Archbishop of Nassau, the Most Reverend Patrick C. Pinder on Pope Francis' question: ...“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Archbishop Pinder: Pope Francis’ comments on gays ‘refreshing’

Catholic teaching calls for homosexuals to be treated with dignity and not marginalized

BY SHAVAUGHN MOSS
Guardian Lifestyles Editor
shavaughn@nasguard.com

Pope Francis struck a conciliatory stance towards gays when he asked: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” And that people should not be marginalized for their sexual orientation. He said “they must be integrated into society” during an extraordinary 82-minute exchange with reporters aboard his plane returning from his first papal trip to celebrate World Youth Day in Brazil.

It’s a sentiment Archbishop of Nassau Patrick Pinder says is a “refreshing one”, but that it should be noted that the pope prefaced his statement by saying the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official statement of the church’s teaching is very clear about what it has to say. Catholic teaching calls for homosexuals to be treated with dignity and not marginalized.

“I think he emphasized that these people should not be marginalized,” said Pinder. “And I think that has been pretty much the theme of his pontificate so far that nobody is to be marginalized. And I think in terms of an approach, it’s certainly a refreshing one.”

While the comments did not signal a change in Catholic teaching that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered”, they indicated a shift in tone under Francis’ young papacy and an emphasis on a church that is more inclusive and merciful rather than critical and disciplinary.

Francis’ stance contrasts markedly with that of Benedict who signed a document in 2005 that said men who had deep-rooted sexual tendencies should not be priests.

Gay leaders around the world were reportedly buoyed by Francis’ approach saying the change in tone was progress in itself, although for some the encouragement was tempered by Francis’ talk of gay clergy’s “sins”.

Pinder said he had not gotten a lot of reaction at home to the pope’s statement but he believes people understand his statement in its context.

“This is not any kind of earth-shaking change in the church’s position,” he said. “It’s basically a whole new approach … and I think it’s warm, it’s welcoming, it’s inviting. What he (pope) has really been saying is there are options and ways in which we can approach our ministry that are open to us without in any way being any radical disjuncture from what we firmly believe. And I think that’s what he’s seeking to do, and what he’s done very well, and it’s been good. And I think that has been pretty much the theme of his pontificate so far – that nobody is to be marginalized. And I think in terms of its approach, it’s certainly a refreshing one.”

Francis’ comments came during his first news conference as pope. And they were wide-ranging and open, touching on everything from the greater role he believes women should have in the Catholic Church to the troubled Vatican Bank. Francis did not dodge a single query.

He said he wanted a greater role for women in the church, though he insisted “the door is closed” to ordaining them as priests.

Asked about his thoughts on the theology of women’s role in the Catholic Church, Pinder said that he could never say anything contrary to the Holy Father and agreed that no one baptized is to be alienated from the life of the church. He said that was the underlying emphasis of Francis’ ministry has been good.

Many people around the world are viewing Francis as someone who is restoring the credibility of Catholicism with his openness, and displays of simplicity like boarding a plane carrying his own black bag, an unusual break with Vatican protocol and a style that separates him from previous pontiffs.

“His (Francis’) papacy has been good so far, but I think it will take more than just a couple of months for the papacy to restore what you may refer to as credibility. I believe the measure of his papacy will have to be over a longer period. But I think he has brought a whole new style to the exercise of the ministry,” said the archbishop.

Pinder said the new and engaging style that Francis has brought with him to the office has been wonderful, and that because of the pope’s actions and words, the world has become infatuated with him.

He (Pope) has brought a whole new and engaging exercise to the office, and I think that’s all for the good, and I think that’s wonderful. He has a very warm and endearing style [and] you’ve seen that in so many of his actions and words and I think that’s very important to seek to get people to understand that the message of the Gospel is something that’s warm; that’s inviting,” he said.

Pinder, who has yet to meet the Holy Father as yet, said he is looking forward to the official visit he will have with him next year when he visits Vatican City.

August 01, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

The Stem Cell debate has been hijacked by talk about Peter Nygard ...who is very interested in the use of stem cells for anti-aging treatments...

Talking Sense: The Economics Of Stem Cells

by NOELLE NICOLLS

khalilanicolls@gmail.com

IMAGINE living in a world where a drug-free fix for HIV/AIDS existed, or a cure for cancer, blindness, Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, even Lou Gehrig’s disease. Advocates of stem cell research are driven by this vision. They say the promise of stem cell therapy is the birth of a new medical paradigm more revolutionary than the advent of the internet.

Some even believe stem cell therapy is the key to immortality. As a result, those pursuing medical breakthroughs in the field are often driven by an age old obsession to find the magical elixir of life.

However, it is not just anti-aging obsessives who support stem cell research. Legitimate, professional medical researchers have sound reasons to be optimistic about the positive impact stem cell treatments could have on public health.

There are also investors who want to cash in on new medical breakthroughs. There are also patients suffering from incurable diseases or chronic disorders praying for stem cell therapy to be their miracle cure.

Debate on The Bahamas’ potential foray into the world of stem cell research and regenerative medicine has touched on some of the moral and ethical issues, but there has been virtually no debate of the economics of stem cell research. The government’s economic claims have gone unchallenged.

For the most part conversation has been hijacked by talk about a millionaire fashion designer who is very interested in the use of stem cells for anti-aging treatments and happens to be an investor in the Bahamas. When debate resumes in the House of Assembly next week, I hope it will turn to more substantive issues.

Despite all of the reasons that make stem cell research an important area of medical study, it remains controversial. ‘Frankenstein’ scenarios aside (as stem cells could unlock the key to human cloning) the primary reason for controversy is concern over the harvesting of human embryonic stem cells, which are highly favoured among all types of stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells are harvested from human embryos when they are only days old. These embryos are usually destroyed as the cells are extracted. Most religious institutions have strong moral objections to the harvesting of embryonic stem cells, arguing for the sanctity of life, even at the embryonic stage. However, many support the use of adult stem cells and amniotic stem cells, which come from umbilical cord tissue.

In countries that allow the harvesting of embryonic stem cells - Finland, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom - these cells are obtained from surplus embryos at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinics.

Last year, the government’s task force took a stand against the use of controversial embryonic stem cells in the Bahamas, while sanctioning the use of adult and amniotic stem cells.

Although the committee first reported its findings late last year, debate reignited when the government tabled a Stem Cell Research and Therapy Bill along with draft regulations in the House of Assembly in April.

The new law will create a regulatory framework covering all aspects of stem cell research, including clinical and pre-clinical research, the use of non-human animal research subjects; and therapeutic uses in people.

The opposition’s main argument against supporting stem cell research in the Bahamas is concern over the proper enforcement of laws governing the industry. In our country of lax government regulation, the concern is valid; perhaps not sufficient to sabotage the government’s efforts, but valid nonetheless, given the high risks posed by the industry.

It is certainly plausible that one of the reasons the Bahamas is perceived as a favourable destination for stem cell research, when it does not have competitive infrastructure to supporting an industry of medical research, is its lax regulatory environment. It is certainly plausible that unscrupulous researchers, investors or medical practitioners could prey on the Bahamas while advancing their own personal agendas.

We all know a little too well that having a law on the books in the Bahamas is not the same as having a strong regulatory environment with robust systems of oversight. But the illusion of a legal framework could provide the prefect cover for unethical players.

The economics of medical research

If we put concerns about government oversight aside for the moment, and questions of morality and ethics; if we take the government at its word that its interest in stem cell research is not some kind of political payback, or at least a political nod, to Mr Nygard for alleged political contributions, there is still one glaring issue that has gone unchallenged.

It is the economics of medical research and the economics of stem cell medicine.

The Stem Cell Research Bill has been called “revolutionary”. It has been portrayed as having the power to “catapult the health sector” in the Bahamas and revolutionise medicine. When Prime Minister Perry Christie tabled the bill, he said stem cell projects “promise to attract leading scientists” who will relocate to the Bahamas and “conduct research, establish institutions and centres of excellence”. Mr Christie said many young Bahamian scientists and physicians will gain new skills and new opportunities. That the industry will generate new jobs at many levels, and will fuel accelerated growth in the economy. The industry will have spillover effects on all areas in the economy, including the tourism industry.

“Our young Bahamian scientists and doctors will be able to establish thriving professional lives right here in The Bahamas. They will then be able to contribute back to our community in the years to come, as well as to the international community,” said Mr Christie.

The government has boasted that stem cell research could inject more than $100 million into the Bahamian economy annually. Peter Nygard has touted the idea that a stem cell centre in the Bahamas could raise to the status of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, which caters to thousands of people around the world and employs some 50,000 people.

In the context of a stagnant economy, these words sound like to me a Junkanoo orchestra: sweet to the ears. Rhetorically, it is easy to connect the dots between stem cell research, regenerative medicine, medical tourism and economic development for the Bahamian people. At the rhetorical level, the relationship between these four elements represents a magic formula for pandering to populist sentiment.

Who wouldn’t want to be associated with a medical breakthrough that could cure all of the world’s ills? Who doesn’t like the sound of an economic stimulus that requires no investment on the part of the government, only the simple passage of a new bill?

In reality, sweet words do not make for sound economic policy.

There are deep, uncharted chasms between each step on the trajectory from private investment in stem cell research to economic profit for the Bahamas as a whole.

I am bewildered by the level of hype being generated around the issue, when the evidence does not seem to support many of claims being made, and our national needs do not justify them.

Let us unpack the economic issues first.

In the United States, studies show medical research has a positive economic impact. However, much of that success is attributed to a private/public sector funding partnership. Government funding accounts for approximately 36% of total research funding, according to some estimates. In 2003, for example, the National Institute of Health (NIH), the largest federal agency of medical research, was responsible for 28% (about US$26.4 billion) of the total biomedical research funding spent annually in the US. In 2009, the NIH injected $15.6 billion research dollars into medical schools and teaching hospitals alone. In places where medical research is highly successful from an economic impact point of view, there is a large sum of government money being spent. Unless I missed it, I have not heard the Bahamian government talking about investing in stem cell research or regenerative medicine, only legislating it.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a 2009 report, summarising the economic and employment impact from federal and state funded research in the 25 states (plus the District of Colombia). Number one on the list: California (population 38 million). The total direct and indirect economic impact of the medical research industry for California from the AAMC network was $5,360 million (as in $5.3 billion). The employment impact on the other hand was only 35,734. Number 25 on the list was Iowa. With a population of 3 million people, the economic impact on Iowa was $400 million; while the employment impact was 2,719 jobs.

If our government is projecting a $100 million industry for the Bahamas (with a population of 0.4 million), where does that really place us in the grand scheme of things? $100 million sounds like a large number at first glance, but further analysis is required to assess its true value. Does $100 million reflect a projection of total spending, total revenue, total tax revenue, all of the above? And how many permanent jobs would an industry of this size actually produce? Is the $100 million projection speaking specifically to stem cell research or also stem cell therapy, because research and clinical treatment are two different things. Stem cell research is still in its infancy, which means stem cell treatment is still in a state of trial; it is not practiced widely at the clinical level. So I ask again, what exactly is the economic model?

In California, $1.5 billion in committed research grants to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is generating $286 million in new tax revenue for the state and local governments through 2014, according to a study conducted by Emeryville-based global consulting firm Berkley Research Group. CIRM was established by the state government in 2004 with the passage of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act.

It released an independently produced economic impact study measuring the stem cell agency’s financial impact on the state. The study found that the same grants will generate an estimated $530 million in tax revenue for the federal government.

There are models of success out there, but it goes without saying, California’s success, for example, is not a blueprint for the Bahamas. The markets are completely different. For one, California has the infrastructure to support a medical research industry: legal framework, sources of funding, technical expertise, supply chain, demand for services. Without the infrastructure or “risk-sharing partnerships”, any high risk industry will likely operate at 100 times the cost with 100 times the liability.

In the Bahamas, a few private ventures that represent isolated pockets in a global industry (no matter how world class they may be) will not automatically propel the Bahamas into global dominance. We should have learned that lesson from the tourism industry.

Bahamas Heart Centre

As a case study, let us look at the Bahamas Heart Centre (BHC), which entered the record books last year by performing the Bahamas’ first cardiac stem cell implantation in conjunction with Advanced Innovative Medicine Inc of Orlando, Florida. A very advanced team of doctors treated a 62-year-old cardiac patient who had advanced coronary artery disease by implanting some of the patient’s own stem cells into his heart. The patient, a ‘medical tourist’, had already undergone by-pass surgery on a number of occasions, after his first heart attack in 1989. The stem cell treatment was considered a “last option” before considering a heart transplant. He was eligible for this experimental treatment after meeting “a very strict set of criteria” to qualify, based on rigid clinical research trial protocols.

I congratulate the Bahamas Heart Centre on this successful treatment, and should they be able to save more lives with their stem cell therapy I support them doing so. However, I would be interested in speaking with the BHC’s chief financial officer. I highly doubt the medical facility has plans to change its business model to invest everything it has in stem cell treatment.

For not-so-sinister business reasons, offshore clinical trials are being promoted in places like China by leading centres of stem cell research for the same reasons corporate America outsources many of its business processes. In fact, China has picked up traction in the stem cell research race. So perhaps the Bahamas could become a hub for offshore clinical trials if it could help businesses lower their development costs. In this light, the BHC’s work can also be seen as a success.

Nonetheless, stem cell treatment for the foreseeable future is likely to be a small line item in the centre’s over revenue model, I would suggest.

Big Pharma

It might be the star player in the BHC’s research and development or clinical trials department, but it is not likely to be the foundation of their business model. Simply put, “the stem cell and regenerative medicine market is still in its commercial infancy” despite the scope of opportunities that exist. This, according to the Stem Cell Network (SCN), a Canadian not-for-profit corporation that funds applied stem cell research and facilitates collaboration between universities, industry, government and non-governmental organisation.

According to the SCN, Big Pharma is not even on board with stem cell medicine, because the economics are too uncertain.

“Cell-based biologic products represent both new technology and a business model that remains largely unknown, but is certainly different from traditional drug or device development. Drug and device companies are proceeding cautiously, and waiting to see who emerges from the 100 or more stem cell companies now operating around the world, most of which tend to lack the critical mass and the clinical, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities to establish a sustainable product portfolio and technology pipeline,” states SCN.

Former Fortune senior editor Jeffrey M. O’Brien publish a 2012 article investigating the stem cell business. His research showed that “shares in almost any public stem cell company can be had for less than $1. One of the highest fliers, Stem Cells Inc. (STEM), reached $171 a share once upon a time. In mid-September it was trading at 95�.”

The first-ever clinical trial for embryonic-stem-cell therapy approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States was conducted by Geron, a leading Silicon Valley biotech company. Geron injected four spinal-cord patients with its stem-cell therapy. The treatment had previous success enabling paraplegic rats to walk. The company shut down its clinical stem cell trial months after it began, blaming difficult economic conditions. Reports indicated “the treatment did not show the immediate promise many had hoped”. The company, however, said it wanted to concentrate resources on two new and promising cancer drugs”.

Advanced Cell Technology (ACTC), another biotech company, picked up the slack. Its chief scientist Robert Lanza has made substantial progress in treating a type of blindness (macular degeneration), a condition that affects tens of millions of people, where spinal-cord injuries only represent a market of tens of thousands. ACTC has not figured out the economic model either. One report said ACT “has been scratching and clawing to survive for years”, dealing with a range of problems from raising venture funding to settling patent-infringement lawsuits.

When ACTC received FDA approval to commence clinical trials in 2010, it had already “spent upwards of $100 million on research”, according to reports.

No matter which way you spin it, the economics do not seem to be there - at the moment. For the Bahamas, stem cell medicine could be a hyped-up experiment with an empty payoff or it could be a forward thinking move by a bold government. Either way, it is a matter that could have been handled with much less fanfare and controversy.

Dangers of distraction

Debate about the stem cell bill has become a colossal national distraction, not because discussing stem cell medicine itself is a waste of time; but its advocates seem incapable of presenting sober arguments that tell the full picture; and they seem motivated by the hype. Debate has degraded into political squabbling, dreams of immortality and ‘Frankenstein’ science.

There is no doubt that advanced breakthroughs in clinical stem cell therapy could transform the Bahamas and the world. There is hardly anything to debate when it comes to the medical possibilities; they are bewildering and awe-inspiring.

But what is most relevant to the debate at this time is not the dream of a brave new world where incurable diseases are as obsolete as floppy disks, it is the notion that stem cell research and regenerative medicine can provide a viable economic stimulus for the Bahamas. It would be good if our leaders could sit across the aisle like adults and debate serious issues with competence, restraint and intellectual honesty.

As if the economics of stem cell medicine were not enough to fully explore the matter, there is also the matter of establishing our national health priorities. Next time, I plan to look at how our vigorous push for stem cell medicine contends with our national health priorities and the treatment opportunities that will open up for Bahamians in the near and long-term future.

I will also look at the government’s obsession with “revolutionary” projects that never live up to their promise. Remember the former government’s telemedicine project, which was also supposed to be a revolutionary technology that would transform health care in the Bahamas and put us on the map?

I support stem cell research in theory, and if we are to venture into the area (as private companies have already done in the Bahamas), there should be government regulation. But I do not support stem cell research becoming a national distraction. When debate resumes in the House of Assembly next week, I caution the government, as the old people say, when you lie with dogs you catch fleas. My advice to the government is to approach the conclusion of this stem cell debate with sobriety and restraint. Not everyone in the Bahamas deals in dreams. Some of us deal in fact.

Noelle Nicolls is the Tribune’s Features Editor. She is also a travel writer, women’s activist and entrepreneur. Follow her on Twitter @noelle_elleon. For questions or comments, email khalilanicolls@gmail.com

August 01, 2013 

Tribune 242 

Caribbean Blog International

No exploratory oil well drilling for Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) in Bahamian waters ...until the regulations that will oversee the industry are in place

No drilling before regulations in place

Minister says BPC license renewal came with ‘new requirements’

Scieska Adderley
Guardian Business Reporter
scieska@nasguard.com

The Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) will not be permitted to drill any exploratory wells in Bahamian waters until the regulations that will oversee the industry are completed.

According to Minister of the Environment and Housing Kenred Dorsett, these regulations will not be completed before the end of the year.

“You won’t see exploratory oil drills this year, that’s for sure,” he confirmed.

Last week, Simon Potter, BPC’s chief executive officer, revealed that the government has renewed the company’s five exploration licenses for another three years.

However, as part of its conditions for renewal, Dorsett said his ministry imposed new requirements that would ensure that no drilling would take place until the new regulations are in place.

“BPC’s license has been renewed. Under the license that they had, they indicated that renewal would be automatic once they applied for it and met a certain condition,” he said.

“Those conditions have been met but in addition to that, the government has imposed new requirements, which ensure that there will be no drilling whatsoever being able to be advanced until the new regulations are put in place.”

“We have indicated to them that while the license is renewed, it will also be subjected to a new environmental regulation that we intend to advance.”

Dorsett noted that his ministry is working with the attorney general’s office on the new regulations that will include a new legislative framework relating to oil exploration and drilling.

“As we indicated before, we are not only looking at the new legislative regime or petroleum exploration, but we are also looking to enhance the environmental aspects associated with that endeavor,” said Dorsett.

“So they will be subjected to those environmental regulations, which we are currently working on with the attorney general’s office.

“BPC has given us a timeframe for the end of this calendar year and so we are working assiduously to attempt to have it completed before then.”

In a recent interview with Guardian Business, Potter revealed that these license renewals now give the company the “authority” to drill a well and establish commercial reserves by 2015.

“The government has renewed our licenses for three years. That says to us by April 2015, you are to have drilled a well here in The Bahamas,” he said.

“This gives us the authority to go ahead and drill our well and try to establish those commercial reserves by 2015.”

Potter estimates the company will begin its oil drilling program in the latter part of 2014.

BPC was granted five oil exploration licenses in April 2007.

To date, BPC has invested $50 million in the country, with most of that spent on 3D seismic testing, and has completed its environmental impact assessment (EIA). Now, the company is working on its environmental management plan (EMP) to meet its 2015 obligation to the government.

July 31, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Peter Nygard has betrayed The Bahamas / Bahamian People's hospitality by assuming to have more rights than a resident’s permit gives him in The Islands

Where Did Nygard Find The Ku Klux Klan?

Tribune242 Editorial



AT LEAST two of our readers are holding us to our promise to research Peter Nygard’s far-fetched claim that a racist gene is embedded in Lyford Cay neighbour Louis Bacon’s DNA.

Mr Nygard would be surprised to know how many Bahamians are incensed that after so many generations of struggle to bring all races in this country together as one people a foreigner has come into our midst to re-inject the racial virus and open up old wounds. Many believe that – despite his financial generosity — Peter Nygard has betrayed this country’s hospitality by assuming to have more rights than a resident’s permit gives him.

The quarrel between these two neighbours — Bacon and Nygard — is so intense that seemingly Mr Nygard can’t even present a donation without burdening his listeners with the Nygard-Bacon saga. It is almost like a plea to recruit Bahamian sympathy to his side in his campaign against Mr Bacon in return for his financial generosity.

This last episode, which resulted in our promise to our readers that we would research a statement by Mr Nygard, which was made at Mr Nygard’s home — Nygard Cay — when he presented a $10,000 cheque to the Acklins regatta. It could have been a very pleasant afternoon if Mr Nygard had not decided to turn it into a Bacon-bashing event. Possibly this was to deflect attention from reporters’ main interest — the extent of his financial generosity to the governing party, both before, during and after the 2012 election. Also reporters wanted to know what he expected from our government in return, especially in view of his latest video release announcing that he — Peter Nygard — had taken this country back. Mr Nygard will never know how much he has damaged himself and his government with this one presumptuous pronouncement. He must learn that people do not like to feel that they have been bought.

On the afternoon of the $10,000 presentation, Mr Nygard told reporters that Mr Bacon’s attitude against blacks was in the Bacon family’s blood line.

In fact, he said, it stemmed from a great grandfather — one Colonel Roger Moore — who, he claimed, was a high-ranking Ku Klux Klan member.

As we stated at the time, although no one can be held responsible for his ancestors, the story told by Mr Nygard is not the same as the one we discovered when we did a quick check before writing the July 16th article. However, we promised to do further research and report back to our readers.

Nevertheless, we did point out at the time that the Moore – later Bacon — plantation was owned by Mr Bacon’s great-grandfather 11 times removed in 1752. The Ku Klux Klan did not come into existence until a century later, around 1866.

As a result of a superficial search, we obtained the following from the US governmen’s Official Records p. 86-87, which is entitled the “Wilmington race revolution - the true story from the official records”.

“… the building caught fire soon after the arrival of the crowd. Many joined in the statement that the fire resulted accidentally. In any event the building was practically destroyed, the blaze, at the same time wiping out of existence the negro sheet which had carried the editorial defaming and traducing the white women of the South.

“When reports of the fire were received in the business district, considerable excitement prevailed. At the corner of Front and Walnut Streets, a large crowd of negro laborers, who were employed at the nearby cotton compresses, gathered. These colored people were not intent on making trouble. The fact is, the belief was expressed that few, if any, were armed. They were, rather, in a state of bewilderment, wondering what had happened, and what might eventuate.

“Colonel Roger Moore, as stated above, was in command of the entire situation. While controlling the assembled citizens at Front and Walnut Streets, Colonel Moore was harassed by two or three excitable, white men. They told him, in effect, if he did not give the order to fire into the negroes on the opposite corner, that they would do so. Without losing his head, but with calmness and determination, Colonel Moore responded to these hot heads. He said he had been placed in command by his fellow citizens. Until they recalled him he intended to remain in command. He said there was no occasion at this time for bloodshed and he certainly had no intention of having bewildered negroes slain in cold blood.

“With this announcement Colonel Moore told the several men who were commanding him to give the order to fire, that he would allow them exactly one minute in which to take their place in the ranks. If they did not comply immediately, then he would have them arrested and placed in jail until they cooled off. These men clearly perceived that Colonel Moore meant exactly what he said. They then lost no time in obeying his command.

“The actual outbreak, resulting in loss of life, happened in the northern section of the city, early in the afternoon. A negro fired into a crowd of white men, standing near the corner of Fourth and Harnett Streets. One white man was seriously wounded. Later, another was shot and painfully hurt. During the turbulence and conflict which resulted, it was estimated that from seven to ten negroes were killed.

“Realizing that the aid of military forces was essential, appeal had been made to the Governor for declaration of martial law. In the late afternoon, this step was taken. Several companies of soldiers from nearby points were ordered to Wilmington. Colonel Walker Taylor, of the National Guard, was then placed in command. With this step, the organized citizens forces which had been functioning on a quiet basis for a year or more under the direction of Colonel Moore, disbanded. There was no further need for their services. Colonel Taylor was a man of discretion and good judgment, and the situation within 48 hours was so much quieter, that the visiting troops were ordered home.

“Many negroes who were frightened to the point of distraction with the turn of events, went to the woods near the city. They thought their lives were in jeopardy. One of the last orders given by Colonel Moore before his authority was vested in Colonel Taylor, was to a number of white men. He told them to go in the woods, tell the negroes they could safely return to their homes, if they behaved themselves, and that they would be protected.“

This is obviously the story to which Mr Nygard referred, embellishing it with his own twisted anger against Colonel Moore’s descendent – Louis Bacon – who has lived quietly at Lyford Cay for many years.

If Mr Nygard has a problem with his neighbour, then let him find redress in the courts, not create divisions in our community over something that is none of their business.

July 29, 2013

Tribune 242 Editorial 

Caribbean Blog International

The hubris, narcissism and self-indulgence of Peter Nygard in The Bahamas ...have earned him the disgust of many Bahamians...

Perry Christie and the PLP’s Nygard Problem

By Simon
frontporchguardian@gmail.com

It wouldn’t be a PLP term in office without the party’s entanglement with highly controversial, eccentric and flamboyant foreigners seeking to use the country as an outpost for their curious interests, pressing for privileges to which they may not ordinarily be entitled.

Why do so many more of these characters flock to the PLP, like moths to a flame? It has to do with the party’s history, with Sir Lynden Pindling and his coterie of the compromised having fuelled and encouraged such a party culture.

It has also to do with the history of a number of the leaders and political parties which helped to usher in majority rule and independence in various former colonies.

Flushed with adulation and hero worship, and having gained political power and access to enormous economic wealth, many freedom fighters were lured into corruptions of power and money arising from their new circumstances and fortunes.

This happened most recently in South Africa under the African National Congress, now heavily criticized for corruption within its ranks, betraying the example set by Nelson Mandela.

Even the great Ghanaian independence leader Kwame Nkrumah gave in to corruption, as did Sir Lynden and his court, with an excessive lifestyle which demanded considerably more cash than a prime minister’s salary might afford.

Like the days of piracy and wrecking, the PLP have a particular talent for fleecing foreigners. Buyers beware. It is not only Bahamians who are at the mercy of the party’s broken promises. Many foreigners are also left waiting for promises which never materialize despite their generosity to certain coffers.

Casino license

Back when, there was Mike McLaney beseeching a casino license, which was faithfully promised to him by Sir Lynden were the PLP to win office. Having given the party electoral support which, according to a New York Times story included “cash, aircraft, boats, and a campaign headquarters on Bay Street” McLaney eagerly anticipated a license.

Though having described the PLP as being in his “ass pocket”, relations soured between Sir Lynden and McLaney as the latter’s reputation became better known. Sir Lynden eventually refused to meet with McLaney, who was subsequently labelled as an undesirable by a Commission of Inquiry.

Milked and bilked, McLaney left town broke, without a license. At the inquiry there was a discrepancy in the competing testimonies of the amount McLaney said he donated to the PLP, and the amount Sir Lynden said he received. Sounds familiar? Perhaps the old and the new PLP aren’t so different.

Then there was the fugitive U.S. financier Robert Vesco. Vesco fled the U.S. in 1973 to escape a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation concerning an alleged massive fraud by the financier estimated today at more than $1 billion.

He crisscrossed the region, finding governments that would give him protection from U.S. authorities, even allegedly attempting to purchase Barbuda from Antigua in order to make the former an autonomous country. A 2008 obituary of Vesco in the U.K.’s Guardian observed: “Vesco had cozied up to Nixon’s [U.S. President Richard Nixon] two brothers and employed his nephew Donald. ... As well, he found ways to reach Bahamas Prime Minister Lynden Pindling and Costa Rican president José Figueres via strategic loans, donations or investments.”

The PLP is particularly disposed to strategic loans, donations and purported investments from certain parties, domestic and foreign.

Among the worst were foreign drug lords, who seemingly had near carte blanche from the Pindling-led PLP government during the 1970s and 80s, making The Bahamas a “Nation for Sale”, a ruinous period from which we have still not recovered.

Bank license

On Prime Minister Perry Christie’s watch there was the likes of Iranian businessman Mohammed Harajchi, who desperately wanted the restoration of a bank license from the PLP, but which was never granted. Harajchi claimed that he gave a substantial sum to the PLP for the 2002 general election.

In response to Harajchi’s claims, Christie made one of those solemn, passionate and supposedly high-principled declarations for which he is famous: “My party is presently conducting an accounting of monies received from Mr. Harajchi but I can state with complete confidence that Mr. Harajchi’s claim that it was $10 million is an absolute lie. It was nowhere near this amount. It was but a fraction of this amount. Details of our accounting will be made public once completed.

“Ordinarily we would not disclose the source of campaign contributions but as Mr. Harajchi has made this a public issue we are obliged to present the detailed facts concerning his contributions as indeed we will do as soon as possible.”

This promise was made by Christie on August 12, 2004, almost exactly nine years ago. It follows a pattern: A heated denial, a promise of full accountability, followed by absolutely nothing, all of which calls into question the prime minister’s credibility on these issues. We still do not know how much money Mohammed Harajchi gave to the PLP.

And then there was the late Anna Nicole Smith, a B-rated celebrity and Playboy’s 1993 Playmate of the Year, to whom then Immigration Minister Shane Gibson gave special attention, personally handling and expediting her immigration request, going so far as to making a home delivery of a certain document.

Gibson resigned due to the controversy with Christie sitting next to him on television almost holding his hand in one of the more bizarre Cabinet resignation events in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

Despite its longstanding deeply entrenched culture of chronic incompetence under Christie, the PLP knows politics. Still, when it comes to certain zany foreigners and money flowing into PLP coffers, the party seems to lose perspective, a mixture of hubris and a bunker mentality.

Late-again, Christie could not or refused to see how rolling scandals like the Anna Nicole affair were to make his the first one-term government in an independent Bahamas.

Propriety

Fast forward to today. What Christie and the PLP seem to fail to understand is that the Peter Nygard matter is not a singular or stand-alone event in the minds of voters. Instead it is representative of a concern, like the Anna Nicole affair, of a PLP little concerned about questions of propriety and the kinds of perception it is creating.

Even worse is the suspicion by voters of ‘Corruption 2.0’ in the PLP, the sort of rolling scandals and unseemly dalliances with all manner of characters which led to the party’s loss in 2007. The Nygard matter capsulizes and crystallizes a widely held perception about the PLP.

Moreover, the Nygard matter has many more chapters. It is like a volcano that will spew all manner of material. Christie may well come to regret his effusive and gushing accolades to Nygard.

The now infamous YouTube sensation of the controversial businessman supposedly taking The Bahamas back is a watershed moment in Nygard’s relationship to the country.

The video speaks volumes about the hubris, narcissism and self-indulgence of a character who has now earned the disgust of many Bahamians, including many who formerly dismissed him as mostly clownish.

As more is disclosed on the lifestyle, employment practices and other controversies surrounding Peter Nygard, he will prove to be toxic to the PLP, including those who are so foolishly defending him now. The man who helped the party win office may now play a role in its defeat. Clearly, Nygard seems to have little sense of propriety and is unconcerned about certain perceptions. As a private resident that is his right. But those political figures still inclined to afford him a red carpet and a Junkanoo rush-out may be as short-sighted and as self-injected with hubris as is the foreign eccentric who is set to deeply embarrass the Christie administration.

July 25, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

The debate on the regulation of stem cell research and therapy

Consider this: The stem cell debate

By Philip C. Galanis
pgalanis@gmail.com

“Stem cell science is evolving rapidly and carries the promise of bringing us therapies that will revolutionize medicine.”

– Prime Minister Perry Christie

 

This week, the debate on the regulation of stem cell research and therapy in The Bahamas began in Parliament. The heated parliamentary debate was eclipsed by a certain mesmerizingly colorful personality, whose insinuation into the debate unfortunately distracted from the essence of the potential benefits and challenges of this controversial science. Therefore this week, we would like to Consider This... should we be concerned with regulating stem cell research and use for medical purposes in The Bahamas?

 

Stem cells

Stem cells are biological cells found in all multi-cellular organisms that can divide and self-renew in order to produce more stem cells. The importance of stem cells is that they can significantly regenerate or restore degenerating human cells, thereby contributing to the quality and longevity of human life. There are two broad types of stem cells: adult and embryonic stem cells.

Adult applications

In adults, stem cells act as a repair system for the body in order to replenish degenerating adult tissues. There are generally three sources of adult stem cells in humans:

1. Bone marrow – which requires extraction by harvesting, or drilling into bone.

2. Adipose, or fatty, tissue – which requires extraction by liposuction.

3. Blood – which requires extraction with blood being drawn from the donor passed through a machine that extracts the stem cells and returns other portions of the blood to the donor.

Adult stem cells are currently routinely used in medical therapies such as bone marrow transplantation. Stem cells can now be artificially grown through cell culture and transformed into specialized cell types with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves.

Of all stem cell types, harvesting involves the least risk. Cells are obtained from one’s body, just as a person can “bank” his own blood for elective surgical procedures.

Adult stem cell treatments have been successfully used for many years to treat leukemia and related bone or blood cancers. Additionally, in instances where adult stem cells are obtained from the intended recipient, the risk of rejection is essentially non-existent and the outcome much better for the patient. Consequently, considerable funding has been provided for adult stem cell research.

The use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not as controversial as the use of embryonic or fetal stem cells because the production of adult stem cells does not require the destruction of an embryo or fetus.

Embryonic applications

In a developing embryo, stem cells can maintain the regenerative organs, such as blood, skin or intestinal tissues. Embryonic stem cell lines are cultures of cells derived from early stage embryos. Stem cells can also be taken from umbilical cord blood just after birth.

There are currently no approved treatments using embryonic stem cells in the United States. The first human trial was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2009, although human trial was initiated on October 13, 2010 in Atlanta for spinal injury victims. Because of their abilities for unlimited expansion, embryonic stem cells remain theoretically a potential source for regenerative medicine and tissue replacement after injury or disease.

Fetal and amniotic fluid stem cells

The primitive stem cells located in the organs of fetuses are referred to as fetal stem cells. The Roman Catholic Church forbids the use of embryonic stem cells in experimentation and medical application, primarily because the embryo or fetus has to be destroyed in order to access the stem cells for medical research or therapeutic applications. Stem cells are also found in amniotic fluid. Use of stem cells from amniotic fluid overcomes the ethical objections to using human embryos as a source of cells.

The stem cell act

On April 10, 2013, the prime minister introduced “A Bill for an Act to Regulate Stem Cell Research and Therapy in The Bahamas.” In presenting this bill, the prime minister admonished Parliament that “The Bahamas has an opportunity to become a world leader among nations in this field. This legislation is designed to help achieve that goal.” He also noted that the “act would create a strict oversight regime to ensure that no prohibited procedures occur in The Bahamas... and that every person who conducts research or provides treatment using stem cells must secure review by a Scientific Review Committee and an Ethics Committee, which must ensure that a sound scientific basis exists for permitting the proposed research or therapy to proceed.”

The official opposition’s objections

The official opposition has once again flip-flopped on its position regarding stem cell research and therapy. It has proven to be duplicitous and simply opposing for the sake of so doing, particularly since, while it was in office, the FNM government supported and allowed the establishment of stem cell operations in The Bahamas. In addition, prior to the debate, the opposition confirmed its support for this cutting edge medical procedure. In fact, while serving as the minister of health in the Ingraham administration, the current leader of the opposition strongly supported stem cell research in The Bahamas and, at that time, without the benefit of any regulations whatsoever. That the opposition and its leader have now reversed their position for a more regulated regime is the height of hypocrisy.

It is therefore commendable that The Bahamas government has sought to regulate stem cell research and therapy. The government has clearly indicated that it will not support embryonic stem cell research and therapy and will scrupulously regulate medical practitioners working in this field to ensure they do not stray into this prohibited area of stem cell research. This is extremely important because any support of embryonic or fetal stem cell application could greatly contribute to abortions in order to access embryonic or fetal stem cells.

Parenthetically, it is wholly unfortunate that a serious debate on this noble initiative was foiled by one whose fetish for flamboyance was featured in our local dailies for an entire week. But more about that in a future column.

Implications for The Bahamas

There is no mistake that, apart from progressive medical advancements that are likely to ensue from the legalization and regulation of this science, there is a tremendous financial windfall that will accrue for medical practitioners who engage in medical stem cell procedures.

Stem cell therapy also offers substantial medical tourism potential for The Bahamas. Medical tourists tend to travel in large groups, stay for long periods of time and spend considerable sums in many sectors of the society as they obtain the treatment that they are unable to access in their home countries. It is well known that the FDA tends to move at the pace of a snail wading in molasses to approve cutting-edge medical procedures and pharmaceuticals. As most of our tourists hail from the United States, that country will likely provide a plethora of patients in pursuit of stem cell medical treatments.

Conclusion

It is critically important for the government to focus its attention on redirecting and reframing the debate on this important development in medical science, so that Bahamians will fully appreciate the advantages that will accrue to The Bahamas, to Bahamians and to people from all over the world by the passage of this legislation and the accompanying regulations. It is now time to silence, not muzzle, stem cell detractors from what will undoubtedly positively contribute to the development of our country’s future.

• Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to pgalanis@gmail.com.

July 22, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Rodney Moncur and the Negros’ News Network / African-Bahamian News Network

By Dennis Dames:

Have you heard about the Negros’ News Network / African-Bahamian News Network?  It’s an online / Facebook publication with Mr. Rodney Moncur as the Editor / Publisher in Chief.  It provides current news on the happenings in the Bahamian society; and its main staging ground is presently Facebook.  Mr. Moncur is live 24/7 with the political juice, fresh off the vine; while The Tribune, The Punch, The Nassau Guardian, The Bahama Journal and the rest sleep straight through the night. 

He is loved by thousands of his subscribers, and many are encouraging him to compete with the Tribune, Guardian, Punch and all the rest who think that they are the apple of the Bahamian readership eyes.  Will the Negros’ African-Bahamian Network become a competitive newspaper in The Bahamas soon?  We shall see.

In the meantime, Mr. Rodney Moncur is reporting the news uncensored and undeterred, while gaining the love and respect of his vast clientele; and he is doing it free of charge.  Could I have a free Tribune, Guardian, Punch, Journal and whatever else of news exists out there please?