EDITORIAL: A Royal occasion to lift the spirits
It is well known in Britain that the prospect of a royal wedding invariably raises the spirits of the nation.
DIANE PHILLIPS: Picture this - life with a different perspective
Photographers must be about the luckiest people in the world. When they don’t like the view they see, they can change a lens. 50mm to wide angle, 100mm to panoramic, 400mm to capture the hair on a hare. The price they pay is lugging all that special equipment around, tripod, camera bag, backdrop, cords and cables. But what a deal – a tiny bit of heavy lifting for the ability to create the view you want when it was not there the first time you looked at it, like magic in a leather bag.
CULTURE CLASH: Time we talked to a wider audience
As the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence continues, most people working in the fields of gender and violence prevention are attending events ranging from special assemblies at high schools to conferences. At these events, we see and engage, for the most part, the same people. We sit through presentations on the same material, listen to the same comments and have the same sidebars with the people we talk to every time we meet in these spaces.
EDITORIAL: Too Scared to Face the Truth
HUMAN beings are amazing creatures of self-preservation. We have the innate ability to stare the truth right in the face and pretend it isn’t true. Or that it doesn’t matter. Or that it won’t happen the way they say it will or if it threatens us, someone will fix it just in time. We are just clever enough to deceive ourselves and believe our deceit.
INSIGHT: The presumption of innocence
Former Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell’s (PLP) November 2014 immigration policy explicitly targets people who are already here legally; not people who have violated the Immigration Act. The focus was on people being “documented”, “regularised” and having “papers”; not on whether they broke any laws. Having just come to office, Brent Symonette (FNM) seems intent on blithely continuing this heresy.
INSIGHT: Progress means working together and waking up to our cultural xenophobia
THE controversial Commercial Enterprises Bill (CEB) has been met with broad criticism across the length and breadth of the nation. It has been vehemently opposed by many citizens. That said, there are also still some who view this bill as a progressive step towards ushering in a much-needed stimulus of our economy.
WORLD VIEW: Climate Change - the fight is today, not tomorrow
THE effects of Climate Change, particularly sea-level rise, is an overwhelming problem for the Caribbean that needs urgent attention. Delay in putting in place sustainable plans for resilient building, that could secure international financial support, will cost the region dearly.
EDITORIAL: ‘Brave’ Davis follows in Adderley’s footsteps
“THE PLP is fundamentally opposed to the Commercial Enterprises Bill. It did not support it in the House. It will not support it in the Senate. It will take its case on the road to the Bahamian people. When we come to office, we will repeal it and those who accept its benefits ought to think carefully before accepting the benefits of this legislation,” said Philip “Brave” Davis, leader of a four-member PLP Opposition in the House of Assembly last month.
A COMIC'S VIEW: East is East
In 2014 Dr. Minnis stated - “As long as I am leader of this country, the FNM would not support any pay increase with all the pain and suffering that is going on in this country.”
EDITORIAL: BREXIT TALKS REACH IMPORTANT STAGE
THE likely wide-ranging repercussions of Britain’s departure from the European Union make Brexit an issue of continuing concern not only in Europe itself but in many other parts of the world as well.
DIANE PHILLIPS: The records we hold, the ones we love, the ones that shame us
The Bahamas holds an amazing array of records. From athletes who have run faster and jumped higher to world-shattering numbers of shark species in our 100,000 square miles of waters, The Bahamas shines. We exceed in sailing, singing and culinary arts. Our hotels are among the most famous on the globe, our fantasy islands among the most sought after, our beaches among the most dreamed of, some of our residents among the most noted or notorious.
CULTURE CLASH: Violence cannot be tolerated - in whatever form it comes
Gender-based violence is a pervasive issue that often goes unrecognised and unchecked. We all know it exists, but our understanding of it can be quite limited in scope and type.
EDITORIAL: Pressing need for economic reform
IN these columns last week, we supported the government’s policy to reform and open up the economy and move towards membership of the World Trade Organization. Today, following the passage through the House of Assembly of the Commercial Enterprises Bill, we address the issue of competition and diversification, together with the ease of doing business, as the keys to achieving economic growth.
EDITORIAL: Bahamianisation PLP style will be gone
IT SEEMS that “Big Bad Brad” is still with us. On November 26, he sent a press release for publication, which declared that the FNM’s proposed immigration clauses in the Bahamas Commercial Enterprise Bill was the “death of Bahamianisation”. It is true that the proposed Bill needs more consideration. However, it is not the death of Bahamianisation, but rather the death of victimisation, PLP style.
INSIGHT: Minnis failing to deliver on Grand Lucayan
IN what has been a lacklustre first six and a half months of leading the nation, Prime Minister Minnis found himself in the midst of another self-inflicted shooting gallery last week. After being recognised as the Person of the Year by the Bahamas Press Club, the prime minister sought to give the press a lesson in journalism and point out a multitude of deficiencies. Whether he was right in his analysis or not is a matter of debate. However, the ill-advised speech may have taught the prime minister a valuable lesson – “don’t throw stones from a glass house”.
