EXPERIENCE MOON TOWN
Monday, August 17th, 2009COME LIVE THE EXPERIENCE IN MOON TOWN
Archive for August 17th, 2009
LUNCH AT MOON TOWN, ST. LUCY, BARBADOS
Monday, August 17th, 2009CHECK MOON TOWN FIRST FOR YOUR TASTY LUNCH PREPARED BY EXPERT CHEFS IN THE ISLAND. MOON TOWN CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK TO CUSTOMERS. WITH EACH LUNCH, YOU GET ONE FREE SMALTA, ONE FREE CUP OF TEA OR ONE FREE BANKS BEER. SENSIBLE SHOPPERS SHOP WITH US.. TRY US.
MONDAY’S SPECIAL
Monday, August 17th, 2009GREEN SPLIT PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE
BREAD FRUIT COU COU; FRIED SNAPPER
GRILLED BARRACUDA; BAKED PORK
BBQ CHICKEN; FRIED POT FISH
STEW PLANTAIN; BEEF STEW
FISH GRAVY; STEAMED VEGS
TOSSED SALAD
Bird says Venezuela funds increased national debt
Monday, August 17th, 2009Opposition Leader Lester Bird said government has increased Antigua and Barbuda’s national debt with the US$50 million which it has borrowed from Venezuela.
“Remarkably, Spencer told this nation last Thursday that his government has received US$50 million from the government of Venezuela, but despite this, he will not remove the astronomical price increase on LPG,” Bird said in his weekly address to the nation.
Bird said neither Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer nor Minister of Finance Harold Lovell told the nation about the terms and conditions of the loan in making the announcement.
Bird further stated that if the money has been sent and the United Progressive Party (UPP) government has not negotiated the terms in advance, then the terms that apply must be the terms imposed by the lender.
Bird is questioning what exactly does the Venezuelan government require and what is it that Antigua and Barbuda must give in return for the loan.
“As it stands, the money will not last very long. The fundamental changes that are required still have not been addressed and instead Antigua and Babuda has been burdened with even more debt,” Bird stated.
The opposition leader described the loan as “merely a plaster to cover a sore.”
According to him, the UPP has raised billions of dollars in taxes, millions more than the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) but “yet, they give the people of this country nothing for their money.”
He added that Spencer never apologised to the nation for the increases in the prices of gasoline, diesel and LPG. “Instead, in his usual authoritarian style, he had the gall to tell the people that they should not proceed with what he called “the naïve expectation” that it can be business as usual,” Bird added.
“The country is now forced to pay an astronomical sum for gasoline, diesel and LPG that the UPP suddenly and surreptitiously slammed on it. Yet, the UPP said more sacrifices will have to be made, no enough is enough.”
Bird believes that it is time to redeem the country from the “disaster of the UPP” and put it back on to the path of progress and prosperity.
This he said can be done if the people demand that the UPP reverse the price increase on LPG.
Bird said the ALP would march, demonstrate and do everything within its legal and constitutional rights “to end the abuse and mismanagement of the UPP.”
Antigua to welcome Japanese tourists
Monday, August 17th, 2009President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association (ABCTA) Nathan Dundas has indicated that discussions are currently underway with the largest cruise line out of Japan to call on the island.
The ship, Asuka 11, is expected to bring approximately 1000 passengers and over 500 crew members to Antigua and Barbuda.
“It is a very significant development for us in the cruise sector as we enter into discussions with the largest cruise company out of Japan,” Dundas told the AntiguaSun.
“We have been looking forward to welcoming Asian tourists to our shores for a very long time and it seems as it is finally paying off.”
Dundas said what is even more significant is that Antigua is the only English speaking country in the Caribbean included in the ship’s itinerary.
The vessel normally operates in the northern European area including Sweden, Norway Iceland, the Japanese islands, and Philippines.
“We have started discussions with respect to making plans for the visit which will take place next year and we will be continuing those discussions next month at the Seatrade Europe convention in Hamburg Germany,” the cruise official disclosed.
According to him, the Japanese are very excited to be visiting Antigua and Barbuda. Dundas explained that the Japanese cruise ship is equivalent to a four or five star hotel so stakeholders should benefit from it significantly.
“We speak about going after new markets for our business and this is a fine opportunity to showcase what our island has to offer, so we will be making sure that our service level will be up to the maximum and that the experience to our visitors will be long lasting and memorable,” Dundas added.
The Japanese cruiseliner will arrive in Antigua from San Juan, Puerto Rico and then it will head over to Curacao.
Crack down on errant pharmacists’
Monday, August 17th, 2009|
Trinidad Express |
 |
|
PHARMACISTS should be held responsible for selling prescription medications over the counter and the Pharmacy Board should take action against such pharmacists who make this a practice, says public relations officer at the Trinidad and Tobago Medial Association, Dr Frank Ramlackhansingh. “They must be held responsible. While it is impossible to police every pharmacy due to a lack of resources and manpower, if there are errant pharmacists then something should be done about that,” Ramlackhansingh told the Express. Secretary of the Psychiatry Association of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Varma Deyalsingh agrees. He said the Pharmacy Bboard is supposed to be a watchdog and should be vigilant when it comes to dispensing medication and alerting doctors if they suspect that a customer has an addiction to prescription drugs. Both doctors’ comments were in response to a statement from the Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division on the diet pill, Dinintel. The statement in part reads: “Dinintel was and remains a Third Schedule Drug, which requires that it be dispensed only on the basis of a medical prescription.  It needs to be noted that dispensing drugs of this classification without a medical prescription is an illegal practice. As with any other drug, citizens are urged to use Asenlix/Dinintel (Clobenzorex), according to its registered and approved use, and as prescribed by their doctor.” But in one day, the Express went to three separate pharmacies and purchased Dinintel tablets, without being asked by the pharmacists to furnish a prescription. When contacted for a comment, president of the Pharmacy Board Andrew Rahaman told the Express that many pharmacists sold prescription drugs over the counter because they believed that, by doing so, they were easing the financial burden of some and sparing them the added expense of paying a doctor for a prescription. “Some patients who suffer with epilepsy, hypertension and diabetes depend on Third Schedule drugs to improve their quality of life and many pharmacists think that it’s an injustice for them to have to spend money by a doctor in order to fill prescriptions each time they need to get the medication,” said Rahaman. But Deyalsingh said while pharmacists believe they are doing patients a favour, it is actually in the best interests of the patients that they visit a doctor who is in a position to monitor their progress while on a particular type of medication. In previous interviews, Deyalsingh, Ramlackhansingh and Dr Neil Singh agreed that the amphetamine-like drug Dinintel/Asenlix was being misused in the country and should be sold under strict prescription with medical supervision along with adjunct therapy. |
|
Flights delayed Storm bears down
Monday, August 17th, 2009| Trinidad Express |
|
|
The expected passage of Tropical Storm Ana yesterday led to an initial suspension of some services by regional carrier LIAT. Though it was later announced that operations will continue as normal, the airline has advised passengers to check regularly throughout today for schedule information, as it remains vigilant on the weather situation. In an advisory yesterday, LIAT initially stated that some services in the Eastern Caribbean, beginning yesterday afternoon into today, had been suspended. A second notice stated that flights and services would continue, while today’s schedule will be updated throughout, as the Eastern Caribbean prepares for Tropical Storms Ana and Bill. In Trinidad and Tobago, the Meteorological Services and the Office for Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), did not expect any serious fallout from the passage of the tropical storms. Citizens in flood-prone areas across the country were relieved to be spared yesterday, despite what appeared to be the coming of stormy weather. While there were a few incidents of minor flooding in some areas following a few showers, no new major incidents were reported. Clean-up operations and repairs continued across the country, after a week of relentless flooding in parts of East Trinidad, Central, South and in Port of Spain. |
Giant snails invade
Monday, August 17th, 2009|
|
|
|
A large cross-section of local vegetation is now in danger, following the introduction of the Giant African Snail to Trinidad. The snail, which can grow a shell up to 20 centimetres in length and 12 centimetres in diameter, is a prolific pest that routinely devastates the landscape in its native region. Citizens are now being advised to report any giant snail immediately and to desist from touching the pest without the use of protective covering, such as gloves, since the snail is also a known host of the rat lungworm, which causes eosinophilic meningitis in human beings. The rat lungworm (anigiostrongylus cantonensis) has been reported in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico. In a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health said that the species was discovered late last year at Alyce Glen, Petit Valley. Since then, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Research Division has led an ongoing eradication programme in that area. However, the species has spread to other communities in Diego Martin-Blue Range and Goodwood Park. How the snail got into the country was not made clear but, according to agriculturist Wendy Lee Yuen, it would not have been brought in on legally imported fruits and vegetables. Plant matter being brought into the country on a permit must meet quarantine standards, including being washed free of soil. The giant snails-either as a hatchlings or as eggs-were likely brought in on a plant smuggled into the country by a private homeowner, who did not take the necessary precautions. Lee Yuen asked citizens not to smuggle plant matter into the country. “Get a permit, it’s free,” Lee Yuen said in a telephone interview yesterday. Lee Yuen said that while the pest has been found in any crops, farmers across the country are on the alert. “I’ve also been told that it was discovered in Arima,” she said. “The whole country should be on the alert. This pest can be worse than the mealybug.” The Giant African Snail can be identified by its large, shiny shell, which bears reddish brown to brown and cream to yellow vertical stripes. The snail is nocturnal, but may become active at dawn and dusk if conditions are very wet. Snail eggs are small, yellowish and semi-transparent and are encased in a blob of slime. Sightings of the snail can be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture at 646-6284. |
Barbados law programme will not be scrapped - UWI
Monday, August 17th, 2009 
Edwards Carroll Edwards, public relations officer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, says the institution is seeking to increase the number of options for pursuing the law degree programme offered by its Faculty of Law.
The UWI will be doing this by expanding its capacity at its three campuses.
Edwards was clarifying a report in The Sunday Gleaner yesterday, which suggested the UWI has scrapped the Barbados component of the degree programme.
Response to demands
In a letter sent to the editor yesterday, Edwards stressed that the UWI’s move was aimed at increasing its capacity at its campuses in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica rather than reducing the number of options.
“This is a direct response to increasing demands from hundreds of persons who are interested in pursuing its very competitive law programme,” she stated.
Edwards said that traditionally, the UWI intake from Jamaica has been 40 students who are subsidised by government subventions and take their first year at Mona and transfer to Cave Hill for the final two years of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme.
“This programme continues,” she said. “However, effective September 2009, the UWI will also deliver the undergraduate law degree (LLB) at the Mona campus.”
Edwards said this move follows on the recent introduction of the programme in The Bahamas.
“Under this arrangement, the Mona campus will admit a further 100 students who will take the entire three years of the degree at Mona,” Edward said. Approximately 30 of those students will take their first year at the Western Jamaica campus of UWI, Mona, transferring to the Mona campus for the final two years.
Edwards added: “The expansion will be guided by senior academics already within the Faculty of Law and builds on the tradition of excellence in teaching and research already honed by the Cave Hill campus.”
Facilitating jamaicans
She said the expansion would also facilitate those persons who have, in the past, found it challenging to travel to the Cave Hill campus, take advantage of the firm foundation which the UWI Bachelor of Laws degree provides.
Because the Government is unable to increase its budget allocation to UWI and has, in fact, reduced its subvention to Mona, all these additional students will pay the economic cost of the programme. However, a special feature of the intake is that these students will be eligible for bursaries to cover up to one-half of their tuition fees. These fees will cover the additional resources needed: staffing, library and IT resources, as well as teaching and office space.
Crazy record and a crazy character
Monday, August 17th, 2009Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter 
Motorists near the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre might have considered him a clown act but Mark Marshall, inspired by Usain Bolt, gets ready to show that two feet are better than four wheels. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
EVERYTHING and everyone stood still; even the drizzle from above. Well, except for Mark Marshall whose mouth was doing a marathon.
“The only way my runner lose him race is if him have heart attack,” said Marshall, who offered to wager $5,000 on Bolt.
But the scores of persons within earshot in Half-Way Tree Square were all sane. None would bet against a freakish phenom whose speed seems to have no limit.
The Sunday afternoon traffic slowed to a crawl and all eyes were on one of three big screens mounted in the vicinity of the transport centre.
In fact, even a police patrol that was there did not bother to clear the streets. Jamaicans, some coming from church, others just going about their business or vending, paused to see Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.
One could hear a pin drop as the athletes were put on their marks. No sooner had the starter’s gun gone off, the race was over.
Then came the shouts, screams and clanging of pot covers. Half-Way Tree was locked down as a Passa Passa-esque street party erupted. Lightning had struck the St Andrew capital.
“World record again!” one man exclaimed as Bolt’s 9.58 flashed across the screen.
“Wha’ yuh mean if a world record? Yuh nuh si him a run lef’ car,” another man responded.
Another man said Bolt was too awesome to be compared with anyone in sport, likening him instead to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Marshall, who said he left his house at 11 a.m. to watch the race in Half-Way Tree, was perhaps one of few persons not awe-struck by Bolt’s thunder.
He’s a legend
“We remember when Bolt clashed with Gay before and the whole world laughed at him, now it is revenge for everything,” Marshall said, referring to Bolt’s 200m second-place finish in Osaka, Japan, in 2007.
“Jamaicans laughed at him at that point in time, but he came back and continues to prove that he is the greatest … he’s a legend,” Marshall said.
“Bolt is just mi idol … . Di man could run faster, but him just easy,” he added.
Digicel, a major sponsor of Bolt, said yesterday that it would be doing “something special” for the sprinter when he returns.
“We have a lot in store for Usain when he comes back,” Paula Pinnock-McLeod, Digicel’s sports sponsorship manager, said.
According to Pinnock-McLeod, on Saturday when she asked Bolt to put in a world-record performance, he responded, “Yes, boss.”
“We always knew he was going to break the record but 9.58 is something we never expected. It was a legendary run and we are proud of him,” she said.