Outrage for Black Womanhood

Image of Michelle Obama

After a lifetime in Caribbean and international politics, I thought the time had long since passed when I could be outraged by any event. But I was outraged last week and I continue to seethe over the fact that Pamela Ramsey Taylor, the director of a Clay County, West Virginia, non-profit who was removed from her post after she called Michelle Obama an “ape in heels” in a November Facebook post, will be re-instated in her job on December 23. What signal does this re-instatement send to Americans, black and white? Indeed, what statement does it make to the rest of the world?

2017 – Year of Opportunity

AS the reality of the 2016 general elections manifests itself, a mood of renewed confidence appears to be noticeable as investors from outside the region capitalize on the renewed business approach offered by the new administration. The most significant and realistic investment to date is Desert Star Holdings (DSH) under the direct supervision of Mr. Teo Ah Khing, an individual with the most remarkable track record on a world scale.

The Crisis of Facts

IF you believe that economics and politics should be based on evidence, then you should think again. In today’s political times, it no longer matters whether or not something is true, but whether it is believed by the right people. Across supposedly information-rich and enlightened Western democracies, it appears popular trust in expert opinion and established institutions has tumbled. But is it possible to live in a world of data but no facts?

Trump’s Antiguan Gambling Problem

Image of Donald Trump

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump is gambling that he can advance U.S. economic interests by cracking down on powerhouses like China for rigged trade practices, but he might be dealing with a tiny nation doing the same to the United States the first day he sits down in the Oval Office. The twin-island Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda is poised by year’s end — and well within its rights — to retaliate against the U.S. to the tune of $21 million a year by setting up an online market to rip off copyrights and other protected content if the two countries can’t settle a 12-year-old trade dispute over internet gambling.

The Inaccuracies of Santa Lucia

Commission members John Peters, Gordon Charles and BrianLouisy.

MANY of us in our National Day readings would have read this quote: “Saint Lucia was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French, the island’s first European settlers, and the only country in the world named after a woman”. I dare to say to you that this is inaccurate and part of a continued gross misrepresentation of our history, as the French came long after there was a record of a name given to our island. You would also have read that the oldest record of Saint Lucia’s name can be found in a Spanish Cedulla of 1511, where a place called Sancta Lucia is recorded as a Spanish Domain. Yet there is no historical document to support this claim. You would have read that there was a Vatican Globe of 1520 that depicted Sancta Lucia, and in my research I found it that to be also incorrect.

Firings At Tourist Board Denied

CHAIRPERSON of the Tourist Board, Agnes Francis has denied reports that employees have been dismissed to make way for the new tourism entity the board is transitioning into called the Tourism Authority. Francis, who took over the day to day operations of the Tourist Board after the unexpected resignations of its director Louis Lewis and his deputy Tracey Warner-Arnold two months ago, admitted that none of the staff had been terminated.

Christmas Fair At Sportivo Today

AFTER an incredible response in 2015, the teams from “I Am Ready World” and “AdVizze Consulting Inc.” have collaborated once again to present the second Annual Creative Christmas Fair today at the Sportivo Events Centre. Entrepreneurs, artisans, bakers and other businesses are back for a second time round to provide the best the island has to offer under one roof.

P.M. Parties With Special Children

Image: A chat with one of the children

SPECIAL needs children from learning centres in Saint Lucia were recently treated to a day of fun and excitement at The Prime Minister’s Official Residence. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet was elated to spend some time with the children at the annual Christmas Party in their honour. Donning a Santa’s hat, the Prime Minister greeted the children and teachers of the various schools and also gave out gifts to his guests of honour.

INTERREG – For Closer Ties With The French

Image of Beverly Best

HEAD of Development Co-operation and Resource Organization, at the OECS Commission Beverly Best has hailed the INTERREG Programme that was launched in St. Lucia earlier this week as an opportunity for the people of the sub-region to take advantage of and partner with their neighbouring French counterparts on various projects. “Given our history in co-operation as well as in integration, we see this as a unique opportunity for us to strengthen the experience we have as well as to strengthen the friendship that we have with our French territories,” Best said.

Beauty Max Inc. Gives Back

Image: Mayor Francis with Beauty Max officials getting ready to serve meals to the needy.

BEAUTY Max Inc.is giving back to St Lucians this Christmas, according to Managing Director WassimBashity. The company which started its beauty products business here in June 2015 recently organized a treat for some 200 less fortunate persons in the city with meals and beverages. This event was graced with the presence of Mayor Peterson Francis, who recognized the activity as a very positive one in helping alleviate the daily plight of persons who do not know where the next meal is coming from. Francis took time to serve meals at this event and commended Beauty MaxInc for undertaking the initiative.

Traditional Medicine Gets Its Place

TRADITIONAL medicine has been handed down from generation to generation. It is firmly rooted in many St. Lucia households for the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. But there has been tension between traditional and conventional medicine with the medical community taking sides. “The tension was conventional doctors would say, there is no science behind it. Sa sébagay jean bitasyon.”

Carolling at Gablewoods Mall

THE Gablewoods Mall at Sunny Acres will come to life with the sound of music: voices, to be exact today. In an effort to share the festive spirit and to keep alive the fading tradition of carolling, the management and tenants of the Mall have planned what promises to be an evening of thrilling choral performances, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in The Shopping Lane.

Police In All Out War on Crime

THE Royal St. Lucia Police Force has unleashed its strategy for combating criminal acts this festive season with a major component focusing on community assistance. Police Commissioner Severin Moncherry is appealing to the public to get involved in the fight against crime by reporting suspicious characters to the police and acts of criminality they have witnessed or are witnessing, whatever the case maybe.