Weekend Travel Snags Increase Grumbling About Helicopter Use
By Bennette Roach
For some time now there have been questions and complaints about the unavailability of the helicopter service and the haphazardness of not being able to rely on a booking, no matter how long ago it was made. This meant that although booking was allowed, there was never any guarantee that at the last moment one’s seat would not be taken by an ‘official’ who was traveling.
Some short while ago, the resident boss of DFID told The Reporter that a larger helicopter, which has caused some concern, is to be used for the purpose of search and rescue and emergencies such as medical evacuation.
In an information bulletin from the Emergency Department it officially explained in a little more detail the use of both helicopters.
"The primary function of the smaller helicopter is to support the monitoring work of the scientists at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO). In addition, it is used to provide cover for emergency medical evacuations and to move personnel on and off the island on a strictly non-fare-paying basis, when specifically authorised to do so by the DFID Montserrat office.
"The larger of the two helicopters is provided primarily for the purpose of search and rescue and emergency medical evacuation. Its secondary function is to transport Government of Montserrat and HMG officials travelling on official business to and from Antigua."
The unreliability that these arrangements have caused, according to complaints, has arisen because of the "HMG (DFID) officials travelling" on weekends in particular. This is generally worsened by the fact that the ferry does not operate on Sundays, when the larger helicopter sometimes doubles up on its schedule between Antigua and Montserrat.
The news that these officials are non-paying passengers, and the fact that the trips on weekends may be more personal than official, is not sitting too well with other local officials. The bulletin says: " There is some need for clarification about the role of the two helicopters which form the Montserrat Air Support Unit," and after explaining as above reads:
"Spare seats on these flights are made available to the general public on the understanding that they recognise they are travelling on a non-scheduled, non-commercial service. Given the helicopter’s other priorities, delays and cancellations can occur at very short notice or with no notice at all.
"For Government of Montserrat and British officials travelling on official business there is no charge. This also applies to leave journeys by British officials, where their fares are being paid by the British Government. The EC$89 fee levied on non-official passengers is a service charge used to help defray the handling costs in Montserrat and Antigua. It is NOT a commercial charge and if a commercial fare was applied to the flight it would be in excess of US$100 for a one-way journey."
Central parliamentarian the Honourable Reuben Meade has expressed his annoyance at some of the arrangements, having previously raised the matter at Legislative Council. He says: "If the British Officials and others have to travel, why are we the taxpayers -- whether here in Montserrat or the UK -- still tax payers - spending over $10 million per year on a helicopter to transport the privileged few. As a Legislator, when I travel I am obligated to pay the fare. Why should a Civil Servant and his or her friend travel not only free, but also have priority on the helicopter?"
Mr. Meade continues: "The poor Montserratians and other friends of Montserrat are forced not only to pay (not that we do not want to pay) but must also use the ferry. The ferry for the second class people and the "officials" go to Antigua for weekend forays at our expense. THIS IS GROSSLY UNFAIR AND MUCH TOO COSTLY, especially since it is coming out of the £75 million!"
It is understood that about every two weeks British employees on the island are allowed "stress-buster time off from the island", and that this too is a drain on the £75 million. The legislator comments further that the explanation given is a slap in the face to him, "and I suspect to many others. I will not sit idly by and watch things like this happen."
One Mr. Silcott took time also to voice an opinion on the matter. He said: "Both the ferry and the helicopter services are undoubtedly heavily subsidised, therefore the policy of requesting payment for travel may be viewed as good business sense, especially if it is ‘used to help defray the handling costs in Montserrat and Antigua.’
"What I have a little trouble with, is the policy that British workers can travel free of charge when slipping over to ANU on regular leave."
Silcott makes his point saying: "These are well-paid individuals who are in Montserrat by choice," while he recalled that Montserrat seems to be "a sought for assignment…because I read in the on-line Reporter that there were no fewer than 40 British applicants for the Commisioner of Police job."
Silcott then asks the question, "Why then should the British worker travel FREE while the Guyanese, Dominican, Montserratian workers have to ‘defray costs’?"
He challenges DFID officials to come up with evidence to show how much has been ACTUALLY paid/allocated by the British government, for its workers to travel to ANU for weekend cocktails, following which he shares the knowledge that any and all expenditure is debited from the money allocated to Montserrat.
The EOC bulletin closed off the item on the helicopter by reminding passengers and making it clear "that the ferry service (also heavily subsidised) provides the principal means of travel to and from Montserrat for the general public. The ferry offers two services per day in each direction on six days per week."
"LPG Uncertainties Lay Bare Flaw in Civil Service Approach"
During the CPP negotiations last week, on three different occasions Governor Abbott
praised the Emergency Department,which he heads, for excellence in handling the LPG
situation, which is yet to reach a state of normalcy.
The crisis began when Delta was forced by the escalating volcanic activity in Plymouth to close its operations. Unprepared and otherwise ill-equipped, Delta continued to offer a limited service in Plymouth before they had to close completely. The Government was suddenly faced with a dilemma and, according to the Governor, since no government department was willing to take up the challenge, the Emergency Department undertook what turned out to be an impossible task, "well beyond the capability of the civil service."
In his opening address at the beginning of the negotiations on Monday, he said: "Despite the groans, the Emergency Department have in my view done an incredible job in impossible circumstances."
At the press conference the issue was raised again and he repeated his satisfaction with the way things were being handled. But prior to this, The Reporter asked him how he could praise the department for a job which has left them very much at odds with the public. He repeated the several problems faced by the department, which he had earlier referred to as a "fragile system of re-supply which is subject to too many things, more often than not outside our control, that can and do go wrong." He continued, "this function clearly belongs in the private sector."
The Governor was adamant that this matter being a commercial one that civil servants are not capable of handling. One wonders how many civil servants would agree, but that statement is very loaded and, if true, is the structure of any inefficiency that they may be mentioned. If civil servants are not able to carry out any commercial practices, it means that the private sector will never be able to succeed in building an economy that can take us out of the dependency which is so often spoken of.
It means they will never appreciate the needs of the private or commercial sector, both of which must rely so heavily on them for service in so many areas. It is the reason why the folks at the Emergency Department do not understand that it costs money for consumers -- poor, old, disabled and otherwise -- to come back another day to pick up their gas or drop off the bottles.
It is the reason, why it doesn't matter how much money is collected today, or for the week; whether 10 stamps are sold today, or the vehicle being serviced is finished today, or next week. Any list here would be exhaustive.
His Excellency may have been speaking the truth only too well. But with all the problems and difficulties faced by the department, there are no reasons why a system other than the one currently in place could not be created to ease the burdens endured by the people whom they are trying to serve. Very simply, they must be made to understand that not many people can listen to the radio all day to hear when they can purchase or deliver the tanks. Indeed many of us work and many have jobs which do not permit us to listen to the radio, even when it is on.
And let it be said, if it is not Montserratians who are paying the salaries of the civil servants, some taxpaying individual is, who also is unable to listen to the radio.
As to the Governor's idea that no one has come forward to make the investment to service this, The Reporter has suggested since May to have the private sector deal with the problem, giving them the necessary subsidy to bring this about. But we all know the problem here. The thought of giving money to someone to do this would not be understood. No, because according to the Governor, the civil servants are not commercially minded.
This discussion with the Governor ended with him asking for suggestions that would help improve the service to the public. So The Reporter calls on anyone who would like to ease the burden of Montserratians for the time being.
Man from Baker Hill Makes Us Look Inward
Dear Mr. Editor,
I am a little behind time with this response but better late than never. I had much thought after reading Man from Baker Hill's article in the November 6 issue of The Reporter, "Resentments." It was ironic that I read these during the period of soul searching I am now going through.
The Baker Hill man, in my opinion, has hit the nail on the head. Montserratians at home and abroad may very well be harbouring feelings of great resentment. We fall into a lot of classifications.
For those who left, they may well be resentful of those who forced them to leave, be it the case in many instances. Who do they blame? The Montserrat Government, the British, or perhaps that particular insular and unconscionable employer or boss? And whereas he cites a case of those who resented their parents for bringing them back to Montserrat, there are those who will resent their parents for dragging them off in the first place. There are those who are trying to settle where they have 'ran' to, who may become resentful of the people of that land for not being as gracious as they would like them to be, or they may in fact be resented for turf encroachment.
More resentments for those who have stayed behind, perhaps out of fear of venturing into the unknown, or perhaps because circumstance otherwise did not afford that luxury. The common response is to make the lives of those around as miserable as possible, for misery does indeed love company. Life beyond Little Bay is beyond some people's comprehension, and thus, the deep-seated resentment of watching others leave.
There are those who have been forced to gravitate to positions once occupied by persons who under normal circumstances would still be there. This newfound responsibility and its associated power is mind-boggling, and often very stressful. Resentment again rears its ugly head, and coupled with the vengeful inclinations of the human species brews a potent cocktail; they cuss the hell out of those who have left, and they make the lives of those who have stayed behind absolutely miserable.
It is here that domestic violence raises its ugly mantle. It is often very easy to go home and take it out on the wife, the husband and the kids -- or perhaps even a neighbour or a friend. Nothing personal, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Those who don't give a damn either way may in fact be living in denial, another form of resentment. Damned that they have not gone, and damned that they have stayed behind, they indeed may be suffering from the complex of indecisiveness. They are mostly angry with themselves, but are resigned themselves to become recluses, take whatever is thrown their way, grin, and bear it; these often become the victims of much abuse, especially work and domestic abuse. After a time they become numb, unfeeling for themselves and become content with just swaying with the breeze in a semi-comatose state. They become the walking dead. Nothing motivates them, they are unimpressed by their surroundings and by the lure of the outside world, and they simply mark time to the beat of life's repetitiveness and become auto-bots; cruise control is their mode, overwork a common escape.
Resentment run unchecked and allowed to fester and brew in whichever state can lead to serious psychological and other disorders. As is the case with many human emotions, love being the possible exception, resentment can be harmful to the individual and those around him. Resentments need to be faced, addressed, analysed and dealt with appropriately. It is as much and individual's responsibility not to be overcome with resentment as it is his responsibility not to create and environment for it in others. If your actions directed at someone causes them to become resentful, you may be deemed culpable.
Thank you Baker Hill man for making me stop and think (as you usually do) about the resentments that I may be harbouring within myself.
Darren
By Norma Walter
Things remembered about Montserrat, that come back to me often:
The Governor’s House: We walked there daily when we stayed at the Coconut Hill Hotel. What a lovely building, so typically West Indian, with beautiful gardens and an officer in full dress to greet us at the entrance.
The Oasis Restaurant in Plymouth: We had mountain chicken and some great gin & tonics while the host did little magic tricks for us.
The Sea Island Cotton store near the pier in Plymouth: Bought scarves and table napkins that we still use.
The Vue Point Hotel: The place we went for an elegant dinner in a very friendly and gracious atmosphere. The rondavels were very comfortable and very romantic. During the day we would look across the lawns and see iguanas scurrying here and there. How exciting that was for us. A drink at the Bird’s Nest in the late afternoon was always a treat. From that perch we once watched the results of a fishing contest. That was great fun. The Vue Point is an experience we hope to have again while on island.
The Galways Plantation: We visited there many times before the restoration was seriously undertaken. Once when we were exploring and climbing in the ruins, I unknowingly placed my hand in a small wasp nest, and was stung. The pain was tremendous, but worse yet was the swelling. What to do?
Mrs. Morgan’s goatwater: Later on the very same day that I was stung, we decided to drive up to St. John’s to taste the goatwater produced by Mrs. Morgan. We had heard great things about it from a number of people. Not even the pain of a bee sting can keep me from a culinary treat. We entered Mrs. Morgan’s restaurant and placed our order. When she saw my hand, Mrs. Morgan asked what had happened. The next thing I knew she was applying bay-rum to my hand and giving me much motherly sympathy. My hand was soothed, and the goatwater and coconut custard pie were out of this world. We’ve had it many times since. Only on Montserrat!
God Gives Us All Time Enough
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastes 12:1
The author of Ecclesiastes must have just celebrated his sixtieth birthday when he wrote these verses. Having just celebrated one, we can recognize the thoughts and feelings that occur when one is confronted with the passing years. Turning over a new decade seems to surface deep and distressing questions on the meaning of life--and death.
Yet no matter what our age or how much time we have wasted or have left, we know that God has given us enough time. We can this moment, right now and that is all you need.
Rather than regret what is past or grieve over what can never be, live this moment filled with love, forgiveness, repentance and kindness. Then we need not fear the days to come.
Prayer: Ever-living God, grant me the gift to be mindful of the grace of today and fill this moment with love.
Reports reaching the Reporter last night said that Mr. Alfred Ryan better known as "Bucksy Dyett" of Bronx, New York and formerly of Kinsale, Montserrat, was killed in a fatal accident on his job in New York on Tuesday evening.
The sad news comes in a report from a family member who says that Ryan was riding on the crane that he operated as part of his work on the highway when turned over a bridge, killing him instantly.
He leaves to mourn his wife Melvina and four children. Alred Ryan will be buried next Friday at the Melthope cemetery, White Plains, New York.
ECCB to Hold Third Development Program
Economic Development in the Emerging International Economic Order is the theme of the third annual development conference to be hosted by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank at the Ocean Terrace Inn in St Kitts, Monday, November 30, and Tuesday, December 1.
During the two days, discussions will focus on the challenges to trade and economic development facing the Caribbean, in the context of the changing global economy.
Conference participants will include academics, practitioners in international institutions, and government and private sector representatives from throughout the region. They will hear presentations by officials of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the University of the West Indies, the Washington-based Institute for International Economics, the Central Bank of Barbados and the ECCB.
ECCB Governor K. Dwight Venner will deliver the opening address.
Among the topics to be discussed:
Reshaping the International Economic Environment: Implications for Developing Countries. Caribbean Economic Development in the Emerging International Economic Order, and Hemispheric Integration: Prospects for Economic Development in the Smaller Economies.
Deliberations will end with a panel discussion on the Development of Smaller Island Economies like the OECS in the Millennium.
ECCB Warns Countries About Counterfeit Notes
The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank wishes to advise the public that a number of counterfeit notes have surfaced in member territories.
Some of these notes give the appearance of having been damaged by water.
The public is reminded that counterfeit notes have no value, and that persons in possession of them may be prosecuted. You are therefore urged to exercise due caution and to look out for the following security features, when accepting notes:
On the front left hand side of any note, a watermark of Queen Elizabeth, which can only be seen when the note is held up to the light.
On the front right hand side of the note, a security thread, incorporated into the paper at the manufacturing stage.
On all the new banknotes, the fish in the bottom left hand corner on the front are in perfect alignment with those on the back.
Each individual note bears a unique serial number, printed vertically on the left hand side and horizontally on the right hand side of the notes.
All genuine banknotes are also printed on special paper that gives them a unique feel.
Posters and brochures detailing the security features of the notes have been distributed throughout member territories and are available at the ECCB Headquarters, Agency Offices and Commercial Banks.
Members of the public who think they may be in possession of fraudulent notes should take them to a commercial bank, ECCB Headquarters or Agency office.
Caledonian Airways Passengers Want to Visit Montserrat
Director of Tourism, Miss Ernestine Cassell, has just returned from London where she represented Montserrat at World Travel Market, a Tourism Trade Fair held annually in the United Kingdom.
While at World Travel Market, Miss Cassell met with the CEO of Caledonian Airways, Mr. Rick Conley, and the Commercial Director, Mr. George Blundell-Pound. They indicated that many of their passengers want to come to Montserrat, not just on a day tour but for overnight stays as well.
Caledonian Airways now fly into St. Kitts on a weekly basis.
To this end Miss Cassell is working along with T.D.C. Airline Services Ltd. of St. Kitts who is currently trying to introduce a helicopter service out of St. Kitts to facilitate passengers who want to visit Montserrat from St. Kitts.
This will provide a further opportunity for visitors to St. Kitts to enjoy an additional unique experience by visiting Montserrat as well and also help to accomplish the Montserrat Tourist Board’s goal of promoting Day Tours to Montserrat from neighbouring islands.
ECCA Member Lines Create Holiday Magic
Miami,FL.-Holiday dreams will once again come true for more than 4,000 underprivileged children throughout the Caribbean, thanks to the 1998 FCCA Foundation for the Caribbean’s Holiday Gift Program.
The region-wide gift drive, now in its third year, forms an integral part of the Association’s outreach programs aimed at children in Caribbean communities.
Officers and crew from participating FCCA Member Cruise Lines will deliver gifts such as toys, sports equipment and educational materials to schools, orphanages, foster homes and institutions for the mentally and physically challenged in 19 ports of call.
The program, which enhances the joy of the holiday season for these special children, also offers crew members the opportunity to play a hands-on role in the destinations which they visit each week, and revitalize their holiday spirit.
"Working through the holidays aboard a ship can make your family and home," said one crew member who participated in the 1997 gift drive.
"Helping these underprivileged kids, who normally wouldn’t have a bright holiday, reminds me of just how lucky I am. Their smiles and laughter makes you realize what is truly important."
Destination and cruise lines participating in the 1998 holiday Gift Program are as follows:
SCHOOL CHILDREN VISIT DAMAGED AREAS ON HMS SHEFFIELD
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the West Indies Guard Ship HMS Sheffield while paying its last visit to Montserrat on its current tour of duty, gave a number of students from the Montserrat Secondary School an onboard-tour and the opportunity to see the devastated southern part of the island on board the ship.
The trip on the first day went up the Leeward coast and returned while on the second day the children benefited from a clearer day and sailing around the island.
Reportedly some 150 students made the trip along with teachers and MVO staff who explained events of the volcanic activity relating to the devastation they could see.
Britain Redesigns Its Fight Against Racism
New posters designed to combat racism began appearing across Britain this week,
according to the news agency Reuters.
One shows a black face beside the word "Scared?" in large type. Smaller type
below says, "You should be. He's a dentist."
Another poster shows an Asian woman opposite a bold headline "ImproveYour
English." The caption beneath reads, "Perhaps this headteacher could help."
According to Reuters in London, this new anti-racism poster campaign by Britain's
Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) responds to harsh criticism of an earlier
misunderstood program of shock tactics.
The CRE said those controversial posters grew out of group discussions and street interviews among African Caribbean people which showed that they regarded British racism to be endemic. The shock posters were designed to challenge racial stereotypes.
Earliest posters deliberately suggested that black people were rapists and likened them to orangutangs.
The CRE intended to quickly replace them with posters revealing that it was behind the advertisements and hoped to stir consciences with the question: "What was worse? This advert or your failure to complain?"
In early November, The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld 27 complaints about the campaign and introduced new ASA guidelines requiring that all CRE posters for the next two years must be approved in advance.
The posters introduced this week are part of a three-year campaign worth 65,000 pounds
sterling. Each will run for about two weeks at 900 sites in Britain.
CRE chairman Sir Herman Ouseley said Britain was among the most tolerant and advanced
societies in the world "but sadly many things are still terribly wrong."
"Breaking the negative stereotypes, ending the complacency over race and valuing the
talents and abilities of all our people, whatever our appearances or differences, must be
a Millennium goal for Britain," he said.
The CRE said its survey showed that "the majority of group participants had little
faith that institutions or official bodies would help them if they experienced
racism."
Hurricane Forecaster Gray Sees Even Worse to Come
Compiled from Dispatches
The 14 named storms, nine hurricanes and three intense hurricanes of 1998 persuade
forecaster William Gray of Colorado State University that even worse is to come in the
next few years.
Professor Gray told reporters this week in Fort Collins, Colorado, "Next year
we'll be calling for above average hurricane activity, and we believe this is a reflection
of the new hurricane era we entered in 1995. We expect this trend to continue for the next
few decades."
Gray is a professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State. Based on 15 years of
hurricane forecasts on what he calls the "Atlantic conveyor belt," which
circulates water in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico..
Contributing factors, he said, are above-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical
and north Atlantic, and a ridge of low barometric pressure near the Azores earlier this
year.
The hurricane season of 1998 set records for lives lost and property destroyed in the
Caribbean basin because of hurricanes Georges and Mitch.
Gray said more hurricanes were reported from 1995 to 1998 than in any other four-year
period of hurricane activity this century. Since 1995, there have been 53 named storms, 32
hurricanes and 15 major hurricanes.
The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30
San Juan, Puerto Rico, CANA - The mayor of a Puerto Rican town has been arrested on extortion and bribery charges in an alleged US$2.5-million kickback scheme involving cleanup contracts for Hurricane Georges.
Officials said on Wednesday that Angel Rodriguez Cabrera, mayor of the town of Toa Alta, was arrested on Tuesday and later released on bail.
The FBI alleged that Rodriguez tried to get Mississippi-based Jesco Construction Corp. to pay him $2.5 million to secure a contract to clean up the municipality after Hurricane Georges hit the island in September.
Bridgetown, Barbados, CANA - Barbados has seen a 128-percent growth in offshore bank deposits between December 1995 and March 1998, yet it is still the smallest player in this industry.
In a paper presented to the just-ended Barbados Forum on Global Financial Services, CIBC Director of Compliance and International Control, Mark Strang, noted that the country had US$10 billion in offshore deposits to end of March this year.
The Cayman Islands was the largest centre for deposits, with a total of US$361 billiion out of a global total of US$1.234 trillion.
Port of Spain, Trinidad, CANA - The Trinidad and Tobago media, which have been complaining about the way they are treated by the government, on Tuesday came under attack from one of their own.
The Express newspaper, in an editorial, complained about how Tobago Affairs Minister Dr. Morgan Job was harassed when he attended a Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) rally that was meant to protest government's treatment of the media.
It said that while Dr. Job thinks the media, "are incompetent, ignorant and malicious, he has never said they should be silenced.".
Kingston, Jamaica, CANA - Jamaica's Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe has again come out in strong support of the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice.
"Let us accept the challenge and prove to the world that we are capable," Wolfe said at the opening of a regional conference Sunday.
The court would replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the final Court of Appeal for Jamaica and much of the English-speaking Caribbean.
Kingston, Jamaica, CANA - The Jamaica government said Monday it intended to amend the Money Laundering Act to authorise financial institutions to report "suspicious" transactions to the authorities.
Cabinet has also given its approval to a further amendment for a lifting of the transaction threshold beyond which banks and near-banks are required to make a report, from US$40,000 to US$50,000. The clause regarding suspicious transactions was left out of the original law after bankers and others in the society objected.
Bridgetown, Barbados, CANA - Fourteen women from across the region united in an effort to break the cycle of abuse Friday, as they testified at UNIFEM's inaugural Tribunal on Violence Against Women at the Sherbourne Centre.
The cases, drawn from crisis centres, police and court records, family planning agencies and family law practitioners, highlighted domestic abuse, child abuse and sexual harassment and violence of the worst kind.
One young woman evoked the ire of the mainly female audience when she told of how she came home one day to find her seven-month old daughter bleeding from the vagina after being raped by her baby father's 17-year-old cousin.
GOVERNMENT INFORMATON SERVICES
Montserrat and HMG Completes Negotiations on CPP
Acting Chief Minister and Minister for Communications and Works the honourable Rupert Weekes said "Montserrat got what it asked for" in negotiations with the British Government on the Country Policy Plan.
The Government of Montserrat and representatives of Her Majesty’s Government reached agreement last week on a draft of the three year plan, following wide ranging discussions at McChesney Estate.
During an interview on the Government Information Services radio programme Impact, Minister Weekes said the talks went well and was held through out in a cordial atmosphere.
The minister said however that the 75 million pounds allocated for the next three years are not enough, since over 60 per cent have already been committed or are being implemented through ongoing projects.
He described the talks as "tedious" at times when officials had to allocating the few remaining funds to deal with an array of needs identified as important to the rebuilding effort as set out in the Country Policy Plan.
At times, Minister Weekes said, the Government found it self in difficult situations having to set priorities for projects which carried equal importance such as health and education, housing and lands.
Among the projects which have received funding over the next two and a-half years are the port development study, the small enterprise business development phase III, additional factory shells, construction of a new abattoir, a new MONLEC power plant, land serving for the Montserrat Community College, rehabilitation of the Salem Secondary School, an operating theater for the Glendon Hospital, new northern police station, return airfares for Montserratians, public service training, land acquisition, housing, nursery school, roads, the rehabilitation of the Salem, Olveston, Old Town areas, and agriculture and fisheries.
Minister Weekes said attention was given to the productive sector with significant sums allocated for the small business sector under the second phase of the Small Enterprise Project.
Chief Minister Brandt’s Visit to Brussels
Chief Minister the Honourable David Brandt was invited to Brussels earlier this week to address the European Parliament.
The invitation came from the Committee on Development and Corporation of the European Parliament which is preparing a report on the situation in the OCT’s.
The committee organized a hearing Wednesday November 25th in the European Parliament at which further information on the OCT’s was collected.
The Chief Minister spoke on the situation of the British Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT’s) of the Caribbean region, with special emphasis on Montserrat.
In his address, Chief Minister Brandt expounded on the plight of the people in Montserrat who have been devastated by a more than three year old volcanic crisis.
Mr. Brandt mentioned that he was in Brussels to ask for help in Montserrat’s struggle to ensure a bright future into the 21st century.
This was the first time that a Chief Minister from an OCT was invited to address the Committee.
Chief Minister Brandt addresses critical CPP issues
Chief Minister The Honourable David Brandt said the time has come for Montserrat to put reactive emergency planning behind and proactively plot the course for sustainable development into the new millennium.
He was at the time addressing the opening of a week of negotiations with the British Government on the three-year Country Policy Plan on November 16th at McChesney’s Estate in Olveston.
Mr Brandt reiterated that the process started with the launching of the Sustainable Development Plan in September 1997, a time when many persons were uncertain about the future of the island and even questioned its viability and existence.
With a path to sustainable development now the main focus, the Chief Minister said Montserratians need to have a clear understanding of the Country Policy Plan and what it sets out to do. He said the broad policy framework laid out by the Sustainable Development Plan will be adopted by the Government of Montserrat over the next three years.
75 million pounds have been allocated by Her Majesty’s Government to finance projects and programmes for the period 1998-2000, including funds for budgetary aid, the ferry service, the helicopter, housing programmes and road works.
During his address Mr Brandt pointed out that the needs of Montserratians are many but the resources are few. He said, therefore, one of the major challenges will be the prioritization of the needs of the island to match the available resources.
Mr. Brandt questioned whether the 75 million pounds would be sufficien,t since 61 percent of the funds has already been committed to ongoing programmmes. He said there was no doubt in his mind that additional resources will be required.
The Chief Minister stressed that deciding between the many demands, such as education and housing, was a difficult matter. He said his government will not compromise on any issue that is critical to the future of Montserrat and its people.
He also noted that the shortage of land for development in the north is critical and that his administration will fight to have a proper land acquisition programme in place. Additionally he said they will negotiate for serviced plots, housing schemes, further hospital development, more roads, improved and expanded water and electricity services, the reinstatement of tertiary level education and the reintroduction of 6th form.
Chief Minister Brandt said training and human resource development will also be addressed.
He raised the matter of the airport issue by saying that his administration will negotiate for the best airstrip option which is suited to the long term needs of Montserrat.
Mr. Brandt also emphasized that a way must be found to speed up the overall approval of projects on a timely basis, which is critical to the implementation process.
CDERA’s Two-Day Workshop for NGO Community and Regional Media
Montserrat has been invited to participate in a two-day workshop on the non-governmental Organisation community and the regional media on November 30th and December 1st in Antigua.
Organised by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA and the Department for International Development (DFID), the purpose of the workshop is twofold. Firstly, it will inform Montserratian evacuees, donors, NGO’s and other interested parties on the current state of development in the region and DFID’s plans to assist them.
In this regard, the following areas will be looked at:
There will be two distinct sessions. The initial workshop for the NGO community will be held on the morning of November 30th. The afternoon session for the regional media will also include a briefing and discussion on CEDRA’s role in Montserrat, how the regional media have covered disasters in the region, with special focus on the Montserrat situation, and how to improve and expand regional coverage about Montserrat.
The second day of the workshop will take the form of a field visit to Montserrat for regional journalists. This will provide the opportunity for the regional media to view first-hand the on-going projects on the island and allow them time for story opportunities for use in their own media houses on their return home.
Government PRO Explains Her Role
The Montserrat Government’s official representative in the United Kingdom, Janice Panton, spent a few days on Montserrat last week.
Mrs. Panton, the government’s London-based Public Relations Officer, took part in the discussions on the Country Policy Plan.
On the Government Information Service’s radio Programme GIS Files, Mrs. Panton described her role as mainly "to provide information to groups and individuals in the UK, to promote trade and tourism for Montserrat, and to give information back to the Government of Montserrat and HMG regarding the activities and interests of Montserratians living in the UK."
The PRO, however, explains that her work involves a lot more than public relations, "PRO work means different things to different people. From my perspective, any work that enhances Montserrat and raises the profile of Montserrat could be regarded as PR work, and in terms of promoting trade and industry on the island, that could (also) fall within the category of PR work."
She points out that the task, though huge will not be too difficult since there is a lot of interest in helping to develop Montserrat. For example, "there is a lot of interest from an ecological point of view (because) a lot of people want to know how the plants are surviving , whether or not endangered species have survived."
Mrs. Panton reported that Montserratians who have relocated to the United Kingdom are more settled now.
The Montserrat Project, headed by former Minister of Education and Health Lazelle Howes has been funded for another year. Its new role is to develop the skills of the newly arrived Montserratians through training.
Text of Chief Minister David Brandt’s Speech in Brussels
Honourable ladies and gentlemen of the European parliament:
I have traveled half way around the world, from the Caribbean island of Montserrat to address you, the members of The European Parliamentary Committee on Development and Corporation. As members of this committee you hold your positions because you are concerned with the human condition and have dedicated yourselves to finding ways to improve it. There can be no more noble work than that which you do.
Yet you have had to respond to so many different situations, I would understand if you had become inured to human suffering and fatalistic about natural disasters.
Many of you will remember the news reports of our island and the volcanic terrorism that brought it to the world's attention. Some of you may be uncomfortable with the harshness of the term "volcanic terrorism" in referring to even a cataclysmic natural event. But to those of us who have lived through torrents of poisonous volcanic gases killing our people, through hot ash eruptions destroying our homes, through lava flows thieving our lands, through the daily threat of some new volcanic disaster; it is a harsh understatement.
But I did not come here to cry or to move you to tears. I come with one simple message. We must move beyond "business as usual." Only thus can we end our long night of suffering, only thus can we stave off despair. Thus we can give hope to tomorrow and begin putting our spirits and our country together again.
I have come here today to ask for your help in our struggle to ensure that Montserrat will be able to walk proudly into the 21st Century.
Let me assure you that pessimism is not a Montserrat characteristic. The volcano has beaten us up time and time again but it has never beaten us down. Yet these exceedingly tough times require a whole new approach if sustainable progress is to be achieved. We are prepared to confront our problems and fight on.
True, we lost our only High school, our only Technical school, most of our elementary schools, and our offshore medical school, with over 600 doctors in training and an expanding program. We lost our airport, our three radio stations including two of the best-known regional stations, Radio Antilles and Gem Radio.
True, families were ripped apart with sometimes a wife taking the children to England or America while the husband held on and kept the faith. Or part of one family would have gone to Antigua or St. Kitts, where everyone was welcome, while the other part went to more affluent communities in Toronto or St. Croix where strict immigration criteria severely limited the numberof people who would be accepted.
True, children cried themselves to sleep in London and Montreal while fathers or mothers were on fruitless job hunts in Boston or Charlotte Amalie. I know of wives and husbands who went to sleep hugging lonely pillows because their partners were out of reach hundreds of miles away trying to cope with a situation that was totally beyond their experience and imagination.
And we must understand that volcano aid is fundamentally different from hurricane help. Victims of a hurricane need help to get their lives back together; victims of a volcano have to get their lives back. One needs a hand Up, the other needs a home and a family and emotional support and lots and lots of prayers. One is a problem that can be dealt with relatively quickly and easily. The other is enormously complex with an end that is not obvious.
Three years and four months after the volcano began to erupt, conditions on Montserrat remain dismal. Visitor arrivals and earning from the tourism sector have dropped dramatically. Rice processing for the European market and electronic assembly for Europe and America, which were responsible for 98 percent of total exports, have relocated overseas. 7,800 persons have relocated from Montserrat to the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, leaving 4,000 on the island. 500 persons are still sheltered in schools, churches and temporary communal structures. An estimated 2,300 persons are still finding refuge with relatives, friends and total strangers.
Government revenues are a fraction of what they were in 1995, while expenditures have risen. So there was no help for those many Montserratians, already devastated by the volcano, when the Montserrat Building Society, could pay only 35 cents on each dollar of their life savings.
This remains one of the hardest blows that Montserrat is fighting to cope with. Iım sure you can all imagine the grief and hardship a person must feel when his or her home and all of their earthly possessions are destroyed, literally leaving them with only the clothes on their backs, and then having to be told that their savings, which they worked a lifetime to accumulate, have diminished to 35 percent of real value.
In your countries, Governments step in to bail out banks that make bad investment decisions. In Montserrat we have not been able to do nearly enough for the ordinary citizen who has had to endure tragedy after tragedy.
And yet without this same citizen, Montserrat can never be rebuilt. To paraphrase a well-known passage of scripture, "What does it profit a country to gain the world if it loses or fails to take care of its people?"
How can you help? You can contribute some resources to a special humanitarian fund to relieve the cases where there have been particular hardships.
My own personal wish is to find a way that would allow hard-working people to receive the full 100 percent of the monies they have worked a lifetime to save.
If this can happen, it would energize the people of Montserrat. It would revive their spirit and give them new hope. And I know they will take great pride in being able to use their own money to help rebuild their lives and their country.
Let me take this opportunity to express Montserrat's appreciation and that of the other Caribbean UK Overseas Territories for the significant financial and technical assistance which we have received from the European Union through the European Development Fund. Your aid programme has been described as the world's largest, and it has major positive impact on our economic and social development. We value our relationship with you. We are grateful for the assistance received, and we trust that access to the assistance from the European Union will continue for the foreseeable future.
We also acknowledge with deep gratitude and appreciation the assistance we are receiving from the United Kingdom, primarily, as well as other governments and agencies, as we fight to reconstruct a viable Montserrat community. But here again, given Montserratıs particular situation, I ask that we give some attention to how to speed up the flow of aid. It is important for us to find ways to get projects up and running more quickly than they would under normal circumstances. As I said before, business as usual makes it difficult for us to address our problems quickly and effectively.
In Montserrat we have prepared with the British Government a Physical Development Plan, a Sustainable Development Plan, and a Country Policy Plan, copies of which I will be glad to share with you. The overall objective of these plans is to be able to establish a viable Montserrat.
The Country Policy Plan covers the three-year period 1998/9 to 2000/1 and lays out the major objectives and programmes which the Government of Montserrat has set itself, in conjunction with Her Majesty's Government.
However, due to the limited funding available from Her Majesty's Government, many urgent problems are not getting the attention and support they require.
Let me cite just three examples:
The above examples are not exhaustive, but I hope they are sufficient to show that there are major funding gaps in our most urgent programme of rebuilding.
I turn now to three points of general concern to the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.
The first is that the current trade regime is beneficial to us all. The facility which allowed Montserrat to process rice for export to the European Union provided a considerable boost for our economy and employment on the
island. A change to this regime could put us all at a major disadvantage.
My second general point is that we do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of the EU procedures, and hence we are unable to make full use of available EU resources. We believe that the European Union should
correct this by offering appropriate training opportunities for our public servants to gain this understanding. In the meantime it would be appropriate for the European Union to fund a fully experienced person who will operate out of the delegation office with responsibility for Caribbean UK Overseas Territories.
Allied to this point is an appeal to the European Development Fund through the European Union to find ways of expediting the delivery of aid.
My third and final point is that we have every hope of establishing thriving offshore financial sectors. We support strong regulation of this industry and will comply with our obligations in this respect. We are co-operating with initiatives by the EU, G7 and OECD on harmful tax regimes. However, it is important that these exercises recognize the special circumstances which apply to small islands, and that we are not disadvantaged by these moves.
These are crucial times for all UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean and particularly for Montserrat, given the problems thrust upon us by a destructive volcano. But we remain confident that if we reject business as usual and look for more humane and effective ways to operate, we shall triumph. This confidence is strengthened by your friendship and your concern, which we value very highly indeed.
Thank you all very much.
Joint Closing Statement on agreement on draft Country Policy Plan
The Government of Montserrat and Her Majesty’s Government officials have reached agreement on a draft Country Policy Plan. This will play a key role in achieving our joint objectives for the rebuilding of Montserrat as set out in the Sustainable Development Plan.
The Country Policy Plan sets a challenging agenda to achieve these objectives.
Her Majesty’s Government held wide-ranging discussions with His Excellency the Governor, Government of Montserrat Ministers and officials, and representatives from the Montserrat Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout, all meetings were conducted in a spirit of cooperation, understanding and mutual respect.
Both negotiating teams praised the excellent preparation by Government of Montserrat officials without which the negotiations would not have been a success.
Her Majesty’s team will submit the draft Country Policy Plan for HMG Ministerial endorsement.
Once approved, the final version will be circulated on island and made available to Montserratians in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the Caribbean.
No, DFID, Montserrat Is Not Like Bangladesh
By J. Donald Brandt
When the House Select Committee first looked into the situation in Montserrat, its members sympathized with the distress of Clare Short, Secretary of State for International Development.
As they pressed her to justify what was clearly a resentful attitude toward the demands of Montserrat on her department’s aid funds, she bemoaned her plight. Priorities established for Montserrat by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had to be met with funds her department had budgeted for other aid projects abroad.
She was required to send money to Montserrat at the cost of funds targeted for the poor in India, or Bangladesh, or needy nations of Africa.
The Select Committee’s reasoned response was, "There will always be unnecessary tensions and inefficiencies if DFID money is used to fund FCO political priorities."
Twice the committee urged HMG to place responsibility and resources for the Dependent Territories in the same Department. Twice it was rebuffed.
The last HMG response to the Select Committee said, in effect, things will stay as they are. It’s reply: "There is no capacity within the FCO budget to deal with emergencies such as that resulting from the Montserrat volcano eruption and the FCO does not have the broad range of expertise required to manage the assistance programme for the Overseas Territories.
"The FCO must obviously retain responsibility for political issues in the Overseas Territories. The Committee also noted that in the case of a humanitarian emergency, DFID could supplement the work of the FCO with its own funding and personnel. Indeed, this is the present situation with regard to Montserrat."
Nevertheless, Ms. Short remains defensive when questioned about the levels of DFID aid to Montserrat, and its drain on funds she hoped to use elsewhere.
More recently, Richard Teuten, head of Overseas Territories in DFID and Ms. Short’s chief lieutenant for Montserrat, rebuffed suggestions that Montserrat needed more by replying to the effect that the island had received more than Bangladesh last year.
Indeed?
India is the world’s second most populous country, with a population nearing 900 million in a nation of 1.26 million square miles. Once part of that vast British Empire on which the sun never set, it has been an independent nation for a half century. Twenty-three of its cities are urban areas of more than a million people each. Undeniably, those teeming masses include huge pockets of abject poverty.
Despite such truly deplorable poverty, India has been a power in the non-aligned world for decades, and has an economy thriving enough that it can comfortably feed its appetite for both nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Bangladesh, originally part of British India as Bengal, became East Bengal at the time of partition, then East Pakistan in 1955, and totally independent as Bangladesh in 1971. It is a country with a population near 120 million in an area of 55,126 square miles. It ranks as one of the world’s 10 most densely populated – and poorest – countries. Abject poverty is a given.
Despite its equally deplorable poverty, Bangladesh has a thriving military establishment, members of which for nearly two decades regularly reconstituted the presidency by killing or deposing their high-ranking predecessors.
Montserrat, still a British dependency, had a population before the volcanic crisis of just over 10,000. Currently about 4,000 people occupy the island of 39 square miles. While abject poverty does not exist, dire needs do.
Most of us on island fully appreciate Britain’s continuing financial support. But we believe that HMG should see its role as restoring the island’s ability to attain its pre-volcano vitality. Mr. Teuten, however, recently hastened to point out to all who would listen that 75 million pounds is a lot of money for our currently small population. The implication, of course, is that the 75 million amounts to 18,750 pounds per person.
Recent ceremonies in Britain commemorated the 16th anniversary of the 100-day war for the Falklands, the south Atlantic islands invaded by Argentina in 1982. That bloody struggle involved a costly British task force 29,000 strong. At its end, Britain counted 258 dead and 800 wounded, the price of an effort to achieve what the London Daily Telegraph recalled as "the self-determination of 1,800 far-flung British subjects."
Yes, 1,800.
Using DFID’s cold statistical approach, that could be cold-heartedly equated to one casualty per 1.7 Falkland British subjects or one slain hero per 7 Falkland British subjects. Such carnal statistics, of course, would offensively trivialize the contributions and sacrifices of all those who participated in that conflict.
It is no less offensive for DFID’s senior ranks to trivialize this tiny dependency's special needs by implying that its volcanic crisis deserves no more consideration than the prevailing destitution in huge, functioning independent nations on the Asian subcontinent.
By Ken Walter
There seems to be fairly general agreement that Montserrat’s tourism future needs to be anchored in the market niche that appeals to the "Ecotourist." To avoid any misunderstanding or confusion, let’s define the term "market niche."
Simply put, products or services that are designed to appeal to a small or narrow market segment fit this definition. A perfect example would be the microbrewery industry.
In the United States, beer sales were dominated by a number of major breweries --Anheuser-Bush, Miller and Coors, for example. By definition these companies produced high quality products, at very competitive prices, but in each case the beers they brewed were all designed to appeal to a mass market.
Prior to the early 1980’s there were only a handful of very small local breweries that brewed beers that were distinctive by virtue of their flavor profile. One of these breweries -- Anchor Brewing -- was scheduled to go out of business, but was saved at the last minute when purchased by a wealthy entrepreneur. After some extensive market research he concluded that he could turn this business around by brewing beers that appealed to a small market segment of beer connoisseurs. His market research was 100-percent accurate and in less than one year the demand for his specialty, "niche market" craft brewed beers, exceeded his brewery capacity.
Well, there were some folks in the state of Colorado that said "Let’s try that here." The rest of the story is history, as a whole new microbrewery industry grew-up around the nation (and now the world). These microbreweries brewed specialty Amber Ales, Pale Ales, Porters, Stouts, Cream Ales and the list goes on and on. Over 75 percent of these breweries were successful, with each brewery crafting beers to appeal to the tastes of their local beer connoisseurs. This was niche marketing in it’s purest form.
Well, you say, that’s nice, but what does it have to do with Montserrat? Of course you already know the answer -- "Ecotourism." Niche markets must be carefully researched and understood. The beer drinker whose brew of choice is a "Bud" is far more concerned about the beer’s market image, price, convenience, packaging (cans as opposed to bottles) than the connoisseur’s interest in initial taste, mouth feel, and aftertaste. The individual who insists on only a craft brewed beer has very different demands, and demands they are. If the product does not meet those needs he or she will not buy!
The same holds true for the "Ecotourist." Those customers who travel to Jamaica, Barbados, St. Martin, etc., who desire gambling casinos, mile long white sand beaches, swim up bars and resort complexes are not coming to Montserrat, anymore than the "Ecotourist" is probably going there.
"Ecotourism" is a relatively new niche market with very demanding customers. These are people who are interested in local history, foods, architecture, culture, flora and fauna and especially those points of interest that are unique -- an island with a recently active volcano would make for a very attractive destination. They are almost always very environmentally conscious and thus intolerant of those things they perceive as not environmentally correct.
Montserrat, you need to take action -- and mind the old adage "actions speak louder than words." The fact of the matter is that your garbage disposal area -- what your visiting "Ecotourist" customers see almost immediately after disembarking from the ferry -- and the profusion of derelict automobiles makes for a poor first impression. Again the fact of the matter is that we humans are influenced by first impressions.
It is my understanding that there will be parts of Montserrat that will never be allowed to be developed again. I think it would be safe to assume that Trants to the Tar River area would be such a place. There is already a good road to this part of the island, thus it would seem to this "Outsider" the ideal location for a sanitary landfill site and graveyard for all those derelict vehicles.
Oh, I know what might be said nex;, we have more important priorities right at this time. Without a doubt this initially appears to be true, but is it really? The British Government seems willing to help with the rebuilding of your infrastructure, but financial assistance for the development of tourism may be something else. Even if it were the case, dealing with these issues needs to be addressed now. The 1998-99 season is already lost, can you afford to wait and lose the 1999-2000 season?
While the old adage "two heads are better than one" has great merit, the value of that second opinion is dramatically enhanced when presented by someone with a new and fresh view, unencumbered by the history and resulting burdens of those involved in the original dilemma.
Montserrat has been presented with a unique opportunity to rebuild your island from an almost clean slate. This writer considers Montserrat to be a unique and wonderful place. I have the highest regard and respect for Montserrat’s people and culture and wish only, in my small way, to help Montserrat understand an outsider’s views. Thus these "Views From the Outside" are presented as motivational food for thought.
My goal is to hopefully generate some of the sparks that ignite the fires of ACTION.
It's a question of... His Quirks
Why does he name IT?
Don’t Worry, Be Mr. Happy
With apologies to the Bard, a hose by any other name would still be a penis. Yet many of us insist on bestowing a moniker on our member.
Robin Williams wisecracks about Mr. Happy in his stand-up routines. And while Johnson is one of the more popular penis pseudonyms, the late Lyndon Johnson dubbed his Jumbo. (Everything's bigger in Texas, you know.)
Martha Cornog is a Philadelphia librarian with a master's degree in linguistics who made genital nicknames her specialty after marrying a sex researcher. In an article in the literary journal "Maledicta," she says that nicknamed genitalia is an old tradition, as witnessed by the fictional character Mellors in "Lady Chatterley's Lover," who calls his penis John Thomas.
"The names can serve as a private language between lovers . . . such a language permits discussion of sexual matters in front of unknowing friends and parents," Cornog writes. "The pet name can also serve as a method of facilitating communication about sex."
The question has always interested Dr. Rosenstein. "I really don't know why some guys do this, but I think they're trying to objectify their penises.
"If they're not happy with it, they're trying to dissociate themselves from it," Dr. Rosenstein adds. "If they are happy with it, they give it a life of its own, so to speak."
It's a question of... Her Quirks
Why does she get so upset sometimes---for no good reason I can see?
That Time of the Month ~
Suddenly, for no obvious reason, she's weepy and irritable and depressed. She doesn't like it when you touch her, especially her breasts. She complains that she feels fatigued and bloated, that she can't seem to lose weight. Then she sends you out in the middle of the night for a chocolate bar and a case of Sugar Wowies.
Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is part of the reason lots of guys are completely mystified by women. (Don't waste your time wondering, "Was it something I said?" It wasn't.)
The thing is, PMS is also mystifying to women -- and to their doctors, too. It's known that this collection of bizarre symptoms, which in a few women can be extremely distressing, is related to hormonal changes that occur about a week before menstrual flow begins. Various theories have been floated about riptides and all that weeping, but the truth is nobody really knows.
"I have PMS" is one of those expressions that pretty much says it all among women.
Actually, though, PMS strikes each woman quite differently, and PMS generally hits hardest when women are in their 30s.
To soothe milder symptoms, doctors often recommend that women with PMS cut back on salt (to reduce fluid retention and bloating), exercise regularly, and reduce their consumption of caffeine. Some women have been helped by taking progestin-only "minipills" (a low-dose oral contraceptive) that keep hormones stable throughout the month.
There's not much you can do for her (medically speaking), though, so the best thing is just to be sympathetic, wear a hard hat, and wait it out.
Talking about your prostate
BY LOU GOLDMAN
The Rotarian
I had just undergone a prostatectomy (surgery for prostate cancer), when I ran into a friend who knew about my operation. He glanced at me with embarrassment and pity before mustering the courage to tell me how well I looked.
Smiling, I replied that it wasn't my face they operated on, then added that if he really wanted to see how "not good" looked, I'd be happy to show him. We both laughed.
I've found such humor to be a useful weapon in dealing with this dreaded affliction, but only up to a point, because prostate cancer is a serious disease.
Like many men, I never really thought about this part of my body until last year, when my test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) revealed a reading of 4.5 -- only slightly over the normal reading of 4.0 -- while a digital rectal exam showed my prostate was slightly enlarged. A urologist my doctor recommended saw nothing unusual in the results, but decided to perform a biopsy anyway.
During our phone conversation a few days later, the doctor's inclusion of the words "tumor" and "malignancy" shook me to the core -- both registered to my ears as "death sentence." He dispelled that notion quickly, but recommended an MRI and a bone scan to determine the extent of the malignancy.
Shortly thereafter, my wife and I found ourselves sitting across from the doctor, separated by a desk covered with ominous-looking charts. His face was well tanned from sailing, while mine was ashen from worry. It seemed like he was the judge and I was the condemned man. As the doctor patiently explained that the test results confirmed the cancer was contained to my prostate -- and what that meant to my long-term health -- the color slowly returned to my cheeks. My options, he said, were surgery, radiation, and a new procedure called seeding (also a form of radiation). Although all sounded like last-hope efforts, my doctor explained they were actually the first line of defense procedures.
He also assured me I would not succumb to prostate cancer at age 69, and that when I did die, it would probably be from some other disease. His words lifted my hopes: I now understood my condition, and would take my chances.
Surgery was the option we agreed on, and within four weeks I had my prostate removed. My 15-year life expectancy seemed in jeopardy when follow-up tests showed some microscopic cancer cells remained, but my doctor assured me that radiation treatment would destroy them.
During my stay in the hospital, I was required to wear a medieval torture device called a catheter. It did the job, allowing me to urinate freely into a plastic bag attached to my thigh. But learning how to change the bag took some skill, especially since I find it difficult even to hang a picture straight.
When the catheter was removed, I graduated to something I hadn't worn since I was a toddler: diapers.
Surprisingly, it took only a few times to figure out how to use the disposable variety--a milestone for non-mechanical me.
All in all, life gradually returned to normal, although I had to get used to a zipper-like scar running from my navel to my pubic bone that looked like it might unzip if I moved.
Prostate surgery is not a lark, and recovery is at times trying and uncomfortable. Despite such challenges, I'm glad to be alive and share my experiences -- not only to give others some insight about prostate cancer and its treatment, but to encourage them to check with their doctors for warning signs. For men, this is a silent disease. We're all susceptible regardless of race, nationality, age -- even those of us who monitor our PSA and undergo yearly rectal exams. Your doctor in some cases may dismiss a slightly elevated PSA or enlarged gland. Don't you. Get another opinion. Don't be in denial that something could be wrong. Refuse to let ego, a macho attitude, or shame stop you from learning all you can.
If your doctor does discover a malignancy, avoid jumping to conclusions. It does not automatically mean a death sentence. Since each situation is unique, it's important to remain positive and not get caught up in other people's horror stories. Get the facts from a urologist, and check twice or get a second opinion if you have any doubts. In most cases you can continue to live your life as usual, and that includes being able to stand when you urinate and enjoy a normal sex life.
Check your PSA, ASAP.
Doing so can guarantee you peace of mind and good prostate health. The medical profession has the weapons to someday make this disease a thing of the past -- or at least something you can live with.
Lou Goldman is a novelist living well in East Hampton, New York, U.S.A.
A brief history of the golden years home
november 15, 1998
In July, 1995, the Volcano in the Soufriere Hills of Montserrat began to erupt. A great threat to the safety of the inhabitants had emerged, especially to those of the Eastern and Southern districts of the island.
When the rumblings were heard and steam was seen gushing from the vents that had opened, safe shelter became an urgent matter. An evacuation order was issued for residents in the East and the South. A large sector of our population was now on the move and in every country where such events occur, the most vulnerable are the elderly and the infirm. Unfortunately, Montserrat was no exception.
The Government’s Emergency Operations Centre, (the EOC), recognised that special arrangements had to be made for the elderly. A decision was made to house such persons at the Brades Primary School and at the Methodist Church’s Community Centre at Cavalla Hill in the North of the island.
The Montserrat Red Cross was asked to attend to those at the Brades School. The number to be catered for quickly rose to 119. This became quite a task for the Red Cross volunteers who were providing personal and nursing care, meals and laundry services for this group of evacuees.
After a couple weeks, it was realized that the task had become too onerous for volunteers only. The EOC then provided paid help at the special shelters for the elderly at Brades and at Cavalla Hill and Miss Florence Daley was appointed to manage them. The Montserrat Red Cross, which had started to receive donations, assisted with funding and also with the overall operations.
The British Red Cross airlifted mattresses, blankets, kitchen utensils, wheelchairs, commodes and other necessities to enable the local Branch to cater more efficiently to this group. Later, funding was received from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to provide meals, toiletries, medicines and laundry equipment.
The Brades Shelter had to be closed in January, 1996 to enable the primary school to re-occupy the premises. The vacant St. Peter’s School building was identified as an alternative. Red Cross volunteers together with other helpers, did their best to make it habitable but the layout was certainly not suitable for the elderly.
Within a few months, it became apparent that the move to the North would not be for a short period only. All indications pointed to a long stay if not a permanent re-location. The accommodation being provided for the elderly was clearly unsatisfactory and inadequate and something had to be done.
There were indications that a number of families on island and abroad would be willing to pay reasonable fees for accommodation for their senior relatives, many of whom had to be left behind as the younger ones emigrated to other lands.
The Montserrat Red Cross, in conjunction with the Regional Delegate, Denis McClean, considered constructing six wooden structures, similar to those that were being built by the Montserrat Defence Force. These would have been
temporary buildings but after further thought and more thorough discussion with Miss Florence Daley and others, it was decided that a permanent facility should be erected.
We began to spread the word. We were concerned and very disturbed, and were motivated to do something to improve the quality of life for our elderly. There was no money, no land, no resources. All that existed at the time was a clear determination to achieve, with the help of God, the goal that we set ourselves.
Our first aim was to find suitable land. We identified a spot at Davy Hill owned by Government. We approached the authorities and had a positive response. With land hopefully in place, approaches were made to architects for a plan, advising them that there was no money to pay for it. Mr. Ken Cassell readily accepted the challenge and agreed to design for us, a 50-bed Home free of cost, and he stuck to his word. Ken also maintained a keen interest in the project and has been available throughout the construction period and until now for advice and guidance.
There was an early setback, however. Government’s land was already committed
to another project and another search was on. We looked at Mongo Hill but no one could tell us when water or electricity would be brought to the area. We considered LookOut, viewed Virgin Island and numerous sites between St. Peter’s and Blakes. Eventually, we found a suitable site at Manjack, but to our dismay and great disappointment, residents in surrounding areas objected to a Home for the Elderly being built in that area.
Eventually, a new site was identified, the site on which we now stand. The owners agreed to sell and we moved quickly. Red Cross funds were used to pay for the land but this was soon refunded. In September, 1996, Governor Frank Savage received a donation of $80,000.00 which he passed on to us as a contribution
towards the purchase of the land. A few months later, Government donated the remaining portion of $34,000.00. Mr. Kenneth Allen Q.C., did the necessary transfer work for us.
A Project Proposal was widely circulated and the word began to bear fruit. Cable & Wireless made an early commitment of $200,000.00. Mr. Gregory DeGannes, Manager of the Bank of Montserrat, took the message to the Indigenous Banks of the Caribbean and after one of the Group’s meetings, he informed us of the keen interest of members and their commitment to substantial donations. Cable & Wireless’s Chief Executive for the Region and the Chairman of the Indigenous Banks came for the Ground Breaking Ceremony on September 4, 1996.
St. Kitts Masonry Products Ltd. offered 10,000 - 8" concrete blocks and as a result of approaches made by Mr. Eric Kelsick, then President of the Montserrat Red Cross, a commitment was made by ANSA McAl Ltd. of Trinidad & Tobago to provide the clay tiles for the kitchen, dining and service areas.
By this time, Miss Daley with Mr. Peter Hill, Economic Advisor to the Government of Montserrat, had compiled the first draft of the Home’s Business Plan. The Plan outlined the purpose of the Home and how the operation should be financed. It stated clearly that whilst charitable and official support would be imperative, the intention was to have operating costs covered by revenue from residents or their families and regular donations by covenant from companies and individuals. An estimate of operating costs was also prepared.
The Montserrat Red Cross and Miss Florence Daley then invited other Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to form a Steering Committee. This comprised of Miss Daley representing the EOC; Mrs. Mary Cooper, President of the Old People’s Welfare Association; Mr. Basil Walters, President of the Lion’sClub; Rev. Joseph Daley, Representative of the Christian Council; Mr. Jerry Handley of Rotary and of the Montserrat Foundation; Mr. John Skerritt, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health & Community Services; Mrs. Venus George of Cable & Wireless and Mrs. Dulcie James representing the Indigenous Banks; Mr. Eric Kelsick and Mrs. Lystra Osborne, President and Director of the Montserrat Red Cross.
The Committee reviewed the plan and drawings submitted by Mr. Cassell. The
estimated cost of the building was $1.8 million and it was therefore decided to build in phases. The Female Block and the Service Building comprising Kitchen, Dining and Laundry facilities, would be built first.
Miss Daley was able to secure a Bill of Quantities from Mr.Colin Cooper of Cooper Kauffman Ltd. free of charge. The Drawings and Bill of Quantities
were then released to contractors. The successful tenderer was M r. John E. Ryan of Ryan Investments Ltd. and his Company was awarded the contract in July, 1997.
As plans progressed, Mr. Mookey Rathouse, an architect of London, England, who owns a house at Isles Bay, designed and funded a colour brochure on the proposed Home. Numerous copies, which he also gave, were widely circulated. The campaign for funding continued with great viguor.
In July, 1997, soon after construction began, Lawyer David Brandt now the Honourable Chief Minister, introduced to us Mr. Robert C. Penny III.who had already owned a house here and who was willing to make a donation to a worthy cause. Following visits to the site and discussions with us, Mr. Penny agreed to donate US$200,000.00, approximately EC$536,000.00, to the project. Not only were we very pleased and excited over this donation, it enabled us to make the bold decision to proceed with the construction of the entire building as we had reached much closer to our target. We were still, however, a good way off.
We needed a Clerk of Works to oversee the day to day work at the site, to value the works and to certify payments to the contractor. We appealed to the British Executive Service Overseas (BESO) to send us such a person and the response was favourable. There was no charge for the Clerk’s services but we had to provide him with accommodation and transport. The Montserrat Red Cross initially covered these expenses but after six months, we approached the Aid Management Office of the British Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) for assistance in this regard. This was granted. Over the period we had two Clerks, Mr. James Lee and Mr. John Bishop whose assistance and advice were extremely useful.
As mentioned earlier, the Steering Committee made the bold decision to proceed with the entire building. The fund raising drive was producing good results but income was not keeping up with expenditure and at one point, we faced a serious shortage. What happened was that potential overseas donors, who had given strong assurances of support, became concerned and worried of the growing volcanic activity and wondered whether we were wise to proceed with this project on Montserrat. In fact, they withheld their donations figuring that it was just a matter of time before everyone had to leave the island.
At this point, we again approached DFID. Mr. Graham Carrington, Health Field Manager of the Aid Management Office, thoroughly scrutinized the project, the goals of the Steering Committee and the purpose for the Home, and based on his assessment, DFID agreed to donate approximately $400,000.00 to construction costs. The light at the end of the tunnel became much brighter.
Another donation which gave us a boost at this time came from the proceeds of the concert held in London , "Music for Montserrat", which was sponsored by Sir George Martin, owner of Air Studios which operated on Montserrat.
Throughout the construction period and even until now, continued strong support has been given by the Ministries of Government. We are particularly indebted to the Ministry of Communications and Works for the use of heavy equipment for excavation, for the road leading into the Home and for other services. Calls for assistance always yielded prompt results.
Quite a bit of work on the grounds was done by Mr. Claude Browne and Mr. John Keller, and one of the residents has actually started a garden. An approach, however, was made to Mr. Allen Stanford of Stanford International in Antigua through his local Solicitor, Mr. Kenneth Allen Q.C., for assistance with the landscaping. This was recently granted, as you will hear later in the programme, and his appointee, Mr. Justin Cassell and his men have been working hard over the last few days to give the grounds a new look.
I have mentioned some of the largest donors to the project but this Home could not have been completed without the contributions of very many more persons and institutions across the Region and further afield. The Montserrat Red Cross launched a special fund for the Home and numerous contributions were made to it. Contributions were received from other Red Cross Societies as well , a few of which are represented here this afternoon. Donations received that were not specifically given for a Red Cross project other than the Home, were deposited to the account for the Home.
Fund raising efforts were mounted by the Montserrat Associations in England, Canada, the United States and the U.S.Virgin Islands. Friends of Montserrat, individuals and groups in several communities sponsored concerts, dinners, marathons and other activities to raise funds. Also, at home and abroad, many donations were like the widow’s mite, small but outstanding, and these went a long way to make the construction of this Home possible.
Permit me to mention just one such effort and I do so because it was the effort of some of the residents of the Home who are sitting with us today. At ‘Scraps Memorial’ - the name given to the St. Peter’s Shelter whose residents made items from scraps, a project initiated by Nurse Majorie Joseph, the Nursing Supervisor at the Shelter - there were several Sunday afternoon concerts. The residents sang, recited and played instruments. Their friends and relatives came and the collections, small as they were, together with the proceeds from their Scraps, helped build their new Home.
It would be impossible to name every donor at a function like this. The Foundation therefore decided to list the names of all donors in a Donors Record which would be unsealed today and would remain, fittingly displayed, in this building. A marble plaque with the names of those who donated $10,000.00 or more should have been unveiled today but due to shipping problems it has not yet arrived from Barbados. Another plaque in memory of the late Robert C. Penny II, father of our prominent donor who specially requested that his father’s name be given to the Male Section of this Home, has also not yet arrived.
In November, 1997, Government passed The Golden Years Foundation Act to allow for the formal establishment of the Golden Years Home for the Elderly and for statutory rules and regulations to guide its operations. The first Members of the Foundation’s Board of Management were elected on Saturday, May 23rd, 1998.
They are:
Mr. Gregory DeGannes, Chairman; Rev. Joan Meade, Secretary; Major Joseph Lynch and Mr. Claude Browne. Other members of the Board by virtue of their posts in Government and the community are: Hon. C.T.John, Financial Secretary; Dr. Ronnie Cooper, Acting Director of Medical Services; Mr. Darnly Estwick, Acting Director of Community Services; Nurse Mary Cooper, President of the Old People’s Welfare Association and Mrs. Camilla Watts, Director of the Montserrat Red Cross.
Ryan Investments handed over the keys of the building in July this year. I am sure that all will agree that the team of Ken Cassell, Architect; Ryan Investments, Contractors and their workmen have certainly produced a well structured and beautifully finished building.
With the building complete and a Board of Management in place, preparations began for the opening of the Home. The Foundation and the Red Cross made a request to the United States Peace Corps’ Crisis Core for a volunteer to work for six months at the Home for the purpose of providing administrative support and staff training. Ms. Rose Arnold arrived in June, 1998 to assist us. A staff was selected and the first Residents were received in the Home on August 21, 1998. Mrs. Millicent Bass is now the Manager; Miss Cheryl White, Administrative Assistant; Sister Rosalind Richards, the Nursing Supervisor and there are 20 other care givers, cooks and laundry staff.
It has been a privilege for me as an official of the Montserrat Red Cross to have been associated with this project and I also say this for the Red Cross volunteers who have worked so hard over these last three years. The support, faith and confidence in the Red Cross, demonstrated by so many in responses to appeals for assistance and for funds, especially for the Home, have been overwhelming.
It was also a pleasure working with the Steering Committee and also with our recently appointed Director whose input in a short time has been outstanding.
The Golden Year’s Home for the Elderly is now a reality and on behalf of the Red Cross, I extend to the Foundation, the Management and Staff of this Home, best wishes for a long and successful operation.
Holding Pattern
In the CPP sessions they fretted
How to tell that priorities vetted
Enforced some delay
On the airport; let’s say,
"Inconvenience is deeply regretted."
Life’s Little Bumps
No one prefers a snail’s pace
Going to some distant place.
So the ‘copter’s preferred,
But too many have heard,
"Sorry, my friend, there’s no space."
Jus wonderin how many of the British workers currently in Montserrat are volunteers?
Jus wonderin if 3 and 1/2 months and counting is acceptable as the norm for a shipping agent to complete paperwork for Customs.
Jus wonderin how if it can be part of the SDP to give a two-bedroom house at Lookout to a single police officer, a single redundant teacher and a couple with a half-retired police officer.
Jus wonderin how come there are empty houses at Lookout.
Jus wonderin how it is there can be empty shelter homes in Friths and Hope, while there are people looking for accommodation.
Jus wonderin why people are not rushing back to Salem.
Jus wonderin why the Police Station in Salem is still unoccupied while they pay lots of rent.
Jus wonderin why there are so many police vehicles broken down and remain unrepaired.
Jus wonderin if drivers of Government vehicles are the worst speeding offenders.
Jus wonderin how much money would be saved on Government vehicles in gas, insurance, repairs and maintenance etc. if these vehicles were not driven for private use.
Jus wonderin why can't a manager be appointed to manage the distribution of LPG.
Jus wonderin how the Governor can talk about preparing Bramble Airport for a return to activity but ignore the existence of the area from Isles Bay to Richmond Hill, knowing that pyroclastic flows went to the airport but nowhere near those areas of Foxes Bay, Richmond and Isles Bay.
Jus wonderin where de Palm Trees gone.
Jus wonderin if anyone will be charged with receiving stolen palm trees.
Jus wonderin if they really cost $53,000.
Jus wonderin what has gone wrong with the new police launch and who the real new owner is of MV Shamrock I.
Jus wonderin if the engines on Shamrock II are under warranty.
Jus wonderin if the RAR was orchestrated to cut the civil service to pieces while the same posts are being filled with British civil servants.
Jus wonderin what new deals are being put in place so that the local government could sell an 'airstrip' at Geralds to the public.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified Montserratians to fill the post of Messenger/Driver, at the Department of International Development (DFID, Montserrat.
Applicants should possess and maintain an unencumbered and valid Montserrat driver’s licence and should be fluent in English.
DUTIES:
SALARY
Salary will be commensurate with qualification and experience, and can be revised upward based on performance following probationary period of three months.
Applications stating qualifications and experience with the names and addresses of two (2) referees should be forwarded to:
The Deputy Head, DFID Montserrat Manjack Montserratto reach no later than December 4, 1998.
Applications which do not meet the minimum requirements indicated above will not be acknowledged.
DFID - Administrative Support Officer
Applications are invited from suitably qualified Montserratians to fill the post of Administrative support Officer, at the International Development (DFID), Montserrat.
Applicants should have at least five O’ Levels which should include English, Mathematics and Accounts.
DUTIES INCLUDE:
SALARY
Salary will be commensurate with qualification and experience, and can be revised upward based on performance following probationary period of three months.
Applications stating qualification and experience with the names and addressed of two (2) referees should be forwarded to:
The Deputy Head, DFID Montserrat Manjack Montserratto reach no later than 11th December, 1998
Applications which do not meet the minimum requirements indicated above will not be acknowledged.
Cable & Wireless/ FCO Cambridge Scholarships October 1999
In collaboration with Cable & Wireless and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust offers four scholarships annually to enable graduates of outstanding academic merit to pursue one-year taught postgraduate courses of study at the University of Cambridge in Development Studies, Economics, Economics & Development, Engineering, Environment and Development, Finance, International Relations, Law or Management Studies.
The Scholarships are open to citizens (Normally aged between 20 and 35 years) of the following countries:
Candidates must already have, or expect to obtain before October 1999, a first class or high second class honours degree or its equivalent from a recognised university and at least two years post-university experience. Candidates must undertake to return to their home country at the end of the course of study at Cambridge.
The Scholarships, tenable for one academic year, will cover the University Composition Fee at the overseas rate, approved College fees, a maintenance allowance sufficient for a single student and a contribution towards a return economy airfare by the cheapest available route.
All applicants must complete a Preliminary Application Form which can be obtained from local Cable & Wireless offices, British High Commissions, the University of the West Indies and its Extra Mural Departments or, in case of difficulty, from the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, P.O.Box 252, Cambridge CB2 1TZ, England. Completed Preliminary Application Forms must be returned to the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, P.O.Box 252, Cambridge CB2 1TZ,England by 31 December 1998.
By submitting one Preliminary Application Form, applicants will automatically be considered for all the Trust’s awards for which they are eligible.
Forward all Questions, Comments and Suggestions to: roachb@candw.ag
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