Columns

With the departure of HE The Governor Alan Huckle for the Falklands, Deputy Governor Mark Capes has been charged with the post of Acting Governor until the arrival of Andrew George in mid July. Mr. Capes has served Anguilla as Deputy Governor since 2002 and now finds himself at the end of his four year term. At the end of August, he will leave Anguilla to take up his new post as Deputy Governor of Bermuda.

By: Peter Vasilis

What do you think is the number one killer of people in Anguilla? You may guess cancer, heart disease or diabetes. These would all be good guesses. However, there is one “disease” that is deadlier than those fatal diseases combined!

It is common knowledge that positive programs have positive outcomes in the lives of individuals and more specifically youth, as they are invariably impressionable. For that reason, in most places, there is a multitude of options for youth to become involved with clubs, organizations or programs so that they too can benefit from new knowledge, experiences, triumphs, failures and camaraderie with their peers.

Despite the many random acts of violence and all the hype about Youth Crime in Anguilla, I find it interesting and curious that religion is hardly mentioned as a possible remedy or panacea for crime. Broadly speaking, religion provides a compass for moral and social behaviour.

By: James R. Harrigan

Now that the ball is rolling afresh with regard to discussing issues that would comprise the frame for Anguilla’s revised constitution, it would be prudent for the residents of this island to really open their eyes and ears and be aware of the “rights” and “laws” which the constitution would seek to address. Naturally, it would be insightful to follow any debate relative to the civic issues that concern us as a people.

By: James R. Harrigan

Here of late, we as a nation have experienced profound awe with regard to the mysterious murders of a few young men, as well as cases of stealthy theft and fierce robbery at the hands of those who are bent towards evil doings.

Last week the General Synod of the Church of England acknowledged its complicity in the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (TST) and voted unanimously to apologise to the descendants of the enslaved Africans, after hearing that “the Church had run a slave plantation in the West Indies and that individual bishops had owned hundreds of slaves.”

Chronic pelvic pain is a common problem and presents major challenges to the health care provider. In many cases there is no clear cause for the chronic pain making it difficult to cure or manage. It is estimated that approximately 15 to 20% of women aged 18-50 years have chronic pelvic pain of longer than one year’s duration.

My colleague at work likes to remind me that common sense is not common but since I am a non-economist about to comment on economic ideologies, I hope I can at least float on the buoy of common sense since I cannot swim and really do not want to sink either.

As I listened to the radio address by the Commissioner of Police on the occasion of Police Week 2006, I thought for the one thousandth time about how we could join forces to turnaround the trend of violence and especially gun violence among our young people.  As a Rastafarian and a Development Worker I have had close encounters with members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force from all sides of the law. 

Cirrhosis is a leading cause of death in Anguilla. The majority of cases are related to excessive alcohol use. Cirrhosis can cause a heavy toll to individuals, their family and the community, as a whole, in terms of human suffering, hospital costs and loss of time from work.

As Anguilla struggles to find the most effective responses to violence among young people, I take this opportunity to publicly thank the Anguilla Community Foundation for its recent donation to the Anguilla Stingray Music Programme. Your continued contributions to the Foundation will enable other worthwhile programmes to be funded.

Heart failure is a common cause of many residents of Anguilla being patients in the hospital. Heart failure causes a variety of clinical findings some of which can be fatal if not treated.

I spent part of Christmas Day flipping through the pages of the punishment record of the old East End Primary School for the period 1924 to 1931. It was time well spent because I was able to get a better appreciation of the nature of the discipline in our schools and Anguillian society back then – and of the kinds of efforts which were put into the moulding of a peaceful and law-abiding society.

Watch out for the big-time thief who claim say that dem smart
Stop bringing the crack and the gun to mash up the youth them heart,
Earth a Run Red
Ten-year-old a look dem owna tea bread
I hear a next youth dead yeah.
Earth A Run Red…

The process of money laundering has been around for centuries, as criminals have always been faced with the problem of what to do with their ill-gotten gains.

By James R. Harrigan

Any social issue discussed now, other than the spate of recent gun related incidents that have overwhelmed us a few days ago, may seem pale by comparison. Surely, our society is becoming of age as far as violent misbehaviour is concerned, and it would behove every sensible citizen to crave more faith and wisdom to be enabled to live in a community which would be otherwise stricken by fear and undue apprehension.

One measure of the success of education and training includes the levels of reflection generated by new material and the application of knowledge to enhance one’s quality of living.

The beginning of a new year is a time when many individuals make resolutions to make lifestyle changes to improve their health. As with many New Year resolutions many individuals do not make the commitment to make long term changes that are crucial if they intend to improve their health.

She didn’t like Christmas. She didn’t like the way her mother emphasized the real meaning of Christmas and the importance of going to church just as a way of covering up how poor they were.