Puerto Rico

Girls learn about ‘STEAM’ fields

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 17:30:01 +0000

Girls learn about ‘STEAM’ fields

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 17:30

Thursday, April 28, 2022

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Business - The BVI Beacon

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Girls learn about ‘STEAM’ fields

On Friday, Virgin Islands students helped clean up the oceans — virtually.

Onscreen, an entity powered by artificial intelligence combed through an ocean of colourful fish and other objects. However, it had to learn what was ocean debris and what was a fish. Each time the AI came across another object, its memory for recognising fish got better and better.

“Tyres do not belong in the water, but our fish do absolutely. And so does an octopus and an otter and a whale. But did you know that in oceans plastic debris can harm fish, seabirds, marine mammals? And one of the important portions of making sure that we are protecting the marine life is so that we can keep the oceans clean,” said instructor Danielle Colagio of Microsoft. “Now, same rules apply: The more that we provide, the more our AI learns.”

In the future, the girls who helped the AI learn to distinguish between fish and tyres could be building and programming such technologies for real.

That was the goal of the two-day seminar Journeys in STE(AM), held at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and sponsored by the St. Lucia-based Aspire Artemis Foundation, which featured hands-on workshops conducted by a group of Microsoft associates.

During the event, 125 VI girls ages 13 and up learned in-person about the so-called “STEAM” fields: science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Another 600 participated virtually, according to the foundation.

The activities encompassed AI, nanotechnology, coding, encryption and more, all capped off by a journey into virtual reality with a HoloLens — a device described by Microsoft as “ an untethered mixed reality headset” that uses apps to help solve problems.

Besides nearly a day of activities, the symposium featured more than a dozen in-person and virtual panels featuring local and international professionals sharing their experiences about working in the field and their thoughts on its future.

The host of the event, Dr. Eliut Flores-Caraballo, is the founder and CEO of Digital Koru, a Puerto Rico-based information technology company.

He said he sits on several corporate boards, and in recent meetings he has attended, members “were all very, very concerned with the incredible scarcity of prepared talent. So that is the bad news.”

The good news, he said, “is that there are so many jobs available and there are so many opportunities for you to create your own company. So this is a great time to be a young woman, because the world is open to recognising your talents and to [giving] you all the opportunities that you need and deserve to move forward.”

He added that many people don’t realise the importance of STEAM entrepreneurs for a tourism-based economy like the VI’s.

“How can we protect our natural resources so that they are not destroyed, that they’re sustainable for long-term enjoyment and economic development through tourism?” he asked.

Popular travel platforms like Kayak and AirBnB demonstrate the STEAM fields’ importance to the industry, he pointed out.

“So it is very important that tourism is aware and supporting the development of STEAM careers,” said Dr. Flores-Caraballo.

One of Thursday’s panellists, Kevin Smith, was the perfect example. A VI-born former physics teacher and current chief engineer at Guana Island, he said the desire to study science can come from unexpected directions.

“I watched a movie with Samuel L. Jackson, and he was playing the engineer in the movie and what he did was just beautiful, to be able to design various devices using chemistry. And that just sparked my interest from there,” he said.

However, beyond that spark, support from others is vital, he said.

“My mom never told me I can’t do anything. And she was always like, ‘This is what you want to do? Go for it,’” he said. “Just from a teacher’s perspective, but a lot of students don’t have this access or this. So they really don’t know.”

Jian Jeffers, a science teacher at Elmore Stoutt High School who works part-time at the college’s mangrove nursery, said that particularly for women and girls, success often depends on having the right kind of opportunities and seeing successful women already working in STEAM.

“I believe that even when there are opportunities, especially here in the BVI, that they aren’t necessarily advertised as much as they should be,” she said.

The founder of Aspire Artemis, Hermina Johnny, has strived to expose girls to STEAM fields. The St. Lucia native worked with the United Nations in several capacities, “specialising in gender, human rights, sustainable development, inter-agency coordination and internal communications,” according to her biography.

During the symposium, she said her family was filled with female pioneers, prompting her to want to pass those opportunities on to other young women.

“Recognising the value that education brings to the wider society, my maternal great-grandparents were also educators on both sides,” she said. “I had ancestors who served as politicians, businesspeople, landowners, interpreters and teachers. Education to them was of the utmost importance, and they instilled in their children the value of learning, growth and acquiring the best education possible.”

Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley, who is also education minister, pointed out that as a small island developing state, the VI “has always had to be innovative to survive,” but that the STEAM disciplines have become particularly important to the territory’s survival.

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Lost sailboat found near Culebra

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 03:50:01 +0000

Lost sailboat found near Culebra

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 03:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Local News - The BVI Beacon

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Lost sailboat found near Culebra

After working on his sailboat into the evening of June 2, Nick Buckell returned to the mooring field at St. Thomas Bay, Virgin Gorda, the following morning to find that the 30-foot mono-hull had disappeared.

He searched the harbour and other parts of the territory to no avail and filed a police report at the Virgin Gorda station, he told the Beacon.

On June 6, he received unwelcome news: The United States Coast Guard had located the boat floating unattended off the coast of Culebra, but if he wanted it back he would have to either retrieve it himself or pay a salvage company to get it for him — both expensive, undesirable options, he said.

After giving Mr. Buckell the coordinates where the boat was last spotted, a USCG officer told him on June 7, “‘Well, maybe you should just fill up a boat with petrol and go find it,’” said Mr. Buckell, a Virgin Gorda-based yacht manager who assists with vessels when they come to the territory for repairs. Although he was reluctant to rush to conclusions, Mr. Buckell said he was suspicious that his boat may have been stolen, considering how carefully he and his father had tied it to the mooring ball.

Some thieves, he added, try to disguise their stolen boats as “drift-aways” after using them.

‘No wind, no waves’

Further stoking Mr. Buckell’s suspicions, he said, is that few derelict boats make it past Virgin Gorda or Tortola without being sighted because the waters are so heavily travelled.

“There was no wind, no waves,” he said, adding, “That’s why everyone was telling me, ‘Hey, you got hit by the Puerto Rican boys looking for a freeride.”’

After speaking with the USCG officer, Mr. Buckell calculated that the cost of hiring a salvage company for the recovery job could nearly exceed the price he originally paid for the sailboat, he said.

For now, he added, he’s not sure how he will recover the $60,000 boat he purchased last November, and he is disappointed that he will likely have to forgo his plans of turning the vessel into a charter operation.

The boat, named Lady Blue, is painted blue with a gold-coloured mast, white sails and red sail covers, according to a witness statement Mr. Buckell sent the Beacon.

It was last spotted by the USCG north of Culebra at 18’34.45N, 065’22. 38W, and anyone with additional info can contact Mr. Buckell at 547-7244.

Police, USCG

On June 7, Police Information Officer Diane Drayton said police had received no recent reports of a missing boat, but she did not respond to follow-up questions on Tuesday.

A public affairs officer at the USCG in Puerto Rico did not immediately return requests for comment this week.

The post Lost sailboat found near Culebra first appeared on The BVI Beacon.

The post Lost sailboat found near Culebra appeared first on The BVI Beacon.

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College of Veterinarians: Rabies in the Dominican Republic resurfaces due to carelessness of authorities

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 21:40:01 +0000

College of Veterinarians: Rabies in the Dominican Republic resurfaces due to carelessness of authorities

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 21:40

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

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Local – Dominican Today

Original Article

College of Veterinarians: Rabies in the Dominican Republic resurfaces due to ca…

It has been the neglect of the Dominican authorities the re-emergence of rabies, says Felix Flores, president of the Dominican College of Veterinary Doctors, who points out that despite being an endemic disease on the island, it has been neglected in the last two years.

The authorities’ neglect in managing this program of control and eradication of the disease.”

Interviewed on the program ”Más Cerca”, which is broadcast Monday through Friday at 7 pm on La Rocka 91.7 FM and YouTube, hosted by Anibelca Rosario, Hansel García, Marisol Mendoza, and Vicente Bengoa, the physician adds that the neglect is compounded by the dismissal of many of the personnel who managed these programs, and the appointment of inexperienced young people.

With the arrival of the present authorities, they have pensioned off a large number of veterinarians who were in charge of the programs… and they have placed them in those positions that have the name right now, such as the environmental health department….. Professionals, not just anyone, should manage them”.

He states that those who currently manage the program for the eradication and control of rabies are not professionals, and he also qualifies as botched the vaccination that is carried out because those who are part of the vaccination are young people with no experience in the delicate handling of vaccines.

That is not vaccination; that is sloppiness”, said the veterinarian.

Flores clarified that to date, there are no rabies cases in humans; however, the alert continues in case of possible cases.

“Más Cerca” is an informative magazine broadcasted Monday through Friday at 7:00 pm on La Rocka 91.7fm, Ruta 66TV, Tele Cibao HD channel 118/ WindTveo, Vega TV, Circuito Tele-Duarte channel 49. In the United States on TV, Quisqueya 1096 of Optimum and Dish Latino channel 812-5 for the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Attention! Canines and felines attack humans due to rabies outbreaks.

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A U.S. military base in the country in the twilight of the dictatorship

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 21:40:01 +0000

A U.S. military base in the country in the twilight of the dictatorship

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 21:40

Thursday, June 16, 2022

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Local – Dominican Today

Original Article

A U.S. military base in the country in the twilight of the dictatorship

On November 23, 1956, a Directed Missile Base was inaugurated in the town of Sabana de la Mar, El Seibo province, by virtue of an agreement signed in 1951 between the governments of the D.R., the U.S., and Great Britain.

The facility was in operation until 1962 when the 10-year agreement expired and was extended by mutual agreement for one year in its final phase.

The common interests explain Great Britain’s participation in the base’s objectives and that similar bases were located in British colonial possessions.

After the Second World War, the so-called “Cold War” and its effects on our region began in 1945, encouraging military dictatorships and tyrannical regimes at the service of U.S. geopolitical interests. As is well known, Trujillo benefited greatly from this circumstance.

Sabana de la Mar, bordered by the Bay of San Lorenzo, is a sub-bay of the Bay of Samaná, whose strategic position has been highly valued since ancient times by different powers, which led to attempts to control it for geostrategic purposes.

Therefore, it was not by chance that this project was installed in that location.
“Located in any other part of the island, Samaná would be nothing more than a large peninsula forming a large bay. Placed where nature has placed it, it is one of those maritime positions such as are not found but two or three on the map of the world” (Sir R, Lepelletier de Saint Remy, Santo Domingo, Dominican Society of Bibliophiles, 1978. p. 197).

Communication center
The base established at Sabana de la Mar was part of the system of similar bases established by the U.S. from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the southeast of Puerto Rico. The network of bases consisted of two bases in Florida (Cape Canaveral and Jupiter), four in the Bahamas (Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, San Salvador and Mayaguana), one in the Turks (Grand Turca), one in the Dominican Republic and the last one in the chain located in Puerto Rico.

The Patrick Base at Cape Canaveral was the headquarters for launching guided missiles, and the others had the mission of controlling the aircraft in flight, for which they had sophisticated equipment.

When the base was inaugurated in Dominican territory, different types of guided missiles were being tested, capable of transporting atomic explosives across the ocean, without a pilot, which represented a far-reaching achievement in military technology at the time.

The projectiles were launched across the Atlantic Ocean in a test area extending more than 5,000 miles from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the island of Asuncion in the southern Atlantic, where they fell into the sea.

The Sabana de la Mar Station served as a communications hub for relaying scientific information between Cape Canaveral and Puerto Rico.

The financing of the project was the responsibility of the U.S. government; however, the availability and access to critical resources (the necessary land and water) was the responsibility of the Dominican government.

Members of the 1962 Council of State.

The State-owned part of the land and part was privately owned; a small portion of the private property was obtained through purchase, and most of it was obtained through donation, supposedly voluntary, by the owners. There was at least one case of appropriation because the owner refused to sell due to disagreement with the price offered.

The endowment at the base, from the construction phase, undertook actions aimed at generating social impact in the region. For example, public health supported the national authorities in controlling mosquitoes through fumigation campaigns carried out by military personnel.

Remains of the base
During the ten years that the base was in operation, between military personnel stationed there and native women of the community, some 30 marriages took place, none of which ended in divorce, according to the testimony of a then married woman, now a widow, interviewed by the author of this text.

The effective operation of this military infrastructure ceased on October 22, 1962, and using a public act on November 6; the facilities were handed over to the Dominican Government represented by Donald J. Reid Cabral, member of the Council of State; representing the government and the U.S. Air Force, Ambassador John Bartlow Martin, and Brigadier General Harry J. Sands.

Speaking for the U.S. Government, Ambassador John Bartlow Martin said that he was “very pleased to be here in Sabana de la Mar next to the beautiful bay of Samaná,” adding that “the act symbolized the spirit of cooperation between both governments…

Today, 700 miles away on another Caribbean island, a base of a different nature, is also being dismantled under very other circumstances…”, thus referring to the famous “October Crisis” or “of the missiles” in Cuba. Three days earlier, El Caribe newspaper published an eight-column headline, “U.S. verifies dismantling of Russian bases in Cuba.” Strange coincidence.
The Señorita Elupina Cordero municipal hospital now occupies the central infrastructure of the former military base.

Infrastructure

– Service center
What remains of the U.S. military base in Sabana de la Mar is today part of the Miss Elupina Cordero municipal hospital. Part of the land was private.

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Puerto Rico opens opportunities for Dominicans

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 15:40:01 +0000

Puerto Rico opens opportunities for Dominicans

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 15:40

Thursday, June 9, 2022

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Economy – Dominican Today

Original Article

Puerto Rico opens opportunities for Dominicans

Puerto Rico offers Dominican and regional entrepreneurs development opportunities in creative, manufacturing, tourism, and agricultural industries, as well as in biosciences, technology, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and export services.

Santo Domingo, DR.

The interest of the Puerto Rican and Dominican governments in promoting business alliances between both countries as an open the door to new opportunities and incentives that allow improving the economic quality of the nations was ratified in the forum “Puerto Rico: Opportunities and Incentives.”

Yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, high representatives of the Puerto Rican economic sector presented Law 60 of the Incentives Code as an economic development tool with possible opportunities for economic empowerment that Dominican national companies could achieve in a commercial association with Puerto Rico.

“The Dominican Republic is our friend, our neighbor, so we decided to come here first and present all the opportunities and incentives that Puerto Rico can offer,” said the director of the Commercial Office of Puerto Rico in the Dominican Republic, Nelson Torres Martínez.

Puerto Rico offers Dominican and regional entrepreneurs development opportunities in creative, manufacturing, tourism, and agricultural industries, as well as in biosciences, technology, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and export services.

As stated in the panel by Carlos Fontán, director of the Office of Business Incentives, and Víctor Merced, director of the Office of Specialized Services for Industry and Customer Service in Puerto Rico, Law 60 defines incentives that support not only large companies but also small and medium businesses in the same way as emerging sectors, eSports and entertainment that are eligible under the statutes of this law.

At the beginning of the assembly, the secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce of Puerto Rico, Manuel Cidre Miranda, stated that the presentation of the Incentives Code is only the continuation of a saga that began with the signing of the agreement between the governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi and the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, of a strategic alliance to promote exchange and cooperation between both countries.

Dominican labor

Both the secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce of Puerto Rico, as well as the representative of the Commercial Office of Puerto Rico in the Dominican Republic, established that the Puerto Rican Government has approximately US$50,000 million for the reconstruction of the country in the name of deterioration in force since 2017 with the passage of several hurricanes, earthquakes, and the Covid 19 pandemic, for which labor, equipment, and technology are needed, which has propelled the increase in job opportunities.

“Puerto Rico offers many opportunities and incentives, in all areas. The Dominican Republic is our friend, our neighbor, so we decided to come here first and present the opportunities and incentives that Puerto Rico can offer in manufacturing industries, creative industries, tourism, opportunities for individuals, and many others,” said Nelson Torres Martínez.

Also, Cidre Miranda that “we can combine both and be successful (RD and PR), why both go hungry if we can share the plate?” she stated while exposing a personal perception that between the Dominican Republic and the Isla del Encanto there should be no visa limitations, instead of a “green card” that allows you to visit each other whenever you want.

Manuel Cidre Miranda indicated that “it is clear” that there is an excellent commercial relationship between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico based essentially on food and agricultural products; from his nation’s priorities, chemical elements, technology, and services are gaining strength and tourism.

“Looking ahead, there are a large number of businessmen who are very interested in participating in the economic development of the Dominican Republic, which is an example in the region, and many Dominican businessmen willing to enter Puerto Rico in light of the recovery as a result of the different events and the entry of over US$50,000 million for the reconstruction of the country.”

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Flow of exports between January and April totaled US$4.1 billion

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 15:20:01 +0000

Flow of exports between January and April totaled US$4.1 billion

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 15:20

Thursday, June 16, 2022

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Economy – Dominican Today

Original Article

Flow of exports between January and April totaled US$4.1 billion

Santo Domingo, DR.
The Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo), celebrating yesterday the 50th anniversary of its founding, highlighted the potential of the sector, citing that the export volume in this last four-month period of the year totaled US$4.1 billion, a growth of 9.87% compared to January-April 2021 and 31.69% compared to 2019, year.

Regarding the regime with the highest exports, Adoexpo pointed to the free zones with an amount of US$2.5 billion, a growth of 2.66% year-on-year and 33.49% compared to 2019, while the National regime of US$1.5 billion was exported, growing by 5.86% compared to January-April 2021 and 32.53% compared to 2019.

The president of Adoexpo, Elizabeth Mena, highlighted that this entity reached its half-century leading the promotion of this productive sector, improving conditions for the sector, promoting changes in public policies and playing a leading role in the generation of foreign exchange and formal employment.

She stated that gold is the main exported item, with US$470.74 million, for the first four months of the year, representing 11.40% of total exports.

In the second place, medical instruments and apparatuses stand out with an exported value of US$465.46 million, representing 11.27% of exports for this period, growing 37.12% year-on-year and 101.91% compared to 2019. In third place are cigars, with US$320.55 million representing 7.76% of total exports.

Destinations
Mena expressed that the “top 10” destination countries for Dominican exports comprise 86.55% of total exports in the first four months of 2022, composed of the United States, which remains our largest trading partner comprising 51% of total exports; followed by Haiti, (9. 60%), Switzerland (8.50%), Puerto Rico (5.38%), the Netherlands (3.22%), China (2.99%), India (2.88%), Germany (1.08%), Italy (0.95%) and Spain (0.88%).

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BBF announces junior boys and girls coaching staff

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 11:40:01 +0000

BBF announces junior boys and girls coaching staff admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 11:40

Friday, June 17, 2022

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The Nassau Guardian

Original Article

BBF announces junior boys and girls coaching staff

The Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) recently announced its coaching staff for junior boys and girls teams representing The Bahamas this summer in international play.

The boys will be playing at the Centrobasket Under-15 (U15) Boys Championship in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, June 18-22, 2022. They will be playing at the Fernando ‘Rube’ Hernandez Coliseum.

The head coach for that team is Quentin Hall. He will be assisted by Kevin Clarke and Denykco Bowles. The team manager is Delva Francis. George Burrows is the team doctor. The director of basketball operations is Latoya Silver. Rounding out the staff is Stephen Brown as the head of delegation.

“As a federation we are extremely proud of the hard work and commitment of our coaching staff who sacrifice their time and lend their expertise to support our various teams,” expressed BBF President Eugene Horton.

The girls will be playing at the Centrobasket Under-15 (U15) Girls Championship, also set for Gurabo, Puerto Rico, from June 26-30, 2022.

The Head Coach is Varel Davis. Assisting her on the bench will be Anton Francis and Shakira Farrington. Taronya Wildgoose is the team manager. The athletic trainer is Sasha Johnson. Silver is the director of basketball operations and is also the head of delegation.

Horton spoke about the benefits of the sport of basketball.

“We believe that the game of basketball connects people and builds community while changing the lives of talented men and women who deserve exposure on international courts,” Horton said.

The boys are set to open play tomorrow at 5:45 p.m. against Guyana.

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Crowley cuts back, but VI safe for now

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:20:01 +0000

Crowley cuts back, but VI safe for now

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admin Wed, 02/23/2022 - 20:20

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

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Business – The BVI Beacon

Original Article

Crowley cuts back, but VI safe for now

The maritime shipping giant Crowley has pulled out of parts of the Leeward Islands, but it will continue to serve the Virgin Islands, a company spokesman told the Beacon this week.

On Oct. 9, Crowley announced that it would cease shipping to much of the LeewardIslands at the end of that month.

At the time, it announced that sailings to Tortola and the United States VI would alternate between a Thursday or Saturday departure each week, with one southbound sailing leaving Port Everglades, Florida on average every 10 days. Service between Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands was also discontinued in October.

“These adjustments provide a more reliable sailing schedule between Port Everglades, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, so our customers can plan their shipments effectively,” the company announced.
Meanwhile, Crowley has discontinued service to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saba, St. Barthelemy St. Eustatius and Montserrat.

Here, the pullout may make shipping to those locations more complicated, but Crowley is not VI customers’ only option. Other carriers, including Tropical Shipping, still ship both full container loads and less-than-container loads to ports in the Leeward Islands.

Nevertheless, Christopher Haycraft, managing director of Island Shipping, Tropical’s VI agent, told the Beacon this week that the Crowley pullout came as “a shock.”

“The largest carrier in the region does not see it as a profit margin worth the effort,” he said.

But in the long run, he added, competition could be good for the region as other carriers move in to fill the void.

“Multiple carriers [are] still working for this market,” he said. “Crowley are still shipping into St. Thomas every 10 days, so there is still a basic service.”

Speculation that Crowley may also pull out of the VI circulated recently, but a spokesman for the company told the Antigua-based Daily Observer the rumours were false.

“Crowley continues to serve the Caribbean region as it consistently has for 50 years, including but not limited to the USVI, BVI, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and more,” spokesman David DeCamp told the newspaper in October. “However, the Leeward Islands, including Antigua and Barbuda, will not be served after the end of October.”

According to the Observer, Mr. DeCamp denied that the pullout was related to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that “Covid-19 has not resulted in any material service disruptions.”

This week, Mr. DeCamp reiterated the previous position.

“Crowley continues to serve the BVI and USVI uninterruptedly, as well as providing service to multiple other Caribbean islands,” he told the Beacon.
Though some areas have been “strategically realigned,” he added, “multiple other ocean carriers” are serving them.

Monifa Brathwaite Marrero, spokeswoman for the US Virgin Islands Port Authority, confirmed to the Virgin Islands Daily News in December that the agency had not received any notice that Crowley plans to pull out of the USVI and added that “the executed contract between Crowley and VIPA is still in place.”

However, the company appears aware of the concerns and reportedly has addressed them internally.

Earlier this month, the Daily News reported that Caribbean Services Director Jennifer Juarez told Crowley employees in an email titled “Operations update” that “as per the information we have been given, we are talking of reducing space at the terminal due to the closure of services to Leeward Islands, reducing container output.”

She added in the email that as further details arise, she would alert employees.
“Like all businesses, we continue to review how to reduce costs and remain competitive,” she wrote, according to the newspaper.

A receptionist at EZ Shipping, which is the VI agent for Crowley, said no one authorised to comment was available this week. Messages for Oleanvine Maynard, managing director of the BVI Ports Authority, were not immediately returned this week.

The pullout from the Leeward Islands comes amid complaints of skyrocketing prices and a scarcity of some goods.

Stakeholders told the Beacon in October that pandemic related disruptions in the global supply chain could see the territory facing higher than-usual prices and scarcity of some goods.

The post Crowley cuts back, but VI safe for now appeared first on The BVI Beacon.

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VI electricity costs near region’s average

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:00:02 +0000

VI electricity costs near region’s average

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admin Wed, 02/23/2022 - 20:00

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

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Business – The BVI Beacon

Original Article

VI electricity costs near region’s average

Recent studies of global broadband and mobile data pricing from United Kingdom-based telecommunications provider Cable.co.uk haven’t turned out well for the Virgin Islands, which has consistently shown to have some of the highest prices in the world for those services.

However, when it comes to electricity, the VI ranks near the middle of the pack regionally.

Just 11 out of 28 Caribbean countries have cheaper electricity than the VI, according to a study released last month from the company.

But the region as a whole is far behind most of the world, and the VI ultimately ranked 175 out of the 230 countries analysed in the study.

“The Caribbean consists of island nations where electricity generation tends to be more difficult,” the study noted.

The study found that the average cost of electricity in the VI is $0.225 per kilowatt-hour, with the territory’s lowest cost at $0.1675 per kWh and its highest at $0.24.

The average price in the Caribbean is $0.237.

Most Caribbean nations are in the more expensive half of the study results. Curaçao ranked as most expensive in the Caribbean with an average of $0.419 per kWh, while electricity per kWH in Puerto Rico averages $0.049.

The next-cheapest countries and territories are Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, Cayman Islands, St. Martin, St Barthélemy, the Caribbean Netherlands, Martinique, Aruba and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Global high, low

However, the VI still pays 32 times more than Libya, where consumers pay just $0.007 per kWh. But it doesn’t come close to the high prices in the Solomon Islands, a chain in the Pacific Ocean, which is the costliest in the world with an average price of $0.692 per kWh.

“The Caribbean consists of island nations where electricity generation tends to be more difficult,” the study’s authors wrote. “Clusters of more expensive countries in which to buy electricity tended to be in small island nations where electricity is harder to generate and/or there are no large-scale power stations.”

Researchers at Cable.co.uk worked for six months to complete an analysis of 3,883 energy tariffs around the world in order to measure the price of electricity in 230 countries.

The study noted that the most expensive countries on the list were all far-flung island nations. After the Solomon Islands, the five most expensive countries in terms of the average cost of one kWh were St. Helena ($0.612), Vanuatu ($0.591), the Cook Islands ($0.523) and Micronesia ($0.484).

‘Striking and obvious’

The study called the similarities between these five archipelagoes “both striking and obvious.” Four of five are in Oceania, and all five are island nations.

“Oceania is one of the most expensive regions in the world for electricity, while island nations also tend to be among the most expensive,” the study’s authors wrote.

After Libya, the five cheapest countries in terms of the average cost of one kWh were Angola ($0.013), Sudan ($0.014), Kyrgyzstan ($0.017), and Zimbabwe ($0.021).

“Conversely to the most expensive, none of these countries is an island, and three of the five are located in sub-Saharan Africa,” the study authors wrote. “The cheapest, Libya, is in Northern Africa, with the only non-African country being Kyrgyzstan.”

According to the study, the cheapest places in the world to buy electricity tend to be countries where either oil and gas prices are very cheap (i.e. countries which produce fossil fuels on a large scale), or where household electricity usage is very small and therefore tends not to require a lot of expensive infrastructure.

Around the world

The United States proved to be the cheapest country in North America, at $0.109 per kWh, followed by Canada ($0.124) and Greenland ($0.250). Oceania is the most expensive region in the world, averaging $0.303.

Meanwhile sub-Saharan Africa has four of the ten cheapest countries in the world and three of the ten most expensive.

Former Soviet countries are the cheapest on average regionally, with all 10 countries in the region in the top 70 cheapest in the world, three of them in the top 10.

The study pointed out that the UK, at $0.251 per kWh, pays the most for electricity in Western Europe and comes 190th in the world for cheap electricity.

“Almost every European nation is cheaper. Most African nations? Cheaper. There are even island nations where energy production is especially difficult that charge less than we are charged in the UK,” research analyst Dan Howdle said in a press release announcing the study results.

The post VI electricity costs near region’s average appeared first on The BVI Beacon.

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Costa Rica hungry for JA acts

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 18:20:01 +0000

Costa Rica hungry for JA acts

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admin Tue, 02/22/2022 - 18:20

Saturday, February 12, 2022

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Jamaica Observer

Original Article

Costa Rica hungry for JA acts

COSTA Rican dancehall promoter Fire Don is hoping that the two-year-old shutdown of reggae shows due to COVID-19 in that Central American country will soon end.

"Right now Costa Ricans are hungry for Jamaican music. They love reggae because this is the music their foreparents played when they came here as part of the railway workers in the latter part of 1880s. They never left, so we have some three generations of music lovers here in Costa Rica," said Fire Don, who has Jamaican parents.

"I can't wait to see the back of COVID-19 because this is how I have been making money by promoting shows which are mainly for the most part very successful," he continued.

According to the promoter, Jamaican acts Chuck Fenda, Anthony B, and Christopher Martin has graced his stage.

"These shows are usually well attended, attracting thousands of fans. The last show I had was December 2017," he said.

Costa Rica, which has a population of just over 5,000,000, has so far recorded close to 8,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Fire Don, given name Ricardo Waddell Lewis, was born in Puerto Limon in Puerto Rico to Jamaican parents Vincent Waddel and Claudia Lewis-Hylton. In 2007, he formed the harmony group Black Rose which comprised Tiny B, Daddy Tarzan and Little P. They enjoyed fair airplay with Poorness.

The group disbanned in 2012 but Fire Don continued as a solo artiste, with tracks appearing on several albums. These include Mr Fire Don (Radical 11), My Dear Friend (Total Beat), Big Fire Burn (Basic Element), and War (Natural Lyrics).

His acquisition of the Internet-based Voice Over Radio TV in 2015 is expected to give him a bigger platform as he works to expose new acts.

For the past 17 years, he has been promoter for the Puro Roots stage shows in Puerto Rico.

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