about the special days of observance beyond the Christian ones already known to you.

Here are a few ways to make holiday events happier: 1.

Focus on your own food choices. Do not comment on other people’s consumption of food. If they want no meat, so be it. If they want extra turkey, so be it. If they go for seconds, so be it. If they are newly vegan, so be it. If they are avoid gluten, so be it. You do not deserve an explanation, and they do not deserve scrutiny.

People access new information and make decisions on the basis. People have health conditions and get advice from doctors that they may not care to share with you. People take medication that may dictate what they can and cannot eat. People sometimes skip meals in order to do other things, and may find themselves especially hungry.

People may quietly be changing the way they eat.

Eat what you want to eat, and keep quiet about what other people do and do not eat. It is not your business.

2. Make choices about your own body. Do not comment on other people’s bodies. People gain and lose weight over time. This can be due to diet, exercise, illness, medication, stress, and various other factors.

None of these need to be discussed with you when they are not happening to your body. People adorn their bodies in ways that make them feel good. That may be jeans and a simple top. It may be a loose, flowing dress. It may be fitted, showing every curve. You may like what a person wears, and you may not.

This does not need to be shared with anyone. Your opinion on people’s bodies and how they choose to dress is one of the most unimportant things in the world. Do not waste anyone’s time with it.

3. Leave jokes to the people who are actually funny. Everyone loves a good laugh, and many people like being the person to make others laugh. If you are able to make people laugh without making anyone feel badly, that is great. If you make people laugh by singling someone out and insulting them, you are not funny.

You are rude. Insults are not the same as jokes, and it does not matter if insults have passed for jokes for a long time in your family.

Now is a good time to stop.

4. Know your boundaries, and respect other people’s boundaries. As much as you love the people attending gatherings, you probably have a limit. There are certain people you know you do not want to talk to for more than two minutes.

There are events you do not want to be at for more than an hour. There are people you do not want anywhere near your children. It is good to have boundaries, to keep them in mind, and to share them with people who can help to enforce them. Some boundaries need to be verbally set. “Do not hit my children. If there is an issue, let me know,” for example. Some may be more quiet. When people state their boundaries, it is not an invitation to question or challenge. It is an generous offer they are making that will enable them to spend time with you. Receive the offering with grace.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 20, 2023, PAGE 9

2023: THE YEAR WE PLAYED WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHTALK – AND WEREN’T SURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT WHITE HOUSE BACKS

INDUSTRY EFFORT TO STANDARDISE TESLA’S EV CHARGING PLUGS

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer ARTIFICIAL intelligence went mainstream in 2023 — it was a long time coming yet has a long way to go for the technology to match people’s science fiction fantasies of humanlike machines.

Catalyzing a year of AI fanfare was ChatGPT. The chatbot gave the world a glimpse of recent advances in computer science even if not everyone figured out quite how it works or what to do with it.

“I would call this an inflection moment,” pioneering AI scientist Fei-Fei Li said. “2023 is, in history, hopefully going to be remembered for the profound changes of the technology as well as the public awakening. It also shows how messy this technology is.”

It was a year for people to figure out “what this is, how to use it, what’s the impact — all the good, the bad and the ugly,” she said.

PANIC OVER AI The first AI panic of 2023 set in soon after New Year’s Day when classrooms reopened and schools from Seattle to Paris started blocking ChatGPT. Teenagers were already asking the chatbot — released in late 2022 — to compose essays and answer take-home tests.

AI large language models behind technology such as ChatGPT work by repeatedly guessing the next word in a sentence after having “learned” the patterns of a huge trove of human-written works. They often get facts wrong. But the outputs appeared so natural that it sparked curiosity about the next AI advances and its potential use for trickery and deception.

Worries escalated as this new cohort of generative AI tools — spitting out not just words but novel images, music and synthetic voices — threatened the livelihoods of anyone who writes, draws, strums or codes for a living. It fueled strikes by Hollywood writers and actors and legal challenges from visual artists and bestselling authors.

Some of the AI field’s most esteemed scientists warned that the technology’s unchecked progress was marching toward outsmarting humans and possibly threatening their existence, while other scientists called their concerns overblown or brought attention to more immediate risks.

By spring, AI-generated deepfakes — some more convincing than others — had leaped into U.S. election campaigns, where one falsely showed Donald Trump embracing the nation’s former top infectious disease expert. The technology made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and fabricated war

By ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press

THE OPENAI logo is seen displayed on a cell phone with an image on a computer screen generated by ChatGPT’s Dall-E text-to-image model. Artificial intelligence went mainstream in 2023 — it was a long time coming and has a long way to go for the technology to match people’s science fiction fantasies of human-like machines. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) footage in Ukraine and Gaza.

By the end of the year, the AI crises had shifted to ChatGPT’s own maker, the San Francisco startup OpenAI, nearly destroyed by corporate turmoil over its charismatic CEO, and to a government meeting room in Belgium, where exhausted political leaders from across the European Union emerged after days of intense talks with a deal for the world’s first major AI legal safeguards.

The new AI law will take a few years to fully take effect, and other lawmaking bodies — including the U.S. Congress — are still a long way from enacting their own.

TOO MUCH HYPE? There’s no question that commercial AI products unveiled in 2023 incorporated technological achievements not possible in earlier stages of AI research, which trace back to the mid-20th century.

But the latest generative AI trend is at peak hype, according to the market research firm Gartner, which has tracked what it calls the “hype cycle” of emerging technology since the 1990s. Picture a wooden rollercoaster ticking up to its highest hill, about to careen down into what Gartner describes as a “trough of disillusionment” before coasting back to reality.

“Generative AI is right in the peak of inflated expectations,” Gartner

analyst Dave Micko said. “There’s massive claims by vendors and producers of generative AI around its capabilities, its ability to deliver those capabilities.”

Google drew criticism this month for editing a video demonstration of its most capable AI model, called Gemini, in a way that made it appear more impressive — and human-like.

Micko said leading AI developers are pushing certain ways of applying the latest technology, most of which correspond to their current line of products — be they search engines or workplace productivity software.

That doesn’t mean that’s how the world will use it.

“As much as Google and Microsoft and Amazon and Apple would love us to adopt the way that they think about their technology and that they deliver that technology, I think adoption actually comes from the bottom up,” he said.

IS IT DIFFERENT THIS TIME? It’s easy to forget that this isn’t the first wave of AI commercialisation. Computer vision techniques developed by Li and other scientists helped sort through a huge database of photos to recognise objects and individual faces and help guide self-driving cars. Speech recognition advances made voice assistants like Siri and Alexa a fixture in many people’s lives.

“When we launched Siri in 2011, it

was at that point the fastest-growing consumer app and the only major mainstream application of AI that people had ever experienced,” said Tom Gruber, co-founder of Siri Inc., which Apple bought and made an integral iPhone feature.

But Gruber believes what’s happening now is the “biggest wave ever” in AI, unleashing new possibilities as well as dangers.

“We’re surprised that we could accidentally encounter this astonishing ability with language, by training a machine to play solitaire on all of the internet,” Gruber said. “It’s kind of amazing.”

The dangers could come fast in 2024, as major national elections in the U.S., India and elsewhere could get flooded with AI-generated deepfakes.

In the longer term, AI technology’s rapidly improving language, visual perception and step-by-step planning capabilities could supercharge the vision of a digital assistant — but only if granted access to the “inner loop of our digital life stream,” Gruber said.

“They can manage your attention as in, ‘You should watch this video.

You should read this book. You should respond to this person’s communication,’” Gruber said. “That is what a real executive assistant does.

And we could have that, but with a really big risk of personal information and privacy.”

ORANGE TABBY CAT STEALS THE SHOW IN FIRST VIDEO SENT BY LASER FROM DEEP SPACE

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An orange tabby cat named Taters stars in the first video transmitted by laser from deep space, stealing the show as he chases a red laser light.

The 15-second video was beamed to Earth from NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, 19 million miles (30 million kilometres) away. It took less than two minutes for the ultra high-definition video to reach Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, sent at the test system’s maximum rate of 267 megabits per second.

THIS image shows a frame from a 15-second ultra-high-definition video featuring a cat named Taters which was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA on Dec. 11. It was part of the technology demonstration known as Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), which is attached to the Psyche spacecraft traveling to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The video was loaded into Psyche’s laser experiment long before the spacecraft blasted off to a metal-rich asteroid in October. (NASA via AP)

The video was loaded into Psyche’s laser communication experiment

before the spacecraft blasted off to a rare metal asteroid in October.

The mission team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, decided to feature an employee’s 3-year-old playful kitty.

The video was streamed to Earth on Dec. 11 and released by NASA this week. Despite the vast distance, the test relayed the video faster than most broadband internet connections here on Earth, said the project’s Ryan Rogalin.

NASA wants to improve communications from deep space, especially as astronauts gear up to return to the moon with an eye toward Mars.

The laser demo is meant to transmit data at rates

up to 100 times greater than the radio systems currently used by spacecraft far from Earth.

More test transmissions are planned as Psyche heads toward the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But Taters won’t be making anymore appearances, according to JPL. Joby Harris, an art director in JPL’s DesignLab, couldn’t be prouder, but doesn’t want his cat’s newfound celebrity to go to his head.

“I’m celebrating his spotlight with him, but making sure he keeps his paws on the carpet,” Harris said in an email Tuesday.

The White House is lending its support to an auto industry effort to standardise Tesla’s electric vehicle charging plugs for all EVs in the United States, part of a broad effort to stimulate their sales to help combat climate change.

More than 1 million EVs have been sold in the United States in 2023, a record, but that pace still lags behind sales in such countries as China and Germany. One key reason is that the limited availability of charging infrastructure across the country has been a widespread concern for many would-be buyers of EVs and has held back their sales in the United States.

Tesla, the leader in the EV market, operates the largest network of fast-chargers. And many of its Supercharger stations are in prime locations along highly traveled corridors, where other charging stations are sparse.

On Tuesday, SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, confirmed as a new standard Tesla’s North American Charging Standard connector. That connector, known as NACS, links Tesla’s EVs to the company’s network. In June, the automotive organisation had said it would set standards for Tesla’s EV charging plug to try to allow it to work with all EVs.

JEFF BEZOS’ ROCKET COMPANY LAUNCHES EXPERIMENTS IN FIRST FLIGHT SINCE 2022 CRASH

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer Jeff Bezos’ space company successfully launched a rocket carrying experiments on Tuesday, its first flight since engine trouble caused a crash more than a year ago.

The New Shepard rocket soared from West Texas, lifting a capsule full of tests, many of which were aboard the failed Blue Origin launch in September 2022. No one was aboard that flight or this latest one.

This time, the capsule made it to the fringes of space, exposing the experiments from NASA and others to a few minutes of weightlessness, before parachuting back down to the desert.

The rocket landed first, after releasing the capsule. It reached an altitude of 66 miles (107 kilometres) during the 10-minute flight.

During last year’s failed launch, the rocket started to veer off course shortly after liftoff, prompting the escape system to kick in and catapult the capsule off the top. The capsule landed safely, but the rocket came crashing down.

The problem was traced to an overheated rocket engine nozzle that broke apart.

Design changes were made to the nozzles and combustion chambers.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Former Haitian senator sentenced to life in prison for assassination of Haiti’s president MIAMI Associated Press A FEDERAL judge in Miami on Tuesday sentenced a former Haitian senator to life in prison for conspiring to kill Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.

John Joel Joseph is the third of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami to be sentenced in what US prosecutors have described as a plot hatched in both Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill Moïse, who was 53 when he was slain at his private home near the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince on July 7, 2021.

Joseph, a well-known politician and opponent of the slain president’s Tet Kale party, was extradited from Jamaica in June to face charges of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

A PERSON holds a photo of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise during his memorial ceremony at the National Pantheon Museum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 20, 2021. A federal judge in Miami on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, sentenced a former Haitian senator John Joel Joseph to life in prison for conspiring to kill Haiti’s President Moïse in 2021, which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.

Photo: Matias Delacroix/AP The sentencing came two months after Joseph signed a plea agreement with the government hoping to get a reduction in his sentence. In exchange, he promised he would cooperate with the investigation.

Sometimes US attorneys

recommend judges reduce a sentence if they determine that the convicted person collaborates with their investigation. The reduction could come months or years after the sentencing.

Federal Judge José E. Martínez handed down

the maximum sentence at a hearing in Miami that lasted about 30 minutes.

At the hearing, Joseph asked for mercy and said that he never planned to kill the Haitian president. Wearing a prisoner’s beige shirt and pants, he

was handcuffed and had shackles on his ankles as he listened to the judge’s ruling seated next to his attorney.

“It turned out that the plan got overwhelmed, out of hand,” Joseph said in creole. The plan changed to kill the president “but it was never my intention,” he added.

The judge said that he would consider a reduction of the sentencing if the government asked for it, but after listing to the former Haitian senator, Martínez ordered him to life imprisonment.

“Whether you attempted or not the assassination, you enter into dangerous territory,” Martínez said.

The other two people who have been sentenced in the case are Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and retired Colombian army officer Germán Alejandro Rivera García.

Both were sentenced to life in prison. Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen and former confidential informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, pleaded guilty this month and is awaiting his sentencing in February 2024.

Seven more defendants are awaiting trial next year in South Florida.

According to the charges, Joseph, Jaar, Rivera, Vincent and others, including several dual Haitian-American citizens, participated in a plot to kidnap or kill Haiti’s president. Among the participants were about 20 former Colombian soldiers.

Joseph was arrested in Jamaica in January, and in March he agreed to be extradited to the US The Haitian government also arrested more than 40 people for their alleged roles in the murder.

Since Moïse’s assassination, Haiti has seen a surge of gang violence that led the prime minister to request the deployment of an armed force. The UN Security Council voted in early October to send a multinational force led by Kenya to help fight the gangs.

Kenyan officials told the AP that the first group of about 300 officers is expected to be deployed by February, with authorities still awaiting the verdict in a case that seeks to block the deployment. A decision is expected in January.

A volcAno erupts in icelAnd And spews mAgmA in A spectAculAr show of eArth’s power GRINDAVIK Associated Press A VOLCANO has erupted in southwestern Iceland, sending a flash of light into the evening sky and spewing semi-molten rock into the air in a spectacular show of the Earth’s power in the land known for fire and ice.

The eruption Monday night appears to have occurred about four kilometers (2½ miles) from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The town near Iceland’s main airport was evacuated in November after strong seismic activity damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption.

Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.

But the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, wasn’t expected to release large amounts of ash into the air. Iceland’s foreign minister, Bjarne Benediktsson, tweeted that there were no disruptions of flights to and from the country, and international flight corridors remained open.

Icelandic broadcaster RUV showed a live feed of

the eruption on its website.

Christmas carols played in the background.

By early Tuesday afternoon, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that the size of the volcanic eruption at Sundhnuksgígar “continues to diminish.’’ It said the lava flow was estimated to be a quarter of what it was at the time of the eruption. Lava “fountains,’’ which reached as high as 30 meters (yards) have also been falling.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir told RUV that for now, the lava was not endangering critical infrastructure near the volcano. Although the lava flow was moving in a promising direction, precautions were nevertheless being taken near the Svartsengi power plant.

“We also know that the flow of lava can change the surrounding landscape, so this can change with short notice,’’ Jakobsdottir said.

The November evacuation of Grindavik meant few people were near the site of eruption when it occurred, and authorities have warned others to stay away. The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — also closed temporarily last month as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation on alert for a possible volcanic eruption.

Nonetheless, the residents of the evacuated fishing community of 3,400 had mixed emotions as they watched orange flames touch the dark sky.

SCIENTIST of the University of Iceland take measurements and samples standing on the ridge in front of the active part of the eruptive fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula yessterday.

Photo: Marco Di Marco/AP One month after the evacuation, many are still living in temporary accommodations and don’t expect to ever be able to return to live in their homes.

“The town involved might end up under the lava,” said Ael Kermarec, a French tour guide living in Iceland. “It’s amazing to see but, there’s kind of a bittersweet feeling at the moment.”

Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a scientist who flew over the site

on Tuesday morning on a coast guard research flight, told RUV that he estimates twice as much lava had already spewed than did during the entire monthlong eruption on the peninsula over the summer.

Gudmundsson said the eruption was expected to continue decreasing in intensity, but that scientists have no idea how long it could last.

“It can be over in a week, or it could take quite

a bit longer,” he said.

Matthew Watson, a professor of volcanoes and climate at the University of Bristol, said that tourists should strictly follow travel advice because hazards such as new eruptions can quickly put people in harm’s way.

“As is common with this eruptive style, it began with a sustained eruption of ballistics that, over time, has lengthened to form a fire curtain — a long fissure out of which lava is being

violently ejected,” he said.

“This style of eruption is amongst the most spectacular ever seen, and there will be a strong pull for tourists, even though the Blue Lagoon complex has again shut.”

The spectacular natural phenomenon is already proving hard for people to resist.

“It’s just something from a movie!” said Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the United States.

AT LEAST 100 ELEPHANTS DIE IN DROUGHT-STRICKEN ZIMBABWE PARK, A GRIM SIGN OF EL NINO, CLIMATE CHANGE ZIMBABWE Associated Press AT LEAST 100 elephants have died in Zimbabwe’s largest national park in recent weeks because of drought, their carcasses a grisly sign of what wildlife authorities and conservation groups say is the impact of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Authorities warn that more could die as forecasts suggest a scarcity of rains and rising heat in parts of the southern African nation including Hwange National Park. The International Fund for Animal Welfare has described it as a crisis for elephants and other animals.

“El Nino is making an already dire situation worse,” said Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

AN ELEPHANT lies dead metres from a watering hole in Hwange National Park, December. 5, 2023. At least 100 elephants have died in Zimbabwe’s largest national park in recent weeks because of drought.

Photo: Privilege Musvanhiri/IFAW/AP El Nino is a natural and recurring weather phenomenon that warms parts of the Pacific, affecting weather patterns around the world.

While this year’s El Nino brought deadly floods to East Africa recently, it is expected to cause below-average rainfall across southern Africa.

That has already been felt in Zimbabwe, where the rainy season began weeks later than usual. While some rain has now fallen, the forecasts are generally for a dry, hot summer ahead.

Studies indicate that climate change may be making El Ninos stronger, leading to

more extreme consequences.

Authorities fear a repeat of 2019, when more than 200 elephants in Hwange died in a severe drought.

“This phenomenon is recurring,” said Phillip Kuvawoga, a landscape program director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which raised the alarm for Hwange’s elephants in a report this month.

Parks agency spokesperson Farawo posted a video on social media site X, formerly Twitter, showing a young elephant struggling for its life after becoming stuck in mud in a water hole that had partly dried up in Hwange.

“The most affected elephants are the young, elderly and sick that can’t travel long distances to find water,” Farawo said. He said an average-sized elephant needs a daily water intake of about

200 liters (52 gallons) .

Park rangers remove the tusks from dead elephants where they can for safekeeping and so the carcasses don’t attract poachers.

Hwange is home to around 45,000 elephants along with more than 100 other mammal species and 400 bird species.

Zimbabwe’s rainy season once started reliably in October and ran through to March. It has become erratic in recent years and conservationists have noticed longer, more severe dry spells.

“Our region will have significantly less rainfall, so the dry spell could return soon because of El Nino,” said Trevor Lane, director of The Bhejane Trust, a conservation group which assists Zimbabwe’s parks agency.

He said his organization has been pumping 1.5 million liters of water into

Hwange’s waterholes daily from over 50 boreholes it manages in partnership with the parks agency. The 14,500-square-kilometer (5,600-square-mile) park, which doesn’t have a major river flowing through it, has just over 100 solar-powered boreholes that pump water for the animals.

Saving elephants is not just for the animals’ sake, conservationists say. They are a key ally in fighting climate change through the ecosystem by dispersing vegetation over long distances through dung that contains plant seeds, enabling forests to spread, regenerate and flourish. Trees suck planetwarming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

“They perform a far bigger role than humans in reforestation,” Lane said. “That is one of the reasons we fight to keep elephants alive.”

SPORTS PAGE 11

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2023

Morant, Page 14

GIORGIO BALDACCI OPEN TENNIS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Top players clash in semifinals today

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

SYDNEY Clarke

TAKAII Adderley

SIMONE Pratt

ELANA Mackey

DENALI Nottage

RODNEY Carey Jr

MICHAEL Major Jr

BAKER Newman

“My match today went well. It was almost perfection, I had some moments where I was in and out and made a few errors but my opponent played well, she never eased up and kept pushing me. For me it is always more mental than physical so I am just hoping to carry over the same energy from today into tomorrow so that I can hopefully be in the finals as well,” she said.

Her upcoming opponent shut down Afrika Smith in straight sets 6-1, 6-2.

Adderley, who emerged as a double crown victor at the AID Junior National Tennis Championships, is locked in ahead of today’s tough match.

“Sydney is a great player so I know it is going to be a tough match. I just

want to go in and play my A-game,” she said.

Although she was not entirely impressed with her efforts against Smith, the former Gainesville Sun girls’ tennis player of the year was happy to close out her opponent to advance to the next round.

Nottage remains poised on his quest to the Giorgio Baldacci finals once again.

The defending champion will have his work cut out against the third ranked Carey Jr. The latter bested Cailan Bowe 6-0, 6-0 in straight sets to emerge one step closer to the final stage.

Nottage accomplished a similar victory, defeating Alec Hooper 6-0, 6-0.

“Today was a day that I am proud of because of how the draw was set

up. I had to stay mentally focused, some might say the match was boring but I worked on staying consistent and taking it point by point.”

With Carey Jr hoping to avenge his loss against Nottage in last year’s semifinals round of the Giorgio Baldacci Tennis Nationals, the latter will have to bring his A-game from the start.

“I am going to try my best to jump on him early.

He has a lot of experience.

I know it is not going to be a walk in the park. I am just ready to come out and battle tomorrow,” he said.

Mackey, the second seed and last year’s national champion, will go head to head against the third seeded Pratt. She knocked off Clarke’s younger sister, Sarai Clarke, 6-1, 6-1 on

Tuesday. Meanwhile, Pratt packed her bags for the semifinals after a 6-1, 6-2 effort against Freeport native Jalisa Clarke.

“I am pretty happy and excited for my match tomorrow and I am looking forward to being in the finals as well. I am just going to go for my shots, play confident, not get frustrated if my opponent wins one or two games or makes a few shots. I just have to stick with my gameplan,” the women’s defending champion said.

Major Jr, who recently showcased his skills at the Baha Mar Cup, downed top junior Carroll 7-6(5), 6-1. The Howard University student will now prepare for Baker

THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) will get an early start to the track and field season beginning with the Odd Distance Meet scheduled for Friday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

The one-day event will attract over 300 athletes from the various track clubs, including some collegiate athletes returning home for the Christmas break.

The unorthodox meet will serve as a measuring stick for coaches to determine the fitness of their respective athletes, according to meet director Demarius Cash.

“I think it will be a good meet because it is gonna show where athletes are in the season in terms of their fitness because they are running in non-conventional events like the 60 metres, 150 metres and 300m.

“It is almost like a timed trial but they have competition against other clubs,” Cash said.

The non-traditional meet was initially scheduled for last Saturday but will now begin on Friday at 1pm.

Athletes will compete from the under-7 to open division.

Track events include the 60m and 150m sprints for all divisions, the 300m (under-15,17, 20 and open) and the 600m in all divisions excluding the under-7, under-9, and under-11 boys and girls.

The 1000m event features all divisions except the under-7, under-9, under-11, and under-13 boys and girls.

The 60m hurdles will see competitors from the under-17 boys and girls divisions and higher and so will the 300m hurdles.

The field events at the meet are the long, triple, and high jump along with the shot put and discus events.

SEE PAGE 13

SEE PAGE 13

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A

thletes turned in top performances to make a smooth transition into today’s semifinals at the Giorgio Baldacci Open Tennis National Championships. In yesterday’s quarterfinals round, the top seeds validated their rank by dropping their opponents.

The semifinals are all set for the women’s singles matches with Sydney Clarke scheduled to face Takaii Adderley and Simone Pratt versus the defending champion Elana Mackey.

The men’s singles matchups will feature reigning national champion Denali Nottage against Rodney Carey Jr and Michael Major Jr on the court opposite Baker Newman today.

Yesterday’s opening matchups saw the top seeded players coast to the semifinals round starting with the women’s singles quarterfinals.

Clarke, first ranked in the women’s singles, remained in top form yesterday at the National Tennis Centre (NTC).

She dominated Breann Fergsuon in consecutive sets, earning identical scores of 6-0 in the overall match. After a relatively comfortable victory, Clarke has high hopes ahead of today’s semifinals against Adderley.

“I have high hopes. I am hoping to get the win and to be able to reclaim the title as national champion but I am taking it one match at a time. It will be my first time playing Takaii so I am really excited to see the game plan that I come up with and how I execute it tomorrow,” she said.

The 22-year-old described her match against Ferguson as an almost perfect game on her end.

BAAA ODD DISTANCE MEET ALL SET FOR FRIDAY

SPORTS CALENDAR BAAA Odd Distance Track and Field Meet Date: Friday, December 22 Venue: The original Thomas A Robinson Stadium The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) is set to host their first track and field meet of the season on Friday from 1-6pm at the aforementioned venue. The event will feature divisions, including under-7, under-9, under-11, under-13, under-15, under-17, under-20, and open.

BASKETBALL HENFIELD WINTER BASKETBALL CAMP THE Marvin Henfield Winter Basketball four-day training camp is scheduled to continue through Thursday with three different sessions being held daily.

Participants from ages 6-10 will be trained from 9am to noon, 11-15 from

Dec 2023

1-4pm and 16-years and older from 4:15-7:15pm.

Returning players will be charged $100 or $35 per day, while new players will be charged $150 or $50 per day.

Interested persons can register online at www.marvinhenfield.com or WhatsApp 242-828-2353 or 242-424-2353 for more information.

Henfield, however, noted that the Saturday Basketball and After-School Basketball is now closed for 2023.

MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH FAMILY FUN WALK THE Men’s Department of Macedonia Baptist Church is scheduled to hold a Family Fun Walk Race to kick off the new year and the beginning of its Men’s Anniversary at 6am on Saturday, January 6. The event will honour the late Minister Charles Albury, who passed away this year.

NPVA RECAP: PANTHERS ON A ROLL TO CLOSE OUT THE YEAR

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net THE Caribbean Gas Panthers closed out the year with an unblemished record in the New Providence Volleyball Association (NPVA) standings after defeating the Set-sy Poppers at the DW Davis Gymnasium last week Friday.

The Panthers added yet another victory to their win column to improve to an 8-0 win/loss record in the first half of the 202324 season. Meanwhile, the Poppers will move into the new year sporting an 0-7 record to remain winless in the night league.

The defending champions brought down the Poppers in four sets on Friday night. The Poppers showed some signs of life when they claimed the victory in set one 25-22.

However, the Panthers rebounded nicely in the second set, dominating their opponents 25-14. In the following set, the end result remained unchanged for the former title holders with them reeling off a 25-12 win in set three.

The final set (25-15) was no different as the Panthers nabbed three consecutives sets to seal their final win of 2023. On the season, the team has only dropped five sets in eight matches played.

The Panthers totalled 97 points compared to 66 points earned by the Poppers.

In game one of Friday’s double header, the Lady Spikers defeated the Lady Techs in comfortable fashion, taking three sets in a row. The former went basically uncontested as they dropped the Lady Techs 25-13, 25-20 and 25-13.The Lady Spikers ended the

one hour and seven minute contest with 75 cumulative points compared to 46 turned in by the Lady Techs.

The victors head into the new year with a 7-2 record.

Their only losses were handed out by the Panthers this year. Meanwhile, the Lady Techs fell to 1-7 in the NPVA standings.

The Panthers won the championship hardware for the women in 2019 and 2022.

For the men’s division, the Tour Daddy Defenders, the NPVA defending champions, have a league’s best 6-2 record. The Warhawks are one game behind with 5-2. The Technicians hold the next spot at 3-5 and the National Fence Intruders are 2-7 in nine games played.

The NPVA Night League games will resume in the new year following a hot start to the season.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Eagles in a world of hurt and uncertainty following three-game losing streak

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts might have the answer why the oncemighty Eagles have slid from 10-1 and the top of the NFC to 10-4 and fighting for a division title amid a three-game losing streak.

A streak in which they failed to score more than 19 points. A streak that forced coach Nick Sirianni to change the defensive coaching staff. A streak that all but knocked the Eagles out of a shot at earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye.

“I don’t think we were committed enough,” Hurts said.

Hurts — who played through an illness Monday night — tried to take responsibility by saying that getting the Eagles on the right page starts with him. That opportunities are always there for him to make plays. But it’s clear following their loss in Seattle that the Eagles need more than Hurts returning to his Pro Bowl level for the team to make a second straight Super Bowl.

“We have to make an internal change in how we attack things, how we come to work every day,” Hurts said. “Starts with the little things, how committed we are to what we’re doing, and that all starts with me the quarterback.

So it’s a challenge that I’m embracing.”

Sirianni knows about internal changes after he stripped Sean Desai of his defensive play-caller duties and turned them over to former Detroit Lions coach

Matt Patricia. Sirianni said he made his decision ahead of the Seattle game because the defence wasn’t playing up to standards after it had allowed 109 points over the previous three games.

The Eagles gave up just 20 points against the Seahawks — but surrendered a 92-yard drive on the winning touchdown.

Patricia now has the final call on the defence.

“I know that’s not something that is common of a 10-3 team,” Sirianni said. “But just thought the adjustment needed to be made to give the defence a spark and help our players play better.”

Was this a panic move made purely to put the Eagles on notice that most everyone is replaceable? Was it the right call at the right time? Or was it change for the sake of change and no better results will come from it?

The final answer won’t be known until the end of the season. But the work begins with a three-game stretch that includes two games against the New York Giants (5-9) and one against the Arizona Cardinals (3-11). Win them all, and the Eagles are the NFC East champs. Lose, and more changes could be ahead.

“We know we clinched playoffs this week. We’re not really looking at that,” Sirianni said. “We know what we want to do. We want to win this division, but that’s the last time you’ll hear me say that.”

WHAT’S WORKING D’Andre Swift had 74 yards rushing for the Eagles and Sydney Brown and Kelee Ringo gave

By DENNIS WASZAK JR AP Pro Football Writer

PHILADELPHIA Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts walks to the field before the start of the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night in Seattle.

(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) admirable efforts filling in for the injured Darius Slay. But when a team is on a three-game slide, that often means little is working well.

Sirianni’s shuffle on defensive play-calling didn’t provide any instant relief. The pass rush was absent on Seattle’s winning drive — 92 yards against an ineffective defensive line.

WHAT NEEDS HELP Scan every part of the game and the Eagles are playing more like a team headed toward the NFL draft lottery than one that can still win the NFC East.

Hurts threw two pivotal interceptions in the fourth quarter.

STOCK UP Low bar in this one, but the game ball goes to punter Braden Mann. His 42-yard punt late in the

game was downed at the 8-yard line and he averaged 49.6 yards on five punts, with no touchbacks.

STOCK DOWN James Bradberry. The cornerback’s slide into a liability this season was never more in focus than the game-winning drive when Drew Lock simply picked him apart.

He was flagged for pass interference on a fourthdown play in the third quarter and gave up the 29-yard winning score to receiver Jaxon SmithNjigba on a corner route.

DK Metcalf caught three passes on Bradberry on the drive.

Overall, Bradberry gave up six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown on the six times he was targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. Bradberry hasn’t

been the same since the Super Bowl, when he was flagged late for defensive holding in the 38-35 loss to the Chiefs.

INJURIES The Eagles need a clean bill of health for Hurts on Christmas.

KEY NUMBER 5 — Jalen Carter got his fifth sack of the season, becoming the first Eagles rookie since Derek Barnett (2017) to total five-plus sacks as a rookie.

Fletcher Cox also had his fifth sack of the season, marking his 70th career sack and second straight season of five or more sacks.

NEXT STEPS Break out “A Philly Special Christmas.” The Eagles are set for a December 25 home matchup against the Giants.

NFL players face pressure as never before, in the digital-age surge of betting and fantasy

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Alexander Mattison and the Minnesota Vikings had boarded the flight home after a tough loss earlier this season, when the fifthyear running back found dozens of hateful and racist messages directed toward him on social media.

Criticism for the fumble he lost or his lack of rushing yards in the game?

Fine. That comes with the job. But the trolling that night was so egregious that Mattison, after conferring with a trusted friend and fellow Black teammate, decided to push back and share some screen shots.

“Under my helmet, I am a human, a father, a son,” Mattison posted on Instagram in his lament and challenge to the 60-plus users to reflect on their words and the harm they can inflict. “This is sick.”

The intensity of NFL fandom that increased with the surge of fantasy football participation around the turn of the century has spiked further in the age of online betting.

“When you used to lose, you would hear about it because of a fan’s loyalty to the team. They want to win. Now you hear about it because they’re losing their money because of you,” Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff said.

The accessibility of social media has put players in position to feel that ferocity as never before, and that’s one reason why the league has a wellness programme

for these uniquely highprofile employees.

“We’ve come to a place in society, unfortunately, where we think it’s acceptable to dehumanise people.

I think that veil of anonymity online creates that culture or that belief that it’s OK to go after people with impunity, but I think that we have to consider the impact on athletes,” said Dr. Brownell Mack, the team clinician for the Vikings. “We see them in armour. They wear the helmets and the padding, and we think that they’re somehow invincible or don’t have feelings.”

The contrast between those ups and downs in public approval rating can be particularly jarring.

“I was a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

I’d like to think of myself as a pretty good dude. But I pushed my backup quarterback last year. That went viral,” Vikings left guard Dalton Risner, referring to a sideline confrontation during his time with the Denver Broncos.

“It was an all-out brawl, how I got made out to be as a guy. Woo, man. That’s a good example of how you’ve got to be able to ride the wave of this whole deal and keep even-keeled.”

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock learned this as a freshman at Missouri, when he eagerly soaked up the praise after a win in his first start and had his eyes opened to the opposite after a lopsided loss the following week.

“I was like, ‘Holy cow, this is a roller coaster of,

RODGERS’ RETURN WILL COME NEXT SEASON WITH JETS OUT OF PLAYOFF HUNT AND QB NOT 100% HEALTHY

VIKINGS’ Alexander Mattison (2) looks on during an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman) ‘You’re the best and you’re every game. People just the worst,’” Lock said. have to realise the human “Once I cleared through side of everything.” that first year I was like, Social media is the pro‘I’m done with it. I’ve got verbial double-edged to stay away.’” sword. That’s the easiest Mack and his colleagues way for players to show with other clubs regularly their human side to the counsel players through world. But that’s where the mental health challenges danger lurks too. that can quickly arise in “I’ve just got to underthis tension between the stand that I’m doing fame, fortune and privi- something that only a small lege of playing a game for percentage of people get a living and the scrutiny to do. It’s what comes with surrounding such short this game,” Dallas Cowcareers. boys safety Jayron Kearse Rookies across the NFL said. “Before I was here, each summer aren’t just this came with it. After I’m trying to memorise their gone, it’s going to be the playbooks. They attend a same thing that comes with required symposium and it.” receive skills training in The people on the other areas such as decision-mak- side of the screen are often ing and stress management. grappling with the same “We’re trying to put our realities. Matt Rigby manbest foot forward on the ages a high-maintenance field, but people are going fantasy keeper league with to mess up,” Vikings cor- friends and relatives, an nerback Akayleb Evans intense hobby he fits in said. “You’re not always behind raising a family, going to be at your best working as a data scientist

and coaching high school football in North Carolina.

“I’ve had Deebo Samuel on my team for six years.

He’s like my brother at this point,” Rigby said.

“So when he doesn’t perform well, and I know that I speak for other people in the league on this too, I think we spend far too much time trying to get into the personal life. There’s like a disappointment in the player simply because of the fantasy outlook.”

Rigby recalled a recent season when another participant was down on San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle because his receiving production had waned even though the offence was thriving.

“I’m sitting there thinking, ‘I love watching Kittle right now, because he’s contributing to the game.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s got a stat line to show for it, but what is football at some point?”

Rigby said. “Is it just fantasy football? Or are we watching the game as the game?”

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chris Moore has struggled with the push and pull of social media, whether to stay on or get off, as he’s progressed through his career.

“My biggest thing is if I could just tell fans directly, ‘We’re people like you. I have a wife and a daughter, another one on the way. I go home to them,” Moore said.

“I just want to provide for them, see them, and this is just an avenue for me to do that.’”

AARON Rodgers’ quest to make an improbable return this season for the New York Jets appears over.

The 40-year-old quarterback said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” yesterday he’s not yet 100% healthy in his recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon and is still a few weeks away.

“I’m not going to slow my rehab down,” Rodgers said.

“I’m going to keep attacking it every single day. But now without a timetable to come back, obviously we can be as smart as we need to be.”

Rodgers said if the Jets had won last Sunday at Miami and remained in the postseason hunt, he “would have pushed it as far as I could this week” even at less than fully healthy to be ready to play against Washington on Sunday. But the Jets were routed 30-0 and eliminated from the playoff hunt for the 13th straight year.

“If I was 100% today, I’d be definitely pushing to play,” Rodgers said. “But the fact is I’m not.”

Rodgers never firmly said he won’t play this season, but strongly indicated that is the case.

“I think the whole time it’s been, you know, hoping that we’re still in it because it was unrealistic to think that I would be 100% to be medically cleared at any point during the regular season,” Rodgers said. “I do feel like in the next three to four weeks, it would be very possible to get to 100%, but obviously not there.

“And so the conversation was away from 100% medical clearance to a willingness to play. And that’s never been a problem for me.”

The Jets opened the 21-day practice window for Rodgers on November 29 and have until Wednesday to activate him from the injured reserve list. That still remains a possibility, but he would then take a spot on the active 53-man roster. Otherwise, the quarterback will revert to IR for the rest of the season.

Rodgers still needs to be medically cleared to fully practice — something that seemed to be a possibility.

He has been participating in individual and 7-on-7 drills while also taking snaps from under centre and jogging, but hasn’t yet done 11-on-11 team drills.

Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon just four snaps into his debut with the Jets on September 11, moments after he jogged onto the field while carrying an American flag in front of a jam-packed MetLife Stadium. “That won’t be the lasting image that you see of me in a Jets uniform,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot more amazing things to come.”

Rodgers added he doesn’t think next season will be his last in the NFL, saying he always wanted to play at least two years for the Jets and this season was “kind of a lost year.”

He said he has full faith in general manager Joe Douglas, coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and the team needs to “reload” and not “rebuild” during the offseason.

“I think the future is very bright,” Rodgers said. “We’re going to rise again and it’s going to be exciting.”

TO ADVERTISE TODAY IN THE TRIBUNE CALL @ 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 20, 2023, PAGE 13

PAUL RBA Boxing Hall of Fame JAKE WILL TRAIN WITH USA Christmas luncheon at BOXING FIGHTERS Bruno’s, Arawak Cay

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

THE RBA Boxing Hall of Fame Christmas luncheon took place at Bruno’s on Arawak Cay Sunday, December 17. Wellington Miller, former president of the Amateur Boxing Federation, was the guest speaker. In attendance was Stevie Knowles, Slick Brown, former Olympian Nat Knowles, Bahamas Boxing Federation president Vincent Moss, David Rahming and founder of RBA Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum Pat Strachan.

TOP PLAYERS CLASH TODAY IN SEMIFINALS OF GIORGIO BALDACCI OPEN TENNIS NATIONALS FROM PAGE 11 Newman, who advanced following a gruelling threeset thriller against Donte Armbrister which ended 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3.

After narrowly edging out Carroll in the opening set, Major Jr said he found a rhythm which gave him an advantage the rest of the way.

“It was a good match. I knew he was going to be a good opponent, he beat me in three sets the last time.

At the beginning I started off a bit shaky. I didn’t really have a feel of the ball but as the match progressed I felt like I was getting in my rhythm. I knew after I won the first set I had a rhythm

and it would be easier in the second set,” he said.

He added that playing at his own pace and remaining calm helped him to succeed in the matchup.

Major Jr, who is in his second appearance at the tennis nationals, is ready to battle in his first semifinals at the event.

“It is a good feeling. I played in the tournament twice, I am 17 now and played in it when I was 15/16 which was not the best but I feel like now I am ready. My mindset for tomorrow is just to go out there and play the tennis I know how to play and never underestimate my opponent,” he said.

Matchups begin 9:30am at the NTC.

ON TO THE NEXT: Tennis players advanced to the semifinals at the Giorgio Baldacci Open National Tennis Championships at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) yesterday.

Photo: Tenajh Sweeting/Tribune Staff

BAAA ODD DISTANCE MEET ALL SET FOR FRIDAY AT ORIGINAL THOMAS A ROBINSON STADIUM FROM PAGE 11 Cash believes those in attendance can expect some field athletes to qualify for the 2024 CARIFTA Games in Grenada.

“In the field events we should get some qualifiers for CARIFTA. Athletes qualifying early for CARIFTA would be great because it will give them more time to stay in their camp and train if they get it out the way,” the meet director said.

The event is slated to run until 6pm at the previously mentioned venue.

Individuals interested in attending can purchase tickets at a cost of $10 for adults, $12 for the VIP section and $5 for school students.

THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) will get an early start to the track and field season beginning with the Odd Distance Meet scheduled for Friday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium. The one-day event will attract over 300 athletes from the various track clubs, including some collegiate athletes returning home for the Christmas break.

(FILE photo)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jake Paul is teaming up with USA Boxing to put a spotlight on the nation’s top competitors at the Paris Olympics.

Paul has announced the partnership with the amateur sport’s U.S. governing body.

The YouTube star and professional boxer will train with Olympic qualifiers and other fighters at USA Boxing’s home base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, next year, and he will amplify their stardom on his social media channels while advising them on how to build their own followings.

Paul also plans to accompany the U.S. team to the Olympics in July.

“My commitment to boxing is much more than my in-ring accomplishments,” Paul wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I am determined to make my impact outside the ring bigger than anything I do within it. I believe the United States has the best boxers. Let’s put it to the test. Anyone who works hard enough to fight for their country in the most iconic contest has my support.”

The U.S. is the most successful Olympic boxing nation, leading the overall tables with 50 golds and 117 total medals since the sport was introduced in 1904. The current U.S. team is coached by Billy Walsh, who has rebuilt the group into world contenders after a lengthy 21st-century dry spell.

USA Boxing was beset with leadership challenges, poor coaching and the loss of many top medal prospects to the pro sport during its dry spell, but the U.S. team at the Tokyo Games in 2021 won three silver medals and a bronze in the nation’s biggest medal haul since 2000. Claressa Shields remains the only American gold medallist since 2004, however.

Paul’s exposure could be a compelling asset for USA Boxing as it attempts to persuade fighters to compete for their country. Although professional boxers are now allowed to compete in the Olympics, some young fighters jump completely into the pro game instead of enduring the qualifying events and long waits between Olympic cycles.

Joshua Edwards and Morelle McCane, two fighters who already have qualified for Paris, walked out with Paul last week for his fight against Andre August in Orlando, Florida.

“Jake’s mentorship will be a vital resource to the young athletes on Team USA to ensure they capitalise on building brand IP as they get the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in the world at the most iconic contest in history — the Olympics,” said Mike McAtee, USA Boxing’s executive director.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Morant’s 34 points in stirring season debut lead Grizzlies to 115-113 win over Pelicans

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant capped a stirring, 34-point season debut with a spinning dribble in the lane to set up a gamewinning floater as time expired in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 115-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans last night.

The Grizzlies, who entered on a five-game skid and were 6-19 during Morant’s 25-game suspension for his social media antics with guns, trailed by 24 in the first half but took a 113-111 lead on Morant’s inside basket with 1:22 to go.

The Pelicans tied it and the teams exchanged missed 3-pointers before Morant’s winner.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points and Desmond Bane had 21 for Memphis, which also snapped the Pelicans’ four-game winning streak.

Brandon Ingram scored 34 points for New Orleans, but Zion Williamson’s time on the court was limited by foul trouble and he finished with just 13 points.

Morant was booed heartily by partisan Pelicans fans during pregame introductions and also when he handled the ball on the opening possession.

Those boos died down as the game wore on, and a section of visiting fans near the Memphis bench made themselves heard as Morant explosively scored eight points — twice hitting difficult driving shots as he was fouled — in a span of 1:20 early in the third quarter.

The spectators on hand for Morant’s comeback included LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels, who sat next to Tigers star receiver Malik Nabers in the front row near New Orleans’ bench.

Although Morant looked winded at times and didn’t hit many jumpers, his ability to drive into the paint — and finish — looked undiminished.

His repertoire included crossover dribbles to set up high floaters in the lane, finger rolls, and double-pump bank shots while hanging in the air.

Memphis got back into

MEMPHIS Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) drive to the lane against Pelicans centre Jonas Valanciunas in the first half last night.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) the game with an 11-0 run that began late in the first half and continued into the third quarter to make it 60-47. Soon after, Morant

made a floater off the glass while being fouled by Herb Jones, and followed that up by converting a spinning dribble in the lane into a

layup as he was fouled, cutting it to 69-62.

The game was competitive from there on, with Morant continuing to find ways to prevent New Orleans from relaxing.

Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 14 rebounds for New Orleans.

CJ McCollum added 18 points on six 3s. New Orleans went on a 28-2 run during which McCollum made four 3s and Ingram drove the lane for a soaring right-handed dunk.

Ingram closed out the spurt with two free throws that made it 53-31. New Orleans led 60-41 at halftime after Memphis’ Vince Williams beat the horn with a corner 3.

Although they play in the same division, it was just the seventh time Morant and Williamson — the top two NBA draft choices in 2019 — had appeared in the same game, mostly because of Williamson’s health issues.

UP NEXT Grizzlies: Host Indiana on Thursday night.

Pelicans: Visit Cleveland on Thursday night.

LILLARD JOINS 20,000-POINT CLUB, GIANNIS HAS TRIPLE-DOUBLE AS BUCKS DEFEAT SPURS 132-119

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard scored a season-high 40 points to push his career total over 20,000, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double and the Milwaukee Bucks trounced San Antonio 132-119 last night as the Spurs played without Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama sat out the game with a sore right ankle. This was only the second game the 7-foot-3 rookie has missed.

“I don’t think we’re expecting it to be longterm or anything,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game.

Antetokounmpo had a career-high 16 assists, 14 rebounds and a seasonlow 11 points for his 37th career triple-double, and

second this season. His other triple-double came in a 132-121 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 2.

Lillard increased his career point total to 20,034 and became the 51st person in NBA history — and eighth active player — to reach 20,000 points. Lillard, who was playing his 794th career game, became the 17th-fastest player to reach that milestone.

The other active players with at least 20,000 points are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Chris Paul.

Milwaukee has gone 5-0 during this season-long, six-game homestand that concludes Thursday against the Orlando Magic. The Bucks have won their last 14 games at Fiserv Forum for their longest home winning streak since reeling

SPURS’ Malaki Branham tries to get past Bucks’ Damian Lillard during the first half last night in Milwaukee.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash) off 20 straight victories in Milwaukee from April 19, 1990, to Jan. 8, 1991.

Bobby Portis added 23 points and 10 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 17 points and Brook Lopez had 14 points and six blocks for the Bucks.

Keldon Johnson had 28

points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, while Zach Collins added 22 points and Devin Vassell had 17.

The Spurs have lost 20 of their last 21 games.

Lillard entered the night with 19,994 points and reached 20,000 by making a layup less than four

minutes into the game.

Lillard ended up scoring 19 points in the opening period. After a basket from Collins opened the scoring, the Bucks pulled ahead for good by going on a 21-1 run that ended midway through the first quarter.

San Antonio trailed by 22 early in the second quarter but clawed back and got the margin to single digits when Johnson’s putback made it 74-66 with 10:37 left in the third. The Bucks outscored San Antonio 15-6 over the next 3 ½ minutes and weren’t threatened again.

Portis and San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan each received technical fouls after getting tangled up early in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT Spurs: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

Bucks: Host the Magic on Thursday.

LONG LOSING STREAKS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR NBA PLAYERS. IT CAN BE PART OF THEIR PRO INDOCTRINATION

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer VICTOR Wembanyama has adjusted to many things — food, culture, double teams — since the top pick’s arrival with the San Antonio Spurs.

There’s just no getting accustomed to all the losing.

Pick an NBA player’s name, any name, and they’re not hard-wired for skids. Players like Wembanyama have typically always been on winning teams before coming to the league, not ones that stack up defeats at historic rates.

For Wembanyama, along with youngsters like Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson in Detroit and Bilal Coulibaly of Washington, losing has become part of their NBA education.

Misery does love company, and the Pistons, who lost their 24th straight game Monday night, have some in the Spurs and Wizards.

Despite the presence of Wembanyama, the Spurs have dropped 19 of 20, while the Wizards are in the midst of losing 17 of 19.

“Sometimes, you’ll be in a game and maybe think about the losing streak and causes you to do a little extra or just do something you wouldn’t normally do,” Thompson recently said.

“Panic a little bit.”

Thompson’s certainly not used to this. He won a state title in high school, along with two titles with Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league based in Atlanta that’s opening another door to the pros for talented young players.

Now, he’s trying to help a struggling Pistons team. The record for the longest losing streak within a single season is shared by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers, who both dropped 26 consecutive games. The 76ers also had a 28-game losing streak that started in the 2014-15 season and carried over to 2015-16.

“It’s just a miserable existence,” said NBA on TNT analyst analyst Greg Anthony, who was a member of the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies team that dropped 23 straight contests.

“Your food doesn’t taste as good. You don’t sleep as well. There’s a lot of stress and anxiety. It wears on you, because everybody in your world knows you’re going through it.

CHANGES WNBA to take its usual month- WNBA COMMISSIONER’S CUP FORMAT long break for the Olympics WITH EACH TEAM PLAYING

5 GAMES OVER 2-WEEK PERIOD

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA released its schedule on Monday with its usual month-long break for the Olympics.

There will be no regular season contests from July 18 to August 14 because of the Paris Games.

The league’s 28th season will begin on May 14 with eight teams in action, including two-time defending champion Las Vegas, which opens against Phoenix. The Aces and New York Liberty, who met in the WNBA Finals last season, will play three times, with the first meeting on June 15.

Teams will once again play 40 games with the regular season ending on September 19. All 12 teams play that day.

“We eagerly anticipate tipping off the 2024 season and building on the success of last season, our mostwatched in 21 years and a record-setter for social media engagement, digital consumption, All-Star merchandise sales and sports betting,” WNBA

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

OLYMPIC rings are set up at Trocadero plaza that overlooks the Eiffel Tower. The WNBA released its schedule on Monday, with its usual month-long break for the Olympics. There will be no regular season contests from July 18 to August 14 because of the Paris Games.

(AP Photo/Michel Euler) Commissioner Cathy to be played from June — Indiana and Los Engelbert said.

1-13. (See sidebar) Angeles have the top two “Free agency and the The championship game picks in the WNBA draft 2024 WNBA Draft are will be on June 25. Teams and will play three times, sure to create excitement, now will only play the including on May 24. and the new format to other five teams in their The WNBA will have the Commissioner’s Cup conference once instead of its All-Star Game on July will provide fans a great a home and home set.

20 in Phoenix, which will opportunity to see the best Other tidbits from the also serve as a sendoff for players in the world com- schedule: the United States Olympete for bragging rights — Seattle has a league- pic team. With a tighter and prize money early in record nine straight games schedule because of the the season.” at home from the end of Olympics, many teams The WNBA changed June to July 14. have back-to-back contests the format of its in-season The Storm played eight this year. The league paid tournament with all Com- straight games at home last for charter flights for those missioner’s Cup games set season. games last season.

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is changing its Commissioner’s Cup format, playing half as many games and contesting them all during a two-week period in early June.

Teams now will play only five games — once against every other team in the conference — which is down from the 10 in the first three years. The old format had teams playing one home game and one road game against each other that counted toward the Commissioner’s Cup. Now, some teams will play three games at home while others will play two. They will alternate each season who has the extra home game.

“The newly designed, concentrated structure for this in-season tournament adds an increased sense of urgency and excitement as we place a particular spotlight on Eastern and Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup play in a two-week window near the tip-off of our regular

season.” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.

Games will be played between June 1-13. The championship game will be played on June 25 at the home of the team with the best record in Cup play.

New York beat Las Vegas on its homecourt to win last season’s Commissioner’s Cup title.

In the old format, games were spread out over the first half of the season, making it more difficult to know which games were Commissioner’s Cup contests. The games still count toward a team’s overall won-loss record in the 40-game league schedule.

“The games will all be concentrated in a two-week period, which is a nice way for fans to follow it,” Engelbert said.

Teams will again compete for a $500,000 prize pool, with a charitable component for each game.

“We’ll give same amount if not a little more,” Engelbert said of the prize money.

“They’ll be the same pool of charitable donations.”

PAGE 16, Wednesday, December 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE