Bahamas Blog - Bahamas Web Log

Talking Health

The Minister of Health, Marcus Bethel,
will be on the radio show "Parliament Street"
this Sunday at 4 – 6 pm.

Island 102.9 fm
Please call in at:
356-4509 or 356-4510

It's a Dog's World in Grand Bahama

Move over Baha Men. There's a new musical star in The Bahamas. It is the Bahamian potcake, "Amigo", who just starred in his own music video that was shot on Grand Bahama last week by a production crew right from Hollywood.

The video portrays the true "rags to riches" story of Amigo - a tragic little potcake stray found starving and diseased, who was rescued and rehabilitated and has since gone on to stardom.

The video is set to a recording by Bahamians Ronnie Butler and Sweet Emily, who also make appearances.

Frances Singer-Hayward, Amigo's owner and the brainchild of the project, said it is hoped that the music video will make people more aware and sensitive to the plight of unwanted animals. And she said it is a truly Bahamian story.

"I consider the story of Amigo to be what one would describe as an allegory - meaning that underneath the surface story, a hidden meaning and moral exists."

"Amiga was a poor, tragic little creature who would have been thrown away - but with love and nurturing became a prince, and that can be true, certainly of a child or any disadvantaged person or creature of this world."

"All it takes is love and that is the message I would hope comes through," Mrs. Singer-Hayward said.

New Community Message Boards

Have you seen our new and improved Message Boards?

We are still tidying up the graphics so we expect the layout to improve over the next couple of days.

To check out our new message boards please click HERE

These new Forums allow you to search the Board for a topic, word or phrase, add links, signatures, avatars and special coding to your posts, remember your login info, update your profile, private messaging and many more features.

The Message Board is for all to use to exchange information about the Bahamas and Bahamians. Swap ideas and learn more about the Bahamas.

Post your Bahamas travel stories right here!

Feel free to email us with any questions.

We are always looking for volunteers so just drop us an email if you would like to help out by moderating a particular forum!

PLEASE use this Board in an appropriate manner.

Post a message now.

Shelve Pipeline Plan

In a refreshingly responsible move, the ambassador for the environment is calling for the government to move "very slowly" before granting any energy company approval to construct a liquified natural gas pipeline to the United States.

Chairman of the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission, Keod Smith, said on Thursday, "As primary advisor to The Bahamas Government on environmental issues, and as its mandated protector, I do not believe that this is the time for The Bahamas to engage in the kind of activities these companies are proposing."

Smith said there is no gazetted environmental policy or legislative regime that adequately addresses environmental protection and conservation, let alone how The Bahamas will govern LNG regasification plants.

"As I am in the process of advancing suggestions to the government as to the substance and format such policy and legislation should take, I am hopeful that the cabinet of The Bahamas will not proceed any further in determining whether these proposals will be approved," Mr. Smith said.

"While the actual science of regasifying LNG is doable, there is no evidence provided thus far, or known, which suggests that it is 100% safe to the natural environment or to man," he said.

He went on to say that cabinet had not made any decision about any of the proposals that have been submitted and would not do so until the public had an opportunity to give input into the matter.

BEC Talks Break Down, Prepare for Blackouts

Contract talks between the Bahamas Electrical Union and management of the dysfunctional Bahamas Electricity Corp. have broken down, with the union refusing to continue negotiations. Residents and businesses are told to brace for additional blackouts.

Although the union has emphatically stated that their members were not responsible for last week's all-day blackout, many people feel that the timing of the power outage, right after talks broke down before, was too coincidental. Further, the company has been unable to give a satisfactory explanation for the costly blackout.

The Stonecutter Visits Nassau

Director Daniel Zirilli and Director of Photography, Neal L. Fredericks, want to introduce themselves and a great film to you all. Below you will find info on the feature film THE STONECUTTER. Both Daniel and Neal will be at the Bahamas One World Film Festival this week and look forward to meeting you.

Friday, November 14, 11:30am, Rainforest Theater, Wyndham Resort
Saturday, November 15, 7:30pm, RND Theater #3

fyi: there was a great article in the September 2003 issue of American Cinematographer.

Movie review by David Horgan
"From the Directors Chair"
WRNX Radio - Western Massachusetts

Director Daniel Zirilli has fashioned an engaging and moving film in his recent adaptation of the popular story of the same name "The Stonecutter".

This poignant tale of a humble stonecutter, who wishes for more, relates a valuable life lesson about the difference between wanting and having. The story, which is told through the observation of a simple villager and his daily toil to feed his family, reaches deep into the depths of the search for self-satisfaction. This story examines the age-old questions "Who am I?, What more could I be? "

The Stonecutter brings this personal struggle and zeal for more to fruition with it's breathtaking photography and peacefully moving soundtrack.

Zirilli uses genuine performances juxtaposed with a tropical paradise to show the beauty of ordinary existence and all the simple pleasures we take for granted. During these times of uncertainty, war and an abundance of ill feelings "The Stonecutter" is a welcome reminder of the essential elements that true happiness is derived from.

My advice would be to huddle with the kids on the couch and watch a movie that offers some good old-fashioned entertainment.

David Horgan
"From the Directors Chair" - WRNX Radio

Production Notes:

THE STONECUTTER is a live-action 35mm feature film based on a Fairy Tale, which follows the story of a poor stonecutter who lives on an island with his family. Through his everyday struggles, and the guidance of a young girl (who may be an angel) he learns to appreciate what is most important in life: not money or power - but Life itself and the love of his family...

Filmed entirely on location in Tahiti, French Polynesia, (including Marlon Brando's private atoll - Tetiaroa), the film is produced and directed by Daniel Zirilli, written & executive produced by Aad Van Der Heyde, with cinematography by Neal L. Fredericks ("Erosion", "The Blair Witch Project", "Killer Me"). Staring Tieki Pambrun as The Stonecutter, Papa Matarau (from “Mutiny on the Bounty”), and introducing Hereiti Biron. With a special performance by the 50 member, world-renowned recording artists: Fenua.

The Day BEC Stole

Thursday, 6 November, 2003 will be remembered for a long time. It is the day the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) stole from the residents and businesses of New Providence.

More than 65,000 customers were horribly inconvenienced, with many businesses losing thousands of dollars in revenue, due to the incompetence of both the management and the employees of the government monopoly electricity company.

Despite promises by Minister Bradley Roberts (who took responsibility for the corporation after the PLP election victory in May, 2002) that the management team would be held accountable, absolutely nothing has been done to ensure efficient management of the pathetically run utility.

65,000 customers at 1 day each. 65,000 days is 178 years. 178 years of Bahamian time and productivity thrown out the window due to the poor maintenance and irresponsibilty of one of the nation's most valuable assets.

Yet, BEC General Manager Bradley "the Incompetent" Roberts dismissed the blackout on national television with his usual bull about how the "transponder failed, yada, yada, yada."

Fact is, the only thing that failed was the management of the corporation and the maintenance supervisors, all of whom should be replaced immediately.

The other Bradley Roberts, the loud-mouthed MP, promised the nation that he would hold the BEC management team's feet "to the fire" and that changes would be made if the team failed to live up to their responsibilities.

Well, now that the doo-doo has hit the fan, so to speak, let's see if MP Roberts is more than hot air, like the rest of his lame government. If Roberts and his sidekick, the Prime Minister, do NOT fire the General Manager of BEC over this incident, then they should resign or be forced from office.

The good, hard-working people of the Bahamas can no longer afford the incompetence and lies coming from this most inefficient, do-nothing, disreputable government. Even hardcore PLPs are fed up with the continuing downward spiral of the country and Bahamian society.

The PLP aspires to be re-elected in 2007. Hell, at this rate the country won't be functioning in 2007.

Driving Away Tourists.

Obie Wilchombe must be a busy man. Too busy to save the Bahamas' failing tourism market, which is, of course what Bahamians are paying him to do.

Just visited the boycottbahamas.com site again. It appears that Tourism Minister Obie Wilchombe has failed to EVER respond to the growing boycottbahamas movement. What a dope! Despite what some Bahamians want to believe, the movement is very negatively affecting businesses in some of the the out islands.

The Bahamas government also failed to announce a new fee structure that had been expected at a boat show on October 31. That's a great policy Obie, just ignore the complainers, maybe they'll go away.

What's worse, the boycott is attracting international attention to our incompetent, insensitive, corrupt and disreputable government, making us all look like a nation of greedy, insensitive pirate bafoons, when truthfully, only 70% of the population fits into that category. ;-)

Take the wildly popular boycottbahamas.com website, add to it the 30 derogatory Web sites created by the ripped-off German investor Harald Fuhrman, spice it up with the international reputation of our pirate-like judicial system, sprinkle it with our ever increasing crime rate, add a pinch of money laundering and financial crimes, throw in a dash of international copyright violations and top it all off with the human rights violations, contained in the Amnesty International report, and you've got a great recipe for the failure of a nation.

There is no better way to destroy our tourism market than to keep making the Bahamas a place no one would ever want to visit. Yet, our government seems to be spending so much time trying to do just that.