31. December 2009 by admin.

RICE AND PEAS; MACARONI PIE

BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK

BBQ SPARERIBS; BBQ PIG TAILS

FRIED STEAK FISH; GRILLED STEAK FISH

BEEF STEW; FISH GRAVY

STEAMED VEGETABLES

TOSSED SALAD; COLE SLAW

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31. December 2009 by admin.

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31. December 2009 by admin.

HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters) — A JetBlue Airways passenger jet on a flight from Aruba to Boston made an emergency landing in Bermuda on Tuesday after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit, a local newspaper said on Wednesday, quoting fire service and airline officials. JetBlue Airways The Airbus A320 landed safely on Tuesday evening at L.F. Wade International Airport on the Atlantic island, Bermuda’s Royal Gazette newspaper quoted Lieutenant Dana Lovell of the Bermuda Fire Service as saying. There were no injuries. “Smoke was coming from the flight controls and the pilot had contacted the tower to say he was able to turn off the controls that were smoking, but couldn’t turn off the alarms,” Lovell said, quoted by the newspaper. The Royal Gazette quoted an unidentified spokesperson for JetBlue as saying the pilot diverted flight number 774 to Bermuda as a precaution. The newspaper said 70 passengers were on board. “It could have been a bust light or smoke,” the spokesperson said, adding the plane was checked and cleared for departure again, according to the newspaper. JetBlue did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

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31. December 2009 by admin.

AP:

Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year’s Eve. Revellers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don’t expect it to be blue, the name has nothing to do with the colour of our closest celestial neighbour.

The New Year’s Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year’s Day, making January a blue moon month for them.

However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse on New Year’s Eve when part of the moon enters the Earth’s shadow. The eclipse will not be visible in the Americas.

A full moon occurred on December 2. It will appear again today in time for the New Year’s countdown.

A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year’s Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won’t come again until 2028.

Blue moons have no astronomical significance, said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky and Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer’s Almanac and labelled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month.

In fact, the almanac defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons, not the usual three.

Though Sky and Telescope corrected the error decades later, the definition caught on. For purists, however, this New Year’s Eve full moon doesn’t even qualify as a blue moon. It’s just the first full moon of the winter season. (Jamaica Gleaner)

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31. December 2009 by admin.

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
Cummings

WESTERN BUREAU:

While airports throughout the United States stood on ‘red alert’ last weekend, Jamaica’s Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, was enjoying record arrival numbers.

Some 20,629 passengers flew into the tourist Mecca, Christmas Day being one of the busiest with a record number of 44 flights. Combining Saturday and Sunday’s numbers, there was an increase of 13.2 per cent over 2008, says Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

“It’s a good start to the winter tourist season,” boasted Bartlett as he revealed a figure of 38,000, a reflection of the number of passengers that passed through the airport two weekends back to back.

‘Recession-proof’ tourism

“What this indicates is, if you strategically plan and follow with programmed activities, you can get the results even in a recession,” he said.

For the tourism executive, the challenge he says now is to make Jamaica’s tourism “recession proof” by diversifying the markets on which it now depends.

Pointing to a three-pronged approach to this latest thrust, he said: “One of the ways is to drive greater efficiencies using new technology and to ensure cost effectiveness so as to improve competitiveness in the marketplace.”

In the same breath, he said, his energies would be concentrated on bringing in new investments not only in the accommodations sector, but also in the attractions area “since the market is influenced by the experiences which the destination offers”.

His optimism continued days after he told The Gleaner he was projecting a five per cent increase in stopover visitors this winter tourist season over last year’s figures.

Two per cent growth

The industry reported a two per cent growth last winter, while the rest of the region, except for Cuba and the Dominican Republic, saw little or no growth.

“The airlift is greater than ever and, projected even at a 70 per cent load factor, this would mean improvement over last year,” he told The Gleaner.

Bartlett’s private-sector partners, including president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Wayne Cummings, concurred that the bookings were relatively strong.

“We are projected to continue to perform at the same growth levels currently being experienced,” Cummings said.

He added: “This is firmly based on the fact that the public- and private-sector marketing programme has been consistent and effective to drive the national arrivals.”

Cummings noted that he feels the country could not be doing any better in this “recession market”. (Jamaica Gleaner)

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31. December 2009 by admin.

-Anna Ramdass

‘help build society’: Kamla Persad-Bissessar Those who aspire to leadership must do so not for power and material comfort, but for the people of the country, says Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Persad-Bissessar was speaking last night at a fund-raising banquet at the Chinmaya Mission in Couva. The candidate for United National Congress political leader said people who desire to lead a nation must pay attention to the teachings of the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavad Gita, ’to remind ourselves that we lead not to gain power or material comforts, but to lead the way and help build a society based on service in which all of us are seen only as children of God’. She said in her own private life and public career she had difficult moments where she had to rely on the scriptures to resolve conflict. ’The Gita teaches us that in defence of what is righteous, we sometimes have to fight our own kin. And in the end, the righteous always wins. God’s promise to humankind is that whenever evil takes root in a society, He will manifest himself to restore order,’ she said. Today, she said, the nation is facing its darkest moment and the people need to pray for God’s intervention to deal with this menace. ’Those of us who lead or wish to be leaders in our society must accept that leadership means service to society, not to ourselves. It is that selfless devotion that is demonstrated in the work you have been doing here at the Chinmaya mission,’ she said.(Trinidad Express)

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31. December 2009 by admin.

Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau

LAUNCHED PROBE: James Philbert An investigation has been launched into the disappearance of US$94,000 from the Couva Police Station’s property room. The money, which was placed in sealed envelopes, was discovered missing by ASP Jules when he assumed duties on Monday morning. He is the lone property keeper for the Couva Police Station. The missing money was an exhibit from a court matter seized during a police raid at a house in Couva on November 8 last year. Derrel Bishop was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of the cash. The matter was called at the Couva Magistrates Court three weeks ago. Bishop is to reappear in January 11. Acting Commissioner of Police, James Philbert, has since appointed senior police officers attached to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate the matter. ’No action has been taken yet, since I did not get full briefing on the matter. I was informed about the disappearance last night (Tuesday),’ he said yesterday. Philbert said after investigations are completed a decision would be taken as to whether any officers attached to the police station would be suspended or transferred. Senior Superintendent Terry Young and ASP Carlyle Huggine visited the Couva Police Station yesterday. The Express was told that several officers will be interviewed in connection with the missing money. There were no closed circuit television cameras at the police station. At the luncheon hosted by the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) at the Hilton Trinidad on Tuesday, Philbert had indicated that since the search at the St Joseph Police Station, which found guns, an undisclosed quantity of ammunition, cocaine and marijuana in the ceiling, there was a lot of ’interest in terms of accounting of the things that come into our possession’. ’That investigation is almost completed; we are waiting on some DNA samples to come back … but we have at least charged one officer in that and the other findings that have come about relate to policies that will need to be drawn up and some resources that have to be put in place in the event of property that comes into the police station,’ he said. Another prospect they are looking into as a result of the find, is a computer software programme that allows the police to track all the evidence that comes into their possession. ’What is done abroad is something that would avoid looseness of property … there is a piece of software that we want to acquire which will help us identify firearms and ammunition and all of those things police come into possession of so if we need to find out the source of these we can easily trace it,’ he added.(Trinidad Express) -with reporting by Aabida Allaham

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31. December 2009 by admin.

New start: Jude Law and Sienna Miller rekindling their romance while on holiday in Barbados.

A NUMBER OF CELEBRITIES have chosen to spend part of the winter, and Christmas in particular, on the sunny, sandy shores of Barbados.

Topping the list was Barbados’ own superstar singer Rihanna, who jetted in just before the big day to spend time with family and friends.

As London’s Daily Mail reported this week, as one of the busiest pop stars on the planet, Rihanna doesn’t get much chance to return to her home.

“So as she spends Christmas with her friends and family on the Caribbean island, the singer is making sure she has as much fun as possible,” it stated.

The paper added that after spending one day last week in a fuchsia bikini on the beach near her family home, the 21-year-old later changed into a little black dress for a night of dancing at a nightclub.

It added that after a tumultuous year involving the much-publicised bust-up with former boyfriend Chris Brown, “clearly a holiday back in her old stomping ground has provided a chance for her [to] reflect”.

In a message on her website, Rihanna stated: “To all my fans, thank you for being amazingly supportive and loyal this year . . . . Happy Holidays to you and your families.”

The Mail report concluded: “Rihanna had better make the most of her downtime, as 2010 is likely to be another busy year for her. Her album Rated R made the top five in the [United States], but failed to make the same impact here in [Britain], despite her appearance on X Factor.

“But for now, the Barbadian, who now has 12 million record sales under her belt, is going to rest easy. Although, as an ambassador to her country’s tourism industry, she’ll no doubt be mixing a little bit of business with pleasure.”

Rihanna left Barbados to perform at a New Year’s bash in Abu Dhabi where tickets for the concert in Emirates Palace have been reported to be selling quickly.

Other celebrities, most of whom were British, spotted making hay while the sun shines included Hollywood couple Jude Law and Sienna Miller.

The two, who went their separate ways four years ago when he had an affair with his children’s nanny, seemed happy to be back with each other as they sat side by side and soaked up the sun on the West Coast. They have reunited just in time to spend their birthdays together - she turned 28 and he 37 this week.

According to the Mail, Miller had celebrated Christmas with her mother Jo at a friend’s house here, while Law flew in with his children, son Rafferty, 13, daughter Iris, nine, and seven-year-old Rudy, on Boxing Day.

Other celebrities staying in Barbados this Christmas included American Idol and X Factor mogul Simon Cowell, who took up his usual spot at the plush Sandy Lane hotel; former England star Gary Lineker and his wife Danielle Bux, a Welsh lingerie model; the Sugababes; Topshop boss Sir Philip Green; December 2008 X Factor winner Alexandra Burke; British pop singer, TV personality and glamour model Michelle Heaton; X Factor winner and British superstar Leona Lewis; and TV presenter Emma Forbes. (Mail Online/BW)

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31. December 2009 by admin.

by GERCINE CARTER

THOUGH $6.2 million has been paid out in income tax refunds up to November, hundreds of Barbadians are still awaiting theirs.

And the Income Tax Department is appealing for understanding from these frustrated taxpayers, saying that efforts are being made to pay the outstanding refunds “as soon as possible”.

Acting senior tax inspector Neville Clarke told the WEEKEND NATION: “I will be the first to admit that there have been difficulties and I know that people would be frustrated.”

However, he added that it was also frustrating for workers in the Customer Service section where many people were turning up to get answers.

“It is frustrating for us too that we have so many people coming to us and there is nothing that we can do because in Customer Service there is nothing we can do to make the process faster,” Clarke stated.

He attributed the delay in part to hitches in the new filing system, inadequate or incorrect submission of information such as National Registration numbers, and tax officers still trying to “get the hang” of the new system.

“We had a lot more calls this year than any other year because of the newness of the system. We were also held up because we did not have enough information from employers,” Clarke noted.

The official said most of the people who had not yet received returns had used the paper-based filing method.

He explained that returns filed online were processed first, while those paper-based had to be keyed into the computer system.

“We would have wished that more persons were able to file online,” Clarke stressed. Yet he admitted that “a lot of people could not get on to the system owing to the large volume of taxpayers using this method”.

Several outstanding refunds were mailed during the Christmas week. But according to the acting senior tax inspector, many enquiries at the department were related to the reverse tax credit, the grant of $1 300 paid to eligible taxpayers earning less than $16 500 last year.

Clarke gave the assurance his department was trying to make sure all the other refunds were disbursed as soon as possible. (Nation News)

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31. December 2009 by admin.

The Grantley Adams International Airport. (file photo)

by CARLOS ATWELL

UNITED STATES-BOUND passengers leaving Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) now have to face more stringent security.

Corporate communications specialist for GAIA Inc, Keith Goddard, said this was following recommendations from the Transport Security Administration in the United States as a result of the recent attempted suicide bombing aboard a jetliner travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit.

“We have stepped up security measures at the screening points, which were taken with immediate effect after that incident.

“All US-bound passengers will have to go through another set of body and luggage searches as the airlines will be doing 100 per cent screening at the boarding gates,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Goddard said screenings were done randomly before but now every US-bound passenger would be subject to searches. He added this would result in longer waiting times, so he urged passengers to arrive earlier and bring less carry-on luggage.

He said passengers had so far been very co-operative and they had not received any negative feedback.

Some passengers at the the airport yesterday gave mixed views on the increased security.

“It’s really stupid,” said Sophia Holder, who had just arrived from Miami for New Year’s celebrations. She said it would be her first New Year’s spent at home in 25 years.

“Barbados was smooth but Miami was ridiculous. I was overnighting, s o a friend picked me up, but when we were leaving the airport there we were stopped and queried by police. Then, when I was leaving to come here, I was one of the people randomly selected to be patted down,” she said.

Her friend, however, who was not identified, said she had no problem with any security measures.

“For me, it wasn’t that bad; anything they have to do for us to be safe is okay with me. Here, the lines were long but I had no real problems,” she said.

Another New York visitor, Marilyn Bellamy, said she went straight through security here in Barbados but had to take off her shoes and belt when / she was leaving the United States.

In addition, as a result of the attempted bombing on Christmas Day on a plane approaching Detroit from Amsterdam, American airline companies have adopted a policy where passengers will not be allowed to leave their seats up to an hour before landing.

However, an airline employee informed the WEEKEND NATION this was for international flights only and Caribbean destinations were considered domestic flights.

Chief executive officer Joseph Johnson said the airport’s security system was under review and was undergoing strengthening thanks to an Inter-American Development Bank programme. (Nation News)

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