From The US State Dept:

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future.

In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:

* December 31, 2006 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
* December 31, 2007 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.

Learn more here.

A new video recently posted online called "Bond in the Bahamas" features behind-the-scenes footage of the new James Bond film -- Casino Royale -- that is being shot in the Bahamas.

The video also features interviews with Daniel Craig (who replaced Pierce Brosnan as the new Bond), Judi Dench ("M"), Caterina Murino, Director Martin Campbell and Producer Michael G. Wilson.

From an ATP Press Release:

Third seeds [Bahamian] Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor saved three match points against Israeli duo Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram to win their 16th ATP Masters Series team shield in Rome. The two-time year-end World No. 1 team won the final 6-4, 5-7, 13-11 (Match TB).

Knowles and Nestor extended their clay court winning streak to eight matches by claiming their second consecutive title, having won Barcelona late last month.

Knowles and Nestor, who in the semifinals snapped Bjorkman and Mirnyi’s 11-match winning streak, have a record of 23-8 this year, winning titles in Barcelona last month (d. Fyrstenberg-Matkowski), Indian Wells in March (d. Bryan-Bryan) and Delray Beach in February (d. Haggard-Moodie). The duo won the Rome title in 1997, and Nestor was the runner-up in 2001, teaming (w/Stolle). Knowles and Nestor have an interesting streak going in 2006. They have lost in the first round six times
but in their other six appearances they have gone on to reach the final.

[...] Knowles said: "It was anyone's match there at the end. It's great to win here again. "We've picked up our game a lot. It's always tough in Monte-Carlo when you play on clay for the first time in a year, basically. Now we're feeling great and playing really well on clay and looking forward to Hamburg and the French.

"I dedicate this win to my wife. It's her first Mother's Day, so it's a very special day for us."

Charles Pratt, Manager of Land Development for the Grand Bahama Development Company (DEVCO), revealed yesterday that the sale of land in Grand Bahama to Nassau residents was steadily increasing in comparison to sales to Grand Bahamians. He stated “historically Devco’s land sales market has been predominately Grand Bahamian, with locals making up 65% of our sales and New Providence, 34%. But most recently, actually since 2003, the Nassau percentage of sales has grown substantially and continues to grow.”

Speaking to the weekly Rotary Club of Lucaya meeting, in Freeport, Grand Bahama Mr. Pratt went on to highlight that the causes of this increase may be due to the Company’s increased marketing efforts which include more focus on the Nassau and international markets. In addition, the increase of Nassau sales may be due to Nassau’s overgrowth spurring individuals from Nassau to buy in Grand Bahama. The Grand Bahama Development Company Limited (Devco) owns the majority of vacant land on Grand Bahama Island. The Company is responsible for the organization of the master plan for most of the land zoned for tourist/commercial and residential use within the city of Freeport and Lucaya area.

Mr. Pratt also highlighted Devco’s current development successes and its plan to meet the continued demand for entry level and middle income housing projects within the Freeport / Lucaya area. “One of the more recent and major development successes for Devco was the Chesapeake development, a mid-level residential area with sixty-six homes now constructed, which included full infrastructure, required landscaped front yards and provided recreational Park facilities. The total economic activity created in Chesapeake was seven and a half million dollars ($7,500,000.00)”.

Devco continued its development drive with Lincoln Park – an upper-entry level residential development, which is 85% completed, and is estimated to have an economic impact of 3 million dollars ($3,000,000.00). But Freeport’s demands for homes was not satisfied and DEVCO decided to partner with the Ministry of Housing to create another “area”, HERITAGE.
“Heritage is a 400-acre site which when completed will be a comprehensive community with everything from single-family homes, townhouses, schools, commercial areas and an array of neighborhood parks” Pratt explained.

“When planning the Heritage community, executives from Devco outlined their development goals. The first goal was to maintain and enhance the site’s environment. The other goals were to provide attractive and affordable housing to the local Bahamian community; to create a vibrant and well-balanced community; to create a sense of pride of ownership among residents and to create a safe neighborhood. With more than 115 homes built so far, Devco is well on their way to accomplishing these goals. “ Devco granted the Ministry of Housing 84 fully serviced lots and to date, the Ministry of Housing has completed more than 80 homes in Phase 1 of the Heritage community. Currently the economic investment in Heritage has reached the seven & a half million dollars ($7,500,000.00 mark).

Pratt noted that HERITAGE was a new and innovative development for DEVCO. Devco was careful to maintain as much of the natural trees and plant life as possible and create an eco-friendly community that would be divided into eight ‘sub-neighborhoods’ by way of 100-foot wide natural vegetation buffers. In addition, Heritage is the first development to have underground installations for power, cable and telephone lines. Pratt commented that this project was costly for Devco, however the plan was deemed more modern and aesthetically pleasing and was therefore fulfilled.

For Devco, Heritage is a fulfillment of its late Chairman’s, Edward St. George’s, goal to make land available for all Bahamian’s that is affordable, safe and expandable. Devco’s recent priorities and focus have been on creating developments and due to the slow pace of individual homeowner construction, and vast un-serviced Devco is now actively seeking and entertaining developmental concepts for Grand Bahama.

Pratt concluded that locals need to consider investing in land, now. “In the past five years alone, the company has sold approximately 1,500 lots and has in its current portfolio 16 miles of pristine beachfront properties and 50,000 acres of available land. So yes, we have land but not all of it has full infrastructure. In our efforts to meet land sales demands we are increasing our inventory and have just recently begun to advertise the Colony and Pearl Bay areas to the national market. A market we now reach even faster due to our innovative website, www.gbdevco.com. It’s unique island map view technology and database land sales search options are helping us make shopping at home for land easy to do.”

Pratt closed his address to the Lucayan Rotarians by summing up that “ Devco is determined to keep its goals clear; to create and help maintain sustainable and affordable developments and property sales. And in doing so to make sure that we maintain the clean, well-balanced lifestyle that Grand Bahama is known for.”

Writes Candia Dames in the Bahamas Journal on "Row Over Cuba Vote":

Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell tabled in the House of Assembly on Wednesday documents that confirmed that the Bahamas voted recently in support of Cuba’s ascension to the new United Nations Human Rights Council. But the minister refused to state in clear terms while addressing the lower chamber exactly how the Bahamas voted.

The Bahamas -- sadly -- ended up voting for Dictator Castro.

"The language is contrary to the spirit of comity between the two countries…The position of the government as it relates to Cuba is no different from that of its citizens who, as the leader of the Official Opposition has pointed out, are free to travel where they wish. The government must protect their interests."

Sadly, Cubans are not free to travel where they wish.

According to Ms. Archer, the Mission took into consideration each country’s human rights record and voluntary commitments to human rights. It also took into consideration, the Bahamas’ relationship with specific countries and the need to ensure a broad and varied spectrum of political, economic and cultural views on the council. Other factors were also taken into consideration. One of the countries that the Mission advised the Bahamas to vote for as a first choice was Cuba. Among the back-up candidates the Mission recommended the Bahamas vote for were Iraq and Iran [!!!].

Iran? The theocratic Iranian government is the greatest violators of human rights. Iran Focus explains how the Iranian government treats children: Girl, 16, hanged in public in Iran:

On Sunday, August 15, a 16-year-old girl in the town of Neka, northern Iran, was executed. Ateqeh Sahaleh was hanged in public on Simetry Street off Rah Ahan Street at the city center. The sentence was issued by the head of Neka's Justice Department aznd subsequently upheld by the mullahs' Supreme Court and carried out with the approval of Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Shahroudi. In her summary trial, the teenage victim did not have any lawyer and efforts by her family to recruit a lawyer was to no avail. Ateqeh personally defended herself. She told the religious judge, Haji Rezaii, that he should punish the main perpetrators of moral corruption not the victims. The judge personally pursued Ateqeh's death sentence, beyond all normal procedures and finally gained the approval of the Supreme Court. After her execution Rezai said her punishment was not execution but he had her executed for her "sharp tongue".

Anyone who honestly thinks the Iranian government is committed to human rights is a moron. For more on Iran see The Real Revolutionaries and Religious Terrorism vs. Free Speech.

Returning back to "Row Over Cuba Vote":

[...] Minister Mitchell laid on the table of the House a copy of the record of the votes taken by the Bahamas on the embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba. He noted that on each occasion, except two, the Ingraham government voted with the vast majority of the members of the UN General Assembly against the embargo imposed by the United States. "If the Cuban government and people were so odious then why did he not change the Bahamas’ position when it was his time?" Minister Mitchell questioned.

Mr. Ingraham...said that during the time when the former government appeared to have voted in favour of Cuba on certain issues, it was because voting was done in groupings, meaning that countries were not free – like they were during the recent UN vote – to vote for individual countries." We would have ended up with many human rights violators on the commission before now," he explained. "That’s why the UN scrapped that system and put in a system where you have to vote for individual countries. So this is the first time the Bahamas has had an opportunity to vote for or against an individual country." He said an FNM government never would have supported Cuba’s ascension to the United Nations Human Rights Council. "There are many things that we support Cuba [on], but not to be a member of the human rights commission," Mr. Ingraham said. "Cuba’s human rights record does not lend itself to membership on a human rights commission and one of those tenets for a human rights commission would be countries that allow their citizens to leave the country when they choose to and return when they choose. Cuba does not do that."

[...] "The most critical (and important) relationship the Bahamas has with a country outside its borders is the one with the United States of America. We want to maintain the relationship with Cuba, Haiti and other countries in the Caribbean and the world, but we’re not going to put at risk our relationship to cosy up with and be friends with Cuba."

For more Castro's "Human Rights" record read articles at Liberty for Cuba, in particular Torture in Castro's Cuba.