J. J. ESTEMAC- PERSPECTIVES: March 10, 2010.


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Civic responsability, Criminal activity, Cultural, Family Affair, Good Governance, History, Human Service, Journalism, Law Enfrocement, Leadership, Legislative, Local, Morality, Politics, Security, Work ethics, civil rights, criminals, delinquency, education, elections, homicide.

What Is Our Vision For The US Virgin Islands?

I have been observing the direction that these Virgin Islands have taken. Among my observations is the general deterioration of the fundamental fabric of our society. Our society which has been developed on the basic tenets of the Judeo-Christian philosophy or moral values, as interpreted by the church fathers, theologians and other philosophers. Generally, most of our legal and moral code is based on what is commonly referred to as the “Ten Commandments”. This body of precepts summarizes our moral code which has been used in our legal codes as well. This code has been the moral cornerstone of the so called Western civilization, which includes our geographic area., the Americas. We here in the US Virgin Islands is an extension of the United States of America, a possession, an unincorporated territory of that great world power in the North, and subject to its laws and culture.

I have been for some time suspecting that there is an element in the Virgin Islands society that not only do not want an effective criminal justice system, they have been doing everything within their powers to restrict and reduce the effectiveness of our law enforcement agencies. Whether it be the collection of taxes or the enforcement of our laws and regulations we have not been as effective as we can in fulfilling the mission of these law enforcement agencies. Today we see the escalation of violent crimes as well as “white collar” crimes. Of course the constant increase of homicides in the territory, is alarming to some and not to others. Do you see or hear any of our elected representatives in either branch express their consternation on the wave of homicides in our territory? Have any of them rally the various agencies to address this epidemic? Are they really that indifferent to the crime wave in our community, or is it too much for them to handle?

It is said, and I agree, “without vision the people perish…”and we are perishing only that so many pretend not to be aware. Is it because they do not have a clue or the vision on how to address the social ills that afflict this community? There is no worse condition or circumstance than when good people, law abiding people refuse to be involve in addressing the ills that afflict their community. When good people allow evil to pervade our society without resisting it, cynicism sets in. Is it cowardice, cynicism, lack of faith, or lack of vision? Maybe it is a bit of all of the above. I know that there have been prophets who have predicted that certain things will come to pass, such as the many anomalies we are experiencing. I believe it does not take a majority to turns things around or at least to improve the status quo. I believe, and history bears me out, that a small committed and spiritually strong group with the right vision can help turn things around or at least slow down the downhill spiral.

When we fail to search for the best amongst us to represent us, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, or place of birth we condemn our government to the fate we are now experiencing. Notwithstanding the facts of our demographic, a population of less than 200,000 inhabitants, and a serious “brain drain”, the selection process becomes even more challenging. But select we must before we elect, if we are going to arrest the downward spiral of our society.
We must muster the energy and the will to do what is needed to improve the quality of our representatives in government. Personal integrity should be a non-negotiable standard.

We also need to promote equal standard in all three branches of our government when it come to term limit. The executive branch has term limit, the judicial branch has term limit but the legislative branch does not. To the me that is not equality amongst the three “equal” branches as it is suppose to be. With term limit in the legislative branch we will reduce the notion of entitlement and the opportunities for much corruption.

In our senate we need a better mix than we presently have, when we check the population we will note that females make up the majority of the population and the electorate. Of the 15 senators in the 28th Legislature only one is a female. Businesses is the engine of our economy, yet we have no representative that is a successful business person in our senate. We are a multiracial and multiethnic community and our legislature should represent that diversity. For our community to be stronger and more progressive we need to practice not only preach, inclusiveness. All legitimate Virgin Islands residents who pay all their taxes and meet the basic criteria to hold elective office should be allowed to represent their constituency. Any native born who does not pay their fair share of taxes and other obligations should not be eligible to hold elective or appointed office in our government. To permit otherwise is folly and is to the detriment of our government, and it establishes a bad precedent. In a democratic society the people gets the government they deserve, they elect them.

I exhort all people of goodwill, young and the not so young, senior citizens to join forces to save our community from the self destructive path it is presently on. Many of us know what is going on in our community, all the wrong doings, all the immorality, all the illegal activities all the corrupt individuals in our government and outside out government. Take a stand, if you believe in good government, in law and order, in a moral society, take a stand, resist temptation, resist greed. Seek righteousness and justice and the grace of Allah-God Almighty will shine upon us all. Let all those who believe in a fair and just society resist those who seek to destroy ours. Stand up, speak up, join up in a movement to save the Virgin Islands. It is later then you think and we may not have another chance at saving what is left of the Virgin Islands as we have known it. The VIRGIN ISLANDS, if you love it, SAVE it, the time is NOW!

J.J. Estemac
CCBG
St. Thomas, VI
10/3/10

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RUSSIA PROFILE: March 9, 2010.


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.

March 9, 2010
CPR on Mortgages
The past 18 months have been testy times for young Russians looking to purchase a home they could call their own. But come April, the difficult times may be over, as the government starts paying more serious attention to the idea of using Russian taxpayer money to get at the root of the nation’s mortgage problem: the higher-than-average interest rates that scare off potential borrowers. But does this actually mean that the average Russian citizen will be able to afford a mortgage?
By Tai Adelaja
Russia Profile

http://russiaprofile.org/page.php?pageid=Business&articleid=a1268157363

March 9, 2010
Trading Dreams
Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus could adopt a single currency in the next phase of development in their Customs Union, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Friday. Was this a sign of the union’s deepening economic ties, or the false veneer of alliance? Economists say the rationale for the Customs Union is sound, but the politics has been a different story. Both Kazakhstan and Belarus have reason to resist a single currency. Is there substance to Shuvalov’s comment? Or is he just trying to divert media attention from the stormy Belarus-Russia relationship.
By Tom Balmforth
Russia Profile

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PANAMA: Amble Resorts Signs West Paces Hotel Group To Manage…….


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Commerce, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, History, International, National, Trade, tourism.

…. World-Class Panama Resort Project: Isla Palenque

Press Release Source: Amble Resorts On Tuesday March 9, 2010, 8:25 am EST

CHICAGO, March 9 /PRNewswire/ — Burgeoning resort development company Amble Resorts has contracted the hospitality experts West Paces Hotel Group to manage Amble’s sophisticated, environmentally sensitive debut resort community, The Resort at Isla Palenque.

The collaboration is noteworthy for its marriage of Amble’s unique, visionary ideas with West Paces’ experience and well-known service standards. Amble, founded by Ben Loomis in 2007, is a new resort development company that is committed to the mission of creating sustainable accommodations for discerning travelers. West Paces, an established giant in the hospitality industry whose leadership hails from The Ritz-Carlton Company, has long prided itself on providing an unparalleled level of personalized service to guests. This combination makes The Resort at Isla Palenque an unmatched resort real estate opportunity for homebuyers now, and for travelers once the hotel opens in 2012.

Amble’s selection of West Paces as their management team is sure to have significant impact, not only for homebuyers and resort guests, but for the resort industry at large. Amble’s vision – uniting environmentally sustainable concepts with chic, high-end design and comfort – now has support from lauded hospitality veterans like West Paces Chairman and CEO Horst Schulze.

“More than a passing trend, the green movement is creating far-reaching change in the hospitality industry,” says Schulze, hotel management legend and former president, COO and founding member of The Ritz-Carlton Company. “I’d been looking for a company with innovative ideas; one that can provide guests with a sustainable, close-to-nature experience without compromising the luxury they deserve. When I learned about Amble Resorts and their plans for Isla Palenque I said, ‘This is the one.’”

West Paces Hotel Group will manage every aspect of the resort, such as the hotel, spa, dining, rental program, private in-home services, the yacht club, the organic farm and nature preserve, as well as transport on and off the island and delivery of mainland supplies to the secluded Isla Palenque community.

Still, the resort will still maintain its individuality. “The island itself and our mission for its development are too unique to fit any existing brand,” says Loomis. “Both Amble and West Paces believe that it is best to keep The Resort at Isla Palenque an independent hotel. But the same expertise that West Paces brings to their Capella and Solis brands will be brought to Isla Palenque, ensuring a level of quality that no other resort in Panama can boast. We’re pretty excited.”

The Resort at Isla Palenque will be an integrated, immersion-in- nature eco-resort experience, and with West Paces Hotel Group management offering their high-level, personalized service, guests and residents will have the best of both worlds: nature and nurture.

Photo: http://www.erelease s.com/pr/ 2009-Isla- Palenque- Resort.jpg

Image: http://www.erelease s.com/pr/ 2010-Isla- Palenque- Rendering. jpg

About Amble Resorts

Amble was founded by Benjamin Loomis in 2007 to develop and own unique upscale hotels and resorts that provide ecologically and culturally sensitive travel experiences. http://www.amble. com

Amble’s new Panama real estate project, The Resort at Isla Palenque, will be a secluded and sustainable resort community with a unique boutique hotel, ingeniously designed residences, and sumptuous amenities. http://www.islapale nque.com

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THE WHITE HOUSE, MESSAGE: March 9, 2010.


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Economy, Family Affair, Good Governance, Health, History, Leadership, Uncategorized.

The White House, Washington

 
  Good afternoon,$1,115 — that’s the average monthly premium for employer-sponsored family coverage in 2009.  Annually, that amounts to $13,375, or roughly the yearly income of someone working a minimum wage job.1

It gets worse: a recent survey found that if we do nothing, over the next ten years, out-of-pocket expenses for Americans with health insurance could increase 35 percent in every state in the country.2

In an effort to put the past year’s debate over health insurance reform into perspective, we’re launching “Health Reform by the Numbers,” an online campaign using key figures, like $1,115, to raise awareness about why we can’t wait any longer for reform.  We’ll be sending out a new number every day.  Learn what you can do to help spread the word:

Learn More

$1,115 is more money than what many Americans pay for rent or mortgage. But there’s more to the problem than just numbers.

Take Leslie Banks, an American mom with a daughter in college.  In January of this year, she received a notice from her health insurance provider that her plan was being dropped. To keep the same benefits, the premiums for her and her daughter would more than double.  Leslie was told by the insurance company that there was nothing she could do — it was an across-the-board premium hike.  If she paid the same monthly premium amount as before, the deductible would increase from $500 to $5,000, and she and her daughter would no longer have preventive care or prescription coverage.

Yesterday, Leslie introduced President Obama at a health reform event in Pennsylvania.  Check out what they had to say.

It’s important to raise awareness about numbers like $1,115 and stories like Leslie’s because skyrocketing health care costs impact all of us.  So take a moment to forward this email to your family, friends and online networks.

With all of us working together, we’ll send the message loud and clear — the time is now for health insurance reform.  It’s time we made our health care system work for American families and small businesses, not just insurance companies.

Let’s get it done.

Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform

1 Kaiser Family Foundation, Employer Health Benefits 2009 Annual Survey.
2 Bowen Garrett, John Holahan, Lan Doan, and Irene Headen for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute, The Cost of Failure to Enact Health Reform: Implications for States
Visit WhiteHouse.gov

  
 

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In A Polarized Court, Getting The Last Word


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Civic responsability, History, Judiciary, Jurisprudence, Leadership, National, Politics.

By ADAM LIPTAK

  March 8, 2010

WASHINGTON

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have each offered a number of oral dissents from the bench.

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Adam Liptak’s column about the legal world appears every two weeks.

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A few times a year, Supreme Court justices go out of their way to emphasize their unhappiness by reading a dissent from the bench out loud, supplementing the dry reason on the page with vivid tones of sarcasm, regret, anger and disdain. The practice is on the rise, and it is suggestive of an increasingly polarized court.

“Dissenting from the bench,” a new study to be published in Justice System Journal contends, is a sort of nuclear option that “may indicate that bargaining and accommodation have broken down irreparably.”

Yes, a new study. Academic scrutiny of almost every aspect of the Supreme Court is oppressively comprehensive, and now three sets of researchers have identified the empirical analysis of oral dissents as a new frontier.

Over the 36 years Warren E. Burger and William H. Rehnquist served as chief justices, there were on average three dissents read from the bench each term. In the first four years of the court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the number rose by a quarter, to 3.75.

So far this term, there has been only one oral dissent, but it was a doozy. Justice John Paul Stevens spent 20 minutes in January rebutting the majority decision in Citizens United, the big campaign finance case.

That brings the total number of oral dissents in the Roberts court to 16, and all but three came from the court’s liberal wing. The exceptions were protests from Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas over decisions in favor of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay.

There is, of course, an element of stagecraft to oral dissents. If justices are to engage in what their colleagues may view as a breach of collegiality and decorum, they want it to count.

Consider Bowers v. Hardwick, the 1986 decision that said there was nothing in the Constitution to stop states from making it a crime for gay men to have consensual sex at home. Justice Harry A. Blackmun had written a dissent, and he was thinking about summarizing it from the bench.

That sounded good to his law clerk, Pamela S. Karlan.

“The majority’s treatment is a disgrace,” she wrote in a memorandum to the justice that became public when his papers were released “and it’s well worth making clear to everyone what the case is really about.”

Ms. Karlan, now a law professor at Stanford, also had some public relations advice for her boss about the case, which was to be announced that Friday.

“I think Friday is a bad day to have the case brought down,” she wrote. “A summer Friday and Saturday are probably the least likely time for people to take notice of what the court has done. I would press, if I were you, for Monday instead.”

The announcement was indeed pushed back, and Justice Blackmun delivered a passionate dissent. It took 17 years, but the court came around to his view when it overruled Bowers in Lawrence v. Texas.

Justice Stevens has spoken up in dissent more often than any other current justice, but that is largely a testament to his longevity. He has written about 600 dissents in his almost 35 years on the court. But he has dissented from the bench just over 20 times.

In percentage terms, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg holds the modern record. She has read more than 10 percent of her dissents from the bench, according to the study in Justice System Journal, by William D. Blake, a graduate student in the government department at the University of Texas, and Hans J. Hacker, a political scientist at Arkansas State University.

In 2007, Justice Ginsburg called upon Congress from the bench to reverse what she called the majority’s “parsimonious reading” of an employment discrimination law in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Congress did so last year.

Scholars are split about what role ideology plays in generating oral dissents. One study by Timothy R. Johnson, Ryan C. Black and Eve M. Ringsmuth in the Minnesota Law Review last year found, as one might expect, that ideological opposites are more likely to dissent from the bench. But Mr. Blake and Mr. Hacker make the case that disappointed ideological allies are the most likely oral dissenters. It is your friends, their study suggests, who drive you crazy.

There are no comprehensive records of oral dissents, and researchers reviewed audio recordings — many available on the indispensable Oyez Web site — newspaper accounts and other resources to track them down. Jill Duffy, a research librarian at the Supreme Court, and Elizabeth Lambert, a staff lawyer with a Federal District Court in New York, seem to have assembled a complete list going back to 1969 in the winter issue of the Law Library Journal.

The list shows that the Roberts court is generating lots of notable oral dissents. Here, for instance, is what Justice Stephen G. Breyer had to say from the bench when the court announced its 2007 decision sharply limiting the role race could play in school assignments: “It is not often in the law that so few have so quickly changed so much.” Those words do not appear in his written dissent.

Justice Clarence Thomas, who has not asked a question from the bench since February 2006, did read a dissent that June from a decision striking down a plan to use military commissions to try suspected terrorists.

“In 15 terms on the bench,” he said, “I have never read a dissent from the bench, but today’s decision requires that I do so.” But Justice Thomas’s memory failed him. He had dissented from the bench once before, in Stenberg v. Carhart, a 2000 abortion case.

The New York Times, USA -March 8, 2010.

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USVI-SEN. ALDAH DONASTORG, Press Release: March 9, 2010.


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Civic responsability, Environment, Good Governance, History, Leadership, Legislative, Politics, Security, Technology, industry.

Sen. Donastorg Thanks Community for its Activism With The Alpine Energy Proposal  

ST. THOMAS – Senator Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg, who called for environmentally focused impact studies and public hearings immediately following the introduction of the proposed Alpine Energy Plan, said he was pleased that his colleagues had truly listened to the community when casting their votes.

Senators voted 11-4 against a St. Thomas lease for Alpine during Monday’s Senate Session.

“We had a large number of very informed individuals speaking out against various aspects of the Alpine deal,” Donastorg said. “Few stones were left unturned as concerned citizens from Frederiksted to Coral Bay weighed in on the Alpine deal. I thank each and every person that took the time to speak out and do the research on this critical matter. The community demonstrated that if we unite we can and will prevail.”

Donastorg said that when he raised the initial alarm about Alpine, many people warned that it was a “done deal”.

“We have to continue to get away from this mentality,” Donastorg said. “This is our Territory and decisions should be made collectively. Together we must make the choice for change.”

Donastorg said that thanks to the community’s lobbying efforts, many senators altered their positions on the Alpine deal.

“I had concerns from day one,” Donastorg said. “Any form of incinerator is not forward thinking. We require clean alternative sources of energy and we must demand that our Government make a true effort at recycling and composting at our landfills.”

Donastorg said he objected to many aspects of the Alpine deal and demanded an investigation when he learned that work was being done on the proposed Alpine site in Bovoni despite the fact that no lease had yet been granted.

“I contacted DPNR by phone and also made a formal complaint in writing,” Donastorg said. “I felt it was incredibly premature to work at the site and even cut roads without benefit of environmental study.”

Donastorg said that petroleum coke incinerators could have a devastating impact on our quality of life and environment.

“We must always be cognizant of the fact that we are the stewards of these islands and it is our job to protect them for our children and theirs,” he said. “I thank all those that took this matter seriously enough to make their voices heard.”

Tamika Thomas
Legislative Correspondent
28th Legislature

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Climate Goal Is Supported By China And India


By admin ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Civic responsability, Climate, Economy, Environment, Good Governance, History, Hot News, International, Journalism, Leadership, Morality, Natural Phenomenon, Politics, Science, Security, Technology, diplomacy, industry.

By JOHN M. BRODER

  March 9, 2010

WASHINGTON — China and India formally agreed Tuesday to join the international climate change agreement reached in December in Copenhagen, the last two major economies to sign up.

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Ajit Solanki/Associated Press

Factory smokestacks on the outskirts of Ahmadabad, India. A rapidly growing Asian economy has added to climate concerns.

The two countries, among the largest and fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, submitted letters to the United Nations agreeing to be included on a list of countries covered by the Copenhagen Accord, a three-page nonbinding statement reached at the end of the contentious and chaotic 10-day conference.

China and India join nearly 200 countries that have signed up under the accord, which calls for limiting the rise in global temperatures to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, beyond pre-industrial levels.

The agreement also calls for spending as much as $100 billion a year to help emerging countries adapt to climate change and develop low-carbon energy systems, to bring energy technology more quickly to the developing world and to take steps to protect tropical forests from destruction.

The 192 nations gathered at the Copenhagen climate meeting did not formally adopt the accord, but merely voted to “take note” of it. The inclusion of China and India has only a minor practical effect but will provide a boost for the agreement’s credibility.

“After careful consideration, India has agreed to such a listing,” Reuters quoted India’s environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, as telling Parliament on Tuesday. “We believe that our decision to be listed reflects the role India played in giving shape to the Copenhagen Accord. This will strengthen our negotiating position on climate change.”

Mr. Ramesh confirmed India’s action in an e-mail message.

India sent a letter on Monday to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the body responsible for international climate negotiations, stating its intent to join the Copenhagen Accord.

China’s chief climate change negotiator, Su Wei, submitted a single-sentence letter saying that the United Nations “can proceed to include China in the list of parties” signed up under the accord.

Todd Stern, who leads the American climate change negotiating team, said he was pleased to see China and India sign on. “The accord is a significant step forward, including important provisions on mitigation, funding, transparency, technology, forests and adaptation,” Mr. Stern said by e-mail.

Analysts who have studied the pledges find that they fall short of the overall goal of the agreement, but would make a substantial dent in the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet.

China has said it will try to voluntarily reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide per unit of economic growth — a measure known as “carbon intensity” — by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels. India set a domestic emissions intensity reduction target of 20 to 25 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels, excluding its agricultural sector.

The United States pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 17 percent by 2020 compared with 2005, contingent on Congress’s enacting climate change and energy legislation.

Negotiators are trying to write an enforceable global climate change treaty, but there is little expectation that such an agreement will be reached this year.

The European Union’s climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard of Denmark, said Tuesday that nations should now aim to reach an agreement in 2011 at a United Nations conference in South Africa, rather than this year in Mexico.

James Kanter contributed reporting from Brussels.

The New York Times, USA – March 9, 2010.

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TURKEY: Quake Kills 51 In Eastern Turkey


By admin ~ March 9th, 2010. Filed under: Civic responsability, History, Human Service, Humanitarian, International, National, Natural Disaster, Natural Phenomenon, Politics, Security.

 

Anatolia News Agency/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

People walked among the rubble of destroyed houses in Elazig province Turkey on Monday.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
 March 8, 2010

ISTANBUL — At least 51 people died when an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude struck early Monday in eastern Turkey, officials in the region said.

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The New York Times

 One village was largely destroyed and four others were heavily damaged, the officials said. A second quake with a 5.6 magnitude hit the same area, among scores of aftershocks.

According to Turkey’s Kandilli earthquake observatory, the epicenter of the quake, which struck three miles underground at 4:32 a.m. local time, was 61 miles from the town of Elazig.

“Our citizens lost their lives in five villages,” Muammer Erol, the town’s governor, told NTV, a private news broadcaster.

There were no people still trapped under debris by Monday night, after rescue operations that lasted for hours, Mr. Erol’s office later announced. Emergency officials put the number of injured at 34.

“The important thing is to train local construction workers on methods to build earthquake-resistant buildings without giving up locally available construction materials,” Miktad Kadioglu, professor of meteorology and head of the crisis management center at Istanbul Technical University, told NTV.

The New York Times, USA – March 8, 2010.

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U.N. Honors the 101 Who Served And Died In Haiti


By admin ~ March 9th, 2010. Filed under: Civic responsability, History, Human Service, Humanitarian, International, Journalism, Natural Disaster, Security, World Governance, diplomacy.

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

  March 9, 2010

UNITED NATIONS — It took nearly 15 minutes to read the full roll call of the dead, as a photograph of each person, with the years of their birth and death, flashed on a screen in the darkened hall. White candles flickered on a dais covered with white hydrangeas, orchids and lilies.

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Stan Honda/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Photographs of the United Nations employees killed in the Haiti earthquake were shown at a memorial service on Tuesday.

In a somber, secular memorial service on Tuesday, the United Nations honored its 101 employees who were killed eight weeks ago in the Haiti earthquake, the largest one-day toll in the organization’s history.

“In the midst of such suffering, the tragedy in Haiti did not spare those who had volunteered and had come from so many different countries to help the people and government of Haiti,” Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya, the president of the General Assembly, said during his eulogy.

Scores of relatives, friends and colleagues attended the hourlong ceremony. Among those who were killed was the head of the mission, Hedi Annabi, a 30-year veteran of the United Nations, as well as Luiz Carlos da Costa, his deputy. Brazil suffered the single greatest loss, which included 18 security workers in the peacekeeping mission.

The employees came from about 30 countries. The majority of them died in the Christopher Hotel, the headquarters of the peacekeeping mission, and they came from all levels of the organization, including drivers, election experts, interpreters and 7 of the mission’s 10 political officers.

“At the United Nations we don’t simply share office space, we share a passion for a better world,” said Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general, noting that many of those killed had crisscrossed the globe to work at missions from Congo to East Timor.

“Now we cannot forget the last e-mail, the last conversation, the last meal together,” said Mr. Ban, who paused to take off his glasses and wipe away tears during his eulogy.

The previous largest one-day toll for the organization was more than 40 peacekeepers who were killed in an airplane crash in 1961 in what is now known as Congo.

Marc-Andre Franche lost his fiancée, Alexandra Duguay, 31, in the Christopher Hotel. Ms. Duguay, who like Mr. Franche was Canadian, had worked in the documents center at United Nations headquarters, where she was known for her joie de vivre; she once rented a navy blue gown for the annual correspondents’ ball and because it was a three-day minimal rental, she sashayed around in the gown for the next two nights.

She transferred to Haiti a few months ago to be with Mr. Franche, and she rapidly learned Creole and took on projects like creating colorful street signs for her Port-au-Prince neighborhood. “We felt that we needed to challenge ourselves; we wanted to go someplace where we could more directly make a difference,” Mr. Franche said in an interview. “She did not want to lose a minute.”

United Nations staff members had joked grimly among themselves about the dubious safety features of the Christopher Hotel, like the rope ladder in Ms. Duguay’s office to be used in case of fire. “We knew that the building was inadequate,” said Mr. Franche, a program analyst for the United Nations Development Program. But no one really contemplated an earthquake.

United Nations officials have never fully explained whether the building had been inspected with an earthquake in mind.

Gregory Grene, a founder of a New York Celtic-rock band called the Prodigals, has set up a foundation to support education in Haiti in memory of his twin brother, Andrew, 44, who was an aide to Mr. Annabi, the head of mission.

Andrew had arrived in Haiti in the period after the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a time when continuing violence meant he had to wear a flak jacket and bullets occasionally pinged off the sides of his vehicle. He never spoke of this with his twin, who found out about the violence only when he read a newspaper interview. The brothers hold joint American and Irish citizenship.

Gregory Grene noted that his brother, after first writing speeches for Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in the 1990s, eventually began serving in one peacekeeping mission after another. Andrew Grene recognized both the perils and the pluses of his assignments.

“He was a true idealist, an unshakable idealist, but more effective than idealists usually are, because he was never blind to the realities of a situation,” Gregory Grene.

The New York Times, USA- March 9, 2010.

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V.I.DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Press Release: March 9, 2010.


By admin ~ March 9th, 2010. Filed under: History, Judiciary, Law Enfrocement, Local, Security, Uncategorized.

MAN CONVICTED OF JOUVERT STABBING

A twelve person jury returned a verdict of “guilty” Tuesday, March 09, 2010 against Rudette Christopher, also known as “Chris.”

Chris stands convicted of one count of assault in the third degree and one count of using a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence.

Prosecutors were able to prove to a jury that on Thursday April 30, 2009 Christopher stabbed the victim, Curtis John-Jules, also known as “Father,” at least once in the chest using an ice pick.

The incident occurred on Hospital Gade shortly after a physical altercation between the two men in the St. Thomas Carnival Village following the Jouvert Parade.

Christopher faces a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars and a fine of $13,000.

Sara Lezama

Public Information Officer

V.I. Dept. of  Justice

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