Grand Bahama – Thanks to two very generous corporate sponsors the residents at the Grand Bahama Children’s Home received an extra Easter gift this holiday. Last week the children at the home were treated to an Easter egg hunt courtesy of the staff at Old Bahama Bay by Ginn sur Mer with transportation to West End provided by Forbes Travel Agency.

“We are very grateful for the experience. The drive out to Old Bahama Bay gave the children an opportunity to see some of the new development going on in the West End district,” said Mrs. Patrice Mack, Home Administrator. “The kids also enjoyed all the treats that were prepared and the staff was ready and eager to receive us.”

Anneka Ferguson, Assistant Director, Guest Activities, Old Bahama Bay by Ginn sur Mer, was instrumental in organizing the event along with the staff from the home. “We are always pleased to help the community but helping these kids is even more special,” she added. “Today was truly delightful for the kids and us!” Ferguson coordinated the Easter egg hunt along with Sarah Kirkby of the GBCH Committee and Caron Smith, Assistant Administrator of the home.

Once on property the kids were treated to an Easter Egg Hunt which all of the children ages 2 – 12 were able to participate in. The Administrators and staff chaperones happily assisted the younger children search for the hidden Easter eggs and joined in the fun. When the hunt was complete, the children had their faces painted, enjoyed ice-cold lemonade and had their fill of delicious home-made cookies, compliments of Old Bahama Bay. The afternoon ended with a surprise visit by the Easter Bunny who delighted the children with candies and playful antics and entertainment, he also posed for photos with the children.

“The Children’s home was in need of a location to hold their annual Easter egg hunt,” commented Mr. Van Bergen, Vice President & General Manager, Ginn sur Mer, “Old Bahama Bay was more than happy to invite the children to the West End to enjoy their Easter traditions and see our beautiful resort. It’s a gorgeous location with plenty of beautiful lawns, gardens, and beaches – perfect for an Easter egg hunt today. And we are so pleased to be a part of this special day for the children.”

The Home, Committee and children wanted to extend their special thanks to Old Bahama Bay and Forbes Travel Agency, “it was a great trip and a unique opportunity for us – not everyone get’s to Easter egg hunt at a five star location,” noted Caron Smith “We have had such a great day and the kids are so happy!”

BIMINI, Bahamas – The month of April may be known to fool many, but Bimini Bay Resort is serious about this offer. Those looking for a last-minute April Bahamas getaway may take advantage of 40 percent in savings for travel valid through May 7th, 2008.

Bimini Bay Resort is offering an exclusive special at $245 per room per night, representing 40 percent off for a last-minute April getaway. Travelers have the choice of either a two-bedroom luxury suite (sleeps six) or a one-bedroom, two-story treehouse (sleeps four), including full kitchens and stunning water views. This offer also includes breakfast daily at the resort’s signature restaurant Casa Lyon overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Situated just 48 miles off the coast of South Florida, this Bahamian getaway is just a short jaunt overseas and can be reached in 15 minutes by air from Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

Bimini Bay Resort offers an array of first-class amenities for its guests including an infinity-edge pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, two restaurants, massage services, two full-service marinas, business center, fitness center and a trolley system to assist guests in getting around the resort. A retreat to Bimini is not only convenient but also unforgettable with unrivaled fishing, beautiful white sandy beaches and some of the best diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean. Other activities may include a visit to historical sites and the local market for a taste of the traditions of Bimini.

Gulfstream Air, operated by Continental Airlines, offers convenient daily service from Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Bimini Island Air (BIA) offers daily flights from Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport and adds more flights based on demand. To book this package, call the resort at (242) 347-2900 or visit www.biminibayresort.com; booking code is April Special.

BIMINI -- The island of Bimini is a haven for rejuvenation and relaxation and Bimini Bay Resort and Marina is enhancing the experience with the summer opening of Spa Chakra®, operated by globally renowned luxury spa operator Spa Chakra, Inc. Exclusively offering Guerlain products and practicing the well-known Guerlain Méthode, Spa Chakra Bimini will be the first location to debut in the Caribbean; currently Spa Chakra, Inc. operates several luxury spa brands, including locations at The Waldorf=Astoria New York and Conrad Miami, among others.

The decision to expand Spa Chakra—the worldwide network’s signature brand—to the Caribbean market was a venture that CEO of Spa Chakra, Inc., Mike Canizales has been looking forward to. As part of Bimini Bay Resort’s multi-million-dollar retail marketplace investment, Spa Chakra will occupy an intimate space of 3,020 square feet within Fisherman’s Village, the resort’s new marketplace with upscale retail and dining outlets. "Spa Chakra Bimini extends our tradition of operating in the world's great cities and sublime resorts,” states Canizales. “We look forward to providing transformational health programs, spa treatments, and packages at this idyllic location.”

Spa Chakra’s design inspiration is derived from a combination of European and Indochinese influences. The cozy two-story oasis will feature six treatment rooms that include hydrotherapy and Vichy shower facilities, all adorned with mosaic and imported tiles and walnut wooden flooring plus a full-service salon providing luxury spa manicures and pedicures. Self-contained waterfalls and indirect lighting will provide a soothing environment and all treatments incorporate the exclusive skincare, beauty, and fragrance collections of Guerlain Paris.
While clients enjoy the amenities of the spa, they will undergo personalized, integrative well-being transformations that focus on delivering targeted results with the combination of more than 60 health and skin therapies. Clients can take advantage of the following special services and techniques offered by Spa Chakra Bimini:

• Upon arrival, each client makes his or her Guerlain aromatherapy selection to infuse the therapeutic experience

• Clients may take advantage of "In-Room Checkout" so that they need not return to reception to close their accounts

• Complimentary post-treatment makeup refreshers follow all treatments

• Thanks to an expansive global network, all guests can enjoy a therapeutic continuum, enabling transfers of their client history to any location

• Most treatment rooms are equipped with private bathrooms ensuite to conduct post-treatment refreshers, instead of a communal locker room environment.

• Spa Chakra does not use electronic equipment-—the entire approach is delivered via the exclusive Méthode and products

Along with its dedicated location, Spa Chakra will offer poolside, beachside and in-room massages for guests of Bimini Bay Resort. Travelers can look forward to visiting Bimini to experience ultimate relaxation while lodging in the resort’s upscale suites, providing all the comforts of home and 360-degree views of emerald clear Bimini waters. Rates begin at $250/night for a one-bedroom luxury suite. For more information and to book your Bimini spa getaway, visit www.biminibayresort.com or call (242) 347-2900.

The photographs for Saint Patrick's Day 2008 at Shenanigan's Irish Pub are now online.

BIMINI, Bahamas – March 25, 2008 – Bimini Bay Resort located on North Bimini, famous for being the gateway to the Bahamas, announces its brand new Mega Yacht Marina accommodating up to 200-ft. yachts and the addition of luxury suites and villas. From deep sea to bone fishing, Bimini has been producing record catches in big game tournaments and deep-sea charter adventures for decades, going back to the days that Ernest Hemingway made his home on the island. Because of our close proximity to South Florida, the resort continues to be a highly desirable destination, only an hour-and-a-half by boat.

Guests of Bimini Bay Resort may take advantage of two full-service marinas as well as shopping and dining at the resort’s retail marketplace Fisherman’s Village, opening summer 2008. The original marina features 136 floating boat slips and onsite Customs & Immigrations, making entry to the Bahamas seamless. Fisherman’s Village, adjacent to the marina, will provide a variety of retail options including John Bull Jewelers, Bristol Cellars, Amicci’s Pizzeria & gelateria, Splash resort apparel, the first Spa Chakra to debut in the Caribbean, and more.

To accommodate larger yachts, the Bahamian government recently completed an environmentally-friendly dredging of the Bimini Bay harbor resulting in a new channel that provides easy access for larger vessels. Bimini Bay Resort’s brand new Mega Yacht Marina features 92 slips accommodating vessels from 40 ft.-200 ft. Coming online in summer 2008 will be a Asian restaurant and Sushi bar and an oversized swimming pool with swim-up bar. Future plans call for wireless internet access, captains’ lounge, navigation center/chart room, access to marine supply and tackle, and golf cart access.

For those looking to unwind in style, Bimini Bay Resort offers 200 Caribbean-inspired suites painted in tropical hues of green, blue, peach, yellow, pink and turquoise. Suites range from one-three bedrooms with ocean or marina bay views and interiors feature contemporary beachy-chic décor accented with a unique variety of shell and coral accents and accessories. Resort amenities include an infinity-edge pool, poolside restaurant & bar, poolside and beachside massages, children’s playground, tennis and bocce ball courts and oceanside dining at the resort’s signature restaurant Casa Lyon. For reservation inquiries regarding Bimini Bay Resort, please visit www.biminibayresort.com. Rates begin at $250/night.

Lanelle Phillips is no stranger to the real estate business; her realty career began under the guidance of well-known real estate guru Harry Dann and continued with the H.G. Christie Real Estate company before she officially opened her own agency, Lanelle Phillips Real Estate, Tuesday evening.

Born and raised on Grand Bahama, Phillips left the island with her father and attended junior high school in Colorado and later attended a Vermont high school. She attended college at FAU in Boca Raton as well as Framingham State outside of Boston, where she started her career in sales at the youthful age of 19. She later moved to Chicago where she began a successful sales career on Nordstrom’s well-known shoe floor and quickly moved up into management under the associate buyers programme. Eventually, the call of her island home was stronger than that of her retail career and she returned to Grand Bahama in 1998.

Returning home and working with long time realtor, Harry Dann, gave her the guidance and knowledge she needed to begin her career in the Real Estate market. "Joining Harry Dann and Co. was a huge honor where his catch phrase ‘Dann’s the name, Land is the Game’ said it all. He was a man who could close a deal and that knowledge I have taken with me throughout my career. He fell ill soon after my return to home, and during this time I became actively involved in the management of the firm, but it was a bitter sweet time, as Harry lost his fight with cancer and I lost a mentor and a father figure.”

After transitioning the Harry Dann firm to his family, Phillips then successfully launched the well-respected H.G. Christie Real Estate franchise in Grand Bahama and ran their offices for seven years as District Manager and eventually was promoted to Regional Manager. During her time with Christie’s she and her agents were regarded as the leaders in the real estate market on the island. “It was exciting to grow a business from the ground up and see the successes of that work over the years. The company today still operates with a talented base of sales agents," she says.

Phillips’ decision to go out on her own is like that of any entrepreneur; she wanted to start her own company and return to a smaller and more personal service where her presence could be more beneficial to clients. “I want to get back to a more one-on-one intensive service. I was doing a lot of corporate work and missed my sales interaction. My agency will concentrate on working with our clients on a more personal level,” she said.

"I am thrilled about having the time to spend selling again and reconnecting with my clients that have remained loyal to me for almost 9 years - the network of people I have met over the years is the key to my success and it is so fulfilling receiving phone calls on a daily basis from them congratulating me on my own company and asking me to work with them. I owe so much of my success to my clients!"

Phillips is part of a growing trend, where female brokers and agents are becoming the leaders of their businesses. In fact, in the US, women run many of the leading companies who dominate the market. “Many are making their mark as pioneers of real estate business. They all have one thing in common that makes them shine - the power of knowledge gained through hands on experience,” according to sellsiusrealestate.com. The article went on to state that women agents tend to be very respected by their peers and cherished by their clients and customers.

Phillips officially opened her offices last year in the new Executive Office Centre, West Mall and Adventures Way, with a welcome party for her clients, friends and staff. Her two suites of offices are very island contemporary and have a welcoming feel to them, “I am sure any interested buyer or seller will enjoy coming to this island chic environment. I know Lanelle is up for this challenge and will be a great asset to our business community,” stated guest Sir Albert Miller.

Phillips is currently fine tuning her new interactive website and working along with her staff to create a database for her large catalog of homes and properties they have already begun to work with. “I am thrilled to now have an established office of my own in Grand Bahama,” Phillips said. “We have so many unique plans in the works that combine aggressive technology with good old fashioned customer service.”

“We have spent months working with US organizations and real estate associations gaining knowledge that we have brought back here to the Bahamas with hopes of creating a new benchmark for real estate on Grand Bahama. We are committed to continuing the education of all our agents, consultants and apprentices. We definitely have some surprises for Grand Bahama,” she concluded.

This year’s 13th Annual Festival Noel was a night that one should not have missed for many reasons. The main reason would definitely have to be the huge variety of delicious food that was prepared and served by all the participating restaurants. Grand Bahama’s top restaurants were out in full force and ready to delight the hundreds of attendees with special dishes that they prepared as they all competed for the title of Chef Noel 2007.

Restaurants competing this year were the Harbour Room, The Ferry House, The Grouper Grill, China Beach, Sabor, and Joe Ret Catering. The competition was fierce, but in the end it was new restaurant and first time competitor Sabor, located at the Pelican Bay hotel, that took the title.
Under the direction of Chef Worly Volundarson, this team of chefs won over the attendees with zest and pizzazz and let’s face it, their stomachs too. Wowing the crowd with their cooking and dancing skills, attendees lined up wanting more and more of what Sabor had to offer. “I think it’s great and absolutely wonderful that we won” says Chef Worly of Sabor, “my team and I are all so very pleased with the way things turned out”. When asked what it was that he thought tipped the scales in their favor, Chef Worly stated, “It was the fact that we prepared everything from scratch while were out there. We brought everything and prepped right there basically we had the entire kitchen set up right on site. Everything was really fresh!”

Karin Sanchez, Chairman for the Grand Bahama Regional Branch of The Bahamas National Trust was absolutely thrilled about the way everything turned out and commented that “I was just so amazed with the presentation of Chef Worly and his team, not only when it came to the food but their set up was simply fantastic”. She went on to add, “all the restaurants this year were tremendous. We had so many compliments on the variety and quantity of food this year. Our sincere thanks to each restaurant and their teams.”

The winner of this year’s competition receives a month long blitz of their restaurant on Cool 96 FM radio, a year’s worth of free advertisements in the Bahama Buy & Sell, five one hundred dollar gift certificates from Bristol Wines and Spirits, who were also the main sponsors of the event, and five embroidered chef uniforms with “Chef Noel Winners 2007” compliments of The Uniform Place.

With a new winner claiming the title of Chef Noel, there is a new target to beat during next year’s competition. But until then, Sabor reigns as the newly emerged Chef Noel winners for 2007 at the 13th Annual Festival Noel.

BIMINI, January 31, 2008 – As growth of employment slows in the Bahamas, Bimini Bay Resort and Marina has a different outlook that focuses on doubling its current staff this year and putting much effort into hospitality training; techniques will include schooling staff in culinary classes, customer service and self development courses among others, and seeking qualified professional individuals for positions in different specialty areas.

According to the Annual Labor Force and Household Survey, The unemployment rate in Grand Bahama increased from 8.3 percent to 8.8 percent in 2007; but in contrast, Bimini Bay Resort has a staff directory of nearly 200 Bahamians, most coming from Nassau and Freeport, and has plans to hire at least another 100 over the next year.

“I was looking for work for a long time before I found Bimini Bay Resort and I have never learned so much in my life,” states current wedding coordinator Nathalie Rutherford. It’s a tough economy out there right now but Bimini is seeing better days. We have a lot of tourists and I have a large workload. I couldn’t be happier with my current position.”

Averaging about 10 new hires a month, the resort plans to fill positions ranging from front desk managers to security officers, teaching them to hold successful and stable positions in the hospitality industry and allowing them to train with the finest. To date, Johnson & Wales University has been commissioned by the resort to hold a two-week training session in the beginning of 2008 with future courses to be implemented into a regular training curriculum for employees.

In regards to tourism, the Minister for Finance, Zhivargo Laing, states, “the growth rate for the Bahamian economy had indeed slowed in 2007 to 3.1 percent, down from 3.4 percent in 2006.” Laing continues, ”Arrivals to The Bahamas were reduced by 3.8 percent to 3.93 million in the first 10 months of the year in contrast to the 0.5 percent expansion in the previous year, as all of the major markets – New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands – registered declines.

Bimini Bay Resort and Marina has experienced just the opposite. Published tourism numbers in 2007 for the Out Islands indicate that air arrivals to the island of Bimini are up by 32 percent compared to air arrivals in Abaco, Andros, Cat Cay, Cat Island and Exuma – all which are down when compared to 2006 numbers, reported from the Bahamas Hotel Association. And, more local Biminites are opening stores on the island as the economy continues to boom.

What should we remember on Martin Luther King Day? In his "I Have a Dream" speech Dr. King said: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

This statement means that in judging other men, skin color should be ignored--that it should not be a factor in evaluating their competence or moral stature. It follows that skin color should not be a factor in taking actions toward other people, e.g., hiring and admitting to universities.

What has happened in the years following King's murder is the opposite of the "I Have a Dream" quote above. Colorblindness now has been replaced with color preference in the form of affirmative action.

No amount of rationalizing can disguise the fact that affirmative action involves implicit or explicit racial quotas, i.e., racism.

Consider the realm of work as a case in point. Taking jobs away from one group in order to compensate a second group to correct injustices caused by a third group who mistreated a fourth group at an earlier point in history (e.g., 1860) is absurd on the face of it and does not promote justice; rather, it does the opposite. It promotes racism. You cannot cure racism with more racism. Singling out one group for special favors (through affirmative action) ignores the fact that people are individuals--not interchangeable ciphers in an amorphous collective.

Consider a more concrete, though fictional, example. Suppose that since its creation in 1936, the XYZ Corporation refused to hire redheaded men due to a quirky bias on the part of its founder. The founder now dies, and an enlightened board of directors decides that something "positive" needs to be done to compensate for past injustices and announces that, henceforth, redheads will be hired on a preferential basis. Observe that: (1) this does not help the real victims--the previously excluded redheads; (2) the newly favored redheads have not been victims of discrimination in hiring, yet unfairly benefit from it; and (3) the non-redheads who are now excluded from jobs due to the redhead preference did not cause the previous discrimination and are now unfairly made victims of it. The proper solution, of course, is simply to stop discriminating based on irrelevant factors. Although redheaded bias is not a social problem, the principle remains the same when you replace hair color with skin color.

The traditional solution to the problem of racism is colorblindness, or, from the other side of that coin, individual awareness. For example, in the job sphere there are only three essential things an employer needs to know about an individual applicant: (l) Does the person have the relevant ability and knowledge (or the capacity to learn readily)? (2) Is the person willing to exert the needed effort? and (3) Does the person have good character, e.g., honesty, integrity?

The rational alternative to racial diversity, focusing on the collective, is to focus on the individual and to treat each individual according to his own merits. This principle should apply in every sphere of life--from business, to education, to law enforcement, to politics. Americans have always abhorred the concept of royalty, that is, granting status and privilege (and, conversely, inferiority and debasement) based on one's hereditary caste, because it contradicts the principle that what counts are the self-made characteristics possessed by each individual. Americans should abhor racism, in any form, for the same reason.

On Martin Luther King Day--and every day--we should focus on the proper antidote to racism and the proper alternative to racial thinking: individualism. We need to teach our children and all our citizens to look beyond the superficialities of skin color and to judge people on what really matters, namely, "the content of their character." -- Edwin Locke

Edwin A. Locke is a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute. He is author of The Prime Movers. Copyright (c) 2005 Ayn Rand(r) Institute. All rights reserved.