Visions of St. Lucia

Click this link and flip through the pages of this magazine for some beautiful articles and pictures of St. Lucia:
http://www.pagegangster.com/p/3Qsti/#page_1

Nouvelle Nous by Leo Donnelly

West Indies Fall short at T/20

A packed house at the Beausejour Stadium deserved better than the dismal performance by the West Indies as they were knocked out of the World Twenty20 tournament with a crushing six-wicket defeat by Australia.
Hopes were high as the West Indies made it to the Super-8 with convincing wins against New Zealand, England and India.
Trouble began early when captain Chris Gayle fell with the second ball and the team flopped to 105 runs which their unbeaten opponents eased past in 16.2 overs, leaving Australia, England, pakistan and Sri Lanka to vie for the title. The locals stomped to 60 for 5 in 10 overs with little resistance from Ramaresh Sarwan tried to hold the innings together with 26 off 32 balls, while Shwanarine Chanderpaul scored 24. Local star Darren Sammy, who had performed admirable in the previous games, winning "Man-of -the-match" honors agsinst New Zealand, was gone on the first ball he faced.
Gail said that the lost was due to inconsistency in the teams performance.

Jazz ends with much fanfare

Jamaican Dancehall artiste Shaggy braught the curtains down on a somber
nineteenth season of St. Lucia Jazz to a packed audience at the Pigeon Island National Landmark, last Sunday.
The final weekend of Jazz began on Friday evening, which featured compas band T-Vice, groovy soca/R&B artist Teddyson John, and R&B star Ne-Yo. The latter turned the packed Pigeon Island into "Screem Center" as female fans just couldn't get enough of the R&B star. Security personnel had to increase their presence front stage where euphoric fans attempted to breach the security barrier.
Saturday evening, Claudia Edwards, local music mongol Ronald "Boo" Hinkson and Friends which featured Tempest, Jeff Lorber, Grammy Award winner Corinne Bailey Rae, and British Reggae group Steel Pulse offered a modest pre=climax to the season. Steel Pulse rocked the crowd that apparently had consious reggae nostalgia on their minds.
On Sunday Quito and the Edge from the British Virgin Islands opened the show with some reggae vibes, Carl Gustave, Dobert Gnahore, Esperanza Spalding followed by Men of Souls featuring Freddie Jackson, Phil Perry, Howard Hewitt, and Maxi Priest following them, with Shaggy capping off the 2010 edition of St. Lucia Jazz.
Tourism Minister, Senator Allen Chastanet said that this year's festival was a success despite the music festival having to compete with with World Cricket T20 taking place in the Caribbean. But to many die-hard Jazz fans this year's line up of artiste was of poor quality with very little true Jazz artistes. Many felt that the decline in bringing Jazz performers that the even should be re-named St. Lucia Music Festival. This year, many of the recruited Jazz performer decline the invitation to come to St. Lucia.Friday night had the biggest crowd in the history of the event. Ne-yo was included as a calculated on the heels of losing Toni Braxton. The inclusion worked out beautifully. Ne-yo put on a very good show and braught a very different audience - a very young audience

St. Lucia's opens it's first Casino in August

Way back in 1988 Prime Minister John Compton appeared to have initiated an agreement with an investor to open the first Casino in St. Lucia pending full ratification by his Cabinet. Compton did not or could not get the full support he wanted so that idea was shelved.
Since then there has been much discussions on the subject of a casino in St. Lucia as a boost to the Tourist Industry.
After years of heated debates between the political directorate, the churches and the other organization including independent members of the comminity, St Lucia is poised to open its first licensed facility in three momths. According to Maher Chreiki, the owner of the Bay Walk Mall in Rodney Bay, said that the Bay Walk Mall casino which will be located on the secong floor of the country's largest shopping mall is expected to open in August of this year.The Mall which was scheduled to open in December of last year has an expected opening in July. Chreiki is very optimistic of a mid-July opening, just before Carnival.

The Mall will comprise of a five storey car park, a supermarket, restaurants, offices, several stores of worls renowned brands, banks, luxury apartments on the top floor and more.The opening of the Mall will be a major significance given the debates which threatened to create deep divides between church and state over the past years. Today the political fractions seem to be on the same page regarding casinos in Saint Lucia. The changing economic landscape and Saint Lucia's economic survival on the tourist dollar seems to have provided a powerful argument for the gaming facilities.

St. Lucia Jazz- A Musical Experience

By Edward Harris, The Voice of St. Lucia
Imagine it until you can live it! St. Lucians really lived it up in the past few weeks. It began with Bishop T. D. Jakes, then it was cricket, Jazz and cricket again and still more to come. Over the past three weeks there has never been a dull moment. The main street in Rodney Bay Village was busy with visitors. Just the way a tourist hot spot is supposed to be. Business should have been great for the proprietors of restaurants and bars. They don’t have to discount. The hotels are still on the discount path and seems as though it will be that way for a while yet. However, getting the right levels of occupancy should suffice.
Read full story here:
http://www.thevoiceslu.com/feat_business/2010/may/15_05_10/St_Lucia_Jazz.htm

St. Lucia Shines in CTO West Coast Show

St. Lucia was among several islands represented at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s presentation of Caribbean Goes West Road Shows & Seminars in San Francisco Tuesday evening. The event was hosted at Sinbad’s Waterfront Restaurant in the Embarcadero.

Lorine Charles-St. Jules, Regional Marketing Manager for the St. Lucia Tourist Board highlighted St. Lucia’s attractions and donated promotional prizes to a crowded group of Tour Operators.The evening concluded with a delicious dinner and recognition of contributions from CTO officers.

San Francisco was the second stop on the tour. The opening was in Newport Beach the day before. The show moves on to Portland tomorrow, and ends in Seattle on Thursday.

Lorine Charles-St.Jules, Regional Marketing Manager for the St. Lucia Tourist Board stands next to an impressive photographic display of Gros Piton.

Lorine shares some information and promotional literature with Tour Operators.

SLANC Founder Benjamin 'Foggi' Glasgow with Lorine, rating St. Lucia No. 1!


Vicki Lundy-Revels, Owner of Carefree Travel & Entertainment in Antioch was the winner of a prize; a four-night stay at St. Lucia's popular Bay Gardens Hotel.



CTO Marketing Officers Ronald Allen and Julie Carter were recognised for their work in organizing and promoting the event.

A view of the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island and the East Bay, from Sinbad's Restaurant.

-Photos by Harry Best

Controversy Over Hewanorra Re-development

The proposed expenditure of Hewanorra Airport has received more air time than any of the items in the recently passes budget as the two political parties, the ruling United Workers Party (UWP) and the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) have been involved in a war of words that has nothing to do with the re-design but rather over who get's the contract.

Described as the largest undertaking by any government since the independance of St. Lucia, there is much speculation by the SLP that the government has awarded the half-billion-dollar Hewanorra Airport re-development project contract to Asphalt and Minning. The government in response says that a Request for Proposal for Design, Finance Built Project which was developed by The St. Lucia Air and Sea Port Authority (SLASPA), a number of proposals were submitted by prospective Contractors, Architects and Financial Institutions. However, the SLASPA, who is the executing agency, has made it clear the project is still in the negotiation stages and to date no contract has been awarded and therefore, no government guarantee have been given for it's financing.

But the SLP is having none of that. They Party has called on Prime Minister Stevenson King and the Minister of Communications and Works, Guy Joseph to explain how a US company with no experience in road construction or airport financing was given a contract to to construct $EC12.5 million worth of roads and to raise EC$432 million for the redevelopment of Hewanorra Airport.

The SLP believes that Minister Guy Joseph and his friendship with a gentleman who alledgely is a shareholder of Asphalt and Minning a company that has received a significant contract for roads construction and now is under consideration for the awarding of the airport project. In it's short existence in road building on the island, Asphalt & Minning has failed miserably and had to subcontract most of it road building job to C. O Williams Construction, another road building company on the island.

On Rick Wayne's radio show "Talk," Minister Joseph confessed that his long time friend ownes 5 percent shares of Asphaly & Minning. He said that the suspicion got started when he was stopped by the police for having in his possession of a car leased by Asphalt & Mininng. Joseph said that the car belong to his friend. It is know around town that Joseph has had that vehicle in his possession for quite sometime, even driving it to his office and parking it in his reserved parking space.

In a face-off on the "New Spin" talk show, between the SLP's Public Relations Officer, Eugene George and the Prime Minister's Secretary, Darnley Labourne, the controversy intensified. Labourne admitted that Asphalt & Minning is part of a consortium which show interest in the Airport Project. He said that there has not been a clear determination of how the project will be financed. He further stated that the governmenr nor SLASPA has not been given Asphalt & Minning permission to raise money for the project. How the SLP arrived at the $EC432 million costing of the Airort Project is still a mystery. To date, neither the government not SLASPA have not made any categorical denial of the sum. --Leo Donnelly

St. Lucia: Not Just for Honeymooners

Not just for honeymooners: Everyone can find adventure in St. Lucia
By Elaine Paoloni - AM New York

Take a hike: A climb to the top of Gros Piton can be a challenge at 2,619 feet.
Often referred to as the Hawaii of the Caribbean lush, mountainous St. Lucia caters to canoodling honeymooners and lovebirds (it was even featured on ABC’s “The Bachelor” this year). But even without a significant other, there’s plenty to fall in love with on the island.

Here are our top-10 picks:

1. Fish fry/street party: Soak up local culture and cuisine at Anse la Raye’s Friday night fish fry. Also on Friday is the Gros Islet Jump Up, where you can eat cheap and dance in the street. For a less touristy time, try the Saturday night fish fry on the beach in Dennery.

2. Rainforest zip lining: Strap yourself in and push off for a swing above the palms. Treetop Adventure Park, located in Dennery, has eight zip lines and more on the way that are 100 feet high and 800 feet long. 758-458-09083.

3. Gros Piton hike: Get your exercise climbing Gros Piton at 2,619 feet. Start early at the interpretive center in Fond Gens Libre, where $30 buys you access and a guide — the strenuous hike can take up to six hours. 758-459-97484.

4. Drive-in volcano: You’ll know you’ve arrived by the sulfur smell in the air. While you don’t actually drive into the active volcano, you can park near the gurgling, steamy springs and take a half-hour walking tour. 758-459-55005.

5. Diamond Botanical Gardens: Near Soufriere, these calming gardens display vibrant flowers including torch ginger, bougainvillea and parrot’s beak. There’s also a waterfall, mineral baths, a nature trail and an old mill to explore. diamondstlucia.com6.

6. Jungle Biking Adventure: Ride a Cannondale suspension bike through tropical vegetation and 18th-century plantation ruins. The 12 miles of trails on the sprawling grounds of Anse Chastanet resort in the southwest cater to all levels. bikestlucia.com

7. Horseback riding on the beach: Take a two-hour guided tour from the Gros Islet stables down to the Atlantic Ocean. There you can frolic in the water with or without your horse. $60 per person. trimsnationalridingacademy.com.

8. Pigeon Island National Landmark: If you’re looking for a bit of local history, a picturesque hike or just a quiet beach on the north coast, this 44-acre island reserve has it all. $5 per person. slunatrust.org

9. Carnival in July: St. Lucia saves its Mardi Gras for summer. Although the official kickoff is May 30, most of the action is in July, with a parade of bands finale on July 20. luciancarnival.com.

10. Take some St. Lucia home with you. Located in a small fishing village on the southwest coast, the Choiseul Arts and Crafts Centre is a great place to buy local arts and crafts such as pottery, weavings, carvings, framed photos and dolls.

Know before you go:

• It’s shoulder season in the Caribbean, which means hotel and airfare prices are dropping. In fact, Orbitz.com recently released its top 10 spots for spring travel savings and St. Lucia is No. 1.
• JetBlue and American Airlines offer direct flights from JFK to St. Lucia (the flight is about five hours). JetBlue currently has fares as low as $99 each way.
• Don’t rent a car — leave the winding, bumpy, hilly roads to taxi drivers adept at driving on the left side of the street.
• U.S. dollars are widely accepted.
• The island’s rainy season is June to November.

Good News for Mango Lovers

Mango Found to Safely Stop Cancer
January 12, 2010
Photo by: USDA.
Mangoes have been found to prevent or stop certain colon and breast cancer cells in the lab, according to a study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S.--Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden.

Though the mango is an ancient fruit heavily consumed in many parts of the world, little has been known about its health aspects. The National Mango Board commissioned a variety of studies with several U.S. researchers to help determine its nutritional value.

"If you look at what people currently perceive as a superfood, people think of high antioxidant capacity, and mango is not quite there," says Susanne and Steve Talcott, who conducted the study on cancer cells. "In comparison with antioxidants in blueberry, acai and pomegranate, it's not even close."

But the team checked mango against cancer cells anyway, and found it prevented or stopped cancer growth in certain breast and colon cell lines, Susanne Talcott notes.

"It has about four to five times less antioxidant capacity than an average wine grape, and it still holds up fairly well in anticancer activity. If you look at it from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking super food," she says. "It would be good to include mangoes as part of the regular diet."

The Talcotts tested mango polyphenol extracts in vitro on colon, breast, lung, leukemia and prostate cancers. Polyphenols are natural substances in plants and are associated with a variety of compounds known to promote good health. Mango showed some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers, but it was most effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.

"What we found is that not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent," she says. "But the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apotosis, or programmed cell death. Additionally, we found that when we tested normal colon cells side by side with the colon cancer cells, that the mango polyphenolics did not harm the normal cells."

The duo did further tests on the colon cancer lines because a mango contains both small molecules that are readily absorbed and larger molecules that would not be absorbed and thus remain present in a colon.

"We found the normal cells weren't killed, so mango is not expected to be damaging in the body," she says. "That is a general observation for any natural agent, that they target cancer cells and leave the healthy cells alone, in reasonable concentrations at least."

The Talcotts evaluated polyphenolics, and more specifically gallotannins, as being the class of bioactive compounds (responsible for preventing or stopping cancer cells). Tannins are polyphenols that are often bitter or drying and found in such common foods as grape seed, wine and tea. The study found that the cell cycle, which is the division cells go through, was interrupted.

This is crucial information, Suzanne Talcott says, because it indicates a possible mechanism for how the cancer cells are prevented or stopped.

"For cells that may be on the verge of mutating or being damaged, mango polyphenolics prevent this kind of damage," she says. The Talcotts hope to do a small clinical trial with individuals who have increased inflammation in their intestines with a higher risk for cancer. "From there, if there is any proven efficacy, then we would do a larger trial to see if there is any clinical relevance," she says.

According to the National Mango Board, most mangoes are produced in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala and Haiti. Mangoes are native to southeast Asia and India and are produced in tropical climates. They were introduced to the U..S. in the late 1800s, and a few commercial acres still exist in California and Florida. Source: Texas AgriLife Research