Amstel Curacao Race: Tropical Cycling Event
The 8th Amstel Curacao Race will take place on November 7, 2009. Many cycling champions have been invited to compete in this 80 kilometer long, last race of the season and to enjoy their holidays on the beautiful island of Curacao.
As usual the race is not only for professionals, recreational cyclists get a chance to compete with professionals. Besides the race many other activities will take place such as concerts and a great after party, water games and a
beach volleyball tournament. The famous participants are sure to attract many extra visitors to the island.
For more information:
www.amstelcuracaorace.com
102 Turtles were born on Blue Bay Beach!
On October 6, 2009 one hundred and two turtles were born on Blue Bay Beach.
The photo with the index finger shows just how small they were. They all seemed
healthy and crawled towards the water together. Unfortunately they have not
been seen since. One turtle had been spotted in the bay for months, not afraid of
people the turtle would arrive each afternoon and swim around for about 15 minutes
before it disappeared again. We hope that some of the newborns will also
return tot the bay at some occasion
Source: NEWSLETTER October 2009, issue 9 TRIPLE TREE RESORT www.realestate.an
Paradise Curacao Island winner
Bingo Las Vegas Casino bid farewell to the winner of their Frequent Player Points program for the month of September. Mark C. along with his companion Francesca S. from Birmingham, England wrapped up a 3 day all expense-paid trip to the Paradise Island of Curacao, at the 5 star hotel Renaissance Curacao Hotel and Casino.
Courtesy of Bingo Las Vegas Casino, Mark and Francesca enjoyed all the pleasures of this beautiful island, including a Helicopter ride and touring the island on jet skis and motorcycles. Mark also received a VIP Casino Card worth $200.00 to play with at the Renaissance Curacao Hotel and Casino. All that Mark did to win was collect the most Frequent Player Points for the month.
Don’t worry all you loyal Online Casino Players about missing your chance; Bingo Las Vegas Casino picks a new winner every month. They offer the most unique loyalty program in the industry that truly rewards players with real cash and Prizes. Just ask Mark and Francesca, who returned to England pleased, and they will tell you “At Bingo Las Vegas Casino they bring the excitement of Vegas to your room, and you to Paradise”
Plan B or not, new countries must comply with conditions
THE HAGUE–It is an issue that the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber keeps coming back to: St. Maarten cannot attain country status before it has complied with all conditions. Members of Parliament’s Permanent Committee on Antillean and Aruban Affairs NAAZ don’t seem too enthusiastic about State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten’s Plan B.
Parliament wondered, during Thursday’s meeting, whether the proposed General Acts of Kingdom Government (Algemene Maatregelen van Rijksbestuur AMvR), for federal tasks that would not be ready to be assumed by new Countries Curaçao and St. Maarten in October next year, were the famous Plan B.
Bijleveld-Schouten confirmed on Thursday that Plan B involved the General Acts of Kingdom Government, designed to regulate tasks that are not ready for execution by Countries Curaçao and St. Maarten at the moment of dismantling the Netherlands Antilles. This means that Curaçao and St. Maarten can attain country status before they have taken over all tasks of the Country the Netherlands Antilles.
And that is exactly what Dutch Parliament doesn’t want, especially not for St. Maarten. Christian Democratic Party CDA Member of Parliament (MP) Bas Jan van Bochove reminded Bijleveld-Schouten of the motion of October 2008, supported by the majority in Parliament, which urged the Dutch Government to hold off on country status for St. Maarten until after the island had complied with the conditions of adequate maintenance of law and order and administration of law.
In the last minutes of Thursday’s meeting, Bijleveld-Schouten explained how the General Acts of Kingdom Government would work. She said a committee would monitor the progress and joint plans of approach would be drawn up. The Kingdom Council of Ministers would have the last say.
According to the State Secretary, this Plan B would be better than arranging the tasks that were not ready through the Governor, because it would be more effective, and the Kingdom Government would have a better grip on the matter. MP Johan Remkes of the liberal democratic VVD party sought clarity on the committee that would monitor the process. “What kind of animal is that?” He said that the State Secretary seemed to be “sinking deeper and deeper into the swamp.”
Due to time constraints, MPs didn’t have a chance to finish the discussion with the State Secretary on this issue, so it was decided to continue the debate on October 28, after the autumn recess.
Members of the NAAZ committee expressed their doubts about the date 10-10-10, when Curaçao and St. Maarten would become countries, and Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES islands) would be integrated into the Netherlands as “public entities.”
MP Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party, the biggest opposition party, said Bijleveld-Schouten was “drumming” on the date. “We all know that this date is not feasible. Why does the State Secretary keep organising disappointments? I understand this numerical poetry, but in the past these dates proved unfeasible. And that will happen again this time,” he said.
Johan Remkes compared the dismantling and the realisation of new statuses to an unfinished house. “When you build a house, you get a contractor and you decide on a date when the house should be finished. I am under the impression that the State Secretary has agreed to a completion of a house without a roof, doors or windows. The Final Declaration (of November 2006, -Ed.) clearly stated that everything had to be in order before country status could be attained,” he said.
MPs Bas Jan van Bochove (CDA) and Pierre Heijnen of Labour Party PvdA also didn’t seem too confident about the 10-10-10 deadline. MP Hero Brinkman of Party for Freedom PVV was the only one daring enough to mention a “more realistic” date. “Let’s forget 10-10-10 and make it 12-12-12,” he said.
MP Ineke van Gent of green left party GroenLinks said she was getting a “headache” from the process of constitutional reform. “The support is dwindling with each debate. We are in a downward spiral. GroenLinks wants to stick to 10-10-10, but we also agree that partners have to stick to the conditions that were agreed to,” she said.
Bijleveld-Schouten said she was “happy” that a date had been set. “Now everyone knows what they are up to, and parties can work towards that goal,” she said. She warned however that the date could only become a reality if the countries Curaçao and St. Maarten had their affairs completely in order. “We [will] stick to the agreement and we will check if they comply with all conditions,” she said.
Source: thedailyherald.com
Valero Energy Corp. has decided to close the company’s refinery in Aruba
Valero Energy Corp. has decided to close the company’s refinery in Aruba indefinitely because of unfavorable market conditions, a Valero spokesman said Wednesday.
The San Antonio-based refiner said in June it would close the Aruba plant for two to three months because the plant wasn’t profitable, and the plant stopped production in mid-July.
“It’s clear now that conditions have not improved any, and we don’t see any significant improvement in the near future,” Valero spokesman Bill Day said. “So the outage will be extended indefinitely.”
Employees at the plant, located on a Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, were told of Valero’s decision Wednesday.
Several hundred contract workers will be let go over the next two to three weeks, but about 780 Valero employees will keep their jobs, Day said. The employees will perform maintenance and receive training, he said.
The refinery has been losing tens of millions of dollars a month, Day said.
Demand for fuel is in a slump because of the troubled global economy, and the heavy crude oils the Aruba facility can process now are more costly to acquire. Those conditions have slammed the plant’s profitability.
When the plant was shuttered in June, Valero put it in “hot mothball” status, keeping key units powered up so the refinery could be re-started in a relatively short period of time. Now the plant is going to “cold shutdown” mode.
The plant’s status will be reviewed from time to time, “but we’re not setting a timetable for ourselves” to restart it, Day said.
Valero has had the refinery on the auction block since November 2007, but no buyer has emerged.
Source: mysanantonio.com
St. Martin: DAVID EUSTACE SHOT DEAD AT ENTRANCE OF CASA BLANCA
St. Maarten has recorded another murder, this time on the Dutch side of the island in the vicinity of Casa Blanca Adult Entertainment club. David Eustace (41) is the son of Carmen Priest and proprietor of Casa Blanca was shot shortly before 4pm at the entrance of the business place. On the scene was his mother who waited until the undertakers removed the body from the scene.
According to information reaching SMN News, Eustace was shot on the right side of his abdomen with a shot gun. He was shot three times at point blank range from the passenger side of the Chevy bus. The shooting it is alleged seems more like a hit and not any type of robbery. Eustace was driving a bus which had one of his close friends Leroy Richardson (Sweet Leroy) inside the bus when they left Casa Blanca. Police found at least four spent shells belonging to a shot gun on the scene.
This media house has been reliably informed that a green Samurai soft top jeep with either two occupants was in the immedate area of the adult entertainment club. The number plate on the vehicle it is understood was covered with a piece of cloth while the shooters remained unmasked.
SMN News further learnt that the occupants of the jeep stopped Eustace as he was leaving the club. Eustace it is said stopped and the shooter approached the driver side then he walked over to the passenger side of the bus, opened the door and told Sweet Leroy to bend down (duck down) and proceed to shoot Eustace in his abdomen. The vehicle continued moving and ended up in a nearby trench. The businessman died on the spot.
Police is baffled with a number of things which to them does not seem right. One of those things is why Sweet Leroy who was accompanying Eustace to see a lawyer was seated in the back of the bus, while the passenger seat remained vacant. The gunman shot Eustace from the passenger side of the bus.
According to several persons on the scene Sweet Leroy got off the bus when it stopped and began running towards the hills, back to Casa Blanca. It is not clear why the shooters did not interfere or hurt Sweet Leroy an eyewitnesses to the broad daylight murder. Leroy Richardson (Sweet Leroy) was invited to the police station where a statement was taken from him as the main eyewitness.
SMN News learnt that Sweet Leroy was taken to the St. Maarten Medical Center sometime in the evening as he took in ill due to the shock of witnessing his friend’s murder. It is understood that after Richardson received his treatment after which police went with him to an undisclosed location to further question him.
SMN News has learnt that the victim is indebted to a number of persons. SMN News further learnt that Eustace owed at least one businessman over $20,000 while he has monies for other people. The souce said police is trying to figure out if the killing is linked to Eustace’s financial problems.
On September 9 2009, Eustace filed a petition against Carolina Bar with the Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards and Assistant Commissioner of Police Ademar Doran. In his petition he stated that Carolina Bar was operating illegally as a house of prostitution. The petition filed is based on the sex industry policy of 2003. Eustace also included in his petition that the Seamans Club relocated illegally.
Police is busy investigating the killing and the motive of the execution style murder. David Eustace is also known as David Priest in the community of St. Maarten.
In the meantime, this is the third murder for the week, two of the killings took place on the French side of the island.
SMN News also learnt the gendarmes are busy investigating another shooting which took place on Thursday night in Colombier. It is understood that some Haitians had an argument and gun shots were fired. It is not clear if anyone was injured in this incident.
Source: smn-news.com