By Bennette Roach

Montserrat Volcano Observator (MVO) scientists were ecstatic in their report on Wednesday that after the rain-induced spectacular activity of Monday the Soufriere Hills volcano was almost back to its state prior to November last year.

A release by MVO Information & Press Officer Chelston Lee says:

"Observations were made by a pilot from Caribbean Helicopters this morning. These indicated that about 90 percent of the new dome growth since November 1999 has been removed by the pyroclastic flow activity on Monday night. There has also been some erosion of the walls of the 1995-98 dome on the inside of the scar. Much ash venting and steaming was seen within the scar, so the vent area was not visible."
Monday's activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano came during and after heavy downpours of very welcome rain that began in mid afternoon. Residents on this volcano-weary island had begun to become concerned at a somewhat dry spell which had been turning the ground brown rather quickly.

Following her appearances on the radio, the MVO issued a report which began referencing the previous seven hours, beginning at about 3.50 p.m.

A written report later stated: "Activity at the Soufriere Hills Volcano has been very high with semi-continuous pyroclastic flows, mudflows and at least one magmatic explosion."
The reported stated that this was "correlated with heavy rainfall on the volcano and also included some mudflow activity. Pyroclastic flows could be seen travelling down the Tar River valley to the sea, and ash from these events appeared to be drifting westwards."

This could well have been the first time that the scientists directly associated activity at the Soufriere Hills from heavy rainfall, especially after Dr. Norton stated that there were no precursory warnings.
Eyewitnesses from Old Towne confirmed the MVO reports' statement that glowing rock falls could be seen to the northeast of the volcano, "and these were followed by a sudden vertical explosion with red ballistics being shot to a few hundred metres above the summit of the volcano."

This is how the Breurs described it: "We REALLY had a light show!!!! We apparently had had some massive erosion and rockfalls which had opened up the conduits to the magma chambers, and we had a number of explosions (on the Tar River side and to the south) sending material many hundreds of feet into the air providing a light show like none I had seen before. I had seen the mountain provide "GLOWING" and glowing rocks traveling down many times, but this was spectacular and beautiful!!!!! The material flew into the air and provided great showers of sparks and red glowing hundreds of feet in the air. This occurred a number of times over 10-15 minutes and stopped as quickly as it started."

As is usual with heavy activity, there was loud roaring, and thunder could be heard. Lightning was also observed in the ash clouds from this explosion.
Since an ash cloud of any kind is the only matter that would concern residents living in the safe north, they all wait to see the direction in which the ash would travel, depending largely on the wind direction at the time. Fortunately light ash fall occurred across the island, and satellite information from NOAA suggests that the ash cloud from the main event reached at least 30,000 feet and traveled to the southeast, taking it as far south as Guadeloupe.
Later observations in the Belham valley showed that significant mudflows had occurred down the valley, with large boulders being transported across the Belham Bridge. This observation is in direct contradiction to foreign news reports leaving Montserrat suggesting that rocks were thrown out of the volcano and fell at Belham Bridge.

Monday night's activities, caused some stir internationally, especially among those who find it difficult to understand that life in Montserrat goes on despite the losses and inconveniences of many starting over in a new and undeveloped environment.

Residents all agree and hope that the international media doesn't blow this all out of proportion. According to the MVO. they all agree that the scientists had said this was expected because of warnings of dome instability. Anyone taking the 'round the island tour' last Wednesday would have seen how high the new dome had grown and how unstable it appeared, as compared to the outer dome walls between which it had grown.

The only thing that might be said is that the rains were even heavier in the hills and in the north and east than those that fell the leeward side in Old Towne, Salem and Olveston.

Even before the scientists were able to make a visible check they were saying "a very large collapse or series of collapses that happened . . . would have unloaded a great deal of material from the volcano," and it seemed unlikely that we would see anything of that magnitude over the next couple of days.

But a view of the hills showed that it was likely to be better than that. For those who would really like to see the volcano go back completely to its repose, it is waiting time to see if it starts growing again.

By Bennette Roach

It is a while now since we have waited with anything like bated breath for surprises in a budget speech usually delivered by the Chief Minister or Minister of Finance.

Once again our legislators went lacklustrely through the motions of debating a budget which saw even opposition members sympathising with the government "whose hands are tied" when it comes to decisions regarding the finances of the island.

It was leader of the opposition who led off with consoling words, as he pointed out that the opposition was not there only to oppose, but to work towards the interests of Montserrat.

Chief Minister and Minister of Finance David S Brandt on Friday last week had moved the second reading of the Appropriation Bill 2000, and presented his government's budget for the current year. He had set the tone of the budget very early in his presentation: "I wish to point out once again that this Government continues intensely to engage Her Majesty’s Government on the issue of striking an appropriate balance between reducing the level of budgetary aid, and adequately providing for the legitimate needs and expectations of the people of Montserrat.

"Nevertheless, it remains the moral duty of the Government of Montserrat (GOM) to pursue the constant decline of this dependence on budgetary aid, and the removal over time of the restrictions which it has come to represent."

Still very early he got straight to the point of revenue and expenditure. "At least 50 percent of our recurrent expenditure needs," he said,"are expected to be financed from locally generated revenue."

He said that the increase was due partly to a projected moderate economic growth in the year 2000, when Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is expected to be positive for the first time in five years. But he warned, "We must remain mindful that economic activity remains dominated by aid-funded, public sector activity, and that there is still a dire need for foreign direct investment to enhance the prospects for sustained growth over the medium to long term."

After dealing with the various sectoral programmes and projects, the various ministries and departments, financial sector issues, public finances, etc., he came to the point at which many usually pay much attention -- fiscal proposals.

He announced that starting midnight that day, "landing charges should no longer be included in the assessment value for Customs Duties." The main revenue implication is a reduction in the base value of goods for purposes of calculating import duty.

Next came a matter which member for Central the Honourable Reuben Meade challenged in his submission to the house: "Whereby certain specialized items and tools-of-trade were allowed to be imported free of Customs Duty. This measure will no longer be in effect after March this year."

These, the Chief Minister said, would provide an opportunity for local persons to acquire construction equipment, high--priced capital equipment and appliances required for business start-up and/or expansion, and would all be considered on a case-by-case basis by a committee.

"It is the intention of Government to allow property owners to settle outstanding arrears without attracting the penalty and interest that would normally apply. The amount to be waived would be proportional to the level of arrears so settled. This measure applies to arrears up to and including 1997, and would be effective for a 12-month period commencing tomorrow Friday, 17 March, 2000. We believe that, given the circumstances, this is not only reasonable, but it will serve to increase the level of revenue collected by Government during this fiscal year."

The words "personal income tax" never fell from the mouth of the Minister of Finance at this juncture, a huge disappointment and concern for many. The matter was, however, raised by the opposition members in the house. Instead, Mr. Brandt pointed out the strain imposed by the British Government, a matter on which he went unchallenged and one that should occupy the thought of every single Montserratian wherever they may be and one on which they should insist that every politician address as to how it should be dealt with.

"The UK Government has requested that we increase taxes in order to reduce our dependence on grant-in-aid," the Minister of Finance said. "We contend that a more appropriate way to reduce dependence on grant-in-aid is to expand the economy. However they have insisted that as a condition to grant-in-aid for 2000 we take some revenue-raising measures now.

"We have therefore sought to ensure that the measures we take are of such a nature that they would not cause undue hardship to the general population. Our approach is to gradually reintroduce some of the measures which were appropriately suspended during the time of the emergency," he slipped by.

He then declared, "After careful consideration…to implement an increase in the rate of Duty and Consumption Tax on imported tobacco…; to return departure tax for residents and CARICOM nationals to the pre-crisis level, and to increase the charge to non-residents and non-CARICOM nationals…; to re-introduce the charges for work permit fees; and to have a regime of hospital user fees which is more realistic in relation to the actual cost of the service."

Some members were brief in their submissions, while leader of the opposition John Osborne, who led off the debate, along with Reuben Meade, both former Chief Ministers, spoke longest on the other side of the house. Each elected member, along with the nominated members, made presentations, with the ministers supporting the budget presentation by speaking to matters relating to their ministries.

Among matters that attracted attention was the Social Welfare Act, which the lady minister Adelina Tuitt said would be reviewed upon an admission from the government side that all is not well with the Act.

"…She's still Emerald City, Montserrat nice, nice, nice…still nice, still paradise; England can't fool me, the British can't tempt me…"

Calypso sounds, soca sounds, lyrics from Montserrat's Mighty Arrow, who goes on to say Montserratians need no invitation to come back home.

The volcano flares up in 1995, totally destroys the southern half of the island and forces resettlement in the north. Then it begins to settle down but by November 1999 the dome starts growing again. Britain lifts its travel advisory against travel to Montserrat and the USA does likewise.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, plans to visit Montserrat, but a few weeks before he arrives a new travel advisory surfaces containing the following text: "…There is limited accommodation for visitors in the north of the island. Although volcanic activity has been low for some time, it is possible to experience ash falls if there is a large collapse of material from the dome of the volcano, which remains unstable, or vigorous ash venting. "Volcanic ash, which contains crystobalite (a toxic form of crystalline silica known to cause silicosis following prolonged exposure) poses a serious risk to health, particularly of younger children.

"Medical facilities are limited and visitors requiring specialist treatment may need to travel to neighbouring islands -- e.g. Antigua or Guadeloupe."

Normally, we do not think of ourselves as tourists when we visit other countries. But how many of us, having read the above, even without the rest of the information which talks about the devastation to the area, would be ready and willing to visit such an area as described above? (The Advisory is presented on the next page, along with that for Anguilla, for reference and comparison.)

The Director of Tourism publicly expressed concern at the negative impact the above information poses for tourists and other prospsective visitors; the Chief Minister, in his welcome speech to Prince Andrew, spoke to the negative effects of the advisory. But on Monday this week, a week later, Governor Abbot, having told us that he doesn't give interviews, is heard insulting Montserratians again, this time saying that "Frankly we could not quite see what all the fuss is about," and that it does not deter any visitor from the island.

He later went further to suggest that this advisory was the most upbeat advisory issued on Montserrat, and that the Tourism Department and the Montserrat Reporter -- by extension he must be including the Chief Minister, who also attacked it -- are doing more harm than good by fussing about it.

What is a travel advisory? It primarily exists to advise people against travel to the country in question where something maybe unpleasant or unwanted exists. Britain has none on St. Kitts, Antigua, Dominica or several others.

This forces the question, where did this advisory originate? Did it originate at Government House? After all, the Prince didn't change his plan to visit, but then it was only for one night. The advisory was drawn to his attention while he was here, but he said had not seen it and added that he sees nothing wrong with Montserrat as far as visiting is concerned.

It is understandable that someone can write something that turns out not to be what was desired or intended. The honest, simple thing to do is admit that the end product was not intended.

It is unimaginable that anyone can conclude that tourists do not pay attention to advisories, that one such as this in question is unnoticeable. Really!

Today it is reasonably certain that even if the volcano continues non-stop, it will continue to impact only the already devastated areas. The scientific assessments have assured this and the next one will certainly confirm it.

Dear Editor:

When an individual attempts to turn personal anger or a personal grudge into a national outrage, one can only conclude that such an individual is out for personal gratification and does not necessarily have the good interests of the nation at heart. I can therefore only brand such an individual as a willfully perjured person devoid of true moral worth.

I have always listened to Labour speaks as a program which stimulated the national conscience and encouraged thought on the major issues confronting our country.

However, Mr. Labour Speaks, this time you have taken a good thing too far; you have stepped out of line. You expect to have a high level of credibility, so please get your facts straight before spouting off at the mouth. Fie on you. You disappoint me by letting your anger at being treated in a particular manner by a receptionist force you to lose sight of the facts and the issues, and discredit a service that has done only good for this island.

We are of the opinion that an organization like yours should be fighting for everyone to receive a fair wage for services rendered. How, then, can you explain your vindictive attack on the reasonable fees charged by my office. I challenge you to prove that high quality private dental care in the neighboring islands is any cheaper than here in Montserrat. I perform a professional type of service, which, by any one's standard, is an expensive service.

However, the number of persons that I have treated without charging a fee can testify that my objective is not the money but the service. Let me point out to you that in the early years, when it was difficult for the government of Montserrat to hire assistants, I personally carried the Government dental clinic by paying at least five assistants for 10 years so that care could be delivered to the people of this country. Let me add further that almost single handedly I have been responsible for raising the standard of dental care delivery on this island to the level where Montserrat was at one time considered as the model for public dental care delivery in the region.

To revert to the time when the main type of care was extraction is to put us back in time. No one does that kind of dentistry today. In the eyes of modern dentistry, that type of care delivery is primitive and amounts to mutilation of the mouth, especially in the case of our vulnerable children. The emphasis nowadays is on comprehensive care and prevention. Do you wish that primitive type of treatment, which you so glibly referred to, for yourself or your children? I don't think so.

If you had taken the time to research the information you would have known that the dental nurse does in fact visit the schools, and that proper dental care could not be delivered on the school premises unless each school was equipped with a complete dental facility; a situation which does not exist even in the most prosperous countries of the world.

Let me point out further that the service now being offered to those patients for whom the Ministry of Health has a responsibility is the most comprehensive that it has ever been in the history of Montserrat; that now the full range of services are available to these patients through an arrangement which the Ministry of Health has made with my practice; that no other country in the region is able to offer such an extensive and complete dental care program.

I have given dedicated service to Montserrat for the last 30 years. Even when almost all of the medical doctors and other health personnel fled the island during the volcanic crisis, I remained in Montserrat and gave unstintingly of my service in whatever area it was needed. I have had to move my office four times without any assistance whatever.

Sometime ago there was a dentist on island; his fees were in most cases double what my fees are. When the going got rough he left. Tell me, what inducements are you going to use to be able to recruit and pay a dentist with my levels of qualifications to function in Montserrat under the present conditions? How can you be so insensitive to the real sacrifice which has been made by all of us who as professionals, tradesmen, businessmen or public servants have elected to remain here on Montserrat to keep this island alive, and to attempt to rebuild it even against adverse odds and mischievous broadcasts such as your, Mr.. Labour Speaks?

Finally, regarding the discourtesy alleged to have been rendered by a member of my staff, I am in the process of investigating that matter. But then, Mr. Labour speaks, if what you allege did take place, the polite and courteous thing for you to do would have been to contact me and point out the problem, so that I could remedy the situation, which is by no stretch of the imagination limited to my office. Why did you have to take your anger to the public? Why are you playing with the minds of our people? What is your agenda?

I hope it is not what many have insinuated it is after your outrageous and misinformed statements on the radio. You need to stick to labour issues, if indeed you know what they are. Since it appears that you have run out of ideas on these issues, here are some you might want to consider.

What about the plight of those teachers and other civil servants who have been made redundant and are still not gainfully employed?

In recent times a certain company took our local builders and contractors to the cleaners. Where are you on this?

What about creating jobs for school leavers?

What about those employers who are paying such low wages that the social welfare payments are better?

I recommend that when you can't find the proper things to say, you stop talk and let us have Labour Thinks.

My practice is here to serve the people of Montserrat and I intend to continue to do this with every courtesy and dedication.

Indeed, Mr. Labour Speaks, you owe this country an apology for your mischief-making broadcasts.

Dear Editor;

We recently came back to Montserrat after four years absence and were unaware of the hospital facilities that existed after the volcano crisis. I became seriously ill and contacted Dr. Ronnie Cooper who kindly delivered me to the Hospital's Emergency Department, where Dr. Meera was in charge. She was very knowledgeable and diagnosed my case, then placed me in a ward where I was treated kindly and efficiently by the nursing staff.

My wife and I want to thank Dr. Ronnie Cooper for his important help to a very sick person and to thank Dr. Meera, her husband and the hospital staff for their professionalism.

Nancy & Tony Rulli

"No Problem Villa."

Dear Editor:

It is amazing how things get done when royalty arrives

For example for five -- yes five -- years now we have been hampered by parked cars at a work shop in the north. Not only is it bothersome, it is also against the law to have a motor parked less than 30 feet from a junction or corner. In less than a day they were moved

We all know that the theatre is not located at the hospital and we also know that Tuesday is Theatreday, so why should the governor's office DEMAND that the lone Ambulance be reserved for royalty

How are the sick to be transported? Is the Governor ordering the sick not to die? Does he really have that power? Why didn't the PS or Minister of Health intervene? Do they regard healthy royalty to have a higher priority over the sick?

It was good to see police directing traffic for a change. Why does it take royalty for them to take to the streets? Aren’t we just as important? After all, we are all humans, aren’t we?

I also noticed that the to do's namely the luncheon and cocktail had a certain genre of invites, namely yes men and other submissive entities. Why weren't key people with great ideas to shape and mould our land invited? Is someone afraid that they will be embarrassed by their own ignorance?

Although I am not a Montserratian, I felt a very strong air of favoritism and racism over this past week. I do hope Montserratians will awake and like the Governor (who always gets his own way) demand for a change to make Montserratians come first in their own land

Very concerned

Now forgive

For reading meditation -Mark 11:20-25

"…If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you." (V.25)

"Only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving."

We continue considering the principles needed to rid ourselves of bitterness and resentment. Sometimes when I meet readers in different parts of the world, I will receive this comment: "I notice you regularly write on the issue of forgiveness. Why is that?" I reply: "Because that is the biggest issue I have had to deal with in my own life, and also because I have found it to be one of the major problems in the lives of God's people." on innumerable occasions someone has begged: " Please teach me how to forgive."

Here's the final thing I want to say about being a merciful and forgiving person: focus your thinking on the fact that God has forgiven you for so much -then give out that forgiveness to others. While reading one of C.S. Lewis's books, I noticed this cryptic sentence: " Only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving. " I had to ponder it for a while before the meaning became clear. Those who claim their problem is that they can't forgive need to recognise the real problem is that they don't know how much they have been forgiven.

Please listen carefully to my next statement: no wrong that anyone has done or can do to you compares with the wrong you have done to God. Yet He forgiven you. Now think about that because some of you may feel that you were not all that bad and have committed only little sins. But there is no little sins because there is no little God to sin against. So the next time you feel resentment lingering in your sprit don't suppress it, and don't express it. Go to God, reflect on how much you have been forgiven, and ask him to give you a deeper and more realised sense of forgiveness. Then go out and offer forgiveness to others.

O God, help me grasp this truth- that nothing anyone has done to me is as terrible as the wrong I have done to you. You have forgiven me. Help me now to forgive those who have wronged me. Amen.

The West Indies Guard Ship HMS Manchester, under the Command of Robert A. Brown OBE, is visiting Montserrat.

The ship arrived yesterday and will depart tomorrow. It is accompanied by its supply ship, RFA Black Rover.

HMS Manchester has a ship's company of 214, and RFA Black Rover a crew of 60.

A full programme of events was planned for the visit, including sports, work parties, and cultural and social events. In addition, courtesy calls will be made on H.E. the Governor, and the Hon. Chief Minister by the Commanding Officers of the two ships.

Julius Bradshaw, son of Mr. and Mrs. Neville Bradshaw, was a standout last week at Andover's boy's track competed in its second meet of the season on Wednesday in Massachusetts. It was the school's second win in two weeks.

Rising to the challenge of a tri-meet competition between Masconomet, Lynnfield, and Andover, the boy's team simply destroyed the opposition, every gold medal save the high jump.

For his contributions, Bradshaw, class of 2000, blew away the competition in the 50-yard dash, finishing nearly three yards ahead of the second-place Masconomet sprinter, and cruised to an easy win in the 300-yard dash.

Compiled from Dispatches

JERUSALEM -- Pope John Paul II, whom Roman Catholics esteem as the Vicar of Christ, painstakingly walked an ideological tightrope this week as he acknowledged the frustrations of both Palestinians and Jews during his trip to the Holy Land.

His peace-motivated efforts were embraced by many in both long-divided communities But they were also rejected as inadequate by protesters who sought stronger declarations of support for Jerusalem as capital of Palestine and those who declared unacceptable anything short of a papal condemnation of his predecessor, Pius XII, for "Vatican silence" during the Holocaust.

In a trip that the Vatican portrayed as strictly spiritual, the 79-year-old pope traced the biblical paths of Jesus, from his birthplace in Bethlehem to the place revered as the site of the Sermon on the Mount.

His pilgrimage, however, put him in Palestinian territory in Bethlehem, where he symbolically kissed a bowl of soil and where Yasser Arafat, with whom he walked hand in hand, greeted him with, ''Welcome to our land."

And in Jerusalem on Thursday, he stood before the ashes of death camp victims in the candlelit shadows of Israel's Holocaust memorial to six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, and told the Jewish people that his church is "deeply saddened" by Christian persecution of Jews through the centuries.

"As bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter, I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love, and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place," the pope said.

The spiritual purpose of the pope's visit to Bethlehem was to worship at the site revered as the birthplace of Christ. In Manger Square, near Jesus' traditional birth grotto in the Church of the Nativity, he celebrated Mass before thousands of faithful. Later, leaning heavily on his silver staff, he descended into the grotto and knelt before the star marking the spot where Mary is believed to have given birth.

His trip also led him to the Dheisheh refugee camp, adjoining Bethlehem, home to many Palestinian refugees since the 1948 Mideast War in which Arab nations sought unsuccessfully to sweep the newly created state of Irael into the sea.

There the pontiff told the Palestinians, ''Your torment is before the eyes of the world. And it has gone on for too long.''

''The Holy See has always recognized that the Palestinian people have a natural right to a homeland,'' the pope said, in his arrival speech. A Vatican spokesman denied, however, that he was endorsing a Palestinian state. Such a state has not yet been proclaimed, the spokesman said, so the Vatican would not consider the issue until that happened.

''This is a place that has known the yoke and the rod of oppression,'' John Paul said. ''How often has the cry of innocents been heard in these streets?''

In Jerusalem, in the drafty stone halls of the Yad Vashem Memorial, the emotional gathering included Holocaust survivors and Jewish friends from the pope's own hometown in Poland

A Holocaust survivor greeting the pope began crying, and he gently patted her arm in consolation. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, his voice hoarse with emotion, at one point helped the frail pontiff from his chair and handed him his cane.

Later, Barak said John Paul had done more than any other church leader "to dress the bitter wounds that festered over many bitter centuries." The prime minister's grandparents perished in the Treblinka death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

"I think I can say, your Holiness, that your coming here today ... is a climax of this historic journey of healing," he said. "This very moment holds within it 2,000 years of history."

Still, many were frustrated at John Paul's refusal to assign blame to the Roman Catholic church hierarchy - in particular Pius XII - for the church's failure to speak out against the Holocaust.

The pope is one of the staunchest defenders of Pius, who is being considered by the Vatican for beatification, a step before sainthood. The Vatican has said Pius did not know the extent of Hitler's purges, and John Paul has called him "a great pope."

Israel's chief rabbi, Israel Meir Lau, a Holocaust survivor, said he was disappointed that the pontiff did not mention Pius XII, "a pope who didn't say a word at a time when rivers of blood were streaming all over Europe."

The demanding schedule, made more grueling for the aging pontiff's affliction with Parkinson's disease and the debilitation of wounds suffered in an assassination attempt years ago, end this weekend.

Antigua, CANA - The Sandals hotel group has scrapped a plan to close its hotel in Antigua.
The all-inclusive resort has also agreed to expand its local operation, with 100 more rooms to be built on lands being acquired adjacent to the existing resort.
The change in plans was announced in a statement issued Thursday by Sandals and the Antigua and Barbuda government:
"On March 18, Sandals Resorts International announced its intention to close its Antigua Resort on August 1, 2000.
"Following a series of meetings on Monday and Tuesday, Sandals and the government of Antigua and Barbuda are pleased to report that they have resolved the issues between them, which will facilitate the continued operation of the hotel.0
"Under the agreement that was ratified by the Antigua and Barbudan Cabinet on March 22, 2000, all the factors that were identified by Sandals as constituting an unfavourable business climate have been amicably resolved.
"Specifically, the government has agreed to review the existing legislation governing hotel tax and guest levies, to take account of the system of all-inclusives, which is not covered by the current legislation.
"To address the issue of high operating costs, which was identified as a critical concern by Sandals, the Antiguan government has undertaken to commence discussions between representatives of a number of ministries and the hotel industry within 14 days.
"The government has also undertaken to implement measures to deal with vendor harassment, to improve hospitality at the ports of entry and to ensure that Customs is prompt and consistent in the implementation of Cabinet decisions regarding duty exemptions.
"With regard to the purchase of agricultural produce, Sandals, while retaining the right to exercise its discretion in all purchases, will offer first choice to local farmers, subject to their ability to offer competitive prices, meet the desired quality and be consistent in their supplies.
"Subject to overcoming any legal constraints, Sandals Resorts International has undertaken to commence the construction of 100 additional rooms on lands which will be acquired adjacent to the existing resort, within 20 months. Sandals has further undertaken to settle all public sector past due payables and intensify the training of Antiguan nationals to assume management and other related positions within the chain.
"Both parties believe that the discussions were held in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation, with genuine efforts on both sides to maintain and enhance the relationship that they have enjoyed since Sandals established operations in Antigua. They have committed themselves to a forward-looking strategy that will strengthen the Caribbean tourism industry, in which Antigua and Barbuda is a critical player."

Trinidad, CANA - Criminal deportees from the United States are now involved in organised crime in Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Basdeo Panday has said.
"Here in Trinidad and Tobago, the problem of crime has become significantly acute with the deportation to this country of hordes of criminals from the United States of America," he told members of the Rotary Club of Port of Spain on Tuesday.
He said over the last four years, over 400 nationals of Trinidad and Tobago have been deported after serving jail sentences in the U.S.
"Those criminals were not petty thieves. They had all done time for drug dealing, for armed robbery and for firearms charges," he said.
"It has been established that many of these criminals, who are graduates of the United States penal system, are now involved in organised crime in this country."
Mr. Panday recently suggested that Caribbean countries combine their efforts to deal with the issue of the deportees as a matter of urgency.
He told regional leaders at their recent intersessional meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis that deportees were being "dumped" on Caribbean societies "notwithstanding the fact that those criminals are entirely the product of the Unites States of America's penal system."
Trinidad police reported that 436 Trinidadians who were convicted and jailed for crimes were deported to the Caribbean nation between 1996 and February of this year.
The deportees, aged 21 to 55, served prison terms for possession of narcotics, distribution of narcotics, gun and armed robbery charges.
Statistics show that some 66 Trinidadians who served jail sentences in the United States were deported in 1996. In 1997, 80 persons were deported and in 1998, 96 persons.
In 1999, the figure increased to 164.
Up until February this year, 30 Trinidadians were deported from the United States after serving time in jail.

St. Lucia, CANA - Dr. Vaughn Lewis, leader of St. Lucia's Opposition United Workers Party (UWP), on Monday called on Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony to relieve Home Affairs Minister Velon John of his responsibility for the police service.
Dr. Lewis said in a press statement that Mr. John should be relieved of this responsibility because of his alleged mismanagement of the nation's security affairs. He made reference to last week's incident in which the minister evoked the wrath of police officers by suggesting that none of the top three deputies was ready to fill the soon to be vacant post of Police Commissioner.
Mr. John said that Canadian Neil Parker, who has recently been appointed Deputy Police Commissioner, may be expected to fill that role.
The minister, in an apparent attempt to save face and in response to criticisms from the UWP, issued a further statement in which he sought to blame the former government for its neglect of the Police Force which, he said, necessitated the current restructuring process.
He said that "under the last government the Force was seen as nothing more than a political tool to secure the entrenchment in office of the UWP against the will of the people."
Describing Mr. John's statement as "panic-stricken", Dr. Lewis said the "scurrilous allegations" were contemptible, had the effect of ridiculing the Police Force and ran the risk of bringing the Force into public disrepute.
"... the minister holds the portfolio of government's chief law officer and his obviously politically-motivated statements must be of deep concern to St. Lucians, casting doubt as they do on his capacity for objectivity and his ability to act in a non-partisan manner in dealing with this most serious matter of the machinery of law and order," Dr. Lewis said.
He said the nation could only hope that the Prime Minister will do what has already been done with regard to immigration, work permits, and other areas for which Mr. John has been responsible, and relieve him of responsibility for the Police Service.

Guyana, -- Stabroek News on Wednesday reported that the United States Embassy has stopped accepting applications for non-immigrant visas until further notice, following the arrest of official Thomas Carrol and a Guyanese, Halim Khan, who have been charged with conspiracy to sell U.S. visas in Guyana.
Alicia Drepaul, 23, reputed wife of slain fugitive Hilton Rodrigues, called "Chammar," was among four persons who were remanded to prison Tuesday on separate charges.
Other related news from the Chronicle newspaper state that U.S. investigators are trying to track down the visas a diplomat based at the U.S. Embassy here allegedly sold for bribes to Guyanese and other foreign nationals here.
Two women, Ann Maria Narine, 26, and Cheryl Ramkissoon, 40, have been charged in another U.S. visa scam. Each was put on Guyanese 50,000 dollars (US$278) bail.

Grenada, CANA - Grenada's best known female prisoner, Phyllis Coard, left the country Sunday for further medical treatment after being diagnosed with colon cancer, sources said.
Airline officials said on Tuesday that Mrs. Coard, who was born in Jamaica, left last Sunday within hours of her release from the General Hospital in the company of a bodyguard.
Mrs. Coard, who is serving a life sentence along with her husband, Bernard, and 15 others for the 1983 murders of former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several cabinet colleagues, boarded an Air Jamaica flight for Montego Bay.
She is expected to travel to the United Kingdom or Australia for medical treatment.
Her departure came three days after the Mercy Committee voted unanimously to grant her a six-month respite to seek medical treatment abroad. Mrs. Coard's family agreed that they would bear the cost.
Mrs. Coard was admitted to hospital three weeks ago to remove a mass in the lower part of her bowel.
In his first interview since the decision, Mercy Committee Chairman McQueen told CANA the release was influenced by evidence from tests carried out here and confirmed abroad.
Mrs. Coard is traveling with her daughter Shola, who has signed an agreement with Governor General Sir Daniel Williams for her mother's return.

Trinidad, CANA - A university professor has warned Caribbean countries that they will suffer grave consequences if they do not have effective anti-money laundering laws in place.
Professor Anthony Bryan, Director of the North South Centre at the University of Miami, said that while there is legislation in many Caribbean countries for asset confiscation, among others, the record of implementation is unsatisfactory.
"There are terrible costs to society, polity and economy associated with inaction in this circumstance," said Professor Bryan in a paper presented at a conference here on "Caribbean Survival in the 21st Century."
Professor Bryan said the lack of uniformity in the adoption of anti-money legislation remains a crucial obstacle to the deceleration of the illegal activity, loopholes continue to exist, and in some countries there is no law which requires suspicious financial transactions to be disclosed to the authorities.
The Port of Spain-based Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) recently estimated that about US$60 billion is laundered from drug-trafficking profits through the Caribbean annually.
Professor Bryan said no region in the world has a greater concentration of offshore secrecy financial havens than the Caribbean. Nevis, he said, has 13,000 offshore businesses from which the government derives 10 per cent of its revenues.
Professor Bryan said while these centres are potentially rich sources of national revenue for small island states, governments would have to accelerate their efforts to prevent the use of these institutions from becoming safe havens for laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking and organised crime.
Professor Bryan said 15 Caribbean states were included among 47 countries under pressure from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a conglomeration of the world's wealthiest states which has devised international standards to combat "harmful tax competition."
He said the establishment of such criteria has moved Caribbean governments to open dialogue with the OECD and to formulate joint approaches to maintain acceptable international regulatory standards, implement international best standards and practices, and to eliminate opportunities for money laundering using offshore financial institutions.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Some 1,100 women who were denied jobs with the federal agency that disseminates U.S. government news and information overseas won $508 million from the government Wednesday in the largest-ever settlement of a federal sex discrimination case.

The agreement, which still requires approval from a federal judge, comes 23 years after the first woman, the then-29-year-old Carolee Brady Hartman, accused the now-defunct U.S. Information Agency and its broadcast branch, the Voice of America, of turning her down for a job as a writer because of her gender.

''I went for a job interview and the man who was interviewing me told me that he was not going to hire me because I was a woman,'' said Brady, today a 52-year-old divorced social worker living in San Francisco. ''At the time, I just didn't know how to respond. Now, I have a way of responding, and this is the victory that we all celebrate today. It is a delicious victory.''

In addition to the $508 million that must be paid to the women - approximately $450,000 apiece before taxes - the federal government must also give them nearly $23 million in back pay and interest and pay their attorneys' fees. Those fees will be at least $12 million, because the lawyers intend to bill the government for approximately 90,000 hours of work over the 23 years.

The government had been dealt a series of legal blows over the years. In 1984, the U.S. District Court here found the government guilty of sex discrimination. Since then, the government filed and lost two appeals and was denied a hearing by the Supreme Court.

The women applied for jobs as international radio broadcasters, radio broadcast or electronic technicians, writers and editors, and production specialists at the agency and the Voice of America between Oct. 8, 1974 and Nov. 16, 1984.

Many of the women who were denied jobs had been experienced broadcasters from national and international news outlets, qualified writers and reporters, or experienced technicians and producers for network television and radio.

Many of the women also were awarded job relief and federal government retirement accounts. The USIA itself was absorbed by the State Department in October.

The Leeward Islands Cricket Under-15 Youth tournament came to a screeching halt through the bungling of information emanating from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), according to Montserrat Cricket Association president John Smith.

Montserrat Youth Team, 2000

Mr. Smith told the Reporter Thursday afternoon that the Montserrat team performed creditably in St. Kitts, beating St. Kitts and Anguilla over the weekend, but their encounter with Antigua, which was due to take place here, had been cancelled as the tournament was halted.

Mr. Smith said that firstly, the Antigua team had opted not to come to Montserrat this weekend for the scheduled match because of the volcanic activity on Monday night, which probably dumped more ash in Antigua than it did in Montserrat. "As it turned out we were then scheduled to play the match in Antigua instead this weekend, but by last night the whole situation had ended," Mr. Smith said.

According to the MSA president, who had worked tirelessly with the boys, WICB Secretary Andrew Sealy had advised all territories around March 8, 2000, that the tournament would allow boys to compete who had not reached the age of 15 by September 1, 1999. The LICB, however, because of the situation, had allowed boys who would not be 15 by August 31, 2000, to compete, but who would not be eligible for selection. Montserrat and Anguilla were allowed to do this.

However, on Wednesday night, Mr. Smith said ,while discussing matters regarding the sporting facilities offered to Montserrat by Mr. Reggie Scarlett, he learnt that the information they had received was all wrong. Following confirmation of this the tournament was called off.

An unhappy John Smith then told us that he expects the Leewards to select a team from the competition -- which only had two matches left -- from the players who participated. They will then allow nominees who would have played for the islands that did not use their September 1, 1999, 15-year olds to join the selectees in a trial match to represent the Leewards in the WIndies under-15 tournament.

Meanwhile, in what would have been a practice match Thursday, the high-spirited Under-15 team crushed a team from the HMS Manchester at Salem, scoring 151 runs against the visitors' 55 in a one-day affair.

During the match Lionel Blake was presented with a cricket bat by Mrs. Jacqueline Ryan, who represented United Insurance, the proud sponsors of the youth team.

Football news reaching us early this week reported that the Dominican Republic advanced in the Caribbean Zone World Cup football qualifiers when they beat Montserrat 3-1 (halftime 1-0) in their first round second leg match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Sunday.
The Dominican Republic, who beat Montserrat 3-0 in the first leg, won the tie 6-1 on aggregate.
Scorers in the match were: Dominican Republic - Villos Victor (20th, 57th), Lucas Zapata Omar
(77th) Montserrat - Wayne Dyer (83rd

Meanwhile in St Kitts and Nevis beat the Turks and Caicos Islands 6-0 (halftime 2-0) in their second leg first round Caribbean Zone World Cup football qualifier at Warner Park on Tuesday night.
St Kitts and Nevis, who won the first leg 8-0 on Saturday, win the tie 14-0 on aggregate and advance to a second round meeting with St Vincent and the Grenadines.

By Peter Adrien

Celebrations! Praises! David Rudder calls on all Caribbean people to "give praises" and to "celebrate." And all West Indians everywhere are called upon to give praises for, and to celebrate, a stunning come-from-behind victory - a historic back-lash inflicted on Zimbabwe, the former racist nation, Rhodesia. After an extended drought, wounded national pride and bruised self-esteem, celebrations are in order.

The new-look West Indies Cricket Team, under the leadership of Jimmy Adams, defeated the Zimbabwe Cricket Team by 35 runs on Monday March 20, 2000, at the Queens' Park Oval, Trinidad, after the tourists were set a modest 99 runs for victory on the fifth and final day. It was their first Test victory since March 30, 1999.

The Zimbabweans (according to Allister Campbell's fourth day diary) hoped for a historic win over the West Indians, but in the end they became part of cricketing history. In the Trinidad Test Match, the Zimbabweans' victory target of 99 was the second lowest ever which a team has failed to achieve. The lowest score was England's target of 85 against Australia at the Oval in 1882, which led to the creation of the Ashes matches. England could only mange 77.

Stephen Thorpe is correct. "West Indies needed a lift, and it came up with a 35-run victory in the inaugural Test against Zimbabwe." The Zimbabweans required 99 for only their fourth victory in 40 Tests but crumbled under the pressure, as West Indies defended the second lowest total in Test history to record another most improbable triumph. The tourists lost their last seven wickets for 16.

Having demolished England's 46 in 1994, and, having themselves been destroyed by the Australians for 51 in 1999 at the same venue, it was a fitting place for the West Indies to perform the balancing act and to signal the beginning of a new cricketing era.

The occasion was certainly sweet for Jimmy Adams, who undertook a heavy burden in his first Test as captain, after Brian Lara walked out in the midst of a public rebellion against the WICB over the selection of team coach and an eleventh hour decision to tolerate him (Adams) as captain. A normally cool and quiet gentleman, Jimmy Adams jumped up and danced, as did King David before the Ark; humbled himself to the Caribbean people; pledged his team's commitment; and pleaded for public support.

That was good leadership - excellent politics. I think he has worked his way into the peoples' heart. Well done, Jimmy.

It was a sensational victory, one orchestrated without Brian Lara's input, without his involvement. While there is no room for boasting a victory over a lightweight, there is a tremendous lesson with respect to team building, the building of a new social capital.

As I correctly predicted in last week's column, it was really a test of mettle, a test of character. The largely white Zimbabweans controlled the direction of the contest, and outplayed the black boys in every department (captaincy, batting, bowling and fielding) for the first four days. Assisted by fortuitous conditions, they played resolutely and purposefully until the fifth, when the awesome human capital stock of the West Indian bowling reversed the trend.

The West Indian four-prone pace attack, catapulted by the destructive spirits of the fearsome foursome of the 80s -- Anderson Roberts, now a cricket administrator and curator; Joel Garner, now, a selector; Michael Holding and Colin Croft, now, international commentators -- terrorized the Zimbabweans into submission.

The Zimbabweans felt the full weight of the deadly four horsemen of the West Indian Apocalypse (Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Franklyn Rose and Reon King). The balance swung irrevocably immediately after lunch with Rose, the instigator. Andy Flower, the Zimbabwe captain, is a formidable competitor but Rose nipped him in the bud; Ridley Jacobs snaring a low inside edge, before the innings fell apart in a gripping passage. His brother Grant went next, bowled by Walsh after spending 38 overs for 26, then Rose's extra pace did for Stuart Carlisle and Heath Streak as the tourists' hopes evaporated.

<---Franklyn Rose, 28, the largely unsung old Jamaican, held centre stage for once, though Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were never overshadowed. Rose claimed four wickets for 19 runs and Reon King one wicket for 11 runs from nine overs. Ambrose's three wickets for 8 runs from 11 overs gave him a career total of 376, equalling the late Malcolm Marshall. Walsh, with two wickets for 18 runs, needs to take five wickets in the Second Test at his home ground, Sabina Park, Kingston, starting Friday, March 24, 2000, to become the most successful Test bowler of all time.

The end was swift. Ambrose and Walsh sent their critics another message. Those who are too quick to write Ambrose's epitaph should recall he had not played a Test after missing the New Zealand tour with an elbow problem, but cleaned up the tail in short time, earning the Man-of-the-match award in the process.

But a section of the cricketing population holds the view that the response to the victory over the lowly ranked Zimbabwe is an over-reaction fueled by the recent failures of the team. Although the argument fairly reflects the general mood of the region, following the drubbing received at the hands of the South Africans, the early elimination at the 1999 World Cup and the recent humiliation at the hands of the lightweight New Zealanders, the argument is partly flawed. It neither adequately take cognisance of the competitive aspect of international cricket teams, despite the Wisden or PricewaterhouseCoopers' rankings, nor is it sensitive to the peculiar evolution of international cricket teams.

While it is true that the celebrations across the region reflect the break from the long period of frustration and humiliation that have accompanied the repeated poor performances of the regional team, the victory is not to be downplayed because it was conjured against a less experienced or a lower ranked team. Do we forget that it is the less experienced teams that develop to become experienced teams? Isn't it the weak team (through the expansion of stock of human capital) that eventually outplay the experienced team? Have we forgotten that when Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup, relative to her competitors, she entered the international competition as a lightweight? But her low ranking or low rating did not prevent her from outplaying all the heavyweights.

But praises to the Most High, and congratulations to the West Indian cricketers.

This is indeed a time for celebration. And celebrate, we must.

PHOTO CAPTION: Franklyn Rose, one of the four horsemen who inflicted the deadly wound (photo: Peter Adrien).

GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

2000 Budget

The Hon. David Brandt Minister of Finance presented the first budget for the New Millennium to the Legislative Council on Monday March 20. After the CM presentation lively debate followed for the next two days. The Budget for this fiscal year is estimated around 54.4 million dollars. The money will be made up from grant from the UK Government to the sum of 27.2 M and an other 27.2 m from local revenue raising measures. The GIS pages in the next issue of the Montserrat Reporter News paper will carry an intensive report on the budget and the debate.

The Government of Montserrat is concerned over the sensational and erroneous media coverage given to volcanic activity on the island. Since the Soufriere Hills Volcano burst to life five years ago, Montserrat has wrestled with a feeding frenzy among regional and international media. It is a miracle that this small struggling island has survived the onslaught of misinformation and hearsay.

The most recent media coverage given to this week's pyroclastic flows, dome collapse and ash fall is a good example of the damage wreaked by seemingly insensitive media. For example, the Caribbean News Agency on Tuesday introduced its newscast by saying that the Montserrat volcano is erupting once again.

It is a simple fact that since 1995, the volcano has never stopped its activity, and on a daily basis there has been steaming and earthquakes. So the CANA introduction was not news, but a cheap headline which got preference over the real issues in a recovering island.

An Associated Press writer also stated that boulders were hurled as far as Belham Bridge, where the visiting Prince Andrew had been standing last week. The rocks at the Belham Bridge actually came down the riverbed, as a result of mudflows caused by heavy rains.

It is interesting to note that no regional or international media coverage was given to Montserrat's recent budget debate. It is also a slap in the face of good journalism, that not much coverage is given to the voting-at-large electoral system about to be implemented in Montserrat. With everyday cries for change of present day models of voting, no serious look has been given to Montserrat's effort at introducing a new system of voting by the regional and international media.

According to the Honourable Chief Minister, the British Travel Advisory also undermines regional and international confidence in Montserrat as a safe territory on the path to recovery.

As a small territory, it is almost impossible to fund any serious media campaign about our rebuilding efforts. But it would be a necessary lesson for the world to learn, if the media can share our experience with the volcano in an objective manner. A number of our neighbouring islands also have active volcanoes, and Montserrat is undoubtedly an experienced force in the international arena in terms of living with a volcano. We intend to continue living with our volcano. We are rebuilding homes, schools, infrastructure and our lives. We only ask that the truth be told.

CM Addresses St. Peter's Claim

The Chief Minister's office has moved to clarify an issue raised by the Northwestern member in Legislature when the 2000 budget was being debated at the beginning of this week.

The Hon. John Osborne had claimed that government had not put forward a project to DFID that had already received their blessing It involved the building of playing fields in St. Peters.

The letter from the Director, Eastern Europe and Western Hemisphere, J.V. Kerby, in response to the Chief Minister's request for clarification, is presented here.

A later letter to the Chief Minister's office further stated: "if a well-conceived plan for basic sports facilities (not necessarily at St. Peters) were drawn up, all sources of possible private funding were explored ,and there was a residual financing gap which the Government of Montserrat wanted DFID to fill, we should be happy to consider what we could do to help.

The last paragraph of the letter then explains, to avoid any further misunderstanding: "this conveys no commitment other than to consider a proposal from the Government of Montserrat if one is made in the circumstances described, and certainly no financial commitment, whether for the purchase of land or for any other purpose.".

Exchange of Letters On St. Peter's Project

I have received a letter from the St. Peter’s Community Group, a group that you met with on your visit here in December 1999. The group alleges that you committed to the purchase of the remaining six pieces of land for the St. Peter’s recreation ground.

The St. Peter’s Community Group has now requested audience with the Government of Montserrat, and so a meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, March 23 2000. I would therefore like to be in a position to confirm or deny what commitments were made. I would therefore like a reply on the matter as soon as possible.

Response from DFID

Dear Chief Minister,

1. Thank you for your letter of 22 March.

2. I recall with pleasure the meeting with the St. Peters Community Group, with whom we did indeed discuss sports facilities. But their recollection of our conclusions, as you report it, seems to be based on a misunderstanding.

3. As you will recall, we met in the context of discussions between DFID and the Government of Montserrat on the provision of sports facilities for Montserrat as a whole. The Government of Montserrat (was) for inclusion in the Country Policy Plan the provision of comprehensive sports facilities at substantial public expense. DFID was making the point that it would be more appropriate for sports facilities to be financed from a range of sources including the private sector and community groups.

4. Against this background, I said that the proposals of the St. Peters Community Group were the sort of community-based initiative, which seemed to us the right way forward. DFID would hope that a combination of this local initiative and support from the private sector (including the private sector outside Montserrat) would make it possible to create the sports facilities which Montserrat needed. However, if a well conceived plan for basic sports facilities were drawn up, all sources of possible private funding were explored and there was a residual financing gap which the Government of Montserrat wanted DFID to fill, we should be happy to consider what we could do to help.

5. I hope that this clarifies the position.

J.V. Kerby

Chairman's Thanks To a Host of Help

This is a letter of thank you to all those who toiled unstintingly to make the St. Patrick's Day of Activities the success it seems to have been. Those visitors who came enjoyed the week and say they would come again. They also say they would encourage their friends and relatives also to come. Those who are here also say that they enjoyed the week.

The overall success of the week had to do with organization and management, cooperation, commitment and teamwork. I, as Chairman, had the pleasure of working with some very dedicated people, without whose support and hard work nothing would have been possible.

I would like to single out the staff in the Chief Minister Office for their sterling contribution. I had to interface with them almost on a daily basis and all I got was cooperation.

The Tourist Board too was always there for the programme and lent their experience and energy to some of the events.

The Sports Department must be complimented for their handling of the Freedom Run.

Radio Montserrat did a great job in promoting the week in general and specific events in particular. Manager Rose Willock gave her time outside her normal duties to organise a sub-committee, which was primarily responsible for what you saw at the Brades Primary School on St. Patrick's Day. The exhibition, the Slave Village, the Old time games, the Re-enactment of the slave uprising and the organization of the slave feast was a fine example of volunteers all working to make our island better. Much thanks to Rose and all in her sub-committee.

Many thanks to the Head Teacher of the Brades School. Your facilities proved to be a good venue for the creation.

Scriber and the Forest Rangers, the hike was a great success. Thank you.

My thanks to Mrs. Abbott and Mrs. Kennedy for the fine display of Irish dancing which we witnessed at the Tropical Mansions Barbecue and again at the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner at the Vue Pointe hotel. What an abundance of talent!

HE the Governor, thank you also for your contribution to the programme and for your input to the Irish Film crew. Your support for the programme from conception to completion is greatly appreciated.

Mr. David Lea, you are always so willing. Thanks for the films on Sunday 12^th and Thursday 16^th March.

Thank you, Vue Pointe Hotel for accommodating the events.

Pastor Riley, thanks for the use of the Brades Pentecostal Church for the Lecture Discussion.

Dr. Howard Fergus, our thanks to you for participating in the lecture discussion and for allowing us to reproduce the material on tape for sale. As usual your insights as to the significance of St. Patrick's Day for us was informative and well received.

Many thanks to Mr. William Wall, agents for the Ferry, for your cooperation and generosity. Those who came from St. Kitts were glad for the opportunity. Those who went around the island are asking for more!

Thank you DFID for supporting these two ventures.

To the Teacher’s Union, thanks. The Junior Calypso competition was a great success.

Thanks to the Management and Staff of Tropical Mansions for hosting Barbecue Night. Thanks to the Catholic Parish Council for a wonderful dinner and highly enjoyable entertainment at the Vue Pointe Hotel.

Thanks to Hon. Michael D. Higgins and the Film Crew from Ireland for coming all the way here to participate in our St. Patrick's Day Week of Activities. We anxiously await the documentary which we hope we will be able to use as a marketing tool for Montserrat.

As for me, I was glad to serve and I’m again thankful for all the support received in the planning and execution of the program. For me it is a testimony that we can put our human resources to be a force for good in our small island.

My wish is that the Cultural Department would take this experience and build on it for the good of our country. We have to look at our culture as a source of enrichment. But we cannot ignore the financial and economic benefits that can accrue to us by judicious and creative exploitation of our cultural heritage. It is my hope that those who take the programme forward would hear this in mind.

A hearty thank you to all who helped.

Kenny Cassell

Enthusiastic Crowds At St. Patrick's Events

There was an overwhelming positive response to the just concluded St. Patrick's Week of Activities, which officially started on Sunday, March 12, with a Church Service at the Salem Roman Church, and ended on Saturday, March 18, with St Patrick's Day Dinner at the Vue Pointe Hotel.

The week of activities was hailed as one of the most meaningful St Patrick's Day programs since the onslaught of volcanic activity in July 1995. Most of the functions in the program were well attended, and as one visitor to the island puts it, "There was something for every one".

Some of the main highlights were the church service, which was attended by His Excellency the Governor Mr. Anthony Abbot, and his wife Margaret, the Hon. Chief Minister Mr. David Brandt and his wife Verna, the Hon. Michael Higgins TD from Ireland, and a five-member film crew from Ireland. Also at the church service were many visitors who came to the island for the activities, The Catholic Youth Club, CYC and a number of other dignitaries and Sunday worshipers were also in attendance.

His Royal Highness Prince Andrew graced us with his present on a one-day visit to the island and the Governor hosted a cocktail party in his honor at his residence in Palm Loop Woodlands Monday night.

Dr. Howard Fergus and Hon. Michael Higgins

Another highlight was a Lecture-Panel Discussion with Dr. Howard Fergus and Hon. Michael Higgins on Tuesday night emphasizing the Planned Slave Uprising on St. Patrick's Day 1768, and the Irish connection and its significance to Montserrat. Both men raised some very important points and generated a lot of interest from the audience.

The sold out Round-the-Island Ferry Boat Ride was another highpoint of the activities and everyone on board was amazed by the fantastic scenes of the volcano and the destruction it embellished on the south of the island. on what could have been termed a perfect clear day, many persons got a glimpse of the oft-mentioned Thatch Valley about which Government and DFID are in negotiation for the well-needed airport.

Thursday's Barbecue Night at Montserrat's recently built 18-room Tropical Mansion Suites Hotel was another sold out function and late arrivals had to be turned away hungry, while attendees enjoyed children from the primary schools entertaining us with Irish dancing.

However great or well attended the functions previously mentioned were, Friday the 17 was the premium of them all. The day started with the 19^th Freedom Run from Cudjoe Head to Salem. The whole of Montserrat converged on the Brades School grounds to witness the re-enactment of the planned Slave Uprising on St. Patrick's Day 1768 in a reconstructed Slave Village, and to sample one of the days tasty Slave Food. Various dishes that our forefathers ate were prepared but they were sold out in less than 45 minutes.

Many teenagers and children were amazed at some of the games that were played in the past and, of course, the old time exhibition was just as educating. The day ended with the children's calypso competition held at the Bitter End Bar and Restaurant entertainment centre.

Just like the beginning, the Roman Catholic Church brought the curtains down on the week's proceedings with the world famous St. Patrick's Day Dinner on Saturday March 18. It was a heartening experience to see the Vue Point Hotel back in action. The week was a big success, but like everything else there is definitely room for improvement, so we are looking forward for next year's activities.

EC$2.308 Million For Salem Campus

The Governor’s Office in a press release dated March 16, 2000, reported that the British Government Department for International Development (DFID), has approved a grant of EC$2.308 million for the renovation of the Salem Campus of the Montserrat Secondary School.

According to the release, the grant will help to restore the Campus into a functioning education facility for secondary school students in a much improved teaching and learning environment. This will help to improve educational standards for secondary students on island.

The work will commence shortly and is expected to finish in time for the start of the next school year in September 2000. The grant includes finance for building renovation, finishing the block built with DFID funds in 1996, cleaning, fencing, road-works, drainage and the re-establishment of sports facilities at the school

The Treasury Department Implements new financial system

The treasury Department is moving towards the implementation of it’s new accounting system. The Caribbean Overseas Territories Governments Accounting Reform Project (COTGAR) is a sister project of the Eastern Caribbean Economic Management Project (ECEMP).

ECEMP was developed by the OCS counties in 1992 to enhance and modernize the accounting system in member states. However, according to Accountant General Geraldine Cabey, Montserrat could not fully benefit from the Canadian funded project because of its colonial status. Mrs Cabey says the aim of of COTGAR is to simplify the government accounting system.

The software for the project is being installed by an Information Technology specialist from Canada, Sebastien Vincente.

Forest Rangers Lead Three Hikes into Hills

As part of the St. Patrick’s Week of activities, three hikes were conducted by Forest Rangers from the Forestry Department to the Silver Hills, Cassava Ghaut and the Cott.. The hikes were well attended and persons on the hike to Cassava Ghaut, conducted by Forest Ranger James (Sciber) Daley, were fortunate to see the National Bird, (Montserrat Oriole). The hikes gave hikers the opportunity to see Montserrat’s magnificent flora and fauna.

The hikes were conducted in areas protected by the Forestry and Environmental Division in the Department of Agriculture. The Division has been involved in a project to demarcate forest reserves. One aspect of the project is to put in forest boundaries. The project began in Hope, Salem, and moved north in the direction of Caines River. In the next two months is projected to be taken east of Killikrankie and end at Bottomless Ghaut.

Forestry advisor Tony Hill says this is part of the national objective of the Forestry and Environment Division, which is to protect and manage watersheds and local biodiversity.

He says the majority of the island’s water supplies comes from the spring source in the Centre Hills and the role of the forest in protecting these spring sources is critical.

Mr. Hill went on to say that the forest in the Centre Hills has an added benefit of protecting habitats that harbour interesting and unique life forms on Montserrat. The forestry advisor ended by saying, the preservation of these forests is also critical to the island’s potential to attract tourists in the future.

Sports Roundup

The Honorable Minister of Education Adelina Tuitt would like to see more involvement from children in sporting activities. She made the comment while speaking at the joint primary school sports meet at the Salem Park Wednesday.

Mrs. Tuitt said her ministry would give its support but children must make use of sporting facilities and their free time, as this would help in their development. The sports meet was between the two Primary School on island, the privately owned St. Augustine School owned by the Roman Catholic Church, and the Government-owned Brades School. St. Augustine won the all sports meet with 131 points, and Brades 119.

In unrelated news, the Montserrat under 15 Cricket Team Performed creditably during the first three rounds of the Leeward Islands tournament in St. Kitts. The team won two of its three matches under the leadership of Lionel Baker, who has had an outstanding tournament so far.

After losing to Nevis by 16 runs in its first game on Friday, Montserrat scored comfortable victories against Anguilla and St. Kitts. The margin of victory against Anguilla was 41 runs, while they beat St. Kitts. Manager John Smith says the team is in good spirits but is looking forward to an improved match against Antigua.

The cricket match between Montserrat and Antigua under 15 teams has been switched to Antigua. The game was scheduled for Salem Park this Saturday but the cricket association received notice of change yesterday. According to reports parents in Antigua are jittery about sending their children to Montserrat in light of recent volcanic activity.

A disappointed president John Smith is hoping that the decision to withdraw the match from Montserrat does not affect plans to host three matches in the senior tournament here in June. Montserrat is due to host three matches, Antigua, St. Kitts and the Virgin Islands

In the local Cricket Association two Tournament Cudjoe Head and Police played to a draw last weekend. After batting first Cudjoe Head scored 357 for 9 wickets declared, anchored by a career best of 167 not out by captain Sylvester Ben Greenaway. Greenaway was supported by knocks of 72 from Grant and 50 from Thompson. J. Roach took three for 68. Police was then dismissed for 168. Roderick Murrain top scored with 42 while C Rodney made 39. Sent back in to bat Codjoe Head held on at the end on 173 for seven wickets. Mark Stephanie made 53 not out and Murrain made 51. Greenaway capped off a wonderful alround game by grabing six for 72 runs. Scores in the match: Cudjoe Head 357 for nine declared, Police 168 and 173 for seven.

Public Programs Explain New Elections System

As part of the ongoing education of the public on the soon to be implemented New Election System, which was passed into law Wednesday March 22, 2000, a radio call in program was hosted by Dr. Howard Fergus, one of the authors of the new system.

During the program on Wednesday night, Dr. Fergus discussed details of the system with the public and outlined measures taken to implement changes of the accepted suggestions. Dr. Fergus said that a series of public meetings will be held shortly to continue the discussion on the new electoral system. He said a number of public meetings will be part of an intensive nationwide campaign to sensitise the public about the system. Dr. Fergus also said a specimen ballot paper would also be released for display at the face-to-face meetings.

One of the issues raised during the discussion Wednesday night was whether Montserratians overseas would be allowed to vote. The First Nominated Member of Parliament, Frank Edwards, in the Legislative Council also raised that issue this week. Speaking before the passage of the Elections Amendment Act, Mr. Edwards, who served for more than 20 years, said his main difficulty with this Bill concerns the voting right of Montserratians overseas. He believes that Montseratians overseas have a right to vote and it should not be easily taken away from them.

By Misty Fye

There are many pertinent issues at this time. And each one is just as far-reaching and frightening as the next. But each impacts significantly, on our ability to rebuild our country so that we can have a life that is of some normalcy.

Take a look at the pertinent issues: Soft mortgage scheme, social welfare, taxes, Labour Speaks, the ongoing Civil Service job evaluation exercise, elections.

What is it with the soft mortgage scheme that it can’t get off the ground? No matter how it is viewed, it is clear that this program is required at this time. Housing is critical and the impact on the economy and jobs that the program will have is clear even to the most simple-minded of resident Montserratian. But somehow, the erstwhile Chief Minister and his fellow ministers cannot seem to fathom this simple fact.

The social welfare program is a farce. It is clear that neither the Minister of Education nor her staff have a clue as to what the program means or is supposed to accomplish. It is a safety net, Madam Minister!

It is meant to keep those who are unable look after themselves from becoming destitute. It is meant to be a short-term support system for those who find themselves in unexpected financial difficulties.

Madam Minister, destitution and desperation lead to social upheaval and wanton crime.

So don’t blame the consultants and auditors for the removal and refusal of worthy recipients from the program. It is up to you and your staff to ensure that parameters and criteria are humane, equitable and for the public good.

Taxes, ah taxes. So much has been said by Labor Speaks already. Is it necessary to add more? Apparently it is. The vociferous Minister of Finance blames the British Government for this onerous burden being placed on the Montserratians who are striving to rebuild their lives and businesses and who did not partake of the "voluntary evacuation scheme."

Tell all Montserratians, Mr Minister, how will it be possible to pay a mortgage on a house that does not exist, build a new business with a new loan, restock the new business with cash, build a home with a new loan, pay rent in the interim and PAY TAXES FROM THE PRE VOLCANO PERIOD?

Who are the patriotic Montserratians in Government and the Civil Service who negotiated this burden on our behalf?

Did these patriotic citizens lose their homes and businesses? Are these patriotic citizens the ones who benefited all through the crisis and are still benefiting from the crisis? Do any of these civil servants and government ministers fall into the group that are now being burdened and pressured to pay pre-volcano taxes? Will any of these civil servants or government ministers be prevented from traveling?

As the calypsonian sang in December, "these are the pertinent issues."

It is always good to have a voice that that can speak loudly on behalf of the voiceless, the scared, the victimized and the simple-minded. Such a voice is that of "Labor Speaks". It is not necessary to agree or disagree with the views expressed by the host but it is necessary that the host be allowed to continue to speak out on the pertinent issues. It is wrong and an infringement on free speech and a citizen’s democratic right to try to muzzle or modify his speech. If Labor Speaks cannot be allowed to speak freely, then the free speech of every Montserratian is threatened.

It is important that rank-and-file civil servants and all resident Montserratians find out what exactly is this "job evaluation exercise" that is quietly going on in the civil service.

Somehow this program seems to be singling out long-standing civil servants who do not have "qualifications." It is necessary to be very fearful. Does this mean that some civil servants will be unceremoniously dumped from their jobs at a time when employment opportunities do not exist? And what will these civil servants do? They will not qualify for the social welfare scheme, you know. Their savings are in excess of $4,000.00.

The greater irony here is that some of the senior civil servants doing these assessments are themselves "un-certified" and have themselves refused training for rank-and-file civil servants and yet they now have the "big scissors."

When these pertinent issues are assessed there is just one conclusion that can be reached. It is time for an election. It is time to go out and seek persons who are capable of negotiating on our behalf and seek the outcomes Montserratians desire. It is time to go out and seek candidates who will ensure that only senior civil servants who are interested in the welfare of Montserratians are appointed. It is time to elect officials who understand the meaning of priorities. It is time to elect officials who understand the ranking of priorities between a cultural center and a soft mortgage scheme.

It is time to elect capable Montserratians who understand business culture and can rationalize programs and policies that will not burden and penalize a business community with pre-volcano taxes.

It is time to elect officials who are humane, who are willing to serve, who are capable, who can negotiate and compromise reasonably with the British and who understand the needs and problems of Montserratians everywhere. It is necessary to seek out candidates who feel the pain of every Montserratian and can translate that into ensuring that all Montserratians can contribute to the rebuilding of Montserrat without being unduly burdened.

Now more than ever is the time to deal with the pertinent issues and not retreat with a whimper of " it’s not me, is the British who won’t give me."

They must be watered with attention

They must be fed with love

They must be given room to grow

I found a prized flower in you.

By Justin "Hero" Cassell - Agricultural Development Officer

(Week ending 24^th March, 2000)

The animals census is now into its third week. Livestock producers continue to be very supportive of this effort by the Agriculture Department to ascertain the animal population on island. So far 560 animals, including cattle and small ruminants (goats and sheep), have been registered and tagged as a means of identification.

However, the Veterinary Division wishes to inform members of the public and farmers that this exercise will continue for several weeks.

Dr. David Lang, soil scientist, is conducting a survey of the soils in the north of Montserrat. The purpose of the exercise is to determine the best use of the land, bearing in mind the enterprises the farmers wish to engage in.

The soils are often in poor condition and need to be given the proper husbandry to produce goof results. This means thinking again about some of the practices which are now been used. The loss of topsoil is a major problem, which is not helped by the current practices.

Produce from farmers is now available at the various vegetable outlets on island and from the farmers themselves. These include: -

• String Beans
• Sweet Potato
• Tomato
• Irish Potato
• Cabbage
• Lettuce
• Carrot
• Spinach

The Department of Agriculture is expected to ship a maximum of eighty (80) donkeys to a Caribbean island during the first week of April.

These animals are indigenous to Montserrat and have never left the island. Presently about thirty-five (35) are in corral in the Lookout area since their captivity in September, 1999. Monetary donations for the feeding of the donkeys are given by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) through Mr. John Walsh, the International Project Director. Mr Walsh is also assisting the Government of Montserrat in all the logistical arrangements involving the shipment.

Two days prior to the shipment Mr. Walsh and the Animal Air Transport Specialist and Air Cargo Manager for the SEA Air International Forwarders Ltd., Mr. Jeffrey Coates, who visited Montserrat on Friday 17^th March, are expected to arrive here to supervise the operation.

By Dolsie Prince-Fenton

Enrolled Nursing Assistant

This week’s topic is bleeding or haemorrhage. Focus, therefore, will be on some areas of the body from which it may occur -- e.g. rectum, stomach, and vagina.

1. Rectal Bleeding

Any passage of blood through the rectum deserves investigation by a physician/doctor. Bleeding from the rectum itself (as in hemorrhoids, also known as piles) is evidenced or seen as bright red in colour. When the site of bleeding is distant or far away from the rectum -- e.g. bleeding in the stomach resulting from a peptic or sore in the stomach -- the blood will be almost black in colour and tarry or sticky in consistency. Bleeding from surrounding points will be correspondingly dark or light, depending upon the distance of the bleeding point from the rectum. Bloody diarrhoea is often seen in ulcerative colitis. Polyps – benign or non-cancerous tumors of the colon -- may bleed. Bleeding is one of the important symptoms in cancer of the colon or rectum.

2. Bleeding from the Stomach

Blood in the stomach may be expelled by vomiting or by passing it through the intestines or colon. Blood in the stomach may have come from a sore in the wall of the stomach, such as peptic ulcer. It may come from gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach, or from cancer. It may also come from bleeding veins in the wall of the esophagus (as in cirrhosis of the liver) or even from some site of hemorrhage in the pharynx or nose from whence the blood has been swallowed. The appearance of vomited blood gives some clue as to how long it has been in the stomach; dark blood with a "coffee grounds" appearance having been in the stomach long enough to be altered by the digestive action of the gastric juice.

3. Vaginal Bleeding

Periodic bleeding from the vagina occurs normally during menstruation throughout a woman’s reproductive time of life. This is sometimes referred to as her period. However, there can also be abnormal bleeding.

Causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding include

1. Polyps or growths on the lining of the uterus/womb or cervix (mouth or opening to the womb)
2. Myoma – fibroid tumor or growth located in or near the lining of the uterus.
3. Inflammation of the lining of the uterus.
4. Disturbances of the balance of the hormones that control menstruation.
5. Cancer of the uterus.
6. Certain serious complications of pregnancy can also cause abnormal bleeding through the vagina.

Dolsi Prince-Fenton – ENA

Nurse Prince-Fenton began her nursing career in 1981 when she enrolled at the Georgetown School of Nursing in Guyana. She graduated in 1983 as a Practical Registered Nurse.

In 1991 she migrated to Montserrat and joined the nursing staff in 1997 as an Enrolled Nursing Assistant.

A man feels he is showing love by working to support his partner, spending time with her (watching TV, playing tennis, walking, taking trips, or whatever), having sex, giving her help and advice when she has problems, and doing chores like fixing the car and the back door.

This type of loving has been given the label "side-by-side intimacy." With the exception of sex, it's the same kind of closeness men have with one another. Shared activities, not personal discussions, are the main theme. Women, on the other hand, prefer what has been called "face-to-face intimacy," where personal sharing is the main theme, and this is what they do with their women friends.

Given who men are, it's not surprising that they haven't been articulate about what they're doing, but they can put it into words when pushed. A 48-year-old accountant had this to say after his wife complained he never said he loved her and didn't share his feelings:

What's so important about words? Words are cheap. It only counts when you put your money where your mouth is. Every tax season, the busiest time of my year, I spend several evenings doing taxes for all of her relatives and several of her friends. I barely know some of these people and some have complicated returns. I don't get a cent for this. I don't want to do their taxes. I wish they'd get their own accountants. I do them only out of love for my wife. Why can't she understand that's what love is?

My own father was another example of this male style of loving. Although not a tough guy, he found it difficult to express affection physically and with words to his children. When I was a rebellious student, we once had an argument about the need for and value of work. He had worked hard his whole life in his small clothing store; it required his attention 55 to 70 hours a week and he once went 21 years without a vacation. I assumed that he worked so much because he enjoyed it. At one point, I made the mistake of saying that to him. His angry retort still brings tears to my eyes.

I see that going to college hasn't improved your understanding of people. You think I like doing this lousy work six, seven days a week, never having a day off, ever being able to leave for an hour to have lunch? I hate it. I wouldn't wish this on a dog. If I had my way, I'd never go inside that store again. I do it only because I love your mother and you children and I want you to have a decent life.

I don't know if my father expressed this to my mother in this way before she died, but I hope so. What he did, and what so many men do, is out of love, but women often don't understand it that way.

In one study, when a man was told to increase his affectionate behavior toward his wife, he washed her car. He was surprised to discover that neither his wife nor the researchers viewed the car washing as an affectionate act. I have related this story in a number of talks and always gotten the same reaction: Virtually all of the women in the audience have a good laugh and it's clear most of them believe the man is a dumbbell. What they fail to see, however, is that he's expressing love as he knows how to do it. Within his mental/emotional framework, it makes sense. I'm sure he had better things to do than wash her car, and washing it was a genuine act of affection. And I'm sure his wife liked having a clean car. But to her it was a favor, not an act of love.

Another example is a recent cartoon. A man is saying to a woman: "I told you I loved you when we were married 28 years ago. Have you forgotten already?" There are lots of men who have a similar attitude. Like the accountant and my father, they believe what they do is more important than what they say.

Men don't understand "this constant need for reassurance" (women wanting to hear "I love you") and this continuing desire to talk about feelings. Men want to get on with life and "not talk it to death." They see women's desires not as attempts to be loving and get closer but as irrelevant, trivial, or nagging. Women, on the other hand, can't understand why men aren't more forthcoming about their feelings and with words of affection. The result is frustration for everyone. Women feel deprived and taken for granted; men feel badgered and inadequate.

In earlier times, men's style of love was more accepted. But in our time, the female definition of love has triumphed. It is accepted by women, by the popular media, and by mental health experts as being the only real love. Face-to-face intimacy is the standard against which men are judged and, not surprisingly, they come out on the short end.

I don't have any ready solutions for this huge discrepancy in the way men and women define love. But clearly both sexes need to understand the validity of both sides. Men have to understand the value of personal talk and sharing feelings. But men also need to articulate and stand up for their style of loving. Sharing activities, including sex, can also be healthy and beneficial. The advice and practical help men offer their partners is not to be sneered at. Given who men are, having sex with their partners often is a real act of love, one of the best ways they know to give love.

The problem for men is that because how they feel and what they do is so foreign to women, they need to explain themselves. The man who washed his wife's car, for example, needed to realize that she might not see it as an act of love and find a way of explaining what washing the car meant to him. This probably would have been difficult for him, but certainly not impossible.

From "The New Male Sexuality" by Bernie Zilbergeld, PhD.

The Governor feels no remorse

For travel advice now in force,

But that's no surprise,

Could he do otherwise,

If Government House was the source?

Good news from the Soufriere Hills beast,

Whose growing new dome had increased;

What took four months to grow

In that deluge let go,

And its threat was confined to the east.

Jus wonderin if the reigning King Lady has ever been "Paid Off".

Jus wonderin why the female worker take her mother from her father to live with her, and now the poor mother had to take her hands make foot and gone overseas.

Jus wonderin how desperation set in so and this woman manage to sell a goat twice.

Jus wonderin why a certain young Guyanese lady in the Head area came back to rob off the mentally ill Montserratian men.

Jus wonderin when something will be done to the Barzey's road which is suppose to be the alternative main road when Brades is blocked off.

Jus wonderin if other than the fact that any win is a win, West Indies cricket fans should not postpone the celebrations for winning any other team besides Zimbabwe.

Jus wonderin if is true that the girls are being transferred from he office because they went to the luncheon for the prince and not to the cocktail party in the evening.

Jus wonderin if impartiality wasn't required by the minister on Wednesday at the St. Augustine - Brades Sports athletic meet.

Jus wonderin if a siren will be placed at lookout .

Jus wonderin if it's a good idea to test the siren in all area's more regularly.

Jus wonderin who's the boss that playing hide and seek with his secretary after working hours

Jus wonderin if its not high time de Housing people hand up de rest of the keys.

Jus wonderin if a lock comes with only one key why only one key to each door was given at Lookout.

Jus wonderin if any body wonder who write jus wonderin.

Jus wonderin if every body know that jus wonderin is for any body to wonder.

Jus wonderin if they check the morning show man how he could wonder about jus wonderin.

Jus wonderin if MWA prefers to estimate's bills rather than checking the meters so they can charge the customers astronomically.

Jus wonderin if times change or the tables have turned why half of the children at the MSS could take it upon themselves and decide not to take part in cross country.

Jus wonderin every happen to Doctor certificate or must run.

Jus wonderin what our schools are coming to in this day and age.

Jus wonderin who will control those unruly children, when parents can't and teachers best ain't enough.

Jus wonderin what is the real reason for the dry lie that was told against the out spoken Guyanese at B.B.C.

Jus wonderin if the people with the store in the green Suzuki jeep paid a trade liscence and the same duty and consumption tax like other importers.

Jus wonderin if the HE could read, write and understand better than all are we.

Jus wonderin if HE could understand what Mr. Irish Man said in his lecture about the hidden message.

Jus wonderin if HE need to listen and understand our calypso.

Jus wonderin what to call a person who believe he is right and every one is wrong.

Jus wonderin if the arrival of the former banker sent the telcomms lady to Casualty Department