VP Digital

Gayle In Stunning Move To Patriots

Image of Chris Gayle

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Dec 15, CMC – St. Kitts Patriots announced on Thursday their stunning acquisition of Twenty20 batting sensation Chris Gayle from the Jamaica Tallawahs for the next season of the Caribbean Premier League. The transfer means that the talismanic left-handed opener has cut ties with the Tallawahs, the CPL franchise based in his native Jamaica, which he has twice led to the title, including last year.

Morne Stars Launches Big Fund-Raiser

Image: Morne Stars 2016 Club Relay Champions. (Photo: Anthony De Beauville)

WITH less than three weeks before the commencement of the 2017 track and field season over 60 enterprising young Saint Lucian athletes are pursuing their dreams of regional and international representation, with support from ordinary citizens and the corporate sector. Morne Stars Athletics Club, one of the island’s leading track and field outfits, has set out on a series of fundraising activities, in order to buy uniforms, equipment and shoes, and to take part in regional competition for the season.

Boxers Win 6 Medals In B’dos

Image: A photo moment for Team Saint Lucia, Ministry of Youth Development Officials and SLBA representatives on arrival at George F.L. Charles V.I.P. lounge. (PHOTO: Anthony De Beauville)

SAINT Lucia’s Omar Christopher captured the only gold medal for his country and was voted the Best Junior Boxer with two wins when the curtains came down on the Caribbean Development Boxing Tournament held at the Sea Rocks Dome in Maxwell, Barbados last weekend. Saint Lucia captured 6 medals that included 1 gold (Christopher), 2 silvers (Nathan Ferrari, Lyndon Marcellin) and 3 bronze (Leslie Joseph, Marvin Anthony and Arthur Langelier); while Kareem Boyce and JavannusFevrier failed to make a podium finish.

Outrage for Black Womanhood

Image of Michelle Obama

After a lifetime in Caribbean and international politics, I thought the time had long since passed when I could be outraged by any event. But I was outraged last week and I continue to seethe over the fact that Pamela Ramsey Taylor, the director of a Clay County, West Virginia, non-profit who was removed from her post after she called Michelle Obama an “ape in heels” in a November Facebook post, will be re-instated in her job on December 23. What signal does this re-instatement send to Americans, black and white? Indeed, what statement does it make to the rest of the world?

2017 – Year of Opportunity

AS the reality of the 2016 general elections manifests itself, a mood of renewed confidence appears to be noticeable as investors from outside the region capitalize on the renewed business approach offered by the new administration. The most significant and realistic investment to date is Desert Star Holdings (DSH) under the direct supervision of Mr. Teo Ah Khing, an individual with the most remarkable track record on a world scale.

The Crisis of Facts

IF you believe that economics and politics should be based on evidence, then you should think again. In today’s political times, it no longer matters whether or not something is true, but whether it is believed by the right people. Across supposedly information-rich and enlightened Western democracies, it appears popular trust in expert opinion and established institutions has tumbled. But is it possible to live in a world of data but no facts?

The Inaccuracies of Santa Lucia

Commission members John Peters, Gordon Charles and BrianLouisy.

MANY of us in our National Day readings would have read this quote: “Saint Lucia was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French, the island’s first European settlers, and the only country in the world named after a woman”. I dare to say to you that this is inaccurate and part of a continued gross misrepresentation of our history, as the French came long after there was a record of a name given to our island. You would also have read that the oldest record of Saint Lucia’s name can be found in a Spanish Cedulla of 1511, where a place called Sancta Lucia is recorded as a Spanish Domain. Yet there is no historical document to support this claim. You would have read that there was a Vatican Globe of 1520 that depicted Sancta Lucia, and in my research I found it that to be also incorrect.

Firings At Tourist Board Denied

CHAIRPERSON of the Tourist Board, Agnes Francis has denied reports that employees have been dismissed to make way for the new tourism entity the board is transitioning into called the Tourism Authority. Francis, who took over the day to day operations of the Tourist Board after the unexpected resignations of its director Louis Lewis and his deputy Tracey Warner-Arnold two months ago, admitted that none of the staff had been terminated.

Christmas Fair At Sportivo Today

AFTER an incredible response in 2015, the teams from “I Am Ready World” and “AdVizze Consulting Inc.” have collaborated once again to present the second Annual Creative Christmas Fair today at the Sportivo Events Centre. Entrepreneurs, artisans, bakers and other businesses are back for a second time round to provide the best the island has to offer under one roof.

P.M. Parties With Special Children

Image: A chat with one of the children

SPECIAL needs children from learning centres in Saint Lucia were recently treated to a day of fun and excitement at The Prime Minister’s Official Residence. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet was elated to spend some time with the children at the annual Christmas Party in their honour. Donning a Santa’s hat, the Prime Minister greeted the children and teachers of the various schools and also gave out gifts to his guests of honour.

INTERREG – For Closer Ties With The French

Image of Beverly Best

HEAD of Development Co-operation and Resource Organization, at the OECS Commission Beverly Best has hailed the INTERREG Programme that was launched in St. Lucia earlier this week as an opportunity for the people of the sub-region to take advantage of and partner with their neighbouring French counterparts on various projects. “Given our history in co-operation as well as in integration, we see this as a unique opportunity for us to strengthen the experience we have as well as to strengthen the friendship that we have with our French territories,” Best said.

Beauty Max Inc. Gives Back

Image: Mayor Francis with Beauty Max officials getting ready to serve meals to the needy.

BEAUTY Max Inc.is giving back to St Lucians this Christmas, according to Managing Director WassimBashity. The company which started its beauty products business here in June 2015 recently organized a treat for some 200 less fortunate persons in the city with meals and beverages. This event was graced with the presence of Mayor Peterson Francis, who recognized the activity as a very positive one in helping alleviate the daily plight of persons who do not know where the next meal is coming from. Francis took time to serve meals at this event and commended Beauty MaxInc for undertaking the initiative.

Traditional Medicine Gets Its Place

TRADITIONAL medicine has been handed down from generation to generation. It is firmly rooted in many St. Lucia households for the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. But there has been tension between traditional and conventional medicine with the medical community taking sides. “The tension was conventional doctors would say, there is no science behind it. Sa sébagay jean bitasyon.”

Carolling at Gablewoods Mall

THE Gablewoods Mall at Sunny Acres will come to life with the sound of music: voices, to be exact today. In an effort to share the festive spirit and to keep alive the fading tradition of carolling, the management and tenants of the Mall have planned what promises to be an evening of thrilling choral performances, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in The Shopping Lane.