.

The Weather Channel said Hurricane Lenny was only the fourth hurricane of its kind since 1886, with its unusual west-to-east movement. This hurricane had, up to the time of writing, left a path of death and destruction in the region, churning up waves that smashed boats, washed away roads, scattered debris, tore at and smashed hotels and slid coastal homes into the water.

It wasn’t finished with its unusual behaviour, but after sitting on top of and virtually trashing St. Maarten, Anguilla and other neighbouring islands for two days, it began losing strength, then made another right angle turn and headed directly us, finally making a 90-degree turn left this time, before it reached Antigua, reduced to a category 1 hurricane again, threatening to dump more rain on us and this time perhaps as far as Martinique to the south.

Here in Montserrat unofficial information from Woodlands suggested it had dumped over the two days from Wednesday 10.44 inches of rain on us.

Water running at the sides of Belham bridge, which is covered with debris

On Friday at 3.50 P.M., ZJB had made an announcement from the authorities to all commercial establishments to shut down at once and for all people doing outdoor activities to stop and return indoors.

Lenny surprised most by forming so late in the hurricane season, which ends November 30. Most hurricanes also follow an opposite path, forming in the mid-Atlantic and sweeping northwest through the Caribbean and up toward the United States. Most of the islands barely escaped Hurricane Jose last month and were beginning to unwind and taking down all barricades put up for the hurricane season.

These two yatchs were destroyed by Lenny at Litte Bay

Here in Montserrat at Little Bay port, many of us witnessed some heroism when two French men and one woman chose between staying on their two small yachts or rowing to shore facing deadly and over 20-foot waves, which took away the horizon. They made it safely after the last surging wave dumped them and their small boat, scattering them in different directions. They were quickly rescued by locals who rushed into the water, grabbing them and finally the boat, bringing them safely to shore, all shook up and with minor bruises. They had sailed from St. Bartholomew as far South to hide out the hurricane season and were just on their way back via Guadeloupe when they found themselves trapped in the raging waters off Montserrat.

Sailors struggling in the water after being capsized by the waves

Packing up to 150 mph winds and torrential rains, Hurricane Lenny had careened past the Dominican Republic on a rare west-to-east course aimed directly at Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, eventually missing and avoiding a direct hit on St. Croix. Since Wednesday it caused a hurricane warning to be issued for Montserrat and its northerly neighbours, whereupon its enormousness enveloped us in its outer band where it dumped water off and on for three days.

But it was the western or leeward coast of these islands all the way south to Grenada that took a beating. One report out of Grenada said: "This hurricane is doing enormous damage considering the distance of Grenada from the sight of Lenny. The roads are cracking and in some parts it split open, making it hard for people to get home from work, school."

Here some of our fishermen at Carrs and Little Bay were caught off-guard waiting until Thursday morning to move their boats to land. Those who didn't on Wednesday evening watched helplessly as the sea waters were raging so badly, making it risking death to go and get their boats, some of which were still riding out the waves at their moorings while others had already disappeared. By Friday morning they had all disappeared. One of the little Frenchmen's yachts had been washed ashore and the other had disappeared.

Yatch washed ashore by the storm surge

Otherwise, damage to Montserrat has been minimal with down time in electricity at one time for a whole night, caused by swaying branches that cause feeder wires to touch tripping the engines at the plant. One very well known businessman expressed surprise, recalling that Monlec is known for "keeping a rigid maintenance program over branches that can touch its power lines, especially during the hurricane season."

The police launch Shamrock II was finally pulled out of the waters, not at Little Bay port where it is usually moored, but at Trants on the eastern side of the island.

Shamrock II finds safe refuge in the Salem police station garage

On Thursday morning the police marine section found themselves stranded at Little Bay with no way of getting to the Shamrock II, which was bobbing up and down with the remaining fishing boats which had so far avoided the onslaught of Lenny's waves. They quickly went to the eastern side of the island at Trants on the Atlantic side, which never sees anything but rough waters. But that day it was a 'pond' compared with the Leeward side. Reportedly two men launched their rubber dinghy and later boarded Shamrock II from the Caribbean sea side, sailing it to safety at Trants bay with the dinghy in tow, where fisher men helped them bring the Shamrock II safely to shore and shelter at Police Headquarters in Salem.

The island had been shut down since Wednesday as residents waited a long and continued hurricane warning ,while Lenny carried out its 'meanderings' as the weather forecasters described it. On Friday some supermarkets opened and the Bank of Montserrat opened its doors for cash transactions only.

3 French Sailors Barely Escape Lenny With Their Lives

It was an ironic twist of faith that these three French sailors, two men and a woman, had gone as far south as Grenada to live out the 1999 hurricane season, and were now returning to their home base via Guadeloupe when the unusual hurricane Lenny struck.

One of the French sailors being pulled from the water

Bruno Antonello, speaking to the Montserrat Reporter almost immediately after being rescued, along with his two partners, Elizabeth Puget and Gildas Lleramas said: "We had gone to Grenada to wait out the hurricane season and were returning to St. Bartholomew."

It was supposed to have been the end of the hurricane season, or so these sailors like so many thousands of others in the Caribbean, thought..

Lleramas did not speak any English, so both Ms. Puget and Antonello told us on Wednesday that they had "left Guadeloupe yesterday morning, and at two o'clock this morning, arrived off Montserrat," to find that there was a hurricane around. They realised they were trapped in high and raging waters, and their sailboats were small ones.

The three occupied two sailboats: Ms. Puget and Antonello on one, with Lleramas on the other. They were all from France but were living in St. Bartholomew, where hurricane Lenny was about to visit with its raging winds nearing 155 mph.

The three admitted that they feared for their lives when they anchored off Carrs Bay and looked ashore to see the 20-foot or more waves crashing onto the shoreline. But they thought it was a better option to leave the yachts, which were eventually doomed to disaster. It was nearing mid-day and the weather report did not promise any immediate let-up. They all got into one lifeboat and headed for shore.

It was quite an ordeal for them and heart-stopping as residents gathered at Carrs Bay and Little Bay awaiting hopefully their arrival. For some time no one could see them in the little boat from the shoreline because of the high waves, but it was believed they were on their way.

People anxiously watching the dramatic rescue

At first they tried landing at Carrs Bay, but in spite of their fierce rowing to keep the boat south of Little Bay, where they obviously feared crashing into the jetty or rocks, it was just south of the jetty that they were sighted, now being helped in by the huge waves.

Onlookers predicted that their worst moment would be when they got to the top of the last breaking waves, which were crashing periodically on already churning Caribbean sea waters. The moment came and seemingly took them unawares as the wave hurried on to them. The boat was almost parallel to the wave as the wave took them to its pinnacle, capsizing the boat and throwing them in different directions. As it turned out, they were well protected with life-vests, along with those items they figured they would require on shore and their travel documents, which were safe and dry when they eventually were pulled out of the water.

Sailors finally safe on land

Four anxious heroic youngsters, Ivan Howe, Jim Fagan, Devon Howe and Hubert O'Garro, were waiting to assist in their rescue. They plunged into the raging waters and went out to meet and help the obviously shaken trio, all of whom were brought to safety on shore. They even gathered the boat and its oars, bringing those to safety as well.

The only physical injury was suffered by Ms. Petit, who ended up with bruises on her legs, having being dragged across some rocks before one of the rescuers caught up with her. She had lost almost all of her clothing as a result, but they were all soon wearing dry clothing very quickly provided for them as they were overwhelmed with natural Montserrat hospitality.

They were soon taken away to the hospital for a routine check for injuries, but not before they had met with the Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt and His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott, who later arrived on the scene.

Mr. Brian Hollender and his wife Dianne, a French lady herself, offered the trio accommodation for the duration of their stay in Montserrat.

The sailors were only hopeful that their boats would survive, but on Friday morning one had washed ashore at Carrs Bay and the other was nowhere in sight.

Harbourmaster Roosevelt 'Cubby' Jemmotte was reportedly badgered by a junior customs officer, who complained that he had no authority to allow the rescued sailors to go to the hospital for a checkup for injuries, even after they had left their travel documents. Mr. Jemmotte said that he had contacted the hospital, Red Cross and the Search and Rescue authorities to advise them that rescue effort that was under way. He expressed his surprise and disappointment that the Search and Rescue team did not show up.

Loking down on Old Road beach during the storm

Old Road beach suffered relatively minor damage 

"Revised Social Welfare Questions Beg Answers"

Not much is being said, publicly anyway, about our economic state. But because most of the people who stayed behind during the scourge as the result of volcanic activity are really the core of people who believe that Montserrat must be a place where they can live in peace, free of much of the other afflictions of the world, there seems to be almost an evasiveness to the subject of our future well-being.

It doesn't come without much challenge, as some of us look on, watch and wait out the various players in action, knowing full well that Montserrat as a country could not exist on its own volition.

Quite recently we spotted a comment made by our UWI Resident Tutor, Acting Governor and Speaker of the Legislative Council, Dr. Howard Fergus. He was quoted by a visiting journalist who penned an interesting article "Rising From the Ashes in Montserrat." Dr. Fergus said: "Metaphorically, we're still very much dependent on the British government for our survival. And this has implications for our political development and sense of self-respect."

That fact results in the presence of several British workers who, for more than necessity, come to work among us filling varying rolls. Many think sometimes that this is not necessarily because they have to, but because we cannot supply them ourselves. This is apart from the consultants who fall into a different category.

How these people behave most of the time, we have come to learn, is often suspect and questionable. There seems to be the tendency to feel that since Montserrat does not pay their salary, they are not answerable to us, and therefore go and come as they please. Well, the truth here is that Montserrat does not pay anyone's salary, but we have a Government "properly constituted," and which, we remind them, is answerable to us. That must go for everyone who works under their supervision. If in no other area, this is one where we expect our Government under any circumstance to be ready to defend.

Where these officers try to behave otherwise and feel that they do as they please, we expect that to be corrected and to have the fullest cooperation from those whose responsibility it is to see this done.

This subject of our self respect does have very far reaching implications and that is why it is time that we hear more on it. Very soon we will see the commencement of a new Social Welfare programme, being studied now for well over a year.

Not much is being said about it, but the first stage of it will replace the food welfare program. It is expected to begin promptly in the new year. Eventually this will spread into other areas, to cover not just food welfare but each applicant's every social existence. Already the questions have begun, but more importantly they must be answered.

Will it be surprising to learn that the program as it exists is supposed to support every person who had evacuated from south of the island because of the volcano? And that even though many have jobs, that the additional income is very welcome because of the very difficult circumstances some people face? When it is learnt that some of these people are paying mortgages on houses they will never occupy, are paying rent, and are waiting for a mortgage scheme in which they can become involved to build another house, what is going to happen when they learn they can no longer receive the food cheque?

One foreign journalist rightly observed what is believed by us: "The multimillion-dollar contract to build the new homes went to a British contractor; the thousands of dollars Britain spends daily on jet-catamaran ferry service that links Montserrat to the world goes to a company with British investors; and a large share of Montserrat's aid is used to finance the salaries, travel expenses and recreation leaves of British officials based here, while some projects leave haunting legacies."

It is with this and similar backgrounds that many residents will view the Social Welfare program with dubiousness. It seems the thing to do, but it may not be received that readily, particularly if the proper foundation is not laid.

Except for the editorial, opinion articles expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of the Montserrat Reporter editors, employees or advisers. Readers are encouraged to submit commentary articles. All viewpoints, unless libelous, in poor taste, or anonymous, are welcome. Send your contributions to The Editor, P.O. Box 306, Olveston, Montserrat, W. I., e-mail: editor@montserratreporter.org. Manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a return stamped envelope. The Montserrat Reporter is a privately owned independent newspaper.

A Strange Approach To Organic Farming

Dear Editor;

On Thursday, 29 October, the extension officer for south was a guest on ZJB's farm program hosted by Justin Cassell. As usual, Breedy was talking from both sides of his mouth and with forked tongue at the same time! This can be his only excuse for his fumble speak. Before his "supposed informational talk," I could hear his papers rustling, yet when it came for him to give his information, he was tongue-tied, mis-spoken, and generally non-informative. What little I was able to understand from his mis-speak was that farmers planting onions should use a chemical herbicide and a chemical fertilizer. This coming from the extension officer who professes that we should use organic farming. This also from the same Agriculture Department who made an organic farmer move his entire set of banks to a new location so that he wouldn't "Polute the watershed"!!!!! Banks that have been in that location for donkey years. Someone in agriculture better have a talk with Breedy and get him into the picture. Either the Ag. Dept. wants organic farming or it doesn't; someone had better set the policy and make sure that everyone is aware of the policy.

Going back to Breedy, is this man so unsure of what he is talking about that he needs notes about how to grow plants? If so, I think maybe we should send him back to Guyana. I know of numerous persons on Island (we don't need more imports) that are extremely qualified for his job. Of course if we had someone who was qualified, maybe we wouldn't need our director of agriculture Claude Gerald! Or is that Claude's plan? While I am discussing Breedy, what kind of extension officer is he that only sits behind a desk and doesn't go out in the fields? Is he afraid to get his feet muddy? Or is it that he is afraid to be in the bush with irate farmers?

Talk to us Breedy, only try to speak with one tongue, not two! We are waiting for your reply to this and Mr. Brown's letter of last week. While you are at it, explain why there was no question and answer period Thursday past !

Concerned

There's no where like home. Thank you, "Montserrat Reporter", for keeping Montserratians united and well informed. I'd like to say hi to TAJ, X-MAN & DILLON.
Savhed Francis - vesahd@yahoo.com - Boston, MA USA -

Much respect goes out to the Monsterrat Reporter. You have done a great job of uniting people once again. God's richest blessings to its staff and management.
I am excited to see the Montserrat Reporter Web Page. I was born in St. Kitts, but I grew up on Montserrat. My dad was Mr Joseph Bradshaw from Dyer's Village. Nurse and Alfred Joseph (Bro Joseph) were my dear guardian angels. I still pray that I can be reunited one day with them.

I send regards to Miss Ellen Roach from Lee's Village, who also raised me. I am now in Graduate school in Boston, Masschussetts (USA) and hope to once again unite with people who are close to my hearts.

I still pray for Montserrat and long to one day hope it will become the paradise of the Caribbean it used to be.

To the people still there we are still one. May GOD richly bless you all. Thomas Bradshaw (Ryan) and family, I hope you are fine.
Melvin Henry Bradshaw - mhenry@MIT.edu - Boston, MA USA

Thank you for keeping us up to date with the news from Montserrat. It makes me feel so much at home knowing that you're just a click away. If anyone in England knows the whereabouts of Warren Gibbons better known as "pay", please tell him to contact me at my E-MAIL Address.
ALISON O'GARRO/FRYE - ALLEE411@YAHOO.COM - BRONX, NY USA -

We are just ecstatic to have found this link to Montserrat and to friends and family. We just want to big up our dad the Roots Man at Carr's Bay. We miss Montserrat and want to return home soon. Thanx Montserrat Reporter. Love you dad Nati and Ruggs natisha&laverne ryner Toronto, Canada 

Loving Ourselves, Loving Our Neighbors

Read Luke 10:25-37

Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)

When I worked as a court volunteer, I heard many stories about adults who hurt children with their fists or with their words. I was upset by what I heard. I talked about my feelings with a pastoral counselor. She responded, "We all have the potential for hurting another person." She also reminded me that adults who lash out at children may well have been wounded when they were young. Quoting Leviticus, she reminded me, "Do not seek revenge…., but love your neighbor as yourself."

"How do I let go of my anger?" I asked. I was indignant. I wanted to blame the people who hurt their children.

"Instead of finding fault in others," she urged, "look for the part of yourself that could hurt a child."

Instead of being critical of the priest in the story of the Good Samaritan, I am learning to reflect on the part of me that is like the priest. I know that I could avoid a troubled stranger out of fear or fatigue. By seeing that I too might be unkind, I moved closer to understanding and loving my neighbor and myself.

Prayer: Holy God, guide us away from the temptation to find fault and to blame. Lead us toward thoughtful understanding. Amen.

Micki B. Esselstyn (Florida)

REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY

For the first time ever, the Remembrance Day Ceremony, was held inside a Church. The Brades Pentecostal Church was the venue for the inter-denominational ceremony on Sunday 14^th November, when the dead of both World Wars were remembered.

A dwindling number of veterans attend the ceremony each year as death and old age take their toll but this year their numbers were swelled with former members of the RMDF joining their comrades in the ceremony and the march – past afterwards.

Some 176 members of various uniformed bodies took part in the ceremony, which was Marshalled by Lt. Horatio Tuitt of the Cadet Corps. At the start of the ceremony there was an impressive flag ceremony and during the service itself some one dozen wreaths were laid by various organisations. Music for the ceremony was provided by the Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinders.

After the church service had finished the veterans and the uniformed bodies marched to Government HQ where refreshments were served.

His Excellency the Governor Mr Tony Abbott and the Hon. Chief Minister, Mr David S. Brandt took the salute.

Reports from some of the other islands of the Caribbean

Hurricane Lenny lashed the eastern Caribbean with heavy rain for yet another day Friday after killing at least eight people and causing millions in damage to islands just entering the high tourist season. It touched most islands through the Greater and Lesser Antilles on its unusual west-to-east trek late in the Atlantic hurricane season, which ends November 30.

Lenny caused extensive damage from Wednesday, toppling trees and utility lines, causing flooding and whipping up seas that battered ports and coastal communities. It ravaged homes and boats, stripped beaches of sand, flooded hotels and roads, disrupted communications before drifting eastward into the Atlantic, where it is expected to die.

As early as Tuesday, it drowned two fishermen off Colombia's Caribbean peninsula, and its relentless rains destroyed half a coastal village, leaving 540 people homeless.

Lenny's winds had reached near 155 mph before dwindling to 60 mph -- tropical storm strength -- as it rapidly disintegrated. At 11 p.m. EST, its ill-defined center was 20 miles northeast of Antigua. Tropical storm-force winds stretched for 115 miles from its center and forecasters warned that up to 15 more inches of rain could fall on already saturated islands.

Three people were killed in Dutch St. Maarten -- two struck by flying debris late Thursday and a motorist who died when the hillside road he was on collapsed. As the winds died down Friday, stunned residents of St. Maarten emerged from shelters to find dozens of roofless homes and knee-high floodwaters in Philipsburg, the capital. The island was without electricity or water as some residents, walking with bundles of clothes, sought dry shelter.

Lenny's winds, rain, flooding and storm surges also were blamed for one death in Puerto Rico, two in Colombia and one in Martinique. Two people were missing in Dominica.

The AP news wire reported that the U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued a St. Martin man on Thursday who survived two days in a life raft buffeted by more than 100-mph winds and up to 30-foot seas. But the man's companion died, the Coast Guard said in San Juan. Coast Guard aircrews spotted the survivor while searching for two Americans who planned to abandon their battered sailboat for a life raft.

Carl Wake, 43, of Bradenton, Fla., and Steve Righby, 54, of New York City, were in Lenny's path off St. Croix when the hurricane's winds were up to 150 mph and it whipped up 30-foot-high waves. On Friday, the winds and seas were too high for aircraft and boats to search for the men, he said.

Lenny battered the U.S Virgin Islands with torrential rains and ferocious winds, scoring almost a direct hit on St. Croix, where many of St. Croix's 55,000 residents were caught off-guard by the storm's rapid strengthening.

Lenny's huge waves caused nightmares for a number of small Caribbean islands, including St. Vincent, Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis.

The low-lying Anguilla, which took the worst of Lenny's winds, had some coastal flooding, and some residents of the capital, The Valley, had to be rescued by boat. Utilities were down, but no injuries were reported, police said.

In neighboring Saba, the airport tower was reported severely damaged, along with several structures.

The neighboring British Virgin Islands reported moderate damage but no injuries

In Grenada, 10 homes were destroyed, jetties and roads were damaged and 21 small craft lost.

Several St. Lucians residing along the west coast were left homeless as 20-foot waves pummeled the town of Soufriere, destroying homes and wrecking the waterfront.

People reportedly wept openly in the streets as they witnessed their homes being swept away by the high seas, some of which rose as much as 20 feet high.

Several fishermen, caught by surprise, lost their boats and equipment as a result of the treacherous seas.

In Dominica the situation was similar. Lenny forced the closure of schools, offices and the Canefield airport. There were also unconfirmed reports of 36 homes destroyed and extensive damage to beaches.

In the northern town of Portsmouth, there were reports of damage to beachfront property, while two trawlers were reportedly washed ashore by the strong currents.

Seaports in Nevis and neighboring St. Kitts were also affected by huge waves, which smashed at least four concrete homes on St. Kitts, already hit hard by Hurricane Georges last year and flooded out by Jose last month, authorities said.

The Nevis coastal area was hit by swells of over 20 feet, according to General Manager of the island's Von Radio, Evered Herbert, while it is reported that the Four Seasons hotel suffered extensive damage and there will be no tourist season for them.

Coastal areas of St. Vincent and the Grenadines were also pummeled by the strong seas. The major casualty was the $20.3-million cruise ship and ferry berth project in the St. Vincent capital, Kingstown, built mainly through a loan from the Kuwaiti Fund.

Huge waves battered the complex, scheduled to be officially opened next Monday, ripping away sections of the roof of a two-story building whose upper floor had been earmarked for restaurants.

A section of the main jetty slowly folded in the face of the onslaught.

As one local writer puts it: "You can imagine the economic consequences when so many of these high end hotels have had major plans to attract big bucks to their islands for Millenium celebrations. We had heard that 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' Robin Leach had planned a millenium celebration at Jumby Beach in Antigua for the super rich.

"The economic consequences to the entire Caribbean have got to be catastrophic if all the planned Millenium celebrations have to be shelved along with the normal tourist season. Given how late in the season Lenny is, there's little time for any of these resorts to recover."

Millennium Group Plans Teenage Pageant

Since the millennium bug began consuming the minds, thoughts and occupation of many, there are those who believe that if they were to associate themselves in other ways it could be beneficial to their community. There is this group called the Millennium Production. It is a non-profit social organisation that started in April 1999.

The group has as its organisers Misses Shauna Harley and Cheryl Cassell along with Messrs Kenny Morgan, Basil Chambers, and Craig Cabey.

A spokesperson for the organisation said: "We began this group when we noted that the social activities in Montserrat were at an all time low, and the main aim of the group then was to revive the social activities of the island."

Finding it quite challenging they staged three productions, which were in the form of dances. According to the group, the proceeds of these activities were donated to the Governor’s Appeals Fund and to the Salem Primary School.

This group has incorporated the help of some other well-known personalities in the community, who will assist them with the staging of a Talented Teenage Pageant on December 23, 1999. These persons are Mr. Chadd Cumberbatch, Misses Glendina Taylor and Rose Willock; Maria Perkins, Eslyn Samuel and Velma Morgan are assisting.

Ten contestants are expected to take part, five boys and five girls, in a four-segment competition, which will include a costume section. The focus will be on the talent displayed.

They will shortly be exhibiting photographs of the contestants.

As a result of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory’s expertise in high-tech volcano monitoring and the experience it has built up during the 4-year eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano, its assistance is being requested by the Instituto Geofisico in Quito, Ecuador, and the Volcano Observatory in Guadeloupe.

The MVO will be loaning some of its monitoring equipment to the Instituto Geofisico in Quito to assist them in monitoring two currently active volcanoes. Guagua Pichincha volcano, close to the city of Quito, has been active for several years and is now growing a lava dome similar to that erupted on Montserrat between November 1995 and March 1998. Following a visit by MVO Director, Dr Simon Young, late in 1998, MVO has provided advice and experience to the responsible agency in Ecuador through its director, Hugo Yepes. A second volcano in Ecuador has also recently become active. The equipment on loan from MVO will assist in measurements of the size of the lava domes at both volcanoes.

Recent increases in gas emissions at La Soufrière volcano have prompted a joint initiative by the Guadeloupe Volcano Observatory and MVO to collect volcano gas data. MVO staff and equipment will travel to Guadeloupe to undertake COSPEC and FTIR monitoring in close collaboration with the Director of the Guadeloupe Observatory, Dr. Jean-Christoph Komorowski, and his staff. The initial visit is to take place in late-November, and marks the continuation of close collaboration between the neighbouring islands in volcano monitoring.

MVO’s Information & Press Officer Chelston Lee says: "The loan of the equipment will not affect the MVO’s consistent high-level monitoring of the Soufriére Hills Volcano."

He added that the equipment being loaned to Ecuador is currently not being used by the MVO and that the gas monitoring in Guadeloupe will take place within MVO’s overall monitoring strategy.

The MVO already has collaborative arrangements with many universities and volcano observatories around the world. Within the region, MVO has ongoing collaborative projects with the University of Puerto Rico in ground deformation, and MVO seismologist, Art Jolly, is currently attending a technical workshop to consolidate MVO’s participation in the Middle Atlantic Seismic Network (MIDAS).

The MVO’s spokesman says the scientific record of the MVO continues to match that of the leading geoscience departments in the world, and the observatory’s continued links with other observatories and universities around the world will be the foundation of an organization of scientific excellence, not only serving Montserrat but also making available its expertise throughout the region and worldwide.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Works, Mr. Eugene Skerritt last weekend reported that the Public Works Department is taking command of its road maintenance and repairs, particularly the road building program at Lookout.

Mr. Skerritt said on the weekend: "The road leading from the Lookout school to the entrance of the community has been completed and we are now beginning the installation of the drainage system in the Caricom Village, where there are six private contractors carrying out the works."

Further afield the Permanent Secretary reported that the road leading to the solid waste site has also been completed, making access to the site much easier for waste disposal vehicles.

Pleasing to tourism officials and users of the Woodlands beach facilities is the report that the seasonal cleanup program, which has just began, will include the Woodlands Beach road, where it is expected that some street lighting will be installed.

PORT OF SPAIN, (Nov. 12) IPS - Months after a disastrous fish-kill seriously affected the fishing industries of several Eastern Caribbean countries, there remains doubt that the region will be equipped to either predict or manage any similar event in the future.

During the latter half of July, extensive fish-kills were observed by fishermen and experts throughout the Eastern and Southeastern Caribbean.

It was a phenomenon which stretched from the Atlantic coastline of Guyana in South America to the southern coast of Saint Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean.

A spokesperson at the Port of Spain-based Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) told IPS this week that the event was no longer of immediate concern to Trinidad and Tobago and that the most recent tests had returned inconclusive results.

But there are experts who remain dumbfounded by the episode, which cost the industry millions of dollars and cut deeply into the market for fish and other marine life.

"Whatever the cause," a report prepared by Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Global Climate Change (CPAGCC) said, "it is clear that management of our environments mandates an integrated approach.

"We cannot manage our fisheries without knowing about climatic changes or without being aware of endemic factors of the marine ecosystem," the report said.

CPAGCC was one of several regional organizations that met in Barbados last month in an emergency session to consider the cause and subsequent impact of the fish-kill.

A study conducted by an expert from Stirling University in the United Kingdom concluded that the presence of a bacterium which is usually found in fresh water could have been the source of the problem.

The finding raised questions about how the bacterium made its way into the sea and how it was able to affect such a wide area.

There were two major theories that answered these questions. The first suggested that recent storm activity could have caused the spread of bacteria.

If this were the case, then it would provide evidence of the impact of the warming of oceanic waters on the health of marine ecosystems.

The other theory argued that changes in the water chemistry could have led to a lethal proliferation of bacteria already present. Regional researchers said the event helped stress the need to be in a position to predict imminent problems.

As a consequence, the organizations recommended a "monitoring framework" which would, among other things, establish marine water quality monitoring protocols and improve access to information on mass mortality events.

It was recommended that changes affecting marine habitats be closely monitored through the regular collection of marine water quality data and the devising of a framework for analysis and reporting.

But a new Tobago-based group calling itself the All Tobago Fisher Folk Association (ATFFA) wants urgent action to stem the direct impact of land-based pollution on the fishing industry there.

Tobago was not among the hardest hit during the recent fish-kill but there have been declining yields there that local fishermen attribute directly to the release of pollutants in Tobago waters.

"What is happening here," ATFFA coordinator Emile Louis told IPS, "is that there are two industries competing against each other. On the one hand you have fishing, which we have always had, and on the other there is tourism," he said.

"It's no big mystery what is happening to the fishing industry," he added. "The hotels are going up and the fish yields are falling."

Caribbean officials spent some time last October looking at the impact of new development on the marine environment but little in the way of immediate action was recommended.

Vincent Sweeney, who heads the Castries-based Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), said "the economic constraints are serious in general in the Caribbean."

"Difficulties arise when policy makers determine the priorities for action, without giving due consideration to the potential impacts of their decisions on the health of the population and the wider environment," he told IPS.

"For example, a decision to spend resources on a tourism development project in a community without the appropriate resources dedicated to, inter alia, waste management, can result in destruction of the very resource which might attract tourists.

"What is important," he said, "is that economic development be balanced by consideration and attention to environmental health impacts.

"Unfortunately, in the Caribbean, priority tends to be given to the 'productive' sectors such as trade and tourism, at the expense of the environmental health sector," Sweeney added.

The recent fish-kill, one expert said, is a "wake-up call the region needs to heed."

Even so, the exact causes remain something of a mystery.

UNEXCITING BUT DESERVING!
By Peter Adrien

Lennox is a true Champion! Lennox is the best heavyweight in the boxing arena, the new millennium heavyweight boxer. And no one with a clean conscience can take that away from him. He beat Evander Holyfield fair and square the second time around.
Yes, the last major fight of the 1900s, the November 13 rematch - the second unification fight - between Lennox Lewis (the British champion) and Evander Holyfield (the American champion) served its purpose somewhat in the rehabilitation of boxing, the most controversial commercial sport.

There were no impaired body parts (as was the case with Mike Tyson and Holyfield the last time they were engaged in a brawl); there were no judges with obstructed views (as was the highway robbery which passed for judging the last time the two fighters met at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 13); there were no indictments handed down by fans, patrons, adjudicators or critics.

What occurred at Las Vegas was a good, clean fight, albeit an oftentimes boring and uneventful one and a welcome and generally pleasing decision by the three judges. Some critics claimed that good sense might have prevailed either because Don King, the P.T. Barnum of boxing, refused to interfere or could not risk interfering or did not perceive the possibility of a bigger payday rematch for the aging Holyfield. This time around the thirteenth-day's decision was unanimous - Lewis was given the right to gather up all three championship belts, the IBF, WBA and WBC.
But if Lennox Lewis became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, he was not free from dispute. While he earned that distinction beating Evander Holyfield on a unanimous decision, he left the ring with only the WBC and WBA championship belts. The IBF chose to withhold its belt because of a sanctioning fee dispute.
According to Pat English, a lawyer for Main Events, Lewis' American promoter, a telephone message was left for IBF president Bob Lee, who has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of soliciting and accepted bribes to fix rankings and was to be arraigned Monday in Newark, New Jersey. English, reported that he met with IBF lawyer Walter Stone and they reached an agreement and a $300,000 cheque (owed by Lennox Lewis) was cut, but English reported that just before the start of the fight, Stone told him he received a call from "somebody on high," and he could not accept the cheque.
Lennox Lewis will have to decide what to do with the IBF belt. Moreover, given the unprofessional action of the IBF administration, the new champion, according to Panos Eliades, the main promoter of the champion from Britain, might turn his back on the beleaguered IBF.
Let us go back to the exhibition in the ring. The display last weekend was rather lacklustre in the context of our expectations. We expected the two gladiators to come out roaring from their corners but Lewis lost his beautiful hand speed and his dominating jabs, so well exhibited in the last fight, and Holyfield was kept on his feet by pure will power, reflecting his quality of inner strength and the power of the true champion.
While the decision was unanimous, Lewis was not as dominant as he had been on March 13, 1999, at Madison Square Garden, when the outcome was a highly controversial majority draw. Lewis was credited with landing 195 of 490 punches on Saturday night in the Thomas & Mack Center compared with 348 of 613 in the first fight. Holyfield's figures were 137 of 416 on Saturday night, compared with 134 of 385 in the first fight.
But Lennox Lewis was the better of a woeful group of heavyweights, and won a fair decision. In the end of 12 rounds, all three judges at ringside found Lewis to have thrown more punches and landed more punches. The preposterous Punch Stats lent ammunition to their judgments, although it seemed that a club fighter could have taken on Lewis and taken the Punch Stats crown as the greatest boxer since Sugar Ray Robinson. Punch Stats tell you nothing about the power and impact of punches, the true measure of a bout.
Holyfield (36-4-1) is 37 years old, and if he has managed his funds well in spite of the clan that he has, he'll wisely quit boxing and devote his time to the brood of children he has fathered in and out of wedlock between workouts.
As for Lewis, he fought twice for one victory. The sport demanded justice and the Brits deserved it. Lewis may have survived more than prevailed but his performance left him as the only unified British heavyweight champion in over a century, and puts him in the company of the all-time greats.
There is already a clamouring for a Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson bout. Lewis not only has serious advantages in height, weight and reach, but he is far more skilled than Tyson. A Lewis/Tyson fight bill for Britain will definitely give them a big payday, but Lewis will most likely finish the once feared fighter. And should this happen, it will be sweet revenge for Tyson's clinical destruction of Englishman Frank Bruno, the would-be colossus.
At last the Brits have something to glory in. They have something to give inspiration. Having not done very well either in economics or in politics and, having been recently humiliated at home by one of the "least of the apostles"(New Zealand) in cricket, the British sporting public and the society at large will go into the new era will pride.
Tony Blair and the British Parliament might even decide to immortalize Lennox Lewis by erecting a statue of him at Trafalgar Square, as a symbol of hope for the new millennium.

Congratulations to Lewis and the British people.

GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

(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.)

Enter the National Y2K Task Force Competition!

Children between the ages of 7 and 16 are invited to enter our National Y2K Schools Competition!

Participants are encouraged to submit essays, poems, songs, drawings or paintings with a Y2K theme. The essays, poems, songs, drawings or paintings can have the following themes:

• A funny story of 500 words about what might happen when the clocks tick over from December 31^st, 1999 to January 1st, 2000.
• A serious study of 500 words about what might happen when the clocks tick over from December 31^st, 1999 to January 1^st, 2000
• A song or poem about the Y2K problem
• A drawing or painting depicting anything you think relevant to the Y2K problem, for example an illustration of your concept of the Millennium Bug

The competition is open to children ages 7 – 16 years.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners from each school.

For winners from the Montserrat Secondary School:

1^st Prize $500

2^nd Prize $300

3^rd Prize $200

For winners from the Brades and St. Augustine Primary Schools:

1^st Prize $300

2^nd Prize $200

3^rd Prize $100

• One Y2K compliant computer to each school with a first prize winner.

• Judging will be based on relevance of topic, comprehension of topic, spelling/grammar, imagination, creativity, originality and talent.
• Participants must fall within the age category of 7 – 16 years. Proof of age will be required.
• All entries must be original, unpublished work.
• Entries must be received by 10^th December, 1999.

To enter the competition, send your entry to Daphne Cassell, c/o Computer Unit, Olveston, Montserrat or for queries call 664-491-7379.

The concept of Integration is not a new one, but Tropical Productions has put a new slant to it with the first ever Miss Unity Beauty Pageant, an exciting Beauty Pageant paying tribute to the many cultures which have made Montserrat their home. Young ladies from Antigua, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Africa, Montserrat, and Trinidad will take to the stage on Sunday 26 December representing their countries and showcasing their beauty and talent.

Meet one of the contestants in the Miss Unity Pageant:

Miss Angelo Ltd.

Name: Gesierrie Kagbala

Country : Nigeria West Africa

Interest/Hobbies:Art,Dancing and Designing Batik Material

Miss T.K Contruction

Name : Victoria Lindsey

Country : Trinidad

Hobbies : Netball, Reading and Partying

FEATURES

By Cheddy Browne

My sentiments in a nutshell. It's time to add some walking to all this talking. We have been talking for some 26-plus years now and have not yet converted that talk into anything concrete.
To date I am the only person to have placed Self Determination on a Political Platform. I have yet to see any of the talkers or complainers come out in support of me, or if not me, promote anyone else that they perceive can Walk the Walk.
We seem quite capable of identifying problems. We seem quite capable of reaction to perceived injustices.
When will we begin to recognise solutions and develop the will to become proactive and implement solutions that serve our best interest, no matter how hard the road?
You start from the beginning and that beginning starts with the electorate and the elected.
Only through the political platform will we be able to take the steps necessary. The system has established that through the electorate we can take our right to be a Self Determined People, by just saying so. The talkers, the writers, the doers, must now begin to act on the electorate and the elected.
If we continue to promote politicians who don't have a clue as to where we need to go, and continue to campaign on replacing old, tried, tested and failed faces with new untried faces, then we will continue to hear the same old story.
The problem is not the face. The problem is the system that the face has to work within.
If the face, any face, is not speaking to you about the inadequacies of the system and the need to change how it operates, then in a few short months that new face will be no different from the old face it just replaced.
If you, the supporter of Self Determination, are not acting on the elected and the electorate on the issue of Self Determination and the inadequacies of the present system to properly represent us, then the next step will never be taken.
"So, if we are willing to talk the talk, we must be willing to walk the walk. It ain't gonna be easy. But, until we start, we will never know, will we?"
We have started, and we already know it ain't easy. If it was, it would not be worthwhile.
Talkers, writes, doers, supporters, it's time to expand beyond yourself. It's time to become activists in the Montserrat Community, wherever you are. You have to carry the flag and wage the war of words. Prepare yourself for the resistance. It's a known fact that all societies resist change. Matters not whether it's in their interest or not. Years of conditioning and propaganda have conditioned us all. We have to overcome the resistance through our ability to make the electorate and the elected recognise exactly where the root of our problem lies.
For Montserrat to move forward, the system must change. We must first be in control of the decision-making process, before we can implement a decision.
Reality check? When was the last time any of you can remember that we implemented a decision that was in our best interest?
Reality check? Have any of the decisions made in the last five years been made in our best interest?
Reality check? Who are the decision makers in Montserrat? Who wields the most Administrative Powers in Montserrat? The elected? The non elected? Montserratians? Foreigners? Civil Servants? Clerks from the colonial offices?
Reality check? Who holds constitutional authority in Montserrat? The elected? The non- elected? Montserratians? Foreigners? Civil Servants? Clerks from the colonial offices?
Who controls the Civil Service and the RMPF??
Reality check? How many times have we seen meaningful solutions for Montserrat brushed aside and discarded?
How many times have we seen things relevant to the integrity and culture of our society discarded and disbanded?
Has any one yet queried whose interest it serves to continue to fracture our already battered community?
Whose interest and purpose does it serve?
Why are our elected so powerless to represent us? How is it that they always seem to agree with a decision that clearly is of no benefit to us?
Answer those and you begin to reach to the root of our collective problem.
Remove it at the root and we begin to forge a new way forward in a very cold and uncaring world.
Are we up for it?
All who say yes, then activate and begin to agitate beyond yourself. Take it to your friends, your groups, your organisations. Make it a goal that must be accomplished. No goal can be accomplished without effort.

Make a commitment now to devote some portion of your time to actively pursuing from every and any angle the promotion of Self Determination for Montserrat.
That's where it begins - With your commitment and active participation.

Poisoning by ingestion refers to the (oral) intake by mouth of a harmful substance which even in a small amount can damage tissues, disturb bodily functions and possibly cause death. In children poisoning is often caused by the ingestion of medications as well as toxic, household substances such as paint remover, furniture polish, kerosene oil, disinfectant and bleaches eg Clorox, also nail polish remover. The most commonly involved are children ages 1-5 years.

1. Improper or dangerous storage (cupboards within children reach).
2. Poor lighting, this causes errors in reading labels properly.
3. Failure to return poison to its proper place.
4. Failure to recognise the material as poisonous.

Complaint of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and/or intestinal cramping. Convulsions/fits and coma occurs with the ingestion of depressants such as alcohol, atropine, chloral barbiturates, other manifestations are pinpoint or dilated pupils of the eyes.

Skin rashes or burns. Eye inflammation, skin irritation, stains around the mouth or lesions of the mucus membranes cyanosis eg blue around mouth and nail beds and difficulty in breathing.

Telephone your nearest clinic or district nurse and inform her of your findings. Save any vomitus, unswallowed liquid or pills and the container and bring them along with you as this aids in identifying the poison.

Do not induce vomiting if the child is convulsing (having a fit) or if child is semiconscious or comatose, because poisons such as light fluid, petrol, parrafin paint remover and nail polish remover are strong acids or alkaline and these may damage the oesophagus (throat) for a second time during vomiting and later cause severe pneumonia if aspirated ie. Gets into the lungs.

1. Keep medicines and poisons out of the reach of children.
2. Provide locked storage for highly toxic substances.
3. Do not store poisons in the same areas as foods.
4. Be certain all containers are properly labeled and marked.
5. Keep medicines, drugs and household chemicals in their original containers.
6. Do not discard poisonous substances in containers where children can each them.
7. Teach children not to taste or eat unfamiliar substances.
8. Clean out medicine cabinets periodically and dispose of old medication in containers out of reach of children.
9. Prescription medication should be discarded when the illness for which they were prescribed has run its course.
10. Keep medications in "child-proof" containers that are securely closed.
11. Read all labels carefully before each use and NEVER take a drug from an unlabelled bottle.
12. Do not give medications prescribed for one child to another child.
13. Never refer to drugs as sweets or bribe children with such inducements.
14. Never give or take medications in the dark.
15. Store lawn and garden pesticides, petrol, paraffin etc in a separate place under lock and key.
16. Parents should suspect poisoning with the occurrence of sudden, bizarre symptoms or peculiar behaviour in toddlers and children.
17. Dilute the poison with water if the child is conscious. Act promptly and calmly.
18. Call and give all relevant information about the child, his condition and the substance he took.
19. Maintain an adequate airway in a child who is convulsing or who is not fully conscious.

Do not presume the child is safe simply because the vomiting shows no trace of the poison or because the child appears well. The poison may produce a delayed reaction or may have reached the small intestine where it is still being absorbed.

REMEMBRANCE PARADE NOVEMBER 1999 " A REMINDER"

At 7 a.m. Sunday 14^th November 1999, the remaining uniformed organizations in Montserrat gathered outside the Pentecostal Church in Brades. Dressed in their clean, starched attire, some had walked up the steep hill from lodgings at the Brades Shelters or the part chipboard housing units at Davy Hill. Others climbed off the yellow school buses which had made pickup stops in Salem, Olveston, Woodlands, St Peters, and St Johns.

The car park and the western patio of the church served as dressing room for the predominantly young marchers, who fidgeted and helped each other with their uniforms. Tinted windows of minibuses allowed the police to fix their spotless head-gear at exactly the right angles.

Veteran Remembrance day celebrant Rupert (Cobbler) Nanton was on hand with a basket of poppies. He would later carry out his now traditional role of reading the names of those who fell in the two great wars. Pinning on the red poppies was problematic for some of the younger folk, but they were all eventually successful.

Radio Montserrat was on hand for a live broadcast. The technician’s equipment was set up early, and Rose Willock carried out her usual meticulous preparations for what would be another interesting and entertaining programme for ZJB listeners. Later we were soothed by the mellow tones of recently retired temporary Magistrate Karney Osborne. In one of his many, many, many roles, we heard him talking to Rose about "Tradition, discipline and values."

The commanding figure of Lieutenant Horatio Tuitt, (a local Montserrat Defense Force Officer, who has recently returned from a period of service in Yugoslavia,) called the parade to order and gave instructions for the proceedings. In an orderly fashion, all sections moved into the church and the band of the Seventh Day Adventists, reinforced by remnants of the now defunct Defense Force Band, took up position on the western patio of the church.

The usual faces were present. Old soldiers showing off their medals, retired civil servants, clergy, members of the Legislative Council, glamorously attired young ladies and a few bewildered, curious infants on their mother’s shoulders.

An honor guard of flags remained at the main entrance of the church, to greet the Hon. Chief Minister David Brandt, and Mrs Verna Brandt, and his Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott. Both parties arrived in their flagged white range rovers. This was perhaps the last public ceremonial duty of the current Queen’s representative, who carefully carried his feathered white pith helmet into church. The following procession of the flags took them to their place of honor at the altar.

Gone are the guns of the Montserrat Defense Force, the awesome reminders of the instruments of war now replaced by symbols of brotherhood, unity and nationhood.

The "Last Post" trumpet solo echoed through the doors of the church, preceding the laying of the wreaths, led by the Governor and Chief Minister. Among the wreath layers was the familiar son of a lost World War II merchant seaman, who has laid a wreath for his father every year for over 30 years. This year's service was without a sermon, but the prayers and scripture readings provided all the spiritual inspiration required. "O God our help in ages past" was wonderfully sung. I believe the hills responded with the "Amen."

The growing role of women in the church was very apparent at this ecumenical event.

Mr. Rupert Nanton, ex-Air Force Serviceman, presented the names of the fallen, "Those who fell in the 1914 to 1918 war: John Kingsley Martin, William Nugent Gordon, William Goathe, Burliegh Hannam, Maurice Hannam, Adolphus Peters, Arthur Samuel Warner. Those who fell in the 1939 to1945 war: Benjamin Allen, Alfred Wade, Peter Lee, Frederick Smith, James Browne, Eugene D’Vanier, Anthony Benjamin. They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."

The plaque with the list of names omitted one of the Hannam Brothers, an error which should be corrected by next year.

The National Anthem was sung with the usual gusto, "God save the Queen." A sentiment consistent with the leading flag of the procession being the Union Jack. Our own Montserrat National Flag, with the emblem of the Irish lady playing a harp, followed.

In remembering our war dead, we were reminded of our position in the Empire; of the forces for unity and service; reminded of tradition, and most important of all, reminded that the Montserrat Community still exists. As the Governor inspected the ranks of police, fire service, school cadets, scouts, guides, brownies, Red Cross, Seventh Day Adventist Ventures (and any other group I forgot), he must have realized the error of canceling the last Queen’s Birthday Parade and the unthinkable consideration of not having a Remembrance Day parade.

The solitary distinguished figure of Lieutenant Horatio Tuitt on the parade ground bemoaned the disembodiment of the Montserrat Defense Force. As the parade marched off briskly up the hill, Major Joseph Lynch deservedly smiled. He must have wondered how his uniform fit so well on the smart young officer leading the cadets.

I was a proud Montserratian as I heard the shouts of "Eyes Right" and "Eyes Front,", as His Excellency The Governor, the Commissioner of Police and the Chief Minister took the salute at the march past. I was amused by the relaxed stragglers at the end of the parade, but hopeful that in the coming years they will be incorporated in the preceding groups, and be replaced by a new set of stragglers, and hopeful that the Montserrat Defense Force will reappear on the parade ground.

As I watched the parade, I remembered, and was reminded that the Montserrat Community will always exist; reminded that our future should be in our hands, as I watched our young people march down the hill to the spectacle of the Government Headquarters. But that is another story.

SOB folks, please not so fast,

The danger's not all in the past,

We keep the gates closed

To foil the supposed

'Deadly' ash and 'deadlier' clast.

They can't say that nobody knew it,

So what took so long to pursue it?

Have they counted the votes

On those Fogarthy goats?

Well at last they're going to get to it.

Jus wonderin if it is true that DFID did reprimand certain financiers for visiting construction sites.

Jus wonderin if the Search & Rescue need rescuing.

Jus wonderin if the goat hazard at Fogarty will really ever go away or taken away, now that the issue is being highlighted again.

Jus wonderin how many owners there are of the goats in the area.

Jus wonderin why PWD advice was not taken on that bridge at Little Bay port entrance.

Jus wonderin where the breakdown was why the fishermen had to suffer such great loss.

Jus wonderin when we will get our own ‘met’ office workers to break down the general weather forecasts when hurricane warnings are issued, so the public can be more accurately informed.

Jus wonderin why Monlec who are usually so on-the-ball, had problems with branches touching feeder lines at this time of year, and when there was no really strong winds, most of the three days.

Jus wonderin if the marine division could not help the fishermen who still had boats and who turned around and helped them fish out Shamrock II in the east.

Jus wonderin where search and rescue was when their expertise was so needed.

Jus wonderin where the conflict is and if it is really the quality that is involved in the prevention of the importation of 'pottery soil'.

Jus wonderin why jus wonderin don't close down and stop 'mind' people business.

Jus wonderin how Bank of Montserrat could serve its customers and Royal Bank didn't on Friday.

Jus wonderin if there are any more like hurricane Lenny.

Jus wonderin all who found Lenny mores stressful than welcome.