Carriacou News Feeds http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com Fri, 09 May 2008 22:36:38 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com Carriacou News Feeds http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/Grenadian-diplomacy-and-good-manners.html US Ambassador Mary Ourisman (right) in discussion with Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell. Grenadines - Grenada Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:06:28 +0100 http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/Tell-Carriacou-Island-Officials-to-Stop-Sea-Turtle-Torture.html Horrified visitors to the Island of Carriacou off the coast of Grenada in the Caribbean—contacted PETA (http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/ActionAlerts-item.asp?id=2483) after witnessing the horrific manner in which locals torture sea turtles to death. Witnesses report seeing these beautiful animals pulled from their ocean home, flipped over onto their backs on dry land, and left to bake to death in the hot sun. A heartbreaking video provided by tourists shows a group of overturned and helpless turtles that flail their flippers in a futile attempt to save themselves. D-Pv1QTerYU Upon receiving these calls, PETA sent an urgent letter to Carriacou's minister, Elvin Nimrod, urging him to put a stop to this barbaric and sadistic practice. We have not received a response. Many countries have outlawed the killing of sea turtles as a result of their dwindling numbers and because of their importance to the ocean's ecosystem. International trade in sea turtle parts or products is also illegal under the Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora. In addition to considering the criminal and environmental significance of this practice, it should also be noted that the method in which these islanders are killing turtles is extremely cruel. Please politely urge Mr. Nimrod to do anything and everything in his power to end this practice immediately. Inform him that compassionate travelers like you will not visit Carriacou and that you will spread the word about this horrific abuse until it has ceased once and for all. Please send polite comments to: The Honorable Elvin Nimrod, Minister Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs Beausejour Carriacou Grenada, W.I. 473-443-6026 473-443-6040 (fax) minccoupm@spiceisle.com (mailto:minccoupm@spiceisle.com) Grenadines - Carriacou Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:48:06 +0100 http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/Getting-a-tan-onboard.html Imagine you are 80 feet in the air, standing on ratlines of natural fiber in bare feet, looking out over an expanse of blue and the green peaks and valleys of Petit Martinique and its surrounding islands. Now imagine you’ve got a weighty coffee can of tree tar strapped do your harness, which rides high and tight on your waist. The tar, however, is not just contained within the coffee can, but coats every exposed inch of skin on your body. You’re sticky, you’re a nice toffee brown color, and you’re loving it. This is what tall ship sailors call “tarring the rigging.” Today, I began tarring at 10:00 am, climbing the mizzen mast under grayish skies. I began brushing the tar on the ratlines and shrouds, realizing very quickly that hands are far better tools than brushes. I massaged the sticky brown stuff (which smells remarkably sweet, like molasses), into the rigging, all the while trying not to let the goop rain down on the deck and on my fellow crew members who were working below. Standing on the ratlines, which are ropes about 1 inch in circumference, inevitably becomes hard on the feet for a land lover like me, so I found myself switching my weight from the balls to the heels of my feet quite often. As I moved tediously downward on the rigging, I clipped by belt harness onto the shrouds and soon found that leaning out against the resistance of the harness helped reduce the strain my left arm, which was holding my upper body as I painted tar with my right hand. I steadily moved down the mizzen mast and when I reached the bottom, Lindsey, the second mate and leader of our watch, gave me another assignment: the main mast. I climbed to the t’gallant, far higher than I’ve been yet, this time under a hot beating sun and a blue sky with streaks of impending Caribbean rains. The adrenaline rush was intense, but I took my time and began to get into a “zone.” Soon, I was able to take a few strokes with the brush and then pause to look all around me. The tiny picturesque and colorful houses, the yachts and fishing boats and dinghies in the harbor, the green hills of petit Martinique – all these things looked so much more beautiful from my new vantage point. My feet finally reached the deck at 2:30 pm. I was coated in tar, I was sun burnt, but I was beaming. It took about an hour of scrubbing my skin with sunflower oil to get all the tar off. In many ways, this voyage has required me to test my limits. I’ve learned that jumping in the ocean can be a suitable shower, that walking on the deck of a ship while underway requires impeccable timing, that one really can “work up” an appetite. But most of all, I’m learning that I, along with my Mount Holyoke friends who are here, can do some pretty crazy things, some things that we would perhaps never have envisioned ourselves doing. And not only do we do these things, we enjoy them, we derive satisfaction from them. MacGregor hit the nail on the head when he said, sailors work and play really hard. Grenadines - Petite Martinique Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:30:26 +0100 http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/Where-is-Maurice-Bishop.html Fingers continue to point in Grenada as to where the bodies of murdered former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and his cabinet colleagues lie. The issue has been widely debated in recent weeks. While some believe that the seventeen who were convicted of the crime should stay behind bars, others think that they have served their time and should be given a taste of freedom. Last year three members of the seventeen were released after spending 20 years behind bars. However Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has claimed that there are people currently in Grenada who know the whereabouts of the Bishop’s body. The prime minister said that they should have a heart and ease the pain of the families. Some critics have even blamed the Americans for keeping information concerning Bishop's remains, while some believe that the Americans are the ones who know where to find the bodies. “I cannot say that I believe that the Americans have anything to do with this,” said Prime Minister Mitchell. The prime minister stated that it is no good for the American government and people to hold back information or take Bishop's and other bodies. “It seems that the only persons, the group that has a vested interest in doing away with the bodies and maintaining silence, are those who committed the crime and burnt the bodies,” he said. The lawyers representing the remainder of the seventeen continue to battle for their release. Grenadines - History Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:56:34 +0100 http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/Taiwan-Anthem-played-for-Chinese-as-thanks-from-Grenada.html While it was a significant occasion it was also an embarrassing one for the Government of Grenada as the Chinese handed over the keys to the new National Stadium. At the beginning of the proceedings the national anthem of the Republic of China on Taiwan was rendered by the Royal Grenada Police Force Band instead of that of the People’s Republic of China. In an effort to redeem the situation, the correct anthem was played at the end of the proceedings. While not much was said as to how the mix up took place, Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell said his administration will not go silent on it. Apologising to the Chinese delegation, Mitchell said the incident affected the happiness of the moment and a full investigation will be carried out into the matter. “On behalf of the government and people of this happy country, a country that recognise the warmth of its friends and respects its friends, I deeply apologise to the Chinese ambassador and the entire Chinese people and the delegation.” The prime minister also made a special call to the opposition to support every measure to be taken by the government to demonstrate respect for its friends. Grenadines - Grenada Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:51:03 +0100