WEDNESDAY i’m lovin’ it!
HIGH 83ºF LOW 71ºF
The Tribune Established 1903
24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM
Biggest And Best!
VOLUME:117 No.05, NOVEMBER 27TH, 2019
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
ALICIA WALLACE: WHEN THE RISK FACTOR RISES
Gibson - victim or simply a crook? Lawyers give their final summaries on corruption charges By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PROSECUTION and defence lawyers painted competing portraits of Shane Gibson yesterday, asking jurors during closing arguments to view the former minister as either a corrupt politician or a victim of nefarious plot. A verdict could come today as Supreme Court Justice Carolita Bethel is expected to sum up the case, direct the jury and ask them to decide whether Gibson committed a crime
by soliciting and accepting more than $200,000 in bribes from Jonathan Ash as a condition for expediting payments he was owed by the Christie administration. Mr Gibson’s lawyer, Keith Knight, QC, argued the case was borne out of a conspiracy, the product of an “evil plot.” He honed in on Assistant Superintendent of Police Debra Thompson’s admission that she was wrong to meet with Mr Ash and Deborah Bastian, a key SEE PAGE THREE
SANDS’ APPETITE’S FOR HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said there will be no fast-food tax or any additional new taxes this fiscal year. Speaking to reporters outside of Cabinet, Dr Sands said what the public will see is a new and aggressive educational campaign on healthy eating and lifestyles. “We have made it very clear - the prime minister
and the minister of finance have been very clear - there will be no new taxes in this fiscal year. We’ll have a discussion again next year and I suspect that the position of this government will remain the same,” he said. “No new taxes but we will engage in a very aggressive educational campaign. We started the ban of sugar sweetened beverages in schools, hospitals and clinics or health care facilities. We would like SEE PAGE SIX
INSIDE
JURY LIST 2020
CRUISE PORT OVERHAUL COMPLETED EARLY 2022 By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
NASSAU cruise port’s operator is aiming to “double the yield” from passenger spending once the facility’s transformation is completed in early 2022. Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief, said yesterday “millions of dollars” have already been invested in the design, engineering and environmental studies that will lay the foundation for the port’s overhaul over a 24-month period.
So what am I doing on a catwalk?
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
US REPEAT SECURITY WARNING
By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net
A FASHION show in aid of the Bahamas Humane Society was held at the Hilton yesterday. Picture Special - Page 2 Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
THE US Department of State has issued another travel alert for The Bahamas ahead of the holiday season due to the “increased risk” of becoming a victim of crime. The US agency issued the Level 2 travel advisory SEE PAGE SEVEN
‘OUR HANDS CLEAN ON ILLEGAL MIGRANTS’ TECHNOLOGY By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net IMMIGRATION Minister Elsworth Johnson said yesterday the government has done nothing wrong regarding its handling of illegal migrants seeking refuge in the country. Speaking to reporters outside of Cabinet, Mr Johnson insisted the government has abided by the laws of the country. His
MINISTER: Elsworth Johnson comments came after a United Nations official visited The Bahamas recently
to investigate claims of abuse of illegal migrants by law enforcement officers. “As I have said over and over again, there is only one standard,” he said when asked about the concerns. “We govern by the rule of law the laws of The Bahamas. International best practice which include universal declaration of human rights, rights of a child, migrants, political
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE FIVE
ROBOTS WHICH CARRY OUR GROCERIES
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Wednesday, November 27, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
COLE’s of Nassau & Morley for Men 41st annual luncheon & fashion show, in aid of the Bahamas Humane Society at the Hilton yesterday. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, PAGE 3
CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST GARTH REEVES DIES IN MIAMI, AGED 100 BAHAMIAN Garth Reeves Sr, owner of The Miami Times and a noted civil rights activist in South Florida, has died at age 100. “Mr Reeves led a remarkable life promoting equality and civil rights as a veteran, journalist, community activist, and owner of The Miami Times,” said Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami, in a press release. “We will continue to rejoice over his life marked by his many incredible accomplishments and the profound impact he made to drive our community forward as a more inclusive and equitable place for all.” Mr Reeves’ father, Henry E.S. Reeves, a master printer from Nassau, moved to Miami in 1919 when Garth was four months old. Garth was born in Nassau on February 12, 1919. Henry Reeves, founded the Times on September 1, 1923. He passed it
on to his son when he died in 1970. Garth Reeves served in the US Army in World War II, and began to fight for racial integration upon his return to South Florida as a young man. “Garth Reeves and his father used the newspaper to champion social justice and demand dignity for Miami’s black populations,” said Russell Motley, editor-in-chief of MIA Media Group. The Miami Herald described him as “a political crusader who published the dominant black-owned paper in Miami-Dade, the oldest and largest black-owned newspaper in the Southeastern United States” who used “his position to galvanize African Americans to make their interests felt at the polls.” Reeves celebrated his 100th birthday this year at a City of Miami Commission meeting in February.
Gibson - victim or simply a crook?
ABOVE: Keith Knight, QC; top right: Shane Gibson; right: ASP Debra Thompson; far right: James Guthrie, QC from page one player in the affair, to coordinate their stories before the trial and “synchronise their statements” in contravention of Royal Bahamas Police Force rules. He called that meeting an “act of perversion, an act of wickedness” that was committed with the knowledge of some of the top law enforcement officials in the country. “If they do it to him, can you imagine what they do to a ghetto youth?” he said, noting ASP Thompson said such practice isn’t uncommon. “How many people at Fox Hill has it been done to?” he said. “Their aim was to wash away (Gibson’s) rights but I ask you to restore those rights. Send that message that those rights are sacrosanct and must not be washed away.”
It is alleged that Mr Gibson acted in concert with Ms Bastian for some of the bribes and that she procured money from Mr Ash on his behalf. Mr Knight repeatedly highlighted Ms Bastian’s absence from the trial. “Where’s Deborah Bastian?” he asked. “Why didn’t she come here and said ‘yes, I got $50,000?’ And if she got it why isn’t she sitting in the dock with Shane Gibson? So ask yourself, what’s going on?” Mr Knight said to his count, 136 times Mr Ash said under cross-examination that he couldn’t recall certain things, but, when asked questions by the prosecution about checks allegedly paid to Mr Gibson, could remember specifics. “What a wonderful thing,” he said. “So many
discrepancies (in his testimony). Whenever there is a record, there is a contradiction.” However, prosecution attorney James Guthrie, QC, told jurors that on every major issue Mr Ash’s testimony remained consistent despite six days of cross-examination. “He left (the witness box) without any damage to his account of what happened between January and March 2017,” he said, recalling Mr Ash’s own words: “The major stuff I could never forget, the shaking down I could never forget.” Mr Guthrie dismissed the defence’s emphasis on the prosecution’s coordination meeting as a distraction, saying that for all their emphasis on synchronisation, they couldn’t highlight any major discrepancies despite having all the
statements Mr Ash has ever made in the case. “You’ve seen ASP Thompson,” he said. “She accepts it was wrong to see (Mr Ash and Ms Bastian) together. But she says she was trying to find the truth and there was nothing sinister about that.” As for Ms Bastian’s absence from the trial, Mr Guthrie told jurors it was not their place to speculate about the reasons and he noted the defence could have called her as a witness but chose not to do so. Mr Guthrie honed in on a WhatsApp message Mr Gibson sent Mr Ash concerning shingles, which Mr Ash testified meant money. Mr Gibson’s lawyers have insisted the Golden Gates MP meant the material used on roofs. “He was a minister,” Mr Guthrie said, pointing to a photo the defence entered
into the court’s exhibit that was supposedly an example of what Gibson requested. “Are we supposed to believe that when he said (shingles) he wanted a pile of rubbish? Gibson was asking for money and dirty money he had no right to. It is nonsense to pretend as the defence does that in the WhatsApp conversation shingles meant anything other than that.”
Mr Guthrie asked jurors to review the transcript of Mr Gibson’s interview with police and draw inferences from his attempts to distance himself from Mr Ash despite trial evidence showing the two were familiar with each other. “He was corrupt,” he said. “He saw an opportunity to take advantage and that is what he did.”
PAGE 4, Wednesday, November 27, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,
jamaaltheartist@gmail.com
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991
EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,
C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-
Published daily Monday to Friday
Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES
News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax
(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348
WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com
@tribune242
tribune news network
Who is talking to US officials? THE new travel alert from the US Department of State for The Bahamas prompts a question or two. They say that tourists face an “increased risk” of becoming a victim of crime – but reading the whole advisory makes us raise an eyebrow at some of the warnings. How serious are some of the threats in the alert? Well, let’s take a look at one warning – “US government personnel are not permitted to visit the area known by many visitors as the Sand Trap area in Nassau due to crime”. Sound familiar? It should, we wrote about it in March when a previous advisory gave the same warning. It was outdated then, it’s even more outdated now. The source of that warning seems to date back to a shooting at a bar there in 2016. The bar is gone now – and this part of the alert looks remarkably like it’s just being copied and pasted over from the previous alert. Which begs the question – is the government talking to the US about this? Surely, a dialogue should be had after each warning so that both sides can better understand one another – the Bahamian side to understand what areas of concern need to be improved, and the US side to make sure that their information is up to date. But is that really happening? Again, in March, we reported that Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar had “cautiously” asked Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to raise concerns over US travel advisories when he met US President Donald Trump. Did that happen? We don’t know
– but we can judge by the evidence of the Sand Trap warning still being there that nothing was achieved. Surely though, the matter of a crime warning is a matter many levels below the nation’s leaders – can’t Mr D’Aguilar himself raise it with the US Embassy? After all, this isn’t asking the US to conceal the level of crime – just make sure that it is accurate. US visitors were also warned over jet ski operators who “have been known to commit sexual assaults against tourists”. The last case before the courts that led to a conviction was in 2017, when a Canadian woman was sexually assaulted by a jet ski operator on Cabbage Beach. That’s two years without anyone else being found guilty before the courts, as opposed to the 35 claims of sexual assault reported on cruise ships between July and September, as we reported last week. Crimes against tourists remain – thankfully – low in number in comparison to other crime figures. When the advisory cites incidents that seem out of date, we wonder if the advisory itself is operating on the latest information – or is perhaps just partly recycling an old document. So pick up that phone, Mr D’Aguilar, and have your security minister colleague Marvin Dames do the same. Find out from the US Embassy how we can make sure they are working with the latest information. Be fully transparent with them in order to ensure accuracy and clarity. Oh, and that transparency? The Bahamian people would of course welcome the same.
Nothing to see here? We hope not, Mr Johnson IMMIGRATION Minister Elsworth Johnson is insistent that the government has done nothing wrong with regard to its handling of illegal migrants. We hope that is true. He also insists that the standard that is being held is the rule of law. Again, we hope that is true. For if proof were to emerge that the government’s handling of migrants was falling short, he might find his words come back to haunt him. And if the treatment by officers was to breach that rule of law, then we would equally hope the rule of law would apply to those officers who broke it. If there is one rule, after all, then it needs to be for all people. When Mr Johnson says nothing has been done wrong, does he also include the allegations of mistreatment that only last week National Security Minister Marvin Dames said would not be brushed aside? Mr Johnson himself said such allegations would be investigated – has he arrived at conclusions already if he can say that nothing has been done wrong? Does Mr Johnson include the allegations raised by the International Organisation for Migration, which said that of 150 deportees who were OPPOSITION leader Philip Davis’ claim that the government’s promised assistance for Hurricane Dorian’s most vulnerable victims is inadequate drew this response from moncurcool: “First of all the government should not be providing even one cent, as it is not the responsibility of the government to pay for individuals to repair their homes after a hurricane. Davis rather than continuing the foolish rhetoric that has gotten us into financial problems, needs to wake you and talk sense.” Deputy prime minister Peter Turnquest’s accusation that the opposition’s leader is “working his hardest” to attract the
interviewed, some complained of being abused, with the organisation’s Giuseppe Loprete telling of allegations of sexual assault reported to Haitian authorities and officials in The Bahamas. Some of those deported also told the IOM they were evacuees from Abaco following Hurricane Dorian – does that count as something wrong in Mr Johnson’s book? Last month, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights insisted there had been no individual assessments and due process guarantees for deported undocumented migrants – entitlements under international law. Does that also count as nothing wrong? We also hope that, in the process of preventing people from rebuilding shanty towns, none of those powers are being exceeded and people are not being stopped from accessing their land and property if they are not part of shanty towns. Because here’s the rub – what will Mr Johnson’s insistence be worth if it turns out that things are being done that are wrong? If evidence emerges of mistreatment, of officials overstepping the law, of inhumane treatment or cruelty, what then, Mr Johnson?
credit rating agencies’ attention, got this response from BahamaPundit. “The problem is the small size of our population: 400K compounded by existential threats of more hurricanes next year plus a low productivity workforce and extreme corruption in the granting of government contracts and the value for money paid. All of these add up to a terrible situation. A situation that any right thinking,
logical person would label a state of emergency. Not a dollar more should be borrowed!” Talking of possible tax rises, Well_mudda_take_sic has this to say: “The Minnis-led FNM government has proven that it only knows how to govern by increasing both our national debt and our taxes. Minnis and Turnquest have clearly demonstrated both their unwillingness and inability to cut costs to any great extent anywhere within our grossly overbloated, very costly and non-productive civil workforce. And the same applies for all of the bloated head counts at government owned enterprises.”
Gun toting men who terrified me EDITOR, The Tribune HAVING been a victim of violent crime myself I believe I can speak to what the victims of crimes go through. Several years ago I was held up by two gun toting very young men who relieved me of my money, watch and jewellery, gun butted me six stitches and told me to run. (They didn’t have to tell me twice.) While taking my report the policeman said to me “you were attacked by two criminals. ”Up until then because I never had the word criminal spoken to me in a sentence chills ran through my entire body. Thankfully I’ve never had that experience again but it’s something I will never forget. So I know the terror of having a gun shoved in your face. According to the Bible the first murder was committed when there were only four people on the earth and farming and hunting was all they knew. As the world turned crime became prevalent more people more things and an increase in crime. Back when Nassau was on the rise doors were never locked and were only closed to keep the rain and cold out, and being disobedient to your elders could get you into some serious trouble. Police constables jobs for the greater part was to walk through the neighborhood making sure everyone was behaving, your bicycle was licensed and had lights. Every now and then a fight would breakout or some petty, semi/serious crime was committed and the senior Officers would have to step in depending on the incident either book the perpetrator on the spot or tell him to meet them at
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the police station. And then the BOOM. We became prosperous. We started having more of everything more hotels, more casinos more this and more that. A change in lifestyle. Unfortunately with prosperity came a higher crime rate. Successive governments has witnessed crime grow from when there were hardly any murders to someone being killed every other day. When stealing apples from Mr Brice’s fruits stand was big news to several armed robberies every day. Shamefully housebreaking and attacks on vulnerable women has hit an all time low. There are Persons who don’t want to work that makes a living by breaking into other people’s homes and robbing defenceless women on the streets while terrorising their own neighborhoods. Stealing from people who are making sacrifices to provide for their families. A single mother of two after working two jobs returns to her home thats been broken into (security bars and all) ransacked with all of her property stolen everything gone they even thief the babies food and clothes. Sadly In fear of retaliation she remains silent. What is most disheartening is that there is a fence in the hood who buys everything. Mr big shot.” No shame you “Showing of wearing people clothes and jewellery watching people TV and getting fat on stolen children’s food. Cowardly
young men holding a gun to a petrified woman’s head drives off with her cash and car leaving her stranded on the streets. All of these things did not happen overnight. They slowly evolved to where we are today. Last year crime was down for the first time in years. Were we fooled by the lull and celebrated our short lived victory to soon while the criminals were playing possum waiting for us to let our guards down. Lesson learned never sleep on the criminals because they don’t. None of us have the answer to dealing with crime and I agree with Minister Dames the best defence to crime is vigilance at all times. Hopefully the Minister would retrace his steps backtrack to last year not miss a beat and just do what he did then. It worked. Only this time he shouldn’t take his foot of the pedal. Throughout it all I still believe you are doing the best you can. Post Dorian we are in for a long haul and while it is widely speculated that the recent spate of crimes are being committed by some of Dorian’s victims we should not be so quick to judge because the professional criminals were only waiting for an opportunity such as this. Last weekend we were quite impressed by what we saw on the streets. Officers out everywhere in full force but remember crooks don’t normally operate in high traffic areas or during the day. By the way Minister Wells the turn left on red deserves a thumbs up. God bless the Bahamas. ANTHONY PRATT Nassau November 25, 2019
Christmas bonus EDITOR, The Tribune A BANKER sends to P.O. to collect a FREE monthly educational magazine from STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Planners ) and the messenger is charged and receipted for the following: Customs Duty .05 cents! Based on what value and what duty rate? VAT .13 cents! Based on 12% of what value?
Delivery Fee 1.50! From where to where ? Since when was printed material dutiable? And at the .05 cents is what on what value? Is this a serious Post Office error or an enterprising Post Office employee making some Christmas money? JUST ASKING Nassau November 22, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, PAGE 5
Johnson: Our hands are clean on illegal migrants from page one
MARIKO Kagoshima with Hubert Minnis
refugees. The Bahamas has obligations both nationally and internationally to (protect) its borders,” he said. “While doing so in terms of immigration, we must ensure that the dignity of persons is protected and there is a reason why we always quote the rule of law. Over history it is proven to ensure a result of the right thing and so to the extent that we are public officers have a duty to perform.” Mr Johnson added: “We are to perform them fairly, reasonably and in a just manner. Every immigration officer understands that. What we would say is that as we were saying over and over again. Let me reiterate this, the prime minister said just after Dorian that everybody would be entitled that is race, origin, sex, political opinion or status to receive social assistance. That has happened, what we invite is not just conjecture, assertions but facts.” The minister noted a number of false complaints have been made in the past about the country’s treatment of migrants. He said: “We have a police force who has proven themselves, we have a court Supreme Court and the Magistrate’s Court who has proven themselves, we have a director extremely competent who has proven themselves and we are prepared to accept any complaints. “There are a number of frivolous, false and unfounded complaints being made. Whether they be Bahamians burning persons, a picture of a man holding a revolver with an attack dog, any number of pictures that were reported and not captured in The Bahamas. When I asked one of the persons who were responsible for it, why did they do it, they said ‘it’s for sensationalism’ but it’s pure lies.” Still he said the government will investigate credible allegations. “We have a government to run and anybody anywhere within in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas or outside of the
MINNIS TALKED TO UN ABOUT AID FOR HAITIANS
THE AFTERMATH of Hurricane Dorian
Commonwealth of The Bahamas that determines something is happening in this democratic and sovereign state is not keeping the rule of law or international best practices we would like to hear them.” Mr Johnson added: “But, at the same time we are hoping that both local organisations including the media would publicise those things that are dead wrong. It’s dishonest and not right and that they would join in the public education.”
Mr Johnson said apart from enforcing immigration laws, immigration officials’ job is to protect Bahamian borders. “A part of our responsibility enforcing the immigration laws is to ensure that the (human traffickers), money launderers, gun traffickers, persons involved in terrorism activities. . .are not coming across the borders. This is not just about economic migrants. We feel sorry about the circumstances that exist in Haiti, but we have to protect our
sovereign country and we will continue to do that in the best interest in The Bahamas,” he noted. The Nassau Guardian reported George Abu Al Zulof, senior human rights advisor based in Jamaica, was recently invited to The Bahamas by the government to discuss human rights matters related to deportations, repatriations, and other related issues. Editorial View - Page 4
DURING a meeting with United Nations Resident Coordinator Mariko Kagoshima about relief and reconstruction efforts on Grand Bahama and Abaco, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis welcomed an offer of assistance by the UN for Haitian residents affected by Hurricane Dorian. According to a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Minnis and Ms Kagoshima discussed what role the UN can play to help Haitian residents displaced by the hurricane and relief initiatives being spearheaded by UN agencies, including: UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), PAHO (PanAmerican Health Organisation), WFP (World Food Programme) and the IOM (International Organisation for Migration). During the meeting on Monday, Dr Minnis emphasised that undocumented residents will be treated humanely. He noted that all residents affected by Hurricane Dorian were provided with shelter, food and other social assistance regardless of immigration status following the storm, and repatriations were suspended for a period of time. Those repatriations resumed a few weeks after the monster storm tore through Abaco and Grand Bahama. According to the press release, Dr Minnis reiterated that anyone living in The Bahamas without legal status will be repatriated, according to the country’s laws. “As has always been the case, Haitian residents who qualify will be provided with the opportunity to be regularised as laid out in the Constitution, said Prime Minister Minnis. Ms Kagoshima praised The Bahamas government’s response to Hurricane Dorian, and thanked the government for working with the UN,” the press release noted. Last week it was reported that a UN official recently visited the country to verify “worrying” claims of abuse against Haitian migrants.
STORM VICTIMS UNSURE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SHELTERS SHUT By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
WITH all shelters in New Providence expected to be deactivated by the end of the year, some storm victims are expressing uncertainty about where they will go next. Stacy Roberts, from Dundas Town, Abaco, said after living at Kendal GL Isaacs Gym for some two months, she is ready to return home. But as a result of Hurricane Dorian, Ms Roberts said she has no home to go back to in Abaco. When asked where she will go once the shelters are closed, she said the future is uncertain for her. “I don’t have nowhere to go. Once I have my water and power, I could go back (to) Abaco, but right now I don’t have any place to stay in Abaco. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to stay in Nassau
because Nassau just ain’t my speed,” she said. “Life is stressful here. I’m not used to being around too many people (in these shelters), I’m used to my privacy. I’m not used to children making noise around my head when I’m sleeping at night. They tiefin’ your stuff, they tiefiin’ your phone. I need to get adjusted. It’s just stressful staying here.” The gymnasium, among other sites, has been housing storm victims since Hurricane Dorian displaced thousands of residents from Abaco and Grand Bahama in early September, however the facilities have since dwindled to just two sites. On Sunday, the Department of Social Services reported there were 585 people still in shelters in New Providence with 457 in Kendal GL Isaacs Gym and 128 at Bahamas Academy.
However, Minister of Social Services Frankie Campbell confirmed to reporters on Monday that the government is hoping to have those shelters closed by the end of the year. “From day one, we wanted to deactivate shelters as soon as practicably possible…we see numbers in our shelters decreasing to the point where I think it is now less than 600,” he said. But, for many storm victims who plan to return to Abaco after the shelters are closed, there is still the uncertainty of finding work on the storm-damaged island. “Abaco only have job for man and not for woman and that’s not for every man too because some man don’t want to do dirty work,” said one male Abaco evacuee, who did not want to be identified. “Only dirty work there now. Only clean and clean
and not everyone want to do that. “And how I see people living in here (at the gym) nobody can’t live like that for next couple months. It too bad and people can’t sleep.” Sita Sillian, an Abaco evacuee, also expressed uncertainty when she spoke to this newspaper. She said: “What is the (government) going to do with us once we leave? If the government gone send us back to Abaco, I will go. I want to go home, but I don’t have no money to rent in Abaco and I can’t find no place to stay.” Added to these list of concerns is the fear facing those storm victims who are undocumented, living in the shelters. “Some inside (the shelters) have documents, but some do not have none. What happen to people who don’t have
no work permit, no document? It don’t make sense to take people just like that, who lost everyone and send them to Haiti,” said one shelter victim, who wanted to remain anonymous. As it relates to those shelter victims who are undocumented, Mr Campbell said his ministry will continue to meet the humanitarian needs of each storm-affected individual. “There is talk of what other ministries with other responsibilities have to do, but, of course, we will collaborate and cooperate but our focus from day one is to ensure that all humanitarian needs are met and extended to those who come to and, of course, are in our shelters… that is our focus as a ministry,” he said on Monday. However, other Minnis administration officials have said all undocumented
migrants will face the repercussions of the law, meaning arrest and deportation, if they are found whether they are storm victims or not. To help storm victims transition back home, Mr Campbell said the Ministry of Social Services will provide assistance with transportation and rent. However, it is unclear of how much money will be spent by the government to help victims as they return home. The government previously announced plans for a $6m family relief centre on Abaco. The first shipment of domes that will make up the family relief centre recently arrived on that island, according to reports. The domes are capable of withstanding 180mph to 200mph winds. The area will accommodate 250 domes and about 1,000 people.
PAGE 6, Wednesday, November 27, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
SANDS DEFENDS $4M INCREASE IN TRAVEL BUDGET By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands yesterday defended the government’s decision to increase its travel budget by $4 million in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, amid criticisms from the opposition party that cited the move as a wrong decision and a badly timed one. “And now the discussion
starts...about how can we spend $10 for this and $5 for that. I think this is the beauty of democracy that you are able to have an impassioned discussion about facts,” he told reporters outside of Cabinet yesterday. “The facts are there and we want to stand on our record…we have been as open and as transparent as possible and people will dissect information, which is now available.” He was responding to
Progressive Liberal Party leader Phillip “Brave” Davis’ comments to The Nassau Guardian on Monday in reference to the government’s decision to increase its budget for travel. Mr Davis told The Nassau Guardian that the government made a wrong decision to increase its travel budget, adding that the $4 million increase was not necessary. The increased costs were outlined in the government’s Fiscal Strategy Report
which was tabled in Parliament last week. But, as a result of Hurricane Dorian, Dr Sands said money had to be spent on travel expenses to assist with the recovery and relief efforts on the stormimpacted islands. “We evacuated some 200 persons with medical conditions and most of that was provided by the US Coast Guard, but some of it was provided by other carriers and we had to pay for it in order to get food, supplies
and medication and staff, that had to be paid for in many instances. A lot of it donated, but some of it paid for,” the health minister said. According to The Nassau Guardian, Mr Davis also expressed shock with the helicopter costs in the wake of Dorian, which was revealed to be $110,000 a day. To this, Dr Sands said: “If you look at Odyssey (airport) immediately after Dorian, the
helicopters were like mosquitoes. There were helicopters going back and forth to Abaco and Grand Bahama, delivering supplies, delivering personnel, allowing us to assess what was happening on the ground. “And even with an historic number of flights going into Marsh Harbour and Grand Bahama during that time period, people still say it wasn’t enough. Those aircraft, while some of those flights were donated
possible. While he welcomed the prime minister’s recently announced stance on the issue, Mr Cooper said Dr Minnis was “late again” as other public figures have previously expressed progressive views on the matter and called for reform. “In March 2018, in the House of Assembly, I called for the legalisation of medicinal marijuana,” Mr Cooper said in a statement. “In May, I publicly called in the House of Assembly for the legalisation of medical marijuana and the decriminalisation of small amounts of marijuana, as well as the expungement of criminal records for simple possession. Many of my FNM counterparts laughed. At the Progressive Liberal Party’s convention in June of this year, I urged us to leap forward as a nation on this issue. “Our party leader has also expressed his support for this position. While many Bahamians suffered, and continue to so do, under a condemnable policy and statute approach, the government dithers awaiting a delayed report from
the Marijuana Commission. The same commission the prime minister says he does not expect to report anything significantly different from the CARICOM Commission on Marijuana. That commission has come to the same conclusion as I have, and now the prime minister. Marijuana should be treated as a controlled substance and not a dangerous drug. The Free National Movement has sat on its hands while the Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee, the law governing such being created, passed and gazetted by the Progressive Liberal Party, remained constituted. The prime minister must do more than talk. It is his duty to act on his convictions and lead. The prime minister should have already directed his attorney general to draft the necessary legal reforms. “And they should be brought to Parliament. I am ready to debate this issue in the House of Assembly at any time. We need to move on from this punitive practice of denying those in need of medical treatment.
We must end this persecution of those who are only interested in using marijuana for recreational and religious practices,” Mr Cooper added. Despite his support for relaxed laws surrounded marijuana, Mr Cooper said there should be guidelines, such as ticketing for public use of marijuana and laws to ensure it is not used by those underage or operating a vehicle or heavy equipment. On Sunday, Dr Minnis said he supports expunging criminal records of people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana. A week earlier, Dr Minnis became the first sitting prime minister to publicly support some form of marijuana decriminalisation, saying that in addition to decriminalising possession of small amounts of the substance, he wants it legalised for medicinal and/ or scientific purposes. The Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana is expected to submit its report on the issue to the government early next year.
from page one
sweet, savoury, fatty, juicy food. We like to drink liquor. We like to smoke. We like plenty things which we know ain’t good for us.” Initially, government considered a sugary drinks tax, but this was trumped by a ban that had been planned for October 1. However, due to Hurricane Dorian’s devastation, the Ministry of Health made a decision to delay the restriction. With one in seven of the population suffering from diabetes among other noncommunicable diseases, Dr Sands suggested the ban should have come much sooner as tell-tale signs of an unhealthy nation are everywhere. Last year, Dr Sands said he had “not wavered” at the time on his recommendation for a consumption tax to be imposed on the fast-food industry, but such a policy move is “not imminent”. In June 2018, Dr Duane Sands told The Tribune:
“No, that’s not something that’s imminent. Certainly, the whole policy approach has to be developed. I’m for it, but in the conversation of value added tax (VAT) and so forth, any tax no matter how well intended or beneficial is going to get the cut eye. “We are going to have to be very circumspect on what we do and how we do it. I have not wavered on my position however.” Bahamian fast food franchise operators, when the idea was mulled back in April 2018, slammed the idea of such a tax as an “unnecessary financial burden” on Bahamian families that will do nothing to curb the obesity crisis. Terry Tsavoussis, vice-president of Aetos Holdings, which operates the Wendy’s, Marco’s Pizza and Popeyes franchises, told Tribune Business that the sector - and business in general - was “taxed enough already”.
‘We’ll wait to see Marijuana Commission report first before we act’ By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands has dismissed a call from Progressive Liberal Party deputy leader Chester Cooper to act swiftly to decriminalise marijuana. Speaking to reporters at Cabinet yesterday, Dr Sands said the administration is taking a data driven approach and he questioned why the Opposition party sees the issue as such
an emergency. “You know when I lick my finger and hold it up in the wind because the wind is blowing and that’s how policy is created, I guess by the Opposition. We have taken a task of looking at the data to determine what is appropriate and fit for The Bahamas,” he said. “I believe that the Marijuana Commission has done an excellent bit of work. They are almost done with their preliminary report. Let them report and then we’ll action it. Why
is this such an emergency now? Whether it should be done today or tomorrow - I didn’t hear the deputy leader of the opposition speaking about this three years ago.” On Monday, Mr Cooper released a statement saying Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis should do more than just talk about marijuana decriminalisation, adding the Minnis administration should be drafting the necessary law changes for debate in Parliament as soon as
HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands
MINISTER URGES PEOPLE TO ADOPT HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES the Bahamian public to pay very close attention to what they are consuming. We have an unacceptable rate of non-communicable diseases. “We have hundreds of people with diabetes and hypertension and heart attacks. We cannot afford business as usual. You are what you eat or what you drink and to consume a whole lot of empty calories from childhood to adulthood is not a good idea.” The current fiscal year ends June 30. Last month, Dr Sands announced a sugary drink ban at government healthcare facilities and public schools will come into effect on December 1. “People are killing themselves,” Dr Sands said bluntly of the rationale behind the ban. “We like to juice with nothing on. We like to eat
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, PAGE 7
ANOTHER TRAVEL ALERT ISSUED BY US AHEAD OF HOLIDAY SEASON
from page one
MARQUIN Williams outside court yesterday
Man, 20, faces murder charge By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net
FOUR men appeared in Magistrate’s Court yesterday to face separate murder and attempted murder charges. In the first arraignment, Marquin Williams, 20, of Willow Tree Avenue, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt accused of intentionally causing the death of Travis Knowles on Tuesday, November 19. According to initial reports from police, shortly after 11pm on the day in
question, two men were at Ash Lane, Pinewood Gardens in the vicinity of Mt Tabor Church when they were approached by a man they knew, who shot them and fled the area. Both men were taken to hospital, where one of them later died from his injuries. Williams was told yesterday that he would not be required to enter a plea to the charge and was remanded to the Department of Correctional Services until January 21, 2020. In the second arraignment, Travon Lockhart, 23, Malik Rolle, 22,
and Ashton Robeldo, 22, all of Yellow Elder, also stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt accused of attempting to cause the death of Kelvin Clarke and Andronic Cash on Sunday, November 17. The three men were also charged with four counts of possessing of a firearm with intent to endanger life. It is alleged that while concerned together, the group possessed a silver .45 Colt Defender pistol and a black AK-47. The three men were not allowed to enter a plea to the charges and the case
FOOD STORES WILL BE LIABLE IF THEY FAIL TO REMOVE RECALLED PRODUCTS By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net FOOD stores that do not remove recalled products will be liable if consumers fall ill, according to The Bahamas Agricultural Food and Safety Authority chairman. Consumers were warned about two US recalls from lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley region in California and over 75,000 pounds of salad products that are contaminated with E. coli. Chairman of The Bahamas Agricultural Food and Safety Authority, Mark Humes, told The Tribune that while recalls are voluntary, food stores were alerted of the recall and if they decide not to remove the contaminated items, they will be held accountable to consumers. “If you have those products do not take any chance with it until we have a clear on those items. We want food stores to err on the side of caution, remove the items and discontinue selling them to the public in order to protect the
MARK HUMES Bahamian consumer. Food stores will have to assume liability if the consumers consume those products and get sick as a result,” said Mr Humes. Lettuce from the Salinas Valley region are carried in several major food store chains in the country; one of the major brands from that region is Andy Boy romaine lettuce. Meanwhile, consumers can be vigilant when they shop at the grocery store or check items in the refrigerator by perusing labels. The public is advised to dispose of any of the recalled products
they may have purchased, which include lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley region in California and Missa Bay salad products. The public health alert came after 40 persons fell sick and 28 hospitalised due to the E. coli breakout in the United States. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration advised that all lettuces (hearts, heads or pre-cut packaged) and salad mixes (baby romaine, spring mix and Caesar) from the Salinas Valley region should be thrown out and not eaten. Currently, the Ministry of Health has no reports of illnesses from the recalled products. E. coli symptoms appear with vomiting, stomach cramping and diarrhoea, usually after three to four days of eating the contaminated food. BAHFSA is advising members of the public who believe they may have consumed any of the recalled products are asked to visit the nearest clinic. A list of the recalled products can be found at https://www.fsis. usda.gov
was adjourned to January 21, 2020. Bail was denied and they were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim.
yesterday on the heels of the upcoming American Thanksgiving holiday weekend, urging its citizens to exercise increased caution. The warning is similar to an alert the US State Department issued in February. “Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assault, occurs even during the day and in tourist areas. Although the Family Islands are not crime-free, the vast majority of crime occurs on New Providence and Grand Bahama islands,” the statement read. The alert gave several warnings to tourists, including noting that burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assault can happen during the day in tourist areas. American visitors were also cautioned of getting involved in recreational water sports, with the State Department stating that water craft like Jet Skis are not regulated and such operators are known to commit sexual assaults against tourists. In 2017, a Canadian woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Jet Ski operator on Cabbage Beach and earlier this year, a 20-year-old died in a Jet Ski accident on Grand Bahama. Minister of National Security Marvin Dames recently told reporters that the police force will increase manpower on the streets for the holiday season in hopes of cracking down on crime, including armed robberies – which have been occurring on a
near daily basis in recent months. “They have now implemented their holiday strategy and that’s super imposed on the ongoing strategy that they currently have to…protect our business people and residents,” he said. “I can assure members of the general public that the police are out there and in large numbers and they will continue to do what they have to do to ensure that the good people of this nation are safe...the police have assured me that they’re in holiday strategy mode...and to those that are hell bent on misbehaving, it’s just a matter of time before we get you off the streets and I make no apologies for that....” The US State Department also repeated previous warnings for Americans to not go into the “Over-theHill” areas and Fish Fry at Arawak Cay. During a previous interview, Mr Dames said every country has crime issues. “There is no country in the world that can boast of having a zero crime rate. Like everywhere else, you have to be smart and take necessary precautions to keep you and your family safe,” he said. Local stakeholders in the tourism industry are gearing up for the busy Thanksgiving weekend and upcoming holiday season. In particular, Lynden Pindling International Airport is expecting some 90,000 travellers to move through the airport hub between today and Monday, December 2. Editorial View - Page 4
ROSETTA STREET ONLY
PRE-THANKSGIVING AND BLACK FRIDAY
SALE 4 DAYS ONLY
Wednesday Nov 27th - Saturday, Nov 30th
50% OFF PLUS
STOREWIDE
EXTRA SPECIAL RACKS LOCATION: PARKING LOT, ROSETTA STREET ONLY SORRY NO CHEQUES, CREDIT CARDS OR CREDIT SLIPS ACCEPTED FOR THIS SALE. NO RETURNS OR REFUNDS, ALL SALES FINAL
CASH SALES ONLY “PRICES ARE BORN AT
AND RAISED ELSEWHERE”
ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ARE ACCEPTED
ROSETTA STREET ONLY
PAGE 8, Wednesday, November 27, 2019
M
ONDAY marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence and was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. We all know the numbers. One in three women experiences violence in her lifetime. Though they may not have shared their stories with us, we all know people who have been affected by gender-based violence, having experienced it themselves or witnessed it. The 16-day campaign encourages us to share stories, learn safe and effective ways to intervene and engage in conversations about the high rates of gender-based violence and build solutions to this pervasive issue. It also provides the opportunity to identify laws and policies that need to be changed and to call on institutions and people in positions of power to acknowledge that gender-based violence is a pervasive issue. We must use the global momentum to encourage them to engage constituents in programmes and initiatives that help them to end gender-based violence by being able to recognise it, resist complicity as a perpetrator or bystander, report incidents and participate in the development and implementation of prevention strategies. Thousands of people have been displaced by Hurricane Dorian, many of whom remain in temporary housing including shelters and homes of friends or family members. Women and girls become more vulnerable under these circumstances. It is not enough to assess the safety of people temporarily housed by the government, nongovernmental organisations and private citizens, but necessary to apply a gender lens with the understanding that women and girls have completely different experiences than men and boys in the same circumstances. When people are
THE TRIBUNE
When women at risk become even more vulnerable The
Alicia Wallace column displaced and families are separated, there is often less protection for the most vulnerable people. Given this, responses to crisis, including devastation caused by natural disasters such as hurricanes, must include mitigation for gender-based violence and provision of support services. It is difficult to comprehensively address issues of genderbased violence in situations like the one we find ourselves in today for various reasons. There are no policies or guidelines for the government, international and local non-governmental organisations on the ground, or private sector actors to follow. Funding is generally directed to tangible, quantifiable areas that can be widely reported as positive outcomes such as meals, repair of infrastructure and cash disbursement. During these 16 Days it is important for us, as a country, to consider the relationship between disaster recovery and gender. We need to understand gender is not separate from any issue. Health care, political participation, (un)employment and immigration are
just a few examples of areas and issues clearly impacted by gender. It is critical we gain an understanding of the ways Hurricane Dorian has impacted the country, women and girls, LGBT+ people, migrant people, differently-abled people and people experiencing poverty. The most vulnerable people become even more vulnerable when faced with loss of life, possessions, income, stability and safety. Data collection and sharing have not been strong suits for us and this must change. We need to know who has been affected and how in order to build effective strategies for recovery and to prepare for and recover from further climate events which are inevitable. We need to know what data is being collected, how and by whom and if it has not yet been done let the 16 Days campaign be a starting point. We need to end gender-based violence and we need to respond to the needs of people affected by the hurricane. To do this effectively, we need information. We need to know, and to know, we must ask.
On a mission to catch up with friends
SHOP LOCAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS! S H O P , D I N E , S I P A N D S T A Y. . .
Tel: 322-3170 Mon-Thurs 9 am - 5 pm Fri & Sat 9 am - 6 pm
Tel: 326-0134 Mon-Fri 6 am - 6:30 pm Sat 7 am - 6 pm Sun 7:30 am - 1:30 pm
Tel: 326-7863 Mon-Sat 8 am - 6 pm
Tel: 601-5204 Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm Sat 9 am - 4 pm
Tel: 302-3800 Mon-Thurs 8 am - 4 pm Fri 9 am - 4:30 pm Sat 11 am - 3 pm
Tel: 326-6605 Mon-Sat 7 am - 7 pm
Tel: 393-6020 Mon-Sat 10 am - 6:30 pm
Tel: 325-5827 Mon-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Tel: 322-1380 Mon-Sat 10 am - 6:30 pm
Tel: 322-7483 Mon-Sat 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Tel: 396-7023 Mon-Sat 8 am - 6 pm
Tel: 323-2240 Mon-Sat 10 am - 6:30 pm
MADEIRA STREET Visit our website at
palmdaleshoppingplaza.com
PRIME Minister’s wife Patricia Minnis speaking at the official launch of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls at Rawson Square earlier this week. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
FB.COM/PALMDALEPLAZA
AS time goes on, friendship becomes more complex and understanding of its value increases. The term “friend” has become easy to use, often without much meaning. It is used to describe people we have known for a long time, people whose company we happen to be in on a regular basis, people we used to know, people we like, people we engage on social media and people who render services to us. The person two desks away at work, the massage therapist, the person we see at the bar on Friday nights, the person next to us at Bible study and the person we have not seen since high school, but likes our Facebook pictures are all given the same title. They are “friends”. I have, for a long time, been intentional in my use of the word “friend”. While a bit more cumbersome, I have taken to using terms like “someone I know from” to describe people who are not actually friends of mine. I also use regularly use “acquaintance” as a descriptor for some people. I know them, but we would not be invited to or attend each other’s weddings. We are aware of each other’s existence, but we do not know home addresses, dietary restrictions, or default fast food orders. We have a loose connection. There are many different kinds of friendships, some of them are unrecognisable to many of us. I have a few friendships other people do not understand. One friendship, in particular is, often mistaken for a romantic relationship. It is not because of any physical acts, but a perception of
intimacy and understanding between us. This friend could assess my energy level from the way I sit, know from a quick look across the room that I am ready to go home, and tell the difference between a silence that means something is wrong and a silence that means I just need to relax. I can tell if this friend is hungry by facial expression alone, know their mood by the activities they choose to undertake, and get a good idea of how their day was by what they have for dinner. We know when the other needs alone time, could use a good joke, or needs quiet company. We can be in the same room doing different things without feeling neglected or like we are neglecting each other. Most people have a friendship or two like this, but not very many. Most friendships are more casual. The intimate friendships, however, take more time and effort and they are generally more rewarding, even if they confuse other people. While I was travelling, it was difficult to keep in touch with friends in the Americas and the Caribbean because of the time difference. I had one or two check-ins with the people I speak to most often, but toward the end of my time away, several friends sent messages or called to make sure I was doing well and say they were looking forward to my return, all on the same day. It was the day after a particularly long and exhausting session, and receiving those messages and phone calls gave me a boost I did not even realise I needed. They let me know people were thinking about
me, care about me, noticed my absence and made the decision to reach out and make sure I knew I was on their minds. I am used to and appreciate the messages from my parents and people I see and speak to on a daily basis. The unexpected friendly check-ins brought a different kind of joy and the opportunity to actually say how things were going – the good and the not-so-good – and move on with the day feeling a bit lighter. While we all love and appreciate our friends, we do not always think about the value of friendships and the need to nurture them. We are busy with our daily lives and, unless we choose to set time aside, are not able to put much work into relationships with people who do not live with us. One of the commitments I have recently made to myself is to nurture my friendships. There is a difference between running into a friend or seeing them at a special event and intentionally reaching out to them to have a quick chat, meet up, or schedule a long catch-up. The smallest effort can make someone’s day and sometimes we forget how good – and often healing – it can be to connect and reconnect. Some of our friends may be waiting for the opportunity to share something, to ask for help, or receive love in action. Schedules may be relentless, but technology has given us many ways to do it easily. I am on a mission to catch up with one friend every day for the rest of the year and I am looking forward to listening, sharing and deepening connections.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, PAGE 9
GROCERY-CARRYING
ROBOTS ARE COMING
TECHTALK
PIAGGIO Fast Forward CEO Greg Lynn, centre, is followed by his company’s Gita carrier robot as he crosses a street in Boston. The two-wheeled machine is carrying a backpack and uses cameras and sensors to track its owner. (AP)
STAINLESS STEEL, BROKEN GLASS AND BUZZ, TESLA MAKES A PICKUP
By RACHEL LERMAN and CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Writers
DO WE NEED THEM? By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — The first cargo-carrying robot marketed directly to consumers is on sale this holiday season. But how many people are ready to ditch their second car to buy a two-wheeled rover that can follow them around like a dog? Corporate giants like Amazon, FedEx and Ford have already been experimenting with sending delivery robots to doorsteps. Now Piaggio, the Italian company that makes the Vespa scooter, is offering a stylish alternative to those blandly utilitarian machines — albeit one that weighs 50 pounds (23 kilogrammes) and costs $3,250. It’s named the Gita (JEE’tah) after the Italian word for a short, pleasurable excursion — the kind you might take to pick up some lacinato kale and gourmet cheese at the farmers market. Its creators have such trips in mind for the “hands-free carrier” that can hold produce and other objects as it follows its owner down a sidewalk. “We’re trying to get you out into the world and connected to that
neighbourhood you decided to move to because it was so walkable,” said Greg Lynn, CEO of Piaggio’s techfocused subsidiary, Piaggio Fast Forward. Tech industry analysts are already declaring the Gita as doomed to fail unless it finds a more practical application, such as lugging tools around warehouses, hospitals or factory floors.
“That’s a lot of money for what is in effect just a cargocarrying robot that’s going to carry your groceries,” said Forrester technology analyst J.P. Gownder. On a recent November morning, Lynn was hunched over in a Boston waterfront park, pushing a button that triggered a Gita to “see” him with its cameras and sensors. Then came a musical whirring sound as the device — a squarish, bright red bucket
with two oversized wheels — rose up and signaled it was ready for a neighbourhood stroll. A young boy in a stroller pointed excitedly. Another pedestrian asked to try it, and playfully shouted “ah!” as it swerved around, keeping in pursuit as she switched directions. The Gita doesn’t require a phone or intrusive peopletracking technology such as facial recognition or GPS. “It basically just locks onto you and tracks you,” said Piaggio Fast Forward’s other co-founder, Jeffrey Schnapp. Other startups like Starship Technologies have a more conventional business plan for their own delivery robots. The company charges a delivery fee starting at $1.99 if you order its rovers to bring you a Starbucks coffee or a lunch from Panda Express. So far, the best habitat to find Starship’s six-wheelers are relatively confined spaces such as college campuses; the University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin-Madison rolled them out this fall. The
robots, which look like oversized ice chests on wheels, can carry up to 20 pounds (9 kilogrammes). “I love them. I think they’re so cute!” University of Houston freshman Sadie Garcia said as one of the machines rolled up with a bagel sandwich she’d ordered. She said she was so cold she didn’t want to leave her dorm. Starship co-founder Ahti Heinla said his San Francisco startup once looked at selling the machines directly to consumers, but dropped the idea after realising it would have to price them at more than $3,000. Amazon is experimenting with a similar-looking machine that delivers retail goods in a handful of U.S. neighbourhoods. FedEx is testing its own delivery rover in partnership with Pizza Hut, Walmart, Target and Walgreens. Ford has showed off a gangly twolegged robot to carry items to homes. So far, none are as far along as Starship, which has hundreds of its machines already in service. While Forrester’s Gownder isn’t impressed
with the Gita, he’s bullish about delivery robots of the Starship variety because their autonomy will help save labour costs. Gownder said it’s more of a question of whether ground-based rovers or aerial delivery drones will prove more successful. The wheeled cargo robots that have already made it out into the wild have significant limitations. Starship’s machines still require plenty of manual supervision to load them with food orders. They rely on remote pilots to troubleshoot navigation problems. Customers also have to check a phone app to tell the vehicle where to go and to unlock the bin once it arrives. The Gita, meanwhile, might still be impractical for many people. It favours paved environments that are dense enough to have stores in walking distance, but not so dense that the machines get lost in the crowd. And anyone who is simply looking to pull home groceries without heavy lifting can find durable wagons online for less than $100.
IN A FIRST, IBM’S COMPUTER DEBATER FACES OFF AGAINST ITSELF
By JAMES BROOKS Associated Press
CAMBRIDGE, England (AP) — The chamber hushed as the debate got underway at the Cambridge Union and the teams launched into their carefully crafted opening statements. The topic - whether artificial intelligence would do more harm than good - was something each side had a big stake in because both were using the technology to deliver their arguments. Cambridge University, home to the world’s oldest debating society, was the setting last week for a demonstration of what the future might hold. IBM’s Project Debater, a robot that has already debated humans, was for the first time being pitted against itself, at least in the first round. Artificial intelligence “will not be able to make a decision that is the morally correct one, because morality is unique to humans,” the computer system said in a synthetic and vaguely feminine voice. “It cannot make moral decisions easily and can lead to disasters. AI can cause a lot of harm,” it continued. Artificial intelligence can only make decisions it has been programmed for and “it is not possible to program
IBM’S artificial intelligence debating robot faced off against itself at Cambridge University, in a demonstration of what the future might hold. Project Debater, a robot that has already debated humans, was for the first time pitted against itself, at least in the first round of arguments at the Cambridge Union, the world’s oldest debating society. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
for all scenarios, only humans can.” Then, the machine switched sides, delivering the opposing team’s argument. Artificial intelligence “will be a great advantage as it will free up more time from having to do mundane and repetitive tasks,” it said, its voice embodied by a blue waveform on a screen set into a two-metre-tall sleek black monolith-like pillar. Audience members at the society, which has hosted notable figures including British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates over its 200year history, were spellbound by its first non-human guest. After first pitting the technology against a human last year, IBM challenged it to present opposing arguments, in a display of its latest advances. Unlike its earlier debate, which relied on analysing a huge trove of newspaper and magazine articles for its replies, researchers this time crowd-sourced contributions from 1,100 Cambridge
students and fed the answers to the computer. They wanted to find out, “Can you use the technology to generate a compelling narrative that will help the decision maker to take a better decision?” said lead scientist Noam Slonim. The system had to identify which side the crowd-sourced contribution was on, rank the best arguments, filter out spelling mistakes and bad grammar, then present a persuasive five-minute statement — a process IBM said took about a minute. Potential applications for the technology include helping a company or government carry out surveys or gather feedback from clients. The night wasn’t totally devoid of humanity. Project Debater quipped, “Let’s move to an issue close to my artificial heart: technology,” drawing laughter from the crowd. And then human debaters took over in the rebuttal and closing rounds, while also jokingly dubbing the computer “Debbie” and “Cybertronia the All-Knowing.” At the end of the night, audience members sided with the argument that artificial intelligence does more good than harm. Its future is assured, at least for now.
THE much-hyped unveiling of Tesla’s electric pickup truck went off script last Thursday when supposedly unbreakable window glass splintered twice when hit with a large metal ball. The failed stunt, which ranks high on the list of embarrassing auto industry rollouts, came just after CEO Elon Musk bragged about the strength of “Tesla Armor Glass” on the wedge-shaped “Cybertruck.” On a Los Angeles-area stage with Musk, Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen hurled a softball-sized metal ball at the driver’s side window to demonstrate the strength of the glass, which Musk called “Transparent Metal Glass.” It shattered. “Oh my ... God,” Musk said, uttering an expletive. “Maybe that was a little too hard.” They tried it a second time on the left passenger window, which spider-cracked again. Musk recovered with a one-liner: “At least it didn’t go through. That’s a plus side.” The failure overshadowed the truck’s slick unveiling, with some analysts panning its looks. The truck, a stainless-steel covered triangle, resembles the much derided Pontiac Aztek SUV sold by General Motors in the early 2000s. Investors apparently didn’t like the stunts or the truck’s futuristic design, which is aimed at getting a foothold in the most profitable part of the U.S. auto market. Tesla shares fell more than 6% Friday. “Tesla’s Cybertruck reveal will likely disappoint current pickup truck owners, and we see the vehicle remaining a niche and not a mainstream product,” Cowen Investment Research analyst Jeffrey Osborne wrote in a note to investors. “While we are pleased to see Tesla enter the most profitable segment of the North American passenger car market, we do not see this vehicle in its current form being a success.” Over the years, such stunts have been common at highly rehearsed auto industry unveils. In a tweet Friday, Musk indicated Tesla had rehearsed its stunt as well, saying the same ball was thrown at the same window of the truck before the event and it “didn’t even scratch the glass.” But like Tesla, others have seen some embarrassing mishaps. At Detroit’s auto show earlier this year, an Infiniti concept electric SUV missed its introduction when it wouldn’t start and the company couldn’t move it onto the stage.
PAGE 10, Wednesday, November 27, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
CUBA ACCUSES US OF VIOLATING THE VIENNA CONVENTION
CONGO CITY LOCKDOWN OVER EBOLA BENI, Congo Associated Press EBOLA responders are on lockdown in the eastern Congo city of Beni after a residents attacked a United Nations base to protest repeated rebel assaults, the World Health Organization said yesterday. At least four protesters were killed, a local official said. Every day that health workers don’t have full access to Ebola-affected areas is a “tragedy” that prolongs the secondworst Ebola outbreak in history, WHO directorgeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. No one in the city could be vaccinated against Ebola on Monday, WHO said. The UN health agency previously could trace more than 90% of contacts of infected people in Beni but now that figure is 17%.
HAVANA Associated Press
SMOKE from the United Nations compound rises in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo
Trio exonerated after 36 years in prison BALTIMORE Associated Press
THREE men incarcerated for 36 years in Maryland have been exonerated in the slaying of a Baltimore teenager after a review of their case. Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart were released from custody hours after a judge cleared their convictions and prosecutors dropped the charges. They were teenagers when they were sentenced to life in prison in 1984. “On behalf of the criminal justice system, and I’m sure this means very little to you gentlemen, I’m going to apologize,” Circuit Court Judge Charles Peters told the men. Chestnut, Watkins and Stewart were arrested on November 1983 for the slaying of 14-year-old
AFTER their release: l-r, Andrew Stewart, Alfred Chestnut and Ransom Watkins DeWitt Duckett. The teenager was accosted over his Georgetown jacket and shot in the neck while walking to class at a Baltimore school. The case was reopened after Chestnut sent a letter to the
Conviction Integrity Unit. The Washington Post reported Chestnut included exculpatory evidence he uncovered last year. Prosecutors now say police reports show multiple witnesses told police that
that suspect, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was the shooter. One student saw him flee the scene and dump a gun as police arrived at Harlem Park Junior High School, but authorities at the time focused their investigation on the trio. The new suspect was shot to death in 2002. An assistant prosecutor working on the case told the court in 1984 that the state did not have any reports that would have raised doubts about the defendants’ guilt even though police records had statements involving the 18-yearold and also showed trial witnesses had failed to identify the teenagers in photo lineups. A judge sealed those documents, but Chestnut obtained them through a public records request last year.
CUBA’S foreign minister yesterday accused the United States of violating the Vienna Convention and the deal re-establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Soon after, the United States announced a new sanction on Cuba meant to cut off the island’s supply of petroleum from Venezuela. In two tweets, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said unspecified “illegal actions” by the US Embassy in Havana violated both the international codes of conduct for diplomats and the agreement to reopen embassies in Washington and Havana in 2015. “Illegal actions by #US embassy in #Cuba are interference in the internal affairs of the country and are intended to attack our constitutional order,” Rodríguez tweeted. “They violate the Vienna Convention, the agreement for the re-establishment of relations and Cuban and US laws.” The US Treasury said it was designating the Cuban company Corporacion Panamericana SA as a violator of American sanctions on Venezuela. Such designations make it difficult for companies like Panamericana to do business even outside the United States due to third parties’ fears of repercussions for dealing with a sanctioned entity. The Treasury Department said that after the US sanctioned the state-owned oil importer Cubametales, Cuba moved employees and contracts over to Panamericana, which was not yet sanctioned. In one example that occurred over the summer, Cuba shifted its dealings with a North African oil provider from Cubametales to Corporacion Panamericana, the Treasury Department said.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump pardons Butter
TRUMP’S IMPEACHMENT JOKES AT TURKEY PARDON WASHINGTON Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump couldn’t resist riffing on the House impeachment inquiry yesterday as he continued the tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey, generating holiday-season laughter at the expense of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, one of his chief antagonists in Congress. Trump joked that the pair of North Carolinabred turkeys he was about to pardon had been raised to “remain calm under any condition,” a trait that he said will be “very important because they’ve already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Schiff’s basement on Thursday.” “It seems the Democrats are accusing me of being too soft on turkey,” Trump told guests seated in the White House Rose Garden, where he was flanked by his wife, first lady Melania
Trump. But he told the turkeys that, “unlike previous witnesses, you and I have actually met. It’s very unusual.” Trump’s Republican defenders in Congress had criticized Schiff for holding closed-depositions in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Center, which Democrats said was necessary for the investigation. Trump has criticized the impeachment inquiry as both a “scam” and a “hoax.” Trump also has claimed to barely know some of the witnesses - including Gordon Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union - who testified during public impeachment hearings chaired by Schiff, a California Democrat. Testimony from several officials showed that Sondland had been in frequent contact with Trump around the time Trump spoke with the president of Ukraine about doing a politically beneficial “favour.”
TOURISTS INJURED IN BUS CRASH SANTO DOMINGO, Associated Press
AUTHORITIES in the Dominican Republic say at least 20 tourists were injured, some severely, in a bus crash in the country’s eastern region. The accident occurred yesterday near the town of Higuey after the bus collided with a truck transporting food. Officials said the bus was on its way to the airport and most of the 41 people on board were Russian tourists.