Ferry Docked at Little Bay

The ferry is the official means of travel to and from Montserrat to Antigua, which serves as the gateway for Montserrat to the outside world. The helicopter serves primarily to transport officials to and from Antigua and, to a much lesser extent, passengers who are able to get seats when available, as well as transporting medical emergencies out of Montserrat.

The schedule changes put back the ferry's evening arrival time in Montserrat from 5 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The helicopter's morning departure time in Montserrat was changed from 7.50.a.m. to 8.20 a.m., and evening arrival from 4.40 p.m. to 5.20 p.m., departure times from Montserrat being 10 minutes later.

Boarding the helicopter in Antigua

The helicopter often travels with available seats, mostly because there are no punitive measures for travelers who book seats and do not show up. The result being that before the schedule changes, other travelers, including officials who could not be confirmed for a specific flight because the two guaranteed official seats were taken, would show up as stand-by, but make the five-minute drive to the ferry at Little Bay if they learned by 7.30 a.m. or 4.30 p.m. that a seat wasn't available on the helicopter.

That option is no longer available, but Montserrat Aviation Services Ltd., who made the official announcement of the schedule changes, could give no definite reason for the change. They were not consulted but believe, instead, that a change to an earlier time for the helicopter would alleviate much of the booking problem and serve the public better.

Ministry of Communication and Works officials said that the changes are the result of requests to accommodate some flight arrivals and departures at V C Bird International airport in Antigua. The spokesman would not say by whom the requests were made, but said that the new schedule would also work better in accommodating the Montserrat Volcano Observatory in their use of the helicopter in monitoring of the volcano. It is apparent that some very select group with the power to do so were involved in obtaining the changes for not-so obvious and narrow reasons.

Speculations are that the new scheduling, particularly in the mornings, which could not be timely for most officials needing to get a full morning's work, sought to eliminate the ordinary public who would dare to wish to use the services of the helicopter.

However, the official at the Ministry said, "we have been receiving new dissatisfactory complaints, and the matter will be looked at with a view of reaching a working solution."

"I don't think there is reason for alarm, the minister said, "we assume this animal has been roaming the hills for some time now, without causing any harm to human beings."

Mr. Meade said that the ministry is making careful plans to capture the animal, which may involve assistance from DFID's helicopter service.

Still trying to calm fears, he said further, "We are extremely sensitive to the environmental implications of handling this animal," expressing concern about the safety of "society and our people."

He spoke of the safety of the animal also, saying: "We are concerned about the safety of the team, "who will try to capture the animal, and "we want the animal safe, alive and in-tact."

Earlier this week also, Chief veterinary surgeon Dr. Wilford Daniels confirmed by his observations the presence of "some feline animal." He said: "What we saw were several carcasses which give some evidence they were preyed upon by some feline animal. We noticed there were parts of carcasses with broken necks."

Livestock owners in the area have said they were not sure how many livestock may have been killed by the animal, as no one was sure how long it has been roaming the area. It is also doubtful that they would have any good count on the number of livestock that they own in the area.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the Montserrat National Trust (MNT), which first revealed the news of the possibility of the existence of the catlike animal in the Silver Hills, first captured on video by Mr. Arne Hammerlund, issued a factual statement in a press release. It states:

"On Saturday, April 22, 2000, a member of the Montserrat National Trust while on a hiking expedition in the Silver Hills, observed a feline or catlike species never recorded on the island.

"The hiker was able to take a video of the animal and presented it to the National Trust."

The release further said that the hiker went back to the area with two other persons three days later, when another video was taken of the animal.

The release stated that some conclusions have been made, "from the description of the hiker and an analysis of the video, by a Wildlife Biologist in the USA, who specializes in Mountain Lion sightings."

These conclusions confirm - "the animal sighted is approximately 26-28 inches in body length plus a tail of approximately 16 inches. The animal is approximately 16 inches high at the shoulder. This means that the feline is quite small and is about the size of a normal 'Montserrat dog.' It is not as large as a full-grown goat or sheep.

"The animal is quite shy and moves away from people, so there is no reason to be alarmed by its presence."

Confirming Minister Brunel Meade's earlier statements, the MNT is working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture "as well as other international agencies to identify the exact species and to develop strategies to protect the animal and to inform the public."

There have been several reports from different people of having seen this or a similar animal some time in the past, encouraging suspicions that the animal may have been brought to Montserrat very young and that it either escaped or was let loose in the hills when it had grown larger.

These pictures were taken from a TV screen - we will provide clearer images as soon as they become available.

Any serious evaluation of Montserrat and its woes inflicted by Hurricane Hugo, the current volcanic crisis, and a series of mixed up governments must find that its occupants deserve something more than the praiseworthy "resilient."

And any suggestion that the volcano is some sort of punishment from God could not be further from reality.

Courtesy of Government House, all media houses on island should have received copies of an Evaluation Report EV635, commissioned by the Department for International Development (DFID), and dated December 1999. It is titled "An Evaluation of HMG's Response to the Montserrat Volcanic Emergency," and it comes in two volumes. It was compiled by a seven-man evaluation team under the leadership of Dr. Edward Clay, Senior Research Associate at the Overseas Development Institute, London, who, judging from the biographical notes, comes well qualified for the job.

On the frontispiece of this report, after describing in three lines that DFID was formerly Overseas Development Administration (ODA) (which is what it was when the volcanic crisis started), it states: "The opinion expressed in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of DFID.

Although an in-depth study of this report is necessary and still to be done by anyone interested in knowing and understanding the truth, it doesn't take long to realise the necessity of the disclaimer, not does it take long to realise the almost imperious treatment that is finally being dished out to residents of Montserrat.

It must be understood that no one in Montserrat believes that HMG is not doing anything "good" for or to Montserrat, but the results are definitely in spite of them.

The report is quite skillfully put together, but it does resemble what we have become used to seeing. Read the details after the opening paragraphs in each section and you are forced to go back to the opening paragraphs. But even with that let us repeat that so far it is not a report that DFID should be proud of presenting.

In the conclusions we find under the first heading "An Achievement for Montserratians and a qualified success for HMG." What do they mean? "The disaster response by HMG in supporting the Government of Montserrat and assisting the island's people since July 1995 has been a success in comparison with many other recent natural disasters elsewhere in the developing world. But that success is qualified by less satisfactory aspects of the response and its consequences. The considerable achievement of the people of Montserrat is to have coped with the continuing volcanic threat and then adapt to the devastating effects of the eruption."

This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the document. What if the success was not compared with "many other recent natural disasters elsewhere in the developing world ?" And what would Dr. Clay and his team have to say if they were to comment today? They explained the statement about "considerable achievement" to mean "the achievement of the people of Montserrat to have coped with the continuing volcanic threat and then adapt to the devastating effects of the eruption."

The authors of the report did not let off the Government of Montserrat (GoM) either, giving them their share of the blame. Referring to how the risk management strategy followed by HMG and the GoM, and of how scientific information and contingency planning were taken into account, they concluded, "…suggests that some successful outcomes were achieved more by luck than judgement."

That statement is explained, and in some detail, mentioning the fact that even up to now there is delay in implementing projects and the time it takes for projects to be approved, particularly at the height of the crisis; the fact that up to now (the report took into consideration information up to September last year) the Soft Mortgage Scheme is well behind schedule, like so many other projects have been.

The report speaks to the disastrous effects of "Waiting on the Volcano." It recalls the "growing perception on the Montserratian side that DFID, in particular, was acting ungenerously, preferring cost-minimising solutions to immediate needs which jeopardised longer-term development."

The real problem, and the only reason the word success can be attributed to any part of this crisis, is that Montserrat is really a small place. But it is an island with inhabitants. That is what makes it so difficult to understand the strategy in trying to fix it.

The team captured that the "volcanic crisis has had a devastating economic impact. Most of the island's administrative, commercial and industrial facilities, as well as much of its infrastructure (including tourism) and prime agricultural land, have been destroyed or are inaccessible in the short to medium term." According to the report, the scale of losses is incomplete and unofficial insurance industry sources put it as high as £1 billion.

Put into perspective, under the heading HMG'S PERFORMANCE: CRITERIA FOR EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT: "The Montserrat emergency is unusual as a natural disaster. It was protracted and caused a near total collapse of the private sector economy…" It is this, along with the fact that the disaster is really not like any other, that HMG has yet to acknowledge (our size notwithstanding).

That done, they must then continue to expect Montserratians, proud as they are and their desire to enjoy again a particular standard of living, just to turn around and be where and what they were five years ago, as if this was just a blip in their history. Far too much mileage is on our tires, which are worn and soft.

One thing about this report, it is simply much more detailed than that of the HMG "Select Committee" that had condemned their own government for their handling of the crisis. The Dr. Clay team had contacted a very extensive list of persons; almost every senior person in the civil service, government, business, just about anyone. Only two were missing: Magistrate Rhys Burris, who had so many pertinent things to say following the Inquest into the deaths on June 25, 1997, and anyone identified as being the man on the street.

Dear Editor,

The letter in last week's Reporter, "If You Need a Scapegoat, Point to 'Rich Americans'," referred to a comment made by a British Government employee in a public place for all to hear. It quoted the employee as having said, "We are spending $800,000 on six rich Americans" in Isles Bay.
The variation I heard was "We have already spent $800,000 on six rich Americans" in Isles Bay.

Either way, the statement smacks of a shortsighted mentality and a desire or willingness to minimize Montserrat's future ability to be economically self-sufficient.
One has to wonder what the statement is actually implying. That the attitudes toward spending for Isles Bay would be different were it for "poor" Americans? Or for "rich British"? Or "rich Montserratians"?

In any of these cases, the statement shows an attitude of DISCRIMINATION AND
PREJUDICE and should be subjected to serious reprimand.
Prior to the volcano, permanent residency in Isles Bay was not greater than six families. Its contribution and importance to Montserrat's economy has never been based on its number of permanent residents. If the decision to spend IN Isles Bay is a dollars and cents decision based solely on the number of permanent households, then let's factor in the fact that the
propensity for Isles Bay property owners to spend larger dollar amounts on island per household offers an enhanced return for each dollar spent.

Let's also remember that the substantial dollars to be pumped into Montserrat's economy in future years by Isles Bay property owners through taxes and utility usage revenues, as well as Customs and Port charges far exceeding the national average per household, are dollars not required to be spent by British taxpayers to fund ongoing deficits.

And let's not forget the incomes to be generated for Montserratians to be employed in Isles Bay and the related income taxes they will pay to Montserrat.
Isles Bay is a community of approximately 34 homes, not just "six rich Americans." Substantially all the owners, including eight British and six Montserratians that I can think of, are willing to return to their previous patterns of house usage just as soon as the infrastructure is restored. This is not speculation but fact based on e-mail correspondence with well over half of all Isles Bay property owners. I wonder what research this
Government employee has done?
Isles Bay, arguably, represents the most visible symbol of foreign private investment in the Safe Zone on the island. When your strategy for the future includes a mandate to attract foreign investment to the island, you fail to support a policy of redevelopment for this highly visible area at your own peril!

One of the caveats of successful investing has always been "INVESTIGATE, THEN INVEST." No investor will consider Montserrat once they investigate only to find a
prevailing attitude of reluctance to work with those who have come before.
A high-ranking British official recently told me, "A more understanding approach on your part and that of some of your members might pay dividends." I think a more understanding, thoughtful and visionary approach by the person who made the "six rich Americans" comment, as well as others embracing the same shortsighted, biased, and discriminatory attitude, would pay dividends for Montserrat and actually minimize the amount of time and money British taxpayers will have to put into this place in the long run.
Doug Darby

Lime Kiln Beach

Dear Mr. Editor;
Please grant me some space in your paper to react to something I read in the 28th April edition of the Montserrat Reporter. This feedback has been triggered by the article under the headline "Chief Minister Reacts to MCC Lottery View". I understand the subjective nature of the issue, and the fact that there would probably never be any absolute right or wrong position to defend.
However, I am in strong disagreement with the MCC position that "the introduction of a lottery could lead to compulsive gambling." Over the years raffles have been used by a range of organizations on Montserrat, and elsewhere, as a very effective means of generating revenue.

Yet there have not been any cases where people who support such raffles (or even win) are known to develop a stronger taste for gambling. It is easy for me to compare the lottery with a raffle, because the same basic principles apply, in my opinion. Each raffle ticket has a combination of numbers in more or less the same fashion that a person would choose a combination of numbers upon buying a lotto ticket. The final draw is eventually held and the person with the matching combination of numbers wins.
I doubt whether the same comparison could be made with hardcore casino gambling.
Over my years in Montserrat I can vividly recall quite a few individuals who probably would have fitted the description of a compulsive gambler. And this would have been long before the prevalence of lotto-mania. My point being that such persons did not need to be stimulated. Their motivation could have been inherent. The chances of that changing in the present and future generations are probably slim.
The Montserrat Christian Council is a highly regarded institution, but it is my view that it could have been over dramatic about the possible effects of a local lottery. My love for Montserrat is equally strong, and I'm concerned about the introduction of anything which could be denigrating. I do not anticipate a dramatic upsurge in the number of compulsive gamblers on island if a local lottery is introduced tomorrow.

Joseph A. Daley

For reading meditation –1Corinthians 3:10-15 ‘For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."(V.11)

On this our last day together we gather up what we have been saying.

We began by looking at the story, which Jesus told concerning two men, one of whom built his house on sand while the other built his house on rock. A fierce storm arose, says Jesus, and the house that was built on sand collapsed whereas the house that was built on rock was undamaged. How do we build on rock? Our Lord made it clear:

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matt.7: 24) .All of His sayings, we agreed. Are summarised for us in the eight Beatitudes, and when we adopt the attitudes Jesus taught, we build on rock- we establish a house no storm can destroy.

And what are those eight attitudes? The first is this: Help I can’t make it on my own. Second: I will face and feel all reality, no matter how unpleasant it may be. Third: Because my trust is in God and I know He will come through for me, I will accept the things I cannot change. Fourth: I will not suppress the longings God has put within me but ensure that they are directed towards the right ends. Fifth: I will treat others the way God treats me. Sixth: No dirt or filth shall defile me. I will be a clean vessel in the hands of the Lord. Seventh: Wherever I find a breach I will build a bridge. Eighth: I will not compromise my convictions no matter what the outcome may be.

Build these attitudes into your life and no matter how severe the tempest, your house will remain firm. You will be as solid as rock.

Gracious God, I see that when I adopt these attitudes I can survive anything. Help me to practise them minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Indeed, all the days of my life. In Christ’s Name. Amen

Chief Minister the Honourable David S. Brandt has missed the summit of Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) leaders taking place in Grenada because of a prolonged knee ailment that has bothered him over some years.

Mr. Brandt was forced to seek medical attention in Antigua twice this weekend, leaving for a second time on Wednesday morning and being hospitalised at a private hospital in Antigua. The problem seems to have been aggravated to the point he is seeking to ensure that something could be done to it

Mr. Brandt is being represented at the OECS summit in Grenada by the Honourable Brunel Meade, Minister of Lands, Housing, Agriculture and Environment, who is being accompanied by Chief of Staff Salas Hamilton.

Minister of Communications and Works Rupert Weekes is the acting Chief Minister.

Something relatively new for mulches in American's gardens is lava rock, not just a variation on bark and other wood mulch, but an everlasting mulch.

Lava rock is a volcanic stone mined in Colorado and other Western states, from deep volcanic cones. It is basically aerated lava, a little like pumice, and is one third the weight of standard rocks.

It comes in black, red, and gold colors and, laid in garden beds, conserves moisture, naturally insulates, reduces the need for watering, won't blow or rain away, does not fade or degrade, and keeps weeds under control. And because it does not attract termites and carpenter ants, it can be put up against a house foundation. And it can be cleaned with a garden hose and raked if it gets embedded in the ground.

It is sold in garden centers in two sizes, pebble and nugget, and is expensive: $3.39 to $6.29 per cubic foot. For a source near you, call west Colorado Aggregate, miners of lava rock: 800-727-9959.

St. Vincent, CANA - Trade Union leader Fitz Jones and head of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines' parliamentary opposition, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, left Thursday afternoon for a round of talks with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders in Grenada, aimed at a peace settlement.

On Thursday the nation braced for another round of anti-government protests, as Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders continued searching for a solution to a political crisis here.

Early Thursday, vehicles were massing at the leeward and windward ends of St. Vincent for another protest drive into the capital, Kingstown, even though the police said they had not given permission for the move.

A similar wheeled protest Wednesday caused chaos across St. Vincent, where labour and political groups are pressing for the government's resignation over Parliament's approval of higher pensions and gratuities for MPs.

The protests appeared set to continue after a CARICOM team led by Community Chairman and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas reported no quick fix solution after meeting with the St. Vincent cabinet, opposition politicians, trade unionists, business leaders and other groups in an effort defuse the volatile political situation in this Caribbean country.

Dr. Douglas told journalists he was convinced of the urgent need for dialogue leading towards resolution of the crisis.

The Organisation in Defence of Democracy, a grouping including trade unions and the opposition Unity Labour Party, has been spearheading protest action to force the government's resignation and the holding of fresh general elections. ODD maintained its position that any dialogue must include the issue of fresh general elections.

However, at least one of the members of the CARICOM team seemed opposed to government giving in to the demands for fresh general elections, according to reports from persons engaged in the meetings Wednesday.

The CARICOM team, which also included Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, former Barbados attorney-general Maurice King and professor Edward Greene as advisers, met first with the St. Vincent Cabinet in the morning.
Discussions were also held with the opposition Unity Labour Party, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Employers Federation, the National Youth Council, the National Labour Congress and the Organisation in Defense of Democracy.

Dr. Douglas said the CARICOM team recognised there is a breakdown of confidence between the government and the people now engaged in the escalating protests and industrial action but did not feel it was too late for dialogue.
The mediating team is expected to evaluate its findings and report back to the CARICOM Bureau with its list of recommendations, but Dr. Douglas said there is need for a further visit to Kingstown, though he did not name a date.

Earlier in the week, a task force set up by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU) visited schools Tuesday to provide moral support to teachers who may have been pressured to return to school as their colleagues.
A protest spokesman told CANA that persons have been targeting teachers individually to get them to return to school and named opposition Member of Parliament for Central Kingstown, Ken Boyea, among them.

Mr. Boyea, whose party is part of the ODD, has publicly lamented the teachers' action, which he said would adversely affect the future of students who are getting ready to take end of term examinations.
Teachers voted last Friday to continue withholding their services -- they have been off the job since April 19 -- in support of the protest.

Protest leaders said they have publicly offered to meet with the education authorities to work out a mechanism for rescheduling examinations in order to minimise the impact of their actions but have not had a response from the Education Ministry.

St. Thomas, USVI, CANA - A 32-year-old St. Thomas security guard has been charged with consistently raping his 10-year-old daughter since she was 5 years old.
The man is said to have shown pornographic videos to his little daughter, after which he made her perform some of the acts shown on the video.
The situation was revealed in documents filed in the Territorial Court which led to the arrest and subsequent aggravated rape charge brought against him.
The child told investigators that for five years she repeatedly told adults what was happening to her, but no one helped. Finally the girl was taken to the Schneider Hospital and examination confirmed that the child was consistently assaulted.
The father, who is now in custody, faces the maximum penalty of life in prison for aggravated rape and a minimum sentence of 10 years.
It is the third reported rape of a minor in the United States Virgin Islands in the last four days.
Fourteen children have been reported raped in the territory for the year out of a total of 22 rapes.

In January, Prime Minister Panday branded several media "enemies" and invited his supporters to wage "virtual war" against them.
Those under attack feel not enough is being done to improve the situation and have expressed the need for international pressure on the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago.
As one journalist put it, "The Trinidad and Tobago authorities should refrain from remarks that could incite violence against the media, especially in the light of the upcoming elections when the political climate could heat up.
"It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that all citizens, including those whose job it is to gather and disseminate information, enjoy full freedom of expression," the organisation added.
Elsewhere in the region, journalists have been arrested and charged with criminal offences in connection with their professional activities.

In Grenada, broadcast journalist Stanley Charles was accused of sedition based on statements he made on a radio show after the sudden resignation of Grenada's Foreign Affairs Minister.
In the Bahamas, senator and radio journalist Obie Wilchcombe was sentenced to four days in prison for protecting the confidentiality of his sources of information. His sentence was later stayed and his case is under appeal.
Amendments to legislation proposed in various countries in the English-speaking Caribbean also indicate disturbing attempts at limiting free expression through the media.
For example in Jamaica, the recently debated Anti-Corruption Bill contained a clause providing for fines and imprisonment for journalists who publish leaked information given to the Commission charged with investigating alleged corruption among civil servants.
However, the bill was put on hold following vocal criticism and demonstrations from leading media personnel, backed by a widespread cross-section of civil society.
The English-speaking Caribbean has a long tradition of vigorous political debate that is healthy for any democracy, the human rights organisation said. And it urged politicians in the region to accept the debate of ideas and criticism in a constructive manner.
"The governments of the Caribbean states must take action to uphold the region's tradition of free speech and to ensure the full protection in law and practice of the right to freedom of expression of all their citizens, including journalists and media workers," the organisation said.

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico, CANA-Reuters - U.S. agents on Thursday arrested several dozen protesters at the gates of a U.S. military base on this Puerto Rican island, moving to end a year-long siege by demonstrators demanding an end to U.S. military exercises and bombing on the island.
The protesters, including U.S. lawmakers and a Catholic priest, had been expecting the move by FBI agents and U.S. marshals for weeks and put up no resistance to the predawn action. Other protesters camped out on the bombing range at the base were also being removed, U.S. officials said.
The arrests marked a move by the U.S. government to end the occupation of Camp Garcia, which began more than a year ago, shortly after an errant bomb killed a civilian security guard at the base.
Protesters have demanded the U.S. Navy stop bombing at Vieques, clean up toxic chemicals and unexploded ordnance at the base and return the land to the people of the island.
"This is a grand victory for the people of Vieques," protest leader Robert Rabin called out over a bullhorn to a crowd of about 100 people before he and the other protesters were led away.
As Puerto Rico police lined the road in front of the base, FBI agents and U.S. Marshals emerged from the front gate before dawn, passing through a chain link fence covered with white ribbons by the protesters. Nearby, a sign read "381 days of peace, taken from the oppressors."
"You are trespassing on a U.S. Naval Reservation. You must leave the property immediately," a U.S. Marshal announced to the protesters. "If you do not leave the property immediately we will have to remove you physically."
When none of the four or five dozen protesters moved, they were led into the base without violence in small groups.
"It's a matter of justice. This is totally unfair and we need to put pressure on the U.S. government to give back the land that belongs to the people of Vieques," said U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat, as she was led away.
Marshals also took away Luisa Guadalupe, 82, a longtime protester at the front gates of Camp Garcia; and Lolita Lebron, 80, a legendary figure in Puerto Rico who served 25 years in prison for her participation in a 1954 attack on the U.S. Congress in which several lawmakers were wounded.
The furore over Vieques erupted after the death in April 1999 of civilian security guard David Sanes Rodriguez during a botched Navy bombing practice run. A movement sprang up demanding closure of the base.
Gov. Pedro Rossello and the Navy reached an agreement in January which called for the range to be opened for three more years using dummy bombs, during which time the Navy would call a referendum for Vieques voters to decide whether they want the Navy to leave. Protesters say the deal offers no guarantees and they want the range to remain closed.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a security zone in the waters around the base to prevent additional protesters from arriving for at least the next several days, said Justice Department officials.
Inside the base, protesters at about 14 camps were also being rounded up and arrested, authorities said. Protesters who were not arrested outside the gates cheered as those taken inside the base triumphantly held up their hands, wrists bound with plastic ties. Residents said they were elated that the long-awaited arrests had finally taken place and the fight for the return of the base could move to other arenas, including courts and Congress.
"I'm proud to be an American citizen. I have respect for the United States. But when it comes down to this, it hurts," said Vieques resident Ricardo Jordan, 42. "We're seeing the real face of the Navy."
Puerto Ricans, whose islands are a U.S. territory, have long demanded an end to bombing practice runs on Vieques.

Nurses in Antigua are protesting the hiring of Cuban medical personnel and the decision by government to give them a one-off payment of US $1,000.
About 20 nurses of the Holberton Hospital, rotating their lunch-break, staged a quiet picketing demonstration outside the office of Prime Minister Lester Bird.
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Nurses Association (ABNA) Elnora Warner says the nurses are objecting to the stipend to be paid to the Cuban nurses on the grounds that it would amount to a disparity between what was paid to local nurses.

Barbados, CANA - A three-day regional ministerial consultation on capacity building in public administration and governance for Caribbean states in the 21st Century will open in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on May 15.
Ministers and officials responsible for public sector reform and issues of governance will participate in the consultation. The feature address at the opening session will be delivered by the Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States, Dr. Norman Girvan of Jamaica.
The consultation has been organised by the Barbados-based Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) in cooperation with the Trinidad and Tobago government, United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and the government of Italy.
The consultation is a biennial event, organised by CARICAD to promote regional cooperation on issues related to improved performance of public administrations and to foster a "policy dialogue" between elected and non-elected officials and also with representatives of the region's social partners in the labour movement and private sector.

MAJOR DECISIONS FACING OECS HEADS

Amid much media publicity about its future, Heads of State of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) meet in Grenada Thursday May 4^th and Friday 5^th to take decisions on several matters of far reaching importance.

The financial status of the OECS Secretariat and the on-going commitment of member governments to the Organisation have dominated the recent discussion, but the Summit also faces critical issues relating to Telecommunications, Cruise Tourism, Air Transportation, Disaster Management, Integrity Legislation, International Relations, Judicial Reform and an OECS Strategy for Economic and Social Development.

Director General Mr. Swinburne Lestrade’s report to the Heads includes a review of the work, priorities, structure, finance and vision of the Organisation. He has already publicly indicated his intention to ask Heads to consider moving towards an "East Caribbean Union of Independent States" (ECUIS) as the next step in the integration process.

An OECS Institutional Review Task Force, set up in May 1998 under Chairman Crispin Sorhaindo, presents recommendations on the financial viability, size and structure of the OECS Secretariat and its institutions.

Heads also get the Work Programme and Budget of the Secretariat and other Offices of the OECS for 2000-2001.

The Telecommunications Reform Project, under Manager Donnie DeFreitas, will give a status report and update Heads on negotiations with Cable and Wireless over liberalisation of the telecommunications sector. A negotiating team, headed by Minister Calixte George of St. Lucia and including Ministers and Technocrats from all OECS Member States, has been pursuing the mandate to "hold discussions with the Cable and Wireless negotiating team with a view to developing new licensing arrangements for the provision of telecommunication services in a competitive environment".

The Heads are due to sign an agreement establishing the "Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority" (ECTEL) which will act as a regulatory body for the Telecommunications sector in participating member states.

Last year’s decision by Carnival Cruise Lines to discontinue weekly calls to Grenada prompted a review of current developments in cruise tourism and a look at strategic directions to ensure OECS member states continue to benefit from this segment of their tourism industry. This should lead to an OECS Policy on Cruise Tourism.

Air Transportation is undergoing major changes – the declining state of affairs of LIAT, two new companies, EC Express and Caribbean Star, the movement of BWIA from the main gateways to inter-island travel. There are also four other airlines, American Eagle, Air Guadeloupe, Helen Air and Air Caribbean. The current situation raises concern about the regulatory capacity and framework to monitor and control this increased level of service. Heads will get a proposal outlining critical issues to be considered in the elaboration of a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework.

Heads will also be called upon to increase the efficiency of disaster management systems and to look at instituting common Integrity Legislation.

Bananas top the agenda. Heads will give direction in relation to the European Union’s alternative banana import regime, devised to help resolve its dispute with the U.S. and some Latin American countries.

The OECS Secretariat has been preparing jointly with the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) for WTO Negotiations 2000, but will update heads on matters impacting on the unique characteristics of the OECS Member States. There will also be an update on Post Lome IV negotiations and The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

Six independent OECS Member States formally applied in 1996 to join the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Heads will discuss options for proceeding with their application.

The revised Caricom Treaty appears to have incorporated some aspects of the East Caribbean Common Market (ECCM) arrangements which government economic relations among OECS Member States. OECS Heads will determine the value of maintaining these arrangements.

The Heads will be updated on the work of a Joint Technical Team, on a Long Term Development Strategy for the OECS. The team drawn from the OECS Secretariat and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has been holding consultations with various stakeholders in Member States.

Issues in Off-shore Financial Services, the June 2000 CGCED meeting at the World Bank in Washington, and the phase three of the Canadian government’s assistance to OECS Member States through the Eastern Caribbean Management Programme – ECEMP III.

The OECS Heads are expected to agree to establishing Judicial Reform Committees in Member States. They will also be updated on ongoing dialogue USAID, CIDA and the IDB aimed at mobilising support for judicial reform activities in the sub-region. Specific requests have been made for computerisation of the Supreme Court, the Introduction of a Court Reporting System and the provision of a short term Judicial Reform Consultant.

Pakistan is now crying out for Saeed Anwar to join Inzamam. There is no doubt that Pakistan will have a formidable batting team in the future, as they have invested in youth.
This brittle batting line-up could easily fall victim to the collective experience of the West Indies firepower. The combined experience of Ambrose, Walsh and King could easily destroy the Pakistani batting on a bowling-friendly wicket. And as they have done again and again, the Asians could perform below par on any given day.
The West Indies team's perennial problem or cancer is its inability to bat "the West Indies Way." And until the decision-makers demonstrate the guts to take mature decisions to cure that cancer, West Indies cricket will remain at the lower end of the international market.
The big problem for the upcoming three-test matches against the Pakistanis is how do our batsmen deal with the web of uncertainty spun by Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq, the threatening swing of Wasim Akram and the lethal speed of Shoaib Akhtar? The real concern, however, is our batsmen's inability to deal with the mystique of Mushtaq Ahmed and the speed and accuracy of Shoaib Akhtar.
This is not a matter to gloss over, as the context of the game will be radically altered. The playing conditions will allow the craftsmen to exhibit their craft at will. The playing conditions of the one-day game, which create an unleveled playing field for batters and bowlers, will be no more. Bowlers will no longer be punished for doing legitimate things and will not be prevented from exploiting the weaknesses of mediocre batters.
The make-shift rules that create a batsman-friendly environment in the one-dayers, and which often force even class bowlers to employ negative bowling tactics because of their punitive character, will be relaxed. The conditions will be set for testing the mettle of all the candidates and for separating the boys from the men.
In the Test match (real test), our limited and inexperienced batsmen will face the music as it is produced. They will face the Pakistani bowlers who can bowl and will permitted to bowl at will for long hours or for a full session if the captain so desires. The captain and bowler may employ any legitimate offensive or defensive tactic to apply pressure, to exploit a weakness, to test the temperament, to inflict pain and mental anguish or to inflict bodily harm.

Moreover, the lethal bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis, and the mesmerizing bowlers, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq, can bowl in tandem for long hours or for a full session if that is functional for the team.
And I am sure that you have not forgotten that our present batsmanship is not internationally competitive. Busta's 2000 message (the message from the Busta Cup, the domestic tournament) was: "West Indies batting is not up to standard!" The fact is that our young batsmen, as well as our senior batsmen, do not possess the requisite technique, craftsmanship, artistry, tenacity, perseverance and consistency that must transform them into pedigree batsmen in the short term.

The one-day games will not help correct their weaknesses in foot movements, their restricted repertoire of strokes, their limitations against quality spin and swing bowling, their inability to negotiate threatening fast bowling, and their incapacity to adapt in difficult batting conditions. They must develop those skills in the real cricket.
And the finals of the triangular tournament confirmed the batsmen's incapability to play quality bowling. With the departure of Carl Hooper, the most complete batsman in the world, and the withdrawal of Brian Lara, every one of our batsmen is vulnerable against the spin bowling - Sherwin Campbell, Jimmy Adams, Wavell Hinds, Christopher Gayle and Ricardo Powell.

They all cannot bat genuine spin and seemed easy prey for Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. In fact many of the runs they scored off Mushtaq Ahmed in the one-dayers came from edges, lucky improvisations, involuntary shots, "agricultural shots" and "machete shots."

Our batsmen's greatest problem is their inability to read the leggie from the hand. They get themselves in a tangle web when they try to read him off the pitch. The googly often makes them look stupid. As a result, they anchor themselves in the crease and prod reluctantly forward.
The last match of the three finals was particularly instructive.
The Pakistani bowlers having mesmerized the batsmen, not allowing them any liberties. Mushtaq Ahmed struck when he got Philo Wallace stumped for a solid 30, with West Indies at 61 for 2. Mushtaq was now striking like lightening. His guile appeared beyond the comprehension of most batsmen.
Wavell Hinds was the next to go with West Indies now at 71 for 4. Ricardo Powell walked away at the same score. With 71 being the unlucky figure, the West Indies lost three wickets at the same total. West Indies was reduced to 71 for 5, Mushtaq having captured 3 wickets in one over.
Wavell Hinds was destroyed like a novice; he stood in his crease stupidly, "mesmerized" by the leg-break and bowled off-stump. Christopher Gayle was literally undone by his inability to read from which one was coming to him. Ricardo Powell, exhibiting lack of temperament and poor footwork, was cut down in the same manner.
Jimmy Adams was cut-down by Shoaib Akhtar's lightning speed. And even if he was stale, coming from a prolonged injury, no one was able to play him comfortably. Philo Wallace edged him strong and Sherwin Campbell edged him stronger.

Shoaib Akhtar, having come for his second spell, played havoc with the ball. He clean bowled skipper Jimmy Adams and Curtly Ambrose at the same total.

What would I do? I would send three young warriors into the war. I would broaden our options and change one or two of our men of war. I would opt for a larger pool to develop into gladiators over time. I would prove them by having them purged in the fire and tried in the crucible of torture and psychological warfare.
Who do I refer to? I humbly refer to the inclusion of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sylvester Joseph and Runako Morton in that order. On the basis of experience, Sarwan is definitely the best on the "readiness ladder;" the highest in the "pecking order;" and the most senior in terms of performance, having scored two centuries for the West Indies President XI against the Zimbabweans in this series.
Given the limitation of the current batters, I would not include Adrian Griffith and Ricardo Powell in my Test eleven. I would definitely include Christopher Gayle and Wavell Hinds, because the first is a talented batsman and the second is a resilient occupier of the crease.
My West Indies Test eleven for the first test in Georgetown, Guyana, would definitely include: Sherwin Campbell, Christopher Gayle (as opener), Wavell Hinds, Jimmy Adams, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ridley Jacobs, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Reon King.
Ramnaresh Sarwan would make his Test debut in his home country on May 5, 2000, as a middle-order West Indian batsman - an investment for the millennium.
How do you pick? Pound for pound, the Pakistanis go into the series as favourites. They have the only class batsman and the superior bowling combination for our limited batting line-up.
But, as usual, a lot will depend on the fitness, hunger and meanness of Ambrose, Walsh and King, particularly as Walsh would like to extend his tally of wickets beyond his competitors.
The Rawalpindi Express is about to leave the station, what is your pick?
PHOTO CAPTION: Ramnaresh Sarwan, a rising star (Photo: Peter Adrien)

(Government Information Services (G.I.S.) is an information service produced and prepared in the office of the Chief Minister and published as a paid for service.)

More emphasis than ever is being placed on developing the island’s human resources. Recently appointed Chief Training Officer Mrs. Daphne Cassell says Training Needs Assessment has been completed, which would give the Department of Administration an idea of the needs of the public service. She says these data are now being analyzed, but there are plenty of training programmes available now.

Junior members of the public service level have benefited from an induction-training programme.

Chief Training Officer Daphne Cassell says the Training Division in the Department of Administration conducted two induction-training programmes recently.

Forty-two persons participated, including clerical officers and officers who were not previously exposed.

The programmes, entitled "All About Government – Orientation," ran from March 29^th to 30^th and April 25^th and 26^th. According to Mrs. Cassell, at the end of the programme participants were expected to be aware of the organizational structure and functions of the Public Service, and be sensitized to the lines of communication at different levels of the service.

Mrs. Cassell said that it helped participants to be aware of the existence of the regulatory manuals and their purpose, and appreciate the importance of practicing work ethics. The facilitators were the Honourable Financial Secretary C. T. John, Permanent Secretary Administration Claudia Roach, Chairperson of the Public Service Commission Alfreda Meade, member of the Public Service Commission Karl Markham, and Mrs. Cassell.

Photographers on Montserrat have a chance to take part in an international photographic exhibition.

The Commonwealth Broadcast Association announces its second Commonwealth Photographic Awards.

The competition is open to all Commonwealth citizens and carries a cash prize of £2000. There are also other cash prizes for 30 runners-up.

In a press release the CBA says the competition is held under the theme, "Communication," and entrants are invited to submit entries in either in black and white or color. Most of the winning photographs will be featured in a television programme based on the awards and made available for broadcast in over 40 countries around the Commonwealth. There will also be several exhibitions around the world incorporating the winning photographs. Persons living here who are interested can contact ZJB for more details.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Gordon Avery said the Chicken Pox epidemic on Montserrat is largely over. Dr Avery announced that over 45 cases of the virus-caused disease were reported the week ending April 29^. The figures showed a decline in the number of children getting infected, but a large number of adults have contracted the virus he said.

Dr. Avery is particularly pleased that the chicken pox cases are decreasing among the children, enabling them to get back to school after an extra week of vacation because of the outbreak. How he said, "The chicken pox is more serious among adults. The CMO explains that adults, including parents who have contracted the disease, and some of their children have developed pock marks on their faces and arms, and in some cases inside the mouth and the throat.

A securities act will be passed in the Legislative Council shortly to bring Montserrat in line with efforts to introduce an Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange.

According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, all eight member states, including Montserrat, have indicated that the Securities Act 2000 will be passed by July, therefore making the ECSE a fully operational entity. The ECCB says work s continuing on fine tuning the Securities Act, uniform legislation, which will provide the supporting legal and regulatory framework to govern the operations of the ECSE, the Central Depository and the Central Securities Registry.

This legislation will also govern all securities business by intermediaries, issuers and investors in the eight-member territories of the ECCB currency area.

The ECSE is the first organized regional securities market in the Western Hemisphere and provides a platform for the trading of stocks, bonds and Government securities.

Representatives of the National Youth Council met recently with Government officials to discuss the location of a headquarters for the NYC. The meeting, which included the Honourable Chief Minister and the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Lands Housing and the Environment, considered the donation of a third of an acre of land at Davy Hill for the NYC.

The Physical Planning Unit was asked to source two porta-cabins, which will be used as temporary headquarters. The youth organization officials also discussed the construction of a permanent headquarters for the NYC, perhaps at the proposed site for the new capital at Little Bay.

The Government is organizing a meeting with the residents of Lookout next week to discuss the sewage problem. Officials are not quite sure why the sewage treatment plant is producing an unusually strong odor much to the discomfort of people living in the area.

The government says it has commissioned a study to look into the situation and ministers are expected to update residents on the findings during the meeting next week.

The Montserrat Tourist Board (MTB) training session for all Tour Guides and Service Ambassadors on the island started on Tuesday May 2. The six-week training exercise will take place at the MTB’s Office in Olveston. Among the topics to be addressed are culture and language, the flora and fauna of Montserrat, geology, history and politics, the economics of Montserrat, and first aid assistance. The training programme is a follow up to a successful one held earlier this year.

Nurses will observe Nurses Week in May.

The week of activities, which begins on May 7^th, will be held under the theme Nurses and Nursing: Agents of Change in a Changing World."

Some of the activities include an address by the president of the Association and radio programmes on ZJB, and an exhibition displaying the skills of members of the Health staff. The Nurses Association will also hold its annual convention at the Vue Pointe Hotel on May 12^th.

The association’s variety concert, a highlight of the past, is back. This will take place at the Vue Pointe Hotel on Saturday May 13^th.

A large cat has been sighted at Silver Hills.

Recent video evidence has led officials in the Ministry of Agriculture to suspect that this animal may be a Puma.

Further investigations are being carried out to confirm the identity of the animal and to decide an appropriate course of action. According to researchers, a puma is also known as cougar, panther or mountain lion, native to North and South America.

It has thick fur that ranges from reddish-brown in tropical forms to bluish-gray in northern forms.

The puma has a small head and small rounded, black tipped ears Adults may be more than eight feet long from head to tail, and generally weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. According to officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the puma generally avoids human contact, but they are advising persons to be careful when in that area.

On Tuesday May 2, the Minister for Agriculture the Honorable Brunel Meade called a press conference to update the public about the action taken by his ministry so far. Mr Meade said that persons from his ministry carried out a survey in the Silver Hills and found evidence which confirms the presents of the animal.

He also stated that dead animals in the area point to the mountain lion, and that livestock farmers in the area have reported a number of sheep and goats missing. The Minister continued by saying that outside help is being sought to capture the animal alive and it will be kept someplace on behalf of the people of Montserrat.

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Works Rupert Weekes is leaning towards a full merger of the two utility companies, the Montserrat Water Authority and the Montserrat Electricity Services.

Speaking to reporters. Mr. Weekes said it seems likely that the government would merge the two companies. Already there is functionally co-operation between the two utilities and soon both organizations would issue joint bills. There are also plans for consumers to pay their bills at one location.

In related news members of the Montserrat Allied Workers Union (MAWU) met recently with workers from both the Montserrat Water Authority and MONLEC to discuss the merger. The meeting was called to gauge workers' views on the matter, which would then be forwarded to a steering committee.

According to a union official, the workers will submit their own proposals in relation to redundancy. The official says MAWU supports a merger once it is done to the mutual satisfaction of the workers and other parties involved.

The new dome at the Soufriere Hills Volcano continues to grow steadily despite low level activity over the past few weeks. Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory Dr. Simon Young says the rate of growth is now about five cubic meters per second, which carries the size of the new dome to 15 million cubic meters. He says the growth is on the eastern side of the volcano and any real fall out of this activity is still six to eight weeks away. However, Dr. Young refuses to speculate that the eruption is coming to an end.

(photo - Eston farrell)

Vice president of the Montserrat Civil Service Association (CSA) Easton Farrell has called on members to get more involved.

In response to questions about the CSA’s silence on a number of issues in recent times, Mr. Farrell said the general membership of the union must give more support and backing to the executive. He said without this support the union’s executive would not be able to achieve much.

Mr. Farrell also pointed out that public servants have been afraid to join the union because people, "tend to get political." The CSA vice president says no one should be scared to join the organization, because he or she would have the full backing of the union.

Meanwhile Mr. Farrell points out that the CSA has had a successful recruitment drive. He says the union is now happy with its membership, which was depleted by 40 to 60 per cent by migration and the Resource Allocation Review.

In related news, the CSA is taking issue with the government on the General Orders, the set of rules used to manage the public service. In an interview aired on ZJB on Labour Day Monday, Mr. Farrell said the General Orders violate international labour standards.

Without going into too much detail, Mr. Farrell said the union is reviewing the document. He said this is just one of the concerns of the CSA.

The Government’s efforts to accelerate the reconstruction and redevelopment of the island takes another positive step forward.

Director of Development Angela Greenaway says the Development Unit started a series of workshops on Project Planning and Management. Mrs. Greenaway says during the seminars, which started earlier this week, public servants from various government departments and agencies will be taught how to write projects. She says this would reduce the reliance on the Development Unit in writing projects that are to go to the British Government for approval.

The training course has several modules, including functional analysis, project cycle management, report writing, and project evaluation, and will be conducted by members of the Development Unit staff.

The Honourable Minister of Education health and Community Services has complimented Cable and Wireless for their support to education.

The telecommunications company has donated computers to both primary schools and the secondary school and has also provided free Internet service.

Mrs. Tuitt says the help of Cable and Wireless has given a boost to the education department’s information technology programme in the schools.

The Department of Community Services says it is in the process of recruiting such foster parents from among members of the community, because some children on the island are in need of foster parents for a variety of reasons.

Among those it cited illness and situations where biological parents might be off island. Persons in the community who care about children and have the resources to help a child through difficult times in their life are invited to contact the Community Services Department.

In other news, the Department of Community Services continues its efforts to deal with the juvenile problem on the island.

The department organized a peer-counseling workshop for children and young adults over the Easter Weekend.

Trained counselor Blondina Howes conducted the sessions, which were designed help young people to help their peers who are perhaps having problems.

One of the most important outcomes of the counseling sessions is the drafting of an action plan, which looked at the goals and vision of group.

The Government is examining the possibility of establishing a relationship with the St.. George’s University of Grenada.

The university in St. George’s is mainly a medical school but also offers courses in a wide range of areas, among them veterinary science, natural science, and general art subjects, including a study in Caribbean Affairs.

The Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt, who held talks with the dean of the school recently, says the university could offer courses at drastically reduced costs, possibly as much as 60 per cent.

Mr. Brandt says the school is a very reputable school, listed by the World Health Organization (WHO), and is connected with hospitals in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt says he received a firm commitment from Montserratian businessman Joel Webbe to make a substantial investment here. The Chief Minister, along with the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment Government Brunel Meade, held talks with Mr. Webbe on a recent visit to Grenada.

Mr. Brandt says Mr. Webbe, who relocated his electronics assembly plant to Grenada in 1997, has agreed to invest in a brake pad assembly plant in Montserrat.

He says this was with the concurrence of the Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, who had been promised that the plant would be established in St. George’s.

The Chief Minister says the establishment of the brake plant here would create over 100 jobs. He says an additional benefit would be training. Meanwhile, Mr. Meade says the investment would create jobs, attract foreign exchange, which is short supply, and boost the redevelopment of the island.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott is urging Montserrat to dip into their deep reservoir of faith to handle difficult days ahead. Speaking to the congregation at the Church of God of Prophecy, where he handed over a new public address system on Sunday, Gov. Abbott stated that news from the scientists is not good. However, he says the situation on the island is not likely to get worse and he is confident Montserratians will cope with what’s ahead.

The Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Housing, Lands & the Environment Mr Brunel Meade and Salas Hamilton, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chief Minister left Montserrat on Tuesday May 2, 2000 for Grenada to attend the 32nd Meeting of Authority from 3-5 May 2000.

Mr Brunel Meade and Salas Hamilton

Minister Meade and Chief of Staff Hamilton will discuss among others the following topics with the other delegates and representatives from the other islands.

Report of Director General- Work Review, Priorities, Structure, Finance and Vision. Consideration of Recommendation of OEC Institutional Review Task Force. Financial Matters, Telecommunication Issues, Exchange of Views with the Government of Cuba. Other topics will include, Policy Coordination Issues, International Relations, Economic Issues and Issues of Judicial Reform.

Honorable Meade and Mr Hamilton will return to the island on Saturday May 6, 2000

An airport is to the economy what food is to the body. Just as important as it is to eat the correct foods for the body's sustenance, so the right type of airport is a must if any country is to develop to its full potential.

When it comes down to one's health it doesn't matter the cost, thus sacrifices are made to ensure the maintenance of good health. So it must be that if the island of Montserrat is to bounce back and reach its full potential, then as a people we should be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to this end.

Historically all countries begin with small airports and upgrade them as time goes on. It was no different with us we moved from the first airstrip in Olveston to better facilities in the then Blackburne Airport in the 1960's. These improvements continued in the 1970's and 80's, as the demand for air service grew, until finally a realignment of the airstrip was approved just prior to the volcanic crisis in 1995.

It is therefore correct to envisage bigger and better facilities in this 21^st century when travelling by air is the order of the day, especially with so many of our people living abroad.

The logic simply is this, since the Volcano sits overlooking W.H. Bramble Airport, with a direct path for possible pyroclastic flows in the future, it would be suicidal to give thought to refurbishing the old airport. Therefore alternate sites must be considered, and this was done.

The other sites considered were Thatch Valley, Blakes and Gerald's Park; somehow the preferred option by the possible funding agent is Geralds Park. This decision seems to be for the most part based on the cost, as the study places the cost of Thatch Valley at an estimated sum of EC$381 million or £89 million.

Blakes is next at EC$81 million or £19 million, followed by Geralds at EC$49 million or £11.5 million.

It is obvious that Thatch Valley would cost more, since land has to be purchased, roads have to be put in and earth work, which accounts for the biggest slice of the pie, is at a cost of EC$231 million or £54 million.

Somehow, the Geralds costs do not include the replacement of the people there, nor does the decision reflect the social impact on the community. What the British are saying is to take it or leave it, but yet preach the doctrine of Sustainable Development. If the development of an airport is not such that would generate and encourage other ventures, thus providing economic growth, there is nothing Sustainable about it.

The fact of the matter is that this project must be placed on every discussion table with the British Government; we cannot throw our hands in the air and give up. We are a resilient people who boast of our pride as being Montserratians; well the time has come for Montserratians to make full proof of that claim in a tangible way.

We may not be able to come up with the millions I alluded to earlier, but as an old saying goes, "ebrey drap bring dung riba". We cannot just fold our arms and sit back and expect something to happen, we must start the process, for every journey begins with the first step. The money may seem insurmountable, but if we start, somehow we will reach our goal and finally give meaning to the often thrown around words "National Pride". We must leave a legacy for the future generation that will speak for us.

I understand the land owners are willing to give the land for the road, so if the rest of us put in the fuel in the machinery, and the operators and operating firms chip in with time and equipment, we would be well on our way. Then we will ask our Caricom countries to assist in cash or in heavy equipment, or asphalt or any other aspect of material or expertise available.

The Montserrat associations will now have a real project to work towards in the fund-raising arena, and put action where talk has prevailed over the years. Mind you, I am not for one minute suggesting that the associations have not helped in the past.

Meanwhile, Government must continue to lobby at White Hall level and the associations in England must encourage their members to lobby their MPs to raise the matter in the House of Commons.

Coupled to all this, every British official reaching this fair clime must be bombarded with this project. The Ministers must be in unison and have this as priority whenever discussions are held, whether with their ministries or as an executive council. They must have it on every agenda in their travels.

I wish to interject here that I do not know what benefits we have received in real terms from the Royal visits, but here again is an untapped source that needs to be exploited. One of the world's richest families must be able to financially assist a developing part of the Commonwealth. Furthermore the Queen as the head of the Commonwealth should be able to use her influence to have the more affluent members of this August Body assist us in this plight. Sympathy without aid just doesn't cut it anymore, and fair words don't build airports.

The British Ministers must heed the words of John Major the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as written in the forword to a book entitled Sustainable Development (The UK Strategy) 1994.

"Sustainable development is difficult to define. But the goal of sustainable development can guide future policy. We need a hardheaded approach to sustainability based on good science and robust economics

"We also need to be sensitive to the intangibles that cannot be reduced to scientific imperatives and narrow language of economics."

Montserrat's situation certainly fits the bill. All we are asking is for the honourable persons of the British government to deal with the realities of our plight and not with economic rates of return. Either we need an airport or we don't. We Need an airport for the 21^st century, not one for the 1950's.

In this 21^st Century to refuse to meaningfully help this hurricane-ravaged, volcanic-devastated and distressed island to develop sustainability in line with the rest of the world is nothing short of economic death.

Montserratians, and by this I mean all those who have come to live amongst us and those who are simply friends of our island, let us join our efforts wherever we are and do all in our power to realize this project.

Ask not what Montserrat can do for you, but what you can do for Montserrat.

The "vbs.loveletter.a" virus spreads through Microsoft Windows' Internet extensions and replaces all JPG and MP3 files it finds with copies of itself. It then sends itself to everyone in an infected user's Microsoft Outlook address book. (Hand Out)

The following may already be late for some of us, but this information may still be useful.

May 4 — A massively destructive virus that clogs networks and erases graphics and music files has infected up to 90 percent of the corporations in the world, a virus expert said today.
Computer users who receive the e-mail should just delete it without opening the attachment, and they won’t be infected.
The virus apparently originated in the Phillippines and hit Europe and Asia early this morning, said Eric Chien, chief researcher at the Symantec Antivirus Research Center in the Netherlands.
Symantec and other virus companies have already come up with vaccination and cure programs, but their Web sites were swamped by users this morning.

Clogs Networks
The virus uses similar tricks to last year’s feared Melissa virus, but it’s even more widespread and destructive, Chien said.
First, "loveletter" resets a user’s Internet Explorer Start Page to a Web page containing an executable file. The page has since been taken down, Chien said. He said researchers are unsure what the executable file does when launched.
Then, the virus searches for all files with the extensions JPG, JPEG, MP2, and MP3 — the most popular graphics and sound formats — as well as other, more obscure extensions. It erases the files and replaces them with copies of itself under the same name, with the extension VBS tacked on.
Chat room aficionados are extra-vulnerable. The virus infects the popular mIRC chat program, so the next time a user starts chatting, the virus goes out to everyone in the room.
Finally, the program multiplies by hijacking Microsoft Outlook and e-mailing itself to everyone in an Outlook address book.
Anyone running Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or both Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 5.0 is vulnerable, Chien said. The virus needs Microsoft Outlook to spread. Macintosh and Linux users are not vulnerable.
The virus spreads through corporate firewalls because most are not configured to reject attachments with a .txt.vbs extension, a relatively uncommon type of file, information systems managers said.

Bored Student?
Two lines within the virus identify the author as "Spyder," part of the "@GRAMMERsoft Group" from Manila, Philippines and say "I hate go to school." He also offers his opinion of his work: "simple but I think this is good ..."
"The group name is not familiar," said security consultant Brian Martin. And "Spyder" is a common name in the electronic underground. But the virus contains an e-mail address that should make it "easy to track him," Martin said.
Officials at Spyder’s e-mail provider, mail.com, are "working on the problem," a mail.com spokeswoman said.
The virus "appears to have been written by a student, probably 14 to 28 years old and probably male as well," Chien said, citing code within the virus and past experience with virus writers.
"He seemed to just write it because he was bored. He probably has no idea he’d cause so much chaos," Chien said.
But the writer does have a good idea of psychology. By adding the phrase "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me" to the e-mails, he makes users think it might be a personal message.
"If you send an attachment with, ‘I’m a virus, run me,’ people won’t run it. But with this, people say, ‘oh, look, it’s a love letter, I think I’ll open it,’" Chien said.
The answer, security experts said, is simple: Never, ever, ever, open an attached file that comes as a surprise, no matter who it seems to be from, or how "loving" it seems to be.

Stunning Spread
Experts said they were stunned by the speed and wide reach of the virus.
"Many, many tens of thousands of machines have been infected by it," said Symantec spokesman Richard Saunders.
In the U.S., the virus has affected the Pentagon, the federal Department of Agriculture, the Florida Lottery, the Wisconsin Legislature, and media organizations including Time Warner Inc., according to employees of affected companies and officials of anti-virus companies.
"It is literally anybody who is running Microsoft Outlook, and that is the most common e-mail client in the world," said Richard Jacobs, president of anti-virus firm Sophos.
The bug appeared in Hong Kong late in the afternoon, spreading throughout e-mail systems once a user opened one of the contaminated messages. It later moved into European parliamentary houses and through the high-tech systems of big companies and financial traders.
"I have to tell you that, sadly, this affectionate greeting contains a virus which has immobilized the House’s internal communication system," said Margaret Beckett, leader of Britain’s House of Commons. "This means that no member can receive e-mails from outside, nor indeed can we communicate with each other by e-mail."
Companies in Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland were also hit.

Curing the Virus
May 4 — All the major anti-viral companies have released free trial versions of their software that can fix the new virus. Try going to www.symantec.com, www.mcafee.com, or www.sophos.com.
You’ll be cured, but you won't be able to get your JPEG and MP3 files back unless you've made backups.
To prevent further infections by copycat viruses, Richard Jacobs of Sophos recommends you turn off your Windows Scripting Host. In Windows 98, that means go to your Start Menu and choosing Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click on the Windows Components control panel, and then choose the Accessories option. Uncheck the box for Windows Scripting Host, which should be the last one on the list.
Melissa and ILOVEYOU both use Windows Scripting Host to propagate, but very few users need it in their day-to-day lives, Jacobs said.
The number-one lesson, antiviral experts agree, is to scrutinize e-mail closely.
"It’s so important for people to think about what they’re opening in their e-mail. Very few people get large numbers of love letters via email," Jacobs said.

The Montserrat Nurses Association is mobilising to celebrate yet another week of activities from May 7 – 13 under the theme "Nurses and Nursing, Agents of Change in a Changing World."

Activities for the week are as follows:-

May 7 - Church Service at the Cavalla Hill Methodist Church

at 9:00 am.

May 8 - President’s Address on Radio ZJB.

May 8 - 12 - Throughout this period nurses will focus on the theme and

highlight the many changes that have taken place globally

as well as locally.

May 10 - An exhibition will be held on the grounds of the Brades

Pentecostal Church from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. A variety

of exhibits will be on display.

May 12 - On this day, recognised globally as International

Nurses Day, the Annual Convention will take place at the Pelican Pelican Room. The opening session will be from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, during which Awards will be presented and the feature address delivered by Ms Pearlie Esteen, President of the Caribbean Nurses Organization (CNO). The business session will follow in the afternoon.

May 13 - The week will climax with a grand variety concert at the

Pelican Room at 7:00 pm, dubbed "Back On The Road

Again". Tickets are available from members of the

Association for $15.00.

T-Shirts will be on sale throughout the week.

All are invited to support the nurses during their week of celebration and to reflect on the many changes and contributions that Nurses have made and continue to make in our Society.

Valerie Lewis

PRINCIPAL NURSING OFFICER

If there's no physical reason for your erection problem, the main difficulty may well be in how you think your penis should function. A great many men uncritically accept the superhuman standards and myths about penises, then get upset when they discover they are merely human.

A married man of 39 called early one morning and virtually demanded an immediate appointment. When he arrived, it was obvious he was in a panic. While still standing at the door to the building, he started talking with great emotion about his "impotence" and his need to know whether he needed a penile implant.

I finally got him into my office, but couldn't get a word in for 15 minutes. After he calmed down a bit and I was able to ask some questions, it turned out that the impotence consisted solely of a failure to have an erection with his wife the night before. Then, in response to my question of how last night had differed from other times he had sex with her, he began to sob. Yesterday, with no warning at all, he had lost the job he had held for 14 years and that meant the world to him. After wiping his eyes and making an obvious attempt to pull himself together, he smiled weakly and said without a trace of humor, "Other than that, everything was as usual. I just don't understand it." It hadn't occurred to him that his feelings about being fired might have affected his sexual functioning.

Nonmedical erection problems are almost always due to one or more of the following: unrealistic expectations: lack of arousal, absence of the proper conditions, and the anxiety generated by the need for an erection.

• A 60-year-old man getting upset because his penis doesn't jump to attention when he kisses his partner. He's not taking into account that a 60-year-old penis differs from a 20-year-old one and that he's not getting the direct penile stimulation he now requires.
• A man who expects an erection even though he isn't feeling aroused. He just expects his penis to function regardless of how he feels, as if his penis had nothing to do with the rest of him.

A man who is very tense during sex. He's been criticized by his partner for his "failure to perform" in the past, and he's anticipating more criticism. Because of the way men have been trained, it doesn't occur to him to ask how anyone could get an erection in that situation.

If you are tense or anxious, if you are angry at your partner, if you aren't getting the physical and emotional stimulation you like, if you aren't turned on, if you are preoccupied with other matters -- if any of these things are true --what makes you think you should have an erection? The answer, of course, is our sexual conditioning.

If you're having erection difficulties and there's nothing physically wrong, chances are good you're worried about sex even before it begins, you're focusing on how your penis is doing rather than on what you feel.

In order to resolve an erection problem, you need to start looking forward to sex with positive anticipation, focusing on the pleasurable sensations, accurately judging the signs of increasing arousal, and allowiing them to increase arousal and erection. Another way of saying this is that you need to stop being distracted by negative images and thoughts and to get more focused on the joys, pleasures, and positive cues.

To increase your sexual pleasure and improve your erections, stop stacking the deck against yourself and start stacking it on your side. This means getting your mind on your side; meeting your conditions for good sex; having sex only when you are aroused; and decreasing your anxiety.

From "The New Male Sexuality" by Bernie Zilbergeld, PhD. Copyright © 1992 by Bernie Zilbergeld.

ADOLESCENCE

By Madge Donoghue

GUIDANCE:

This does not mean telling the adolescent what to do; rather this involves teaching the skills involved in evaluating situations, and in decision making.

It also involves helping the adolescent to examine the different value systems they are exposed to and helping them as they try to clarify their own values.

CARING:

Adolescents need to know that the adults in their life are concerned about them, accept them for who they are, even when they don't agree with all their behaviour, and are truly committed to their well being.

In the family the experience of affection is also important. Though many adolescents express discomfort with public demonstrations of affection from parents, this is often still welcomed in the privacy of the home. Show your child/children love, tell them you love them, Hug or stroke your child/children.

EMPATHY:

That is the ability to put yourself in the adolescents' "shoes" and understanding their feelings.

Adults often forget their own adolescent difficulties, and taking time to reflect on this may increase their level of empathy. It is important, though, not to project their own feelings from the past onto the adolescent but to understand how this specific young person feels in this situation now.

RESPECT:

Adolescents need to be respected both as fellow human beings and as emerging adults.

GENUINENESS:

Adolescents are particularly good at spotting insincere behaviour and are quickly turned off by this.

OPENNESS:

This involves being available to spend time with the adolescent as well as being willing to discuss any topic. Nothing is seen as being "off limits" for conversation.

ENCOURAGEMENT:

Expressing the belief that the adolescent does have the ability to do or to learn to do the things that are important.

TEACHERS:

As with parents, the major issue here is the difficulty experienced by the adolescent in dealing with authority figures.

Rules will be challenged or broken as the young persons attempt to assert their independence.

The importance of peer influence and the need to be accepted by others sometimes lead to unacceptable behaviour.

PARENTS:

The parent-child relationship is often characterized by conflict and resentment; conflict arises from a variety of causes and expresses itself in a variety of ways. It varies in frequency according to the age of the individual, and his social status; but it seems always to be present.

On the other hand the relationship is also characterized by a good deal of warmth and friendliness.

The central cause of parent-adolescent conflict seemsto spring from the adolescent's desire for independence.

There are two factors which causes conflict:

- Mood swings

- Parents' reluctance to gradually give autonomy

The critical element in parenting the adolescent is the ability to work through these conflicts when they do occur.

However some parents cannot do it alone.

At the first sign of unacceptable behaviour, seek help!

My vision for the Montserrat National Volcano Park. As you cross over the new Belham Bridge (which looks down on a straight manmade channel to the sea 15 feet below) you are greeted by the sight of an arched entrance gate which bears the above name and a "Welcome" to all who are about to enter one of the most exciting national parks on the planet. To the left of the sign is a large visitor – make that guest -- car park with "Park" employee attendants directing arriving cars to their parking places to insure maximum utilization of the parking area.

Let me note here that all "Park" personnel will be wearing uniforms – khaki colored hiking shorts, golf shirts with the "Park" logo - color coded to indicate the person's function – Guide, Maintenance, Administration, etc., a name badge and hat which will also bear the "Park" logo. To the right of the entrance will be a taxi loading and unloading zone.

Just inside the gate will be a reception area that houses video walls to show which of the "Park" attractions will be open that day and an explanation of the "Park" admission charges. This area will then lead directly to the Admission Gates where admission tickets for that day will be sold.

I envision an available attraction system that takes into account the current status of the volcano augmented by an early morning status report from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. It will be the information provided by the MVO that will be used to determine which of the Park areas will be available/open each day.

Let me explain what I mean regarding available attractions. As each guest purchases their admission ticket they will be given a color-coded tag that indicates those areas that will be open that day. Guests then have an opportunity to experience the volcano in a number of ways – self-guided walking tours on color-coded and marked trails with observation/interpretive posts along the way. Guided tours on these same trails, with fully trained guides providing information from a set script, but personalized as they wish and of course answering questions as asked. There will also be donkey trains following their own set of trails, solar-powered electric trams, helicopter rides, etc. Each level of attraction will be priced to reflect operating costs and salability.

Within the "Park" compound will be various leased concessions operated by Montserratians serving refreshments, selling locally made products, high end souvenirs (no trinkets), and a host of Montserrat related items – books, videos, CDs, etc. There will be two interpretive centers, one operated by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory to explain the history of the volcano, it’s current status and future projections. This will be a "hands on" experience with lots of things to see and touch. I would expect there would be an attached theater showing excerpts from David Lea’s videos, as well as other media footage. The other "Center" will be operated by the Montserrat National Trust as an extension of their headquarters in Salem, providing guests an opportunity to learn about Montserrat’s history, view artifacts and other pictorial records and have an opportunity to purchase Montserrat-made crafts, art, music, packaged food products, etc.

The "Park" will be open seven days a week and geared to provide guests a minimum of half a day’s entertainment, with a full day recommended. Staff will be sufficiently large to accommodate peak load periods -- such as after the ferry arrives in the morning -- and taxi drivers will be scheduled to arrive en-masse at the park in sufficient time to get guests back to the heliport/airport and ferry at the end of the day.

Oh, and did I mention that when you purchase your round trip helicopter, airplane or ferry ticket you will receive a "Day Trip" pass from the Montserrat Government so that on arrival and departure to and from Montserrat you will not be delayed by having to clear through Immigration and Customs?

Hopefully, at this point you have a sense of the number of new jobs the "Park" will create, not to mention the "Park's" positive ripple effect on the island’s economy. But it doesn’t end here. Given sufficient time to become world renowned, the income generation potential will be enormous. Think of the advantages that could be derived from this income stream (with the added benefit of this income being generated from off island visitors, rather than circulating money within the island economy) - establishment of a disaster relief fund, a scholarship fund for Montserratians who attend college abroad, compensation for Montserratians who suffered losses as a result of the volcano, just for starters.

I know that at this point in my vision many of you readers will be wondering if I am not totally crazy and many will be skeptics at best, BUT, there is a fact of life that you must contend with -- set minimum goals and that’s all you can ever expect to achieve, but aim high and even if you are not successful in achieving all your goals you will surely achieve far more than you would heve without an ambitious vision. The question at hand is not whether the opportunity exists, that is an obvious given, but rather will Montserrat choose to seize the opportunity and benefit from it and when?

Chief Minister Brandt, Governor Abbott I welcome your comments. An invitation I similarly extend to all.

Ken and I had been here for 2½ weeks when Ken said to me, "It’s a good thing we’re not scheduled to leave tomorrow because you would be leaving without me." Now I was anxious. Has the island of Montserrat captured Ken’s heart in such a way that he would stay here in our lovely little house and let me go back to the USA alone? I hope not. After 36 years of marriage one would think I would take precedence over an island. You never know.

In all seriousness, because you are all here struggling from day to day to make it work, you may not be able to see the island, the culture, the warm and friendly people in the same context as we see it when we are here for only a month. As I have told many people back home when they ask about Montserrat, "You have to experience it to understand it."

When we stepped off the airplane on a dark night in 1986, passed through customs, met our taxi driver and arrived at the Montserrat Springs Hotel for a friendly greeting and a late supper, we knew our search for heaven on earth had ended. And as that week went by, we became no more convinced than we were on that first night.

We remember Montserrat in its glory days before Hugo and after, and now we have come to know it after the volcano. When we tell people we own a home and that we bought it last year, they seem pleased that we were willing to do this knowing that the beast in the south exists. It is heartening to see that Montserratians seem by and large to have reconciled living with the beast for now in order to maintain their heritage and the special privilege of being here.

I have read Ken’s article about his thoughts for a volcanic park. If Walt Disney were alive, he would be down here making a deal. He was a man with great vision. Well, park or no park, Montserrat is home to us and always will be. Don’t forget that after we leave on May 5, you can Email us anytime at Kwalter@digital-marketplace.net . We love to hear from anyone on Montserrat.

Jus wonderin if DFID is responsible for the damaging of our once beautiful Brades Road.

Jus wonderin if HE will be brazen enough to ask for a next term.

Jus wonderin who the lady officer is alleged to have people things in she house.

Jus wonderin if de smell really gan fan Lookout.

Jus wonderin if moral in de force start to improve wid de new chief.

Jus wonderin why no one wants to work with the 'heritage' woman.

Jus wonderin if a jumbie dance could help or a pre-death wake might be better.

Jus wonderin if the lady knows the man is for even though she is against it.

Jus wonderin if it is a matter of church and state will conflict on this.

Jus wonderin what happen to de chicken king in Saturdays.

Jus wonderin if the black bird is the same one from last year so bad when mating season start.

Jus wonderin what chance DFID will have pity on the infant and family man scientist knowing that the age was originally up at 16.

Jus wonderin when something is going to be done about the bad mouthing and service we get in Antigua.

Jus wonderin if the cat story might create some two legged cats.

Jus wonderin what miracle caused the cat to be captured on video.

Jus wonderin why other people didn't talk about this sighting of the wonderful lion before.

Jus wonderin if this cat story might turn out to be a legend like, "Mermaid on Chances Peak."

Jus wonderin if the barber shop in Salem is the gassip shop in towne.

Jus wonderin who is de real cause of the ferry problem.

Jus wonderin when Isle Bay residents can legally live on the hill again.

Jus wonderin what or who silence de activist brothers.

Jus wonderin if the almighty DFID dollars and sense provide hush medication.

Jus wonderin if some of the big boys get all dem insurance money and was injected wid a big mouth full of hush.

Jus wonderin if Labour Speaks and the Editor know there some kind of an insurance cover up..

Jus wonderin if his mouth so big and he get hush money too.

Jus wonderin who out there will have balls to really for a change read and work on the book.

Jus wonderin if the Puma lay the rattle snake eggs allegedly found up there.

Jus wonderin if those dogs were put to sleep innocently.

Jus wonderin if the mountain lion was purposely let loose on our little rock hoping that we would take hands and make foot and run.

Jus wonderin if the puma was let loose by drug dealers to keep the police off their tracks.

Jus wonderin if it’s a grey yacht or a grey ship that brought the puma.

Jus wonderin which rolling stone manage to gathers moss.

Jus wonderin if the driver was caught hook, line and sinker why he finally decide to settle down.

Jus wonderin if they don't know that clean hands really don’t need washing.

Jus wonderin when the PO going to change his wheels.

Jus wonderin why the two cocks at a certain head office fighting for the one black hen.

Jus wonderin if that same head office has a beauty queen or a dainty princess.