DOG OF WAR SENTENCED, P. 28
Aussie
Abuse
Victims
Want
Apology
Page 31
VOL 18 NO. 45
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
U.S. 50 CENTS / NAf. 1.-- / EC$ 1.25
PHILIPSBURG--A change manager Pieter Drenth, who hails
from the Netherlands and who will
function as a statutory director for
one year, has been contracted for
St. Maarten Telecommunications
Holding Company. The contract
package is for 193,000 euros – the
equivalent of about US$303,000
or NAf. 545,418.
National Alliance (NA) Councilman Rodolphe Samuel made
a quick calculation and said that
for the amount of money paid for
This overview of Monday night’s fatal accident shows the damaged Jeep Grand Cherokee. The driver of the
Cherokee tried to overtake the Mack truck in the photo, causing a four-vehicle smash-up. Inset: The crushed
Suzuki Alto that claimed the life of the driver.
~ Two seriously injured in Union Road crash ~
COLE BAY--A Jeep Grand
Cherokee crashed head-on into
a Suzuki Alto and another car on
Union Road, Cole Bay, late Monday while overtaking a trailer
truck, killing the Alto’s teenage
driver instantly and trapping his
woman passenger in the vehicle.
At least two other people were
seriously injured and were rushed
from the accident scene near Port
de Plaisance to St. Maarten Medical Center around 10:30pm.
The name of the deceased was
not readily available, but reports
reaching The Daily Herald said
he was a resident of Grand Case.
The speeding Cherokee (M5591) slammed headfirst into the
Continued on page 4
IN BRIEF
• Philipsburg
FINANCIAL
SUPERVISION
~ Planning to run in senatorial election ~
The Island Council unanimously ap- MARIGOT--Winds of change
Fleming had hinted two months
proved the draft Consensus Kingdom blew through the Collectivité ago that he might be condemned
resolution on temporary financial suMonday with the announcement by the State Council for contrapervision on Monday. Page 3.
• Philipsburg
CONFIDENTIAL
INFORMATION
To the annoyance of the National Alliance (NA), several questions asked
last week regarding the TelEm Group
of Companies were not answered
yesterday because the information
was either confidential or considered
private. Page 4.
• French Quarter
MAJOR
FIRE
Around seven wooden houses caught
fire in French Quarter in the area
around the pond off Rue des Salines
on Monday and kept fire fighters busy
most of the afternoon. Page 5.
by President Louis-Constant
Fleming that he plans to run for
the Senate during elections slated
for September 21.
vening campaign funding regulations in 2007, and his announcement that he intends to run for
the Senate comes at a time when
Continued on page 7
the new manager, the salaries of
20 persons could be covered.
NA Island Council member
Frans Richardson said he did not
believe in bringing in a “superhero” for that amount to turn things
around in the company.
He compared the situation with
the recruitment of local people to
help build Country St. Maarten
and said government has been
offering them salaries of between
NAf. 3,000 and NAf. 5,000 a
Continued on page 9
~ Police fire shot, arrest three for recent crimes ~
DUTCH QUARTER--Police arrested three armed robbery suspects Monday after a foot chase
through Dutch Quarter during
which officers fired a shot at one
of the men before the others were
subdued and taken into custody,
the Police Public Relations Department reported.
A bullet hit the leg of one of
three men from Jamaica, suspects
in the recent spate of armed robberies and burglaries in Middle
Region and Dutch Quarter, when
he stopped running from police,
turned and suddenly started approaching the officers, police
spokesman Chief Inspector Johan “Janchi” Leonard told The
Daily Herald.
All three suspects were residing
in St. Maarten illegally.
A fourth Jamaican was arrested
later yesterday afternoon after
he threatened residents in the
Nazareth Drive area with a gun,
We’re back
from vacation
Lots of new
stuff has
arrived.
MO - FR: 10AM - 10PM
SAT: 10AM - 5PM
3 Palm Plaza Tel: 544-4407
next to Domino’s Pizza Simpson Bay
blaming them for the arrest of his
three fellow suspects.
Police flushed out the three men
on tips from residents, who had
formed a neighbourhood watch
group to keep their district safe
from criminal presence. Officers
swooped in on the suspects and
ran them down through the back
Continued on page 3
Editorial
2
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Important step
Member of the
Inter American Press Association
Published by
The Caribbean Herald NV
Bush Road 22
St. Maarten N.A.
P.O.Box 828
Bankers:
RBTT Bank St. Maarten
acc. 212938
President
R.F.Snow
Managing Director
Mary Jane Hellmund
Publisher
Paul De Windt
Editorial
Courtney Gibson
(Editor in Chief)
Gordon H. Snow
(Managing Editor)
Rajesh Chintaman
(Night Editor)
Judy Fitzpatrick
Alita Singh
John van Kerkhof
Gino Bernadina
Hazel Durand
Daune Robin
Thomas A. Burnett Jr. (Sports)
John Halley (photos)
Editorial Assistant
Marie Brown
Correction
Saresa Gray
Sharon van Arneman
Mario Brown
Yvonne Johns
Corinne van Putten
Correspondents
Brenda Carty (Anguilla)
Althea Merkman & Lynn
Kennedy (Statia)
Suzanne Nielsen(Saba)
Bob Morgan(Saba-photo)
Tamu Browne (St.Kitts / Nevis)
Alistair Edwards (St.Kitts
sports)
Robert Luckock (St. Martin)
Arny Belfor (Suriname)
Lay-Out
Richard James
Rodolphe O. Boirard
Stephen Morris
Operations Manager
Steven De Windt
Production Coordinator
Alvin Prescod
Office Manager
Mijke Stenz
Rosalie Davis (assis.)
Accounting
Ada van Luling
Mercedes De Windt
Advertising
Stephanie Culbert
Moira Marcelle
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Muriel Berthé
Harmen Rijsdijk
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Latoya Philips (assis.)
Graphics
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Chanaz Calor
Cleon Frederick
Special Editions
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Lisa Burnett
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Reception
Ethlyn Joubert
CALLING
THE DAILY HERALD
ST. MAARTEN
Telephone
5425253/5425597/
5420931/5437236
FAX 5425913
E-Mail:
dherald@sintmaarten.net
advertising@thedailyherald.com
editorial@thedailyherald.com
ANGUILLA/3138/fax 8707
SABA
4162381/4162881(sales)
4162731(edit)
STATIA
182401/182936/fax 182136
NEVIS
469-0607/fax 0606
ST KITTS
466-8609
WEATHER
Today: Partly cloudy, with a couple of isolated showers.
Winds: Northeasterly, 12-18mph, gusting occasionally to 26mph.
Sea conditions: Moderate, becoming fairly rough.
Wind force: 3-4, occasionally 5-6.
Seas: 4-8 feet, locally higher.
East-Northeasterly swells and waves generated by Hurricane Bertha are affecting the waters around the local islands. Mariners should exercise caution due to
rough seas. A small craft advisory may be issued.
Forecast high: 31°C 88°F
Forecast low: 25°C 77°F
SYNOPSIS: Tropical Storm Bertha was upgraded to a hurricane yesterday morning. It was located yesterday at 5:00pm near 52.1W20.1N, about 730 miles EastNortheast of the Northeastern Caribbean and about 1,150 miles Southeast of
Bermuda, moving West-Northwest at 15mph with maximum sustained winds near
115mph. A gradual turn towards the Northwest with a reduction in forward speed
and some additional strengthening were expected during the next couple of days,
and Bertha could become a category two hurricane later. Bertha will not influence
the weather across the local islands directly.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Names of possible tropical storms and/or hurricanes during this Atlantic Hurricane Season (now through November 30): Cristobal, Dolly,
Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar,
Paloma, René, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, Wilfred.
Hurricane Bertha was located yesterday at 5:00pm near 52.1W20.1N, about 730
miles East-Northeast of the Northeastern Caribbean, moving West-Northwest at
15mph with maximum sustained winds near 115mph. A gradual turn towards the
Northwest, a reduction in forward speed and additional strengthening were forecast. Bertha will not influence the weather across the local islands directly.
Elsewhere, no tropical cyclone development is expected through this forecast period.
That the Island Council unanimously approved the resolution
regulating financial supervision pending the consensus Kingdom Law not only helps open the door to much-needed debt
relief for the Netherlands Antilles, but sends an important
message that St. Maarten as a future country is serious about
safeguarding the proper use of public funds.
That the island wants an independent body for appeals against
decisions of the Kingdom Council of Ministers other than that
same council makes sense from a democratic point of view
and should not become a breaking point, especially since the
Council of State is mentioned as a temporary solution.
Granted, the approval represents just one step, also in light of
the observations that accompanied it. But the financial supervision is a major issue in considering the five-billion-guilder
debt built up by the Antilles over the years.
Especially in the Netherlands the news will be welcomed, because along with the constitutional reforms it entails spending
millions of Dutch European tax payer funds. Structural overspending in the islands will no longer be possible and budgets
will have to be balanced.
That is also reassuring to local residents who had feared that
along with the country status might come new debts and resulting financial burdens that would eventually end up being
passed on to tax payers. The financial supervision in effect
means the future of the people of the islands can no longer be
mortgaged as many believe was done in the past by the Antillean political establishment.
4714
8299
5633
45097
38910
65229
8085
5948
3213
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK: None.
VOLCANIC ACTIVITY: None.
Outlook until Wednesday midday: Variable cloudy, with moderate to fresh Northeast winds and East to Northeast swells.
Rainfall probability: 30 per cent.
Rainfall potential: 1-5mm, locally more.
Sunrise: 5:42am
Sunset: 6:52pm
Vessel
Place Arrival Departure Agent
Date Of Vessel
Arrival Departure
Agent & Sons
Adventure
The Seas Pier 8:00Place17:30
S.E.L. Maduro
8 Liberty Of The
Seas 8:00Pier 18:00
8:00
17:00
Maduro
OceanJuly
Village
Pier
S.E.L. Maduro
& Sons
ST. MAARTEN
POLICE STATION
Philipsburg tel. 542-2222
Simpson Bay tel. 545-5500
HOT LINE 108
EMERGENCY 911
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Tel. 542-6001 or 919
HOSPITAL
Medical Center, Cay Hill
24-hour Emergency Service
tel. 543-1111 or 910
AMBULANCE
Philipsburg tel. 542-2111 or 912
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
For medical emergencies after clinic
hours, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 am and during
weekends and holidays, all patients of
hereunder mentioned family doctors can go
to the emergency room of the St. Maarten
Medical Center, tel.: 543-1111 (ext. 1): Dr. A.
Arrindell, Dr. F. Bouman, Dr. F. Bus, Dr. H.
Deketh, Dr. A. Herles, Dr. G. ban Osch, Dr.
G. Spencer, Dr. P. Arrindell, Dr. G. Bryson,
Dr. J. Datema, Dr. G. Foeken, Dr. L. Knol, Dr.
A. Raghosing and Dr. U. Tjaden.
SXM Animal Welfare Foundation
Ambulance Team 520-8887
CRIME STOPPERS ANYMOUS TIP LINE:
543-TIPS(8477)
TELEPHONE INFO
Tel-em: 542-2211
E. Caribbean Cellular: 542-4100
Weather Info: 123
ST. MAARTEN TOURIST OFFICE
W.G. Buncamper road, Vineyard
Building, tel. 542-2337, fax. 542-2734
ST MAARTEN ZOO
Madame Estate: tel. 543-2030
Open daily 10 am - 6 pm.
October-March 9 am - 5 pm.
Admission: Adults: $10, kids $5.
COLE BAY COMMUNITY COUNCIL:
meeting 1st. Thursday of month at Sun
Flower Kinder Garten School, Union Rd.
Cole Bay at 7:30pm
SERVICE CLUBS
ROTARY meeting at Divi Little Bay Beach
Resort, every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
Rotary Mid Isle meets every Tuesday 6-8pm,
Le Charolais Restaurant, Royal Islander
Club, Maho Plaza.
Rotary Sunrise meets every tuesday at 6:45
am. at Air Lekkerbek
LIONS meeting at the Upper Princess
Quarter Community Centre Lions Den in
Sucker Garden every 1st and 3rd Tuesday
of the month at 8 p.m.
ST.MAARTEN LEO CLUB meeting at
Jubilee Library 1st, 3rd Friday every month
at 6:30 p.m.
KIWANIS meets at Wifol Building on
Thursday each month at 7.30pm. Kiwanis
Agenda St. Maarten / St. Martin
Key Club of the St. Maarten Academy
meeting at the St. Maarten Academy every
Friday at 1.30 p.m.
KIWANIS SOUALIGA 1st & 3rd Monday
7:00pm Holland House
JCI St. Maarten (JAYCEES) meeting at
the UTS Training and Development Center
every last Thursday of the month.
PHILIPSBURG TOASTMASTERS CLUB
bi-monthly sessions every first and third
Thursday of every month at the Library
conference room at 8:00 p.m.
STMARTIN MUSEUM
Frontstreet 7, Philipsburg, tel 542-4917
Opening hours from March 1st:
Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 12 noon
Sundays: closed.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Mon-Sat, 6-7pm, Red Cross Building, Airport
Road. Saturday and Sunday at Mullet Bay
beach next to restaurant 8.30-9:30am. Tel.
552-2120 / 544-3203
AIDS COORDINATOR Shanna van Eer
tel 5422079 Health Department, e-mail:
healthaf@sintmaarten.net.
NATURE FOUNDATION ST. MAARTEN
Wellsberg Street 1A, units 25-26, Cole Bay •
Tel. 544-4267, Fax. 544-4268.Email: info@
naturefoundationsxm.org
ANIMALS R. FRIENDS
Mailbox La Palapa Center, Simpson Bay •
Email: arf_sxm@yahoo.com, www.arfsxm.org
PHILIPSBURG JUBILEE LIBRARY
Ch.E.W.Vogestr. 12, Tel. 542-2970.
Open: Mo: 4-6.30, Tu: 9-12.30/4-9, We/
Fri: 9-12.30/4-6.30, Th: 4-9, Sa: 10-1.
WOMEN’S DESK, Frontstreet 141 (opposite
Tel-Cell). Monday - Friday 9am-5pm. Tel:
542-7940, Fax: 542-7941.
E-mail: womensdesk@sintmaarten.net
SAFE HAVEN, providing shelter and support
to victims of family violence. POB 636;
Hotline: 9333; Office 9277; Fax: 9368
CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT, E.C. Richardson
street 11-b; Tel. 542-1000/542-1008; Fax: 5421001
FRENCH HONORARY CONSUL, POBox
803, Philipsburg. Tel: (00590) 879989.
Fax: (00590) 879625. E-mail: Stanislas.
GRAIRE@wanadoo.fr
COAST GUARD NA&A, (24 HRS): 113
LEGAL AID CENTER, Law Clinic, open
every Saturday 9:00am - 12.00 noon.
Free advise on personal legal issues.
Administration Building, tel. 5422337
THE ST. MAARTEN RED CROSS, (24hrs),
#34 Airport Road Simpson Bay, Tel. 5455263/52304, Fax. 54-52333.
Email: redcross@sintmaarten.net.
For activities call: 556-4357
SALVATION ARMY Union Rd 59 Cole Bay
POBox5184 Tel/fax:5445424 cell:5477353
Sun 9:00am, Tue 7:00pm, Wed 6:30pm, Thu
7:00pm, Sat 4:00pm
ST.MAARTEN CHAPTER OF BUSINESS
AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN holds
their general monthly meetings every third
Monday at the Delta Hotel at 7:00 pm.
DIABETES FOUNDATION OF ST. MAARTEN,
Free blood-glucose testing every Thursday
from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. at the Philipsburg
Pharmacy Voges street, Philipsburg
(opposite library). Tel.: 542-3001
USO St. Maarten/St. Martin (USA militairy),
contact Janet Lambert 5577616 or 00590
590 294406.
SKALCLUB ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN
meets 1st Tuesday of the month. For
location call: 5424432 (Jennifer).
ST. MARTIN
POLICE MUNICIPALE
tel. (00590) 590 87.50.04
GENDARMERIE
tel. (00590) 590 87.50.10
FIRE DEPARTMENT
tel. (00590) 590 87.50.08
AMBULANCE
Tel. (00590) 590 52-00-52
Cell. (00590) 690 57-13-28
Fax. (00590) 590 29-08-11
HOSPITAL tel. (00590) 590 52 25 25
DISPENSAIRE Marigot
8 a.m. - 3p.m. tel. (00590) 590 87.50.93
DISPENSAIRE Orléans
8 a.m. - 3 p.m. tel. (00590) 590 87.37.21
C.R.O.S.S. (Center, Research, Organization,
Rescue, Security) is on stand by 24 hours at
0596 709292.
SERVICE CLUBS
ROTARY Club St. Martin-Nord meeting
at Flamboyant Hotel, Baie Nettle every
Thursday at 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
LIONS First and third Tuesday at Nadaillac,
Marigot at 7.30 p.m.
KIWANIS: See St. Maarten.
MUSEUM ST. MARTIN
Facing the grand parking at Marina Royale
- Marigot. Open from 10am to 4pm, closed
Saturdays & Sundays. tel. (00590)590 29.22.84.
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
3
~Promotional Campaign in Washington, DC~
Police taking the three armed robbery suspects to the Philipsburg police station Monday
after running them down on foot in Dutch Quarter and firing a shot at one to knock him
off his feet. Police commended the assistance of residents in nabbing these criminals, reminding them that “our livelihood is at stake” in the face of growing crime. (Composite of
three Gromyko Wilson photos)
Robbery suspects chased
Continued from page 1
hills on Romeo Drive, until
one of the three stopped
running away and started
running towards the officers.
Police fired a single shot
at the man’s leg, knocking
him off his feet, before taking the other two men into
custody. The fourth suspect
showed up in the neighbourhood later and was arrested soon afterwards.
Leonard applauded the
residents’ willingness to
assist in keeping their districts safe, urging other
communities to follow suit
and alert police to criminal
elements that are potentially damaging the island’s
tourist-driven economy.
“They [the criminals] have
absolutely no feelings, because they are hampering
locals and tourists,” said
Leonard, asking residents to
“continue to work with police” in fighting crime. “Our
livelihood is at stake.”
The police’s report did not
state what, if anything, had
been confiscated during a
subsequent house search
on the property the suspects were believed to have
occupied.
Leonard noted the limitations of the understaffed
Police Force, promising,
however, that the officers
would respond to as many
reports of criminal activity
as possible. “We’re going
to do our utmost to react to
every call we get in regard
to flushing out criminals,”
he said.
The three men will either
be investigated for their
roles in hold-ups and breakins or simply be repatriated,
Leonard said.
PHILIPSBURG--The Island Council unanimously
approved the draft Consensus Kingdom resolution
on temporary financial supervision on Monday. In
the resolution passed it was
agreed to include also the
issue concerning appeals
against decisions of the
Kingdom Council of Ministers.
The opinion of the Island
Council was that the Kingdom Council of Ministers
could not be considered to
be an independent body
when it concerned decisions
taken by that same Council
of Ministers. The opinion of
the Island Council is that an
appeal to the general body
of the Kingdom Council of
State would constitute an
acceptable temporary decision.
In the event it will not
be possible to facilitate a
solution via the Kingdom
Council of State, the draft
resolution should be adjusted to make possible administrative appeal to the
Kingdom Council of Ministers under the explicit stipulation that the Council of
Ministers may not deviate
from the advice and draft
decision of the Council of
State and that the Council
of State prepare such decision in complete independence, taking all aspects of
the case into consideration.
The Island Council appeals to the governments of
the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Curaçao to consider these adjustments to the resolution
and to put similar proposals forward to the Council
of State.
Constitutional Affairs
Commissioner
Sarah
Wescot-Williams expressed
once again during the Island Council meeting her
concerns about not having
an exact date for attaining
country status.
PHILIPSBURG--United
Airlines will maintain its
three times weekly flights
here from its hubs in the
United States. The airline
has excluded St. Maarten
from its drastic schedule of
cutbacks across the region
brought on by soaring oil
prices that have been hammering the industry.
United will continue its
Chicago service on Saturdays and Washington, DC,
on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tourism Commissioner
Roy Marlin reaffirmed the
island’s commitment to
United last week when he
and a St. Maarten delegation met with airline officials. The meeting centred
on how the two sides can
work together to weather
this difficult period the airline industry is experiencing.
To boost the flights, the
island government will
embark on an immediate
sales and marketing initiative in the Washington,
DC, area. Marlin gave his
commitment to assist with
the strengthening of the
Washington service in particular, which allows for
connections from various
geographic segments of the
United States, especially
the North and South Eastern corridors.
“St. Maarten will support
United’s primary channels
of distribution in the key
markets,” the Commissioner added.
St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association
(SHTA), represented by
President Emil Lee, will
provide United with a list of
properties and the opportunity to forge partnerships to
promote the United and St.
Maarten brands.
Tourism Director Regina
LaBega, who was also part
of the delegation, said that
the majority of US carriers
with non-stop service to
the Caribbean from the 48
contiguous states show significant decreases in the average daily seats on flights
scheduled for December in
comparison to December
2007.
“United, for example,
shows a change of -28 per
cent in the average number of daily seats that are
scheduled for December
2008 compared to December 2007,” she noted.
“Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and
The Bahamas, are among
the worst hit.”
“Given the bleak circumstances the airline industry
is facing, it was important
for St. Maarten to become
proactive and try to seize
the opportunity as a hub to
at least maintain the level
of service to the island,”
Marlin stated.
The St. Maarten delegation also included Alan Fliss
of RFC&P, the island’s US
marketing firm.
The United team was led
by Managing Director in
charge of North American
Planning David Jehn. It included National Account
Manager Marie A. Blawat,
North American Planning
Manager Mark T. Nelsen
and Gary Cojulun of United Latin Revenue Management.
Infrastructure and Environmental Affairs Commissioner
Theo Heyliger hit the ground running on Monday after an
almost two-month absence due to health reasons. Heyliger
returned from the United States on Friday, and was present
in Monday’s Island Council meetings. Despite his illness
and medical trips overseas, Heyliger continued to oversee
and be updated on his projects and responsibilities by his
staff. In photo: Heyliger signs in for the Island Council
meeting dealing with developments at the telephone company.
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4
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee being taken from the vehicle.
Traffic accident claims youth’s life
Continued from page 1
white Alto (P-5687), then
hit a blue Mercedes Benz
(93AVB971) in the oncoming traffic lane. The force
of the collision caused the
Cherokee to flip over onto
its roof before skidding to
a stop.
The driver of the Alto apparently died on the spot,
while his passenger remained alive, but pinned
within the crumpled front
of the vehicle. They were
both wearing their seatbelts.
According to reports
on the scene, the Cherokee had been racing from
Marigot toward Cole Bay
when the driver tried to
overtake the new Mack
trailer truck (Z-155) also
headed away from French
St. Martin. The Cherokee
collided with the Alto before the driver could swing
back into the right lane and
swerved wildly, hitting the
Mercedes Benz and then
flipping over. The Mack
truck sustained some minor
damage.
The Fire Department’s
rescue equipment was employed for the second time
in nine days to cut the woman out of the crushed Alto.
The driver’s body was extracted some minutes to
midnight as police halted
traffic on both sides of the
accident scene, bringing
back into focus the concerns of commuters who
had not been able to go to
French St. Martin via Union
Road because of an accident only a few days ago.
Just over one week ago,
another driver racing along
Union Road smacked headon into an oncoming passenger bus, seriously injuring himself and his woman
passenger, wrecking both
vehicles and forcing police
to halt cars on both sides of
the Dutch/French border as
they investigated and start-
Advertising Agency has
opening for an
independent and self-managed
sales person.
Sales experience is a must.
Sale of various medias (Outdoor,
Website etc...)
Perfect English speaking and
writing. Computer literate.
Commission bases (aver.
USD 4,500)
Call cell: 557.0222 or
e-mail: info@connexionads.com
ed to clean up.
The crash victims survived, but the man sustained several fractures
about his body while the
woman had surgery to remove the glass shards that
were lodged in her eyes.
The bus driver escaped with
merely a scratch on his leg.
Police spokesman Chief
Inspector Johan “Janchi”
Leonard said on the scene
that at least four vehicles
had been affected by the
crash, but explained that it
was too early to give specifics about the extent of the
blame to lay on the Cherokee driver. He said police
would be investigating the
matter thoroughly to determine the exact cause of the
accident.
Word spread quickly last
night about the “horrible
accident” and while there
was an extensive back-up
of vehicles on both sides of
the traffic scene choking the
flow of cross-border traffic,
hundreds of residents and
several police patrol and
fire service vehicles rushed
to the scene.
PHILIPSBURG--To
the
annoyance of the National
Alliance (NA), several
questions asked last week
regarding the TelEm Group
of Companies were not answered yesterday because
the information was either
confidential or considered
private.
The NA Island Council
members believed they
had a right to know certain information regarding
government-owned companies, which are in fact companies of the people of St.
Maarten.
Commissioner in charge of
Telecommunication Maria
Buncamper-Molanus said
during Monday’s Island
Council meeting, which was
a continuation of the meeting that was started last
Monday that TelEm’s business strategy was extremely
confidential and should not
be distributed and discussed
publicly, as this information
should not end up in hands
of the competition.
“Management made several presentations about the
long-term Business Strategy of the companies to the
shareholder and the supervisory board of directors in
the past and, if so desired,
the management can make
another presentation to the
Island Council in a Central
Committee meeting,” Buncamper-Molanus said.
Also regarding the business plan for the refinancing of a US $78 million
loan, she said this had been
discussed extensively with
the supervisory board of
directors and shareholders on many occasions, but
cannot be discussed publicly. Again the Commissioner
proposed holding a Central
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Committee meeting to discuss the matter more in
depth.
Concerning the refinancing of the loan for which
The Merit Group took
TelEm/Smitcoms to court,
Buncamper-Molanus said
she had become officially
aware of the loan facilitation arrangements with
Merit through a letter sent
by the supervisory board of
directors to the shareholder
representative on December 20, 2007.
She confirmed that The
Merit Group had filed
a court case against the
TelEm Group and that the
relevant information regarding the case was available at the Island Secretariat for perusal. Also a copy
of the agreement signed
with Merit was available for
perusal.
The Commissioner said
the companies that had
engaged in the agreement
with The Merit Group were
responsible for any financial consequences if the legal case was lost. According
to her, any business deal
can have a negative effect
on the company.
“The company has legal
experts that review all their
agreements for these exact
purposes. The agreement
wasn’t binding, as it needed
final approval of the shareholder. There is nothing
the Executive Council can
do if someone wants to take
a government-owned company to court for anything.
You just have to defend
your position in court. This
is the way the legal system
is set up in America,” Buncamper-Molanus said.
The position of the Executive Council on the refinancing of the US $78 million loan had not changed
until recently, she continued.
“After all, the due diligence
was done as was requested
by the shareholder representative, and the supervisory board of directors was
instructed in a meeting of
April 2007 to continue with
the setting up of a financial negotiating committee,
which would include experts from the Foundation
Government Accountant
Bureau SOAB, a legal firm,
technical firm and management.”
Again, when the Island
Council requested a copy
of the SOAB feasibility
report, the Commissioner
said a confidentiality agreement had been signed with
the Citibank group, so the
enclosed information regarding the terms of the
loan offer could not be discussed publicly.
She gave a breakdown of
the existing loans of the
TelEm Group of Companies. The office of TelEm
has been financed via the
Windward Islands Bank
(WIB) for NAf. 9.9 million.
The new warehouse has
also been financed via WIB
for NAf. 1.9 million.
TelCell has a NAf. 7.7 million loan with RBTT and a
NAf. 2.2 million loan with
WIB.
The Smitcoms building was
financed via a US $1.8 million loan with FirstCaribbean International Bank.
For the Smitcoms switch,
the company has a loan of
US $1.4 million with FirstCaribbean
International
Bank and a US $11.9 million loan for the fibre optic
cable. Smitcoms also has
a US $412,000 loan with
FirstCaribbean
International Bank for billing and
a US $2.8 million loan with
the Giro Bank.
However, when she was
asked for a copy of the
agreement signed with the
new change manager for
TelEm and the salary of the
present managing director,
the Commissioner said the
information was known
by the supervisory board
of directors and would be
treated confidentially, as it
would not be ethical to disclose the information to the
public.
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
One of the shacks burnt to the ground in French Quarter on Monday. In front of it is the
big house facing Rue des Salines that escaped the worst effects of the fire. (John Halley
photo)
FRENCH
QUARTER-Around seven wooden
houses caught fire in French
Quarter in the area around
the pond off Rue des Salines
on Monday and kept fire
fighters busy most of the afternoon.
The wooden structures
were located behind a big
house. Apparently a shack at
one end caught fire first and
flames spread quickly to the
others, but luckily did not affect the house in front.
Fire Chief Captain Cleo
Gumbs said the call had been
received at 12:42pm and two
trucks had responded initially with 10 fire fighters, but as
the size of the blaze became
apparent more reinforcements had been brought in.
Residents in the area reportedly helped out and
fire trucks were able to refill
their tanks from the pond
water.
It was not known if anyone
had to be evacuated from
Flames leap skywards as one of several wooden and zinc
metal shacks burns in French Quarter on Monday (John
Halley photo)
the apartments, or if they could not be reached again
had were at the time, but an later. The cause of the fire
unconfirmed report indicat- was not known.
ed several people had been
Gendarmerie spokesman
made homeless. There were Capitaine Stéphane Aurousalso suggestions the shacks seau said he would have no
had been constructed ille- details about the fire until
gally, without permits.
Tuesday.
Captain Gumbs, who was
Unfortunately, no witness
elsewhere on the island at reports from the scene could
the time, could not give fur- be obtained up to press
ther information, as the fire time.
was still in progress, and he
PHILIPSBURG--Commissioner Maria BuncamperMolanus has denied making
any statements that she is in
favour of selling TelCell as a
means of acquiring the necessary funds to improve the
other companies in the St.
Maarten Telephone TelEm
Group.
“I have stated from day
one that the company is not
for sale and my position has
not changed. The Executive
Council hasn’t agreed either
to any proposal to sell the
company partially or totally,”
the Commissioner stated.
However, National Alliance
(NA) Councilman Frans
Richardson did not believe
the Commissioner. He stated that copies of minutes of
meetings of the supervisory
board of directors pointed
to the Commissioner being
in favour of selling the company.
“We heard today that the
assets of the companies have
been estimated at NAf. 94
million. Why sell? Is that the
policy of the Commissioner
and that of the Executive
Council also? Will it be a monopoly for TelEm or also for
other telecom companies?”
Richardson asked.
He said he believed it had
been TelCell that had kept
the other companies afloat.
NA leader and Councilman
William Marlin also said he
believed TelCell had been
the money-maker and could
not be sold.
However, Buncamper-Molanus refuted the statements
and again said the Executive
Council had not made such
statements.
“As Commissioner, I had
a meeting with the board of
supervisory directors in order to discuss, among other
things, the viability of the
companies. I did mention
that possibility and when I
took office there were quite
some reports regarding these
companies. In one report
such a suggestion was made,”
she said.
The meeting of the supervisory board of directors concluded with the agreement
that several scenarios would
be researched. None would
include the sale of TelCell,
the Commissioner stated.
M A R I G O T- - Pr e s i d e n t
Louis-Constant
Fleming indicated at Monday’s
press conference that if he
had to step down, Laurent
Fuentes, the number 17
candidate on the Union
Pour Le Progrès (UPP) list,
would be eligible to join the
Territorial Council, but that
would also mean Fuentes
would have to make the decision to either be a Territorial Councillor or stay with
his position as St. Martin
representative in the national Economic and Social
Council.
“The law says he (Fuentes) will not be able to hold
the two mandates,” Fleming said.
Other than mentioning
this, Fleming would not be
drawn on the Fuentes controversy that has been occupying the headlines. He
said the Collectivité was
actively searching for a new
head of communications to
replace Fuentes. He admitted that communication
with the population had not
been as good as it should
have been.
At just one week shy of the
first anniversary of his fiveyear mandate, Fleming described his first year in of-
fice as being “very rough.”
“We thought everything
would have gone much
faster than it has. The conditions under which St.
Martin became an Overseas Collectivité are exceptional. This is a major institutional modification and
extremely complex. There
have been times I wanted
to throw in the towel. The
pressure is extremely high
and there are some situations I don’t have any answers for because they are
out of my hands. There
are meetings that go on for
hours at a time, and sometimes till midnight.”
He said the Economic,
Social and Cultural Council
had not been functioning
as it should and that had
allowed other movements
and pressure groups such
as Collectif Mouvement des
Citoyens to become active.
He said the Collectivité
could not accept responsibility for the setup of the
Economic and Social Council, as this was implemented
by the State, but the Collectivité was responsible for
the Conseils des Quartiers,
as the structure of these
Councils were created by
the Collectivité.
5
Clearly annoyed at the
rumour mill that, as he put
it, “St. Martin runs on,” he
said he was one person who
did not have a problem with
money, having always paid
for his campaigns and business trips out of his own
pocket. “I have never asked
the Collectivité to pay anything for me. I realise others are not as fortunate, but
for 30 years I have dedicated myself to the population
of St. Martin in this way.”
The article under the
headline “Telbo take over
BoTV” and datelined
BONAIRE on page 4 of
Saturday’s paper mistakenly mentioned “Curaçao’s
phone company.” Telbo is
of course Bonaire’s phone
company.
6
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7
Louis-Constant may have to step down
Continued from page 1
the Council’s decision is
said to be imminent.
His decision to change
tacks midstream makes
the likelihood of his stepping down as President of
the Collectivité more inevitable, at least on the surface, but his stepping down
and running for the Senate
still depends on which way
the ruling goes. The State
Council is expected to give
its decision as early as this
Wednesday.
Fleming made it clear at
a press conference Monday
that his lawyer had indicated no decision had been
made. The Council was said
to be waiting for the opinions of two ministers.
Commission Nationale
des Comptes de Campagne
et des Financements (CNCCFP) ruled earlier in the
year that Fleming would
not be reimbursed his campaign expenditure of 18,741
euros, as he had not opened
a dedicated bank account
for his 2007 election campaign.
The disciplinary measure
would render Fleming ineligible to run in elections
for one year, but according
to him, this applies only to
the Territorial Council.
Even though any sanction against him would be
backdated, with the oneyear penalty ending July
15, 2008, Fleming will still
CUPECOY--A construction worker fell off a steel
girder at a Cupecoy worksite Monday and sustained
cuts and bruises all over his
body.
Although police did not
have much information
available, they said they
would look into the incident that had landed the
man in hospital.
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have to resign if the State
Council rules against him.
His resignation would leave
the way open for one of his
16-member majority party
to succeed him to complete
the five-year term.
The implication of Fleming’s possible resignation
reportedly has sparked
much discussion within the
Union Pour Le Progrès
(UPP) party as to who will
succeed him.
“This is an administrative
sanction and not a political sanction,” Fleming told
Monday’s press conference. “If I’m declared ineligible I don’t know how
the population would accept it, because they are the
ones who voted for me. I’ll
always function as president until 2012 whether the
State Council declares me
ineligible or not,” he said
defiantly.
Explaining the campaign
account error, Fleming said
it had been a calculated risk
not to open a dedicated account.
“I nominated my son to be
the “mandataire financier,”
which is quite legal. We
took the voluntary decision
not to open a dedicated account because we already
had expenses prior to the
start of the campaign on
June 11, creating the Website, etc., and we could not
put those expenses onto the
campaign account and justify them.
“It would have meant going back to the suppliers,
getting our money back
and asking them to make
new invoices, and paying
them with a cheque from
the campaign account. It
was too complicated.”
He said he was only guilty
of not opening a dedicated
account, and not of overspending on the campaign
account, which was his own
money.
Fleming said that if he had
to step down, his time could
best be served working on
behalf of St. Martin in the
Senate. The decree governing the electors for the election was issued last week.
The electors comprise the
23 Territorial Councillors and the Deputy of the
fourth circumscription.
“After one year I have
realised we have a major
handicap with the Organic
Law in that it has many imperfections,” he explained.
“Changes have to be made
in it and we have come up
against certain roadblocks
in the last month. My intention is to go to the Senate to
get the Organic Law modified.”
“Other Collectivités have
had success getting changes
because their Parliamentarians have been very active, and we need to do the
same. My interest is not in
collecting mandates, but at
this particular time I want
to make sure the Collectivité gets in place properly.
We are running late and it’s
understandable the population is becoming more and
more impatient.”
Residents living along the first section of St. Peters Road were able to access their homes
directly as of Monday afternoon. The road was reopened after several weeks of closure to
facilitate upgrading work. The next section of the road and part of L.B. Scot are closed
off as of today, Tuesday, for the continuation of the District Improvement Project. (John
Halley photo)
SOUTH REWARD--Milton Peters College (MPC)
Parent Teachers Association (PTA) informs parents
that school uniforms will be
available for sale from the
end of July to the first week
in August.
All MPC parents and students are reminded that the
full uniform must be worn
by all students in the new
school year. The uniform
consists of light blue polo
shirt or oxford shirt with
MPC emblem (sold exclusively by the MPC PTA),
navy long pants, Bermuda
shorts or pant-skirts (also
sold at the school), black
belt and black shoes or
black sneakers.
All polo shirts and regular oxford shirts must be
tucked neatly in the pants
while girl’s oxford shirts
may be worn outside. No
jeans are allowed.
Specific dates and times
when the uniform can
be purchased will be announced soon.
Parents can contact the
PTA at e-mail mpc_pta@
hotmail.com to sign up with
the association or for further information.
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8
PHILIPSBURG--Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus in her closing
remarks at Monday’s Island
Council meeting apologised
again for the mistakes she
and her husband had made
in the past months.
She also shed light on the
hostility encountered when
dealing with the supervisory board of directors of St.
Maarten
Telecommunications Holding NV.
The Commissioner said the
debate of the past few weeks
and even the calling of the
meeting on developments
within the TelEm Group of
Companies had all been attributed to her actions and or
behaviour. “So many people
had and still have so much to
say that it is no longer possible to see the forest through
the trees,” she stated.
The situation is of such a
nature that her children have
questioned her about the
monies she supposedly stole
from TelEm to give to “daddy,” she said. “People refer to
this as a ‘political game’ and I
believe that is where I beg to
differ from those who believe
representing the people and
looking after their wellbeing
is a game.”
She continued, “I made mistakes. I admitted to having
made mistakes. No matter
the reason, it was bad judgment to have nominated my
husband to sit on the board of
the TelEm Group of Companies. For this bad judgment I
apologise to my colleagues in
the Executive Council, to my
fellow party members and to
the people of St. Maarten.”
Regarding the issue with
the donation to The Sky is
the Limit Foundation the
Commissioner asked what
more could be said about the
matter that had not been said
already. Again she admitted
it had been bad judgment on
her husband’s part to have
signed the request for the
donation while sitting on the
board of supervisory directors of the TelEm Group of
Companies.
The Commissioner’s husband Claudius Buncamper
resigned as a consequence
of what she called “this bad
judgment.” She said: “We acknowledged our mistakes, we
took steps to correct our mistakes, and we did not benefit
financially or in any other
fashion from this donation.”
As a matter of fact, Buncamper had requested that
the stipend he would receive
as a member of the supervisory board of directors be
given to several charities of
his choice, the Commissioner said. This was rejected,
as the then-chairman of the
board indicated that it would
cause tax problems for the
companies. “Yet the persecu-
Islands
tion continues on me and my
family, why?”
Buncamper-Molanus stated
that it had been explained
to all that the Island Council meeting had been called
due to her statement that she
would continue to look into
corruption and fraud from
top to bottom within the
TelEm Group of Companies.
“Yet one question was
asked related to this. Why?”
She said that when she had
taken office she had decided
to hit the ground running
and get all departments falling under her responsibility
up and running. The TelEm
Group of Companies was no
exception.
“I took office on July 2,
2007, and already on July 9 I
received a presentation from
management and was informed, among other things,
about the loan request that
was pending since 2006.
“As I continued to update
myself, and speaking to different persons directly and
indirectly involved with the
group of companies, it became evident that things
would not be as smooth sailing as I had anticipated.
“It appeared at that time
that management was caught
in crossfire between supervisory board and shareholder.
It was very difficult for me as
Commissioner of Telecommunications to ascertain who
our partners were, who our
competitors were, who our
consultants were and who
our contractors were.”
However, she said she believed she was now being
chastised and expected to
give account for those same
issues about which she had
been enquiring. To illustrate
how it had been impossible
to receive information, she
read an e-mail received from
supervisory board of directors chairman Rudy Hoeve.
Buncamper-Molanus read
from the letter: “I believe
that you’re misinterpreting
your e-mail as an obligation
or task related to the functioning of the supervisory
board.
“However, let me refresh
your memory that in the first
meeting that you had jointly
with the board and management you specifically asked
the management to supply
you with certain information
such as names of all the local
companies with which they
had contracts, information
related to MIO, etc.
“At that moment you already bypassed the supervisory board and transgressed
your limit of authority. The
supervisory board will never
authorise you to approach
management directly.
“Related to your request to
submit to you all the minutes
of the meetings held by the
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
supervisory board which are
to be kept in accordance with
article 12 sub 5, I can inform
you that these are for the record and not for public distribution.
“We believe that you should
read the Articles of Incorporation of SMTHC thoroughly
and within its whole context,
and you will notice that the
Commissioner of Telecommunication is not a party at
all in this complete scenario
under the new Good Corporate Governance Structure
set-up.”
For the Commissioner the
letter was a clear indication
that she had been greeted
with very hostile behaviour
from the very beginning.
However, not being the type
to lie down and be beaten,
the Commissioner said she
had gone on to fill the two vacant slots on the supervisory
board of directors.
These two persons, she said,
had also been confronted
with the same difficulty in
getting information to be
able to make proper decisions.
Soon the rumours were
flying around about a possible case of fraud involving
an employee. According to
the Commissioner, others
were worried that this case
would go un-investigated
and approached members
of the board, who in turn requested an explanation from
management. Management
said it also had heard the rumours and was investigating
the matter.
It turned out that a senior
official, charged with the purchasing of auto parts could
not account for a substantial
amount of money supposedly spent for auto parts, the
Commissioner said. An internal audit confirmed this.
At first the official involved
denied any wrongdoing,
she said, but later he tendered his resignation from
the company and signed an
agreement to repay the money misappropriated from the
company.
“However, troubles about a
donation received, for which
every cent bas been accounted for, has been the topic of
discussion for three weeks or
more, but not a word about
this case of embezzlement
in the news. Would this case
have even been dealt with
if not for the board members nominated by me?” the
Commissioner said.
According to her, the hostility by the acting chairman
of the board of directors
towards her and the members she had nominated had
continued. “These members
were threatened to be taken
to the prosecutor because
they were interfering in management’s affairs and that
this was not in accordance
with the principles of good
corporate governance.”
It would appear, the Commissioner continued, that it
is better to steal from a public company than to request a
donation from one.
Referring to the number of
persons who had resigned
from various positions within
the TelEm Group of Companies, Buncamper-Molanus
read Curtis Haynes’ June 17
letter of resignation as a consultant with TelEm.
According to the Commissioner, the letter stated:
“Please be informed that my
engagement with EOCG,
Dauphin and MIO is presently such that it may cause
conditions if not reason for
insinuations of a conflict of
interest.
“To avoid this and any further unnecessary queries and
insinuations, and for all of us
our peace of mind, I herewith inform you that effective immediately I withdraw
my consultant services to
your company.
“Rest assured that during
the period that I have been
of assistance to your company I have not failed to
maintain the highest regard
for primarily your companies’ interest in all matters I
attended on your behalf.
“I will be forwarding an invoice which will close off the
services rendered to date.
Thank you for allowing me to
serve you.”
The Commissioner said that
in his own words Haynes had
confirmed that he had been
a consultant advising TelEm,
affiliated with a partner of
TelEm on the fibre optic
cable, at the same time affiliated with a potential partner
on the new cable to be built
and at the same time affiliated with competitors of
TelEm.
Finally, the Commissioner
said two members had resigned from the board, but
she didn’t know why as they
had given no reasons for
their resignations. Nevertheless, she thanked them for
the time they had served on
the supervisory board of directors.
She also thanked Joseph
Richardson for the time he
had served as interim CEO
of the company. “I stand
humbled for the mistakes
I made, but will not buckle
for threats and intimidation
towards me and my family
as well as towards those who
support me,” BuncamperMolanus said.
The group of graduates pose with their certificates (John Halley photo)
P H I L I P S B U R G - - “ Yo u
are good, but how good is
good?” was the theme under which several students
graduated from the Social
Formation Programme last
Friday. The programme is
geared towards equipping
high school dropouts with
a second shot at education
and prepping them for the
job market.
The students graduated
after completing classes at
Education: Re-education,
Resource, Research (EducaRRR).
Depending on their
level, either diplomas or
certificates were handed
out during the ceremony
held at Philipsburg Mutual Improvement Association (PMIA) Hall on
Back Street. Students who
received certificates were
asked to return to the in-
stitution at the start of the
new academic year to complete their courses.
Keynote speaker Clemente Jones told students
they should “go beyond
good” and strive for excellence.
Completing the two-month
Preparatory Phase were
Frances-Saint Jean, Camira
Codrington, Andricia Lake
and Alberto Lake.
Diplomas for the threemonth Small Business programme were presented
to Laura Proctor, Kenzert
Cannegieter, Pierre Wilki
and Kimberly Guy. Certificates for this programme
were presented to Tamara
Daal, Micheline Dosithee
and Roxanne Shiwnairain.
Not present at the ceremony were Leonard Chambers
and Delisa Lavia-Toppin.
Graduates from the As-
sistant Health Care course
will get their certificates at
a ceremony this Thursday.
A number of students also
completed the two-month
work experience stint.
When students successfully
complete the three phases
they qualify for a diploma.
The St. Maarten Medical
Center (SMMC) and the
White and Yellow Cross
Foundation were thanked
for accommodating students for work experience
programmes. EducaRRR
representatives said some
of these institutions employed students following
their work study stints.
EducaRRR official
Yvonne Dick said she was
“very appreciative” of this
gesture and thanked the
instructors and the social
workers for their efforts in
moulding the students.
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
9
193,000 euros for a manager
Continued from page 1
month.
The recruitment of the
change manager took place
on invitation of bids from
three companies that offered the service to TelEm
Group of Companies, Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus told members
of the Island Council on
Monday.
The companies were
NTCS and Project Domain
Resources in the Netherlands and Global Resources NV in Cay Hill.
The companies were requested to deliver a change
manager based on terms of
reference. A backup manager was also part of the
terms of reference for assistance in the event something happened with the
change manager. Hence,
follow-up was directly
available, thus guaranteeing continuity.
No individual was requested to provide this service,
as the terms of reference
also indicated that the company’s knowledge was to be
used at no additional cost
for hiring consultants, the
Commissioner said.
The compensation of
193,000 euros paid to the
company NTCS that will
deliver the change manager
and the necessary support
team will be for a period of
one year.
“NTCS has experienced
staff and an extensive network of experts that are
available to support the
change manager in any field
or issue in telecommunications at hand. This so-called
backstopping support is included in the amount paid,”
the Commissioner stated.
Contrary to rumours circulating that the change manager is not yet on the island,
she said, “He is scheduled
to arrive on July 17. The
two managing directors of
NTCS were in St. Maarten
July 3-5. During their stay
they met with the different
stakeholders, including the
union.”
NA requested a copy of
the agreement, but the
Commissioner said the
confidentiality between the
managing director and the
company could not be disregarded. “No copy of that
agreement will be given. A
copy of the terms of reference for what was requested
can be given if so desired,”
she stated.
When asked about the salary of the current managing
director, she said again that
it was confidential information and, if desired, she
could ask the supervisory
board of directors to forward the information to the
Island Secretary’s office for
review by the Council members under the condition of
confidentiality.
Furthermore, BuncamperMolanus said hiring consultants could be financially
more efficient than hiring
permanent employees.
“The secondary benefits
that are paid to permanent
employees do not have to
be paid to consultants and
this can, in some circumstances, make it cheaper
to hire a consultant than to
recruit permanent employees. The services of an accountant can be terminated
at any time, unlike the procedures that would have to
be deployed in the event
that a particular function is
no longer required.
“Management can also
insist on particular deliverables from a consultant
within specified timeframes.
There are also circumstances where there is no choice
other than consultant contracts when the expertise
required is not really avail-
able,” she said.
The Commissioner could
not give an exact answer
about how many persons
were scheduled to be laid
off. She said all jobs in the
company had to be described before redundancy
could be quantified, a manpower assessment needed
to be conducted for each
function, placement of staff
in the new functions needed
to take place and the staff
that could not be placed in
the new company would be
considered redundant.
However, because it is
not known who will be redundant, nobody can be
notified as yet, she said. A
social plan was signed and
agreed on with the union
a few years ago when the
Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) was signed.
“The CLA has expired
and no new CLA has been
agreed on as yet, and some
tasks still have to be finalised
so that the complete social
plan can be implemented,”
the Commissioner said.
Samuel said it looked as
though a consultant had
been brought in for a year
to do the dirty job of firing
TelEm workers.
Richardson also doubted
the intentions behind the
short-term contract and
said the union too had a
responsibility. He recalled
how the union had strongly
objected to the appointment of an Antillean as a
new director in the past,
but now it appeared to be
silent and to be enjoying
what was taking place.
P H I L I P S B U R G - -W h i l e
the Court of Guardianship
(COG) in Curaçao has announced that it will cease
mediating in requests for
and voluntary payment of
child support as of August
1, the COG here in St.
Maarten will continue to do
so.
Head of the local COG
Joel Arndell said while the
office in St. Maarten refers
stalemate cases to the penal
system, the court still mediates in the vast majority of
cases and will continue to
do so.
Arndell’s clarification came
on Monday in response to a
press release issued by Court
of Guardianship Director in
Curaçao Lucy Tielen-Martis in which she announced
a decision to stop mediating
in cases.
Arndell said that following
the publication of the article
in Monday’s issue of The
Daily Herald, his office had
been bombarded with calls
from concerned parents.
“Their announcement
is not applicable to St.
Maarten. We do mediate
in child support cases and
we will continue to do so,”
Arndell said in a telephone
interview.
He said for such a “major
decision” to be considered a
blanket policy for the Netherlands Antilles, it would
have to come from Justice
Minister David Dick himself. He said too that there
had been no consultation
with the local COG about
such an initiative being
implemented, even though
the local COG has, to some
extent, been applying this
already.
At the moment the COG
in St. Maarten intervenes
in an average of three new
cases each week. The first
step is to call in the parent
against whom the claim is
being made to make payment arrangements. If the
parent refuses to cooperate,
the case is then referred to
the penal system. Figures
provided by the COG shows
that from 2003 to mid-June
2008, 192 cases were sent to
the Prosecutor’s Office for
handling.
Currently an estimated 400
fathers should be paying
child support through the
local COG, having been reported by frustrated mothers, but a large percentage
has defaulted. In an earlier interview, Arndell had
estimated that about US
$500,000 is currently owed
in child support and he said
the figure was climbing rapidly.
In the release, Tielen-Martis said parents who demand
support for their children
from their partner will
have to go to court or any
other organisation better
equipped for such matters.
“The manner in which the
mediation has been taking
place has not yielded results
in practice. The caretaker
often does not receive the
money to which the child
would be entitled. Furthermore, the Court of Guardianship too often becomes
involved in fights between
parents about payment. The
partner with whom the child
does not live is compelled
to pay the support,” it was
stated in the release.
“The payment and collection goes through the Court
of Guardianship in most
cases. However, mothers
and fathers who want to request support for their children in the future will have
to submit a request to the
judge, who will have to give
an order in case the parents cannot reach a mutual
agreement,” it was stated
in the release from TielenMartis.
PHILIPSBURG--Police
corrected on Monday a mistake in their report to this
newspaper, which said that
the landlady of a Westband
Drive apartment building
had been accused of using
black magic to get rid of a
tenant.
Police said the tenant had
called them when she saw
items associated with voodoo.
In fact, police spokesman Chief Inspector Johan
“Janchi” Leonard said, the
landlady had seen the tenant leaving candles, beads,
a knife, three single dollars
and 12 quarters at the doorstep of another tenant.
Police only confiscated the
knife.
July 7, ‘08
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Preparing annual tax return $ 30
DRAW DATE July 7th, ‘08
Preparing employment contracts $ 15
Preparing lease agreements $ 15
Writing professional letters $ 10
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31 10 41 12 19 47
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Islands
10
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Beauty blooms in unexpected places. This statement stands true for these Dama de Noche
(cactus flowers) that captured the attention of photographer John Halley in Cul-de-Sac.
The flowers bloom at dusk, last for the night and withers at the first light of day.
COLE BAY--A man split
the head of another with a
shovel during an argument
in Cole Bay on Friday, police said Monday.
The victim, a man from
China, told police Saturday
that he and a man reportedly from Jamaica had been
arguing near Marianne Estate when the Jamaican
suddenly took a wooden
object and struck him on
the arm. The attacker then
took a shovel and struck the
victim on his head, leaving
a gaping wound in his scalp,
police spokesman Chief
Inspector Johan “Janchi”
Leonard reported.
No specifics were given
about the motive for the at-
tack or the reason for the
argument. The attacker
had already left the scene
by the time medical personnel showed up, and the
victim filed the report the
next day.
Police said they would look
into this case of assault.
WILLEMSTAD--The next
step in the gradual increase
of Curaçao’s fuel prices
took effect Monday.
The new prices per litres
are as follows: Regular
gasoline 2.54 guilders; Su-
per gasoline 257.5 guilders;
Diesel 198.2 cents; Kerosene 200.6 cents.
The price for cooking gas
remains the same.
Fuel distributor Curoil announced that the increase
is “in conformity with the
government ordinance of
Friday, July 4, 2008.”
Also the price of products Curoil delivers to utility company Aqualectra
increased.
ARUBA--Of the three
charges against lawyer and
former Justice Minister
Hendrik Croes, Aruba’s
prosecution dropped two,
while for the third charge
of endangering traffic safety
it demanded only one week
conditional imprisonment
with two years probation.
The prosecution also demanded four months conditional imprisonment against
police officer Edgar Maduro
and 160 hours community
service with three years probation.
Croes’ as well as Maduro’s
lawyers had requested to
drop all charges.
The Attorney General
criticised the statements of
the suspects on the prosecution’s policy, after Maduro
reported Croes to the police
on March 16.
Croes had supposedly deliberately hit Maduro with
his car on the roundabout of
Paradera. The police officer
was regulating traffic at that
moment.
“The case has caused a lot
of commotion. It was not just
what happened at that moment. Aruba was on strike.
“Nobody could have ever
made up a case like this.
I have never experienced
emotions that ran so high
in a criminal case. And that
the unions had sent a fax,
threatening that the police
will go on strike if the prosecution didn’t take action,
is very low level to me,” the
Attorney General stated.
Also Croes’ statement in
the media that the prosecution “is working under the
terms of the unions” and
that Maduro had taken the
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fifth later because he didn’t
want to “answer questions
coming directly from the office of Hendrik Croes,” are
also disgraceful, according
to the Attorney General.
He also didn’t have a good
thing to say about the fact
that many MEP-supporters,
who came to the KIA prison
to support Croes where he
was temporarily taken when
he was arrested, blocked the
entrance.
As lawyer and police of-
ficer, Croes and Maduro
should have known that
their statements would do
damage. The prosecution’s
work is based on facts and it
is impartial.
The judge will give verdict
on both cases on July 17.
All Maduro wanted to say
afterwards is that “the demand is out of place” and
there had indeed been contact between him and the
car.
MAHO--Police arrested two
suspected drug dealers in
Maho Village early Monday,
and found several small bundled-for-sale bags of what
they believed was illegal narcotics, the Police Public Relations Department said.
Officers discovered 13 sacks
containing a white powder
they believe to be cocaine
and fine dried leaves they
think is marijuana on 23year-old St. Maartener D.S.
and 28-year-old K.E.R. of
Nevis, after receiving reports
that the two men were selling
drugs near the tourist-frequented nightclubs and bars
in Beacon Hill.
S. had two small bags of cocaine on him, while R. was
found with seven bags of
the powder and four bags of
marijuana, police spokesman
Chief Inspector Johan “Janchi” Leonard said.
“Apparently these two young
men were selling drugs in the
parking lot of Caravanserai,”
said Leonard. Police caught
them in the area about
1:40am.
WILLEMSTAD--The United States Consulate General recently launched a new website http://curacao.usconsulate.
gov. The website was developed to provide information
about the US and about its mission to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.
There are sections covering visas to the United States,
American Citizen Services, the latest news, speeches and
press releases. There are also links to information about a
broad range of U.S. policies and issues.
EILANDGEBIED ST. MAARTEN
NEDERLANDSE ANTILLEN
PUBLIC NOTICE
In accordance with the Island Zoning Ordinance
(AB 1993; nr. 13) the Head of the Department of
Public Housing, Physical Planing and environment
(VROM) hereby makes known that the following
planing permits has been approved:
1. Subdivision Plan PP-08031 “Leonardo Mathew”
for a parcel of land located at Arch Road, in the
Lower Princess Quarter area, which will be use for
Residential purposes.
2. Subdivision Plan PP-08037 “Mok” for a parcel
of land located long the L.B. Scott Road, in
the Ebenezer Estate area, which will be use for
Residential and/or Commercial purposes.
The applications can be reviewed from July 7th,
2008, to August 5th, 2008, at the department VROM
located at Tamarinde Steeg #1 (Yellow Building),
Philipsburg. During this period anyone who may
be affected by these Subdivision Plan may submit
written objections to the Executive Council.
ir. D. Richardson
Head of VROM
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
11
12
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
13
AGENDA
ST. EUSTATIUS
Police Station 182333
Emergency 111
Hot Line 108
Fire Department 120
Hospital 182211/182371
Landsradio 182210
Post Office 182207
St. Eustatius Historical
Foundation Museum 182288
Winair Office 182362
Lions Club meets every 1st and
3rd Wednesday at the “Den”
next to the Airport
Drug Prevention Foundation
meets every Tuesday 5:30pm at
the Golden Era Hotel.
Coastguard NA&A 113
St. Eustatius National parks:
Gallows Bay: 318 2884
SABA
Police Station
The Bottom, tel. 4163237
Emergency 111/112
Hospital
The Bottom, tel. 4163288/4163289
Fire Department Airport
Flat Point tel. 4162210
SATEL
The Bottom, tel. 4163211
WINAIR, Airport
Flat Point, tel. 4162255/2713
Taxi Service Airport
Flat Point, tel. 160
Administration Building
The Bottom, tel.
4163311/4163312/4163313
Tourist Office
Windwardside, tel. 4162231
Harbour Office
Fort Bay, tel. 4163294
Saba Marine Park
Fort Bay, tel. 4163295
Nature & Hike Guide
James Johnson
The Bottom, tel. 4163307
Service Club
Saba Lions Club general
meeting every 1st and 3rd
Tuesday 8:00 p.m. at Eugenius
A. Johnson Center.
Coastguard NA&A 113
Red Cross
General meeting every last
Monday, 6 p.m, Eugenius A.
Johnson Center.
ANGUILLA
EMERGENCY
Police 911
Fire 911
Ambulance 911
Police Station 497 2333
Hospital 497 2551
Dental clinic 497 2343
Radio Anguilla 497 2218
Tourism Department 497 2759
Crimestoppers 0800 7777777
AIRLINES
American Eagle 497 3501
Winair 497 2748
Liat 497 5000
Tyden Air 497 2719
Air Anguilla 497 2643
Trans Anguilla 497 8690
COURIER SERVICE
DHL 497 3400
Federal Express 497 2719
UPS 497 2239
SERVICE CLUBS
Rotary Club of Anguilla
Roy’s Restaurant 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Every Thursday.
Soroptimist International
Day Care Centre
4.30 p.m. 2nd Tuesday
in each month Tel: 497 3509
Lions Club
The Valley Primary School
1st and 3rd Tuesday at 8.00 p.m.
Tel: 497 6259
National Council of Women
Arts and Craft Centre
4.30 p.m. 1st Monday in month.
Interact Club of Anguilla
Meets every Friday at 3.15 p.m.
at theAlbena Lake Hodge
Comprehensive School
Alcoholic Anonymous meetings
every Sunday at 8:30 am and
Monday at 5:00 pm on Shoal
Bay picnic area.
Subscribe to
PHONE 5425253
The new Chief Commissioner of Police Johan Schagen (left) next to former Chief Jan van
der Straten.
BONAIRE--The
former
Chief Commissioner of Police Jan van Straten had a
list of recommendations for
his successor Johan Schagen at the Police Corps Bonaire change of command.
Communication towards
the people as well as internally, and confidence in
the members of the corps
and the staff members is
very important. “Conduct
administrative prevention
to protect administrators
of the island against people
who come from the Netherlands and do not wait till
the prosecution takes action.”
“Take clear and quick decisions, definitely in the area
of integrity. Work the existing projects out further, like
the complaints department.
Keep the Bonaire corps as
is. Bonaire is a unique island, keep it as such.”
Van der Straten wished
Schagen a lot of success,
having left the corps of Bonaire in January, after two
years.
The local Chief of Police Lt. Governor Herbert
Domacassé and Justice
Minister David Dick (PAR)
thanked him for his way of
managing the corps.
“The media criticised the
arrival of Jan one or two
months before he actually
arrived, and now that he is
leaving, nobody wants him
to leave,” said Dick.
The new Chief Commissioner of Police is from
the Netherlands and says
that he came to Bonaire
because, together with his
family, he had been travelling the world with a backpack. “That’s how we get to
know the world and other
cultures. When the opportunity to become the Chief
Commissioner of Police in
Bonaire presented itself, it
was not just a challenge to
work on an island within
the Kingdom, but also true
interest in another culture.
“I also prefer a smaller
corps. To me that is a challenge, because a small
corps is very conveniently
arranged. Everybody in
that corps is important.
“I am a person that loves
working together and transparency. I’m going to work
together with everybody
and with the media. I’ll take
up the challenge to give
very good information in a
transparent manner and in
the interest of the people of
Bonaire.”
“It is also a political reality that we are going to be
a BES-Islands corps. We
can’t wait six months for
that. We will have to take
the first steps, which means
that we need to start from
the beginning. I don’t know
yet how, but it must become
a corps in which a citizen in
St. Eustatius and Saba is
as important as one in Bonaire.”
The Minister of Justice
described Schagen as a person with a good résumé,
with experience in several
departments and the union,
and he is not old.
Schagen will visit the other
islands involved this week
and establish himself in Bonaire with his family effective August 1.
SR. BORGIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
THANK YOU!
Sr. Borgia Elementary School, would hereby like to express
heartfelt thanks to the following businesses for their
contribution towards our 16th Annual Educational Trip for our
grade 6 students.
• UTS
• R.B.T.T.
• Windward Islands
Bank
• Boolchands
• Diamond Casino
• Radio Shack
• Nagico Insurance
• Collective de Saint Martin
• Mme. Marthe O’Goundele - Tessi & Staff
• Ms. Nicole Piper
• The Flamboyant Hotel (Nettle Bay)
• Ms. Collette Duchene
• Mr. Daniel Lesi
• Anguilla Tourist Board
• Mrs. T. Richardson
• Mr. P. Hughes
• The Parents of Grade 6
• Mr. Charles Fleming
SIMPSON
BAY--Team
Goldendog, a US-based
sailing team with strong ties
to the island of St. Maarten
and three-time winner of
the Bareboat 3 Class of
this year’s Heineken Regatta donated US $6,500 to St.
Maarten Animal Welfare
Foundation.
Team Chairman/Founder
Goldendog Jeff Sochrin
presented the cheque to the
group in Island 92 radio studios in Simpson Bay as part
of the team’s ongoing commitment to help homeless
animals find their forever
homes.
“As every year we endeavour to up the ante, this year’s
donation is larger than last
year’s and larger than years
past. We look forward to
continuously raising the
mark and doing all we can to
further the cause of animal
welfare. In addition to our
contribution
on
St.
Maarten, we will be visiting
our friends at the Yankee
Golden Retriever Rescue of
Hudson, MA, USA and presenting them with a cheque
for the same amount.”
Animal Welfare Treasurer
Pamela Sims congratulated
the team on its wins this
year and thanked them for
the generous contribution
to help the island’s animals.
The funds will pay for this
summer’s spay campaign 100 free spay certificates for
residents of limited means
to take care of their female
cat or dog.
This campaign aims to cut
down on the number of unwanted litters next season,
which would mean a great
reduction in the number of
homeless animals and so
much less animal suffering.
FOR RENT
For rent in Pelican Key 2x spacious 1
bedroom apartments, fully furnished,
gated, ample parking + 2x per month
maid service included. Available right
away. Perfect for students, teachers, or
couple. Rent per month $1,200
For rent in Simpson Bay 2 bedroom
condominium newly furnished and
painted. 24 hours security close proximity to the movie theater, restaurants,
bank and other future attractions.
Available in July.
Rent per month $2,200
For rent in Guana Bay 3 bedroom
house semi- furnished, spectacular
ocean view, great outside dining, pool,
private, gated. Perfect for a family close
to Philipsburg. Guana Bay is a high in
demand area. Available end of July.
Rent per month $2,350
For rent in Pelican at the Anchorage
Building 2 bedrooms, fully furnished,
ocean view, available August 1st.
Rent per month $1,975
For rent in Pelican at the Anchorage
building 1 bedroom, fully furnished,
ocean view, available august 1st.
Rent per month $1,550
To schedule a viewing call:
Henry
at 586-3303
or Xavier
at 580-2833
Billy Folly Rd. #25 (Anchorage Building)
Tel: 544-5586 or 544-5582 • Fax: 544-5586
14
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
STICHTING VOORTGEZET ONDERWIJS BOVENWINDSE EILANDEN
THE FOUNDATION FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION (S.V.O.B.E.)
has an immediate vacancy for:
A Computer System and Network Manager M/F
Fulltime
Job description:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Maintains the existing computer network and all related equipment in the school and
office
Acts as technical resource person, provides support and assistance to users
Installs, configures, maintains and repairs new hard-and software
Maintains documentation on software control and configurations
Maintains and monitor the network to ensure its availability to system users
Stays informed on developments of hard-and software equipment
Requirements:
•
•
•
•
MBO education or equivalent in computer technology
Good communication skills
Good command of the Dutch- and English languages, orally and written
Experience in up to date hard-and software including:
Software :
WINDOWS NT SERVER/WORKSTATION 4.0
WINDOWS 98 / 2000 / XP
MS.DOS
MS.OFFICE
Hardware:
NETWORKING-ETHERNET
COMPUTERS RUNNING ON INTEL PROCESSORS
BASIC HARDWARE MAINTENANCE
Conditions:
Employment contract will be for one (1) year
Salary in accordance with your qualifications and experience
A functional medical test is required
Application:
Interested persons are required to send their application letter, passport picture, curriculum
vitae, references & diplomas/certificates before July 15, 2008 to the executive director of
the SVOBE,
Mr. Drs. J.R.H. Rogers, W.J.A. Nisbeth Road 99A, P.O.Box 913, Philipsburg, St. Maarten,
Netherlands Antilles. Fax: 00599 54-22329, E-mail: svobe@sintmaarten.net
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
SABA--The Island Government teamed up with the
Saba Civil Servants Social Association (SCSSA) Monday,
and unveiled the name board
at the parking lot adjacent to
the A.M. Edward’s Medical
Center in honour of the late
Norman C. Windfield.
The solemn ceremony
was attended by members
of the Executive Council
and Island Councils, members of the SCSSA, as well
as by Windfield’s family
members, friends and colleagues.
Commissioner with responsibilities for Public
Health Bruce Zagers said
he was happy to be part of
the special event to honour
the late Norman Windfield,
a good civil servant and a
good ambulance driver.
Commissioner of General
Affairs Christopher Johnson said that it was a very
sad occasion that at such
a young age a role model
within the Saba community
had passed away.
The parking lot has been
renamed Norman C. Wind-
15
field Parking Lot. The late
Norman Windfield passed
away last year on July 7,
2007. At the time of his
death he had been one of
the ambulance drivers on
Saba for many years.
Also attending the solemn ceremony were the
brother of the deceased
Cyril Windfield and his
long-time partner Altagracia Winfield. Vice Chairlady of the SCSSA Nellie
Peterson chaired the brief
ceremony.
The new board of the St. Eustatius Lions Club was installed recently at a ceremony held
at the Lions Den. The evening’s programme featured, among other things, a minute of
silence for world peace, a welcome address, and the financial report. The newly appointed
board members are: President Leonora Sneek-Gibbs; First Vice President Carl Houtman;
Second Vice President Siem Dijkshoorn; Third Vice President Leonie Brown-Williams;
Treasurer Koos Sneek; Secretary Bernadine Pandt, and Assistant Secretary Bernadine
Pandt. During the installation ceremony, the Melvin Jones award was presented to Carl
Houtman, past Zone Chairman and past president.
From left under the sign renaming the car park are: Commissioners Bruce Zagers and
Christopher Johnson, Altagracia Winfield, Cyril Windfield and Lt. Governor Jonathan
Johnson (Photo by Dave Levenstone, SNA).
ARUBA--The judge dismissed the evidence that
the prosecution obtained
via wiretapping to justify
the prosecution of the suspects of the Domino-case.
Because of this, the main
suspects Luis Mansur and
Mercasdo ‘Rafa’ Ochoa
were sentenced only to respectively 7 and 5 years imprisonment.
The dismissal was a setback
for the prosecution that has
spent a lot of time and effort and especially money
on the wiretapping. With
this decision, the court has
anticipated on new legislation.
Also the seriousness of
the facts, as being in the
interest of the community,
was not enough to use this
investigation method and
so come to the truth. The
prosecution violated an essential standard during the
preparation of the investigation before the conduct.
Considering the result
of other cases, the judge
thought a reduction of sentence appropriate for the
suspects of the Domino
case and acquittal of certain parts that the prosecution considered punishable
based on evidence obtained
from wiretapping Ochoa’s
car.
That the six remaining suspects in the Domino-case
have participated in a criminal organization involved in
laundering of drug money
is legally proven.
Ochoa’s wife, Rosalinda
Rasmijn, was sentenced to
18 months’ imprisonment
instead of 4 years demanded by the prosecution. Melvin Leito got 20 months;
Ricardo Bello Martinez
and José Cid 4 years each.
As already mentioned,
Luis Mansur was sentenced
to 7 years’ imprisonment
instead of 10 as demanded.
The judge said that Man-
sur had acted as if dealing
in drugs was very normal.
He was the financier of the
business.
That he is the biggest cocaine dealer of the island
is a bit exaggerated, but he
was also no amateur or occasional drug dealer, as he
described himself.
Mansur didn’t get punished for the fact that he
fired two shots with a gun
during his arrest. He could
not have known that it was
a raid and besides, his wife
panicked and even called
the alarm centre twice.
Ochoa was sentenced to
just 5 years’ imprisonment,
while the prosecution demanded 12. His privacy was
massively invaded for a long
time, said the judge.
There is also no evidence
that during the entire investigation period, he had
dealt 2,645 kilos of cocaine
as the prosecution indicated, but just some kilos.
16
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
ANGUILLA--Austin Richardson celebrated his 91st
birthday with a special
service and luncheon at
the Miriam Gumbs Senior
Citizens Home on Monday.
Austin is the oldest resident
of the Home where he has
lived since 1998.
His sister Lucille Gumbs
from Blowing Point and several friends and staff of the
Home were there to cele-
brate the birthday. Reverend
Clifton Niles, Superintendent
of the Methodist Church in
Anguilla, offered congratulations to Austin. He said that
birthdays are an opportunity
to celebrate and to express
gratitude to God for life. He
said a special prayer for Austin. Antoinette Laing read a
scripture lesson and the closing prayer was delivered by
Alice Warrington.
17
Head Nurse of the Home
Corinne Hodge added her
congratulations to Austin
who lived at North Hill
and Blowing Point before
entering the Home. He is
in good health and joined
in the service with the staff
and visitors. Following the
service a luncheon was
served to the visitors and
residents of the Home.
Still forecast to stay well northeast of the islands
PHILIPSBURG--The first
hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season formed
on Monday, hundreds of
miles away from the Caribbean islands, and quickly
strengthened into a category three, the US National
Hurricane Centre said.
At 5:00pm the centre of
Hurricane Bertha was located near latitude 20.1
North and longitude 52.1
West, or about 730 miles
(1,175 km) East-Northeast
of the Northeast Caribbean and about 1,150 miles
(1,855 km) Southeast of
Bermuda.
Bertha was moving toward
the West-Northwest near 12
mph (19 km/hr). A gradual
turn toward the Northwest
with a decrease in forward
speed was expected over
the next couple of days.
Maximum sustained winds
had increased to near 115
mph (185 km/hr) with higher gusts, making Bertha a
category three hurricane
on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Fluctuations
in intensity were considered likely during the next
day or two.
Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 25
miles (35 km) from the centre and tropical storm force
winds extend outward up
to 115 miles (185 km). The
estimated minimum central
pressure was 948 mb (27.99
inches).
The Meteorological Service of the Netherlands
Antilles said Bertha would
not influence the weather
in St. Maarten, Statia and
Saba directly. East-Northeast swells generated by the
system were, however, expected to start affecting the
islands late Monday.
The Miami-based centre
said it was still too early to
determine whether Hurri-
cane Bertha would hit any
land, as computer models
showed it would eventually
start curving to the Northwest and then to the North,
possibly taking it near Bermuda.
Long-range storm track
predictions are unreliable,
however, and the hurricane
centre noted, “It is still not
guaranteed that Bertha will
re-curve.”
Energy markets have paid
close attention to storms
in the Atlantic since the
devastating 2004 and 2005
hurricane seasons, during
which a number of powerful hurricanes ripped
through the Gulf of Mexico, toppling oil rigs and
severing pipelines. None of
the computer models used
to predict storm tracks indicated Bertha could steer
south into the Caribbean or
toward the Gulf.
Hurricane forecasters
have predicted this season,
which began on June 1, will
be average or above average. An average season has
around 10 tropical storms,
of which six reach hurricane strength with winds of
at least 74 mph (119 kph).
The record 2005 season
which included Katrina, the
hurricane that swamped
New Orleans and killed
1,500 people on the US Gulf
Coast, saw 28 storms form.
Bertha formed last Thursday near the Cape Verde
islands off Africa. It is unusual for storms to form so
far east so early in the season, and when it does happen it is frequently an indication of heightened storm
activity.
PHILIPSBURG--Due to retiling of its floor, Philipsburg
Jubilee Library will be closed until Monday, July 14.
Originally, the institution had planned to close for two
weekends, but the extent of the work required more
time.
The library will be reopened to eager bibliophiles on
Tuesday, July 15, from 9:00am to 12:30pm and again at
4:00pm to 9:00pm. Normal opening hours are in effect as
of Tuesday.
The library management apologises to members and
other users for any inconvenience the week long closure
may cause.
From left: Corinne Hodge, Reverend Niles and Lucille Gumbs with Austin Richardson (seated).
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18
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
ANGUILLA--Plans are being made for the general
improvement of The Valley, the island’s capital.
The Valley Improvement
Advisory Committee has
been assessing the condition of the town centre,
including all infrastructure,
roads, utilities, pedestrian
improvements, landscaping, historical sites and other physical features in the
town centre area.
The project area consists
of the section of Carter Rey
Boulevard from the Wallblake roundabout to the
Webster Park and along
Coronation Avenue to the
old hospital and in the other direction from the Wallblake roundabout to the
traffic lights by Albert Lake
and down to Webster Park.
A key element will be the
resurfacing of the roads in
The Valley and tenders are
currently being invited for
two kilometres of road resurfacing. Tenders may be
submitted by companies or
firms or public or semi-public agencies. Tender documents can be purchased
for a non-refundable EC
$1,000 from the Department of Infrastructure and
submitted by August 1.
The Committee aims to
bring aesthetics to The
Valley with a central parking area that will enable
persons to walk around
and enjoy the shopping,
dining, market, band stand,
historic features and other
aspects that are to be included.
Particular attention will
be paid to ensuring that architectural style and quality, and other features are
compatible with the design
guidelines stipulated in the
Town Centre Development
Plan, unless approved otherwise by the Land Development Control Committee.
Reasonable additional requirements as to landscaping, lighting, signs or other
advertising devices, screening, access ways, building
placement, building setback
and height restrictions may
be imposed by The Valley Improvement Advisory
Committee for the protection of adjoining property
and to maintain a consistent town centre image.
Six persons from Anguilla
earlier this year, attended a
Caribbean Downtown Conference in the Bahamas. It
provided a unique opportunity to see how other Caribbean governments and
business leaders are tackling the issues of downtown
revitalization and development. Plans are also being
made for the committee to
visit Barbados and Curaçao
to view downtown developments there.
Islands
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
PHILIPSBURG--Living
on St. Maarten/St. Martin,
encircled by the beautiful
crystal blue Caribbean Sea,
it’s almost impossible to
imagine not having access
to clean, safe water. We just
expect it to be there. But
take a step back and imagine for a moment: Imagine
not having clean, safe water. Imagine your children
walking for hours a day
just to collect clean water.
Imagine straining dirty water with a cloth to remove
worms and bugs, and then
drinking it. Imagine competing with animals along
a river bank for the limited
supply of dark, murky water. For many people across
the world, this isn’t just an
image. It is their reality.
In fact, more than 2.6 billion people, or 40 per cent
of the world’s population,
lack basic sanitation facilities and more than one bil-
~Helping the water flow and making a difference~
lion still use unsafe drinking
water sources. As a result,
thousands of children and
adults die every day from
dehydration and other water, sanitation and hygienerelated diseases.
The water supply and sanitation coverage in Ethiopia,
in particular, is among the
lowest in the world. More
than two-thirds of households do not have access to
safe water.
To help tackle this crisis,
Volvic water and UNICEF
are teaming up to help
bridge the gap and create
a meaningful connection
between countries where
clean water supply is plentiful and the developing
world where clean water is
scarce.
Germany, France, Japan
and North America are
doing their part to help
Participate in the Drink 1, Give 10 campaign and you can help make a difference in this
boy’s life.
make a change and now
St. Maarten/St. Martin is
stepping in as well. Caribbean Liquors and Tobacco,
Welcome party at the Charlestown Pier with Yunoka Flemming, Coach Anselm Caines
and Kalea Clarke (third, fourth and fifth left, respectively)
NEVIS--Two students of
the Charlestown Secondary School (CSS) were victorious in the recently held
Caricom quiz in Antigua.
Yunoka Flemming and
Kalea Clarke of Form 4A1
were selected to represent
the Federation of St. Kitts
and Nevis, after they dominated the national competition earlier this year.
The students defeated previous quiz champions Guyana in the zonal round of
the competition held in St.
Vincent. In Antigua, they
battled against St. Lucia in
the final round. Onlookers
described the final round as
a “nail biting” experience.
They were also successful in
matches against Montserrat
and Trinidad and Tobago.
Deputy Premier and Min-
ister of Youth in the Nevis
Island
Administration
(NIA) Hensley Daniel congratulated the students on
their recent achievement.
“I want to on behalf of the
Premier and my other colleagues in government to
congratulate the students
from the Charlestown Secondary School for winning
the Caricom quiz. Of course
we want our students to continue to be very knowledgeable on the region,” Daniel
said.
The team was coached
by teacher at CSS Anselm
Caines who in his remarks
stressed the importance of
being familiar with the Caribbean region.
“So often we speak to the
issue of our young people
not knowing enough about
our Caribbean history and
culture and I think that this
really provided a good opportunity for them to really learn more about that,”
Caines explained.
A contingent from CSS
along with Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Ministry
Joseph Wiltshire, Principal
Education Officer Jennifer
Hodge and Principal of CSS
Edson Elliott, welcomed the
students and their coach at
the Charlestown Pier on
their return from Antigua.
“We feel special at the
Charlestown
Secondary
School because we were
able to produce two students to carry the Federation in that quiz. We feel
that our contribution to the
success was a great contribution,” Elliott said.
the exclusive distributor of
Volvic water on the island, is
participating in this incredible initiative called “Drink
1, Give 10.” By just drinking water - an activity that
you do every day - you can
help make a difference.
Jennifer de Robles, the Marketing Manager for Caribbean Liquors and Tobacco, is
proud to help bring this campaign to St. Maarten. “What
an incredible opportunity it
is for our small island to contribute to such a worldwide,
worthwhile cause. We really
can help make a difference,”
She said. De Robles is also
extremely thankful to all of
the socially conscious supermarkets that volunteered
to participate and are fully
committed to this important
cause.
UNICEF, the world’s leading international children’s
organization, helps provide
life-saving nutrition, clean
water, education, and protection to more than 150
countries across the globe.
The premise of its “Drink
1, Give 10” programme, in
particular, is to help: Increase access to clean, safe,
drinking water to thousands
of people; Reduce mortality rates of children under
5 years old by decreasing
the rate of illnesses caused
by using contaminated water; Keep girls in school by
decreasing the amount of
time that they must walk
to get water; Build and
improve sanitary facilities;
Reduce the cost of water
and sanitation facilities by
using improved technologies; Teach proper hygiene
practices in communities,
schools and health facilities; Leverage government
efforts to increase water
supply and sanitation coverage in rural areas.
Recognizing the importance of these goals, here’s
what you can do to help
make a difference: Simply
buy Volvic water. For every
litre purchased here during
the month of July, Volvic
will make a four cent donation to UNICEF.
That means that for every litre of Volvic water
that you drink, you can
ANGUILLA--Serene
Carter-Davis,
Chief
Nursing Officer of the
Ministry of Health and
Social
Development
represented Anguilla at
the 35th Annual General
Meeting of the Regional
Nursing Body (RNB) in
Antigua last week.
The meeting discussed
issues pertaining to the
Caricom
(Caribbean
Community) region, the
accreditation of nurses,
education and training
programmes, issues related to nursing practice, climate change and
health, and trade in services.
The RNB since its inception has been in the
forefront of improving
the quality of nursing
and midwifery services. At the meeting the
movement of its accreditation framework
into the overall Caricom
framework, namely the
Caribbean Accreditation
Authority for Education
in Medicine and other
Health Professions, was
discussed.
Delegates
also addressed policy
and regulatory issues
associated with regional
19
provide 10 litres of clean
drinking water to people in
Ethiopia! The funds generated through the “Drink 1,
Give 10” campaign on St.
Maarten will help provide a
sustainable supply of clean
drinking water and improve
the health of people living
in the Benishangul-Gmez
region of the country.
To help facilitate this
meaningful
contribution
to UNICEF and give customers an incentive to participate, Caribbean Liquors
and Tobacco is integrating
an additional “Buy 2, Get
1 Free” promotion. For
every two six-pack of 1.5L
or 50cl of Volvic water that
you purchase, you will receive a third package free
of charge.
You can’t beat that especially when stocking up on
extra supplies for hurricane
season. And, since you already drink and buy water
every day, this month simply stock up on the Volvic
brand so that you can help
others receive a clean and
safe supply. Every little
bit that you can do to help
counts.
approaches to improving
the health and well being
of the people of the region.
Carter-Davis stated that
the meeting was very informative. One of the
issues that will impact
nursing is a new concept
of Task Shifting, which is
an initiative supported by
the International Council of Nursing to help
alleviate staff shortages
globally. One idea is for
the Registered Nurse to
shift some of her duties
to the Nursing Assistant
and a curriculum for the
Nursing Assistant finalized by the RNB will be
presented to Caricom.
Chairperson of the RNB
Audrey
Gittens-Scott,
Chief Nursing Officer
of St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, noted that
health care is becoming
more complex as there
are pressures from policymakers to deliver based
on agreements and regional and international
protocols. She pointed
out too that the recipients
of health care are making
demands and the nursing
professionals must equip
themselves to deliver.
20
Regional
GEORGETOWN, Guyana--Dredge owner, Leonard Arokium has challenged
the police to produce the
eyewitness they say they
have fingering Guyana’s
most wanted man, Rondell
‘Fineman’ Rawlins and his
gang as being responsible
for the deaths of the eight
miners at Lindo Creek
sometime last month.
Commissioner of Police
(ag), Henry Greene was
quoted in Sunday’s Kaieteur News as saying that
the witness provided details
to substantiate that the killings were carried out by the
Fineman gang.
Contacted by Stabroek
News Sunday, Arokium
said if the police have the
witness then they should
produce him. He said that
if there is indeed such a
person then that person
should also be investigated
as he/she may be an accomplice in the murders.
According to the Kaieteur
News report Greene said
the eyewitness has given
the police a detailed account of what transpired
at the camp. He reported
that they recently got hold
of the eyewitness who said
that the men were attacked
by Rawlins and his gang.
“They went there the night.
Basically, they attacked the
men. They tied them up,
they cooked etcetera, then
the next night they were
shot and killed,” the commissioner was quoted as
saying.
Stabroek News attempted to make contact with
Greene and Crime Chief
Seelall Persaud Sunday on
the report but was unsuccessful.
Following the June 21 discovery of bones and skulls
believed to be those of the
eight miners, Arokium had
accused the members of
the joint services who had
been in the area of carrying out the attack. The joint
services have since strongly
denied this.
Those who were killed at
the site were Dax Arokium,
Cedric Arokium, Compton
Speirs, Horace Drakes,
Clifton Wong, Lancelot
Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres.
The police have since said
that ballistics tests on the
spent shells discovered at
the scene found that they
match one of the weapons
that was recovered by the
security forces from Cecil
Ramcharran called ‘Uncle
Willie’ and Robin Chung
called ‘Chung Boy’ who
were slain at Goat Farm
during a confrontation with
lawmen.
Sunday Arokium said that
it seems all too convenient
that the police would suddenly find someone who
claimed to have witnessed
the murders of his men. He
questioned why this eyewitness had not reported the
matter to the police from
the inception instead of
him having to travel to his
mining camp and being the
first person to know that his
men were killed and burnt
to bones.
Arokium also disclosed
that on Saturday an Assistant Commissioner of
DISCONNECTION NOTICE
APRIL 2008 and MAY 2008 Bills
We hereby inform our valued customers that the April 2008 bills
for TELCell and May 2008 bills for TELEm and SMITCOMS
become due on the following dates:
TelCell cellular service: April 2008 bill
Last date of payment Monday, July 07, 2008.
Disconnection date: Tuesday, July 08, 2008.
TELEm/Telnet landline, internet, data lease line,
E1 and frame relay services: May 2008 bills
Last date of payment Tuesday, July 08, 2008.
Disconnection date: Wednesday, July 09, 2008. Please note
that your internet, data lease line and frame relay is a paid in
advance service.
SMITCOMS International service: May 2008 bills:
Last date of payment Tuesday, July 08, 2008.
Disconnection date: Wednesday, July 09, 2008.
In order to avoid interruption of service and a reconnection
fee, payment of all overdue accounts should be made before the
disconnection date.
Reconnections will take place by the end of the day that payment
is made or the following morning, depending on the time of the
day the due bill and reconnection fee is paid.
Customers who have not received their bill for the months of
April 2008 and May 2008 should call our CUSTOMER SERVICE
department Tel # 546-0200 ext. 173, 353, 355, 358, 359, 364,
366, 369 for more information before the disconnection date.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience an interruption of
service may cause.
Management of
The Telem Group
SMITSCOMS - St. Maarten International Telecommunications Services Inc.
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Leonard Arokium
Police, who heads a special
unit in the force, and other
officers visited his home
and further questioned him,
asking him if he wanted to
recant anything he had initially said.
He said he told them that
he has been telling the truth
all the time and has no reason to withdraw anything
he would have said.
He was then told by the officers the man who he had
allegedly said told him that
his son Dax and the lawmen
in the area had among other things killed and shared
the remains of a cow has
denied ever telling him so.
“They told me that the
man is prepared to come
and stand up in front of me
and deny it and I just laugh
because I know what he tell
me and I telling the truth,”
Arokium said.
He said the person who
told him this was the watchman who was at a mining
camp located some miles
away from his camp and
who had been sought by the
authorities. The sharing of
the meat suggested that the
lawmen had been aware of
where the Arokium camp
was located.
Meanwhile, relatives of
Compton Speirs reported
Sunday that last Thursday the police visited their
home with a bag of muddied clothing and asked
whether they belonged to
Speirs. Relatives said they
told the police that they did
not recognise the clothing
and the police then asked
for a statement on when
last they had seen Speirs.
They were uneasy about
the fact that one of the lawmen did a detailed inspection of their yard. (Stabroek
News)
DIREKTIE ARBEIDSZAKEN
W.J.A. NISBETH ROAD # 57, PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN, N.A.
TEL.: 542 2240, 542 3547, 542 3561
FAX: 542 4099
The Government Mediator
PUBLIC NOTICE
In accordance with article , section 2 of the “
“Arbeidsvredebesluit III” (Publication Sheet 1978,
no 243) the government Mediator hereby makes
known that the Workers Institute For Organised
Labour (W.I.F.O.L.) has requested to hold a
referendum among the OPC- employees of Divi
Little Bay Beach Resort.
Attention is herby focused on the possibility for
labour unions to express - within a fortnight - their
wish to the Government Mediator to participation
the above mentioned referendum.
A labour union will only be allowed to take part in
the referendum when it can submit evidence that
the majority of the OPC-employees of Divi Little Bay
Beach Resort are members of said union.
Philipsburg, July 8, 2008
Government Mediator
K.E. Lopes
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua-A large turnout greeted
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding with
cheers as he entered the
Multi-purpose Cultural
and Exhibition Centre
last Saturday evening,
for a meeting that raised
a number of serious issues facing Jamaicans
living here in Antigua
and Barbuda.
In his introductory address, Golding encouraged his fellow Jamaicans to be good, strong
ambassadors for their
country and ensure that
their services are such
that will be appreciated
by the people and government of Antigua and
Barbuda.
Issues relevant to the
Jamaican
community
were discussed, including ways in which Jamaicans in Antigua
can participate in their
home country’s general
elections. Golding was
challenged on electricity
generation in some parts
of his island and matters
relating to education
and the country’s current debt problems.
Golding told the gathering he was building a
better Jamaica for those
wishing to return home
and urged them never to
forget their home.
Immigration issues experienced by Jamaicans
in Antigua and Barbuda
proved contentious during last Saturday’s discussion. One woman
contended that Jamaicans were being treated
like dogs and that the
government was not
standing up for Caribbean people. She indicated
that the procedure for
regularising time with
immigration authorities
was a difficult and unsettling process. Many
argued they had little to
no representation here
in Antigua.
President of the Jamaica-Antigua Association, Andy McDonald,
spoke with the Antigua
Sun after the meeting
and acknowledged that
his association has been
somewhat dormant. McDonald, however, said
the meeting was one of
the initial steps the association was taking in an
effort to revive itself.
Also present at the
meeting was Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer,
who received a mixed response from the crowd.
In his address, Spencer
said he wanted to be
present at the meeting
to show that Caricom
nationals were united in
the struggle for a better
community and to dispel any doubts about his
commitment to the idea
of regional integration.
Spencer stated that
Antigua and Barbuda
will continue to open its
doors to its fellow Caricom nationals who, he
said, made up roughly 3540 per cent of Antigua’s
working population and
he assured the gathering
that the heads of government were making plans
that would allow better
freedom of movement
for Caribbean nationals.
One approach towards
this goal which was discussed at last week’s
heads of government
meeting was the issue of
time allowed to Caricom
nationals who travel to
other Caricom countries. Spencer told the
group that arrangements
were being made to have
this time fixed at six
months. This news was
well accepted by the attendees, who responded
with loud cheers.
He also mentioned
plans for introducing
swipe cards to be used
at the airport, one of the
measures aimed at making intra-regional travel
more hassle-free.
In closing, PM Spencer
commended the non-nationals living in Antigua
and Barbuda who are
making positive contributions and respecting
the law.
McDonald said he was
pleased with the turnout at the meeting and
expressed the hope that
Golding would engage
in dialogue with Spencer about the issues and
concerns raised. (From
PTN)
Regional
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
KINGSTON, Jamaica--To
look at, this ball-shaped
plant is something you’d
ignore, or if actually taken
notice of, you might just kick
it. Yet the inconspicuous Jamaican ball moss was what
Dr Henry Lowe announced
two years ago as one of two
plants endemic to the island
and which he and his American research partner Dr. Joseph Bryant found to have
anti-cancer properties.
Two years later, that work
has gained preliminary approval from the United
States Patent Office, where a
backlog of applications could
mean it takes several more
years for final approval.
Lowe, the head of the Environmental Health Foundation (EHF), claims that
following successful tests on
tumours grown on rats, the
ball moss extract has shown
to be more potent than leading anti-cancer drug Taxol,
and with reduced side effects. It was during ongoing
tests by Bryant at the University of Maryland Institute
of Human Virology (IHV)
that something interesting
happened, again.
Test tube tests have shown it
to be successful at controlling
the AIDS/HIV virus, Bryant
reported back to Lowe.
“Additional work has revealed anti-HIV potential
in the drug, which is being
worked on. It is preliminary
because we have been concentrating on the cancer
but we will give answers on
those things before the end
of the year,” Lowe told the
Observer.
Already known in Jamaica
for his research into the
medical uses of local plant
extracts, including ganja,
Lowe, who was named the
Observer Business Leader
for 2006, had hoped that
with anti-cancer properties
alone, his discovery could
create a local industry.
He has now entered into a
partnership with fellow scientist Errol Morrison, president of the University of
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad--”It is not a question of
regret. There was a process
that we were asked to follow
and we followed it,” chairman of the Police Service
Commission Christopher
Thomas stated Sunday.
He was responding to a
question on whether he had
any regret about the whole
process which involved the
PSC’s recommendation of
Stephen Williams for the
post of Commissioner of
Police, and the Parliament’s
rejection of this nomination.
Told that some people
were saying that the members of the commission
should resign in the face
of the Parliament’s apparent lack of confidence in its
recommendation, Thomas
chuckled before stating: “If
you read Legal Notice 166
you would see that it says
that the commission ‘shall
(must) make’ a recommendation. It does not say that
the Parliament shall (must)
accept the recommendation. If it had said that (that
Parliament shall accept)
then Parliament would have
had to accept the recommendation of the Commission. (But the intent is that
(Parliament shall consider
the recommendation (and
accept or reject) it. So we
(the Commissioners) have
done what we were supposed to do”, he said.
He said the commission
would meet next week to
determine its course of action.
“The commission will
meet and would make a
decision,” Thomas told the
Express Sunday.
Asked whether the commission would await word
from the Executive, or
whether it would determine
its course of action independently, Thomas said: “The
Commission is an independent body. It makes its decisions independently”.
However, Government
sources indicated that
new legislation aimed at
“streamlining” the process
would be brought to Parliament “very, very quickly
so that we don’t have to go
through this convoluted ex-
Dr Henry Lowe
Technology, to establish an
off-campus facility dedicated
to researching the medical potential of Jamaican
plants.
“You have to have people
to do the work, so I’ve already arranged for three students and one staff from the
Biochemistry Department at
UWI to go to the University
of Maryland for training,”
said Lowe. “And in addition,
right here in Jamaica, I have
arranged for five scholarships locally to be working
on local products to evaluate
their potential as possible
drugs.”
The UWI (University of
the West Indies) is already
involved with the ball moss
project, testing its potency
on other diseases.
The next stage will be to
conduct tests on rats infected with the HIV virus.
Meanwhile, the first clinical
anti-cancer trials on humans
are scheduled to begin in the
first quarter of 2009, having
already proved successful
with rats.
But Lowe said he now finds
himself in a race to produce
a commercial version of the
drug, having had to reveal
details in his patent application, which could be of
advantage to a competitor.
He had previously declined
to reveal the name of the
21
to avoid contact with major
pharmaceutical companies
in an effort to retain maximum control over the work.
“It makes sense for you to
take it to a stage where you
have a say in its future, which
makes it crucial to have the
resources to take it to that
level,” he said. “However, it
takes about US$1 billion to
take a drug to the market,
which can only come from
big pharmaceuticals.”
Lowe is unsure when the
drug could become commercially available, but remains
hopeful that when it does,
some of the production
could remain in Jamaica.
Already, the research work
has spread from Jamaica
across the United States and
Canada using three laboratories besides IHV.
He has been invited to Germany where he is to present
his work to the 100th anniversary celebration of the
Nobel Prize awarded to German chemist Paul Ehrlich,
pioneer of chemotherapy.
The conference will discuss
so-called ‘Magic Bullets’
- the term associated with
Ehrlich that describes drugs
that kill only the targeted organisms.
The hope for Lowe is that
ball moss will prove to be
Jamaica’s very own Magic
Bullet and not suffer the fate
of periwinkle, long used in
folklore medicine to treat
diabetes. In the 1950s, local
work on periwinkle spread
to Canada, where it was used
to produce the leading leukemia drugs Vinblastine and
Vincristine.
Jamaica received no economic benefit. (Jamaica Observer)
BRIDGETOWN, Barba- cial Council, (ECOSOC) of
dos--Barbados is to carry which Barbados is an electout a national study to find ed member, told the Daily
out the depth of poverty in Nation that the extensive
the country.
poverty survey would begin
And, during this week’s in a matter of weeks.
budget debate, Bajans may
“We do have a poverty
hear quite a lot about who study to be launched in the
are on the welfare rolls, coming weeks,” he said. “It
who are suffering the most will be a national study beand how people should be cause most of the statistics
lifted out of a state of dire we have been working from
need.
are old statistics. So that
Dr. Denis Lowe, Minister study is coming off. It has
ercise again.”
of Social Care who was in already been funded.
The appointment of the New York to address a spe“I have also asked the
next Commissioner of Po- cial session of the United Welfare Department to
lice is too important to the Nations Economic and So- produce for me the numcountry,” the source stated,
adding that this new legislation would guide the Commission.
Asked about the statement
made by Law Association
president Martin Daly that
“the whole affair has been
handled very badly and that
the country was entitled to
ask the PSC if it can be taken seriously in view of the
highly unsatisfactory outcome of the performance
of its duties”, Thomas said
he was not sure what Daly
meant, and more specifically what was the “it” Daly
was referring to, when he
said “if it can be taken seri- Five friends died in a horrific smash-up involving a car and
a pick-up on the Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara
ously.”
Did the ‘it’ mean the public road in Guyana Sunday night. Dead are brothers 20“whole affair” or did ‘it’ year-old Jason and 17-year-old Julian Martin, 19-year-old
mean that the commission? Colin Fredericks of Plaisance, 16-year-old Ezra Ferguson,
and 25-year-old Royston Dempster of Better Hope, East
Thomas asked.
He said the final “out- Coast Demerara. The friends had gone to a creek on the
come” of the whole affair highway for the afternoon and were returning home when
was “not what the com- the accident occurred around 8:00pm. Three pedestrians
mission did, but what took were also involved in the accident and 10-year-old Priya
place in the Parliament.” Ali sustained several broken bones and is a patient at the
Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) (Stabroek News)
(Trinidad Express)
bers in terms of people on
the welfare rolls by gender,
age and so on. So that for
the purposes of the (Budget) Debate when my turn
comes, I can speak to the
country relative to what
we are looking at,” when
it comes to Bajans seeking
help.
But, Lowe warned that
a real danger facing the
country was allowing people now on welfare to become too comfortable in a
state of dependency instead
of being transformed into
productive citizens.
“The country has to find a
way of being able to graduate these folks from dependency,” he said.
“I think that is the challenge of the times. We can’t
really continue to expand
the welfare rolls. We can’t
continue to make people
comfortable on welfare.
“We have to find a way
of returning many of these
people who are potentially
productive back into the
productive force. That really has to be the central
burden of the work that
we do over the next several
months.”
Lowe addressed the council almost a week ago and in
his relatively short speech,
he spoke about Barbados’
vulnerability “to external
shocks” and it was experiencing “the negative impacts of the slow down in
global economic activity, as
well as the global food and
energy crisis”. (Daily Nation)
plant until the patent application was accepted just last
month. Work on the second
plant remains less advanced
than with the ball moss.
“If you wait too long, somebody could get ahead of you
because once this patent is
published it is open to everyone else, so you have to stay
ahead,” said Lowe.
Since the first press reports
in December 2006, people
have been regularly contacting Lowe, desperate to
gain samples to help them, a
friend or relative stricken by
cancer. But only until proven
safe can these people be catered to, he said.
Lowe said he has sufficient
financial backing to carry the
cancer research through the
first clinical trial and even to
produce a crude version of
the anti-cancer drug. He has
also been advised by lawyers
22
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
US/World
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
BOSTON, Massachusetts-From online courses to
kid-friendly laptops and virtual teachers, technology is
spreading in America’s classrooms, reducing the need for
textbooks, notepads, paper
and in some cases even the
schools themselves.
Just ask 11-year-old Jemella
Chambers. She is one of 650
students who receive an Apple Inc laptop each day at a
state-funded school in Boston. From the second row of
her classroom, she taps out
math assignments on animated education software that
she likens to a video game.
“It’s comfortable,” she said
of Scholastic Corp’s FASTT
Math software in which she
and other students compete
for high scores by completing mathematical equations.
“This makes me learn better.
It’s like playing a game,” she
said.
Education experts say her
school, the Lilla G. Frederick
Pilot Middle School in Boston, offers a glimpse into the
future. It has no textbooks.
Students receive laptops at
the start of each day, return-
ing them at the end. Teachers
and students maintain blogs.
Staff and parents chat on
instant messaging software.
Assignments are submitted
through electronic “drop
boxes” on the school’s Web
site. “The dog ate my homework” is no excuse here.
The experiment at Frederick began two years ago at
cost of about $2 million, but
last year was the first in which
all 7th and 8th grade students
received laptops. Classwork
is done in Google Inc’s free
applications like Google
Docs, or Apple’s iMovie and
specialized educational software like FASTT Math.
“Why would we ever buy
a book when we can buy a
computer? Textbooks are often obsolete before they are
even printed,” said Debra
Socia, principal of the school
in Dorchester, a tough Boston district prone to crime
and poor schools.
There is, however, one concession to the past: a library
stocked with novels. “It’s a
powerful, powerful experience,” added Socia.
Average attendance climbed
White House:
TOYAKO,
Japan--U.S.Iraqi security talks to permit U.S. troops to stay in
Iraq beyond 2008 were
not aimed at setting a hard
deadline for withdrawal despite such a suggestion by
the Iraqi prime minister,
the White House said on
Tuesday.
“Negotiations and discussions are ongoing every
day,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe
said in Japan, where U.S.
President George W. Bush
was attending the Group of
Eight summit.
“It is important to understand that these are not
talks on a hard date for a
withdrawal,” he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki on Monday raised
the prospect of setting a
timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as
part of the talks for a new
security agreement to replace the U.N. mandate for
their presence that expires
on Dec. 31. The Bush administration has adamantly
opposed setting a concrete
deadline for withdrawing
the roughly 150,000 U.S.
troops in Iraq, arguing
that it would give militant
groups an advantage.
“Today, we are looking at
the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on
Iraqi lands and restoring
full sovereignty,” Maliki
told Arab ambassadors on
Monday in blunt remarks
during an official visit to
Abu Dhabi.
“One of the two basic topics is either to have a memorandum of understanding
for the departure of forces
or a memorandum of understanding to set a timetable for the presence of
the forces, so that we know
(their presence) will end in
a specific time,” he said.
The negotiations for the
pact have been tense at
times, with Maliki saying at
one point last month that
they were at a stalemate.
Later he backed away from
that position and the two
sides said they were making
some progress.
Johndroe, the White
House spokesman, said
on Tuesday that they were
striving to getting a pact by
the end of July. “However
the most important thing is
that we reach an agreement
that respects Iraqi sovereignty and gives American
forces the protections and
authorities they need to be
able to support the government of Iraq,” he said.
A student at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School works on his laptop during a class in
Dorchester, Massachusetts June 20, 2008.
to 94 percent from 92 percent; discipline referrals fell
30 percent. And parents are
more engaged, she said. “Any
family can chat online with
teacher and say `hey, we’re
having this problem’.”
Unlike traditional schools,
Frederick’s students work at
vastly different levels in the
same classroom. Children
with special needs rub shoulders with high performers.
Computers track a range
of aptitude levels, allowing
teachers to tailor their teaching to their students’ weakest
areas, Socia said.
The Internet is also a catalyst for change. U.S. enrollment in online virtual classes
reached the 1 million mark
last year, 22 times the level
seen in 2000, according to
the North American Council for Online Learning, an
industry body. That’s only
the beginning, said Michael
Horn, co-author of “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive
Innovation Will Change the
Way the World Learns”.
“Our projections show that
50 percent of high school
courses will be taught online
by 2019. It’s about one percent right now,” said Horn,
executive director of education at Innosight Institute, a
nonprofit think tank in Massachusetts.
K12 Inc, which provides
online curriculum and educational services in 17 U.S.
states, has seen student enrollment rise 57 percent from
last year to 41,000 full-time
students, said its chief executive, Ron Packard. Much of
the growth is in publicly funded virtual charter schools.
“Because it is a public school,
the state funds the education
similar to what they would in
a brick and mortar school,
but we get on average about
70 percent of the dollars,”
Packard told Reuters.
“We don’t usually get capital dollars, or bond issue
dollars. Sometimes we don’t
get local dollars. So on aver-
age it works out 70 percent
of the per pupil spending
that an average school in the
state would receive,” he said.
“We’re getting the kids who
the local school is not working for. And the spectrum
goes from extreme special
education to extremely gifted
kids.”
U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley says K12 and
similar companies look set to
capture an increasing share
of the $550 billion publicly
funded U.S. education market for children aged from
about 5 to 18 as more U.S.
states adopt virtual schools.
Virginia-based K12 recently
opened an office in Dubai
to expand overseas. Packard
says he expects strong offshore demand for American
primary and secondary education tailored for foreign
nationals who want to enter
U.S. universities.
Apex Learning Inc, based
in Bellevue, Washington, is
seeing a similar surge in de-
WASHINGTON--Barack
Obama will accept the
Democratic
presidential
nomination next month at
a Denver football stadium
that can hold more than
75,000 people after the
political party decided to
open the event to a broader
audience, officials said on
Monday.
“Senator Obama’s candidacy has generated an
enormous amount of excitement and interest,” Howard Dean, chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, said in a statement.
“By bringing the last night
of the convention out to the
people, we will be able to
showcase Barack Obama’s
positive, people-centered
vision for our country in a
big way.”
The Democratic Party
holds its nominating convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver, with daytime meetings
and councils held at the
Colorado Convention Center and televised evening
events at the Pepsi Center
sports arena, which can
hold up to 20,000 people.
The party decided to hold
the final evening’s televised
events, including Obama’s
nomination
acceptance
speech, at INVESCO Field
at Mile High, the 76,125seat stadium that is hone to
the Denver Broncos football team. The additional
space enables the party to
open the event a broader
audience. Attendance at
nominating
conventions
in generally limited to delegates, elected officials and
volunteers, a convention
spokeswoman said.
“This change in the convention program will allow
thousands of first-time participants a chance to take
part,” said convention cochair Kathleen Sebelius,
the governor of Kansas. “I
can’t think of a better convention finale for our nominee, who has made reaching out to voters a hallmark
23
mand. It started in 1997 by
offering online advancedplacement courses to parents
and individual schools but
now sells an array of online
classes for entire school districts and state departments
of education.
“Over the last two years in
particular we have seen very,
very significant growth in the
interest and demand for our
type of digital curriculum,”
Apex chief executive Cheryl
Vedoe said in a telephone interview.
Apex enrollments rose 50
percent to 300,000 in 20062007, and likely grew at the
same pace last year, she said.
“Where we see the greatest
growth today is actually in
brick and mortar high schools
for programs for students
who are not succeeding in
the existing programs,” she
added.
Online tutoring is also expanding rapidly. Bangalorebased TutorVista, which
launched online U.S. services in 2005, estimates its
average global growth in active students at 22 percent a
month--all taught by “e-tutors” mostly in India.
Horn expects demand for
teachers to fall and virtual
schools to boost achievement in a U.S. education
system where only two-thirds
of teenagers graduate from
high school--a proportion
that slides to 50 percent for
black Americans and Hispanics, according to government statistics.
“You deliver education at
lower cost, but you will actually improve the amount of
time that a teacher can spend
with each student because
they are no longer delivering one-size-fits-all lesson
plans,” he said. “They can
actually roam around.”
of his campaign.”
The procedure for obtaining credentials to attend the
last night of the convention
was not immediately clear.
The committee in charge
of the convention said in a
statement that a block of
seats would be reserved for
Colorado residents, but it
did not mention seats for
people from outside the
state.
A spokeswoman for the
committee said details on
how people could obtain
seats would be worked out
in the coming weeks.
26
International
BRUSSELS--More than
a fifth of payments made
last year by the European
Union’s executive arm were
late, with an average delay
of almost seven weeks,
EU Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros said on
Monday.
The European Commission should “make further
improvements to its payment policy as quickly as
possible, especially regarding more vulnerable contractors, such as individual
citizens and small- and
medium-sized companies
and organisations”, Diamandouros said in a special
report.
The report from the head
of the EU’s internal watchdog said that in 2007, the
Commission was late in 22
percent of payments made
to its contractors from the
bloc’s budget. The average
delay was 48 days.
The EU budget, which
amounted to more than 110
billion euros ($172 billion),
finances mainly farm subsidies, regional aid, research
and development, and administrative expenses.
Only part of the payments
was made physically by the
Commission itself. The report did not make clear exactly how much was paid by
the EU executive and how
much via separate payment
agencies.
The EU’s executive arm
said it took the report
very seriously, noting the
situation had improved
since 2005, when about
42 percent of payments
were delayed. “Our aim is
to reduce late payments
by as much as possible,”
Commission spokeswoman
Cristina Arigo told a daily
news briefing, adding the
EU executive had started
to pay interest on delayed
payments.
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Afghan police secure the site of a suicide car bomb blast in Kabul on Monday.
KABUL--A suicide car bomb
hit the Indian Embassy in
Kabul on Monday, killing 41
people and wounding 139, in
an attack Afghan authorities
said was coordinated with
foreign agents in the region,
a likely reference to Pakistan.
Afghanistan has accused
Pakistani agents of being
behind a number of attacks
in recent weeks and Afghan
President Hamid Karzai
threatened last month to
send troops across the border to attack militants there
if Pakistan did not take action.
Afghan analysts argue Pakistan is loath to see the emergence of a strong Afghanistan that is friendly to India
and is secretly backing the
Taliban as a “strategic asset,”
enabling Pakistani forces to
concentrate on defending the
Indian border. Pakistan denies the Afghan accusations
and strongly condemned
Monday’s attack in which
the bomber rammed his car
into the embassy just as two
diplomatic vehicles were entering.
“I saw wounded and dead
people everywhere on the
road,” said Danish Karokhil,
the head of the independent
Pajhwok news agency, whose
offices are nearby.
India’s military and press attaches and two Indian guards
were among the 41 killed,
but a line of people waiting
for visas and shoppers at a
nearby market were the main
victims of the blast, the deadliest in Kabul since U.S.-led
and Afghan forces toppled
the Taliban from power in
2001.
A Taliban spokesman denied
responsibility for the attack,
although another militant
spokesman said earlier the
hard-line Islamist militia had
been behind the bombing.
The Taliban often disown attacks that kill large numbers
of civilians.
The explosion destroyed
the two embassy vehicles,
blew the embassy gates off,
all but demolished the embassy walls and badly damaged buildings inside the
compound. Windows were
shattered hundreds of metres (yards) away. Forty-one
people were killed and 139
wounded, a senior police official said.
“The Interior Ministry believes this attack was carried
out in coordination and consultation with an active intelligence service in the region,”
the Afghan Interior Ministry
said.
The militants have vowed
to step up their campaign of
N.V. G.E.B.E. regrets to inform the general public that
the Water supply to the:
ST. PETERS AREA
will be interrupted on
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9th, 2008 from
9:00 am until 12 noon.
This outage will allow us to carry out necessary
maintenance to our Distribution system.
N.V. GEBE apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.
N.V. GEBE
Ir. W.G. Brooks
Managing Director
suicide bombings this year,
graphically
demonstrating
that despite the increase in
foreign troops in Afghanistan and more trained Afghan forces on patrol, the
Taliban are far from being a
spent force. Insurgents have
killed 350 Afghan civilians
and wounded nearly 800 so
far this year, the NATO force
in Afghanistan said.
“With this cowardly attack,
the enemies of peace in Afghanistan wanted to hurt
ongoing friendly relations of
Afghanistan with the rest of
the world, especially India,”
Karzai said in a statement.
“Such attacks will not hamper Afghanistan’s relations
with other nations.”
MOSCOW--A
Moscow
court convicted a man of
fraud on Monday for preying on people mourning
loved ones by saying he
could resurrect the dead.
Grigory Grabovoy stood
passively inside an iron
cage as he was sentenced to
11 years in prison working
hard labour in a case which
has grabbed headlines
around Russia.
“He used a special method
of influencing people distressed by the loss of relatives or the illness of loved
ones,” the judge said as he
found Grabovoy guilty of
11 cases of fraud.
In one case from 2003 a
man paid Grabovoy 39,500
UNITED
NATIONS--Afghanistan must do more to end
an age-old practice of young
boys being kept as sex slaves by
wealthy and powerful patrons,
the U.N. special representative
for children and armed conflict
said on Monday.
Radhika Coomaraswamy
said the practice, called “bacha
bazi”--literally “boy play”--was
a taboo subject, but she had
heard reports of warlords and
military commanders keeping
young boys and “exploiting
them in terrible ways.”
“What I found was nobody
talks about it; everyone says
`Well, you know, it’s been
there for 1,000 years so why do
we want to raise this now?’” she
told a news conference at U.N.
headquarters, reporting on a
visit to Afghanistan last week.
“That seems to be the general
attitude among everyone, but
somebody has to raise it and it
has to be dealt with.”
Known as “bacha bereesh,”
boys without beards, the victims of such abuse are teenage boys who dress up as girls
and dance for male patrons at
parties in northern Afghanistan. “We feel that a campaign
should be run to raise awareness about this issue and to
stop this practice,” she said.
“We talk about sexual violence
against girls and women, which
is also terrible, but this hidden
issue of sexual violence against
boys should also be dealt with
seriously.”
Afghan police have tried to
Grabovoy
roubles ($1,700) to attempt
to cure his dying parents
and in another case a woman paid him 118,000 roubles
to try to resurrect her two
dead sons.
Grabovoy had also once
crack down on the practice
and Islamic clerics say those
involved should be stoned for
sodomy, which is forbidden
under Islamic law. In a society
where the sexes are strictly segregated, it is common for men
to dance for other men at weddings in Afghanistan. But in
northern Afghanistan, former
warlords and mujahideen commanders have taken that a step
further, sometimes taking the
boys as “mistresses.”
Police and security officials in
northern Afghanistan say they
have been doing their best to arrest the men involved. “It is sad
to state that this practice that
includes making boys dance,
sexual abuse and sometimes
even selling boys, has been going on for years,” General Asadollah Amarkhil, the security
chief of Kunduz province, told
Reuters last year.
“We have taken steps to stop it
to the extent that we are able,”
he said. Amarkhil said poverty,
widespread in Afghanistan
after nearly three decades of
war, forced teenage boys into
compliance. Coomaraswamy
said raising awareness and
prosecuting those responsible
was the first step to ending
the practice as it would act as
a deterrent to others. She said
she was also concerned about a
rise in the recruitment of child
soldiers by the Taliban and others in recent months, as well as
about civilian casualties including children from U.S.-led coalition raids and air strikes.
met with mothers of children killed at a school seige
in the south Russian town
of Beslan in 2004--where
he had promised to resurrect their children for a fee-although Monday’s verdict was not linked to this
meeting. Over 300 people-mainly children--died during a botched operations to
resuce the hostages.
Dozens of Grabovoy’s
supporters crowded outside
the scruffy court house in a
Moscow suburb. Despite
the guilty verdict his mainly
older supporters still believe Grabovoy has powers
which can help them and
that he has been unfairly
persecuted and Grabovoy’s
lawyer vowed to appeal the
ruling.
“We think the sentence is
based on speculation and is
absolutely unfair,” lawyer
Mikhail Tsyganenko said.
At the height of his support Grabovoy used to
draw hundreds of people to
listen to his seminars.
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
27
28
International
MALABO--British mercenary
Simon Mann was jailed for 34
years by a court in Equatorial
Guinea on Monday for a failed
2004 coup plot in which he said
former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher’s son was
also involved.
Mann, 56, an Eton-educated
former army special forces officer, was sentenced to a prison
term of 34 years, four months
and three days for conspiring
to topple President Teodoro
Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in
the small, oil-producing West
African state.
Mann, wearing a grey prison
uniform, stood impassively as
the sentence was read out by
presiding judge Carlos Mangue
in the heavily guarded court-
room in the capital Malabo. His
arrest four years ago by authorities in Zimbabwe, along with
70 other mercenaries en route
to Equatorial Guinea aboard a
plane, foiled the coup plan and
ended the career of one of the
last prominent “dogs of war”
still active in Africa.
Mann’s defence team can
now either appeal against the
sentence to the Supreme Court
or directly apply for a pardon
to President Obiang, who has
ruled Equatorial Guinea since
1979. “A pardon is a discretional thing by the president. He
can do it or not as he chooses,”
public prosecutor Jose Olo
Obono told Reuters.
The long jail sentence against
the self-confessed mercenary
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Mann
was harsher than the just over
31 years originally requested by
the prosecution during Mann’s
trial in Malabo last month.
Seeking leniency, Mann had
apologised and portrayed
himself as a pawn of powerful
Schaepman & Speetjens
CIVIL LAW NOTARIES
international businessmen he
said were trying to seize power
in Equatorial Guinea, sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest oil
producer.
Judge Mangue said the long
sentence was justified because
of the “seriousness of the
crimes” and the weight of evidence.
Describing himself as a mere
“employee”, Mann said the
real masterminds behind the
coup plot were business tycoons including London-based
Lebanese millionaire Eli Calil
and Mark Thatcher. Both Calil
and Thatcher have denied any
role in the conspiracy.
But Mangue ordered the public prosecutor to seek to bring
them to justice. The prosecutor
said the government had circulated arrest warrants through
the international police agency
Interpol and would try to seek
their extradition.
Calil told Britain’s Daily Telegraph he supported only “democratic change” and that Mann
had only himself to blame.
Thatcher had “absolutely nothing to do” with a coup, Calil
said in the interview in an early
edition of Tuesday’s paper.
Another defendant sentenced
on Monday, Lebanese businessman Mohamed Salaam,
received a jail term of 18 years,
while four Equatorial Guinean
nationals were given terms of 6
years each. Another was jailed
for one year and one other was
acquitted.
Mann was also ordered to pay
a fine and compensation to the
Equatorial Guinea state totalling around $24 million.
Fabian Nsue Nguema, a defence lawyer for six of the men
tried alongside Mann, told
Channel 4 News there had
been “many gaps” in the judicial process. Asked if it was
normal for the main accused,
Mann, to provide most of the
evidence against himself, he
said: “They’ll promise nothing
will happen to you, the president is going to pardon you,
and so on ... Was Mann cheated
into telling the truth? We know
that’s what has happened.”
Mann was sentenced on three
counts: for making attempts
against the life of Equatorial
Guinea’s president, against the
government and against the
peace and independence of the
state.
He has been held at Malabo’s
Black Beach prison since he
was extradited from Zimbabwe
this year. He has said he is being well treated, lunching every day with Security Minister
Manuel Nguema Mbo and being given wine with his meal.
PUBLIC AUCTION
On Wednesday July 9th, 2008, at 10 AM, at the Pasanggrahan Beach Hotel,
Frontstreet, Sint Maarten, J.P.G.H. Schaepman, civil law notary on Sint
Maarten, or his deputy, shall proceed with the public sale ex article 3:268
of the Civil Code of the Netherlands Antilles of the hereinafter mentioned
residential immovable properties.
Information on the properties, in as far as available, and the conditions
of the auction can be obtained from the notary-office at its hereinafter
mentioned office-address, as well as electronically at
www.notaryschaepman.com
The properties to be auctioned are the following:
ex article 3:268 of the Civil Code of the Netherlands Antilles:
1. a parcel of land, situated at Oyster Pond, known as Estate lot nr. 6 of the
Dawn Beach Estate Lots, having an area of 3,328 square meters, described
further in certificate of admeasurement number 227/1990, locally known as
Trumpet Shell Road.
A Colombian policeman walks past the remains of a turbine of a 747-200 cargo plane that
crashed in the town of Madrid near Bogota, Colombia on Monday. Three Colombians were
killed early on Monday when a 747-200 cargo plane crashed into their house near capital city
Bogota while all eight crew members on board the aircraft survived, authorities said.
2. a parcel of land, situated at “Welgelegen” in the district of Cay Hill,
having an area of 2,610 square meters, described further in certificate
of admeasurement number 173/1968, with the thereon standing dwelling
house and all appurtenances belonging thereto, locally known as Beethoven
Road #D-144.
Reserve price US$.685,000.00
Offers in writing can be made for purchasing at a private sale in accordance
with article 3:268 paragraph 2 of the Civil Code of the Netherlands
Antilles.
Such offers can be made to the civil law notary, J.P.G.H. Schaepman, or his
deputy, up to and including Tuesday June 24th, 2008.
The auction will take place by raising bids (in Dutch: “bij opbod”) and by
decreasing bids (in Dutch: “bij afmijning”), in one session.
Prospective buyers please note that buyers will pay the following charges:
transcriptions of the auction deed, adjudication, receipt, possible “acte de
command”, transfer tax (4% of the highest bid) and the fees attached to
the aforementioned deeds. Also costs of having the property vacated shall
be for the account of buyer. Possible outstanding ownership charges such as
unpaid long lease rent shall be for the account of the buyer. All other costs
shall be satisfied out of the proceeds of the auction.
Producing of a bank-guarantee from a reputable bank in the Netherlands
Antilles or abroad to the amount of the highest bid augmented by the charges
for the account of the buyer will be demanded from the highest bidder.
For further information and the conditions of the auction you may also
contact the office of SCHAEPMAN & SPEETJENS at Frontstreet 5, Philipsburg,
Sint Maarten, tel. 599 5422339, Fax 599 5422439.
BEIRUT--Israel and Hezbollah have signed a U.N.-mediated prisoner exchange deal and
the date for the swap will be
settled this week, a Lebanese
political source and the Israeli
prime minister’s office said on
Monday.
The Lebanese source said
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert had
both signed the deal under
which the Jewish state will release five Lebanese prisoners
and Hezbollah will hand over
two Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah seized the soldiers-army reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev--during a
cross-border raid that triggered
the 2006 war between the Iranian-backed group and Israel.
Hezbollah has given no word
on their condition, although
they are widely presumed
dead.
The Lebanese source said he
expected the exchange to take
place by the middle of next
week. “We expect the deal
to move ahead, and it is possible we will have Regev and
Goldwasser back in Israel next
week,” a senior Israeli government official in Jerusalem said.
The Israeli government statement said the completion of
the deal still depended on a
number of components being
finalised, after which Olmert’s
cabinet would vote to give it final approval.
Under the deal, which was
negotiated by a German intelligence officer, Israel will also
hand over the bodies of around
200 Arabs killed while infiltrating northern Israel while
Hezbollah would return body
parts of Israeli soldiers killed in
south Lebanon in 2006.
The dead include Palestinian
and Lebanese guerrillas killed
in decades of conflict with Israel and the bodies of eight
Hezbollah fighters. An Israeli
army spokeswoman said the
exhumation of bodies began on
Monday and that it would take
a number of days to complete
the process.
The Lebanese prisoners include Samir Qantar, the most
prominent held by Israel. He
is serving a life sentence for
killing a policeman as well as a
man and his 4-year-old daughter during a 1979 raid on the
northern coastal town of Nahariya.
Nasrallah said last week he
expected the exchange to take
place around the middle of the
month.
International
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
TOYAKO, Japan--Group
of Eight negotiators have
reached a tentative agreement on climate change
that will be put to their
leaders on Tuesday, sources
familiar with the talks said,
potentially resolving the
stickiest issue at their summit.
A statement that goes beyond last year’s G8 summit
pledge to “seriously consider” carbon emissions
cuts of 50 percent by 2050
is especially important for
this week saying the former hostage leads other
possible candidates for the
presidency, not including
the wildly popular incumbent who, under the current rules, cannot run.
Betancourt said it was too
soon to say if she would return to Colombian politics,
telling RFI that Uribe had
done “very good things for
Colombia”, but adding:
“We are not on the same
(political) side.”
In a separate interview with
France 24 television, Betancourt hinted she might try
to find a different role for
herself in Colombia. “Being president is great. But
not that great, after all, you
can do other things,” she
said. “I’m not saying I won’t
run for president, perhaps,
some day. Or perhaps not.
What I mean is that it’s not
my ambition. My ambition
is to serve. To serve my people, my country.”
Japanese Prime Minister
Yasuo Fukuda, who has
made climate change the
centrepiece of the talks.
But efforts to clinch a
deal have been hampered
by deep differences within the G8. Details of the
agreement, expected to be
unveiled later on Tuesday,
were not immediately available.
Senior officials from the
Group of Eight rich nations
met late into the night in
Japan to thrash out wording that would allow President George W. Bush to
put aside deep misgivings
and sign on to a global goal
of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by the middle of
the century. Bush is under
strong pressure from Japan
and Europe but says he will
not back a numerical target
unless big polluters including China and India agree
to binding commitments
to curb their carbon pollution.
The statement on climate
change is also likely to
highlight agreements to develop new technologies and
provide funds to help poor
countries limit greenhouse
gas emissions. But activists
were wary of prospects for
real progress until a new
U.S. president takes office
next year.
“It’s a little bit of a kabuki
play,” said Alden Meyer,
director of strategy and
policy for the Union of
TOYAKO, Japan--The first
meeting between Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown failed
on Monday to thaw bilateral relations that are at their
lowest point since the Cold
War.
The meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Eight
rich nations summit in Japan had fuelled hopes it
could ease a row over a $38
billion oil joint venture,
TNK-BP, or problems for
Britain’s cultural outpost
in Russia, the British Council. Medvedev and Brown
smiled and shook hands
praising great potential for
Russian-British ties, but
made no substantial headway in the thorny issues
souring relations.
“The president proposed
to focus on elevating relations to a normal level,”
Medvedev’s chief foreign
policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko told reporters.
“Brown outlined his own
ideas about problems in
bilateral ties, including the
British Council, some major oil companies,” he said.
“Medvedev gave explanations and drew Brown’s attention to the need to work
out a long-term approach
to cooperation.”
Moscow and London established cordial ties after
Medvedev’s predecessor,
Vladimir Putin, came to
power in 2000. But they
soured as Russia accused
Britain of hosting the
Kremlin’s political foes, including self-exiled tycoon
Boris Berezovsky.
Ties plummeted to their
lowest point since the Cold
War after Russia refused to
extradite to Britain ex-security guard Andrei Lugovoy
accused of poisoning outspoken Kremlin critic Al-
Betancourt:
PARIS--Colombian President Alvaro Uribe should
soften his tone when dealing with the Marxist FARC
guerrillas, freed hostage
Ingrid Betancourt said on
Monday, urging him to
break with the language of
“hatred”.
Betancourt was rescued
last week after more than
six years in the jungle as a
captive of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in an operation that was widely seen
as a vindication of Uribe’s
hardline stance against the
guerrillas. The FARC is still
holding hundreds of captives and Betancourt, who
flew to Paris within 48 hours
of her release, said Uribe
should change tack to help
secure their freedom.
“President Uribe, and
not just President Uribe
but Colombia as a whole,
should
change
some
things,” Betancourt told
RFI radio, making her first
public criticism of her onetime political rival since her
liberation.
“I think the time has come
to change the language of
radicalism, extremism and
hatred, the very strong
words that cause deep hurt
to a human being,” she
said, adding that tolerance
and respect were needed.
“There comes a time when
one has to agree to talk to
the people you hate.”
Betancourt stood against
Uribe in the 2002 presidential election and was kidnapped ahead of the vote.
He went on to triumph in
the ballot and won re-election in 2006 after the constitution was amended to let
him serve a second term.
Betancourt was full of
praise for Uribe following
her release, but her reemergence from the jungle
has prompted speculation that she might return
to politics and stand for
president again at the next
election. Colombia’s leading weekly news magazine,
Semana, published a poll
29
U.S. President George W. Bush (L) meets with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete at
the G8 Summit at The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort and Spa in Toyako, Japan, on Monday.
Concerned Scientists. “Everyone is just waiting for
the next president to see
how that changes things.”
Global warming ties into
other big themes at the
three-day meeting at a plush
mountain-top hotel on the
northern Japanese island
of Hokkaido, where 21,000
police have been mobilised
to protect the leaders. U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Kimoon, who attended talks
on Monday with African
leaders, said the drive to
reach eight Millennium De-
exander Litvinenko in London in 2006. The strains in
political ties soon translated into tax problems for the
British Council, blamed by
the Russian officials for illegal operations, and a row
over TNK-BP, and tit-fortat expulsions of diplomats.
“Of course the Prime Minister raised the three main
oustanding issues that we
have with Russia. That is
the Litvinenko case, the issue relating to BP and the
issues relating to the British
Council,” Brown’s official
spokesman said.
“It’s clear that we are not
going to solve all these problems in one meeting, but it
is important that we have
a constructive relationship
with Russia that allows us
to raise and discuss some
of these difficult issues,” he
told reporters.
velopment Goals (MDGs)
set by the U.N. General
Assembly to reduce world
poverty by 2015 was being
directly hampered by global
warming.
He urged the G8 to send
a strong political signal by
setting a long-term goal
of halving greenhouse gas
emissions by 2050, backed
by intermediate targets that
would set market forces in
train to reduce energy consumption.
The G8 will set out its positions on climate change, aid
to Africa, rising food prices
and the global economy in
a raft of statements due to
be issued later on Tuesday.
Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper said on Monday that
the leaders’ communique
would highlight downside
risks to the world economy
and label rising food and oil
prices a “serious threat”.
The higher price of oil,
which hit a record high of
$145.85 a barrel last week,
is taking a particularly
heavy toll on the world’s
poor. A World Bank study
issued last week said up to
105 million people could
drop below the poverty
line due to the leap in food
prices, including 30 million
in Africa.
“How we respond to this
double jeopardy of soaring
food and oil prices is a test
of the global system’s commitment to help the most
vulnerable,” World Bank
President Robert Zoellick
said. “It is a test we cannot
afford to fail.”
To help cushion the blow,
officials said the G8 would
unveil a series of measures
to help Africa, especially its
farmers, and would affirm
its commitment to double
aid to give $50 billion extra
in aid by 2010, with half to
go to the world’s poorest
continent.
The summit wraps up on
Wednesday with a Major
Economies Meeting comprising the G8 and eight
other big greenhouse gasemitting countries, including India and China and
Australia.
30
We came across interesting
information on the Internet. As we have mentioned
floods and the 100-year
flood several times in the
past, we thought passing
on this information to the
readers of The Daily Herald
is a must, a responsibility!
“Fifteen years ago, after the USA Midwest was
swamped with what was
pronounced a “100-year”
or even a “500-year” flood,
some folks figured they
would never again see such
a disaster in their lifetime.
Some even dropped their
flood insurance.
Big mistake.
Now, with the region
(USA) struck by a supposedly once-in-a-lifetime
flood (in magnitude) for
the second time since 1993,
some scientists and disaster officials say the use of
terms like “100-year flood”
should be re-evaluated be-
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
cause they are often misunderstood and can give
the public a false sense of
security.
The United States Geological Survey almost needs
to quit using the term “100year flood,’” said hydrologist Gary Wilson with the
USGS Missouri Water
Science Center in Rolla,
Missouri. “It could happen twice a year, if you’re
unlucky. Or 200 years could
go by without a 100-year
flood.”
Villanova University professor Robert Traver, who
specialises in storm water
management, was more
succinct: “Whoever invented that term should be
shot.”
Several scientists said they
had tried to move away
from using the terms, yet
they also say they routinely
fall back on the labels as
shorthand for measuring a
flood’s severity.
The terms have practical
consequences. They are
used for such things as classifying a levee’s protection
level and setting insurance
requirements for people
who live in flood-prone areas.
Many people seem to believe that a 100-year flood
should happen once every
100 years, or that a 500year flood should happen
every 500 years. But that’s
not how it works.
A 100-year flood is defined
as a flood so big that it has a
one per cent chance of happening in any given year. A
500-year flood is one with a
0.2 per cent chance of happening in a given year – a
1-in-500 chance.
Scientists say it is not unusual to hear from people
who want to know if they
have lived through a “100year” event and want to
cancel their flood insurance, believing one recent
big flood lowers the risk of
another. But that’s not the
case.
While the rules of probability say that the odds are
50-50 that a coin will come
up heads, it is entirely possible to flip a quarter and
come up with heads four or
five times in a row. Flipping
a coin is a gamble in probability.
Awareness and preparedness both fall under peace
of mind and a secured
mode. A far better probability factor.
After this island was hit
with two mild hurricanes in
a row, a day or two in between, a mitigation project
was launched using the rainfall figure, the highest ever
recorded. The Long Wall
was given a different face
and some work was done
where the turn is now about
sorting traffic to Philipsburg
and Bush Road and v/v. It
worked well, until the next
record rainfall drenched
the island. Another project
was launched.
Nothing much has happened since. In other words,
the rainfall figure has been
a record till this date.
One of the nightmares
with flooding is sewage.
Engineers have to take that
into consideration. The
island’s contour and drainage play a major role in the
planning. The locations of
lift stations and inspection
holes have to be engineered
properly to prevent sewage
from mixing with floodwa-
ters.
Floods do not forgive!
Granted, it is difficult to
plan for a record rainfall.
Fortunately, the Met Office
can estimate rainfall. Disaster planners can take actions based on the information from the Met Office.
Animals R Friends reminds the community:
The hurricane season officially started on June 1.
The community is reminded again to start early with
preparations and safety
plans. The Board of Animals
R Friends would like to remind the community of Sint
Maarten to please include
pets and livestock/cattle in
the emergency preparations
and safety plans.
The World Society for
the Protection of Animals
(WSPA), of which organization Animals R Friends
is a member, provided the
board with posters to create awareness on this topic.
Animals R Friends will be
distributing these posters in
several public places during
the coming months.
Here are some points to
consider when preparing for
disasters such as hurricanes,
flooding and fires:
1. Include your pet in your
emergency food supply.
Have a food supply for your
pets for at least one week
available (canned food and
dry food).
2. Be sure to store enough
water for your pets.
3. If your pet needs medication, be sure that you have
enough medications (in a
waterproof container). Also
put together a first aid kit
for your pets.
The kit should also have
tick/flea medication and
anti-heartworm tablets.
4. Always keep an identification tag on your pet,
even those who stay indoors
(the veterinary clinics on
Sint Maarten provide these
tags). In natural disasters
such as hurricanes, pets
may get lost or forgotten.
You can also have the vet
put a small tattoo on your
pet’s ear.
5. Keep current photos of
your pets with you, in case
they get lost.
6. During the actual hurricane/storm: Never leave
a pet outside during the
storm, definitely not on
a chain. This will mean a
death sentence for them.
Bring them into the house
with you or, if that’s not possible, place them in another
safe spot inside, for instance
a concrete garage.
7. If you have to evacuate
your home: Never leave
your pets behind! Make
sure to check in time if the
shelters accept your pets. If
not, take the animals to a
prearranged safe location;
for instance, with friends or
family. It may be difficult, if
not impossible, to find shelter for your animals in the
middle of a disaster. Do not
wait until an actual disaster
strikes to do your research.
Prepare now for the day
that you and your pets may
have to evacuate, so arrange
a place for your pets prior to
the hurricane!
8. Be aware that even family pets may bite if they are
very frightened.
9. Keep a leash or rope
handy to restrain or remove
your pet. During an emergency it may not hear or respond to voice commands.
Also have a portable carrier
at hand (large enough for
the pet to stand up and turn
around). Smaller animals
like cats, birds, hamsters
and rabbits should always
be transported in secure
cages/carriers.
10. Know the numbers of
the local veterinarians in
case you lose a pet.
11. All cattle should have
identification. Identification
can be ear tag, ear notches, neck chain, microchip.
Make sure you secure the
paperwork that shows your
ownership.
12. Don’t keep your cattle
in the barn or stable to prevent debris injury. If your
barn collapses cattle have
no chance to save themselves and are likely to panic if they can’t follow their
instincts. Relocate livestock
to a predetermined safe
area. Ensure that they have
access to hay, pasture, clean
water, a safe area or high
ground above flood levels.
13. Never leave cattle and
horses tied or chained during a hurricane and never
leave them inside a wooden
structure. It is better to let
them roam free, so they will
be able to help themselves.
14. The safest place for cattle and horses to weather a
storm is in a large pasture.
Bring the animals to higher
grounds because of possible
flooding.
15. If you have chicken
cages, please reinforce the
cage structures before the
hurricane.
International
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
“There is a lot of good in
what the Catholic Church
does, but you have these
apples in the barrel and they
going to fester. Don’t let it
last another century before
you do something,” said
Respall. “This has nothing
to do with what God has
to say, this is what men and
women have done.”
SYDNEY--Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests
and brothers in Australia,
like Jose Respall who still
vividly recalls being fondled
at age 11, are calling on
Pope Benedict to apologise
when he arrives in Sydney
on Sunday.
“I was touched in the groin
and inside of my thighs,”
said 45-year-old Respall,
recalling how a Marist
brother teacher abused him
and his classmates in a Sydney school in 1974.
“He was blatantly open, he
would tuck your shirt in, in
the playground. Everybody
knew about what was going
on yet nothing was done,”
Respall told Reuters in an
interview on Monday.
Respall said some of his
school friends wrote swear
words on the inside of their
thighs, hoping the brother
would be offended and not
molest them. “As you go
through life you don’t want
to remember these things.
It’s an horrific experience
to be touched and molested
at a very young age,” said
Respall.
Pope Benedict confronted
the issue of sexual abuse in
the church during a visit to
Washington in April, meeting victims and vowing to
keep paedophiles out of the
priesthood. Broken Rites,
which represents abuse
victims in Australia, has a
list of 107 convictions for
church abuse, but says the
real number of cases is far
greater as only a handful go
to court.
Broken Rites says the
Pope, who will be in Sydney to attend the Catholic
Church’s World Youth Day
from July 15-20, should offer a “proper apology, not
just a motherhood statement ... to a group of victims
of church sexual abuse.”
Australia’s Cardinal
George Pell says he is sure
the Pope will address the issue of sexual abuse, but he
has stopped short of revealing whether Pope Benedict
will apologise to victims.
“The fact the bishops and
religious leaders in Australia have already apologised,
quite a number of times,
these symbols do contribute to healing,” Pell told
Reuters.
“The Pope handled the
issue well in the United
States. I hope and pray, and
anticipate, that he will han- aboriginal people (for past
dle the issue appropriately abuse) there was great sigh
here,” he said.
of relief,” said Respall.
“He (the Pope) is a person
Papal Healing
of great integrity, he should
Marist Brother Ross Mur- do something about this
rin, 52, who molested Res- situation,” he added.
pall and others, was jailed
Broken Rites says it will
in March after pleaded not protest the papal visit
guilty to 17 charges of sex- but some abuse victims plan
ual abuse stretching over to take to the streets calling
10 years. “He is a predator. for an apology, while other
He is a Pied Piper of pae- people will stage protests
dophiles as far as I am con- against church doctrine
cerned,” said Respall, who by handing out condoms
admits to a sense of relief to young pilgrims. Police
and justice now Murrin is have been given extra antibehind bars.
protest powers to arrest
But Respall believes the and fine people A$5,5000
healing process also re- (US$5,300) if they annoy
quires the Pope to apolo- or disturb the estimated
gise. “The significance of 500,000 young pilgrims.
someone
acknowledging The laws have the potential
there was a wrong is very to make wearing a T-shirt
important. When the prime with an anti-Catholic mesminister apologised to the sage a crime.
MOSCOW--Two of Russia’s most senior generals
were relieved of their duties on Monday in what one
analyst said was a purge of
commanders who oppose
a plan to reform the vast,
nuclear-armed military.
Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has been
ordered to give Russia a
modern armed forces that
would match its ambitions
to be a major player on the
world stage, but he has encountered fierce resistance
from his own commanders.
The two generals, both
deputy heads of the military’s general staff, were
discharged because they
had reached the retirement
age of 60, Russia’s Interfax
news agency quoted a Defence Ministry spokesman
as saying. Many top generals serve beyond that age
and the formula is often
used to explain a dismissal.
Last month the two men’s
former boss, chief of general staff General Yuri Baluyevsky, left on the same
grounds.
“All the people who are
unhappy with Serdyukov or
were appointed by the previous defence minister, are
being removed from the
general staff,” said analyst
Stanislav Belkovsky, who
co-authored a report on the
state of the military. Contacted by Reuters, the Defence Ministry said no one
was available to comment.
Russia has one of the
world’s biggest armies in
terms of troop numbers
and it inherited from the
Soviet Union the world’s
second-biggest nuclear arsenal. Neglected after the
Soviet collapse, the military
is once again the focus of
international attention as
the Kremlin takes a more
assertive stance abroad.
Russia has sent nucleararmed bomber jets on regular patrols near NATOcontrolled airspace and
staged naval exercises off
the coasts of NATO member states.
Russia is using some of its
windfall from oil exports
to increase defence spending. The military budget
for last year was 22 percent
higher than in 2006 and the
government plans to spend
$189 billion on new hardware by 2015.
But many analysts say the
cash is being soaked up by
a bloated and inefficient
military bureaucracy. Despite the spending increase,
Russia’s military last year
acquired only three new
Catholic cardinal George Pell of Australia talks during an interview in Sydney, July 4, 2008.
aircraft, one large naval
vessel and 31 tanks, the
Vedomosti newspaper reported last week.
Conscripts still make up
a large part of the armed
forces and cases of hazing,
murder and suicide are
frequent. On Monday a
soldier in Russia’s far east
shot dead three colleagues
before killing himself, the
Defence Ministry said.
The most high-profile part
of Serdyukov’s reform plan
so far has been to auction
off defence ministry real
estate in an area near Moscow where Russia’s political and business elite have
their country villas. Many
analysts have questioned
the ability of Serdyukov, a
former tax official who used
to run a furniture business,
to create an effective armed
forces.
Church Malaise
Some leading Catholics in
Australia hope Pope Benedict’s first visit to Australia
will not be dominated by
sexual abuse, but instead
be used to re-energise the
church.
Mainstream churches such
as the Catholic and Anglican churches struggle to attract worshippers in Australia, unlike small evangelical
churches and Buddhism,
the fastest growth faith
in Australia. The majority of Australians consider
themselves religious but
say faith does not play a big
part in their life, according
to a survey which showed
few regularly pray or visit
church.
Respall said he lost his
faith after being abused and
LA PAZ--Bolivian officials on Monday unveiled
journals written by Marxist guerrilla leader Ernesto
“Che” Guevara during his
failed attempt to spread
revolution in the Andean
country, where he was
killed in 1967.
The Bolivian government
had kept the documents in
a sealed envelope inside a
vault at the country’s central bank since 1986. They
included a diary that the
left-wing icon wrote in two
frayed notebooks, along
with a logbook and several
black-and-white
photographs.
“Several transcripts of the
diary have been published
but this is the first time the
only now, some 28 years
later, has started attending
Sunday mass. “I felt betrayed,” he said. “In my victim impact statement I said
I wish that God forgives me
for my loss of faith.”
National politician Tony
Abbott, a staunch Catholic who once studied to be
a priest, has called on the
Pope to reach out to Australia’s disillusioned Catholics. Some 5 million Australians describe themselves
as Catholic, but less than
one million attend Sunday
mass, according to a 2001
census. Today that number
might be around 100,000,
Abbott said.
If Pope Benedict “leaves
Sydney without tackling the
malaise of the church, people will feel cheated and
World Youth Day will have
been a failure,” Abbott
wrote in a recent newsmagazine. “I think what people
are wanting, are hoping for,
from this visit is a sense that
this is a Pope who speaks
our language ... who appreciates it is not an age that is
naturally given to religious
faith,” he said.
public will be able to look at
the handwritten journals,”
the country’s vice minister
of culture, Pablo Groux,
told Reuters.
Groux said the government
planned later this year to
publish the diaries, reprinting photographs of every
page. Bolivia recovered the
diaries, which disappeared
from an army vault in the
early 1980s, when they were
offered for sale at an auction in London.
Guevara was known to
be a prolific writer and he
regularly kept notes of his
travels throughout Latin
America. His journals inspired the 2004 hit film
“The Motorcycle Diaries”.
Mr. Demba
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Efficient to serious work.
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on appointment.
Call: (00590) 690 130354 / (599) 555-5457
32
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
International
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
KASHGAR, China--In a
backstreet of the old Silk
Road city of Kashgar, the
Chinese government has
been spray-painting signs
on dusty mud brick walls to
warn against what it says is
a new enemy--the Islamic
Liberation Party. Better
known as Hizb ut-Tahrir,
the group says its goal is
to establish a pan-national
Muslim state, or Caliphate.
China says Hizb ut-Tahrir
are terrorists, and claim
they operate in the far
western region of Xinjiang,
home to some 8 million
Muslim, Turkic-speaking
Uighurs, many of whom
chafe under Chinese rule.
But the group, and some
observers, say they do not
espouse violence, and they
accuse China of playing up
the threat as an excuse to
further crack down in restive Xinjiang, especially
ahead of this summer’s Beijing Olympics.
“Strike hard against the
Islamic Liberation Party”
and “The Islamic Liberation Party is a violent terrorist organisation” read
the signs in Kashgar, written in red in both Chinese
and Uighur’s Arabic-based
script. Residents passing by
appear to give little heed to
the notices, accustomed as
they are to daily barrages of
propaganda from the government denouncing “splittism”, “illegal religious
activities” and calling for
ethnic unity and harmony.
“I don’t know what that
group is,” said one Uighur,
who declined to give his
name, shaking his head and
scurrying away.
As in another strife-hit
Chinese region, Tibet, many
Uighurs resent the growing
economic and cultural impact of Han Chinese who
have in some cases been
Chinese government,” Taji
Mustafa, media representative for Hizb ut-Tahrir
Britain, told Reuters in an
emailed statement.
“It is well known across the
world that since its founding in 1953, Hizb ut-Tahrir
has exclusively engaged in
non-violent political and
intellectual work,” Mustafa
added. He did not comment on whether the group
was active in Xinjiang.
Muslims attend Friday prayers at a mosque in the former Silk Road city of Hotan, Xinjiang
province June 20, 2008 file photo.
encouraged by the government to move to far-flung
and under populated parts
of the country. Beijing accuses militant Uighurs of
working with al Qaeda to
use terror to bring about
an independent state called
East Turkestan. It claims
to have foiled at least two
Xinjiang-based plots this
year to launch attacks during the Beijing Games.
But the emergence of Hizb
ut-Tahrir is a recent phenomenon in Xinjiang. “The
organization is extremely
resilient and its influence,
although limited to southern Xinjiang, seems to be
growing,” said Nicholas
Bequelin of Human Rights
Watch.
“The prison authorities
are also worried about the
influence of Hizbut followers on other inmates,” he
added.
But it seems unlikely they
represent the threat to
Xinjiang that China likes
to portray, said Dru Gladney, president of the Pacific
Basin Institute at Pomona
College, California, and a
Uighur expert. “For most
Uighurs who are activists,
though some of them are
very religious in their Islam, their main goal is sovereignty for Xinjiang. Hizb
ut-Tahrir doesn’t support
that. They support a worldwide Caliphate, not any
one independent region,”
he said.
Xinjiang Time
Though a part of China,
many areas in Xinjiang
feel a world away from the
booming and cosmopolitan
cities on the Chinese coast,
far to the east. In Kashgar,
a city close to the Pakistan
and Afghan borders, some
women not only cover their
heads, but also veil their
faces. In some cases, dark
brown cloths envelope the
whole head.
Clocks in a lot of mosques,
restaurants, cafes and shops
are set to Xinjiang time,
two hours behind Beijing
time, the official standard
for the entire country, even
if that means the sun does
not set until after 10 p.m. in
Kashgar in the summer.
Exiled groups and human
rights campaigners have
long chastised China for its
religious restrictions, even
as the government hits back
and says it guarantees freedom of religion in its constitution, as long as believers respect the law. Many
are not convinced that Hizb
ut-Tahrir is the threat the
Chinese government says it
is in Xinjiang.
“This does not exist. They
have come up with this
group’s name themselves,”
said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exiled World
Uyghur Congress. “They
are trying to mislead the
world and deflect from
concern for the Uighur
people.”
For its part, Hizb ut-Tahrir
denies it advocates violence.
“Hizb ut-Tahrir and Muslim
voices that do not toe the
government line have been
severely oppressed by the
Splittism
Yet China maintains the
threat is real. Hizb ut-Tahrir is likewise banned in
countries such as Uzbekistan, where it has also been
blamed for violence.
In November, China’s
Xinhua news agency announced sentences ranging from death to life in
jail for six Uighurs accused
of “splittism and organising and leading terrorist
groups,” and implicated
Hizb ut-Tahrir. One of the
men was found guilty of
“proactively carrying out
extremist religious activities and promoting `jihad’,
establishing a terrorist
training base and preparing
to set up an `Islamic caliphate’”, Xinhua reported.
In April, the Xinjiang government blamed Hizb utTahrir for inciting protests
in Khotan, in which the
OTA Activation
Instructions
Multimedia Messaging Service
Send & Receive
Pictures, Ring
Tones and Video
messages.
33
World Uyghur Congress
said about 1,000 people
took to the streets. “By
linking the unrest to Hizb
ut-Tahrir there’s legal cause
for suggesting that these individuals were involved in a
transnational conspiracy to
set up an Islamic state and
destabilise China,” Gladney said.
“It’s not clear that the civil
unrest had any of those
goals in mind,” he added.
“They were pretty disorganised.”
Still, authorities launched
a propaganda drive last
year targeting what China
says are the true intentions
of Hizb ut-Tahrir. “Be very
clear about the `Islamic
Liberation Party’s’ reactionary nature,” the Kashgar government said in a
notice on its website. “Be
very clear about their pervasive and actual threat to
Xinjiang and Kashgar.”
Yet while some Uighurs
say they have heard of
Hizb ut-Tahrir, they dismiss
it as being irrelevant to
their situation. “What we
want is simple--freedom,”
said a Uighur resident of
Xinjiang’s regional capital,
Urumqi, who asked not be
identified, fearing repercussions with the authorities.
“But there are too many
Han and too few of us.”
TelCell Subscribers will receive a
CONFIGURATION SMS message that will
automatically configure their mobile phone
with all the correct settings.
When you receive the message you will be
required to Save or Install the settings.
Please always remember to Save or Install the
settings on the handset as DEFAULT settings.
Activation Code: 1234
(This may differ depending on the model
phone. Verify your phone code in your
phonesʼ manual)
For more information Call us Toll FREE: 611
Pond Island, Philipsburg & Airport Blvd, Simpson Bay
34
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sony surround amplifier $160,
3 speaker set $85, Casio Exilim
S770 Digital Camera, tripod & accessories $175, JXD Super MP4
Player & accessories $79. Please
call 522-3140 or 524-2855.
2008 Honda Silver Wing
600, Best Scooter in the
world, $9,500. Call Fadi
for more prices at Super
Bikes:544-2704 or 5442779 and you can visit
our
website:
www.sxmcar.com.
1990 Porche Carrera 4, snow
white, show case condition, new
mags and tires, new stereo set,
one owner, must see, special price
$28,000. For information call 5423420/581-5711.
1998 Toyota Corolla, automatic
including CD player. In very good
condition.
$4,000.
Call:5533896/548-3077.
Nissan Pathfinder Special
Edition, beige/gold, fully
loaded, leather interior, sunroof, only 40,000 miles. In
very good condition, $9,000.
Please call:581-7588.
. Very
new 2007 Hyundai Sante Fe,
silver/gray, fully loaded, only
13500
miles.
$19,000.
Call:553-2517.
Sale! 1999 Jeep Cherokee Grand
Limited, red. In good condition,
$6,400. 2001 Dodge Neon, green,
minor repairs, $4,100 negotiable for
both vehicles. Call:554-7312/5812677.
2001 black Ford Explorer Jeep,
cold air conditioning system, 4
doors, automatic, fully loaded. Sold
for $5,900. Please call:581-0100.
for
sale. Please call (599) 5876135.
2005 Toyota Corolla, fully loaded
with 20 inch Chrome Rims. Interested please call 554-6262.
2006 Grand Vitara V6, automatic,
low mileage, $17,000. Tel:554-0263
between 10 am 7 pm.
2006 Nissan Urvan Van, 15 seater,
very clean, low mileage, $20.000,
financing available. Please call
553-5401 or 556-7240.
2006 Toyota Corolla American
Spec, low low miles. Great Deal
leaving the island. Call:554-7923.
/1bath condos fully furnished, 1 x 2
bedroom/1bath condo fully
furnished turn key operation
all condos wired for internet,
cable, satellite and telephone Cole Bay $140,000.
Euro Caribbean Linkup N.V.
Office
tel:(599)542-5551
Office
fax:(599)542-2375
e-mail: eclnv@caribserve.net
website: www.eclsxm.com
Aqua Marina: 2 bedroom/2.5 bath
apartment, fully furnished, 3 terraces, Lagoon/Anguilla view. 24/7 security, gym, water taxi, pool, jacuzzi,
lush gardens, $590,000. Please
call 520-4321.
Duplex house for sale by owner
only, high up Mary’s Fancy Hill.
3 bedroom/2,5 bath, spacious
large deck, rooftop parking. Great
investment!
Possible
$2,000
rental income. $397,000. Call:5201401/580-7002.
For sale:Prime Real Estate, Simpson Bay with 2 separate 2 bedroom
apartments with 3000 sq.ft of rented space. Land 380 m2. Call:5204777 for more information.
,
automatic. In good condition.
$2,200 negotiable. Please
call:581-0294.
white, fully
loaded, power everything,
cold A/C, $12,000. Tel:5817411.
1 bedroom apartment, panoramic
view, situated in Saunders, $90,000.
Tel:526-5996.
Brand new 48” Viking refrigerator
(vcsb483) stainless steel with ice
maker. Never opened or used.Wrong
model. Retails in Miami $7,715 plus
freight. Gain on our error. Available for
$6,500. Call:553-7326.
sale
purpose, retail, wholesale,
general goods/services of
non operational company
with no assets, no liabilities
is available also can provide
professional Management/
accounting
services.
Email:csmaxx47@yahoo.co
m. Tel:523-7134.
Retail Store.
Store location excellent for
jewelry sales. Long lease.
Only serious inquiries email
to
dimplesgift@sintmaarten.net.
Just arrived! July 1, 2008. Brand
new Jacuzzi J-345. Premium hot
tub, factory warranty, 27 jets, stereo,
water rainbow, pillows, lights. Retail
in Miami for $10,000 plus freight.
Leaving the island shortly! Toyota Available for $9,500. Call:553-7326.
Corolla 2004, DVD/audio system.
Back bumper need to repair.$7,000. Mac Book Air (Apple). Brand new,
Big opportunity. Phone:553-0464. still in the box. Tel:524-9286.
For sale:Yellow Chong Ying
Scooter. In very good condition,
125cc, low mileage, only $950.
Please call:553-0877.
Leaving the island! Ford Explorer
2002, CD player, A/C, automatic,
$7,000. Suzuki Grand Vitara 2004,
automatic, $10,000. If interested,
please call:553-0942.
Must sell almost brand new furniture, refrigerator, washing machine/
dryer, table/chairs, book shelf &
bed. Leaving the island. Call anytime 588-1373 or 543-0119.
Must sell! Mitsubishi Lancer
2000, grey automatic, A/C. In excellent condition, $3,800 negotiable.
Call:581-1222 or 526-1930.
One steel master prefab steel
building “Q model”,elivation plan of
4ft. above ground, 33ft.x48ft., skylite, rear door, plan & manual, still
in crate. Must sell, call 553-3208,
price negotiable.
Rainbow Beach Club at Cupecoy,
direct from owner. Great ocean
views, brand new, fully furnished. 2
bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. $475,000.
E-mail:budgetjoseph@yahoo.com.
Call:(599)580-9755. States:001781-715-0162.
Cole Bay Hill top:2 bedrooms/
baths with great ocean view and
private parking, $1,600 p/m. Studio
apartment $600 p/m. Cay Hill, 3
bedroom/2 baths, private parking.
Call:520-4777.
Cole Bay on the lagoon, 1 bedroom/1 bath apartment, furnished,
24 hours security with private parking. $900/monthly. Call:581-6418 or
553-6700.
, new
interior, Plantation furnishings, A/C, pool, gated security, maid, no smokers/pets,
water/electricity included,
Cupecoy Tradewinds,
$1,400.
Euro Caribbean Linkup N.V.
Office tel:(599)542-5551
Fax:(599)542-23750
e-mail:eclnv@caribserve.net
website: www.eclsxm.com
Accommodations in Barbados
& Airport pick up. 5 minutes drive
to U.S. Embassy Reasonable
rates. Call Janice Ward, Rossomar
Guest House for more information:
001-(246) 424-0098 E-mail: rossomarrentals@hotmail.com Website:
http://barbados.org/apt/rossomar.
Almond Grove, semi furnished
3 bedroom villa with separate
apartment. Pool, garden, amazing
ocean & lagoon views. Available
now $3,500 monthly. Call me:5802588.
Almond Grove:Spacious 2 bedroom/2 full bath apartment. Large
covered terrace with unobstructed
ocean/lagoon views, surrounded
by garden. Separate entrance/
parking, A/C, shutters, generator
Great Investment! (4) 1 bed- and cistern, 24hr.gated security.
room/1 bath apartment building in $2,300/monthly, excluding utilities.
exquisite Koolbai-Villas. Property Call:523-0910.
appraised for $345,000, reduced to
$315,000. Call Dwain @ 554-4801. Almond Grove:Villa, 3 bedroom/3
bath, big garden, terrace, pool, priLarge family home, 3 bedroom vate with parking. Great view from
plus 2 units. Great location, gar- Pelican to Maho, 24 hr. security, unden, parking and ocean view. Price furnished, $3,500/monthly. Please
$575,000. Call:587-0247 or 0690- call:581-6418/553-6700.
55-70-46.
, Madame Estate;
office space for rent, $675
Townhouses: 4 bedrooms 3
(excl.TOT). Excellent for
storey
development
in
starting a small business.
Mary’s Fancy. 3rd floor can
For details and appointments
be potential rental unit.
please call during office
Preconstruction
price
hours:542-5103.
$424,999. 5 units left. Call
now 555-5487.
Email:
contact@kareemsrealtor.net. Apartment for rent:One bedroom
apartment, completely furnished, 2
min. from the airport, cable ready,
A/C, large porch overlooking the
lagoon. $1,000+ utilities p/m. Also
a studio for rent in Saunders.
Tel:(599)586-8575/557-1778.
sxmapt@yahoo.com.
space
available for rent, $600 and
office
space
available,
$1,500. Please call:543Sale.
6686.
15-30 feet from the sea.
Beautiful, safe,Coral Shore, Beacon Hill:2 bedroom, 1 bath,
Pelican Key. Two bedrooms/ fully furnished, washer/dryer, A/C,
two baths, living room/ cable, internet ready. $1,300 p/m
kitchen,private Atrium, & well plus utilities. Available immediately,
furnished. Forty-foot ocean- close to the beach & AUC. Call:586front
covered
porch. 4801/581-2064.
$899,000. Don:544-2121.
Casa Mexicana: Pelican villa 3
bedroom/3 bath, airco, fully furOyster Pond lot reduced for quick nished, spectacular ocean & lasale. Best view! Looks down on goon views, walled-in garden, seDawn Beach and out to Anguilla. cluded Cul de Sac, private parking,
Located in a small gated commu- $2,200. Call: 00590-590-87-77-69.
nity within exclusive gated Oyster Leave name and number.
Pond Estate. $375,000.Call:553Pelican
7326.
Key. Apartments available for
Pelican, perfect family home with rent, fully furnished, ocean
great
location.
3 units. Very private, pool, 3 bed- view,
Telephone, cable TV, airco,
room, 2 bath + 2 bedroom/1 bath
pool. Beach right across the
+ 1 bedroom/1 bath. Needs some street. For appointment call
work. Price $650,000. Call:587- Wilma: 544-2356.
0247 or 0690-55-70-46.
Cole Bay:3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, partial lagoon view. $1,400
per month. Call:526-2465/5267420 call for details.
Large 1 bedroom/1 bath apartment, fully furnished, A/C, appliances, very quiet area in Guana
Bay. Available August 1st, 2008.
Contact:553-4837 or 554-0097.
Long/short term, one bedroom
apartment, fully furnished, A/C, very
quiet, safe area, hurricane protection.
For more details call:557-7263.
Maho, brand new two bedroom,
fully furnished, equipped, A/C, satellite TV, internet, washer/dryer,
view of the beach, 2 balconies,
private parking, security, $1,600
p/m. One bedroom $1,200 p/m.
Call:523-3241.
Cole Bay:Fully furnished two bedroom apartment. Secure, cable TV,
A/C in the rooms. Available mid July
- November. Monthly rent $950,
deposit $950. No pets, no children.
Contact:522-9894.
Maho, brand new studio, fully furnished, equipped, A/C, satellite T.V,
internet, washer/dryer, separate
kitchen, balcony, private parking &
security. $950 p/m. Call:523-3241.
Cole Bay:One semi furnished
apartment, 1 living, 1 bath, 1 bedroom and kitchenette, private
porch, entrance and parking . Rent
$600 per month. Call:586-1428.
New building completed with
one large apartment still available.
Payment of security deposit is your
guarantee for occupancy. Please
call:526-8121.
Coral Shore Oceanfront Villa,
3 bedroom, 3 baths, living room,
kitchen, porch, furnished. Available now, long term lease. $3,700/
month plus utilities, 2 months security. Don:544-2121.
Cupecoy, 1 bedroom, fully furnished with A/C. $1,100 and 1 studio, $800. Please call 522-8463.
Dawn Beach Estate, 2 bedroom
with A/C, 2 bath, semi furnished,
24 hours security, hot/cold water,
$1,300/month, 1 month deposit, 1
month rent. Please call:554-3181.
Dawn Beach Estate:(1) 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment in a secured neighborhood. Unfurnished,
A/C, laundry room, own parking.
$1,000 per month. Call:581-5344.
Available now.
Offices located at Kanaal
building,
Emmaplein,
across RBTT. Modern,
spacious and ready to
go in. Furnished or not.
Starting at $1,500 all
included. Call 54-44200.
One bedroom fully furnished
apartment with A/C for rent. 105
Cannegieter Street, Pondfill Philipsburg, $650. Call:526-7379.
Oyster Pond:2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment with garage. Price
$1,250. Tel:526-7622.
Oyster Pond:One bedroom apartment on the water, screened-in
porch, fully furnished, loft for extra
sleeping or storage, common area
pool. Two people only. $1,290 p/m
Dawn beach, beautiful 2 bed- includes satellite TV. Phone:551room/1.5 bath house, with view of 1941 for appointment.
Oyster Pond to Guana Bay and St.
Barths, nice garden, patio, Jacuzzi, Spaces. 1200 sq.ft. without
furnished, $2,400 plus utilities. air conditioned, private parkCall:522-8468 for appointment.
ing, $2,500/monthly and
1100 sq.ft. with air conDawn Beach, quality apartment. ditioned in all rooms, private
1 bedroom/1 bathroom, living room parking,
$3,000/monthly.
and nice kitchen, furnished, ocean Call:581-6996.
view, common pool, parking, TV/
internet access. Two airco’s/fans. Philipsburg, great central locaUtilities excluded, hurricane pro- tion, near all banks, 3 bedroom/2
tection. $1,100. Available now! bath, 2 level penthouse, cable, internet, phone, intercom, furnished/
Call:(00599)527-3501/527-0994.
unfurnished, AC/fans, 2 months
For rent:2 bedroom, 1 bath apart- deposit, available immediately,
ment, pool, parking, electric gate, $1,500, no agent. Call: 520-1954.
terrace, ocean view, Belair. $1,800
Philipsburg, one bedroom apartper month. Call:554-0168.
ment, furnished, fully air condiFrench Quarter: 3 bedroom/2 tioned, very secure, Great Bay
bath apartment, fenced yard, quiet views, $1,300 excluding utilities.
neighbourhood. Please call (599) Call:581-2324.
581-9077.
Pointe Blanche, 1 bedroom apartFurnished one bedroom apart- ment for rent. Semi furnished, just
ment in quiet neighbourhood. Cable bring your bed. Private gated yard
TV and water included, $675 per with remote. $850. Call:523-3131.
month. No pets. Call:586-5555.
Furnished one bedroom apartment, Egret Bldg., Cole Bay. $700
excluding utilities, 2 months deposit, available immediately. Call:5442308 or 553-3766, 8 am- 5 pm.
Pointe Pirouette:(2) 1 bedroom/2
full bath, terrace, patio, private pool
& parking. Great lagoon view, 24
hr.security. Starting $1,600/monthly.
Please call:581-6418/553-6700.
House for rent. 2 bedroom/2 bath
house, The Keys, Sucker Garden.
Great for a small family, large yard.
$800 per month. Available August
1st. Call:553-2517.
on Bush Road. Suitable for
office, store, hair salon, etc,
etc. Super high traffic central
location. Very reasonable
rent. Call Raj @ 543-0342 or
543-0343.
Just constructed on the way to
Guana Bay, modern one & two
bedroom apartments for rent. $900
and $1,100 respectively. Full A/C
with balconies. Call:520-8891 for
viewing.
Simpson Bay Lagoon: Large
waterfront luxury condo, beautifully furnished, 2 bedroom/2 bath,
washer/dryer, large balcony, custom kitchen, den, elevator, manned
security, wireless internet, $2,500/
month plus utilities. Call:520-0561.
Business
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Simpson Bay on the lagoon, 2
bedroom/2 bath apartment, semi
furnished with appliance, parking & garden. $1,500 per month.
Long term rental. Please call:5816418/553-6700.
South Reward:Newly built, one
bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.Your
own balcony, great view and parking
space. Two bedroom, kitchen and
bathroom, own balcony. Spectacular
view and parking space.Contact:5868923/543-2760/61.
Spacious 2 bedroom apartment located in a beautiful, quiet
area. For more information please
call:581-1803/522-7608.
,
Entry level position, busy
philipsburg office, speak and
read Dutch, computer literate.
Weekend
shifts.
Please fax CV to 542-7750.
time, some weekend shifts,
proficient in Dutch. Minimum
5 years experience. Send
CV and copy relevant diplomas
email
docsxm@yahoo.com.
Studio apartment for rent, fully
furnished with A/C, hot/cold wa- Experienced Trademan. Excelter and T.V. in Union Farm, $650. lent work in carpentry, mason,
kitchen cabinet, bathroom installaPhone:555-4628.
tion, plumbing, electrical, tiling, hur, ricane or security shutters. For your
electricity, cable, internet next small job call:553-3208.
included, fully furnished,
Saunders $850. 5 bedroom/ Honest hard working woman
3 bath large house, semi fur- seeks a job to take care of the elnished, 2 large porches, derly, housekeeping, babysitting,
Ebenezer $2,000. 1 bed- ironing or washing. Full time or part
room/1bath apartment, fully
time. Please call:522-9076.
furnished, water and electricity included Pointe Blanche,
$1,150. 2 bedroom/2½ bath,
semi-furnished, front balcony
and a patio Mary’s Fancy
$1,600. Euro Caribbean All computer problems (MicroLinkup
N.V. soft) Expert Service at your home
Office
tel:(599)542-5551 or office 24hr/7 days. Maintenance,
office
fax:(599)542-2375 repairs, computer speed up, harde-mail: eclnv@caribserve.net ware, software update, wireless
website: www.eclsxm.com
networking, etc. We put your Windows original. Call:580-0127.
Studio fully furnished included
utilities, $550 per month and one
month deposit. Poinsette Road
#22, Betty’s Estate. Tel:553-1236.
Union Farm Estate, quiet area, 3
bedroom/2 bath house, large master
bedroom/bath, large kitchen, dining
room, living room, front/back porch.
$1,500 p/m plus 1 month deposit. Any
serious inquiries call:553-0942.
Weymouth Hill, Charming fully
furnished house, 3 bedroom, 2
bath, wonderful view, common
pool, hurricane protection, quiet
area. No pets. Security deposit. Required. $1,500 per month plus Utilities. Call:557-4762, 542-6024.
Attendant.
Pleasant personality, computer literate. Send CV to
jazpretty@aol.com.
to
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BRUSSELS--All European
Union member states would
be allowed to levy lower
value-added tax rates on a
host of services from haircuts
to restaurant meals under
proposals published by the
European Commission on
Monday.
At present, 18 of the 27
member states have special
permission to levy VAT rates
below the 15 percent standard level on a variety of labour-intensive local services,
but their right to do so is due
to expire in 2010.
EU Tax Commissioner
Laszlo Kovacs is seeking to
replace this patchwork of
temporary permissions with
a coherent, permanent set of
rules under which all countries would be able to levy
reduced rates on the same
goods and services. Stud-
ies showed that such rights
would not be likely to distort competition or harm the
bloc’s internal market, the
EU executive said.
Unanimity will be needed
among EU states to adopt
Kovacs’ draft law but Germany has often said it opposes reduced rates. Denmark is
also reluctant.
Kovacs was optimistic finance ministers could adopt
the proposal by mid-2009
for it to come into effect in
2011 as no state is forced
to introduce reduced rates.
“Because of budget deficits,
it should remain optional
so if a country can’t afford
it today they may be able to
afford it tomorrow,” Kovacs
told reporters.
Under the proposals, states
would be allowed to levy a
minimum rate of VAT of 5
35
percent on the following:
-- the whole housing sector, construction and supply,
with any reference to social
policy deleted. It would also
include renovation, repairing
and cleaning;
-- minor repairs to bicycles,
tricycles as well as shoe,
clothing, computer and
watch repairs;
-- restaurants and catering
services;
-- gardening and landscaping;
-- general cleaning, ironing,
laundering;
-- all absorbent hygiene
products, including nappies,
hairdressing, beauty treatments, medical equipment
for the disabled. The proposal would also have amendments to allow continued
reduced rates on some goods
such as audio books.
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People walk past a post office in Nice, southeastern France, on Monday.
PARIS--France’s post office
is mulling a partial privatisation aimed at raising 2 to
3 billion euros to prepare
one of the bastions of full
state ownership for European competition, a source
close to the matter said on
Monday.
Confirming media reports,
the source said the move
would value La Poste and
its mail-to-banking business
at 10 billion euros ($15.65
billion), half the value of
its equivalent in Germany
which France views as a
threat as Europe gears up
for liberalisation in 2011.
“These figures are not incoherent,” the source said,
asking not to be named because the discussions are
continuing.
French President Nicolas
Sarkozy’s chief of staff lifted a taboo on ownership of
the postal service, which is
one of the country’s biggest
employers with 280,000
staff, on Sunday by saying
the idea of a stock market
listing “deserves interest”.
The move would be part
of France’s efforts to prepare itself for the liberalisation of the European postal
market by 2011. But it was
immediately attacked by
unions, already involved in
sporadic strikes to defend
pensions and the 35-hour
week. The Sud-PTT postal
union said it would be “the
end of the public postal service” and that a similar step
taken by France Telecom
had merely saddled it with
massive debts.
La Poste’s board, which
includes staff representatives, is due to meet on
Thursday but privatisation
is not on the official agen-
da, Sud-PTT union official
Regis Blanchot said. A
spokeswoman for La Poste
confirmed it was studying
a possible flotation but declined to give any figures.
French daily Echos said
on Monday that La Poste,
which generated sales of
20.8 billion euros in 2007,
wanted to float 20 percent
in a deal valuing it at more
than 10 billion euros. La
Poste derives 56 percent of
its revenues from mail and
23 percent from low-fee
banking unit La Banque
Postale.
Under European Union
rules, most mail markets
including France must be
open to competition from
the start of 2011. Twelve of
the EU’s 27 states, mainly in
eastern Europe along with
Greece and Luxembourg,
can delay this to 2013.
36
Business
MOSCOW--The fate of the
second biggest foreign investment in Russia hangs in
the balance amid signs of a
shifting mood in the Kremlin which may have wrongfooted investors and one of
the world’s biggest oil companies.
Raided by security services,
its board paralysed, key technical experts barred from
working and deluged with
court cases and labour inspections, TNK-BP is a struggling $38 billion oil company
producing as much crude as
Britain. As investors scrutinise the saga to read the
runes for future projects in
Russia, signs are multiplying
that the root of the dispute
may not be in the Kremlin
but rather the boardrooms
of Russian billionaires. Even
that is uncertain.
TNK-BP, a highly lucrative
50-50 joint venture between
BP and four Russian-connected billionaires, began
in 2003 amid much fanfare
in a deal blessed by thenpresident Vladimir Putin. It
produces a quarter of BP’s
global oil output and posted
a net profit of $5.7 billion last
year.
TNK-BP’s first five years
were a success story. Former
BP managers working at the
venture talk with pride of
how they improved management of oilfields using the
latest technology, cut back
leaks, and boosted operating
efficiency.
But its ownership structure,
which gives management
control to a foreign oil major,
became an anachronism following a Kremlin-led drive
from 2003 which took back
under the state’s wing control of all big Russian energy
assets. So when a campaign
against TNK-BP suddenly
started this year involving
tax police, alleged labour
code violations, security service sweeps and court cases,
many assumed the Kremlin
was pressuring the firm to accept a state partner.
A similar barrage of official
harassment was unleashed
in 2006 against Royal Dutch
Shell to force it to sell a
controlling stake in its giant Sakhalin gas venture to
Russia’s
state-dominated
NEW YORK--Microsoft Corp
said on Monday it would be
willing to reopen talks to buy all
or part of Yahoo Inc, but only if
a new Yahoo board is elected-a big boost for financier Carl
Icahn’s board slate.
Microsoft, which broke off
months-long talks in early May
to buy the Internet company
for $47.5 billion, said it would
resume talks immediately if
a new board were elected at
Yahoo’s Aug. 1 stockholder
meeting. Yahoo shares leapt 12
percent.
The Microsoft statement
came after Icahn, a billionaire
who owns more than 4 percent of Yahoo, issued an open
letter saying he had “spoken
frequently” to Microsoft CEO
Steve Ballmer over the last
week. Previously, the two had
not spoken.
“This is the first concrete confirmation we have that Microsoft is willing to come back to
the table,” UBS analyst Ben
Schachter said. “It gives Icahn
a much stronger hand going
into the shareholder vote. It
significantly raises his profile
and his likelihood for success.”
Ballmer told Icahn that a big
impediment to any Yahoo deal
was his concern that the current
board could “mismanage” the
company while the deal awaits
regulatory approval, a process
that could take nine months or
more, according to Icahn.
In an interview, Icahn argued
that his proposed dissident
board slate would make Microsoft feel more secure in risking
a large sum of capital to complete the deal during the regulatory approval process. “You
don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to realize there is no great
comfort zone between the current Yahoo board and Microsoft,” Icahn said. “During this
waiting period for regulatory
approval, any acquirer--not
just Microsoft--would want a
steward they would feel comfortable with.”
In response, Yahoo issued a
statement saying it continues to
be willing to reopen talks with
Microsoft, but “we feel strongly” that any deal negotiated
between Icahn and Microsoft
“would not lead to an outcome
that would be in the best interests of Yahoo stockholders.”
“If Microsoft and Mr. Ballmer
really want to purchase Yahoo,
we again invite them to make a
proposal immediately,” Yahoo
said.
Yahoo is still talking to Time
Warner Inc’s AOL unit about
a tie-up, a person familiar with
those negotiations said on
Monday. Any such deal--which
would factor in the expected
boost to Yahoo’s bottom line
as a result of its recent search
advertising deal with Google
Inc--is unlikely before the Aug.
1 annual meeting, the source
said.
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
energy champion Gazprom.
This looked like a replay, but
there have been repeated
statements from officials,
including President Dmitry Medvedev, that the state
does not want a stake.
“Something has changed
in the past few months. The
government has changed.
Players have moved around.
Power is more dispersed,”
said a source close to BP,
speaking on condition of anonymity like most in this case
because of its sensitivity.
Asked what the Kremlin
wants out of the affair, one
TNK-BP manager shrugged
his shoulders: “Nobody
knows.”
Control
Sources close to TNK-BP say
there is strong evidence that
German Khan, one of the
billionaire co-owners and an
executive director at TNKBP, contributed to the official
harassment as part of a campaign to weaken BP’s control
of the firm. They point to
three signals:
* an unauthorised letter
from Khan in April to migration authorities asking for
the number of permits for
foreigners at the company
to be cut dramatically. The
note contradicted instructions from TNK-BP CEO
Bob Dudley.
* when 140 BP specialist staff seconded from BP
to TNK-BP tried to return
to work after resolving visa
problems, office security
barred them from the building. Khan is responsible for
TNK-BP security.
* a court case launched
against TNK-BP over its use
of BP secondees in a Siberian
court. The suit was launched
by Tetlis, a little-known brokerage, two of whose managers used to work in the 1990s
at companies in Alfa Group,
where Khan and fellow TNK
co-owner Mikhail Fridman
are partners.
“A lot of my colleagues believe this is about control,”
one senior BP source said.
“They think the Russians
want to grab TNK-BP to sell
it later at a higher price with
control.”
Khan has declined to be interviewed but Fridman says
the wave of official action
against TNK-BP is normal
law enforcement unconnected to the Russian shareholders, and that Khan has also
been questioned by officials
as part of their checks. The
aim of the Russian shareholders, he added, is simply
to improve operating performance at TNK-BP and to
remove what he calls a “parallel management structure”
inside TNK-BP reporting to
BP, which furthers BP inter-
ests at the expense of Russians.
“The performance of TNKBP is just awful compared
with its peers,” Fridman said,
citing the company’s shrinking market capitalisation and
its declining production.
Independent analysts disagree. “We believe TNK-BP
Holding’s results are strong,
confirming its ranking as one
of the most efficient oil companies in Russia,” said local
brokerage Renaissance Capital in a comment this week
on 2007 results.
Did BP Miss The Mood?
BP, though, may have been
wrong-footed by the shift in
political mood in the Kremlin after Medvedev’s inauguration in May, pledging to
end the expansion of state
control that characterised
the era of his predecessor
Vladimir Putin.
London-based top executives had discussed a possible
asset swap with Gazprom
involving the Russian partners exiting the venture-but didn’t spot the changing
mood in Moscow or fully
grasp the dangers faced by
TNK-BP, industry sources
said. “It took them a long
time to wake up in St James’s
Square to the problems on
the ground,” one source
close to TNK-BP said, referring to BP’s headquarters
location. “I don’t think they
realised how serious the situation was.”
Changes had also taken
place at the top of BP. John
Browne, the smooth international operator who built
the company into its present
size and masterminded the
original TNK-BP deal, had
left the company and been
replaced by Hayward.
Fridman is very critical of
what he terms BP’s “arrogance”, saying the problems
at TNK-BP arose because the
British firm was trying to cut
a deal with Gazprom behind
the Russian co-owners’ backs
because it thought Gazprom
was a “sexier” partner.
“They misjudged if they
thought that Gazprom would
easily push us out of business,” Fridman told Reuters
in an interview. “I said many
times to (BP CEO Tony)
Hayward we are not selling
and nobody will push us. It is
not the intention of Putin or
Medvedev, despite all these
rumours.”
Hayward has now recalled
top trouble-shooter Lamar
McKay from the United
States to run a round of behind-the-scenes diplomacy
ahead of a scheduled July 11
board meeting in Cyprus. But
BP faces a tough challenge to
rescue the situation.
Illustrating this, Hayward in
early June met the top Russian official controlling the
oil industry, former Kremlin deputy chief of staff Igor
Sechin, and complained
about the Russian partners’
tactics. According to two senior executives with knowledge of the meeting, Sechin
called in Khan and Fridman
deputy Piotr Aven and gave
them a public dressing-down
in front of Hayward.
Satisfied, Hayward then flew
to the St Petersburg Economic Forum, Russia’s main
annual event for foreign investors, and made some optimistic remarks about BP’s
future in Russia. On leaving
the Forum, he was presented
with an ultimatum by Fridman demanding he agree to
a sharp cut in the number of
BP-related staff in TNK-BP
and to an increase in representation for the Russian side
on the company’s boards.
And having previously asked
Hayward to table a proposal
for the Russian owners to
convert their TNK-BP stakes
into BP shares, Fridman
then took the proposal and
brandished it in front of the
Russian press as proof of the
British multinational’s arrogance in dealing with Russian partners.
“What Fridman did to Tony
really spoilt relations,” one
BP source said. “You can’t
get over that quickly.” TNKBP insiders, though, felt that
Hayward had been too quick
to take the Sechin meeting at
face value.
BP chairman Peter Sutherland then publicly attacked
the Russian partners, accusing them of corporate
raider tactics and criticising
the Kremlin for not stopping
them. But after Hayward
pulled out of a big investment forum in Moscow earlier this month, criticism of
him mounted locally.
“If you don’t show up, you
lose,” said Igor Yurgens,
First Vice-President at forum
organiser Renaissance Capital. “When the time came
for the showdown, BP were
not ready for it. With all my
frankness I can tell you, they
should have been.”
BRUSSELS--InBev raised the
pressure on reluctant bid target
Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc on
Monday with a plan to replace
the U.S. rival’s board of directors that has rejected its $46.3
billion takeover offer.
Belgium-based InBev filed a
preliminary proposal with the
United States Securities and
Exchange Commission that
would lead to Anheuser shareholders voting on the board’s
future. InBev, the world’s second-largest brewer by volume,
said it wanted to give shareholders a voice in its proposed
$65 per share takeover of the
Budweiser and Michelob brew-
er in the face of the board’s unwillingness to talk.
InBev, maker of Stella Artois,
Beck’s and Brahma, said it
would ask Anheuser’s board to
set a “record date”. InBev’s bid
to replace the board would succeed if a majority of holders of
shares on that date later voted
in favour of its plan.
Anheuser would have 10 days
after InBev’s request to respond
with a date within 10 days after
that, InBev said. InBev would
have to submit to Anheuser
written consents from shareholders within 60 days of the
earliest dated consent.
The legal filing appeared to
push InBev’s takeover battle at
least into the September/October period, analysts said. “We
believe InBev’s move slows
down a bit the pace of the takeover project,” said Wim Hoste,
analyst at KBC Securities.
The Belgian company also
announced its own proposed
board, including Adolphus
Busch IV, an uncle of the current chief executive of Anheuser, and current and former executives of U.S. corporations.
It was also asking Anheuser
shareholders to repeal any
change to Anheuser’s bylaws
that might be made after June
26.
Limited Options
BP’s options are now limited.
If the Kremlin sticks to its
public pledges not to intervene and not to take a state
share in TNK-BP, and the
Russian partners refuse to
back down, the British major
faces potentially endless litigation and boardroom fighting--unless it concedes to at
least some of the Russian
demands.
Fridman, whose personal
fortune totals $20.5 billion,
has a reputation as a shrewd,
tough operator who gets
what he wants. BP, in the
meantime, seems to be pinning its hopes on a campaign
of international pressure to
shame the Russian authorities into defending its interests.
Opinion
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
By Eugene Robinson
WASHINGTON -- Anyone
who took U.S. history in high
school ought to know that
one of the five men killed
in the Boston Massacre, the
atrocity that helped ignite
the American Revolution,
was a runaway slave named
Crispus Attucks. The question the history books rarely
consider is: Why?
Think about it for a moment. For well over a century, British colonists in North
America had practiced a
particularly cruel brand of
slavery, a system of bondage intended not just to exploit the labor of Africans
Dear Editor,
Councilmen W. Marlin and
F. Richardson should be
ashamed of themselves to
deceive the public into believing that they are doing a
good job by calling an Island
Council meeting to discuss
the US $25,000 donation
from TelEm to the Sky is the
Limit Foundation.
Both of these councilmen
know that their only reason
was that they wanted to get
back at Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus for
what her husband Claudius
“Toontje” Buncamper had
done to their partner and
friend.
Toontje Buncamper put
pressure on management to
launch a complete investigation into this whole matter
concerning the fraud and
embezzlement of TelEm
funds by the employee (name
provided), who was recently
suspended and subsequently
resigned after questions were
raised as to the questionable
use of US $120,000 in the
Vehicle Maintenance Department.
The TelEm management
wanted to keep this on a low
profile to protect the employee involved. This is the
way things used to go before
Commissioner BuncamperMolanus came into office.
In February, the Sky is the
Limit Foundation requested a donation from TelEm
Group of Companies and
in April, the Foundation received a cheque for a sum
of US $25,000. On April 18,
the Sky is the Limit Foundation had their show in the
St. Maarten Festival Village.
Why didn’t the Councilmen
ask for an Island Council
meeting on April 21 just after
the show?
The Reach Out and Touch
Foundation also received
donations from the TelEm
Group and a Director of
TelEm is on the board of this
but to crush their spirit as
well. Backs were whipped
and broken, families systematically separated, traditions
erased, ancient languages silenced. Yet a black man – to
many, nothing more than a
piece of property – chose to
stand and die with the patriots of Boston.
Now think about the Buffalo Soldiers and the Tuskegee Airmen. Think about
Dorie Miller, who, like so
many black sailors in the
segregated U.S. Navy of
the 1940s, was relegated to
kitchen duty – until Pearl
Harbor, when Miller rushed
up to the deck of the sinking
USS West Virginia, carried
wounded sailors to safety
and then raked Japanese
planes with fire from a heavy
machine gun until he ran out
of ammunition.
Think about Colin Powell –
but also think about the Rev.
Jeremiah Wright, a former
Marine. And consider, as
we celebrate Independence
Day, how steadfast and complicated black patriotism has
always been.
The subject is particularly
relevant now that the first
African-American with a realistic chance of becoming
president, Barack Obama,
has felt compelled to give a
lengthy speech explaining
his own patriotism. It is not
Foundation. Why haven’t the
councilmen asked for an Island Council meeting to discuss this too? This is a conflict of interest for sure.
On May 15, the board of
supervisory directors held a
meeting with the company’s
management to discuss the
fraud case that was ongoing in the TelEm Group and
wanted an update. They were
told to wait until the final
auditor’s report on May 16,
2008.
It became very clear that a
decision had to be taken on
this whole matter very soon
and management wanted to
keep this on a low profile to
protect the employee.
It is impossible that an employee could commit fraud
with over a US $100,000 and
get away with it, while you
have an employee that made
a mistake by using the wrong
gasoline bond of 60 guilders
to put gas in the company
vehicle, and this same management wanted to fire this
employee.
I want Councilmen W.
Marlin and F. Richardson to
stop playing politics because
elections are over and they
should start to deal with the
real issues that are going
on the island. The prices of
gasoline and bread went up,
crime is rising on this island
and we are not secure in our
own home any more, and we
could go on and on with issues on this island. These are
the things to call an Island
Council meeting for.
I would like to thank Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus for taking the
risk of putting her husband
on the board of the holding
company. It would have been
another disaster for TelEm
group if we did not catch the
embezzler.
I would like the Lt Governor to launch an investigation into the TelEm Group including Smitcoms - because
indeed we have a lot of fraud
going on in these companies.
And, for those board members that have resigned, you
can run but you cannot hide
and justice will be served.
And for the Commissioner:
keep up the good work because you were fair to admit
the conflict of interest and
you and your husband have
resigned.
A concerned employee of
TelEm Group and
a supporter of the NA
common, in my experience,
for sitting U.S. senators to be
questioned on their love of
country – to be grilled about
a flag pin, for example, or
critiqued on the posture they
assume when the national
anthem is played. For an
American who attains such
high office, patriotism is generally assumed as a given.
It seems that some people
don’t want to give Obama
the benefit of that assumption, however, and I have to
wonder if that’s because he’s
black. And then I have to
wonder why.
The fact that AfricanAmerican patriotism is never
simple doesn’t mean it’s in
any way halfhearted; to the
contrary, complicated relationships tend to be the
deepest and strongest. It’s a
historical fact that black soldiers and sailors who fought
overseas in World War II
came home to Southern cities where they had to ride
in the back of the bus – and
that they were angry that the
nation for which they had
sacrificed would treat them
ACROSS
1 Mass-mailed
e-mail
5 The whole
amount
8 Regard very
highly
14 Region
15 Utter
16 Remained
17 Speech
imperfection
18 Mystery writer
Grafton
19 Caravan rides
20 Burn without
flame
22 Dislikes
intensely
23 Propitiate
24 Installment of a
serial
27 Muslim
29 Half a dance?
30 Clark's partner
34 Ford fuel
35 Short theatrical
sketch
36 Cut down
37 Cary or Hugh
39 At this point
40 Metric meas.
41 Cart track
42 Nymph chaser
43 Pipe bend
44 Restoration
47 Ostensible
49 Rumor
54 Group seats
55 WWI battle site
56 Became
gelatinous
58 Mr. Baba
59 Poet Van Duyn
60 Ultimatum
phrase
61 Ruby or Sandra
62 God of war
63 Lovers'
meetings
64 CIA forerunner
65 Nearest in
position
DOWN
1 Spicy beat
2 Groom oneself
3 Fables man
this way. To some whites, I
guess, it may seem logical to
be suspicious of black patriotism – to believe that anger
must somehow temper love
of country.
It doesn’t, of course. It
never has. Black Americans
are just more intimately and
acutely aware of some of
our nation’s flaws than many
white Americans might be.
This generalization is less
true of my sons than of my
parents, and I hope that
someday it won’t be true
at all. But only in the past
half-century has the United
States begun to fully extend
the rights of citizenship to
African-Americans – and
only in the past year has the
idea that a black man might
actually be elected president been more than a plot
device for movies and television shows. We’re someplace
we’ve never been.
Michelle Obama was sharply attacked for saying that
she felt proud of her country
for the first time in her adult
life. Her phrasing may have
been impolitic, but I know
4 Source of
syrup
5 Appraise
6 Hardy's
sidekick
7 Caustic
solution
8 Like pipe
dreams
9 Random radio
noise
10 Domesticates
11 Peeper's cavity
12 Slippery catch
13 GPs
21 Speaker's
platform
22 Macho one
25 Milk farm
26 Type in
28 Playing marble
30 Erie and Huron
31 Banishment
32 One of the
Seven Sisters
33 Wedding vow
35 __ Na Na
37 Hand-launched
bombs
37
exactly what she meant.
This isn’t about whether or
not Barack Obama wins. Just
the fact that he might win
is an incredible change for
this country – and recognizing the importance of that
change is, to me, the very essence of patriotism.
What’s unpatriotic is pretending that the past never
happened. What’s unpatriotic is failing to acknowledge
that we’ve struggled with race
for nearly 400 years. What’s
unpatriotic is relegating
“black history” to the month
of February when really it’s
American history, without
which this nation could never
be what it is today.
My father, Harold I. Robinson, served in the Army
during World War II and has
lived to witness this transformative moment of possibility. My father-in-law, the
late Edward R. Collins, was
a sailor who saw action in the
South Pacific; he rests at Arlington National Cemetery.
I have no patience with anyone who thinks that patriots
don’t have brown skin.
38 Ladder's
crosspieces
42 Smelting
residue
44 Most abundant
45 Ocean
mammals
46 Lofty nests
48 Gangsters' gals
50 Type of
numeral
51 Sound asleep?
52 Tack on
53 Dough raiser
56 Smallest bit
57 Blunder
58 Fuss and
bother
38
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Opinion
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Every time there is a new
President at the St. Maarten
Chamber we are subjected
to a load of self serving,
preening statements, but the
recently arrived fellow has
really overdone it this time.
As your paper reported
on July 4, the new Chamber President put forward
in his press conference his
ideas on the crime situation. Going thru your news
report I could not make out
anything new, but a lot of
high sounding buzz words,
comprehensive,
strategic,
think-tanks, turnkey etc. etc.
The gist of his ideas was:
1) A revival of the halfbaked,
twice
rejected
surveillance
system.
2) Businesses must take
their own responsibility.
3) Do not count on the
government or the police.
In fact another paper of
the same date screamed
headlines and a detail report: “More policemen not
Besides the “Ocean Pools”
we suggested a few days
ago, St. Maarten should
also consider an observation deck/restaurant on top
of the hill overlooking the
harbour and the cruise ship
facilities.
The hill is too steep for
residential or commercial
purposes, so it’s not likely
the hill would be developed
for any other purpose. As
it is now, a few goats use
only the bottom half of the
hill and there already is
an access road to the top
of the hill on the far side.
During the day, when the
cruise ships are in, passengers could have a terrific
vantage point for taking
photographs of Great Bay
and for having a cold beverage or a snack. A modest
admission price and souvenir shop/snack bar revenues
could help defray costs. At
night, when the cruise ships
have left, there could be a
fine restaurant for the stayover guests and locals to
enjoy. Parking (for a small
fee, of course) could be
at the bottom of the hill.
Visitors and diners would
be transported to/from the
top via a funicular (also
known as a funicular railway, incline, inclined railway, or cliff railway - a type
of self-contained cable
railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like
vehicles on rails moves them
up and down a very steep
slope, the ascending and
descending vehicles counterbalancing each other).
The novelty of the incline
ride coupled with a spectacular view would enhance St.
Maarten’s image for both
cruise ship passengers and
stay-over guests as well.
And, once again, some new
jobs would be created for
the St. Maarten labour
force. Could be another
win-win situation if someone could figure out how to
make it happen.
Royce and Alan Samit
On Monday, June 30, Mrs. Linda Richardson and her team
of S4 descended on the young people that are going to Holland to further their studies.
I would like to thank Mrs. Richardson for her commitment towards the students who are going to Holland and
the students who are already studying in the Netherlands.
During the S4 preparation course Mrs. Richardson
showed endless empathy towards the students who are going this year. I was amazed that she knew all their names,
the towns they are going to and the streets where their
apartments will be.
She is constantly upgrading the already high level of care
S4 shows for our children. Our young people showed in
the skits they displayed that the information was well received.
With one child studying in Holland and the second going
this year I know S4, under the guidance of Mrs. Richardson, will be there for them when they need it most. Thumbs
up for Mrs. Richardson and her staff.
I sincerely hope that all students will not only succeed
but also excel in the Netherlands. Make use of Mrs. Richardson’s experience; take it at heart because you are HER
children in Holland.
M. Schrijvers
solution to crime” – Carty.
Excuse me! But which island
and which planet does the
new Chamber President think
he is living on? If we did not
need more police, why then
the clamour from the public, the government, indeed
from the Chamber itself for
police manpower support of
the Dutch Marechaussees?
The continuing emphasis by
this and past Chamber Presidents on a citywide camera
surveillance project costing
millions seems quite suspicious. The idea was mooted
by former Commissioner
Loor before he was sent to
jail and others; it was discussed in open committees
at the Chamber and abandoned.
On April 9 I wrote a detailed opinion letter on this,
which one can refer to again.
The ineffectiveness of cameras is detailed at http:
www.notbored.org./cameras-not-effective.html and
similar sites on Google.
Now the Police Commis-
sioner is out, the plan comes
jumping out of the Chamber
as a Jack-out-of-the-box. Because of this, if nothing else
there should be an investigation of good governance and
possible conflicts of interests
of Chamber Presidents and
Chamber Board Members.
The contention of the new
Chamber President that
more policemen are not a solution to crime is laughable.
I would refer him to various
studies searchable on the web
http://www.london.gov.uk/
london-life/policing-andsafety/crime/prevention.jsp
A FSU study showed that
More Cops on the Beat Reduced Crime on the Street.
“We found that the additional
police had a pretty big effect
on crime. Our local and federal governments spend tons
of money on policing, and it
looks as if we may be justified
in spending much more.”
Similarly a Brookings Institute seminar found a large
deterrent effect of observable police presence on crime
I am home in heaven dear ones:
Oh, so happy and so bright
There is perfect joy and beauty
in this everlasting light
Ms. Margaret Rose
Blijden
Sunrise: August 24th, 1941
Sunset: July 2nd, 2008.
She was the daughter of the late James Theophulus Blijden
(taxi 40) and the late Iola Reed
Left to mourn are her:
Sons:
Humphred Blijden ( St. Maarten)
Carlos Cranston (Holland)
Sisters:
Maurita Reed (St. Maarten)
Constance Isenia (Curacao)
Brother-in-law: Ibi Isenia
Nieces:
Leslin Abraham (Holland)
Alretta Peters (U.S.A)
Nephews:
Albert Hodge (U.S.A.)
Rolando Peters (Holland)
Silivio Abraham (Holland)
Stepmother:
Suzanna Priest-Blijden
Godson:
Alex Balentien(Aruba)
Close Friends: Mireya Martina, Alfred l.Thomas,
Cecilia Balentien & Austin Thomas (Aruba),
Glenette &William Weeks, Carmen &
Andrew Solomons, Richard Murray &
family (U.S.A), Hilton Hassell (Saba)
Altagracia van Heyningen-Brooks & family
(Aruba), The Chuchubi Aruba Foundation
Cousins:
Elvia Penijn-Blijden, Jessie Blijden,
Maria Hunt –Blijden, Verginia Bell-Bryson
& family, Leocadia Lake- Blijden,
Silvio Blijden (Taxi 30), Lydia Vanterpool &
family.
Godmother:
Martha Blijden (Aruba), Leocadia Lake-Blijden.
The late Margaret Rose Blijden was related to the
Blijden, Scot, Hazel, Meyers, van Heyningen, Richardson,
Penijn, Jeffers, Vanterpool, Ashe, Carty & Philips Families.
Funeral service will be held on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at the
Risen Christ Catholic Church in South Reward.
Viewing from 2-3pm. Service begins at 3pm
Interment at the Cul de Sac cemetery.
Family kindly requests no visitors after the funeral.
The Chamber of Commerce
has just become an apology
mouth piece for the authorities and this new President is
going to be no different and all
that is coming out of his box
is empty and useless rhetoric.
I can go on and on but will
end with what I said in April
and the conditions and re-
39
marks made then still apply.
Stop all this self interested
play acting and showmanship. The only way to reduce crime is to have more
police on the ground and
tougher deterrence in form
of heavier punishments.
R.T.T. Wani
40
Comics
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
By Linda C. Black
Today’s Birthday (July 8). Home and family are always important to you, but this year they’ll take up
even more of your time than usual. There will never
be a dull moment -- don’t worry about that. Luckily,
most of this will be fun.
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the
easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 6 -- The action
is fast and furious. Just when you think you’ve got the
whole game figured out, something happens unexpectedly. You’re quick and you’re smart. You’ll do fine.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -- It’s difficult when you have to ask a loved one to do without.
Learning to defer gratification is important, though.
Teach it gently and it will serve your student well.
Gemini (May 21-June 21) -- Today is a 6 -- At first, you
catch flak for buying something you don’t really need.
If you’re wise, you can talk your mate into enjoying it
with you. Make time for a little fun.
Cancer (June 22-July 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Carefully
made plans get all goofed up, and it isn’t your fault.
Don’t get all woggly; roll with the blows. You’ll see
what doesn’t work, first hand. Remember what you
learn.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Friends eagerly
make suggestions, but none of them quite fit. You’ll
need to do your own research, once you figure out
where to look.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Shopping for
household items should go very well. It’s also a pretty
good time to ask the boss for a raise. Say it’s for your
family and cinch the deal.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Just when
you’re about to throw your arms up in frustration, you
figure out how to achieve your goal. The fog clears,
and you’re on your way.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Time to
call in a favour somebody owes you. Don’t dig deeper
into your savings for an item you need. There’s another way to get what you want, and you know what it is.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 6 -- Do you
really have to put up with a difficult person? Maybe
so. Don’t quit in disgust unless you really must. Use
your sense of humour instead. It can get you through
a tough spot.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- An important business decision will soon have to be made.
You may not have to make it, but the person who does
needs your help. Stay involved.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- It’s one
thing after another, all day long. The good news is that
you’re building up security for the future. Wait to start
new projects. Finish old ones.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 6 -- It never
hurts to be polite, especially now. If you’re not sure
what to say in this situation, don’t say much at all. That
ought to work just fine.
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Community
ber. This is a level 1&2 course that caters to persons interested in working in the field of Early Childhood (daycares).
To register interested persons should visit their office, in the
Lion’s Building, next to Shall Gas Station in Sucker Garden,
between the hours 8:00am and 2:00pm (Mon to Thurs) and
8:00 to 11:00am on Fridays. All interested persons should
be of Dutch nationality or be in the possession of valid residence papers for non-Antillean.
41
VKS Camp
Voluntary Corps of St. Maarten (VKS) will be hosting its annual
Summer Camp from July 7 through July 13. Parents/Guardians
interested in registering their child are requested to pass by the
VKS office on Guadeloupe Rd #1 in Madame Estate next to
the St. Maarten Cable Office. Registration is now open Monday
through Friday from 8:00 am through 1:00pm and ends on July
3. The price per child is NAf.110 or US$60 per child. For more
information please call 542-9121 or 522-2377.
Volunteers Needed
Les Quatre Pattes/PAWS, a non-profit association, is seeking
volunteers to assist with and maintain the cat cafe feeding
stations in the Cupecoy, Mullet and Maho areas. To assist in
TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) at these locations. Volunteers are also needed to foster or adopt cats and dogs. For
more information call 520-7365.
School Registration
Happy Day Playschool is registering students for the new Volunteers Needed
school year. The school is located at A Th. Illidge Rd 45. For Voluntary Corps of St. Maarten (VKS) is seeking volunteers to
more information call 542-1524.
assist in its upcoming Summer Camp that will be held from July
7 through July 13. Interested persons are requested to call 542Summer Programme
9121 or 522-2377 Monday through Friday from 8:00am through
Star After School program of the St. Maarten Youth Council 1:00pm or pass by the VKS office on Guadeloupe Rd # 1 In
Association is registering students for their annual summer Madame Estate next to the St. Maarten Cable Company.
program, which starts July 1 to July 11 at the Rupert I Maynard Youth Community Center. The fee per child is NAf.125 I Can Donation
and NAf10 to register. For more information call 555-8971 I Can Foundation is requesting assistance for its “Buy a Block”
or 548-5022. Or email sxmyouthcouncil@hotmail.com to re- campaign to help with rebuilding its home. To contribute visit
quest a registration form.
any Windward Islands Bank and make a minimum donation of
US $2. US dollar account number is 20485508 and guilder acBoys Camp
count is 100955300.
St. Maarten/St. Martin Boys’ Brigade will be hosting The
Eastern/Southern Caribbean Boys’ Brigade Regional Fellow- Free Dance Workshop
ship Meeting from July 16 – July 18 and The Eastern/South- Contemporary and African dance style. The dance workshop will
ern Boys’ Brigade Regional Fellowship Boys’ Camp from July take place at Imbali Dance School in John Larmonie Centre, Long
19 – July 27. The 1st Maarten Boys’ Brigade Company meets Wall Road, Phillipsburg, Thursday, 5:00-9:00pm, and Friday, 6:30Tuesdays and Wednesdays weekly from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the 8:30pm. For more information call Clara Reyes at 554-9364.
Philipsburg Methodist Church. The 4th St. Martin Company
meets at the Ebenezer Methodist Church in Marigot on Fri- SMITH Programme
days at 5:30pm and the 7th St. Maarten Company meets at Persons interested in enrolling in Workforce Development Prothe Bible Baptist Church on the Arch Road on Saturdays at grammes offered by The St. Maarten Institute of Technology
3:30pm. For more information call Captain James Gumbs at and Hospitality (SMITH) are encouraged to visit SMITH’s of526-7307.
fice located upstairs next to Central Drugstore at E. Camille
Richardson Street 23, Philipsburg, to pick up an application
Summer Camp
form and or request information regarding the programs to
No Kidding With Our Kids Foundation is registering chil- be offered in the fields of Business Administration Assistant;
dren for their annual summer camp starting Friday, August Cook; Hotel, Restaurant and Café (HORECA) operations
1 through Friday August 8. ASA children US$75 for 6 days, with partial training in Tourism Activities; Information TechnolNon-ASA children $125, which price includes breakfast, ogy Service Assistant; and General Security. Office hours are
lunch, snacks and drinks from 8:00am to 5:00pm. For more from 8:30am to 4:00pm or call 542-1620 for more information.
information and registration call 5228973 or 5231946 between 9:00am and 4:00pm.
Aqua-Jogging Classes
Carib Swim Team announces the start of Aqua-jogging classes at
Volunteers Needed
the Carib Pool in Cole Bay. Classes on Monday and Wednesday
For Julienka Sake Foundation is in the process of recruiting 8:30am to 9:30am, Tuesday 7:30pm-8:30pm and Friday 7:00pmVolunteers.
8:00pm. For more info call 556-8003 or visit the pool.
Interested persons call 559-2266 or 526-7419.
Clinic Openings
Requesting Books
White Yellow Cross Baby Clinics announces the new opening
Philipsburg Jubilee Library is currently requesting donations hours for the clinics.
of books not affected by fungus, stains or too damaged in St. John’s Clinic, St. John’s Road # 6: Monday, Tuesday,
any other way. The books can be taken to the library during Wednesday, Friday
opening hours. For more information call 542-2970.
8:00am – 12:30pm + 1:15 – 4:30pm; Telephone: 548-4431
Madame Estate Clinic, Rembrandtplein # 26, Amsterdam
Uniform Sale
Shopping Centre Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Milton Peters College (MPC) Parent Teacher Association 8:00am – 12:30pm + 1:15 – 4:30pm; Telephone: 554-4438
hereby reminds parents and students of MPC that uniforms Cole Bay Clinic, Leopold Bell School Tuesday 8:00am
are sold at the school every Friday from 12:00 pm until – 12:30pm + 1:15 – 4:30pm, Thursday 8:00am – 12:30pm;
3:00pm and on Saturdays from 3:30pm to 5:30pm until the Telephone: 554-6079
end of the school year. It will also be possible to buy uniforms
on the registration dates for the school. All students of the
PATTY PSYCHIC
Mrs. Mary
MPC are expected to be in full dressed uniform for the upSPIRITUALIST
Spiritually gifted through GOD.
coming school year. Parents/students are also reminded that
Relationship Expert.
no oversized or too tight uniforms are allowed.
Bring your problems to me.
Swim Programme
Carib Swim Team announces the start of their summer programs for the months July and August: regular swimming lessons for children 4 years old, 2-week crash-course programs
from 6 years old. For more information call 556-8003 or visit
the pool in Cole Bay.
Summer Camp
School Of Arts Foundation is registering students for their
annual summer camp programme Monday through Friday at
1 silk tree Dr. Cole Bay. Parents are invited to register their
children between the ages of 6 and 16. For more information
call 544-3356.
Dear Queenie,
Why do women get mad if you look at them? Considering the way they dress these days it’s hard for a guy NOT to
look.
Queenie, if they don’t want you to look at them why do they
dress that way?—Not blind
Dear Not blind,
Women dress to feel attractive and, sometimes, to attract
attention. However, there’s a difference between “looking”
and “staring with your tongue hanging out dripping drool.”
The former is acceptable, the latter is not. ’Nuff said?
Only notices of fund-raising events for non-profit or educational organisations will be placed in the Events/Notices
column. Notices/Events should be sent to
notices@thedailyherald.com in the format used on this
page. Do not send fliers or press releases to this address.
NOTICES
Sailing Summer Camp
The Sint Maarten Yacht Club is organising two Sailing Summer Camps on July 21 to 25 and July 28 to August 1. Camp
fees are US$175 for the week for SMYC Members and
US$200 for non SMYC members. From 8:00am to 5:00pm.
Price includes lunch, snacks and field trips transportation.
Youth Sailing Lessons have resumed with Beginners / Intermediate and Advanced. For more information and bookings
call 556-2231 or 544-2075 or Email: info@smyc.com
School Registration
Kid’s World Play School is registering children 3 months to
four years starting in August and September. For more information call the school at 544-5533 or 544-2104.
Dance School
Motiance Dance School informs all parents and students
that the school will be closed from Tuesday July 1. Registration will continue on Monday August 11 from 2:00pm to
700pm. Pictures from the recital ‘DÉJÀ VU’ are on display
at the website of Pete’s Photo, where one can view and record the image numbers to order at Pete’s Photo. Visit www.
petesphoto.net/Photoablums/MotianceRecital or www.motiancedanceschool.org
Cricket Recruits
Training Programme
Training and Resource Center for Early Childhood Educa- Persons interested in becoming a member of an all female
tion and Care (SIFMA) is registering persons for a three year cricket team are urged to contact 554-9218 or 553-4316
Social Pedagogical Workers Course which starts in Septem-
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42
MIAMI--The wife of New
York Yankees superstar Alex
“A-Rod” Rodriguez filed for
divorce in Miami on Monday,
citing the slugger’s alleged infidelities.
“The marriage of the parties is
irretrievably broken because of
the husband’s extra martial affairs and other marital misconduct,” Cynthia Rodriguez said
in papers filed in Miami-Dade
Circuit Court.
She did not elaborate on her
reasons for seeking dissolution
of the nearly six-year-old mar-
TV 15 (local)
St. Maarten Cable TV
Local time Programme
Tuesday, July 8
8:00am Replay AVS News
8:30am Replay GIS Bulletin
9:00am Prime Time Caribbean
9:30pm Caribbean Workout
5:00pm Youth News and Views
5:30pm Prime Time Caribbean
6:00pm GIS Productions
6:30pm Caribbean Workout
7:00pm In Depth
7:30pm AVS News
8:00pm Oral Gibbes Live
9:00pm Special
9:30pm Robbie’s Lottery
9:35pm Special continued
10:00pm St. Maarten Lottery
10:05pm Special continued
11:00pm AVS News
11:30pm Caribbean Newsline
TeleCuraçao
Channel 30 St. Maarten Cable TV
Local time Programme
Tuesday, July 8
6:00am
Mi Salu, Bo Salu, Nos Salu
6:30am
Moru Bondia
9:30am
Programa Internashonal
11:00am
Blokken
11:30am
Buen Provecho
12:00am
Al Dia
12:30pm
Telenotisia Merdia
13:00pm
Bo Tra’i Merdia
3:30am
Cartoons
4:00pm
Solo Ta Sali Pa Nos Tur
5:00pm
Video Zoo
5:30pm
Resumen MLB
5:45pm
Telsell
6:00pm
Programa Internashonal
7:00pm
Gobiernu Na Bo Servisio
7:30pm
Music Videos
7:45pm
Ban Papia Turismo
8:00pm
TeleNotisia
8:45pm
Gobierno ta Informa
8:50pm
Pagina Sosial Jurid Beroepsopl
9:00pm
Wega di Number Korsou
9:10pm
Partisipashon di Morto
9:15pm
Gameshow Kanta Bingo ku Klinko
10:15pm
Un Dia den Bida (r)
11:15pm
Programa Internashonal
11:45pm
Music Videos
12:00am
Telenotisia
BVN (Dutch/Flemish) TV
Channel 46 St. Maarten Cable TV
Tuesday, July 8
12:00pm
12:25pm
12:45pm
1:10pm
1:35pm
2:00pm
3:00pm
3:05pm
3:10pm
3:45pm
4:15pm
4:25pm
4:30pm
4:55pm
5:15pm
5:35pm
6:05pm
6:40pm
7:05pm
7:30pm
7:50pm
8:00pm
8:50pm
9:40pm
9:45pm
10:05pm
10:50pm
11:35pm
VRT Journaal
De rode loper
Met het mes op tafel
De weg naar goud
De mensen van de recherché
Viva Victoria
NOS Journaal
Tik tak
Sesamstraat
Samson & Gert
Het klokhuis
Jeugdjournaal.nl
De premiejagers
Emma
Emma
Een vandaag
VRT Journaal
Van jonge leu en oale groond
That’s the question
NOS Journaal
Weerbericht
Deadline
De Italiaanse droom
Sportjournaal kort
Nova/Den Haag vandaag
NOS Studio sportzomer
De slimste mens
1000 zonnen
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
riage, saying only that she had
“exhausted every effort to salvage the marriage.”
But the court filing followed
recent media reports suggesting that the 32-year-old AllStar was involved with pop
star Madonna, 49. Madonna
denied having an affair with
Rodriguez on Sunday and said,
in a statement to People magazine, she was not planning to
get divorced from her British
husband, film director Guy
Ritchie.
“I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex
Rodriguez. I have nothing to
do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path
he may choose to study,” she
said. Madonna and the Yankee
player share an interest in the
Kabbalah religion, a mystical
form of Judaism, according to
media reports.
The Rodriguezes, who own a
waterfront home in Coral Gables, Florida, have two children
and Cynthia Rodriguez said she
wanted exclusive possession of
the house for herself and the
children. She is also seeking
child support and various cash
payouts from Rodriguez.
“The husband is well able to
pay all forms of alimony,” the
court papers said. In December, Alex Rodriguez signed a
10-year, $275 million contract
with the Yankees, making him
the highest-paid player in baseball.
CHICAGO--Ringo Starr
held a “peace and love” fest
on a rainy Chicago sidewalk
to mark his 68th birthday
on Monday.
“What could be wrong?
Peace and Love. What a
great birthday gift,” the former Beatle said. “It’s a happening.”
The event, which had
sparse advance publicity,
drew about 200 people on
both sides of a street outside the Hard Rock Hotel
in Chicago. Some got close
enough to catch a glimpse
of Starr, clad in black and
wearing purple glasses,
with his wife Barbara near-
LOS ANGELES--Oscarwinner Nicole Kidman gave
birth on Monday to her first
biological child, a daughter
named Sunday fathered by
her husband and country
music star Keith Urban.
“Earlier this morning, Nic
gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Sunday Rose
Kidman Urban,” the New
Zealand-born, Australianbred Grammy winner announced on his Web site.
“We want to thank everybody that has kept us in
their thoughts and prayers.
We feel very blessed and
grateful that we can share
this joy with you today,”
Urban said.
A statement issued later in
the day by Kidman’s New
York-based publicist said
the infant was delivered
in the United States and
weighed 6 pounds, 7 1/2
ounces (2.93 kg) at birth.
“Husband Keith was by
Nicole’s side, and mother
and baby are very well,”
the spokesman, Allen Eichhorn, said.
Kidman, 41, who was born
in Hawaii but raised in
Australia, married Urban,
40, in Sydney in June 2006.
The following October he
checked into the Betty Ford
Clinic for a three-month
stint in rehab for substance
abuse.
The actress announced
she was pregnant with their
first child in January 2008
and was withdrawing from
what would have been her
latest film, “The Reader”.
Kidman and former spouse
Tom Cruise adopted two
children during nearly 10
years of marriage that ended in divorce in 2001. She
had been pregnant once
before with Cruise but suffered a miscarriage.
Kidman and Urban, both
Australian citizens, met in
January 2005 at an awards
dinner held by the Australian government in Los
Angeles honoring the two
Former Beatle Ringo Starr passes out slices of cake as he celebrates his 68th birthday in
downtown Chicago, Illinois on Monday.
by. Some even snagged
one or more of the frosted
birthday cupcakes the hotel
handed out after he went
inside.
“I saw it in the paper, left
my sister’s house and came
down here,” said Joyce
McDaniels, who was visiting from Winton, California. She emerged from the
crowd holding a slightly
mauled chocolate cupcake,
but it was a secondary
prize.
“I saw a Beatle. That’s all I
needed!” she said.
Starr, in the midst of a
U.S. concert tour, had announced the event on his
Web site, saying he had
been asked in a recent interview what he wanted for his
birthday and replied “just
more peace and love.”
He also said he hoped
anyone who wanted to join
him anywhere in the world
would mark the day with
a two-fingered peace sign
at noon local time. Starr
missed the noon deadline himself by a couple of
minutes but was greeted
by cheers from the onlookers who then sang “Happy
Birthday.”
“Thanks for coming,”
Starr shouted back.
Actress Nicole Kidman and husband singer Keith Urban pose
at the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards show
in Las Vegas, Nevada in this May 18, 2008 file photo.
of them. She won an Oscar as best actress for her
role as the novelist Virginia
Woolf in 2002 drama “The
Hours”. Her next film, Baz
Luhrmann’s
big-budget
epic “Australia”, in which
she plays an English aristocrat, is due for release later
this year.
People
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
MOUNT UNION, Pennsylvania--A music festival with
heavy metal, punk, hip-hop
and pop music might seem
like an unusual place to get
baptized, but Creation is a
festival with strict rules: no
alcohol, no drugs and no sex
before marriage.
“It’s like the Christian version of Woodstock, basically,
except it’s neat and clean,”
said Victor Gibson, 37, from
Manheim, Pennsylvania, who
brought his wife and five children aged from five to 14 to
the four-day festival.
“Take a look back at the
crowd,” he said, as thousands
of fans held their arms in the
air, pounding out the beat
of a song by Christian band
Kutless, whose sound Gibson
likened to Metallica. “No rioting, no fighting, nobody getting beat up.”
Lily Ellerson, a 12-year-old
from Maryland, was one of
nearly 200 people who were
baptized in a pond on the
final day of Creation, which
drew around 70,000 people
in late June. Ellerson said she
decided to be baptized after
hearing a speaker at one of
the side-events at the festival.
“I felt God was there,” Ellerson said. “I could just see him,
I could feel him all around
me, and I thought I wanted to
give my full heart to him.”
Ellerson came with a church
youth group of 47 people,
including her cousin Emily White, who volunteers at
the church. “You really do
feel like, wow, we are in the
Kingdom right now and right
here,” White said. “You’re living in a community of 70,000
people, without the benefit
of electricity or water, yet everybody loves each other, you
don’t hear about things being
stolen or fights. We really are
living the way God made us to
live.”
One in four Americans count
themselves as evangelical
Protestants, a growing movement with serious clout in a
country where religion and
politics often mix. Creation is
officially non-denominational
and it drew some Catholics, but the rhetoric of most
speakers was that of “born
again” Christians.
God Is Smiling
The highlight of the festival
for some was the baptism.
Barefoot and wearing shorts
and tee-shirts, they waded
thigh-deep into the pond to
be dunked by pastors who
prayed with them, then submerged them entirely in the
water, cheered on by hundreds of emotional family
members and friends. “Can
you imagine God smiling
right now?” one woman said
as she watched.
Now in its 30th year and
growing bigger every year, the
festival is in many ways like
any secular summer music
festival--thousands of young
people camping out, getting
muddy in the rain and eagerly
hunting down their heroes for
autographs. But these music
fans wore T-shirts with slogans
such as “Virginity Rocks” and
“Mosh for Jesus,” the dress
code encouraged modesty
and some friendly fans stood
around offering free hugs to
passersby.
And unlike other rock festivals there was a curfew and
alcohol and drugs were strictly off limits. Between the music, teenagers and students attended seminars on abortion,
on “Success God’s Way” and
one called “BeYOUtiful” for
young girls.
Matthew Benjamin appealed to one group to help
spread the word of Jesus to
students in China. He urged
volunteers to step forward
and release brightly colored
balloons as a symbol of their
pledge to give a year of their
lives to mission work.
Despite touching on some
serious topics, the tone of the
festival was more celebration
than sermon. Digressing during a talk urging people to
sponsor children in developing countries, inspirational
speaker Bob Lenz said he had
five children, adding: “We like
how they’re made.”
“Sex is beautiful when it’s in
marriage,” he said, provoking
laughs. “It’s what God has designed, it’s awesome, it’s time
to take it back and say `God
A girl is baptized in a pond as pastors and relatives support her during the Creation Christian
music festival near Mount Union, Pennsylvania, June 29, 2008.
is not a killjoy.’”
Music With Message
Gibson, a father of five and
one of few African Americans in a largely white crowd,
said he preferred hip-hop but
he was happily singing along
to Kutless. “Music makes you
feel something but the end
goal is to lead you to God,” he
said. “What’s important is the
message behind the music.”
Kutless guitarist James
Meade, 25, said he was saved
by Jesus after years of being
abused as a child, spending
time in jail for dealing drugs
and nearly dying of alcohol
poisoning on his 17th birthday. “We’re five individual
guys who have really experienced what the Bible and
what the Gospel talks about
Billy McKinney sits on a sidewalk holding a sign inviting passers-by to “tell me off” for two dollars in Times Square in New
York, on Monday. McKinney who has been selling the service
on the streets of various U.S. cities including New York for
over 20 years, said he has attracted many more disgruntled
clients recently as the U.S. economy has faltered.
in meeting Jesus Christ personally,” Meade said in an
interview. “It’s not just music
for the sake of art.”
Much of the music spoke
more directly about God.
Group 1 Crew sang a song
called “Forgive Me” that
was like a hip-hop version of
Psalm 23, including the words
“Though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of
death.” Chris Tomlin had a
crowd of around 30,000 singing along to his version of
“Amazing Grace”.
“A lady just came up to me
about an hour ago, she said
`You know, I really don’t like
this music much, but I know
it’s good for the kids, I see the
way they relate to it,’” festival
founder Harry Thomas said
in an interview.
Spiritual War
Jonathan Andreas, 39, a parttime musician and insurance
salesman, said people were
drawn to Creation to find
meaning. “Our materialistic,
hedonistic, sex-crazed society leaves people empty, and
they’re looking for answers,”
he said, his face lit up by tens
of thousands of candles held
aloft by the crowd at midnight.
43
Courtney McLaren, a 19year-old student from Wilmington, Delaware, who was
among those baptized, said
she felt like the United States
was heading towards a spiritual war. “It’s like America is
teetering on a very thin line
right now and it could go either way, and it pretty much
depends on what happens
with our generation,” McLaren said.
“That’s why Creation is trying so hard to reach out to
everybody,” she said. “We’ve
got to change Hollywood
now, we’ve got to help them
and we’ve got to get more of
our bands out onto the mainstream and bring some good
messages.”
Some at the festival were
on a more personal mission.
Timothy Adams, a 54-yearold on disability who drove
from Daytona, Florida, with
his motorbike on a trailer
behind his camper van, had
placed a placard on the windscreen of his vehicle reading:
“Wanted: Stalwart Christian
woman 4 wife.”
He said he hadn’t heard back
from any women. “There’s a
lot of guys who are looking
for wives,” Adams said, wearing a T-shirt that said “Satan
Sucks,” partly obscured by his
long beard. “It’s hard to find
a Christian woman, there’s so
few of them around.”
44
Sports
NETHERLANDS--Japan 12-5 Monday.
remainder are from Curaclobbered the Dutch CaThe team consists of five cao.
ribbean Baseball team at athletes from St. Maarten,
Japan jumped out to an
Haarlemse Honkbal Week three from Aruba and the early lead and was up 120 in the fifth inning. In the
bottom of the sixth the
Dutch Caribbean battled
back to score five runs. The
team connected for seven
hits.
Japan had 12 hits and committed one error. Dutch CaThe first qualifier was ribbean had three errors.
MARIGOT--The
St.
called Best of the Best
Maarten Pool and BilSt. Maarten’s Felix Brown
and was held at the Big started at shortstop and batliard Federation is asStop Pool Bar on Back ted in the lead off position.
sembling a team to face
Street June 20 to 22. Fri- In his first at bat he drew a
Curacao July 18-20.
day night Jermain Pren- walk. In the bottom of the
To ensure the Friendly
tice bested all comers. third he singled and in the
Island is represented
Saturday Herman van sixth he struck out looking.
by its top shooters, the
Gurp won table one and
federation has hosted
The only other St.
Rodolfo Arrindell took Maartener in the game was
two tournaments on the
top honors on table two. Lendrick Pinto. He came
Dutch side of the island
Sunday Jain Lindo was in off the bench and in the
and the third and final
the winner.
qualifying competition
sixth inning drew a walked
In the final the winners and was batted home.
will be held at la 6 de
took to the green felt
Billiards in Concordia
After seven games of play,
to determine the Best the United States is curthis Friday, Saturday and
of the Best. The overall rently in first place with four
Sunday.
winner was van Gurp.
The competition will
points, having won both
In the second weekend games they have played.
start at 7:30pm. Cost to
of qualifiers the ultimate Japan is second at 2-1 and
enter is US $10 per perwinner was Jermain followed by Cuba, Chinese
son and cash prizes will
Prentice. He won the Taipei and the Netherlands
be awarded. The game
table opening night.
is 8-ball. Matches will be
all at 1-1. The Dutch CaTo register for the final ribbean is 0-3 having lost
the best of three and the
weekend of qualification 2-1 to Cuba and 5-1 to the
competition is double
call 524-5026.
elimination.
Netherlands.
Dutch Caribbean next see
action Tuesday as they face
the United States.
Baseball fans can follow
the accomplishments of
the Antillean team on St.
Maarten Cable TV’s ChanYAUCO--The St. Maarten set for 9:30am. The tourna- nel 46, where BVN’s Studio
13 to 14 selection was ment final is scheduled for Sport carries daily reports
handed a second defeat as Saturday.
on the games.
they faced Colombia in the
Latina American Regional
Little League tournament
in Puerto Rico yesterday.
Colombia won 12-4. St.
Maarten had already lost to
Aguadilla Puerto Rico 9-0. P H I L I P S B U R G - -T h e second semifinal Sunday.
The two winners advance
St. Maarten is in pool B Saints, who have been
along with Aguadilla Puer- in third place in the St. to the St. Maarten Super
to Rico, Colombia, Aruba Maarten flag football com- Bowl which is scheduled to
and Panama. In pool A are petition at Raoul Illidge be played July 20. Kick off
host Yauco, Puerto Rico, Sports complex almost all is set for 4:00pm.
Flag football is American
Bonaire, St. Thomas, Vene- season, knocked off the
zuela, Dominican Republic number two Young Bloodz style football without pads,
helmets or tackling. The
Sunday.
and Curacao.
In other games Monday The Saints squeezed out a athletes wear two colored
Curacao clobbered Virgin 32-30 win and moved into flags, one on either side
islands 16-0 and Venezuela second place. The change in of their body. Instead of
standings may be a morale knocking down the person
shellacked Bonaire 12-0.
Currently in pool A Cu- boost but does not change with the ball, the defense
simply has to pull the flag
racao and Puerto Rico are the post season draw.
The number two Saints off the Velcro belt. The
undefeated at 2-0. Venezuela is third at 1-1 and fol- will face the number three teams play two 30 minute
lowed by S. Thomas at 1-2 Young Bloodz in the first halves.
and Dominican Republic at semifinal Sunday. Game The game is mostly a passing duel with each team
time is set for 3:30pm.
0-1. Bonaire is last at 0-2.
In pool B Panama and Co- In the second game yester- only allowed one run per
lombia are 1-0. Aruba and day, Dutch Quarter Thun- set of four downs. Teams
Puerto Rico are 1-1 and St. ders trashed the Over the not only are awarded points
Bank Rug Rats 40-28. The for scoring touch downs but
Maarten is 0-2.
St. Maarten faces Aruba number one seed Thunders also for intercepting passthis morning. Game time is will face the Rug Rats in the es.
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
More than 150 athletes from countries as far away as China and Russia are competing in the
ITF Group Four ranking tournament.
The Netherlands Antilles had four athletes enter the under 18
girl’s competition and three in the boy’s main draw.
PORT DE PLAISANCE-The St. Maarten Juniors
Open 2008, International
Tennis Federation World
Ranking Group 4 Tournament was served up on
the Port De Plaisance and
Maho Resort courts yesterday.
The tournament which attracts nearly 150 young athletes from both around the
region and as far away as
Russia and Japan is scheduled to conclude Saturday.
The athletes earn ranking
points based on their finishes. The more points an
athlete earns the higher
level event they are allowed
to enter.
In the Boys singles main
draw number one seed
Alex Llompart from Puerto
Rico and number two seed
Christopher Diaz-Figueroa
of Guyana both received
byes into the second round
as did number three seed
Yasutaka Uchiyama of
Japan and seeds four to
twelve.
Thirteenth seed Devard
Wharton of Barbados, who
has a ranking of 558, faced
Osei Harris of Antigua.
Wharton won the match 60, 6-0.
The first upset of the main
draw came when 14th seed
Luis Delgado, ranked 569,
took on non seeded Alejandro Medinilla of Mexico.
Medinilla, ranked 1075,
won the match 6-4, 6-4.
Fifteenth seed Elliot Barnwell of Great Britain blasted past Keegan De Silva of
Trinidad 6-0 6-0, while the
16th and final seed Micke
Kontinen bested Adrian
Brandon of Barbados 6-0
6-0.
There were only three athletes from the Netherlands
Antilles entered in the
main draw. All three were
eliminated from the tournament yesterday. Ranford
Celestina lost to Seanon
Williams of Barbados 6-3 63. Quincy Olij was defeated
by Andres Riobueno of
Venezuela 6-0 6-3 and Keevan Gipson lost to Mykell
Reifer of Barbados 6-0 6-0.
Top seed in the girls singles
is Laura-Alicia Aguilar of
Mexico. She received a bye
into the second round.
Number two seed Sachia Vickery of the United
States took on Kim Verschueren of St. Maarten.
Vickery won 6-0 6-1.
Number three seed
Fausthyara Pietersz of
the Netherlands Antilles
crushed Shani Williams of
Antigua 6-0 6-0. Number
four seeed Carlista Mohammed of Trinidad bested
Anika Williams of Antigua
6-0 6-0, while number five
seed Xue Zhang of China
beat Alicia Williams of Antigua 6-1 6-0.
Number six seed Sanae
Ota of Japan past Abby
Wright of the United States
6-0 6-0. Number seven Skylar Kuykendall faced Patricia Diaz of Venezuela. Diaz
won 6-3 4-6 7-6.
The final seed of the draw,
number eight Nicole Parker
flashed past Fransecca Stephenson of Great Britian
6-3 6-4.
Two other athletes from
the Netherlands Antilles
entered the draw. Miyolou
Sleur was defeated by Raye
Ann Sandy of Trinidad 6-1
6-0. Junisse Albertsz went
down to Lauren Chypyha
of Canada 6-1 6-0.
Action resumes on the
courts this morning.
Sports
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
SIMPSON BAY--Team
Goldendog, a US based
sailing team with strong
ties to the island of St.
Maarten and three-time
winner of the Bareboat
3 Class in the annual
Heineken Regatta, is
pleased to announce
that it has donated the
proceeds of its 2008
fundraising efforts to
the St. Maarten Animal
Welfare Foundation.
President of Team Goldendog Jeff Sochrin,
made the presentation at
Island 92 radio’s “Stonehenge” studios in Simpson Bay. A check for US
$6,500.-- was given to
the St. Maarten Animal
Welfare Foundation.
“It is our greatest honor and our pleasure to
present this check to the
Animal Welfare Foundation as part of our
ongoing
commitment
to help homeless animals find their forever
homes,” stated Jeffrey
W. Sochrin, Chairman
and Founder of Team
Goldendog.
He continued, “As every year we endeavor to
up the ante, this year’s
donation is larger than
last year’s and larger
than years past. We look
forward to continuously
raising the mark and
doing all we can to further the cause of animal
welfare. In addition to
our contribution on St.
Maarten, we will be visiting our friends at the
Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue of Hudson,
MA, USA and presenting them with a check
for the same amount.”
Pamela Sims, the Foundation Treasurer for St.
Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation accept-
ed the donation. “We’d
like to congratulate
you twice over, first for
your success in the 2008
Heineken Regatta and
secondly for the impact
of your contribution to
the island’s animals.”
Sims continued, “the
funds which you have
donated will entirely pay
for this summer’s spay
campaign: one hundred
free spay certificates
for residents of limited
means. That many fewer
unwanted litters next
season means a great
reduction in the number
of homeless animals and
so much less animal suffering. We cannot thank
you enough or express
sufficiently our appreciation of your continued
support of our activities.
So thank you Jeff and
everyone on Team Goldendog!”
Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov poses with his Wimbledon trophy after his arrival at
Sofia airport, July 7. Dimitrov defeated Henri Kontinen of Finland in their boys singles finals
match at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Sunday
SOFIA-- Bulgaria’s Grigor
Dimitrov refused to get
carried away at becoming
his country’s first Wimbledon champion after victory
in the boys’ singles at the
grasscourt grand slam.
The 17-year-old Dimitrov
clinched the junior title on
Sunday with a 7-5 6-3 win
over Finland’s Henri Kontinen in the final.
“Yes, I won the Wimbledon title but it’s not such
a big success for me as it’s
only a junior title after all,”
Dimitrov, who did not lose
a set during his run, told reporters at Sofia airport on
Monday.
“I’ll be really satisfied
when I win a men’s tournament of such magnitude.
“To be honest, I didn’t
expect to win because I
wasn’t well prepared,” said
Dimitrov, who will be given
a wild card for next year’s
main draw at Wimbledon.
“My main goal now is to
establish myself among the
top 100 in the men’s rank-
ing and never leave there,”
Dimitrov said.
“It’s a magnificent achievement for our country,” said
Bulgarian tennis federation
president Stefan Tsvetkov.
“I hope that Dimitrov’s
triumph will be followed by
other players’ success as we
have a lot of talented boys
and girls in Bulgaria,” he
added.
Roger Federer, Stefan
Edberg and Pat Cash rank
among former boys’ singles
champions at Wimbledon.
45
Rafael Nadal of Spain and Venus Williams of the U.S. hold their singles trophies at the Champions Dinner in this handout photograph released by The All England Lawn Tennis Club, London July 6, 2008. Picture taken July 6.
STUTTGART, Germany-Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal said on Monday
he had pulled out of this
week’s Stuttgart Cup tournament due to a knee injury. “My doctors have said
I need a couple of days rest.
I will now get examined for
an exact diagnosis,” the
Spaniard told a news conference in Stuttgart, adding
he had a problem with his
knee without providing any
details.
“I only want to return to
the court once I am 100
percent fit,” the 22-year-old
said.
Nadal, four-times a French
Open champion, became
the first Spaniard in more
than four decades to win
PHILIPSBURG--The St.
Maarten Basketball Association has scheduled
the first practice for the
team that will represent St.
Maarten at the Caribbean
Basketball Confederation
Tournament.
Selected to practice are
Jerry Thomas, Chadwick
Richardson,
Giovanni
Edwards, Miguel Crook,
Jermaine Samuel, Denzel Richardson, Ricardo
Marlin, Enel Deshommes,
Hakeem Jeffrey, Jason Davis, Shervin Blyden, Jurien
Blyden, Jonathan Philips,
Jonathon Johnson, Xavern
Labega, Amir Artsen, Alfredo Richardson, Leopold
Marlin, Jamerson Dustin,
Kevin Lake, Shakeel Martin, Dekembe Molina, Joshua Bowers, Sharin Bute and
Sheldon Richardson.
Training will be held at
the Wimbledon men’s singles title on Sunday after
defeating Roger Federer.
“It was amazing for me,”
said Nadal. “It was a very
special victory for me winning against Roger and the
most important thing winning Wimbledon.”
Asked what the victory
meant to him, he said:
“Right now I only think
about the present. Probably
when I finish my career, I
am going to think about
these things.”
Nadal, who has twice won
the Stuttgart Cup, said his
immediate focus was to get
some rest.
“My future plan is to relax.
I played for the last four or
five months without stopping...I need to recover. I
have to work with my physio
and work with my doctor.”
PHILIPSBURG--NAGICO
continued its support of the
St. Maarten Special Olympics with a donation of NAf.
10,000.
Earlier this year NAGICO
donated the insurance coverage for the athletes participating in the Beijing Special
Olympics.
NAGICO has shown strong
support for the Special Olympics by making yearly donations. These donations have
allowed the athletes to travel
to international events and
compete on the big stage.
They have also facilitated
expansion of the program
to the athletes of the Prins
Willem Alexander Primary
School and contributed to
the provision of health testing for the athletes. In addition, the funds have been instrumental in creating public
awareness and the expansion
of sports disciplines.
Milton Peters College Saturday starting at 1:00pm.
The final selection will compete in the Confederation
Tournament in Dominican
Republic August 5 to 11.
Any other basketball players that are 16 are also invited to come out to try out
for the team.
46
ST.
PETERSBURG--A
stroke of good luck by
Carlos Pena wasn’t quite
enough for the Tampa Bay
Rays.
After Pena hit a tying solo
homer off All-Star closer
Joakim Soria in the ninth,
the Royals struck back with
10th-inning home runs by
John Buck and Mike Aviles
for a 7-4 win Monday.
The loss snapped the Rays’
seven-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay, with the major’s best record at 55-33,
lost for the second time in
the last 13 games. The Rays
went 1-for-19 with runners
in scoring position.
“Today was a tough day for
us,” Pena said. “We couldn’t
capitalize.”
Pena nearly salvaged a bad
day with his home run off
Soria, who blew his second
second save in 25 chances.
“You know it’s going to
happen at some point in
time,” Royals manager Trey
Hillman said. “That fastball
caught just a little too much
of the plate. It was kind of
Sports
right in Pena’s nitro zone
and he got it out of the ballpark.”
Billy Butler reached second to start the 10th on
a throwing error by Rays
third baseman Evan Longoria. Pinch runner Esteban
German advanced to third
on Mark Teahen’s grounder. After Dan Wheeler
(2-4) intentionally walked
Ross Gload, Buck lined his
fourth homer of the season
down the left-field line. Two
pitches later, Aviles homered to make it 7-3.
“I hit it good and the way
it was hooking, it made
me a little nervous, but it
stayed true just enough,”
said Buck, who turned 28
on Monday.
“That’s what happens
when you miss your spots,”
Wheeler said. “I didn’t
make my pitches and it cost
us the game.”
Soria (1-1) also allowed
Eric Hinske’s solo homer in
the bottom of the 10th.
Aviles had three hits and
David DeJesus had three
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
hits and two RBIs for the
Royals, who avoided being
swept in the four-game series.
“It was good to see us battle back,” Hillman said.
Carl Crawford started in
center for the first time
since June 18, 2006, and
his lack of hustle helped
the Royals take a 3-2 edge
when Ross Gload singled
up the middle in the third.
Crawford failed to charge
the ball and Mark Teahen
scored from first, never
slowing down en route to
the plate.
“I think I got a little lackadaisical,” Crawford said.
“I didn’t think he was running. Then I looked up …
and it was too late by then.
It was just a bad effort on
my part. I probably could
have gotten to the ball a
little quicker. I was doing
my normal thing that I do
in left, and forgot I was in
center. You’ve got to be
a little more aggressive in
center.”
Heavyweight boxer Vladimir Klitschko of Ukraine (C) with his coach Emanuel Steward (L) and
presenter Gregor Koenig (R) as they prepare for a conference to announce the world heavyweight championship fight with U.S. contender Tony Thompson in the northern German city of
Hamburg July 7. The two will fight for the IBF/WBO and IBO world heavyweight championship
title, July 12 in Hamburg.
MUMBAI-- The International Cricket Council (ICC)
could move the Champions
Trophy from Pakistan because of security concerns
and will continue to monitor
the situation before making
a decision on the fate of the
September tournament.
“The ICC will not compromise (on) the safety and
security of any individual at
one of its tournaments and if
it is not appropriate to play in
any country then we will not
do so,” the governing body’s
CEO Haroon Lorgat said in
a statement on Sunday.
“Our security consultants
have been working with the
Pakistan authorities during
the Asia Cup (which ended
on Sunday), assessing security, and will report back as
soon as possible with their
views.
“At this stage we are working
towards the Champions Trophy being held in Pakistan in
September,” he added.
Pakistan has been hit by a
series of suicide bombings
since last year and although
the situation had eased since
February’s general election,
eight people were killed in
such an attack in the capital
Islamabad on Sunday.
Cricket boards from Australia, England and New
Zealand had sent security
consultant Reg Dickason on
an inspection tour after some
players raised concerns over
travelling to Pakistan for
the eight-team event, rated
second in importance to the
World Cup.
The ICC said its security
consultants made a presentation during last week’s annual conference in Dubai.
“During the course of that
presentation a process was
agreed upon to deal with any
incidents that may occur between now and the end of the
tournament,” Lorgat said.
“The process involved an
exchange of information between the competing teams,
the ICC and the security consultants.”
Cleveland Indians’ C.C. Sabathia throws against the New York Yankees in the first inning of
their American League MLB baseball game in Cleveland Ohio, in this April 27, file photo. The
Indians have reportedly reached a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers to send AL Cy Young
winner Sabathia to Milwaukee in exchange for several Brewers prospects, according to U.S.
media reports on July 7.
NEW YORK-- The Milwaukee Brewers obtained Cy
Young Award winner C.C.
Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians in exchange
for a group of prospects,
the National League club
announced on Monday.
Adding the big left-hander
to a starting rotation that
includes right-hander Ben
Sheets was a bold move by
the Brewers, who were tied
for second place 3.5 games
behind the Central Division-leading Chicago Cubs.
Sabathia, after a poor
start this season, has a 68 record and 3.83 earned
run average. Last year he
was 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA
and was named the American League’s outstanding
pitcher.
Sabathia, who turns 28 later this month, is eligible to
become a free agent at the
end of the season.
“This is a huge statement,”
Brewers general manager
Doug Melvin told reporters at a news conference.
“I’d say we’re going for it.
There’s a lot of baseball left
but we feel good about the
team.”
The Brewers have not
made it to the playoffs since
1982. They have a 49-39 record for a virtual tie with
the St Louis Cardinals (5040) behind the front-running Cubs (53-36).
The key player going to
the Indians was slugging
outfielder Matt LaPorta,
23, who has 20 home runs
and 66 RBIs in 84 games
for Double-A Huntsville.
Cleveland, rated a preseason
contender
but
struggling through an injury-plagued
campaign,
also received Triple-A left-
hander Zach Jackson, Class
A right-hander Rob Bryson
and a player to be named
later.
The Indians are 37-51
and in last place in the AL
Central, 14 games behind
division-leading Chicago
White Sox.
“This is part of the game,
part of the business,” Cleveland general manager Mark
Shapiro told reporters.
Milwaukee plan to put Sabathia right to work. He is
scheduled to start at home
Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.
Team owner Mark Attanasio said he was not worried about Sabathia signing
elsewhere after the season
ended. Milwaukee would
receive two high draft picks
as compensation if he signs
with another team.
“We want Sabathia to
come over here and have
fun, pitch his best and we’ll
worry about that at the
end of the year,” Attanasio
said.
LONDON-- Honda will
keep their focus on making
a faster car for 2009 despite
Rubens Barrichello’s surprise third place in Sunday’s
British Grand Prix.
“We haven’t changed our
strategy,” the Formula One
team’s chief executive Nick
Fry said after the Brazilian’s
morale-boosting podium in
the rain at Silverstone.
“There are some aerodynamic changes for the next
two races. Then after that we
will do something for Monza, but I really don’t think
we will change our plan,” he
told reporters.
“That is, we are really
looking at designing the car
that (team principal) Ross
(Brawn) wants for next
year,” said Fry.
“This year is about getting
everything as Ross wants it
in the way the team operates.”
Former Ferrari technical
director Brawn joined the
British-based team last November and hopes to restore
their fortunes next year when
rule changes could level the
playing field considerably.
Fry, whose team that had
only scored eight points in
the previous eight races, did
not expect any more appearances on the podium in normal conditions.
“On pure pace it is unlikely we will beat Ferrari
or McLaren but with rule
changes and with KERS
(kinetic energy recovery systems), next year is our big
chance and we have to make
the most of that.”
“I still hope we can pull up a
few more places in the championship,” Fry continued.
“We haven’t given up on
this year. Don’t think we are
not going to do anything.
We’re going to try as hard
as we can because there are
a few people we would like
to beat.
“But we can’t take our eye
off the ball, and the ball is
2009.”
Honda remained eighth
overall in the constructors’
standings after Sunday’s
race but only one point behind Renault and two adrift
of Williams.
Sports
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sailing boats are pictured next to a patch of algae on the water of a bathing beach in Qingdao,
Shandong province July 7. Thousands of Chinese troops and volunteers should clear unsightly
algae from competition areas at the Qingdao Olympic sailing venue by Thursday, an official
said.
QINGDAO, China-- Thousands of Chinese troops and
volunteers should clear unsightly algae from competition areas at the Qingdao
Olympic sailing venue by
Thursday, an official said.
The picturesque seaside
resort in northern China
has been embarrassed by
a massive algae bloom that
has left swathes of offshore
waters green and disrupted training for a number
of Olympic sailing teams
ahead of next month’s
Games.
Qingdao, which has despatched 6,000 troops and
thousands more volunteers
to scoop up the green muck
off beaches and offshore,
was initially ordered by the
Chinese government to remove all algae by July 15.
“We are very optimistic
MOSCOW-- Zenit St Petersburg have rejected a 15
million euro ($23.51 million)
offer from Barcelona for
playmaker Andrei Arshavin,
the Russian champions said
on Monday.
“Barcelona had failed to
improve their original offer
of 15 million euros, thus we
decided to end our negotiations with the Spanish club,”
Zenit said on their Web site
www.fc-zenit.ru.
“We have not received any
offers for Arshavin from any
other clubs, therefore there
are no discussions going on
about his transfer.”
Last week, Zenit offered
to extend Arshavin’s current
deal by two more years until
2012.
Zenit have given the 27year-old, who reportedly
earns three million euros a
about the clean-up effort,”
Qingdao Sailing Committee
spokesman Wang Haitao
told Reuters on Monday.
“Our plan is to have the algae completely cleaned out
by July 10. Our government
has ordered us to complete
the clean-up by the 15th,
but we expect to finish five
days ahead of schedule,”
Wang said.
Wang said authorities on
Monday would complete
the placement of 50 km (30
miles) of offshore fencing,
designed to block more algae from seeping into the
sailing areas.
Sailing events are scheduled to start on Aug. 9.
Algae blooms regularly
blight the shores of Qingdao, where Chinese tourists
flock in their millions, but
local residents say the cur-
year, more than any other
player in Russia, two weeks
to decide his future.
Arshavin did not play in a
5-1 win over Siberian side
Tomsk on Sunday, Zenit’s
first Russian premier league
match after the seven-week
break for Euro 2008.
Zenit’s Dutch coach Dick
Advocaat said he would not
use his top player until he
makes up his mind.
The Russia international
has said on several occasions that he wanted to move
abroad, Barcelona being his
first choice.
After missing Russia’s
first two Euro 2008 games
through suspension, Arshavin returned to lead them
to the semi-finals, the country’s best showing at a major
championship since 1988.
rent bloom is the biggest
they have ever seen.
Officials have been at pains
to cast the algae bloom as a
harmless natural phenomenon, but local residents and
scientists have expressed
scepticism, blaming industrial pollutants and agricultural run-off for feeding the
bloom.
Wang said authorities
had already scooped up
300,000 tonnes from local
waters and would spare no
expense to ensure the sailing competition went ahead
smoothly.
“We have very strong support from the government
and will achieve this goal at
any cost,” Wang said.
Sailors, who last week
were tacking to avoid large
clumps of algae, on Monday said clean-up efforts
had noticeably improved
the training area but not
completely cleaned it.
“There’s clearly no shortage of effort ... There’s still
small clumps rather than
large islands like before,”
Morgan Reeser, a coach
with the British team said.
The July 15 deadline
does not include the miles
of spoiled beaches where
troops and volunteers are
toiling to remove a seemingly endless supply of the
weed.
Tourists expressed gloom
at being confined to crowded sections of beach, but
some also pitched in with
local relief efforts.
“Even though it’s not the
holiday I expected, I’m glad
to be able to make a contribution,” a Beijing office
worker surnamed Zhang
said, as his he helped his
daughter scoop weed into
a hessian sack on the Number One Bathing Beach.
NYON, Switzerland-- European soccer’s governing
body UEFA is considering changing the name of
its second tier UEFA Cup
competition to the UEFA
Europa League.
The planned rebranding
was revealed by Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge, the acting
chairman of the new European Clubs Association,
whose organisation was
presented with the proposal on Monday.
“The hope is that a refreshment of the name and
brand can help achieve better results than we’ve seen
in the UEFA Cup in the
past,” Rummenigge later
told a media conference at
UEFA’s Swiss headquarters.
“There has been a general
impression that it has become a second-class competition and that we should
get back to how it was ten
or 15 years ago.”
A senior UEFA source
confirmed to Reuters that
UEFA’s executive committee would vote on the name
Gerolsteiner team rider Fabian Wegmann of Germany recovers from a crash during the third stage of the 95th Tour de
France cycling race between Saint-Malo and Nantes, July 7.
TOUR DE FRANCE
overall, one minute and 45
minutes behind Feillu, who
may not have long in the
yellow jersey as Tuesday’s
stage will be a 29.5-km solo
effort against the clock.
“We thought the teams of
the sprinters would cooperate more to chase behind
the breakers but they did
not seize the opportunity
they had to win a stage
despite the fact the course
suited them perfectly,” said
Valverde.
“We knew that if it was not
today we were supposed to
lose the yellow jersey tomorrow so that it does not
change a lot of things for
us.”
Evans lies ninth, only one
second further behind the
Spaniard.
Briton David Millar,
Continued from page 48
eighth in the overall standings one-minute 46 seconds
adrift, and Swiss Fabian
Cancellara, 34th six seconds further behind, will be
the main contenders for the
overall lead after Tuesday’s
time trial.
The leading quartet was
briefly obstructed by a
group of protesters from
the port of St Nazaire some
58 kms before the line.
The riders worked their
way through without too
much difficulty, with Tour
director Christian Prudhomme begging the protesters to clear the road before
the arrival of the peloton.
Police then pushed away
the demonstrators and the
road was clear when the
main bunch passed seven
minutes later.
47
change when it meets in
Bordeaux in September.
He said the new name was
meant to better reflect the
new group stage system being used in the competition
from the 2009-10 season,
in a direct copy of UEFA’s
much more successful
Champions League competition.
UEFA announced in December that it was revamping the UEFA Cup’s format,
dropping the unpopular
five-team groups in which
teams play each opponent
just once either home or
away in favour of a simpler
home and away system.
From 2009 UEFA will also
be marketing the competition centrally, in another
lesson learned from the lucrative Champions League,
and hopes that the new
name will help distinguish
it from the previous UEFA
Cup format.
LONDON-- Manchester
United forward Cristiano Ronaldo successfully
underwent surgery on
his right ankle in Amsterdam on Monday, the
Premier League champions said on their Web
site.
Ronaldo said after Portugal’s Euro 2008 exit
that he had been carrying an ankle injury for
several months and it
now appears certain he
will miss the start of the
new season.
United said in a statement that it would be
one month before they
could offer a time frame
for Ronaldo’s return.
“Initial indications are
that the procedure was
successful,” United said.
“Cristiano will begin his
convalescence under the
direction of club medical
staff and an estimation of
his return to full fitness
will be possible following
a review by the specialist
in one month.”
Ronaldo has said that he
is considering his future,
with Spanish champions
Real Madrid making
little secret of their admiration for the 23-yearold. United have said he
is not for the sale.
48
ever swum.
OMAHA,
Nebraska“There are going to be a
- Forged from eight
days of pressure-packed American swimmer who currently lot of countries out there
competition, the pow- holds six world records and won who are going to step up
erhouse U.S. Olympic eight medals at the Athens Games because it is an Olympic
year but hopefully we
swim team spearheaded
can be the best and fastby Michael Phelps could
est team ever.”
leave Beijing as the most
The U.S. women insist
successful squad ever asthey head to China as
sembled.
underdogs to the powerWith only the top two
ful Australians but perin each event earning
formances and times at
Olympic berths, the U.S.
the trials indicated the
trials featured its usual
team led by Katie Hoff
cut-throat battles that
have closed the gap.
produced eight world
Having been shutout of
records and equalled
the medals in Athens as
another.
a nervous novice throwFour swimmers, Phelps,
Born: Jun 30, 1985
ing up in the Olympic
Aaron Peirsol, Natalie in Baltimore, Maryland
pool, Hoff has returned
Coughlin and Amanda
Career: Since 2001, Phelps has
Beard will be back to set 24 world records and could break a battle-hardened 19year-old with a five indidefend Olympic crowns the record of 33 held by Mark Spitz
Olympic
gold.
100m
butterfly:
2004
vidual and one relay prowhile 26 others, includ2004 gramme almost a daring
ing youngest member Silver. 200m butterfly:
2004 as Phelps’s.
of the squad 15-year- 200m individual medley:
400m individual medley:
2004
“I’ve learned I can hanold Elizabeth Beisel 4x200m freestyle relay:
2004
will make their Summer 4x100m medley relay
2004 dle it,” said Hoff, who
Games debuts.
Bronze. 200m freestyle:
2004 was the youngest U.S.
2004 athlete at the last games.
Beard qualified for 4x100m freestyle relay:
her fourth Games while Pictures: Associated Press © GRAPHIC NEWS “It’s a challenging schedule, mentally and physiDara Torres, a 41-yearold mother, will take part enough ammunition to at- cally. Having done it once
now it gives me confidence I
in her fifth. However there tack the mark.
Phelps’s contributions will can do it again.”
was no room for swimming’s
go along way towards detershowman Gary Hall Jr.
The 33-year-old’s bid to mining if the men’s team can
become the first swimmer to become the greatest ever,
win the same event at three eclipsing the squad that won
different Olympics began in 12 of the 13 gold medals on
typical fashion as he shadow- offer at the 1976 Montreal
boxed his way to the block in Games.
“These (U.S. trials) are AUSTRALIA-- Australia
a red, white and blue robe
only to finish fourth in the some of the fastest times I will play a friendlies against
have ever seen swum, as a the Netherlands and South
50 metre sprint.
The spotlight, however, be- whole,” said Phelps. Three Africa as part of their prepof top five times in the 100 arations for the next round
longs to just one swimmer.
Having targeted Mark fly, (Ryan) Lochte and I both of 2010 World Cup qualiSpitz’s record of seven gold breaking the record in the fiers.
The Socceroos will play
medals at a single Olympics 400 IM (individual medley),
in Beijing, Phelps took his Lochte and (Aaron) Peirsol 2010 hosts South Africa
first steps by qualifying in with the two fastest perfor- in London on Aug. 19 and
eight events (five individu- mance in the 200 (back), the take on the Dutch in Eindal, three relays), providing 100 (back) being the fastest hoven on Sept 6, four days
THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Caisse d’Epargne team rider and leader’s yellow jersey Alejandro Valverde of Spain (C) cycles with teammates during the third stage of the 95th Tour de France cycling race between
Saint-Malo and Nantes, July 7.
NANTES, France-- Frenchman Romain Feillu seized
the overall lead as compatriot Samuel Dumoulin
won the third stage in a day
of upsets on the Tour de
France on Monday.
Agritubel’s Feillu, the first
local to wear the yellow jersey on the Tour since Cyril
before their tricky opening
fourth round match away to
in-form Uzbekistan.
“Coach Pim Verbeek sees
these two international
matches as important opportunities to get the squad
together and to work with
the players in a match environment,” FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said in
a statement.
Dessel two years ago, was
third behind Cofidis’s Dumoulin and Garmin-Chipotle’s William Frischkorn of
the United States.
Dumoulin, however,
proved the best sprinter of
a breakaway quartet that
parted company with the
peloton one kilometre after
the start of the 208-km stage
from St Malo to Nantes.
“I knew that I was well
placed in the general classification and that if we were
to go all the way, I would
pull on the jersey,” Feillu,
whose start to the season
has been hampered by
toxoplasmosis, told a news
conference.
“We (Frenchmen) proved
that we were not worse
than the other riders in the
peloton,” said Dumoulin,
who had to pull out of the
2004 Tour after colliding
with a dog.
The top three and Paolo
Longo Borghini of Italy
opened a 14-minute lead,
fighting heavy rain showers
and gusty winds to wrongfoot those who had anticipated a mass finish.
Spaniard Angel Litu Gomez was forced to withdraw
and was taken to a Nantes
hospital for medical checks
after injuring his left hip in
a crash at a traffic divider
that split the peloton.
Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, who was wearing
the yellow jersey, and race
favourite Cadel Evans of
Australia stayed in the
main pack that crossed the
line two minutes and three
seconds behind the winner.
Leading contenders Riccardo Ricco of Italy and
Russian Denis Menchov
lost a further 38 seconds.
Valverde is now fourth
Continued on page 47