Ignoring the negative comments about Mr. Baptiste’s weight, but including his obesity as another serious medical condition apparently relayed to the Court of Appeal by Dr. Robin Roberts, one can only surmise that this was a grave error by the Appeals Court. Firstly a custodial sentence for these offences under these circumstances is not unthinkable, we have no information of ‘priors’ or other mitigating factors. Secondly knowing about the inadequacy of our prison system and the medical care provided there one could easily forecast this particular outcome. Dr. Scavella’s comment that he could be transferred to PMH “if specialist care became necessary” misses this critical point, by the time specialists care becomes necessary would be AFTER a predictable serious event has occurred! Not sure if he is unaware of the ‘potential’ (or lack there of) of his institution’s capabilities…seems like his comments set HM Prisons up for failure.

It is tragic that this man dies in prison custody while many alleged killers roam our streets…I hope the Baptiste Family receives justice and The Bahamas repairs this very problematic and broken system.

Congrats to this UB team and the university for this seminal work. Your mentors should be proud of you all. Hopefully additional studies are supported and the relevant authorities take these findings seriously. It would be awesome for this and any future studies to receive wider attention both academically through much wider distributed journals and by environmental policy.

Grand Bahamians have long suspected and voiced their concerns about “industrial contamination”, especially involving their freshwater lens. Indeed that island is considered a relative hotbed of industrial related illnesses per capita compared to other Bahamian islands. It would not surprise me with a bit of digging, by some enterprising investigative journalist, that proof of secretly performed mitigation efforts in its past may be discovered.

Unfortunately once these chemicals get into these sensitive environments they are very difficult to eradicate. That is why, as recommended in this study/article, it is imperative that more analysis takes place, both downstream (seafood, drinking and potable water and agricultural soil samples) as well as upstream in other locations.

Is this the only airport in Eleuthera? It seems that convenience may be coming up against an economic reality in North Eleuthera as it has in many places on the planet. It is a reality that small communities, especially rural communities, have faced for a century.

While I agree that the government should be responsible for at least one airport on each island, to which ‘ground’ or ‘sea’ transport can converge, we should not expect government to provide air services upgrades to each existing airstrip.

As such it is the expectation of private enterprise to finance and run these additional facilities if they are feasible. Sometimes they are not and short of another legitimate reason for governments to intervene we will have to accept the inconvenience of further travel to get to the main airport.

“Ms Duncanson said the Unit’s goal is to make the process of becoming a resident and investor in The Bahamas “seamless” and “investor friendly”, plus “facilitate the ease of doing business”.” It would be greatly appreciated if the Bahamas government would facilitate the ease of doing business for everyone. Many of the same countries listed in this article are also ones where operating a business is much less cumbersome. If we ‘copy’ places like Singapore and Hong Kong, we’re very good at copying other people’s ideas (even our own), then we will be world class in this area.

Helpful tip: if it’s great for everyone, it’s also great for the super rich🤨

BPL, Bahamas Grid etc have ‘one job’, to provide dependable, stable and consistent electricity to its customers!

Sands can ‘brown-nose’ these government & one-sided political entities all he wants, however BPL and the government has consistently NOT kept up with the needs of its customers, especially the expanding businesses like Bahamar and the ever expanding residential customers in the western part of the island! In fact over the past decades government policies through BPL has discouraged private electrical generation, both at the community level in many family island communities and individually when they have intermittently attempt to put the breaks on solar. Now some at BPL are taking aim at the EV retailers.

Is BPL Corporate suggesting they have been unaware of the expanding EV market, commercial and residential ‘customer load’? Maybe they have changed over too many times? Maybe they are too incompetent for their present positions? There are many other thoughts that could be expressed here, but they all point to successive political interference, nepotism and greed!

We can’t use any equipment or appliances that are energy efficient unless we’re willing to risk BPL ‘frying’ them repeatedly, a conundrum that leads to using less efficient ones and even more electricity usage potentially overloading our electrical grid. Even the modern generators are a problem for BPL whose surges damage their sensitive ATS systems. Of course any electrical damage BPL induces is virtually never paid back.

Now we sit at the precipice of an economic disaster where we’re being forced to choose between energy that’s clean, efficient and green or to continue the regressive fall to wastage and pollution…

If government is serious they’re silence after BPL’s statements, then they would encourage customers to link their clean energy projects into our power grids, not simply encourage businesses and wealthier residents to go it alone with these individual responses. Additionally someone needs to develop and articulate a PLAN to get us to developed country standards in the shortest possible timeline.

We’re waiting Mr. Davis?

One wonders whether the recent private-public partnership regarding the country’s power grid was done in the best interest of the Bahamian people and the development of the country or simply a nepotistic give away to political cronies?!

Certainly the customers of the electrical utility are not benefiting from an exercise promised to improve their electrical needs.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. Someone head has to roll and aggressive measures are needed to improve electrical generation, not simply asking customers to reduce their electrical usage. The government undertook a plan to reduce local petroleum consumption. Hence the increase in EV’s and high efficiency electrical appliances that BPL/Bahamas Grid etc are systematically destroying 🤬

I’m not sure what point the previous commenters are making? Because these developments happened during Mr. Ingraham’s Administration means he can’t comment? Any future concerns raised by residents of this nation are null and void? Let’s grow up people, The Bahamas is not just FNM and PLP, the results of our last election, with the strong showing of a third party should be a wake up call to that notion.

If we are to truly be a nation where local government is supported, respected and actioned then the local government’s position should have considerable impact. The GTC Council, representing their community, has not sanctioned this project in its present form and Mr. Ingraham is correct in his assessment and suggestion.

Listen to the people.

Mr. Curry now owns this parcel of land, he should be given an opportunity to improve on his investment, however he, like all of us has to do so within the confines of sensible community trust to the local environment and circumstances. The project has to ‘fit the location’!

Clearly its time for us to provide zoning laws within our communities. To often inappropriate business establishments pop up in residential communities etc etc, spoiling an otherwise tranquil neighborhood. Let’s advance in an environmental intelligent way…

Mr. Neil Watson raises some important issues facing residents of our country, especially young business people.

I while I can appreciate Mr. Hernandez situation, if a homeowner is willing to lease Mr. Watson a slip and all he needs is “management approval”, then he should be granted that. Not allowing Mr. Watson to use a dock slip that is leased to him is plainly stifling competition, an anathema to ‘capitalism’. I assume Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Capo are capitalist?🤔

Competition improves standards, and The Bahamas, especially Bimini, can surely use improved standards. Mr. Watson’s operation is over half a century old and has an excellent reputation. There should be enough visitors to ‘go around’.

Let’s see if Mr. Randy Rolle, a Biminite, and Mr. Davis who represents ’the people’ can amicably resolve this one(?)🤞🏽

Interestingly “…he waved at Leroy Major, the New York consul general of the Bahamas, as he entered court.”

Is it standard procedure for the Bahamas Consul General to attend court appearances for Bahamian citizens? Does Mr. Gardiner have a substantial government/national post?

So many may see it as a wink & a nod 😉 that “we have your back”👍🏽…🤔

I don’t have much faith in the US legal system just now, unless you’re wealthy or politically connected, however they have no qualms convicting foreigners so I’m certain he will be thoroughly punished. However will it lead to repercussions here at home, and more importantly reform to our shenanigans?

Thanks Santa!

Now if we can start by fixing our nepotism and corruption disease, then maybe we would be able to accomplish a few of these pie in the shy proposals👌🏽👀