Men Who Cook charity event slated for Saturday

The Nassau Guardian

Men Who Cook charity event slated for Saturday

The Bahamas Urban Youth Development Center presents its 2nd Annual Charity Event “Men Who Cook” Culinary Competition to benefit the Advancement for Health HIV/AIDS Prevention Project, that targets at risk adolescents and young women in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

On Saturday, August 31, Club Waterloo will once again open its doors and welcome dozens of men, giving them the opportunity to showcase their culinary arts for hundreds of enthusiastic locals and visitors to enjoy.

With the expansion and growth of this charitable culinary competition, Bahamians from all around the Bahamas are gearing up for a treat of delicious hot smoking BAR-B-Que along with many savory and mouth watering side dishes, icy cold drinks and great entertainment.

These dishes are some of the best you will find, and they are all prepared by some of the best chefs and master grillers as we are expecting chefs and cooks from all across The Bahamas to support this annual charity and sign up for the competition.

Men Who Cook Bahamas (MWCB) was launched in 2012 not only to raise funds to sustain BUYDC’s programs, but also to raise awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among young people in the Bahamas, and it is now recognized as the best

and most outstanding Charitable Cooking Competition in New Providence that involves teams of Men from all civic, social and political groups who joined this year’s competition as a way to give back, and get involved in the fight to prevent the spread of HIV among young people.

Don’t miss the hottest grilling and cooking action by men and fathers from your communities. The competition has some of the very best in Bahamian cooking. The BBQ is free all day till it’s gone with your $20.00 adult ticket. Local cooking and grilling teams will offer for public judging, samples of their home-cooked or hot off the grill signature dishes. Guests can taste and vote for their favorite dish in each of the four categories: Appetizers, Side dishes, Entrée’ and Desserts. In addition, there will be live music, a hot wings eating contest, a variety of dishes for your enjoyment, and plenty of giveaways. Tickets are on sale at the door for only $20.00 adults & $10 for children 12 & under. The event opens to the public at 12:00 p.m.

To register for the event, pick up a registration form from the Bahamas Urban Youth Development Center, or download the form and rules from www.menwhocook-bahamas.com.

 

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PM: Bahamas innocent victim in Cuban affair

The Nassau Guardian

PM: Bahamas innocent victim in Cuban affair

The Bahamas is an “innocent victim” that has become the target of protests from sympathizers of Cuban immigrants, Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday, but added that all claims of abuse toward detainees will be investigated.

Christie was asked to respond to a letter that was reportedly sent to him by US Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio and Congress members Mario Diaz-Balart, Albio Sires and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the U.S. representative for Florida’s 27th congressional district.

The letter asked Christie to stop any further Cuban repatriations.

On Friday, the government repatriated 24 Cubans.

Christie said he is worried about damage The Bahamas’ reputation might sustain because of the negative press and criticism.

He said The Bahamas conducts repatriations in accordance with international treaties.

He said when Cuban immigrants are detained in the country the United Nations comes in and assesses who is eligible for asylum.

“We do not invite the Cubans to come to The Bahamas [illegally],” Christie said. “They come in and when they come in we are spending significant resources to ensure that they are treated in a very hospitable way even though they are in the Detention Centre, that there is a level of comfort that ought to exist.”

The prime minister stressed that the government does not encourage detention center officers to be cruel to detainees.

“That’s not the intention of the government,” he said. “When we have allegations we investigate the allegations.

“We are in the process now of investigating those allegations. Clearly, there will be a finding on it.

“People are very emotional on this subject but we are going to find a way to deal with it.

“We’re going to try to work through this problem. We are innocent victims as a country and a government of this entire situation.

“If, in fact, a few of our officers have caused people to have harm inflicted upon them, then we have to find those parties and they have to pay the price for their misdeeds.”

Christie said the government has concerns over the traction the issue has gained.

“I’m very saddened by the development where Cuban Americans have been led to believe that we as a country treated Cubans in the detention center cruelly.

“I’m hoping that we arrive very quickly at the final results of the investigation on it, so that they can see that we are a country of laws and a country of justice and that we will see that justice is done.”

On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell refuted an assertion made by Ros-Lehtinen that a video purporting to show Cuban detainees at the detention center being beaten by Bahamian officers is legitimate.

According to an article appearing in the Miami Herald, Ros-Lehtinen said on Friday that U.S. State Department officials told her that Nassau officials have confirmed the video was real and fired the “guilty guards”.

However, Mitchell said, “The Bahamas has not admitted to the authenticity of the video which the protestors themselves have admitted is a fake.”

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Minnis wants answers on Rahming’s appointment

The Nassau Guardian

Minnis wants answers on Rahming’s appointment

Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis yesterday renewed calls for the government to speak to the issue of the delayed confirmation of Dr. Elliston Rahming as Bahamas ambassador to the United States.

“I have spoken to ambassadors in the region and The Bahamas is the laughing stock,” he said in an interview with The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

“In their experience if an ambassador has not been named in two months, most likely they will not be confirmed.

“What they would probably do to damper the embarrassment that they are exposing us to, is to remove [Bahamas Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Eugene Newry] from New York and name him as ambassador and keep Rahming in the post that he is in.”

He was referring to Rahming’s appointment as permanent representative to the Organization of American States (OAS).

Rahming’s appointment as ambassador and OAS representative was made in February.

He assumed his duties as permanent representative to the OAS shortly after that, but has not received word on his appointment as ambassador.

“The Christie administration is an embarrassment and the opposition recommends that they resolve this issue as soon as possible,” Minnis said.

Rahming, the former superintendent of Her Majesty’s Prisons, is stationed in Washington, D.C.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell said yesterday that nothing had changed concerning Rahming’s situation and would not offer further comment.

The Free National Movement (FNM) previously called on the government to withdraw Rahming’s name and offer a new representative.

A statement issued by the government on July 1 indicated that Prime Minister Perry Christie had directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with regard to the appointments of consuls general in Miami and Atlanta.

But the ministry did not announce any names.

The statement also said a further announcement will be made shortly about changes in personnel in the diplomatic service as soon as the necessary formalities have been concluded.

It remains unclear which areas will be affected by the changes.

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Woman jailed on gun possession charge

The Nassau Guardian

Woman jailed on gun possession charge

A Haitian woman who was in the country illegally was yesterday sentenced to the mandatory minimum of four years on a gun possession charge.

Celicia Belton, of The Mudd, Abaco, admitted to having a .380 pistol when she appeared in the Gun Court.

Police officers in Abaco found the firearm hidden in a sofa during a search.

Belton, who pleaded guilty through a Haitian-Creole interpreter, asked Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt to have mercy on her.

Ferguson-Pratt explained that the punishment for gun possession was a range of four to seven years.

The magistrate said that she did not think Belton deserved the maximum penalty and sentenced her to four years.

Belton’s co-defendant Germain Dumercie denied the charge. Dumercie, who is in the country legally, was granted $10,000 bail with two sureties.

He makes his next court appearance on September 27.

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Boy found dead

The Nassau Guardian

Boy found dead

A two-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten yesterday was found dead in an apartment on Allen Drive, off Carmichael Road, police said.

A family friend made the discovery and contacted police who arrived on scene around 3:30 p.m.  

The toddler was pronounced dead on scene by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel.  

Superintendent Paul Rolle, head of the Central Detective Unit, told reporters the boy’s mother left for work after preparing a meal for her two sons. The two-year-old boy and his five-year-old brother were left in the care of a man the mother knows, according to police.  

Rolle said based on preliminary reports, the victim was allegedly punished with a beating sometime after he had eaten.  He said the boy reportedly went to his bedroom to lie down, and a short while later he was beaten a second time.  

In both incidents, the person who beat the child allegedly used a frying pan to administer the beatings.  

“At this time another one of the friends of the family came by and the [person who allegedly beat the boy] left,” Rolle said.  

“When she went into the room she met the child in an unresponsive state in the bed.”  

When The Nassau Guardian arrived on scene distraught relatives were gathered around the two-storey complex.  

A woman in a car in front of the home rocked back and forth, and raised her hands incessantly.  

Onlookers gathered as the child’s body was taken out of the house.  

Rolle said the 30-year-old suspect was found on Allen Drive shortly after police arrived on scene.  

He was taken into custody and was expected to be questioned last night.

Police classified the unidentified boy’s death as a homicide.

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Apparent suicide of RBDF marine

The Nassau Guardian

Apparent suicide of RBDF marine

As police probed an alleged suicide of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) marine, the organization said its members were mourning and the marine will be "greatly missed".

Chinyere Wilkinson, 41, a leading mechanic who has been on the Defence Force for 16 years, was found hanging by the neck in the hallway of his apartment on Fire Trail Road on Friday night, according to police.

A relative reportedly discovered Wilkinson after entering the apartment around 7 p.m.

When The Nassau Guardian arrived on the scene, several distraught relatives and friends were screaming and attempting to console each another.

In a statement, Commander of the Defence Force Commodore Roderick Bowe extended sincere condolences to Wilkinson’s family and friends on behalf of the organization.

But he did not comment on how Wilkinson died.

The Defence Force described Wilkinson as a quiet, competent and committed marine.

The organization said Wilkinson served in numerous departments, including engineering, the Harbor Patrol Unit and recently the supply department.

The statement said the marine’s presence will be greatly missed.

Assistant Commissioner Anthony Ferguson said on Friday night it was not clear how long Wilkinson had been hanging from the ceiling.

“The circumstances surrounding this death are not clear so we have an active investigation ongoing at the moment,” Ferguson said.

He said yesterday police were still trying to determine what might have led to Wilkinson taking his life.

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Union threatens to withdraw labor at two schools

The Nassau Guardian

Union threatens to withdraw labor at two schools

The Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) yesterday threatened that when schools open across the country in September it would withdraw its labor from two of them if the principals are not removed.

BUT President Belinda Wilson called on the government to intervene.

She said Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald has been placed on notice.

Wilson said one school is located on New Providence and the other is on Grand Bahama.

“At this time, I will not call the names, but we have placed the ministry, the minister of education, the permanent secretary and the director on notice that the Bahamas Union of Teachers and our members within those two schools are not prepared to begin the new school year with those two principals in the schools,” Wilson told The Nassau Guardian on the sidelines of the Public School Administrators Workshop.

“We are concerned about the academic direction of the schools.

“We are also concerned about the hostile environment at the schools, and the teachers for the most part do not feel that they are supported by these two administrators.

“We believe that the schools can move forward much more quickly and in a positive way if both of those administrators are removed from both of those schools.”

Fitzgerald said last night he will not name the schools either that the union has issues with.

He acknowledged Wilson’s concerns on the matter.

Asked whether he is concerned about possible industrial action, Fitzgerald said, “If the president of the union says that, of course we have to take it seriously which is why I have acknowledged. We will see what happens.”

Charles Wildgoose, president of the Bahamas Educators Managerial Union (BEMU), said he was not aware of the BUT’s concerns, but he said Wilson, “has her approach of dealing with matters”.

“It would be good if at some point in time, we could exchange concerns and seek to deal with [them], but I think she would have reported the concerns.

“I hope she did or does to the director of education, who in turn will seek information from the superintendent and the principals.

“I know for a fact BUT has expressed some concerns about the leadership in some schools.

“The dialogue is very important and there is a process, and I try to do both.

“If there is a concern about our membership, I go to the source and I find out what the facts are and follow due process in investigating it and seeking to deal with it.”

 

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Victim tells of alleged sex assault

The Nassau Guardian

Victim tells of alleged sex assault

An alleged victim yesterday told a court how a handyman at her church dragged her into a bathroom and sexually assaulted her.

The woman was testifying at the unlawful sexual intercourse trial of Leroy Adderley, who is also known as Rolly. He worked as a handyman at Agape Full Gospel Church in Golden Palm Estates.

Adderley has pleaded not guilty to the allegation at his trial before Justice Vera Watkins.

The student, who is now 18, was 12 when the assault allegedly occurred on July 30, 2007.

The woman, whose name has been withheld for legal reasons, said she was playing with friends after a vacation Bible school at the church ended for the day.

She said Adderley, whom she “respected and trusted”, told her she was needed downstairs to answer the phone in the reception area.

The young woman said she accompanied Adderley, who dragged her into the bathroom once she reached the foyer.

The woman said she was too terrified to scream as Adderley pulled down her pants and underwear and had sex with her as she stood up.

The woman said she did not tell her stepfather, a policeman, about the alleged sexual assault when he picked up her, her sister and her cousins. However, she said a complaint was made at the police station later that day and she was examined by a doctor at the hospital.

The woman denied suggestions by Adderley’s lawyer, Romona Farquharson, that she was sent downstairs as a reprimand for poking fun at her teacher’s accent.

The woman denied that she was admonished earlier for “playing around with boys”.

Farquharson asked the woman if Adderley did anything to her legs during the alleged assault and she said he did not.

The case continues. Neil Brathwaite and Uel Johnson are the prosecutors.

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More Cubans repatriated

The Nassau Guardian

More Cubans repatriated

Days after 24 Cuban detainees were repatriated, the government sent an additional eight Cuban migrants home Tuesday, according to the Department of Immigration.

The news comes as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell on Tuesday revealed that the United States has granted asylum to as many as 10 Cuban migrants in The Bahamas.

Mitchell said the migrants were paroled out of the Carmichael Road Detention Centre after they were determined to be eligible for asylum status.

He said some of the migrants were released “as long as a year ago, and have been living in safe houses in The Bahamas”.

In addition to that, two Cuban detainees who are being held at Her Majesty’s Prisons may be granted asylum in the United States, their attorney Roger Gomez Jr. said yesterday.

Mauricio Valdez and Randy Rodriguez are awaiting final approval from authorities in the U.S.

Authorities from the United Nations interviewed Pedro Parrado, who is being held at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, last week. They are looking for a third country that will accept him, Gomez said.

Gomez had filed a writ of habeas corpus seeking the Cubans’ release.

The men appeared before Justice Carolita Bethell to give an update or their asylum status.

Mitchell has said that the men are seeking release based on “various allegations of abuse”.

If no country other than Cuba accepts the men, a full hearing of their case would take place on September 9.

But Mitchell said a part of the difficulty with the asylum process is how long it takes.

“[The U.S.] process takes anywhere from one month to six months once they’ve actually made the decision to take the people into the states,” he said.

Before this latest round of repatriations, Miami-based Democracy Movement called off its protests against The Bahamas pending the fate of 22 Cuban detainees.

The group claims that guards at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre abused Cuban detainees.

The Bahamas government has denied the claim.

A Florida lawmaker branded as “spineless” and “immoral” The Bahamas’ decision to repatriate the 24 Cubans last week.

However, Mitchell took exception to the comments.

“The U.S. Coast Guard regularly sends people back to Havana,” he said.

“They interdict them on the seas. There is a migration committee that meets between the United States government and the Cuban government twice a year; they have the modalities all worked out.

“So what these people are making noise about, I have no idea; and these vile things their legislators are saying about The Bahamas.

“They don’t say the same thing about the United States when they exercise the same powers.”

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FAA makes no further findings against LPIA

The Nassau Guardian

FAA makes no further findings against LPIA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made no further findings against The Bahamas when it conducted its latest review of Lynden Pindling International Airport’s (LPIA) safety regulations, Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said yesterday.

This was the first test since the FAA identified several issues at LPIA in May.

According to officials, The Bahamas spent about $3 million to correct deficiencies.

“Any issues that were raised in May were addressed and today there were no findings,” the minister said.

August 21 was the deadline for the Department of Civil Aviation to address the concerns that were raised in order to bring its standards up to the FAA’s minimum requirements for aviation safety.

Hanna-Martin said the government will receive formal notification next week on the country’s category status.

The Bahamas’ performance in yesterday’s assessment could have potentially led to a downgrade to a category 2 International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) jurisdiction, rather than a category 1 IASA jurisdiction.

Hanna-Martin underscored the importance of avoiding such a downgrade.

“The issue of a reputable aviation sector... is directly related to our economy and the well being of our nation,” she said.

“We are a tourism destination, and the importance of airlift internationally is critical to our economy. So anything that would have brought into question the quality of our aviation sector is something that is a matter of grave concern for every single Bahamian.”

Director of Civil Aviation Captain Patrick Rolle said the FAA identified a wide range of issues in May.

Rolle said the key issue had to do with training practices. He said a lack of current aviation inspectors was also an issue.

“What happens after the audit, they (FAA officials) go back and make an assessment of what the original assessments were,” Rolle said.

“Civil Aviation then sends a corrective action plan based on what those findings were and then they come back to review and to consult with the state to ensure that those things that we said were corrected, were actually corrected and what we did today was show the proof.”

With the FAA’s audit out of the way, Hanna-Martin said the Department of Civil Aviation’s will now start preparing for another audit, which will be conducted in October.

That audit will be carried out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Rolle said the department has some work to do in order to meet ICAO standards.

“Auditors will always find something wrong; that’s the nature of their business,” he said.

“Our job is to be in a position to correct those things. So what we’ve done is started a corrective action plan to ensure that we address all of those things that we think the focus will be on.”

A part of the corrective plan is to install a new radar.

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Cubans repatriated

The Nassau Guardian

Cubans repatriated

Twenty-four Cubans were repatriated in two separate flights yesterday, Director of Immigration William Pratt said.

The group included two immigrants who were being held at Her Majesty’s Prisons and the remaining Cubans were being held at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, Pratt said.

Florida-based protesters from Democracy Movement have protested outside The Bahamas consulate in Miami for weeks.  The group has claimed that Cuban detainees at the detention center have been abused.

The Bahamas government has strongly denied the assertion.

Ramon Sanchez, a representative of the group, said the organization did not support the Cubans  being sent back to Cuba.

According to international reports, sympathizers with the detainees called the repatriation “deceitful” and claimed that some in the group were offered asylum in Panama.

Pratt said the group did not meet requirements for asylum and added that he did not understand the motivation for the protests.

“I really don’t know what is so deceitful about it because those persons were interviewed by our trained officers,” he said.

“... Their applications were [looked over] by UNHCR representatives and it was determined that they were not persons considered for refugee protection.

“And because the UNHCR already established, along with our trained personnel who UNHCR trained, it was determined that they were not considered persons who need protection under the UNHCR convention or protocol.

“So again our policy is that any persons illegally entering The Bahamas, once we process and we determine that they are not persons needing refugee protection, they are to be returned to the country from whence they came.”

Pratt added that he knew of no offer from Panama’s government to give the Cubans asylum.

“As far as I know there was no official request from the Panamanian government,” he said.

Pratt said two more Cuban immigrants remain at the prison.  He added that there are approximately 20 more Cuban detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash said this week the party thinks that Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell handled the matter belligerently.  He said the FNM had concerns about the way the government managed the issue.

“As we have watched this unfold over the last several weeks it seems clearer every day that in the language, in the tone, in the approach that the minister of foreign affairs has taken that management is not the word that would best be used to describe how he handed it,” Cash said.

The Bahamas Consulate in Miami was put on alert Thursday after a threat was made against it, Mitchell said.

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I'm looking for some help building up the dive shop section of my directory here: http://www.offermewhatever.com/directory  in the
 dive shops section.  I don't have any pagerank yet but will soon hopefully and the links are free, please suggest your state and and your website.  backlinks are appreciated if you can. 

Some good reasons to go to the Bahamas, especially if you are on the East Coast.
http://www.jaystephenson.me/2013-06-17-17-24-28/nassau-bahamas/5-bahamas

The Waterford boat launch, also known as the Dock Rd. boat launch fairly popular dive site in Connecticut.  This site is good for night diving and diving when there isn't alot of boat traffic.