A June start up may be a bit premature. But the answer will be in a few weeks when the results of the spring break pile up and rebellious behavior on South Miami beaches will reveal how crowds and large gatherings ( without masks) will pan out against the corona virus. And, of course the concern her are the large numbers of new cases on Grand Bahama and, to some extent, New Providence. Hotels seem to be faring pretty well with relatively low numbers and safety measures.

> Dozens of countries worldwide have detected new COVID-19 strains originating from the UK, South Africa and Brazil.
.
When these type viruses start to rapidly mutate, it’s an indication that they are beginning to weaken. And the virus will travel over countries, and continents and back and forth searching for new pockets of populations to infect. People who are vulnerable to the new strains of the virus. And this is a crucial time that safety measures, including the wearing of masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizing, limited travel and crowd gatherings must be enforced. And if so done, the virus should be gone in a few weeks. Forever... )unless someone attempts to revive it again.)!

There will be spikes and spurts of new infections as the Covid-19 struggles to survive and creates more variants. And so this is a most crucial period where the safety measures must be maintained. Mask wearing, hand washing and sanitizing and social distancing. The virus is attempting to create a variant that is more resistant and more contagious. If it cannot spread and infect more people, it will become weak and eventually die. Unfortunately some countries have relaxed their measures and some countries are in the peak of spring real. So there will be spikes and surges over the next few weeks. Then there are countries, like Jamaica. They had very few cases in the beginning so the virus is now infecting a lot of people who have never been exposed to the virus.

We do have scientists here but he is speaking of the level of Dr Fauci, I assume.

The facts are, there is very little benefit in 5G for the average consumer. At least as an end phone internet user. The benefits are for the companies that will be utilizing technology such as artificial intelligence. Or using the internet for driverless vehicles or security intelligence etc. But the 5G technology is just too expensive to roll out exclusively for these companies, especially since the coverage will eventually have to be worldwide. So the regular consumer must have to foot the bill.

> “The scientists, the medical
> professionals, they are monitoring the
> situation and they will advise us of
> the way forward. It’s not a political
> decision. It’s strictly science,” he
> told reporters on Long Island.`

This is definitely a mixed kettle of fish and definitely not a Covid-19 scientifically based decision. Yes, the country is basically wide open and things are basically back to normal. The schools are open and there are many crowded bars and hangout spots. And as was predicted, even without one single full two-part dose of those that require two or any of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines being administered, cases remain minimal. Yes this country may be at the end of the corona pandemic. BUT what happens if the emergency orders are lifted too soon or the country fully lets its guard down. Look what is happening in Jamaica, for example. That country has recorded more new cases and more new deaths since January than it did during the entire period since the pandemic began last year. Many European countries are experiencing surges and going back into lockdowns and increasing other safety measures. The spring break parties are in full swing in the US and there is an uptick in that country’s numbers over the past few days. So yes, there is need to continue to exercise caution. BUT, and unfortunately, the increasing corona numbers is not the only concern in this country. CRIME and especially murder! Almost THIRTY in barely two and a half months. Clearly indicating that this can be another year of triple-digit murder. Not good for the Minnis administration as the country heads into elections. Especially not good for spend-aholic Marvin Dames, who spent so many millions of the people’s money on crime fighting toys. And are yet to produce tangible results. At least not enough to justify the millions spent. So Minnis is in a quagmire. Have to kill, at least, two birds with one stone. Happy hunting!

Follow from the lessons of other countries. In Ghana for example, they also drilled for oil offshore. The people on the coast relied heavily on fishing and were promised much, much more from oil if any in substantial quantities were found. So the drilling began. And as the silt from the drilling drifted and covered the ocean bed, all fern and fauna died. Fishnets that were teeming with fish were now hauled back in empty and the fish pots came back with seaweed. Dead seaweed. An entire fishing industry had been wiped out and the livelihood of thousands of people destroyed. Gone probably forever. But the story did not end there. The offshore rigs did strike oil. Lots of it. And the rugs continue to pump oil around the clock. For several years now. But the Ghanaian people are yet to receive a single, red cent from the multi/Billion dollar project. And yet not the end of the story. The oil pirates decided they needed storage and an oil refinery. And again they were promised benefits and assurances that there would be no impact on the environment or the lives of locals. The refinery was built and is now billowing out tons and tones of toxic smoke and poisonous fumes. Fresh water streams have been contaminated and are now unsuitable for drinking or farming. Small resorts and fishing villages have closed and persons still living near the refinery are coming down with strange illnesses and seeing their once healthy and thriving villages shrink and disappear. And they again bigot no real benefits from the refinery deal. Remember OBAN. Remember Grand Bahama. The Bahamian people have been given a chance to escape both OBAN and BPC. The only thing they want black is oil because it makes them see green. And no, that’s not ‘sea green!’ Nor does it turn the ocean blue.

Is this Brave Davis’ last race for the PM’s chair? Do the Bahamian people have enough confidence in the PLP to re-elect them? Will the new faces make a difference? What about Vaughan Miller who seems to have a habit of jumping ships? And ‘PotCake’ Leslie Miller who was left standing on the outside. Will he run as an independent? Is there a swing in political candidates from attorneys to journalists and to other professions? What will be the PLP’s platform? ‘We’ve gotten rid of some rotten wood and nailed down some loose planks?’ Who you voting for?

And yes, the new voter is ‘online savvy!’ Shopping online and having to experience Customs with their high rates of duty with VAT piled up on top of it has taught them that it’s not local businesses that are responsible for high prices and the high cost of living, but that government vis a vis and other mechanisms is getting more than the lion’s share of taxes.., from ordinary Bahamians especially. And that,too must be fixed. And what does the new voter think of the politician? They see politicians as just that. A politician who will come with a song and dance, begging to be elected with a briefcase of promises. But the new voter will sing and dance with the politicians, wear their hat and tat sirt even. But at the end of the day, the new voter will do what’s best for him and his family, the country even, and vote his conscience.

It is the new voter that any party or politician wanting to win the next election must court if they want to be successful. Most of the PLP’s who supported the Minnis’ led FNM to victory, will be returning home to the PLP this election and so there’s no great chance of a very lopsided victory. No blowout this time. A more ‘Joe Biden’ type victory that, at this time can go either way, despite many thinking the FNM may have the edge at this juncture. But it will be the new voter that will mostly decide the next election. And these are the ones who may be more difficult to interpret, not necessarily more difficult to please. These are the ones who drive pass the car dealerships in the country in their FIT or NOTE and realize it will be a while before they can afford a vehicle off any of those lots. So they’ve learned to navigate the internet and find a Japanese vehicle for less than $5,000 and don’t have to worry about the bank taking it. And when they need another one they can more easily find $5,000 than get a car loan. The same with housing. They have seen not only parents, but grandparents struggle with mortgages on homes and spend the rest of their lives struggling to pay the bank and trying to keep the house in repair. No thanks, we’ll rent until we can afford a mortgage. ‘Besides me and my girl, our relationship ain’t strong like that and I don’t want her bail out on me.’ She feels the same way. They may not understand everything about a sovereign wealth fund or the value of our natural resources, but they do know someone has been making a lot of money off them and it’s time to share the pie with the rest of the population. And yes, why is the electricity bill so high and BPL is still investing in fossil fuels and fossil fuel plants that are surely becoming obsolete or less significant assets around the world. No renewal energy in The Bahamas? Germany has 30-40 percent of its energy generation from solar and wind power. Yes Germany! And it’s electricity generation is 3-4 cents per kilowatt hour compared to ours which is doubled digits. Germany broke its electricity grid down from four major producers of electricity to where practically any property tied into the grid can produce electricity. Those that produce more sell it back to the power companies and those that produce less than they use purchase the additional ay very nominal rates. BPL must evolve from a monopolistic producer and distributor of electricity and must also become a power management company. Many of the Family Islands that do not have high industrial users can produce their own electricity mostly from solar and wind. BPL only needs to go in and digitize the grid, manage the supply and distribution and the cost of electricity on these islands can be reduced by 50%. But they are too busy putting in power plants that will quickly become obsolete. And yes, the new voter is online savvy. Shopping online and having to experience customs.