Bahamas Blog - Bahamas Web Log

Punish The Propane Pirates

The Minister of Trade & Industry, Leslie Miller, may have forgiven the rogue propane dealers but the Bahamian public should not. These ingrates, whose fortunes we have contributed to for years, had the audacity to ruin the holidays for hundreds of Bahamians because of their selfish selective "strike".

The illegal action resulted in them delivering gas to prized commercial accounts while ignoring the public they are licensed to serve. You bet, they continued servicing their commerical accounts, they knew that business people wouldn't take their foolishness for one minute and would, instead, take their business to another gas dealer. Well, so should the public.

The Bahamian public should punish these ungrateful pirates by NOT doing business with them any longer. They didn't want to do business with the public, so let's give them what they want.

Only buy gas from the dealers who stayed open during the "strike", like Nassau Gas and Caribbean Gas. By the way, unions go on strike, and these pirates are no union. They are a gang, with the same morals and ethics that any street gang might have. In other words... none!

So, show these rogues that the Bahamian public won't be intimidated, threatened or mis-treated. Show them with the most powerful weapon you have... your wallet.

Say NO to: Bahamas Gas, Central Gas, Island Gas, Moss Gas and Tropi Gas.

Bahamas' Galleria Cinemas Begging For Bankruptcy

Without an exception, all of my movie-going experiences at Nassau's Galleria Cinemas have been the worst I have ever experienced. And I am not the only one saying that. Far too many people agree with that opinion. Galleria Cinemas should do itself a favour and just go quietly out of business, because they will eventually be driven out by the Bahamian public.

You'd think running the only movie theatres in New Providence would make the job easier for the management at Galleria Cinemas. Well, you wouldn't know it by the terrible way the theatre chain is managed.

I went recently to the JFK theatre to see an afternoon movie with friends. There was no one at the ticket booth when we arrived. Finally, a slovenly, obese, lazy woman came to the window and grunted some rude command that ended with a dollar amount. I smiled, said "Hello" and slid a $20 bill through the slit in the black-tinted plexiglass, which very much resembled the hole in the wall that I once saw in a movie about crack cocaine houses.

After a minute or two, two tickets were shoved out the slit without a word from the rude employee inside the ticket booth. I said "You're welcome", anyway, then headed for the entrance.

Again, no one was at the door to take the tickets, so my friends and I just went on in. I sat at the door, where the ticket-taker is supposed to sit, for about five minutes, cheerfully taking the tickets of other movie-goers just to see how long it would be before a Galleria Cinema employee came to relieve me of my self-imposed duty. Too long. My movie was about to start so I gave all the tickets I had collected to a snack bar girl and went into the theatre.

The movie I saw, "Meet The Fockers", with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino was funny and I enjoyed it.

After the movie I went to use the men's room and the condition of that restroom is what prompted this rant. It was despicable. This is a public restroom in a privately owned theatre. There is NO excuse for any company, anywhere, at any time, to not maintain their restrooms for the use of their customers.

It is not like the theatre was busy. In fact, it was nearly empty and there were several emloyees lounging around doing absolutely nothing. Why weren't they tending the door or cleaning the bathrooms? I paid good money for a movie ticket and expect the facilities to be reflective of the ticket price. This ain't no "dollar" theatre like they have in the States. And, even those cheap theatres have clean restrooms and polite employees. It is unacceptable that Galleria Cinemas doesn't.

All I can say is, it is quite obvious that the money-grubbing owners of Galleria cinemas, like the toilets in their restrooms are full of... well, I think you get the message.

Edward St. George Dies

Grand Bahama Port Authority Chairman Edward St. George, one of the principal individuals involved in the phenomenal growth of Freeport, Bahamas, died yesterday at the age of 76.

He passed away quietly at a Houston, Texas hospital following complications after undergoing surgery for a heart valve replacement.

Mr. St. George became chairman of the GBPA in 1976 and co-owner with long-time friend and partner, Sir Jack Hayward. Over his 30 year tenure he has been described as the driving force behind Grand Bahama's economy who was relentless in his committment to Freeport.

Sir Jack Hayward, at a press conference yesterday in the Port Authority boardroom, noted that Mr. St. George left a great legacy. While adding that his death is a great personal loss, Sir Jack dispelled rumours that Mr. St. George's passing would mean the end of the Port Authority or Freeport.

Prime Minister Perry Christie said the death of Mr. St. George represents the "end of an era". In a statement praising St. George's contribution to the economic development of Freeport, Mr. Christie said the Bahamas has "lost a very dear and most valued friend" who "will be sorely missed".

The Gas Grinches Who Stole Christmas

Propane gas dealers in Nassau have committed the cardinal sin of biting the hand that feeds them. The dealers have conspired to deny the supply of a vital utility to Bahamian consumers until government allows the dealers to set their own prices.

But, it's not even about the money. It is about the thuggish mentality of the dealers. Instead of appealing to the public for assistance in getting gas prices adjusted for the current market, the selfish dealers have banded together in a conspiracy to extort the government into making the Bahamian public pay, what many consider to be, an unreasonable price for propane gas.

The arrogance of some propane dealers in the Bahamas is already well known, with BahamasB2B receiving almost weekly complaints against companies, like Bahamas Gas and Caribbean Gas, who promise delivery then take days longer to finally get to the customer's house. Complaints to many gas companies often result in rude treatment followed by, in some cases, a denial of service if the customer dares to complain about the rude service.

This "thuggish" business mentality is becoming increasingly popular in the Bahamas as many groups emulate the success of "gangster" businessmen who have made their fortunes by engaging in tactics such as extortion and intimidation. This problem was recently highlighted when a teen-age girl "hired" two budding hitmen to attack her teacher because the teacher had taken disciplinary action and confiscated the girl's cellphone.

Nassau residents, who recently have suffered water shortages and electricity bill increases, were concerned that the electrical worker's union, or the hotel union, would ruin their Christmas holidays with industrial action. Surprise! Few expected it would be the propane gas dealers who would play this year's grinches.

Can the Bahamas allow this horror to continue?

Alarming reports emerging from the Carmichael Road Detention Centre in Nassau, Bahamas suggest that brutal behaviour among some guards and law enforcement officials is endemic.

In a two week span there have been allegations of abuse, a damning report from Amnesty International, a dormitory fire and a riot which left several people injured.

The Tribune newspaper has published an insightful report on the situation in Monday's Insight column, written by John Marquis.

But where is the cry of indignation from the Bahamian public with demands for an impartial investigation? Except for the tirade against the Cuban detainees, the silence is deafening yet speaks loudly about the society which spawned such behaviour.

Join the Bahamas Community discussion on the Carmichael Road Detention Centre issue and let the community know how much Bahamians do care about our Bahamas and the direction we are headed.

Phone Monopoly Busted!

The Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation's decades long monopoly has been broken with the launch of service from the nation's first private telephone company.

Indigo Networks yesterday introduced its pre-paid calling cards as part of the company's expansion plans to compete with BTC and provide new phone service for the Bahamas.

The $5 and $10 telephone cards, which go on sale today and can be used to call overseas, is only the beginning, according to the company's Chief Financial Officer Racardo Underwood.

Since the introduction of Indigo Networks in September of this year the "market has been driven down by 50%", Mr. Underwood stated.

"Gone are the days of making $1.00 per minute phone calls to the United States.," he added.

Which begs the question... why the hell didn't Batelco lower their prices before the introduction of this new company? Who else smells another Bahamian government rip-off?