Cars Could Run On Recycled Newspaper

ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2011) — Here's one way that old-fashioned newsprint beats the Internet. Tulane University scientists have discovered a novel bacterial strain, dubbed "TU-103," that can use paper to produce butanol, a biofuel that can serve as a substitute for gasoline. They are currently experimenting with old editions of the Times Picayune, New Orleans' venerable daily newspaper, with great success.

TU-103 is the first bacterial strain from nature that produces butanol directly from cellulose, an organic compound.
"Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundant organic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dream of many," said Harshad Velankar, a postdoctoral fellow in David Mullin's lab in Tulane's Department of Cell and Molecular Biology. "In the United States alone, at least 323 million tons of cellulosic materials that could be used to produce butanol are thrown out each year."

Mullin's lab first identified TU-103 in animal droppings, cultivated it and developed a method for using it to produce butanol. A patent is pending on the process.

"Most important about this discovery is TU-103's ability to produce butanol directly from cellulose," explained Mullin.
He added that TU-103 is the only known butanol-producing clostridial strain that can grow and produce butanol in the presence of oxygen, which kills other butanol-producing bacteria. Having to produce butanol in an oxygen-free space increases the costs of production.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825105024.htm
As a biofuel, butanol is superior to ethanol (commonly produced from corn sugar) because it can readily fuel existing motor vehicles without any modifications to the engine, can be transported through existing fuel pipelines, is less corrosive, and contains more energy than ethanol, which would improve mileage.

"This discovery could reduce the cost to produce bio-butanol," said Mullin. "In addition to possible savings on the price per gallon, as a fuel, bio-butanol produced from cellulose would dramatically reduce carbon dioxide and smog emissions in comparison to gasoline, and have a positive impact on landfill waste."

Vincy Art

VISIT http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2011/08/weekly-inspiration-13/#comment-619

The St.Vincent Parrot’s Home

Posted by Rochelle Joseph in Birds,Events,Spotlight on Species

The St. Vincent Amazon Parrot (Amazona guildingii) is found on the small, volcanic, Caribbean island of St. Vincent.  The island of St. Vincent is part of the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Houston is more than four times the size of St. Vincent!  This small island is the only place in the world that the St. Vincent Amazon Parrot is found in the wild.

 The St. Vincent Amazon Parrot is listed as a vulnerable species, with less than 800 left in the wild.  The Houston Zoo has housed St. Vincent Amazon Parrots since 1967 and is currently the only zoo in North America to do so.

The Houston Zoo hatched Vincent Deuxieme in 2008

To learn more about this exotic species, their habitat, and their history on the island of St. Vincent, join us on Sunday, September 4th from 11 AM until 3 PM at the St. Vincent building (near Stormy the bird bank) for our Spotlight on the Species. 
Keepers will be hosting fun activities about the island and the St. Vincent Parrot, including a volcano demonstration, flag creation station, face painting and more.  The keepers will also be there to answer any questions you may have about this special parrot.

This is one of the most beautiful birds, and your very own Houston Zoo is the only place they can be seen in all of North America so please mark your calendars and join us!
Written by Senior Bird Keeper Mollie Coym

PM defends Tourism Authority

By Kenton X. Chance, Published on August 24, 2011

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent -- Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves on Monday defended St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority CEO Glen Beache against opposition calls for his resignation and further said that Tourism Minister Saboto Caesar is “boss” of that ministry.

Opposition leader Arnhim Eustace in July called for Beache to resign. Eustace said there was a conflict of interest in Beache’s company sharing directors with a Trinidad firm that markets St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Beache, a former tourism minister, announced at a press conference that he subsequently closed the company. He also responded to Eustace’s questions about EC$75,000 the Tourism Authority paid to a video production firm in Barbados, saying that the money was for a Skinny Fabulous music video.

Vincentians only learnt that $40,000 and not $75,000 was paid for the video after the company said it was only paid $40,000.

Tourism Minister Saboto Caesar told Parliament last week that Beache never said EC$75,000 was paid for the video. However, one day later, a local newspaper published a story in which Beache said he had made a mistake in saying that $75,000 was paid for the video.

“…This has nothing to do with any 35 [thousand dollars],” Gonsalves told reporters on Monday. “… This has to do with the fact that Arnhim Eustace want to impugn the integrity of Glen Beache that somehow there is some missing money when in fact there is none,” the prime minister added.

“Resign for what? Because he mistakenly said, according to you, in repeating Eustace, that it is 75 [thousand dollars] and it turn out to be 40 [thousand dollars]? What he must resign over?” Gonsalves said in response to questions from journalist William “Kojah” Anthony.

Gonsalves said there was no corruption involved and the most one can say is that the situation raises “the presumption of a conflict of interest but when you get to know the facts, the presumption is rebutted.”

“I am trying to find what this call [is] about,” Gonsalves further said, adding that members of opposition New Democratic Party continue to enjoy lands that were bought for EC$1 per square foot.

“The declaration that you are clean doesn’t mean that you have come to the table of equity with clean hands. And really, we have to be careful that every young professional that comes along on the flimsiest of allegation we try to destroy them,” Gonsalves added.

Gonsalves described as “a separate question” concerns that the situation with Beache could affect Tourism Minister Caesar.

“Saboto is the boss because he is the minister. And under the [Tourism Authority] Act, there are certain powers, which are given to Saboto – to the Minister. And over the minister, there is somebody else, who has prime in front of it — in front of minister, which means he is the first minister, who is over Saboto,” Gonsalves further said.

Gonsalves further noted that Caesar told Parliament that he has documents to prove that EC$40,000 was paid for the video. The prime minister questioned whether Eustace had any evidence that the sum was in fact EC$75,000.

“You can’t say it on the basis of sophistry or some airy-fairy allegation because it is people’s reputation you are dealing with. Every time a young person is coming to be appointed, to exist, you have Mr. Eustace trying to pull them down …” Gonsalves said.

He further noted that although Eustace receives state funds to pay a research officer, he has not hired one to replace Patel Matthews who was elected to Parliament last December.

“… I expect that he will spend the money for the purpose for which parliament intends it. And, of course, if he doesn’t do it, the Director of Audit can be asked to audit the account because it’s the government money,” Gonsalves said.

He, however, noted that Eustace should repay the monies to the Consolidated Fund if they are not used as stipulated.

Gonsalves further noted that in 2001, Eustace, then prime minister, was prepared to reimburse former ambassador Kinsley Layne $100,000 without the proper documentation.


Copyright© 2004-2011 Caribbean News Now! at www.caribbeannewsnow.com All Rights Reserved
For permission to republish, please contact editor@caribbeannewsnow.com
http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-St-Vincent-PM-defends-Tourism-Authority-CEO,-says-minister-is-'boss'-7537.html

‘Difficult life’ without LIAT?

By Gercine Carter - Friday, August 26th, 2011.

Chairman of regional air carrier LIAT Jean Holder has warned the “opportunity costs” of not having the airline “are quite substantial.

Speaking Wednesday in support of LIAT shareholders spokesman, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Holder said LIAT paid many millions of dollars in taxes in regional countries and “if you shut it down tomorrow, you may think that you have gotten rid of a problem but the opportunity costs of not having LIAT are really quite substantial and people need to give it a lot of thought.”

LIAT employs 955 people across the Caribbean.

Following a shareholders meeting Tuesday, Gonsalves said: “You can’t be subsidising or paying for other airlines into your space and your country and you just treat LIAT as though it is a floormat.”

He said the airline was at a disadvantage when competing with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) on the Port-of-Spain to Barbados routes, and pointed out that LIAT’s fares on those routes had to be cut “in order to stay in the game with CAL.”
“When we cut our fares, we are losing money but we have to be in the game because they are important routes, but CAL can’t go and be having a fuel subsidy,” Gonsalves argued.

Holder told The DAILY NATION CAL’s aviation fuel was heavily subsidised, resulting in the airline paying no more than US $50 per barrel for jet fuel while LIAT paid US $120 per barrel.

“LIAT has for years been the bus service of the Caribbean trying to make sure that every little country in the region gets air service,” he said, “and there comes a time when one has to review this.”

In this regard, he disclosed a route profitability analysis was being undertaken. The chairman pointed out that LIAT operated about 1,000 flights weekly from Tortola in the north to Curacao, taking in Puerto Rico, the Domincan Republic, the French islands and many small islands with small populations along the route.

“That network is an extraordinarily difficult operation to run on a daily basis,” Holder observed.

While Gonsalves threatened that LIAT’s “social routes” would have to be cut if the respective governments did not help to fund them, Holder suggested “there is nothing wrong with saying to a country ‘LIAT needs to survive. It is in our interest that it survives. Where do you expect it to operate without any kind of support from you or anybody else?’”

However, Holder said LIAT, “would not likely cut services because it recognises that we are in a community and people need to get around the community.” (Barbados Nation)

http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=63620
 

LIAT route cuts still on the table

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, August 24, 2011 – As LIAT shareholders consider the future of the regional carrier, the company is still contemplating whether or not it should drop unprofitable routes, an option that has been considered for some time now.

LIAT Chairman Dr. Jean Holder, speaking after meeting with the airline’s three major shareholder Prime Ministers – Freundel Stuart of Barbados, Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda, and Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines – along with other members of the Board of Directors and management this week, announced a planned review of certain routes now served by the carrier.

He said the Antigua-based airline could be forced to pull off routes which are not profitable unless the governments or other stakeholders in those countries provided revenue and/or marketing support as was often done for a number of international carriers. 

Dr. Gonsalves, speaking to reporters after the meeting, added that LIAT had been placed at a disadvantage as it tries to compete with other airlines and if Caribbean governments don’t help to fund the carrier, “we will just cut them”.

“You can’t be subsidizing or paying for other airlines to come into your space and your country and you just treat LIAT as just a floor mat and you take it for granted,” he said.



A statement issued by LIAT said that during the meeting shareholders reviewed the present competitive situation involving air transport in the region and it was noted LIAT had seen some reduction in its loads to a number of destinations particularly in its critical southern network. 

“The issue of fuel subsidies to airlines and the adverse competitive impact which this had on LIAT and other carriers were also discussed and the possibility raised for having these matters resolved within the context of the CARICOM single market framework,” the statement said.



Shareholders noted the continuing financial difficulties facing the company, including continuing high oil prices and continuing weaknesses in the regional and international economy. 

“An all embracing Recovery Plan, developed by management and which targets both revenue and cost components of the business, was endorsed by the shareholders,” the press release noted.

LIAT has also reiterated the importance of the company’s re-fleeting efforts as a critical element of its programme to improve efficiency of its services and to enhance its competitive position in the marketplace.  

A programme of action is expected to be presented shortly to Prime Ministers of the shareholder governments, outlining the possible time-lines and scenarios for introduction of new aircraft into the company’s fleet.

The next quarterly meeting of the shareholders is expected to take place before the end of the year.

http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/business/499144.html?utm_source=Caribbean360+Newsletters&utm_campaign=d46c61c354-Vol_4_Issue_34_Business8_25_2011&utm_medium=email#axzz1W3vNEX7X

LIAT Problems

I hope LIAT is in good shape when we come down in a month or so. This is from an Antigua newspaper website:

LIAT shareholders to meet today
By CMC - Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011.

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent – Shareholders of regional airline LIAT will meet in Barbados today as chairman Dr Ralph Gonsalves said he was “concerned” about how on-going industrial relations are being handled.
“I have a sense that somewhere the industrial relations issues are not being handled as adroitly, as adeptly, as they should be handled,” Gonsalves told reporters yesterday.
“I see the one in Barbados, I see the one in Grenada. I see the one with pilots. It may well be that the management is correcting each case. But if the management is correcting each case, why are the people who are involved other than the management in each case feel wronged? So that worries me,” Gonsalves added.
Earlier this month, LIAT employees in Grenada voted to end a crippling 11-day strike even as their bargaining agent warned that the “war is not over” with the Antigua-based airline.
The workers, who were owed an estimated EC $6 million (US $2.2 million) in outstanding arrears dating back to 1983, agreed to accept EC $500,000 (US $185,185) with the outstanding matters to be dealt with during arbitration.
The strike took place even as the airline was trying to resolve pilots’ concerns and just before threats of industrial action in Barbados.
Gonsalves explained that he was not saying that LIAT management “is making errors.”
“As a mature person and a person involved in the management and leadership of a country … when I see the series of things, it suggests to me that maybe something should be done better even though they are not done wrongly ….” Gonsalves added.
He further said that he was not castigating the management of the airline.
“I have spoken with the requisite subtlety. And you know if I am going to castigate anybody I will so openly. And I have very high regard for the management of LIAT, so let me add that …” Gonsalves said.
Last week, LIAT pilots announced a new strategy in their ongoing dispute with management, indicating that they will now seek to hold talks with the three shareholder governments in the future.
The airline is owned by the governments of Antigua & Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados.
“Letters would be drafted and sent out to the individual prime ministers and shareholders by Friday this week, requesting a meeting,” said Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan at a news conference called by the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA).
Astaphan told reporters that a meeting will be scheduled as soon possible.

From Shakers To Spiritual Baptists” by Adrian Fraser

KINGS-SVG Publishers is pleased to announce the publication of
“From Shakers To Spiritual Baptists: The Struggle For Survival of the Shakers of
St. Vincent and the Grenadines” by Adrian Fraser. The new
book examines the factors and circumstances that led to the passage of the
Shaker Prohibition Ordinance that declared the Shaker religion illegal in 1912.
It then traces the efforts made to repeal that Ordinance. The focus is on the
Shakers’ struggle for survival and for their right to worship in the manner
they deemed fit. Central to this were the environment and conditions
that emerged in St. Vincent after the riots of 1935. George McIntosh, who
was one of the main political personalities to have come on to the political scene
after the riots, is depicted as one of the chief architects of the efforts to have
the Ordinance repealed. Some attention is paid to the origin of the religion
known at first as ‘The Wilderness People'. This account of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines’ only known indigenous religion should be of interest to all
members of that religion and of Vincentians and others generally, as the
forces against which the Shakers had to contend were ones that helped
to shape so much of SVG’s history and society.

The author, Dr. Adrian Fraser, is Head of the University of the West Indies
Open Campus, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He is the author of Chatoyer: National Hero of St .Vincent and the Grenadines.
He is also a weekly columnist with the Searchlight newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

A formal launching of the new book is scheduled to take place on Monday, August 29, 2011,
at 5:00 p.m. at the University of the West Indies Open campus at Murray Road, Richmond Hill.
All are cordially invited to attend.

PM praises Cuba-Venezuela over Argyle airport

SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2011
  
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says Venezuela will meet the multi-million dollar bill for hosting a number of Cuban workers at the Argyle International Airport project. “The amounts spent on the Cuban workers from July 2008 to the end of July 2011 is EC$8.76 million (US$3.24 million), “Prime Minister Gonsalves told Parliament.

He told legislators that St. Vincent and the Grenadines government has been permitted by Venezuela “to borrow monies in respect of the Argyle International Airport from the PetroCaribe fund” under which Caracas provides oil at concessionary rates to several regional countries.

Gonsalves said that EC$27 million (US$10 million) “so far has been borrowed…and we have repaid two million dollars (US$740,700). We fully anticipate that by the end of the project all necessary conciliations would be made.”

Gonsalves described the Cuban workers as “volunteers” telling Parliament that the amount of money paid to Cuba directly on their behalf “is only a fraction of what they would normally command if they were hired as workers in the open jobs markets.
‘In fact many of the junior engineers employed by IADC (International Airport Development Company) are being paid more than two times what we pay for an experienced Cuban engineer, similarly the amounts we pay under contract for engineers…the consultants, the overseas engineering company, is more than four time what we are currently paying for a similarly trained qualified Cuban engineer.”

Gonsalves said the contributions of  the Venezuelan and Cuban governments towards the project “are immense”.
The Argyle International Airport is being built on about 175 acres of land, with a paved runway 2,743 meters (9,000 feet) long, and 45 meters (150 feet) wide. It  is designed to accommodate jets as large as Boeing 747-400s and handle about 1.4 million passengers per year

The project is being developed by IADC, a private limited liability company wholly owned by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The project team includes the Chatoyer-Che construction team and CECI Engineering Consultants of Taiwan.

http://caricomnewsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4815:st-vincent-prime-minister-praises-cuba-venezuela-over-international-airport-project&catid=82:latin-a-central-america&Itemid=457

Cocoa Comeback

St Vincent government signs agreement for re-introduction of cocoa

Published on August 17, 2011

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, (GIS) -- The government of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Armajaro Trading Limited signed a memorandum of agreement on Tuesday for the reintroduction of cocoa growing in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves signed on behalf of the government, while Nicko Debenham director of sustainability and development at Armajaro signed on behalf of his company.

Gonsalves, in remarks following the signing, noted that he had been advised by the officials from Armajaro that cultivation of cocoa should start by the next rainy season.

Gonsalves said that there will be three demonstration projects and farmers will also be able to get involved in cocoa production as soon as the planting material is available.

The prime minister noted that the agreement is not a social welfare agreement but a business agreement. He said Armajaro is not a charitable institution and unless everybody can make profit out of the agreement, it will not survive.

The prime minister pointed out that Armajaro has given an undertaking as part of the agreement for the planting material to be made available to farmers. He said the company is also committed to providing credit on a commercial basis to farmers in inputs and fertilizers.

Gonsalves said that the ministry of agriculture will be involved in the project every step of the way and he also noted that there is a provision in the agreement for the setting up of a cocoa producers association. He however, stated that the contracts will be between the individual farmers and Armajaro.

The government, as part of the agreement, has given exclusivity to Armajaro in the sale and marketing of cocoa produced and marketed in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Gonsalves pointed out, however, that there is an exception for persons involved in cottage industry where cocoa sticks and other products are produced for the local market.

The government has also granted a number of concessions to the company, which the prime minister noted are in the domain of the usual concessions for agriculture.

The agreement will be made public and will be put in the form of a Bill which will go to parliament to satisfy the principles of transparency, good governance and accountability.

Gonsalves stated that he hoped that with the enlightened self interest of farmers and Armajaro, there will be diversification of agriculture, creation of employment, enhancement of wealth in the farming community and in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Copyright© 2004-2011 Caribbean News Now! at www.caribbeannewsnow.com All Rights Reserved For permission to republish, please contact editor@caribbeannewsnow.com

Argyle Airport Terminal to be constructed

By Kenton X. Chance

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent -- Actual construction of the new Argyle International Airport terminal building in St Vincent will begin within one week, Dr Rudy Matthias, chairman and CEO of the Argyle International Airport Development Company announced on Sunday.

Matthias, speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the terminal building, said he expects Taiwanese firm Overseas Engineering and Construction Company Ltd will complete the facilities within 28 months, as contracted.

He said that, while preparing for the design of the terminal building, IADC officials visited airports in Cuba, The Bahamas, Trinidad, Mexico, Portugal, and Atlanta.

Taiwanese firm, CECI Engineering Consultants Inc. was awarded the US$3.9 million contract for the design and supervision of landside facilities.

Matthias outlined the facilities to be constructed over the next two years.

The contract for the terminal building, which is being financed by Taiwan, is worth US$26.5 million.

The 100,071 square-foot terminal building compares to the 30,000 square feet at the E.T. Joshua Airport and is designed to comfortably accommodate 800 passengers at any one time, Matthias said.

Matthias said all earthworks at the airport would be completed by early 2013. The airstrip will be 9,000 feet long and would accommodate any aircraft, except the Airbus A380 -- the largest passenger airliner in the world.

The 22-acre apron at Argyle will be 11 times larger than at the E.T. Joshua Airport.

Matthias said 8.8 acres would be for commercial planes while 11.5 acres will be for general aviation.

General aviation includes aircraft flying to the Grenadines and private aircraft, which Matthias said the IADC expects would increase significantly when the airport is completed.

The apron will also have space to accommodate two 727 aircrafts, the type Amerijet landed at the E.T. Joshua Airport.

The Argyle International Airport, the largest capital project in the history of St Vincent and the Grenadines, was conceptualised in 2005 and construction commenced in 2008.

It was initially estimated to cost EC$480 million. The cost has since been revised to EC$652 million.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves’ “coalition of the willing” has joined in financing the airport. The coalition includes Cuba, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Iran, Libya, Mexico, Austria, and the Caribbean Community Development Fund.

Gonsalves said on Sunday that it is high time that “oppositionists” support the Argyle International Airport project.

In his first public address since going on vacation four weeks ago, Gonsalves cited the biblical account of Solomon’s construction of the temple, noting that David had left detailed plans and immense resources for its construction.

He said that, unlike Solomon, his administration, which came to office in 2001, was not left any plan or monies for building the airport.

Gonsalves, speaking on the eve of his 65th birthday, noted opposition to the project, which was being constructed in the face of the limited resources of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the global economic situation.

He said that 154 Vincentians and 47 Cuban are currently employed at the project.

About 80 more Vincentians will be employed when actual construction of the terminal building begins next week, with 800 persons expected to be employed when construction peaks.

Gonsalves said studies indicate that a cross-wind runway would be necessary only to accommodate aircraft flying to and from the Grenadines.

He said a crosswind runway would cost less than 1 percent of the cost of the airport.

Gonsalves said the value of the works completed is EC$180 million but noted that the IADC has spent only EC$28 million.

Vincentians can expect the new airport to be complete by the end of 2013 Gonsalves said on Sunday.

Current chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Dr Denzil Douglas, and Taiwan ambassador to Kingstown, Weber Shih, congratulated the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for undertaking the construction of the Argyle International Airport.

Douglas -- who is also prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis -- and Weber spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony on Sunday.

Douglas noted that the terminal building was being commenced during a week when the global economic crisis especially impacted the United States, which saw its credit ratings downgraded from a perfect AAA to AA+ for the first time.

Douglas added that the effects would be felt within CARICOM, including its sub-regional grouping, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), where St Kitts and Nevis and SVG are part of an economic and political union.

In the meantime, the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) on Monday said that there continues to be “no clarity” on how the EC$652 million international airport being constructed at Argyle is to be financed.

“Gonsalves, continues to ignore economic reality,” the NDP said in a press statement Monday morning.

The NDP said the prime minister’s speech on Sunday was “an empty address to a few party supporters in Argyle”.

The NDP said Gonsalves “has resorted to cheap political rhetoric in an effort to secure his political support base which has been wavering under the pressure of the ULP’s [Unity Labour Party’s] poor economic management of our country”.

It said the “confusion within the ULP” can be seen in the different dates Gonsalves gave on Sunday and CEO of the Tourism Authority Glen Beache gave international tourism stakeholders last year.

“2013 now joins 2012 and 2014 as possible dates for completion of the project,” the NDP said in its statement.

The NDP, which was in office for the 17 years ending March 2001, said it is clear on how it will proceed with the airport, citing its position outlined during the 2010 election campaign.

“… we have the support of a major international construction group capable of undertaking large-scale infrastructure projects. They will partner with an NDP administration to finally get the Argyle airport into a state of readiness,” the NDP reiterated.

“The construction company will work closely with the independent consultants already announced to assess and rectify the seeming planning mistakes made by this ULP administration. Once a clear plan of action is in place, the airport will be completed in a timely fashion so as to minimize any further financial wastage,” the NDP.

The party said its position “is not based in fantasy or empty rhetoric.”

“The New Democratic Party cares about airport development, we have the support to do it and we will pursue it sensibly, with regard for our country and our people’s economic reality.

The NDP also said Gonsalves must change his position on regional airline LIAT, adding that he should listen to his own Ministry of Tourism.

“The Ministry is saying that the high cost of flying via LIAT has negatively impacted regional visitor arrivals to St Vincent and the Grenadines. Invite competition to come in so that you increase visitor arrivals to our shores. Give the population a chance to benefit from the absence of a monopoly,” the party stated.

“Invite competition and do it now. That is priority. Fix the roads in the country and the infrastructure so that the current airport at Arnos Vale will not be flooded by 30-minute rain showers. That is priority,” the NDP further said.

Happy Birthday, Comrade Ralph!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PRIME MINISTER DR. RALPH E. GONSALVES OF ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
• Posted by DE POWA of de VINCY on August 8, 2011 at 3:31am

The United Labour Party Family would like to wish one of the most selfless men in the region, a man who have fought many political battles, a man who has always been an advocate for the poor and working class, a true visionary a happy 65th birthday. We are happy to have you as our leader and PM. We love you Ralph Gonsalves we wish long life happiness - VOTEULP

www.hot97svg.com/.../happy-birthday-to-prime-minister-dr-r...

Harmless moderate earthquake near St. Lucia, Martinique and Barbados

Last update: August 7, 2011 at 6:30 am by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell 1 Comment

Quake Flash reports are used by Earthquake-Report.com to report on earthquakes which we categorize as ‘probably not dangerous‘, but scared a lot of people living above it. The magnitudes may be in between M 3.0 or M 5.0, depending how used people are to earthquakes in that part of the world.
We kindly ask  people who have felt this earthquake to share their information with our many readers, also from your area (use the I Did Feel It form below).


Just after midnight local time a moderate earthquake struck below the sea-floor of the triangle St. Lucia, Martinique and Barbados.
Based on the first I Have Felt It reports from the area, this earthquake has been felt as a “light shaking” (MMI IV) in Saint Lucia and as a weak shaking (MMI III)  in Martinique, Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The distance from the epicenter (in between Saint Lucia and Barbados) to the nearest populated island is too big to generate any damage or injuries.

I Have Felt It reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Gros Islet, St. Lucia : First time feeling an earthquake.  Totally felt the earth moving.  Everything started shaking in our rooms!  Went on for about 30 seconds (maybe felt that long because it was my first one).  Started getting scared when it wouldn’t stop and I told my husband, should we get under a door Sill? (Moderate Shaking MMI V indicated)
Micoud, St.Lucia : The noise which preceded and consequently accompanied the actual shaking was a bit ominous for me since I reside next to the sea in Micoud, St. Lucia. I thought it was a tsunami approaching! Fortunately everything subsided rather quickly. (Light Shaking MMI IV indicated)

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.0
UTC Time : Sunday, August 07, 2011 at 04:01:11 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Sunday, August 07, 2011 at 12:01:11 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 38 km
Geo-location(s) :
72 km (44 miles) ESE of CASTRIES, St. Lucia
113 km (70 miles) NW of BRIDGETOWN, Barbados
116 km (72 miles) SE of FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique

New Book on Spiritual Baptists

KINGS-SVG Publishers is pleased to announce the publication of
“From Shakers To Spiritual Baptists: The Struggle For Survival of the Shakers
of St. Vincent and the Grenadines” by Adrian Fraser. The new
book (edited by Baldwin King and Cheryl Phills King) examines the factors and
circumstances that led to the passage of the Shaker Prohibition Ordinance that
declared the Shaker religion illegal in 1912. It then traces the efforts made to
repeal that Ordinance. The focus is on the Shakers’ struggle for survival and
for their right to worship in the manner they deemed fit. Central to this were the
environment and conditions that emerged in St. Vincent after the riots of 1935.
George McIntosh, who was one of the main political personalities to have come
on to the political scene after the riots, is depicted as one of the chief architects
of the efforts to have the Ordinance repealed. Some attention is paid to the origin
of the religion known at first as ‘The Wilderness People'. This account of
St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ only known indigenous religion should be of
interest to all members of that religion and of Vincentians and others generally, as the
forces against which the Shakers had to contend were ones that helped to
shape so much of our history and society.
The author, Dr. Adrian Fraser, is Head of the University of the West Indies
Open Campus, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He is the author of
Chatoyer (Chatawae): National Hero of St .Vincent and the Grenadines.
He is also a weekly columnist with the Searchlight newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The retail price of the book (paperback, 101 pages,
ISBN: 0-9778981-7-2) is US$13.95 plus shipping and handling
(US$3.00 in the US, US$5.00 to Canada and US $9.00 to the Caribbean and the United Kingdom, by airmail).
To order, please send us your name, address and payment (check
or money order payable to KINGS-SVG) to: Baldwin King, P. O. Box 702,
Madison, NJ 07940, U.S.A . You may also place your order through our
website:http://www.kingsinn-svg.com. (Click on Bookstore). Our
email is kingba@aol.com.

Taiwan gives EC$600,000 to St Vincent for disaster relief

August 5, 2011 Leave a Comment

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves (L) receives the EC$600,000 disaster relief cheque from Ambassador Shih. (Photo: Office of the PM)
St Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday received EC$600,000 from Taiwan to help with rehabilitation in the north of country following torrential rain on April 11.
Taiwan ambassador to Kingstown, Weber Shih, presented a cheque for the amount to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves at a short ceremony at the Cabinet Room.
The monies are the first portion of a US$1.5 million dollar grant, which will be used to rehabilitate the bridge at Langley Park/Basin Hole in Georgetown and to provide for a river defence network in the area.
It’s the second contribution from the Taiwan, in relation to damage caused by the torrential rains of April 11.
Earlier this year, following a visit by Gonsalves to Taipei, the government received a grant of US$500,000 for relief and rehabilitation.

Camillo Gonzalves at the UN

The international community must tangibly demonstrate even greater levels of trust and faith in the youth.
The call comes from the Permanent representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ambassador Camillo Gonsalves. He told the General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Youth that the challenges they face are often without parallel in historical memory.
Gonsalves: In our region, the youth confront transnational crime, HIV/AIDS, climate vulnerability and a technological explosion amid an uncertain economic environment, with changing modes of production and distribution of capital that have yet untold implications for the next generation. This High-Level event must have something to show for itself beyond a tepid outcome document. It must be the beginning of a reimagining of the role of the youth in our national development and global governance, and the starting point of a genuine effort to mainstream youth issues and embrace our young people as equal partners in this journey into an uncertain future. Anything less would be simply be another attempt to use the youth as a photogenic backdrop for further political grandstanding. But as we have learned in recent months, the price of such marginalization of the youth, their needs and concerns, can be politically and societally cataclysmic. Let us heed the lessons that the youth have been trying to teach us.
NAR: According to Ambassador Gonsalves, it is an unfortunate truth that youth and governance are often times-uneasy bedfellows. He said the traditional halls of power and politics – including the General AssemblyHall – are often dominated by those for whom youth is but a dim memory.
Gonsalves: Further, many of our political leaders have failed to earn the trust of young people, seeing them merely as an emotional wave to be ridden into or out of political office. Others seek to cynically grasp a mantle of “change” that belies their own status as senior citizens whose principles and transformative credentials have long since been sacrificed on the altar of political ambition. But the world’s youth need not be mistrusted, harnessed, indoctrinated or marginalized. They need to be listened to. They need to be embraced. And they need to be made active, and leading partners in national development and global governance. The pace of change and development has accelerated exponentially, and the world that lies one generation into the future will be radically different from the one that we grapple with today. The pace of change – for good and ill – will be a defining feature of tomorrow’s global village, and it is one that we have no experience in managing, or even predicting.
NAR: Ambassador Gonsalves reiterated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines central sentiment of the CARICOM Declaration on the Future of Youth in the Caribbean Community, namely, that the youth are “not problems to be solved,” but rather “invaluable assets and partners in development” of the sub region. He said the creativity, innovation and energy that will chart a new course through the fallout of globalization and the ongoing global economic crisis lies with our youth, not the staid orthodoxy that led us into the crises we now face.
Gonsalves: The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has invested heavily in the youth at all levels of society. We have, in the last decade, achieved universal access to secondary education, and are well underway to universal access to early childhood education. State spending in tertiary education has increased exponentially, and every single one of our students – with the cooperation of the governments of Portugal and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – will have their own laptop computer, to engage the world beyond the narrow confines of our Small Island Developing State. Young people have also been thrust into positions of great responsibility at all levels of government and the public service. Senators, Ministers, Diplomats and other high level officials are all part of this burgeoning youth brigade. Young Vincentian entrepreneurs, sportspersons and cultural artists continue to create jobs, influence debate, and create new pathways for future development. Our national trust and faith in the youth is unshakeable.
NAR: Ambassador Gonsalves stressed that it is today’s youth who will inherit that world, and it is today’s youth who must be taken into the confidence of leaders and policymakers on every step of our journey into the future.
This is Donn Bobb reporting.

Garifuna Settlement Day in The Bronx

The Board of Directors of the Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc. a, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization is pleased to announce its Third Annual Yellow White and Black 2011 Garifuna Settlement Day Gala, scheduled for Saturday November 19th, 2011.

The Yellow White and Black 2011 Garifuna Settlement Day Gala will celebrate the Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc’s thirteenth anniversary, as well as the commemoration of Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize and Guatemala, and will be held at The Eastwood Manor located at 3371 Eastchester Rd Bronx, NY 10469 and is expected to draw over 300 guests from the tri-state area, as well as from the New England area.

The Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc invites you to reserve the date for an evening of fine dining, open bar, dancing and more. Proceeds from the Gala will go to support the operation of the Garifuna Coalition Advocacy Center in the Bronx. The Center serves as the basic advocacy and organizing needs of Garifuna immigrants from Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The theme for the Third Annual Yellow White and Black Fundraising Gala is based on the colors of the Garifuna flag, which consists of three horizontal stripes: Yellow is for the Amerindian heritage, White is for peace and freedom and Black is for the African Heritage, According to the National Garifuna Council of Belize, this flag has long been accepted internationally as the flag of the Garifuna Nation.

The Garifuna Coalition promotes harmony and unity among Garifunas, Garifuna-Americans and all persons and organizations of good will to promote and share our cultural heritage, improve the quality of life and community empowerment of New York’s Garifuna Community.

In 1940, Thomas Vincent (TV) Ramos, leader and spokesman of the Garifuna people along with Pantaleon Hernandez and Domingo Ventura approached the Governor of the colony and asked for the establishment of a Public and Bank Holiday to observe the Garifuna arrival in Belize. The request was granted and the Carib Disembarkation Day, later named Garifuna Settlement Day, was first celebrated in Stann Creek District on November 19, 1941, later in Punta Gorda and the Toledo District in 1943 and throughout the country in 1977.

Garifuna Settlement Day celebrates the arrival of the Garinagu to the shores of Belize. It also represents the incorporation of the Garinagu into Belize's social fabric. Furthermore, the Garifuna Settlement Day celebration symbolizes an official recognition of the Garinagu as a people who have contributed immensely to Belize as a country and to the Belizeans as a diverse people.

The Third Annual Yellow White and Black 2011 Garifuna Settlement Day Gala, will honor the memory of Thomas Vincent (TV) Ramos. We cordially invite you to reserve the date, November 19th, 2011,

For more information about the Gala, visit www.garifunacoalition.org or contact the Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc at (718) 402-7700.

Rain

A picture uploaded by Harry Colvin to stormcarib.com of flooding in Arnos Vale