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A decade past, a new year ahead

ejr — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:47:52 +0000

It’s not just the end of the year, it’s the end of a decade.

The last 10 years in our lives have brought so many changes it would be impossible to recount them. Some have affected us all, some have changed our individual island, and some are very personal.

It’s hard to believe that it has been 10 years since we were concerned about Y2K. Just nine years ago, Apple released the very first iPod. And it’s difficult for many of us to imagine life without Facebook (opened to the public five years ago) or Twitter (started just three years ago).

Many influential and unforgettable people left us in the last 10 years, from Sir Lynden Pindling in August of 2000, to Michael Jackson in 2009.

We’ve also seen tougher economic times affect many of us. The global economy, the Bahamas’ national economy, and our own personal finances have been strained in ways most of us have never before experienced. For many of us, we are happy to put 2009 behind us and hope for a more positive trend in 2010.

The Bahamas drew international attention for positive and not-so-positive reasons; from the Olympic medals earned in 2000, 2004 and 2008, to the deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and John Travolta’s son Jett (and the related scandals and embarrassments).

In the 10 years since January 1, 2000 global events have touched us all in some way:

On September 11, 2001 the terrorist attacks in New York, PA and Washington, DC, killed 2,973 people

The war in Afghanistan began in response to both the September 11, 2001
attacks on the US, and as a result of other issues that had existed before the attacks; it continues today

On Boxing Day 2004 the world’s deadliest recorded tsunami struck 14 countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people

Coalition forces invaded Iraq in March 2003 and the Iraq war continues today

The first black president, Barack Obama, was elected in the United States in November 2008

And in the Bahamas:

We saw two national elections, including the ousting of the FNM in 2002 and their re-election in 2007

The September 4, 2001 fire that destroyed the massive Bay Street straw market; since then the market has not been rebuilt, but a contract to do so was signed just this month with a projected September 2011 completion

Grand Bahama was struck hard by Hurricane Frances in September 2004, and two weeks later Hurricane Jeanne hit Grand Bahama and Abaco; Frances sat over Grand Bahama for more than 30 hours, pummeling the residents, destroying power and communications infrastructure, and cutting off food and water supplies. Some residents went more than six weeks without electricity. Residents in West End, Grand Bahama, were hardest hit by Hurricane Frances as the storm drove the ocean completely across the settlement.

Grand Bahama was sideswiped by Hurricane Wilma in October 2005, driving destructive storm surge inland on the island’s south shore, ripping structures from their foundations and leaving more than 100 homeless

Hurricane Ike struck Inagua as a category 4 storm on September 7, 2008, devastating the island, seriously damaging hundreds of buildings and leaving over 300 residents in shelters

Of course, there are many more events and occurrences that have impacted our lives, and even more things that remain unanswered and open ended as we move into 2010. But for those of us that can see beyond the immediate challenges to the future possibilities, we are sure to survive the present to thrive in the new year.

We want to take the opportunity to offer our sincere thanks to all of our nearly one thousand Twitter followers, more than 16,000 newsletter subscribers, and our nearly half million annual web site visitors. We have seen positive growth in 2009 and are so thankful for all of our advertisers and subscribers that have helped make that a reality.

We trust you will have a safe holiday and wish you a very happy new year!

Do you love technology? No, seriously.

ejr — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:34:46 +0000

American stand-up comedian Louis CK on Conan. He talks about the changes in techology and how quickly we become jaded to it. Brilliant! (Although, I must point out that he ‘dials’ the rotary phone in the wrong direction!)

Thanks for sharing, Olivia.

~ejr~

Big things go BOOM!

ejr — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:50:50 +0000

Three chimney stacks that have been Grand Bahama ‘landmarks’ for as much as 40 years came crashing down last Saturday (March 7, 2009). The stacks, built in the ’60s and ’70s as part of the BORCO oil refinery, were demolished to make way for the expansion of the oil storage and transshipment facility now operated by VOPAK.

Say goodbye to my three big friends!

The demolition event was quite the big deal with a few hundred residents, business people, government ministers and the prime minister himself in attendance. The PM didn’t speak but did take the time to review some excellent science projects done by students of nearby Lewis Yard Primary School, which BORCO and now VOPAK have been very involved in supporting over the years. The dozen or so projects explored the history of the stacks and the demolition plans; the students were treated to a close-up tour of the site the week prior to ‘The Falling”, as the event was dubbed.

Michael Pintard lead the cermonies, and VOPAK Managing Director TJ Huizer spoke about the importance of the event because it marked a new direction and development for the company’s work in the Bahamas.

Keen i Media was engaged to video tape the event by VOPAK and we got an outstanding sequence of shots of the three chimneys as they fell, right on schedule and just as Chester from the demolition company predicted. Most spectators I spoke to were surprised to discover that the three stacks weren’t going to fall in quick succession to each other, but rather there was about a 15 minute wait between each explosion as a new trigger mechanism was prepared for each.

[See video & photo gallery below]

It was rather poignant as the first and second place finishers of the Lewis Yard Primary School science fair were allowed to push the trigger button for the first and second explosions (the demolition team fired the third blast).

Who's that up there?

It's your friendly neighbourhood cameraman extraordinaire

Frankie donned a safety harness and was hoisted about 30 feet in the air atop a hydraulic lift where he was able to snag a clear view of the entire process. You can see the summary of the three blasts in the video below.

The throng of people cheered and applauded as each blast ignited, the towers shuddered and slowly teetered, falling with a thud and billowing dust, ending up completed obliterated into a mound of debris. The final blast and felling of the concrete monolith was the most thrilling, with a distinctly harsh blast as the giant of the three ‘brothers’ (as one team of Lewis Yard students put it in their science project) crashed to the ground, seemingly in slow motion.

[View with PicLens]

These kinds of events are significant and actually fun to cover. There is genuine enthusiasm and the natural reactions from the attendees is exciting in itself. Of course, there is the historical significance, as well. You are witnessing something that can never happen again and that literally and tangibly changes the landscape.

Hope you enjoy the video and photos!

~ejr~