August 30, 2003
Government backpedals on Water Project
Only a day after the Securities Commission forced former soft drink bottler Hubert Pinder to withdraw his illegal "private placement offer", the Water & Sewerage Corporation denied any association with, or endorsement of, Mr. Pinder's water purification project.
Mr. Pinder, a one-time partner in Pinder's Beverages with the late PLP MP Philip Pinder, burst on the scene this month, after a long absence from the Bahamas.
He was touting a company called Cavitation Concepts, which launched at a reception at Caves Village recently, organised by former ZNS executive and media personality Debbie Bartlett.
The event featured a keynote address by Minister of Health Parliamentary Secretary Ron Pinder, an opening prayer by Christian Council President Bishop Sam Greene, and was attended by senior Water & Sewrage officials.
Mr. Hubert Pinder later held a press conference at the British Colonial Hilton where he announced that Cavitation Concepts was seeking to raise $2 million from private investors to fund a large-scale trial of its "revolutionary" water purification technology.
But according to government hydrologist, Dr. Richard Cant, the Water & Sewerage Corporation "has no deal" with Cavitation Concepts. "They have yet to show that the technology is viable," he adds.
After the press conference, the Bahamas Securities Commission said the offering contravened the Securities Industry Act - 1999, and that Cavitation Concepts "will withdraw the offering and reissue it in accordance with the law". It advised the public to disregard the information Mr. Pinder provided at his press conference.
Dr. Jackson Burnside Dies at Age 89
Dr. Jackson Burnside, a practising dentist in the Bahamas for 43 years, died yesterday morning at the age of 89.
His eldest son, Tribune cartoonist, Stan Burnside, said his father was a "great parent" who imparted valuable lessons to his children about how to be Bahamian "in the old fashioned way."
Throughout his life, Dr. Burnside was an active member of the Bahamian community. He is survived by his wife, Gertrude, nee Fawkes, and four children: Stan, Jackson III, Julia and Wayman.
BUSY CRUISE WEEKEND
Passengers onboard Carnival "Fantasy" take in the view of Nassau Harbour Friday. Fourteen ships are expected to visit here this weekend. (Photo by Omar Barr)
Chicken Feed
Do we keep the cost of living down or do we protect a handful of local jobs?
The issue is a difficult one for most Bahamians to consider objectively.
On the one hand, we feel no reluctance to bring back goods from Miami as personal baggage, including items for resale. On the other, we complain about cheap imports putting us out of a job.
On the one hand we complain about high prices in the food stores, and on the other we demand restrictive tariffs on competitive imports.
On the one hand we complain about foreign subsidies, and on the other we demand similar subsidies from our own government ... at significant cost to the tax payer.
There has to be a trade-off. We cannot have our cake (or chicken pot pie) and eat it too.
For a variety of reasons, the United States can produce incredibly cheap chicken which can help ease the grocery budgets of thousands of Bahamian consumers. But putting this inexpensive protein on our shelves threatens the livlihood of local chicken producers. In fact, it has already put Gladstone Farms out of business.
It is a question of economics. Does it make sense for us to prop up a small, inefficient and failing industry? Or is it more reasonable to keep the cost of living down? For those of you with Solomonic wisdom, make your choice now.
Editorial from The Nassau Guardian
Win a Magnificant Villa in The Bahamas
Imagine owning a home in the Bahamas, one of the most exclusive destinations in the Caribbean and the place where Princess Diana spent her honeymoon. A home in our designer development is an investment for life too, with a fantastic rental return of 10 per cent guaranteed for the first three years.
The Evening Standard and Bahamas Beach Villas have joined forces to give away a two bedroom two bathroom luxury beachfront villa.
August 29, 2003
Lack of Culture on GB
Concerns are being voiced loud and clear in the Grand Bahama Community about the lack of or the downright backward trend with respect to the development of Bahamian culture here on the island, in particular junkanoo.
Web Awards Ceremony
British Colonial Hilton, Nassau - September 18, 2003
Don't Miss the All Day Internet & Web Industry Trade Show - click here
The First Annual Bahamas Web Awards Ceremony is scheduled for September 18, at the British Colonial Hilton, Nassau.
Entertainment
Special Guest Appearances
$1000's in Door Prizes and...
Goody Bag with valuable gifts from our sponsors *
(* advanced ticket purchases only)
Tickets for the Ceremony are $45 per person and can be reserved online.
In Defense Of Fifty Cent
50 Cent is supposed to be coming to our town and true to form, we have donned our cone-shaped hoods of intolerance and our white sheets of selective memory and hypocrisy and picked up our tar buckets and feather pillows. We have conveniently forgotten some of the musical and artistic heroes from our own youth and now we stand ready to tar and feather these modern rebels and run them out of town. Leave these young children alone and allow them to have their own musical heroes!
BTC Unveils Online Bill, Directory Site
Bahamas Telecommunications Company customers can now view their bills and the Yellow and White Pages online, Leon Williams, acting president and chief executive officer announced Tuesday in a press conference at the company's headquarters.
Customers will also be able to view cellular bills online, as the company prepares to introduce Phase Three of the project, which would facilitate online bill payment and application for service. Customers wishing to view bills online will have to complete a registration process.
BTC was unable to give a visual presentation of the website to reporters because of technical difficulties. The company assured however that the problems were internal and customers outside should have no problems accessing the site.
"Today we are launching a part of Phase Two of the website's continuing development," Mr. Williams said. "Now BTC customers will be able to access bills directly as well as the Yellow Pages and White Pages online."
The soon-to-be privatized company, for which the choice of a "strategic partner" has yet to be made, reports that it has replicated the entire directory online at no additional cost to subscribers.
The website directory will be very easy to navigate, as it will follow the same procedure for searching any publication, Mr. Williams said.
The new development will be especially useful for companies that missed the opportunity to advertise in next year's directory, he noted. The inclusion process starts in January and closes at the end of August.
Businesses obtaining telephone services outside this period find themselves having to wait an entire year before their telephone numbers or advertisements can be included in the directory.
The new online service will allow businesses immediate access to the online directory as new listings are updated to the database on a regular basis, Mr. Williams said.
"The use of this electronic medium has given BTC the opportunity to add products to the Yellow Pages' advertising portfolio," he advised.
The company will also be providing hyperlinks to websites, banner ads, e-mail addresses and full streaming video.
However, these services will carry additional costs and the company is presently working out a process of coupling the new features with print advertisements into a pricing package.
The White Page listing will remain free of charge.
By Martella Matthews, The Nassau Guardian