Bahama Pundit

Bahamas Could Set Renewable Energy Pace

by Larry Smith

A special report by a top US consulting firm says the Bahamas has "abundant untapped resources" to develop a strong renewable energy infrastructure that can cut oil imports, make more capital available for investment and help maintain our leading edge in regional tourism.

The report says solar electricity can be produced here at a cost similar to existing oil-fired generation. Even assuming no government support, the cost per kilowatt hour from rooftop photovoltaic panels would average only 15 cents compared to retail electricity prices of 25 cents a kilowatt that are currently being charged to most Bahamian consumers.

The report was issued by Haley & Aldrich - a New England-based environmental engineering consultancy founded in 1957. According to Vice President Doug Cotton, the firm is working with clients in the Bahamas "who could benefit from the price stability, energy security, and secondary benefits that would be created by widespread adoption of renewable energy production.

"Our interest in helping to promote renewable energy is related to the work we are doing for one of the largest resort development projects on New Providence, and because we are working with some renewable energy companies who have an interest in coming to the Bahamas should there be changes to the present regulatory regime."

Is Bahamas Paradise Lost?

by Craig Butler

In the epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton the central theme is about the fall of man; the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. It was originally published as 10 novels in the 17th century and is complicated to say the least. Milton's purpose - as stated in Book 1 - is to justify the ways of God to men and elucidate the conflict betweens God's eternal foresight and man's free will.

Today in the Bahamas we are that 'Paradise Lost'. Our free will has left us on the brink of chaos. Murder is out of control. Although the official figures now state that we have had our 70th murder for the year I honestly feel as though the figures have been manipulated as I can distinctly remember being in the 60’s about four to six weeks ago.

Some modern interpretations have said that Milton cast Satan in a sympathetic light and displayed him as a proud being who defied his creator and waged war on heaven only to lose and be cast down.

From a Christian perspective Satan is still waging war, and has decided to fight his creator for the very soul of man. The battlefield of that everlasting war can be seen in places of turmoil and despair, and today unfortunately this includes the Bahamas.

O J Simpson's Confession

by Larry Smith

Then something went terribly wrong, and I know what happened, but I can't tell you exactly how...The whole front of me was covered in blood, but it didn't compute...Any moment now I would wake up at home, in my own bed." -- O J Simpson, If I Did It.

I just closed the cover of one of the most bizarre books that has ever been published.

Former football star O J Simpson was acquitted a dozen years ago of killing his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend Ron Goldman, with a knife. The case was watched by millions around the world, and it polarised racial emotions in the US like no other before or since - something that has puzzled blacks and whites equally, given Simpson's willing identification with white society.

The following comments are instructive:

"For many, Simpson’s not-guilty verdict was perceived as a victory that far too few blacks accused of crimes -- particularly those with smaller bank accounts and less fame than Simpson -- were given the opportunity to have." - Blackamericanweb.com

"[In] the trial, everything is about race. Black people deal with race everyday. Whites who said it's not a trial about race speak that way because they haven't been on the receiving end of injustices at the hands of a white person," - Marc Watts, a black reporter.

"[Johnny Cochran, Simpson's lead lawyer] suggests that racism ought to be the most important thing that anyone of us ought to listen to in this court ... and set his murdering client free." - Fred Goldman, father of one of the victims.

And at a barbershop in Los Angeles 10 years after the trial, the PBS investigative show, Frontline, determined that none of the black customers believed Simpson was innocent. But they did agree that the police behaved as expected: "They framed a guilty man -- that's all it was," said the barber.

The Retirement of the Police Commissioner

by Craig Butler

It was officially announced last week that Commissioner Paul Farquharson would soon be leaving the Royal Bahamas Police Force after many years of outstanding service.

Rumors abound surrounding his sudden and unexpected departure. They ran the gauntlet from illness to political interference. Whatever the reason, which is not significant in any event, I would like to wish him well in his future endeavors.

I have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Farquharson on a few occasions and whilst I did not always agree with his decisions and was not always happy about the amount of time it took him to deliberate, I can honestly say that he was true to himself and always arrived at a reasonable decision.

The Bahamas and The Extreme Future

by Larry Smith

As Winston Churchill used to say, the future is just "one damn thing after another."

And prognostication has been called the world's second oldest profession. In fact, it's about as old as the human race - and found in every age and culture.

The Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece was the most successful prediction business in history, prophesying about wars and matters of state for about a thousand years, although recent research suggests the visions were produced by hallucinogenic gas seeping from a volcanic fault line.

Today the future-predicting business is a multimillion-dollar industry - and we are not talking about telephone psychics here. There are tens of thousands of futurists who make a living forecasting how things will stack up in the future. Perhaps the most famous among them is Alvin Toffler, who wrote a book called Future Shock in 1970 that has sold millions of copies.

Politicos are Addicted to Politics

by Craig Butler

Politics, for those who get involved, is more than just a passion - it’s a way of life. That is why the participants find it so hard to step back or leave the game altogether, which results in politicians doing just about anything to remain relevant.

Our local scene offers many examples, but the one freshest in my memory - and probably all of our memories - has to be that of our present prime minister. Hubert Ingraham had left the limelight and voluntarily relegated himself to the sidelines, but within five years came back at the urging of his party. Now if he were really comfortable in private life nothing could have persuaded him to give that up, but politics is something that gets in the blood and once infected there unfortunately is no cure.

Thus the resurgence of one man at the expense and defeat of another. It must be so hard on former prime minister Perry who, after finally achieving his life long dream had it snatched from him when seemingly everything was going so well. Despite calls from the media and certain quarters of his own party, Mr. Christie is attempting to carry on.

What's at Stake in Freeport, Grand Bahama

by Larry Smith

The City of Freeport is one of the world's last company towns. And a group of Bahamian "licensees" are fighting to bring accountability and transparency to the Grand Bahama Port Authority - a private franchise with enormous value for the country as a whole.

Freeport's origins go back to 1955, when the government leased 80 square miles of wilderness for next to nothing to an American named Wallace Groves who had been running a lumber operation on the island.

In return, Groves undertook to convert uninhabited Hawksbill Creek into a deep-water port and carve a new township out of the pine barren. That land grant was later increased to about 200 square miles, and the comprehensive tax exemptions extended until 2054.

The Hawksbill Creek Agreement between the government and Groves gave the new Grand Bahama Port Authority the right to plan, develop and administer the city of Freeport, as well as to license persons and businesses to operate there. The agreement also had a safety clause that would return the land to the government if the development failed.

But since 1978 when Groves was forced to sell out, Freeport's land, and most of the important companies, have been essentially owned by two families - the Hayward's and the St George's. They hold all of the assets in a clutch of offshore companies, which are subject to no public oversight.