Freeport , Grand Bahama - If you are a “regular” at Festival Noel, having attending the event in years past, you know what to expect: a glittering setting with tasty wines, delicious foods, fabulous art and jewelry. It is always a time to look forward to. However, if you have never attended the annual event, which is the main fundraiser for the Grand Bahama branch of the Bahamas National Trust, then you are in for a treat. You will truly enjoy this unique evening experience.

Festival Noel, being held at the Rand Nature Centre, is primarily a wine tasting soiree. Bristol Wines and Spirits is the sponsor for this portion of the event. They will bring to the table many wines from all over the world. Upon entry into the event you will be given a card that details each wine and a map where you can find them, at stations placed around the Rand Nature Centre. You can make notes about the wines you’ve tried and know the pricing so you’ll be able to purchase them later from Bristol Wines and Spirits. This is a truly rare opportunity for you to try many wines and talk to the knowledgeable staff of Bristol Wines and Spirits about them. That way you’ll be better informed when you next go to purchase your wines for that special occasion. The variety of wines will range from the very pricey to the more affordable. So you can enjoy a taste of something really special that you may never be able to afford, but also become familiar with varieties of wine that are more in your price range.

New to Festival Noel this year, is John Bull, as a sponsor of this event. Established in 1929, John Bull has become a tradition of shopping excellence in The Bahamas. Starting out as an old English tobacco house in Nassau, John Bull now represents many of the world's most sought after brand name luxury goods. Product categories include watches, fine jewellery, leather goods, perfume, cosmetics, photographic equipment, writing instruments and cigars. John Bull boasts stores and boutiques throughout The Bahamas and has truly evolved to what most deem "the shopping mecca" of the Caribbean.

At Festival Noel, John Bull has arranged for some special items to be offered for a Silent Auction. This is an excellent opportunity for you to bid to purchase some top quality items, all in support of the Rand Nature Centre. Items to be included in the Silent Auction are, from Dooney and Burke, a gorgeous Hang Bag and Wallet. The Dooney and Burke line of handbags is extremely popular with the movie stars and you are sure to love the one they have brought for the auction. From Movado, elegant His and Hers watches.
Movado really communicates Italian style, elegance and design. Their recognizable style looks great on everyone!

The Kenneth Cole line is highlighted here with a Leather Document Case, a stunning Brief Case and Leather Portfolio. These fine items are designed for the business person who wants to showcase their style and professionalism! Other items include a Sterling Silver Key Ring by Dorfman, which would be a delightful Christmas gift for anyone on your list.

Additional items will be auctioned as well, including special gift items and packages from Animale, La Spa at La Belle, La Dolce Vita, the Pub at Port Lucaya, Bristol Wines and Spirits, Top Notch and a special piece from Eddie Minnis.

Art, of course, is being showcased as well, with the feature artist being Bahamian legend Eddie Minnis. He will be joined by his talented daughter and fellow artist Nicole Minnis-Ferguson. Many other local artists will all be displaying and selling their finest works at this premier event.

While you are sampling the fine wines and perusing the art and jewelry, you will be fortified by the very best samplings from many Grand Bahama restaurants. Featured for the gala event are returning champion Iries Restaurant. They are bringing with them Chine Beach, another well known restaurant from Our Lucaya. Added to this will be Old Bahama Bay, the always popular School of Hospitality, the Harbour Room, Joe Ret and new comer the Grouper Grill from Ocean Reef & Yacht Club. Each restaurant will be competing to be the coveted Chef Noel at Festival, so be sure to sample everything and vote for your favourite!

Festival Noel will be held on Friday, December 1st at the Rand Nature Centre. Tickets are now on sales for $50 at Bristol Wines & Spirits, the Rand Nature Centre and John Bull at Our Lucaya. The price of the tickets will go up to $60 at the door, so be sure to purchase yours early. Friday night events start at 7 pm and Saturday’s Arts and Craft Festival begins at 11 am. Don’t miss out on the premier holiday event that kicks off the Christmas season!

NASSAU, The Bahamas---The Bahamas Post Office will issue a set of six stamps to celebrate Christmas 2006 on Wednesday, November 28.

The stamps are 15 cents (Christmas Sunday); 25 cents (Christmas Dinner); 50 cents (Christmas Shopping); 65 cents (Boxing Day Junkanoo); 70 cents (Watch Night Service); and 80 cents (New Year’s Day Junkanoo).

Christmas Sunday - The most important event for Christians in The Bahamas during the Christmas Season is to attend a Christmas Sunday church service to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

Christmas Dinner - Most Bahamian families would prepare a special dinner at Christmas time, and the invitation list usually includes close family and special friends. The main meat for this feast is often baked turkey and or baked ham, which in many cases is a gift from a boss,relative, place of employment, friend or politician (buy those votes!).

Christmas Shopping - Although Christmas shopping has primarily moved to the modern shopping malls in the inner city of New Providence, it is still a tradition and thrill to go shopping on the world famous Bay Street.

Boxing Day Junkanoo - Junkanoo, which is celebrated every year on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, is a parade that takes place in all of the Bahama islands. The largest and most spectacular event is staged in the capital city, downtown Nassau, where thousands of fans sit, stand and dance to the music created by cow bells, horns, drums and whistles.

Based on selected themes, groups of individuals would exhibit superb artistic talents through colourful and creative costumes, which are constructed using, primarily, paper, glass trinkets and feathers.

Watch Night Service – After an, oftentimes, intense sermon during the final hours of New Year’s eve, and after confessions and New Year’s resolutions are made, parishioners prayerfully watch the clock as the “New Year rolls in”. The programme is slightly different from church to church and by denomination, but are all typically similar.

New Year’s Day Junkanoo – This parade is usually smaller than the Boxing Day parade, but with smaller costumes, participants are able to display more dance, theatre and music. This parade is the conclusion to the Christmas season and takes place on most Bahamian islands from 1:00a.m. to around 9:00a.m. on New Year’s morning.

From a Bahamas government press release:

NASSAU, The Bahamas --- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is predicting an infusion of some $18 billion in investments in the Bahamas, Minister of Financial Services and Investments the Hon. Vincent Peet said.

“But that figure is relatively conservative when compared to the Ministry of Finance’s calculation of approximately $24 billion,” he told participants at the 2006 annual Local Government Conference at the Wyndham Nassau Resort, Monday, November 27.

The seminar drew Local Government officials, Councillors and Administrators from throughout The Bahamas. They sought to devise strategies to meet the government’s obligations in establishing anchor projects in the Family Islands.

According to The Central Bank, the financial services sector’s contribution to the Gross National Product in 2005-2006 was 15-20 per cent, Mr. Peet said.

“In terms of Foreign Capital flows resulting from anchor projects and other major projects at various stages of implementation,” Mr. Peet said, “the figure totalled over $20 billion.
“Liquidity as measured by available loan able funding in the system is also at a fairly high level of approximately $200 million and interest rates are relatively low with the prime rate pegged at 5.5 per cent.”

The country has embarked on a “remarkable transformation to become both a global financial centre and an investor-friendly jurisdiction,” the Minister said.

Since May 2002, the Ministry of Financial Services and Investments has received 430 projects for consideration.

Of that, 48 of the approved are under construction and 192 are at various preparatory stages.
Approved projects include:
· Kerzner International Phase III, which will provide 1,700 permanent jobs for Bahamians in January 2007;
· The $1.3 billion Albany Resort is expected to create approximately 1,100 full-time permanent jobs upon completion in the fall of 2008;
· The $250 million International Marina in Chub Cay, Berry Islands which will provide 400 permanent jobs;
· The $1.8 billion I – Group of Boston project in Mayaguana, the first joint venture agreement project will provide employment for 100 Bahamians;
· The Ginn $4.9 billion project in West End, Grand Bahama will create 3,700 permanent jobs for Bahamians.
“These projects will not only provide significant employment opportunities for Bahamians, but they allow for the restructuring of communities, infrastructure development, the building of schools, new and expanded healthcare facilities, airport terminals, police, immigration and customs facilities, opportunities for entrepreneurship and on-going training for Bahamians,” Mr. Peet said.

It is the opinion of international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and Standards and Poor that the Bahamas has experienced a rebirth in its economic development, and this development has and is expected to be fuelled by foreign direct investments, the Minister said.

To further capitalise upon the lucrative opportunities provided by foreign direct investments, and to provide equal opportunities for Bahamians to enjoy a ‘slice of the economic pie,’ the government created the Domestic Investment Board (DIB), Mr. Peet said.

The DIB functions as a “One Stop Shop” for Bahamian investors to receive advice and information on how to plan a business, developing business plans and become knowledgeable about the business environment.

The DIB can also assist in accessing funding for projects through the Bahamas Development Bank, the Bahamas Government Loan Guarantee Programme and the Bahamas Entrepreneurial Venture Fund, the IDB and commercial banks, the Minister added.

“To date, the DIB has already received over 40 projects totalling $1 billion with requests for general business advice, business advice on marketing, funding, loan guarantees, foreign partnership opportunities, private/public sector partnership and acquisition of crown land,” Mr. Peet said.

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama…A major move towards bringing back “the glory days” to West End was revealed at a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport, where Tourism Minister and Member of Parliament for the area, the Hon. Obie Wilchcombe announced that the Ginn Corporation has agreed to be the corporate sponsor for this year’s West End Junkanoo Parade and competition.

The Tourism Minister made the announcement along with Ginn Corporation executives John Davies and John Gray, the Member of Parliament for Pineridge Ann Percentie-Russell, and the Chairman of the West End Junkanoo Committee, Jeff Albury.

“It is my privilege to announce formally,” Mr. Wilchcombe stated, “that plans are well underway for the staging of the first Junkanoo Festivals in West End after a hiatus of almost eight years.”
He said it was fundamental for us to recognize that a part of West End has been junkanoo. It started many years ago with men like Senator Austin Grant, now deceased, who thought it was an opportunity to celebrate the culture and the creative attributes of the Bahamian people that would bring excitement into Grand Bahama in general – West End in particular – during Boxing Day. And to turn that excitement to get more of our people involved in the creative celebration of junkanoo as they sought to return West End to be the focus of attention on Boxing Day in Grand Bahama. “In fact”, Mr. Wilchcombe stated, “they wanted West End to be recognized as the place where the true Christmas celebrations begin on Grand Bahama.

“And so,” he went on, “we are staging junkanoo again with the wonderful assistance of Ginn, who is coming in as a major corporate sponsor this year. We will certainly invite others to be a part of it -- but during the years to come.

“This year Ginn is demonstrating their corporate citizenship by agreeing to become intimately involved in the staging of what I believe will be perhaps the best junkanoo celebration we have held in West End ever”.

Mr. John Davies, speaking on behalf of Ginn thanked the Minister publicly for affording Ginn the opportunity, on behalf of the people of West End, Grand Bahama, to assist.

Mr. Davies said that for the record they were just very happy and very glad to be part of the rebirth of this traditional celebration in West End. The fact that Ginn was working in West End makes it even better and provides more corporate purpose for what the corporation was doing in West End.
“We sincerely hope,” he added, “that this first event will be the first of many and will grow and become very successful in the years to come. And, again, I would just like to thank Mr. Wilchcombe and all the members of the Junkanoo Committee from West End.”

Mr. Wilchcombe pointed out that the West End Committee had been working now for several weeks and they had done a tremendous amount of work in a short period of time; and they were putting into West End some features that don’t even exist on Bay Street in Nassau.

The Minister pointed out, “We are revolutionizing this junkanoo parade by introducing new concepts, and we certainly hope that those who will make it to West End will see some new things happening in junkanoo and a much modernized approach to how the parade is presented.”

Jeff Albury, Chairman of the West End Junkanoo Committee revealed that the parade is scheduled for 2:00 am December 26, Boxing Day, and among the groups scheduled to appear are the Superstar Rockers, The Swingers, The West End Conquerors, The Arawak Invaders and the Fun Time Gikos, a new group,” said Albury.

In 1965, Sean Connery starred as James Bond in the 4th movie of the series, Thunderball, a large part of which was shot in New Providence (home to Nassau). Turn to 2006, and the 21st installment in the Bond series, Casino Royale, which was also shot in the Bahamas. The following essay by David Gulbraa explains why people love James Bond--as for why we and Bond love the Bahamas, take a look at the rest of the site. Enjoy.

***

With Casino Royale opening on November 17, the James Bond movie franchise now encompasses 21 films and 44 years. Considering how much the world has changed since Dr. No in 1962, what explains the longevity and continuing interest?

Obviously, a journalistic answer will not do. Bond’s appeal stretches across two generations and 6 different actors. The easy answer is that Bond is a hero. This is true enough. But what kind of hero?

James Bond is a work of art, which means that in essence, he is a concept brought down to the perceptual level. What concept do we see in James Bond?

Let’s catalog some of Bond’s characteristics and see if we can find a common denominator.
Bond is a good guy, fighting on the side of freedom and Western values. He is competent, professional, and knowledgeable. He manages to look good under difficult circumstances. For example, one of my favorite small touches that communicates the essence of Bond’s character is from The World is Not Enough, when a fastidious Bond straightens his tie after being briefly submerged while racing a power boat along the Thames river.

Bond is willing and able to do whatever it takes. He can fight, shoot, drink, make love, drive fast cars, ride motorcycles, fly airplanes, helicopters, and even the space shuttle. He can defuse missiles and bombs of all varieties, including nuclear. Throw him out of an airplane without a parachute, he doesn’t panic, but calmly surveys his options and then proceeds to survive, as he did at the beginning of Moonraker, by forming his body into an arrow and flying himself into the parachute-wearing villain, wrestling the parachute away, then strapping it on himself and deploying it in time to drift gently and safely down to earth.

Then there is the mountain climbing sequence in For Your Eyes Only, which had Bond literally hanging by a thread in mid air, forced to save his life and win the mountain by using his shoe laces to hoist himself up the side of a cliff.

Start cataloging all of Bond’s incredible escapes, last minute rescues, spectacular fist fights, martial arts showdowns, car chases, bomb defusings, snow and water-ski runs, scuba diving adventures, skydiving mishaps, and just plain garden-variety “tough spots” the villains put him in, and it adds up to quite a tally of one special quality, something that appeals across time, across generations, across the sexes, across political and religious lines. So what is it?

Art is an actual need of human consciousness because of its ability to bring our highest abstractions down to physical reality. The values to be found in art are metaphysical values, by which I mean, values that pertain to every aspect of existence, to every man and woman in every age, in every country. So what metaphysical value do we see in James Bond?
Ask yourself this: is there some one quality that every human being drawing breath needs to live a normal human life?

Yes. What we need can be termed “metaphysical competence.” Or put simply, the ability to live successfully.

Are we capable of living? Can we deal with what reality throws in our way? Can we overcome the obstacles that lie between us and the values we want to achieve?

In the character of James Bond, we experience the answer as “Damn right we can—and how!” James Bond is a stylized vision of what metaphysical competence means in reality.

What gives human beings the ability to live successfully? Our rational faculty. Our ability to understand how reality works allows us to control reality in ways not possible to other living organisms, such as plants and animals. James Bond doesn’t use magic or faith or supernatural powers to get out of his jams. He is always focused on the facts, always applying the power of reason.

True, none of us will ever have to turn off an atom bomb in under ten seconds, or fall out of an airplane without a parachute, or have to ski backwards down a mountain on one ski while engaging in a machine gun battle with ruthless villains. But contemplating a hero like James Bond gives us the example, inspiration and confidence to exercise our own metaphysical competence in normal daily life. Can we survive graduate school and get our degree? Yes. Can we undertake a challenging career and succeed? Yes. Can we win the heart of the person we love? Yes. Can we raise a child to be a rational, self-confident, independent person? Yes.
And some of us even drive fast cars, fly airplanes, climb mountains, ski, scuba dive––and stay calm when muggers wave guns in our faces.

We’ve all got a little James Bond in us.

As of January 8, 2007, the U.S. government requires that all adults and children (even newborns) to have a valid passport for all international travel by air.

This regulation also applies to travel to the Bahamas. For information on how to get or renew a passport please visit http://travel.state.gov/

It can take up to 6 weeks or longer to get a passport so now is the time to do it.

I have seen the news item on the front page of the Freeport News regarding Fred Smith’s resignation as outside counsel for the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and associated companies.

The REAL REASON for Mr. Smith’s resignation is that he has a very severe conflict of interest.
For over 20 years Mr. Smith has been outside counsel for the GBPA with unlimited access to our private information and private files.

For sometime Mr. Smith has been counsel to the trustees of the late Edward St. George Estate and I have repeatedly warned Mr. Smith, both in person and in writing, that he cannot represent the GBPA and the Estate as both entities are in conflict.

Mr. Smith has chosen to stay with the estate for whatever reasons I can only speculate.
As regards Mr. Smith’s comments about Mr. Babak, he seems to have conveniently forgotten that two of the Estate’s trustees (Lady Henrietta St. George and her brother James Euston) were responsible for appointing Mr. Babak as chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority and, in fact, James Euston was the main architect in drawing up Mr. Babak’s contract. In addition, James Euston and myself (with Lady Henrietta’s full approval) were the main players in making the changes in the management of the GBPA.

On the matter of my claiming 75% of the ownership of the holding company of the GBPA and in consequence 75% ownership of the GBPA, Mr. Smith has been shown the evidence and the documentation supporting my claim.

Either he doesn’t understand it or does not want to.

We shall be appointing a new outside counsel for the GBPA and associated companies.

Sir Jack A. Hayward