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INSIGHT: Opening the door to a better life

My father died when I was very young leaving my mother to raise four young children all on her own. By the age of 11, just like my older siblings, I too had to find work to make ends meet. I packed groceries at a nearby Winn Dixie after school and on weekends. This was a tough time for the family without my dad, but we did our best.

INSIGHT: We’re being taken for fools but our patience is going to run out

THE Bahamas is not a real place. Perhaps that mantra is never more fitting than when a country that pays exorbitant fees for mysteriously concocted electricity bills has so often been in smouldering darkness.

WORLD VIEW – The new burden of diplomacy: the enemy within

THE mess resulting from reports that the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch made about President Donald Trump and his administration underscore the dangers of leaking confidential government documents.

INSIGHT: Lessons are being learned from aviation tragedies

The past year and a half has certainly been active with aircraft accidents impacting the sovereign waters of The Bahamas. One week ago, the most recent of such aircraft accidents in Bahamian waters involved an AugustaWestland AW139 helicopter which impacted waters off of Abaco island. Tragically, there were no survivors among the passengers, one of whom was billionaire Chris Cline.

POLICE ADVICE: Spot signs of abuse to protect children

Abusive behaviour comes in many forms, but the common denominator is the emotional effect on the child. Whether the abuse is a slap, a harsh comment, silence, or not knowing if there will be dinner on the table, the end result is a child that feels unsafe, uncared for and alone.

INSIGHT: Why vilify Symonette? The white oligarchs were replaced by black ones who have failed us

This past week potentially marked former Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration Brent Symonette’s last time in the Cabinet - and if we are brave enough to look ourselves in the mirror, it may be an instructive moment in our history.

WORLD VIEW – Making a difference: the example of António Guterres

IN HIS three and a half years as Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres has proved himself sensitive and alert to the difficulties confronting Caribbean states. He has been an example that Secretaries-General of other inter-governmental organisations would do well to emulate, particularly those interested in being elected for second terms.

INSIGHT: Everyone in search of a magic moment but they came up short

Hugh Hewitt was regaling a private New York audience late last week after the first two Democratic debates of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Hewitt, a 63-year-old pundit and Harvard graduate who is resolutely conservative, has emerged in recent years as an acceptable right-wing voice on left-leaning or centrist American media such as CNN, MSNBC and the Washington Post. Now he was trying to put into perspective the first night of Democratic debates.

POLICE ADVICE: We have to make time to be involved in our children’s lives

If we want to stop violence, we need to understand what causes it in the first place.

INSIGHT: Let’s give it a try – What a cancer survivor told a public forum on marijuana

“LET’S give it a try,” is what 66-year-old breast cancer survivor Gloria Gilbert told panelists at a public forum on marijuana last week.

INSIGHT: The Rastafarian community’s fight for religious freedom a tall order

WITH a wave of countries removing bans on marijuana, the subject of legalising or decriminalising the herb has been the subject of much discussion.

INSIGHT: The grey area of corporal punishment in schools may have made one administrator a sacrificial lamb

DURING the debate of the 2019-20 National Budget, in his contribution, Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd said Bahamians should decide what they want the government to do in relation to corporal punishment. Wisely placing the onus on the Bahamian people, the ball is essentially in our court. Now, where will we go from here?

WORLD VIEW – St Vincent on the UN Security Council: More valuable than coin

MAKE no mistake about it, the election of St Vincent and the Grenadines – one of the world’s smallest states – to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is both an important and timely event.

GAIN AN EDGE: A band of brothers - and sisters - achieve their common dream

FOCUS (Forward and Onward to College Upward to Success) is a college access programme of Lyford Cay Foundations, made possible by the generosity of donors. This year the very first cohort of students completes high school and moves forward to college. This is their story.

POLICE ADVICE: Simple rules to keep children safe this summer

SUMMER IS HERE and thousands of children are off school. Here are ways to keep your children safe this summer.

INSIGHT – Arrest, detention and deportation has not worked for 70 years. It’s time to stop the insanity and try something else

Haitians aren’t coming to take over. Those born in The Bahamas of Haitian parents, our Citizens in Waiting, are not either. They aren’t conspiring to steal our jobs, destroy our public services, or breed us out of existence. They do not want to make The Bahamas a colony of Haiti.

INSIGHT: A balanced budget doesn’t mean a lot when there’s no food on the table

WHILE the banging on the tables in Parliament in commendation of the deputy prime minister’s 2019-2020 Budget Communication could not completely drown out the sounds of backs breaking all around the populace, many were relieved that no further taxes will be levied on the Bahamian people.

WORLD VIEW: An enigmatic patriot who walked with kings but kept the common touch

EDWARD Seaga was a great Jamaican patriot well deserving of the many tributes which have been paid to him concerning his devoted service to his country. But, he was not a regionalist and his tenure as Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, contributed to the deceleration of the regional integration process.

GAIN AN EDGE: Now it’s time to give back

“I want to give back to my country,” said Jared Symonette, top Accounting graduate of the University of The Bahamas (UB) and Governor General awardee.

INSIGHT: We are not the enemy

The presentation by Rights Bahamas (RB) and Robert F Kennedy Human Rights to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Commission) in Jamaica on May 12 was unfortunately not reported in context by the local media except for The Tribune, the only organisation that bothered to send a journalist to this important international hearing and cover what actually happened.

INSIGHT: Why is corporal punishment still accepted in this country?

THE Bible has told us much about sparing “the rod of correction”. In turn, we have bastardised what refers to guidance and discipline to justify downright child abuse. While some of us, many of whom have turned out to be productive citizens, reflect fondly on the days of taking the walk to what felt like the gallows to pick the switch off the tree, it is time to have a serious discussion on why this is still culturally accepted in our country.

INSIGHT: Why are we so intent on being a latecomer to the legalisation and decriminalisation of marijuana?

WHILE the US and Canada are raking in billions in profits from the marijuana industry, the Bahamian government continues to drag its feet on the issue. Since the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana held a town meeting nearly a year and a half ago, there has been little to no movement on the matter.

BELIZE: The people have spoken, politicians should respect them

AS territorial claims go, Guatemala’s claim to all – every square inch – of Belize is, perhaps, the most outrageous.

GAIN AN EDGE: Achieving college dreams through summer learning

Thanks to StemForce Bahamas, a grant from Lyford Cay Foundations and support from other donors, Bahamian public-school students like Carmetta Barry have developed a passion for learning science while also carving a path to higher education.

POLICE ADVICE: To tackle crime we have to start by guiding our children

When a child is born, they are born into a world of sin. Despite their innocence, they immediately become prisoners of their environment and the many influences around them. For some kids, these influences can lead them to a life of progress and success; however, not all kids are blessed with this type of situation.