New Blog: Going To Utopia

I have compiled a summary of my description of the evolution of human society into a book that includes the effect of the election of Barack Hussein Obama as the President of the United States and de facto leader of Western Civilization.
This can be found here. That was mentioned in the last entry in this blog.

That book isn't going to be revised soon, if at all, but it seems that there will be more things to say, such as why the Republican Party doesn't like the Democratic Party's economic revival plan. These notes can be found in the blog here. It is called "Going To Utopia" and it will concentrate on events relative to social evolution after the election of Barack Hussein Obama.

Eventually the blog will contain pretty much everything I have written about human society, as well as analysis of new development.

I will keep political comments out of this blog unless they specifically refer to SVG or relevant countries in the Caribbean or Central and South America.

Obama and Evolution

I've put an essay called: "Barack Hussein Obama and the Evolution of Utopia" on the web at
http://bho.karleklund.net

It is too long to put on a blogsite.

Address on Slavery

The Prime Minister's address on the abolition of slavery can be found here

Book Launch

On January 13, 2009, a book launch ceremony was held for Dr. Julian Ferdinand's book BE INSPIRED. It was held in the evening at Peace Memorial Hall in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.



Dr. Julian (Jules) Ferdinand is a business consultant. He also lectures in Strategic Management at the Cave Hill School of Business (Barbados) and the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business (Trinidad). He is the Honorary Consul for Spain to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the former Chief Executive Officer of East Caribbean Group of Companies.

Dr. Ferdinand received initial training in education before embarking on a career in business management. He has a teachers’ training certificate from the University of the West Indies, a Diploma in Special Education from the University of Birmingham in England, and a certificate in Residential Social Work from the Glasspole Child Care Training Centre in Jamaica. He obtained his Masters in Business Administration (Distinction) from the University of the West Indies and holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Bradford (England).

Dr. Ferdinand is a Past President of the Rotary Club of St. Vincent and has served on a number of Boards throughout the Caribbean. These have included the Cave Hill School of Business at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill, Barbados), the Caribbean Poultry Association, the Caribbean Agri-business Association, The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Development Bank, and The Centre for Enterprise Development. He also represents the private sector on the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Trade Negotiating Group (OECS/TNG).

King Juan Carlos I of Spain honoured Dr. Ferdinand by granting him the Meritio Civil Cruz (Civil Order Cross) for outstanding service to the government and people of Spain in his capacity of Honorary Consul. He also received special recognition from Rotary International when he became a distinguished Paul Harris Fellow in recognition for his outstanding service to the local community as a member of the Rotary Club of St. Vincent.

Dr. Ferdinand has a weekly column in The Vincentian newspaper. He has written extensively on the need to cultivate habits that retain a focus on constantly improving personal performances.



Mr, Jerry George acted as Master of Ceremonies



Dr. Lennox Adams said a prayer.




Mrs. Roxanne Dalrymple sang two songs at Dr. Ferdinand's request.



Ms. Sabrina Ferdinand, the author's daughter, suggested the title and made some brief remarks.



Mrs. Ercelle John-Thomas, a teacher well-known on St. Vincent, edited the book.



Andrew Cummings QC, a prominent member of the Vincentian community and longtime friend of the author, made some remarks.





Dr. Julian ("Jules") Ferdinand made some final remarks including thanks to those who had contributed effort to the publication of the book.




Among the guests was Sir James Mitchell. former Prime Minister.



Early arrivals: Sir James and friend, Ben Harrison, Sally Eklund, Vivian Child, Shela Pennington


Copies of the book were available for purchase and could be signed by the author.

Palm Iland

St. Vincent's Palm Island Resort
Private Island in the Grenadines is Secluded and All-Inclusive
© Karen Berger

Jan 12, 2009

Palm Island Resort is a private island with a briliant white-sand beach, a variety of watersports, and a chance to view beautiful coral reef paintings by a local artist.

With only 42 units on a 135-acre private island (plus a few private vacation houses),Palm Island has the feeling of a secluded paradise. What makes it especially attractive for romantic getaways is that for arrivals between early January and late March, the resort is adults-only - perfect for those whose idea of a vacation doesn't include hearing other people's kids.

Cottages are on the beachfront or nearly so, decorated with custom bamboo furniture and woven rattan ceilings. The cottages have a cool, shaded feel -- a nice contrast to the hot Caribbean sun. Slatted windows and screens allow ocean breezes to flow though the cottages; air-conditioning is provided by supplemental units. However, those who prefer full-fledged air-conditioning should request it when booking, because, as with many Caribbean boutique resorts, only a few units have it.

The island has a resident on-call physician who handles emergencies. Dr Patrick Chevailler is also an accomplished artist who specializes in paintings of the ocean ecosystem, especially the coral reefs, as well surf scenes and local fauna. (Check out the trompe 'oeil iguana in the resort's reception area, which looks like it's crawling out of its frame.) Chevailler's paintings are hung throughout the resort, and are available for purchase. (They are also found on some cards and publications available at the gift shop).

All-Inclusive Plan at Palm Island

The island's all-inclusive plan covers:

Three meals a day in the resort's two restaurants
Daily afternoon tea
Weekly cocktail parties hosted by the manager
All beverages
Barbeques on the beach
All tips, taxes and service charge
Some activities (see below)
Activities and Extras

Visitors could happily spend a week here doing little more than sitting on their deckchairs in front of their cottages, basking on one of the island's five beaches, or relaxing by the pool. But for those with a more active bent: the resort offers a wide variety of activities.

Tennis, croquet, table tennis, cycling, shuffleboard
Pitch-and-putt golf (The best way to interpret "Golf Palm Island Style" is to think Scottish rough transported to Caribbean scrub)
Non-motorized water sports and snorkeling equipment
Nature trails: Choose between walking around the island (which takes about an hour) or cycling: The chances of running into another guest are remote to none.
Massage and salon treatments (extra cost)
Excursions (extra cost) including sailing and snorkeling trips, both day excursions and multi-day trips.
SCUBA diving: The resort provides a free boat shuttle to the dive shop on nearby Union Island.
Fitness Center and air-conditioned gym
Lending library (decorated with Dr. Chevailler's paintings), a boutique and a satellite TV lounge; Internet access and Wifi are available.
Palm Island Resort Restaurants

The Royal Palm is the more formal of the island's two restaurants. It boasts and extensive menu, including local favorites such as jerk chicken, lobster, and fresh sea-food, along with more standard American fare. There is live music most nights of the week.

The Sunset Grill is open for lunch and dinner, and offers a more informal setting right on the beach. It's a favorite with visiting yachtsmen.


The copyright of the article St. Vincent's Palm Island Resort in Latin Am/Caribbean Travel is owned by Karen Berger. Permission to republish St. Vincent's Palm Island Resort in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cruising: Day 9 - St. Vincent

Today our ship docked in St. Vincent. Our excursion consisted of a 7 hour
ride on a 50 foot catamaran to a couple of nearby islands that are part of
the Grenadines.

Our trip started across a channel about 10 miles wide towards the island of
Bequia. We were traveling downwind so the ride felt pretty quick, although
it actually was about an hour’s time. Once we reached Bequia we rounded a
point and headed out towards another small island named Petit Nevis. The
wind was fairly strong, but the catamaran found a small area somewhat
protected by the wind so those that wanted to could snorkel. We anchored
there for about 30 minutes while some of the passengers jumped in for a
swim. Between the current and the wind, most of the folks had a difficult
time getting back to the boat. Nobody had fins on so it made it even more
difficult to make any progress. Fortunately, the crew of the catamaran had
a small zodiak that whipped out to each of the people wanting help back to
the boat.

After leaving the snorkeling area we sailed along the coastline of Bequia
until we reached a white sand beach. The catamaran pulled right up to the
beach and everyone hopped off for either a swim or a walk along the sand.
As we made our way down the beach we came across a dog that was swimming in
the surf. There wasn’t anyone around so I’m not sure who he belonged to, if
anyone. He loved the water, though. It was amazing to see how fast he could
move around and get to different parts of the water. Once he made it back
to shore he rested for a moment, and then spit up some salt water. I guess
it’s easy to swallow the water if you’re a dog. He didn’t seem too bothered
by it all as he headed back out for another swim.

After leaving the beach we sailed to a small village for a quick stop for
refreshments. As we stood on the beach we were caught off guard a little by
the local children. About ten or so of them walked by us on the beach and
started to undress completely and then jumped into the water to swim. My
guess is that they ranged in age from about 5 to 12 years of age. Boys and
girls, it didn’t matter. They acted as if it was normal. I guess it could
be in their part of the world.

Our trip back to the ship was an adventurous one. We were now sailing
directly into the wind and swells. Some of the swells appeared to be about
10 to 12 feet in height. It was a rollercoaster of a ride that everyone
seemed to enjoy. Nobody got sick despite all the rum punch being served.
The only downside was that it slowed down our trip back enough to make us
about 15 minutes late for the ship. The good part is that the catamaran
pulled up to the dock right next to the ship. They were waiting for us and
before we could get to our cabin we were already moving. They have a
schedule to keep.

It’s getting late and we have an early day tomorrow in St. Kitts, but I
wanted to mention that the show we attended tonight was Willie Tyler &
Lester. Their act is from before my time, but we’ve obviously heard of them
and seen them on tv when we were younger. It was fun seeing a legend of
sorts on the ship and a nice surprise.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 9:34 pm and is
filed under Random Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry
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http://www.itsmygallery.com/blog/

Book Launch

The book launch of "Be Inspired" (ISBN #978-976-8204-34-9) will be at Peace Memorial Hall commencing 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.
 
Program:
 
Interlude of music: Mr. Felix Richards

Master of Ceremonies:  Mr. Jerry George

National Anthem of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Prayer:  Dr. Lennox Adams

Song:  Mrs. Roxanne Dalrymple – "I believe I can fly"

Brief Presentations
·         Ms. Sabrina Ferdinand – Provided the book's title
·         Mrs. Earsel John-Thomas – Edited the manuscript
·         Mr. Ken Dyer – Artist
·         Mr. Andrew Cummings QC – Wrote the Foreword
 
Song:  Mrs. Roxanne Dalrymple – "Wind beneath my wings"
 
Vote of Thanks:  Dr. Julian (Jules) Ferdinand
 
Book signing



 

Travelogue

There's a video travelogue about St. Vincent at http://cdntransplant97.blogspot.com/
The blog is by a canadian living in the US whose mother was born in SVG

Another blog

See http://vincygators.wordpress.com

Sailing Blog

There's a blog about sailing around the world that has piy in at Bequia

http://mahe36.blogspot.com/2008/12/admiralty-bay-bequia-grenadines_31.html