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The level of criminality in The Bahamas has gotten out of hand says former
2008-02-11 23:23:00
Case Backlog Frustrates Police: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas : Many police officers are frustrated by the inability of the powers that be to deal with the tremendous backlog of cases that exist, according to former Commissioner of Police B. K. Bonamy. Mr. Bonamy said as a result some police officers are losing the will to perform their jobs effectively. The former commissioner, who was a guest on the Love 97/JCN TV programme "Jones and Company" on Sunday, said the courts appear overwhelmed by the numbers of cases they have to deal with. "The police see that nothing is happening with that, so they turn a blind eye to things they are supposed to be dealing with," Mr. Bonamy said. "You put people before the courts and you don?t hear about them any longer, then they (the police) step back." Mr. Bonamy also said the level of criminality in The Bahamas has gotten out of hand. One reason for this state of affairs is that many police officers are not enforcing the laws as they re...
More About: Hand

Bahamas: Mourners Remember Former Playboy Playmate And Guess Model Anna Nic
2008-02-10 23:44:00
Howard Stern Remembers Anna Nicole - By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR: Nassau, Bahamas : Former Housing and Immigration Minister Shane Gibson and his wife, Jackie, were among scores of mourners that gathered yesterday at Lakeview Memorial Gardens on John F. Kennedy Drive, to mark the one year anniversary of the death of former U.S. reality t.v. star Anna Nicole Smith. Members of the U.S. media were kept behind barricades as Smith?s former attorney turned boyfriend Howard K. Stern recalled the memories he shared with the former Playboy Playmate . He said Anna Nicole should have lived to hear her daughter call her "momma," rather than the child only knowing her mother through photographs. He said if she had lived, Anna Nicole "would be bragging to everyone who would listen" about her baby girl. "She would make people listen about how beautiful and smart DannieLynn is, and she would be right," Mr. Stern said. "That?s how things should be and no matter what anybody tells me it doesn?t ...
More About: Model , Guess

Bahamas: Marijuana and Bahamian Youngsters
2008-02-09 23:39:00
Marijuana and Youngsters: By Macushla N. Pinder - Nassau, Bahamas : The use of illegal drugs among some school age students remain a serious concern for local police and drug abuse officials, who say while the average age for Bahamian youngsters to begin using narcotics is 14, children as young as nine have begun drug use. In fact, according to Drug Abuse Officer Gayle Hamilton, more juveniles were referred to the National Drug Council (NDC) in 2007 when compared to the previous year. "We saw close to 30 juveniles last year. And that was probably double the number in 2006," Mrs. Hamilton said in an interview with the Bahama Journal Friday. "We had a lot of them referred for in-patient treatment. There were also some of them who were caught with drugs, being disruptive, with guns, simply because of marijuana use." Commander of the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) Anthony Ferguson further revealed that the drug of choice remains marijuana. Crime statistics for 2007 indicate that po...
More About: Marijuana

Lenten Season's A Time For Reflection And Prayer
2008-02-07 22:25:00
Lent-A time for reflection and prayer: By KARAN MINNIS,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter, Nassau, Bahamas: We should all remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," says Father David Cooper, priest at St. Michael's Catholic Church, West End, Grand Bahama, as Catholics began the start of their Lenten season yesterday on Ash Wednesday. "On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: 'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return,'" explains Father Cooper. The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. Adding that the c...
More About: Time , Prayer , Reflection

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham Says Bahamians Could Help To Curb Th
2008-02-07 05:06:00
PM Tells Public Remove Demand For Illegal Labour: By Kendea Jones - Nassau, Bahamas : While noting that illegal immigration is a vexing problem in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said recently that Bahamians could help to curb the problem by not giving immigrants jobs. "What society can do for us is to not engage the service of immigrants. Remove the demand and that would help us considerably," he said. "They are here because there are jobs. If they didn’t have jobs they wouldn’t be here." Mr. Ingraham, who was speaking at a "Meet the Press" event on Sunday at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel, said the government is doing all it possibly can to address illegal immigration. "We are systemically apprehending and repatriating large numbers of illegal immigrants," he said. "We are also intercepting at sea and we are giving major focus to equipment [for] the Defence Force." The prime minister said he expects the government will spend "tens of millions of dollar...

Bahamas: No Decision On Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Proposals
2008-02-06 00:38:00
No Movement On LNG Proposals: By Kendea Jones - Nassau, Bahamas : Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham indicated Sunday that his government had not made any decisions on proposed liquefied natural gas [LNG] projects for The Bahamas. "I have had no discussions whatsoever with any of the LNG persons or projects or companies," he said during a ‘Meet the Press’ conference at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. "One of them has written a letter to my office. I am aware that they have had some contact with agencies of the government and I expect that the other one that hasn’t yet made contact will do so based on what I am told. "We will look at the situation and make some judgments, but it was not a matter when we came to office that we gave very high priority to." Three companies submitted their proposals under the former Ingraham administration, which had granted approvals in principle for the projects. The companies that submitted proposals included El Paso, AES Corporation and T...
More About: Natural Gas , Natural , Decision

Bahamas Government Is Committed To: "eventually" putting in place a system
2008-02-05 04:06:00
Gov’t Committed To NHI: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas : Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham assured on Sunday that his administration is committed to "eventually" putting in place a system of National Health Insurance, but he said there are many things that would have to be done to get to that stage and gave no timeline for its full introduction. "One day that will happen in The Bahamas," said Mr. Ingraham, when asked whether his government was committed to NHI. "Unfortunately for The Bahamas my predecessors in office marketed a programme to the public and used the words ‘national health’, everybody is going to be covered’, without doing adequate work to cause that to happen. They were not prepared to produce that." Prime Minister Ingraham spoke to reporters during his first "Meet the Press" event held at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel in downtown Nassau. He said his government will move in a phased manner as it regards NHI, beginning with a National Drug Plan to pro...
More About: Government , System , Putting , Place

Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham Announced That Development Concessi
2008-02-02 01:52:00
Gov’t To Provide Incentives For Businesses That Cater To Tourists: By Kendea Jones - Nassau, Bahamas : While pointing to the challenges facing the Bahamian tourism product and outlining his government’s plans to address the problems, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on Thursday announced that development concessions will become available to Bahamian owners of businesses that cater to tourists. The prime minister, who spoke at the launch of National Tourism Week at the Wyndham Nassau Resort, said developers of retail outlets, restaurants and entertainment facilities catering to tourists both within and outside of traditional hotels will benefit. "Such concessions might prove useful, for example, in convincing downtown merchants to better maintain their premises, to undertake periodic and regular maintenance and to upgrade their properties," Mr. Ingraham said. He reiterated that the leakage of tourism revenues expended on tourism-related imports of goods that can be produced in ...
More About: Development

Caribbean Nations Lobby For Extension Of The Caribbean Basin Initiative Act
2008-02-01 00:44:00
Caribbean Holds Pressure: By Tameka Lundy - Nassau, Bahamas: This week, Caribbean lobbyists were back on Capitol Hill in the United States telling an investigative panel how absolutely imperative it remains to have the Caribbean Basin Initiative acts extended to allow jurisdictions in this region continued trade preferences. They were giving testimony at a public hearing of the United States International Trade Commission, a move that was suggested by U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee as a means of properly identifying the ways that U.S. trade and aid policy can most help the Caribbean Basin. “The OAS would support the renewal and extension of the CBTPA in order to lock in the continued benefits to those countries presently reaping strategic economic and political benefits within the present construct,” said Secretary General José Miguel Insulza. He was one of several Caribbean officials who gave testimony before the panel and argued that en...
More About: Caribbean , Nations , Extension , The Caribbean

Bahamas: Daniel Wayne Smith - Late Son Of Former Playboy Playmate And Guess
2008-01-31 05:12:00
Inquest Resumes Into Death of Anna Nicole Smith ’s Son: By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR - Nassau, Bahamas : A Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard how pregnant U.S. reality T.V. star Anna Nicole Smith traveled with a satchel of prescription drugs – including methadone – a narcotic that two toxicologists’ reports indicated caused her son’s death in September 2006. South Carolina real estate developer, Ford Shelley, told the court that when he and his wife unpacked Ms. Smith’s belongings when she came for a visit in May 2006, he saw a pharmaceutically labeled bottle of methadone belonging to the former Playboy Playmate . He testified that she had the drug in both the tablet and liquid form and that Ms. Smith traveled with a Coach duffle bag filled with her “medication.” Methadone is used to wean heroine addicts from their addiction. It is also used as a pain killer. “I never saw Anna personally take any of the medication. She told us what she was taking. I was concerned ...
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Effective Child-rearing Tips
2008-01-29 00:01:00
Child-rearing tips that work: By Kermit B. Fernander, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: Raising children requires such vital and varied skills that parents and families need all the help and support they can get. Dr. Ruth Peters, a clinical psychologist and an expert on parenting, has come up with five parenting tips that work. She is not suggesting that parenting methods used in the past have been either right or wrong; but she is advising parents to think about and assess what has worked well with their child, and what has not. Don't major in the minors: In other words, don't sweat the small stuff. Don't knock yourself out over petty things that leave you so emotionally drained and exhausted, you are incapable of tackling the important issues. "If it won't have a lasting effect beyond a few days, let it go ... I've never heard of a kid being harmed by skipping the tooth brushing for a few nights, or by not using soap in the shower, or by the bed actu...
More About: Tips , Child , Effective

Prayer is key to cultivating and maintaining a strong relationship with God
2008-01-26 23:57:00
Strengthen and develop a relationship with God: By KARAN MINNIS,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: A relationship is defined as a linkage between two elements, and the bond that connects us all. They can be good, bad, or even neutral, and all need work — even your relationship with God. "We believe that communication through prayer is the best way to strengthen any relationship with God," says Father Crosely Walkine of St. Anne's Anglican Church, Fox Hill. Additionally, studying the word of God to find out what he has for you to do is also important. But you have to be open to finding God and to connecting with him before any deep connection is possible. "Everyone has to have a relationship with God, but developing it is a personal thing. Christianity is a community religion, it's one that has to be developed through attending church, reading the Bible and speaking to God. No one can force you to develop your relationship with Him, however. It's something t...
More About: Relationship , Prayer , Strong

Bahamas: "If Florida [legislators] repeals the sales tax exemption and it m
2008-01-24 22:18:00
Bahamians encouraged to join fight to keep Fla. tax exemption: By INDERIA SAUNDERS,Guardian Staff Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas : A hike in prices on goods imported from the Sunshine State may be looming as Florida legislators debate repealing an exemption on the six-percent sales tax directed at foreign importers — a concession that has made Florida the top supplier to Bahamian businesses. The legislative move may come as early as this year and in the midst of an economic downturn in the state's economy, said Adam Hasner, the Majority Leader in the Florida House of Representatives He was in Nassau yesterday trying to enlist the help of local businesses in the fight against the Democrat-led initiative. He fears that if the concession is removed and enough regional importers decide to take their business elsewhere, his state's economy will fall further into what increasingly appears to be recession. At a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Hasner argued that possible de...
More About: Sales , Legislators

Bahamas: A major alcohol importer says, "Raising taxes on alcohol, especia
2008-01-24 03:01:00
Bristol says spiking alcohol tax would hurt hotels: By VERNON CLEMENT JONES, Senior Business Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas : A major alcohol importer is cautioning the government against adopting recommendations to raise taxes on that product, arguing the move would devastate a hotel industry already awash in complaints over high bar tabs. "It certainly would not be a good thing," said Eddie Gardner, VP of sales and marketing for Bristol Wines and Spirits. "Raising taxes on alcohol, especially wine, would have a strong negative impact on the hotel sector, it would increase already high prices on the wine list. "Tourists already complain that the prices are too high because they're paying $19 for wine that would cost them $9 in the States." Gardner is focused on possible fallout from any move to increase the government's revenue stream courtesy of alcohol taxes. Last week, a special committee of public servants proffered the idea, suggesting an increase in duties and stamp ...
More About: Taxes , Alcohol , Major

Autistic Children And Family Life In The Bahamas
2008-01-21 13:53:00
Stresses of autistic children on families: By Nadine Thomas-Brown, Guardian Life styles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas : A child screaming loudly, darts into the men's rest room, her father scrambling to stop her. He asks a small boy trying to gain access if he minds using the women's rest room, while he waits for his daughter to emerge. "She is a special needs child, she is not being hurt" he tells onlookers, as the child's loud wails could be heard. "What's wrong they ask?" He explain that she is autistic. Outside, her little sister, rhetorically asks "Why do I have to have a sister like that?" Dad returns and reveals that the autistic child is 13, and tells onlookers that they noticed something was wrong with their child at around 18 months when she was not hitting her milestones. He excuses himself again and returns with the teenager. The hair peeping out from under her baseball cap is lank and wet with sweat, her face puffy from crying. She is sniffling. The crying ha...
More About: Family , Children , Family Life

The Real Antwone Fisher Is In The Bahamas For The First Time To Hand Out Aw
2008-01-20 05:29:00
The real Antwone Fisher: By SHAVAUGHN MOSS, Special Sections Editor - EXCLUSIVE The Denzel Washington-directed movie Antwone Fisher, in which Derek Luke starred was riveting ? all true, and about the life of Antwone Fisher. Luke's performance tugged at your heart, which ached for the character he played, but when you see pictures of the real Antwone Fisher, the first thing you notice is those mesmerizing eyes, which seem to tell the tale of his life better than any Hollywood movie. They just pull you in! And if you're one of the lucky ones, you just may have a chance to meet the real Antwone Fisher. He arrives in New Providence today to hand out awards to winners of the U.S. Embassy's Martin Luther King Jr. sponsored essay competition, which was open to students in grades 10-12 from throughout the archipelago. This will be Fisher's first trip to this country, and in an exclusive interview with The Guardian on Wednesday, he said he is looking forward to the visit which...
More About: Time , Real , Hand , Bahamas , First Time

The Public Sector Management of Change in Infrastructure Group Calls for Ba
2008-01-18 23:20:00
Think tank calls for national lottery: By Betty Vedrine, Senior Guardian Reporter: Nassau, Bahamas: The government should introduce a national lottery and apply taxes to education, health care, crime and capital development, as well as enter private-public partnerships, tax households with more than two cars, increase court fines, and explore the introduction of income tax or value-added tax (VAT). These were the recommendations made yesterday by the Public Sector Management of Change in Infrastructure Group, which further recommended a tax on local beer and tobacco which can be used to install the proper infrastructure needed in the country. The group, a think tank which consists of a cross-section of professionals from various government agencies, presented the government with a list of recommendations to improve public infrastructure and increase economic growth. These recommendations were presented during a session held yesterday at the Colonial Hilton Hotel, sponsored by ...
More About: Calls

Abortion and Forgiveness
2008-01-17 16:14:00
The church's stance on abortion: By KARAN MINNIS,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: If you've had an abortion, can you be forgiven, and still enter the kingdom of God? This is the burning question for many people today, as millions of abortions, are performed worldwide every year, as women turn to abortion to end unwanted pregnancies. According to where you live, it can be legal as well as illegal. In The Bahamas, the procedure is illegal. An abortion, according to Wikipedia, is the removal, or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in, or caused by its death. This can occur spontaneously or accidentally as with a miscarriage, or be induced by medical, surgical or other means for therapeutic or elective reasons. By all accounts, the simple idea of anyone ? let alone a professing Christian ? having an abortion, and ending a life is wrong, and it is a sin that is strongly condemned ? particularly in the Catholic church. Worldwide, there ...
More About: Abortion , Forgiveness

US Recession Fears... The Bahamas will weather the bumpy ride just fine, pr
2008-01-17 04:54:00
US Recession Fears Bahamas Economy Still to Grow: By QUINCY PARKER - Nassau, Bahamas: While US financial observers and policymakers struggle to avert what some see as an impending recession in that country, State Minister for Finance Zhivargo Laing says The Bahamas will weather the bumpy ride just fine, providing the downturn doesn?t last too long. Consumer spending in the US, which accounts for two-thirds of America?s economic activity, had been showing resilience even as gas prices rose and the housing market fell, but observers have noted a sharp pullback in that spending that, if continued, may tip the US economy into recession. In fact, a chief economist at a leading financial commentator in the US was quoted by the Associated Press as saying its possible that the US has already entered a recession. "When all is said and done, we have probably entered into a recession. The weakness in the holiday season was the tipping point," said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Delo...
More About: Weather , Ride , Fine

Bahamas Economic Outlook Assessed
2008-01-15 23:15:00
Economic Outlook Assessed: By Tameka Lundy - Nassau, Bahamas : Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sees a resilience that spurs job-creating growth. The World Bank predicts a global slowdown. The Central Bank of The Bahamas forecasts a relatively positive outcome. The dawn of a new year has brought with it various expectations and predictions about how the economy will perform in 2008 and to what extent outside factors will impact that performance. Despite the upheaval in the US housing market, dragging momentum in the US economy and continued high and increasing oil prices, the Governor of the Central Bank Wendy Craigg offered a glimmer of hope in her economic outlook. "I do believe that the prospect for the Bahamian economy for 2008 is, on balance, positive and this is because of the numerous foreign investment projects that are slated to commence during the course of this year," she said. However, over the course of 2007, there were undeniably some developments that caused rip...
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Wayne Munroe - President of The Bahamas Bar Association Applauds New System
2008-01-15 04:20:00
Bar Assoc. President Applauds New System To Speed Up Trials: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas : President of the Bar Association Wayne Munroe has applauded a recent announcement by Chief Justice Sir Burton Hall that he will re-introduce a system intended to speed up the time in which matters are brought before the courts. "I would welcome the reintroduction of any system where people understand that if you charge a man with a serious offence you should give him the opportunity to either be convicted if he is guilty or be shown not to be guilty as early as possible," Mr. Munroe said in an interview with The Bahama Journal. Last October, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest revealed that there were 114 murder suspects on bail. He said that up to September 2007, there were 39 people out on bail who were charged with rape, and more than 189 people on bail who were charged with armed robbery. His revelation came amid ongoing concerns that people on bail are responsible for...

"Nassau is no longer the little city we once knew"
2008-01-13 00:16:00
A new historic Nassau: By THEA RUTHERFORD,Guardian National Correspondent: Nassau, Bahamas - Valderine Barnett,77, remembers when they used to call Rawson Square "the park." When watching the ships sail into port on a Sunday afternoon was as entertaining as going to the movies on a Friday night. Bay Street was a street you could not avoid, its bustling sidewalks held the stores that you needed to go about the business of daily life. There was G. R. Sweeting on the corner of Charlotte and Bay Streets for your clothing and fabric, or the Park Store on Parliament Street. There was J P Sands for groceries and the Stop n Shop for books and pencils, mats for the house and linoleum for the kitchen. And who could forget the market teeming with fresh produce and even fresher meat slaughtered at the abattoir on the grounds. "Everything was on Bay Street," Barnett reminisced with a relative recently. "Bay Street used to be bubbling." While the number of cruise ship passengers strol...
More About: City

Albany Development Company Offers Landowners 30% Above Appraisal Value To S
2008-01-10 16:57:00
Albany-Landowners offered 30% above appraisals: By VERNON CLEMENT JONES,Senior Business Reporter, Nassau, Bahamas: EXCLUSIVE About 30 percent extra. That appears to be the final offer for land appropriated to build a public road, replacing the one Albany will soon swallow up. "They (the landowners) have been offered about 30 percent above the average appraised value of the land," said Christopher Anand, managing partner for the $1.4-billion mixed-use development project. "That's our ceiling. "We expect final arrangements will be completed by the end of the month, and as soon as this is resolved you will see Albany going full steam ahead." If Anand's reading of the tea leaves is correct, the last obstacle standing in the way of his development will have been removed. It wouldn't have happened overnight. This fly has been stuck in the ointment since late last spring when the government decided it would appropriate each of those individual lots, arguing the move in the p...
More About: Company , Development , Offers

Autism is becoming more prevalent in The Bahamas
2008-01-10 00:10:00
Autism On The Rise: By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR - Nassau, Bahamas : Imagine wanting to speak, but the only sound that comes out is a grunt or squeal. Imagine being so over stimulated by things like a bright light or a whirring fan, that all you can do is bang your head against a wall, or hold your ears and rock back and forth. People living with autism find it hard to make sense of the world around them, and according to the experts, the lifelong brain disorder - normally diagnosed in early childhood - is becoming more prevalent in The Bahamas . "Over the past several years we have noticed an increase in the number of children presenting autistic tendencies," said Carolyn Hall Knowles, special education officer at the Ministry of Education. "The Stapledon School and the Garvin Tynes Primary School Autism Unit are two learning institutions that provide instructional and life skills to students with autism." Her comments came during a brief opening ceremony Monday afternoon to ...
More About: Autism

Bahamas Taxation System Is Unfair To Poor People
2008-01-08 04:22:00
Taxation System Unfair To Poor , Accountant Says: By Candia Dames - Nassau, Bahamas: The taxation system in The Bahamas is unfair to poor people, according to a prominent accountant, who was a guest on the flagship JCN programme "Jones and Company". "The poor bear a greater percentage of the tax liability in this country, and it is a system that was put in place by you know who many, many years ago," Raymond Winder said while on the programme, which aired on Sunday. "If you were rich or if you were a foreigner the percentage of taxes that you ended up paying on your dollar was much smaller relative to the poor, average Bahamian. Nothing has changed. If only to give a break to the average, poor Bahamian we need to change the tax system." Mr. Winder, a managing partner at Deloitte and Touche, said those who make more should pay more. "We have an increase in the expenses the government is incurring relative to running the government," he said. "I believe that the current tax syst...
More About: People , Taxation

Albany Development Company's Mixed-use Resort Development Moves Closer To O
2008-01-06 20:39:00
Albany Looking Ahead: By QUINCY PARKER - Nassau, Bahamas: The directors of the Albany Development Company are set to meet with top government officials on Monday to hopefully cross the final hurdle preventing the developers from forging ahead full-scale, the Journal has learned. Albany Director Jason Callender spoke with the Journal over the weekend about the company’s plans for 2008. "Our expectations are to get going immediately in the new year. We recently have had a large measure of success in dealing with all departments of the Ministry of Works, and the prime minister’s office," he told the Journal on Sunday. "We have brought to swift conclusion the various items that we needed satisfied before we were able to move forward, and we don’t see any impediments to us moving forward early in the New Year." Mr. Callender laid out his expectations for the company over the coming 12 months. "Of course, we’ll commence construction of all first-phase amenities in the devel...
More About: Resort , Closer , Mixed , Moves

Bahamas National Council For The Disabled Renews Call For Disabilities Legi
2008-01-06 04:33:00
Renewed Call For Disabilities Legislation: By Rolanda Epstein - Nassau, Bahamas : The Bahamas National Council For The Disabled is hoping the government comes through and brings legislation to parliament this year, which would protect the rights of people with disabilities in The Bahamas. In the Speech from the Throne last May, the new government promised a sustained campaign of awareness aimed at educating the public on the rights of the disabled. The government said early attention will also be given to the completion of the National Disability Register. Council President Sherman Smith said Friday the Council is hopeful that legislation will soon be passed. He said such legislation would prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of life, including civil rights, employment, education, housing, goods, facilities and services, including health, access to justice and access to transportation. Former Minister of Social Services and Community Developmen...

Bahamas Record-breaking Murder Rate Directly Linked To Illegal Firearms
2008-01-05 00:32:00
Murder rate linked to illegal guns: By KRYSTEL ROLLE and INDERIA SAUNDERS, Guardian Staff Reporters - Nassau, Bahamas : The sale of illegal firearms on the nation's streets has been directly linked to the record-breaking murder count of 2007, a senior police officer revealed yesterday. Superintendent Glen Miller, officer in charge of the Central Detective Unit, said there is definitely a correlation between the proliferation of firearms and last year's high murder count, as statistics show that more than half of the murders were committed using guns. "We've seen that in 40 of these murders a handgun was used, and seven used shotguns. So we're talking about 47 matters with firearms alone. That certainly is an indication that the illegal guns are being used to commit serious crimes such as murder." Last year approximately 59 percent of the murders were committed with guns listed as the weapon of choice. The Guardian's records also showed that 47 of the 79 murders recorde...
More About: Murder , Record , Breaking , Illegal

Bahamas: 2008 is a Time for Bahamians to Really Take Their Country Back Fro
2008-01-03 21:46:00
Religion: A New direction and a brighter future in 2008 : By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas : Finally 2007 has past! And yes, we have all successfully brought in the New Year. The churches were filled and the Christians were out in full force making New Year's resolutions and spreading the holiday joy. However despite all of the holiday cheer, many of us have found it easy to sum up all of this year's events and to realize that despite the many good things that might have happened, there were many areas in which we may have fallen short. But as several local pastors have put it, the New Year is definitely not about our inadequacies. "This is a brand new year," says Pastor Trent Davis of Golden Gates Assembly. "It's a great time to reflect but not on the bad, but rather on the future and on God. And in this New Year we at Golden Gates Assembly see a manifestation of God's power and presence in the church and its family. So we are all expecting ...
More About: Country , Time , Back

Bahamas Youth Ambassadors for Positive Living [YAPL] Battle HIV/AIDS in the
2008-01-03 03:26:00
More Work Ahead For AIDS Group: By Rolanda Epstein - Nassau, Bahamas : Although Youth Ambassadors for Positive Living [YAPL] are making positive strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Chairman and CEO of the non-profit organization Keith Kemp says the group still has a whole more work to do in 2008. Mr. Kemp said in working closely with young persons in the community he perceives them as being very open and honest about the deadly disease. He said many of the myths young people believe about HIV/AIDS have been cleared up through forums YAPL holds at church meeting, schools and civic meetings. He also said through a continuation of educational programmes, young people are becoming more receptive and open towards persons who are HIV-positive. "I think they are now being able to see HIV as an ordinary chronic illness in terms of cancer and diabetes," Mr. Kemp told the Journal. He said the problem is that young persons are not applying the information they receive about HIV/AIDS in...
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