TOUGH CALL: The battle against obesity
THERE is a move afoot to make welfare in the Bahamas conditional on taking steps to reduce obesity, eat better, get regular health checkups, and improve education results. You may not think that is terribly important in the overall scheme of things, but you would be dead wrong.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: National anxiety over VAT
TODAY, as national anxieties are being expressed about Value Added Tax (VAT) and our country faces uncertain times, I’ve decided to take a cursory glance at this hot button topic with a view to expanding the discussion from various angles, from the local and international perspectives to more technical and scientific points of view, in a series of columns in the next week and thereafter.
TOUGH CALL: Confusion and anger in VAT debate
THE problem with the government’s inept handling of the value-added tax initiative is that no-one really wants to advocate higher taxes – even if you are a partisan warrior.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: A healthcare system in need
BAHAMIANS have generally felt that the powers that be do not truly have a healthcare agenda and, frankly, do not care about the public healthcare system.
TOUGH CALL: Sketches under the sun
THE following is an excerpt from Bahamas Sketchbook, Islands in the Sun, a new hardcover picture book by acclaimed watercolour artist Graham Byfield which launches next month.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: Can Christie control his caucus?
THIS week, Prime Minister Perry Christie appears to be having a crisis of confidence as several of his backbenchers—and even a Cabinet minister—have panned the proposed Gaming Bill and publicly (and some privately) have stated their categorical intent to vote down such an idiotic, blatantly discriminatory Bill if it’s ever moved to a Parliamentary vote. Mr Christie appears to have lost control of his Parliamentary Caucus.
TOUGH CALL: Opening our eyes to how dolphins are treated
FOR most people of a certain age, our image of the cheerful, helpful and super intelligent bottlenose dolphin was formed by the iconic 1960s Flipper television series – a marine version of Lassie.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: The problem with contractors
THERE appears to be a proliferation of Bahamian contractors who are downright shysters, daily engaging in deceptive business practices.
TOUGH CALL: Revealed - the impact of Bimini Bay on environment
LAST Thursday, I received an unexpected call from Philip Weech, head of the Bahamas Environment Science & Technology Commission. He notified me (and presumably others) that the long-sought environmental impact assessment for the planned Bimini Bay cruise ferry terminal had finally been published on the commission’s website.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: Future up in the air
IN order for true national development to be attained, the government—if only for a period—must pass essential air services legislation and/or implement regulations that would foster a greater interconnectivity of our archipelago.
TOUGH CALL: The Bimini conundrum
ALICE TOWN, North Bimini – Sipping anejo on ice in the outdoor bar of the Big Game Club here you can watch triple-decker tenders ferry hundreds of passengers from the big red cruise ship anchored offshore to the brand new casino and beach club at Bimini Bay just up the harbour.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: The need for prison reform
THIS week’s Parliamentary debate and moving of the Correctional Services Bill was not only long overdue, but with a dose of political will (which has unfortunately been lacking), could potentially lead to much needed reforms of the prison system and result in infrastructural upgrades. That is, if the Government is really serious about prison reform.
YOUR SAY: A new Bahamas
I BELIEVE in open, honest government, where we hold our leaders accountable. I believe in putting the national interests over the special interests. I believe in putting principle above politics. I believe in putting people over profit. The bottom line: I believe we can do better. I believe we must do better. And if the system is broken... fix it.”
TOUGH CALL: The Americas that might have been
Counterfactual history is an attempt to answer hypothetical questions by considering what would have happened if certain key historical events had not occurred.
YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: The true cost of referendum
MINISTER of National Security Bernard Nottage’s about-face on the cost of January’s national referendum is likely to further contribute to public distrust.
