June 25, 2003 – Seaborne Airlines has expanded inter-island service again effective this week, adding two round-trip flights a day between St. Croix and St. Thomas.
That brings the daily schedule between Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie to "17 flights each way every day except Fridays, when there will be 19," Omer ErSelcuk, Seaborne's chief marketing officer, said. Additionally, he noted, there are two round-trip flights between Frederiksted and Charlotte Amalie each day.
That adds up to 135 round trips per week between the two islands, 14 of them serving Frederiksted, where service was inaugurated in mid-May.
The additional flights "will help us better address supply with demand," ErSelcuk said.
Meantime, in order to carry out annual maintenance inspections of all of the seaplanes, Seaborne has temporarily suspended a few flights, he said. These "were the ones we normally added for Friday, Saturday and Sunday — and sometimes when demand warranted it during the week," he said. "When we add back flights after the completion of the maintenance checks, average flights per week will increase to 300-plus," or more than 150 round trips.
"Because June is maintenance month at Seaborne, we individually remove aircraft from service for a longer period of time than normal to conduct in-depth inspections at our Christiansted maintenance facility," ErSelcuk said. "As each aircraft is taken out of rotation, we have less flexibility to add to our normal schedule when demand warrants it on busy days like Friday. We are aware that over the past few weeks, some of our customers are not getting the flights they want, and we apologize for the inconvenience."
The annual inspections should be completed "by early to mid July, allowing us to add flights on busy Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons," he said. "When these flights are added, including Frederiksted, we'll have more flights between St. Thomas and St. Croix than ever before."
What's more, he said, Seaborne will "get additional capacity early this fall when we expect to add new aircraft" to the fleet.
According to ErSelcuk, Seaborne has been pleased by the response so far to the service connecting Frederiksted with St. Thomas. "Loads have averaged around 70 percent," he said. And, he added, when the airline adds service in the fall, it will "most likely" include a third, mid-day trip to and from Frederiksted.
Seaborne, one of the world's largest seaplane airlines, carries more than 100,000 passengers annually. Locally owned and operated, the company employs more than 100 persons in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and offers more than 50 flights a day serving Christiansted, Frederiksted, Charlotte Amalie and Old San Juan.
To see flight schedules and to book reservations online, visit the Seaborne Airlines Web site. Reservations also may be made by calling toll-free (888) FLY-TOUR / 359-8687, or locally by calling 773-6442 between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday or between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
RICHARDS MISSES 2ND TOURISM INDUSTRY MEETING
June 25, 2003 – For the second time in nine months, Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards has failed to attend a major Caribbean tourism industry conference where she was scheduled to be a participant.
The first was last October's annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference.
The second was the Caribbean Hotel Association's annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference this week in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.
Responding to an article in The V.I. Daily News about her absence at Punta Cana, where she was scheduled to participate Tuesday in a panel discussion on airlift, Richards called the "Topp Talk" show on WVWI Radio on Wednesday morning to defend her absence.
Richards said she had not been able to get her travel approved by Government House. All travel must be approved by the governor. She said she stayed in her office until 6:30 p.m. Friday awaiting an answer to the travel request and that she told conference officials that if they did not hear from her, she would not be attending the meeting, which. ran from Sunday through Wednesday.
However, travel was approved for a member of her staff. According to the published report, Rick Carrington, the Tourism Department St. Croix bureau manager, attended the conference.
Richards acknowledged on the talk show that a Tourism representative was at Punta Cana. She did not explain how his travel had been approved, while hers was not. "I must follow the rules I work under," she said, adding: "I will get my report when my Tourism official returns."
Downplaying her absence, Richard said on the broadcast that "my participation wouldn't make or break the conference. It wasn't a keynote speech; I was to participate on a panel." She also said her staff member "wasn't invited to speak on the panel."
Later, in a telephone interview with the Source, Richards said she doesn't know why her travel was not approved and her employee's was. "That's not something I can answer," she said. "I don't sign them" — the travel vouchers. She had no comment as to whether Gov. Charles W. Turnbull considered the conference to be important.
She did say that she was "surprised the issue of cruise lines should have been so dominant at a hotel conference." She said she had been asked to talk about airlift, and that she had no knowledge the cruise lines would have representatives there.
The Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference program posted on the CHA CHIC Web site lists among four workshops on the schedule:
– "By Land or By Sea (or both!)," described as a discussion of what the cruise industry brings to and takes away from land-based tourism in the Caribbean. The schedule notes that this discussion "will be the basis for developing the CHA Cruise Policy."
The other CHIC workshops dealt with:
– Capitalizing on the trend toward direct-to-consumer online marketing and sales.
– Developing a mandate of priority the tourism sector would like to see applied by the public sector.
– Best practices of resource development, including securing public-sector support, attracting foreign and local investment opportunities and improving product branding.
Referring to another V.I. Daily News report, about references at the conference to the pullout of cruise lines from St. Croix last year, Richards said she doesn't know why nobody at the meeting remarked on the recent visit of a ship to St. Croix. "We just had a Royal Caribbean ship visit, and no one commented on that," she said. Asked about allegations in the published report about crime on St. Croix, she said she had not read the newspaper.
Richards said she is planning to attend the annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference in the fall. In preparation for that gathering, she said, she and her staff will meet "within the next week" with officials of the Port Authority (whose board she chairs by virtue of being Tourism commissioner), The West Indian Co. and the Economic Development Authority. She said that on Tuesday she was attending VIPA meetings.
Richards missed the 2002 F-CCA conference last October in Cancun. There, too, she was to be a panel speaker. She opted to return home from a Tampa meeting she had attended prior to the conference because of the approach toward the territory of Tropical Storm Lili. (See "Richards says Lili led her to skip conference".)
At that week-long F-CCA conference, Richards was scheduled to participate in a panel discussing cruise ship "conversion" programs, which refers to turning cruise visitors into returning overnight hotel guests. She said at the time that the panel could go on without her since there were five other members.
Wednesday' published reports about the CHIC said it was damning of St. Croix. Cruise ship officials — particularly Giora Israel, a Carnival Corp. vice president — "reminded a room full of Caribbean hoteliers that Carnival pulled its ships out of St. Croix more than a year ago because of continued criminal attacks on passengers and crew," according to one account.
In April 2002, Carnival announced it was canceling 52 calls at St. Croix by the Triumph and the Victory for the 2002-03 season. Two other cruise lines followed suit. (See "Of shoes and ships and crime and punishment".) In May 2002, Norwegian Cruise Line announced it was dropping eight scheduled calls to the island. A month later came word that Holland America had canceled plans for its new ship, the Zuiderdam, to call 43 times at St. Croix, from November 2002 through December of 2003. Carnival cited crime as a reason; all three cited lack of demand.
For the 2000-01 season — as calculated from October through June — St. Croix recorded 154 cruise ship calls. For the 2001-02 season, the number slid to about 103, mainly because Holland America dropped the island from its itinerary.
This past winter season, Celebrity Cruises' Constellation was the only major cruise ship scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix, with 21 visits scheduled. However, Celebrity announced last December that it was reducing the visits to 17, making the ship's last call on March 9 instead of continuing into April. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises.
For the 2003 summer season, May 1 through Sept. 30, no ships are scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix. There has been no announcement of whether the Constellation will return for the winter. So far, repeated talks involving cruise lines, the St. Croix hospitality industry and V.I. government officials have failed to entice any ships back.
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The first was last October's annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference.
The second was the Caribbean Hotel Association's annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference this week in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.
Responding to an article in The V.I. Daily News about her absence at Punta Cana, where she was scheduled to participate Tuesday in a panel discussion on airlift, Richards called the "Topp Talk" show on WVWI Radio on Wednesday morning to defend her absence.
Richards said she had not been able to get her travel approved by Government House. All travel must be approved by the governor. She said she stayed in her office until 6:30 p.m. Friday awaiting an answer to the travel request and that she told conference officials that if they did not hear from her, she would not be attending the meeting, which. ran from Sunday through Wednesday.
However, travel was approved for a member of her staff. According to the published report, Rick Carrington, the Tourism Department St. Croix bureau manager, attended the conference.
Richards acknowledged on the talk show that a Tourism representative was at Punta Cana. She did not explain how his travel had been approved, while hers was not. "I must follow the rules I work under," she said, adding: "I will get my report when my Tourism official returns."
Downplaying her absence, Richard said on the broadcast that "my participation wouldn't make or break the conference. It wasn't a keynote speech; I was to participate on a panel." She also said her staff member "wasn't invited to speak on the panel."
Later, in a telephone interview with the Source, Richards said she doesn't know why her travel was not approved and her employee's was. "That's not something I can answer," she said. "I don't sign them" — the travel vouchers. She had no comment as to whether Gov. Charles W. Turnbull considered the conference to be important.
She did say that she was "surprised the issue of cruise lines should have been so dominant at a hotel conference." She said she had been asked to talk about airlift, and that she had no knowledge the cruise lines would have representatives there.
The Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference program posted on the CHA CHIC Web site lists among four workshops on the schedule:
– "By Land or By Sea (or both!)," described as a discussion of what the cruise industry brings to and takes away from land-based tourism in the Caribbean. The schedule notes that this discussion "will be the basis for developing the CHA Cruise Policy."
The other CHIC workshops dealt with:
– Capitalizing on the trend toward direct-to-consumer online marketing and sales.
– Developing a mandate of priority the tourism sector would like to see applied by the public sector.
– Best practices of resource development, including securing public-sector support, attracting foreign and local investment opportunities and improving product branding.
Referring to another V.I. Daily News report, about references at the conference to the pullout of cruise lines from St. Croix last year, Richards said she doesn't know why nobody at the meeting remarked on the recent visit of a ship to St. Croix. "We just had a Royal Caribbean ship visit, and no one commented on that," she said. Asked about allegations in the published report about crime on St. Croix, she said she had not read the newspaper.
Richards said she is planning to attend the annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference in the fall. In preparation for that gathering, she said, she and her staff will meet "within the next week" with officials of the Port Authority (whose board she chairs by virtue of being Tourism commissioner), The West Indian Co. and the Economic Development Authority. She said that on Tuesday she was attending VIPA meetings.
Richards missed the 2002 F-CCA conference last October in Cancun. There, too, she was to be a panel speaker. She opted to return home from a Tampa meeting she had attended prior to the conference because of the approach toward the territory of Tropical Storm Lili. (See "Richards says Lili led her to skip conference".)
At that week-long F-CCA conference, Richards was scheduled to participate in a panel discussing cruise ship "conversion" programs, which refers to turning cruise visitors into returning overnight hotel guests. She said at the time that the panel could go on without her since there were five other members.
Wednesday' published reports about the CHIC said it was damning of St. Croix. Cruise ship officials — particularly Giora Israel, a Carnival Corp. vice president — "reminded a room full of Caribbean hoteliers that Carnival pulled its ships out of St. Croix more than a year ago because of continued criminal attacks on passengers and crew," according to one account.
In April 2002, Carnival announced it was canceling 52 calls at St. Croix by the Triumph and the Victory for the 2002-03 season. Two other cruise lines followed suit. (See "Of shoes and ships and crime and punishment".) In May 2002, Norwegian Cruise Line announced it was dropping eight scheduled calls to the island. A month later came word that Holland America had canceled plans for its new ship, the Zuiderdam, to call 43 times at St. Croix, from November 2002 through December of 2003. Carnival cited crime as a reason; all three cited lack of demand.
For the 2000-01 season — as calculated from October through June — St. Croix recorded 154 cruise ship calls. For the 2001-02 season, the number slid to about 103, mainly because Holland America dropped the island from its itinerary.
This past winter season, Celebrity Cruises' Constellation was the only major cruise ship scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix, with 21 visits scheduled. However, Celebrity announced last December that it was reducing the visits to 17, making the ship's last call on March 9 instead of continuing into April. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises.
For the 2003 summer season, May 1 through Sept. 30, no ships are scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix. There has been no announcement of whether the Constellation will return for the winter. So far, repeated talks involving cruise lines, the St. Croix hospitality industry and V.I. government officials have failed to entice any ships back.
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OPPONENTS SAY 'TWO CENTS' TAX NOT WORTH IT
June 25, 2003 – "Wicked" is what St. Croix businessman Noel Loftus called the two-cents-a-pound "environmental fee" passed last week by the Legislature.
"We're talking about bureaucracy, ineptness and no public hearings," Loftus said.
The Senate approved the measure — which the governor had proposed as a "tax" but the lawmakers chose to rename a "fee" — as a way to generate revenue for the cash-strapped territory.
Whipping off figures, Loftus said he calculates that the tax would increase the cost of groceries for a family by about $500 to $600 a year. "Milk will go up by 16 cents a gallon," he said.
The St. Croix Environmental Association's executive director, Bill Turner, called the measure a tax against the poor. "The person who is buying macaroni and cheese is really getting pounded," he said.
While grocery costs will rise because businesses paying the tax will pass the expense on to customers, the construction industry will take a bigger hit.
Cement, steel, lumber and sheetrock are exempt from the tax, but many other materials go into building a home. However, Colette Monroe, chief researcher for Sen. Louis P. Hill, said that sand and gravel are also exempt, although they do not appear on the list of exemptions in the bill.
Loftus estimates the tax would add $40,000 to $50,000 to the price of a home on St. Croix, which has the lowest building costs in the territory. And he predicted that his business, the Floor Specialist, will close within a year because people will shop for their floor tiles in Puerto Rico or on the mainland to avoid the tax.
He also predicted that two out of the three concrete companies on St. Croix will be out of business by year's end if Gov. Charles W. Turnbull allows the bill to become law.
Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who voted against the bill, said it was not well thought out and would hurt the very people the senators are supposed to protect. He said if there is a move to repeal the tax, he will join in.
Turner is upset that while the measure is pegged as an "environmental tax," the money will go into the General Fund. The bill calls for the money to go to the V.I. Waste Management Authority once such an entity is established. Turnbull has been trying from early in his first term to get the Legislature to approve the creation of such an authority.
Turner thinks it's more like if a Waste Management Authority is established than when. And should the authority come into existence, he said, it would only be another layer of bureaucracy.
He said the "environmental fee" does not distinguish between enterprises that add to the waste stream and those that do not. He said that lumber, which will be heavily taxed because of its weight, will last for 30 years when used in a house. However, candy bars, which will have only a minuscule tax, have wrappers that end up almost immediately in the landfill.
Monroe said that the tax is fair to all. "There's no other option, and this is a fair deal," she said. She said if residents had to pay tipping fees to get rid of their waste, it would cost them more. And this way, tourists will pay part of the cost since they buy things like candy bars.
She said the tax on potato chips will run $.0001 — that's one-hundredth of a cent — per bag.
According to the bill, the Internal Revenue Bureau will collect the tax.
"I assume it will be a small line on an excise form or a line on somebody's form," Monroe said.
Loftus said that shippers will be burdened because containers often come packed with both business and personal goods. They will then have to sort the goods so they know which ones must be taxed.
The bill has not yet been sent to Government House for Gov. Charles Turnbull's action. He has 10 days after it arrives to approve it, veto it in whole or in part, or let it become law without his signature.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
"We're talking about bureaucracy, ineptness and no public hearings," Loftus said.
The Senate approved the measure — which the governor had proposed as a "tax" but the lawmakers chose to rename a "fee" — as a way to generate revenue for the cash-strapped territory.
Whipping off figures, Loftus said he calculates that the tax would increase the cost of groceries for a family by about $500 to $600 a year. "Milk will go up by 16 cents a gallon," he said.
The St. Croix Environmental Association's executive director, Bill Turner, called the measure a tax against the poor. "The person who is buying macaroni and cheese is really getting pounded," he said.
While grocery costs will rise because businesses paying the tax will pass the expense on to customers, the construction industry will take a bigger hit.
Cement, steel, lumber and sheetrock are exempt from the tax, but many other materials go into building a home. However, Colette Monroe, chief researcher for Sen. Louis P. Hill, said that sand and gravel are also exempt, although they do not appear on the list of exemptions in the bill.
Loftus estimates the tax would add $40,000 to $50,000 to the price of a home on St. Croix, which has the lowest building costs in the territory. And he predicted that his business, the Floor Specialist, will close within a year because people will shop for their floor tiles in Puerto Rico or on the mainland to avoid the tax.
He also predicted that two out of the three concrete companies on St. Croix will be out of business by year's end if Gov. Charles W. Turnbull allows the bill to become law.
Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who voted against the bill, said it was not well thought out and would hurt the very people the senators are supposed to protect. He said if there is a move to repeal the tax, he will join in.
Turner is upset that while the measure is pegged as an "environmental tax," the money will go into the General Fund. The bill calls for the money to go to the V.I. Waste Management Authority once such an entity is established. Turnbull has been trying from early in his first term to get the Legislature to approve the creation of such an authority.
Turner thinks it's more like if a Waste Management Authority is established than when. And should the authority come into existence, he said, it would only be another layer of bureaucracy.
He said the "environmental fee" does not distinguish between enterprises that add to the waste stream and those that do not. He said that lumber, which will be heavily taxed because of its weight, will last for 30 years when used in a house. However, candy bars, which will have only a minuscule tax, have wrappers that end up almost immediately in the landfill.
Monroe said that the tax is fair to all. "There's no other option, and this is a fair deal," she said. She said if residents had to pay tipping fees to get rid of their waste, it would cost them more. And this way, tourists will pay part of the cost since they buy things like candy bars.
She said the tax on potato chips will run $.0001 — that's one-hundredth of a cent — per bag.
According to the bill, the Internal Revenue Bureau will collect the tax.
"I assume it will be a small line on an excise form or a line on somebody's form," Monroe said.
Loftus said that shippers will be burdened because containers often come packed with both business and personal goods. They will then have to sort the goods so they know which ones must be taxed.
The bill has not yet been sent to Government House for Gov. Charles Turnbull's action. He has 10 days after it arrives to approve it, veto it in whole or in part, or let it become law without his signature.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
FREIGHTERS DETAINED BECAUSE OF LICENSE ISSUES
June 25, 2003 – Coast Guard officials in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have temporarily detained a number of small foreign cargo ships in recent weeks after finding that their captains did not have proper licenses.
Lt. John Reinert, the Coast Guard commanding officer on St. Thomas, said on Tuesday that his unit and others were notified by Miami headquarters three weeks ago that some ships' masters were operating in U.S. waters with mariner licenses valid only for their local waters.
Since then, he said, half a dozen vessels have been detained in V.I. waters and four more have been stopped by Coast Guard officials off Puerto Rico.
"These are small cargo vessels," Reinert said. "I believe the tonnage regulation is under 300 gross tons … They are foreign-flagged vessels carrying anything and everything. I kind of describe them as the UPS of the vessel fleet."
The detentions have been brief, he said, with all of the freighters released after Coast Guard officials contacted their owners or home offices to say that if the freighters return to U.S. waters, they must be under the command of a master holding proper credentials.
"Under the International Maritime Organization, certain countries can give valid licenses that are recognized throughout the organization, the United States being one," Reinert said. To be allowed to issue such licenses, he said, "countries have to meet certain requirements that are across-the-board equal for safety at sea for these mariners and their vessels."
The problem, he said, is "that there are certain countries that are not supposed to be giving licenses to mariners for international voyages. They can give licenses for their own waters, but for international voyages they have to meet the requirement of the IMO."
Reinert did not say where the vessels that have been detained are registered.
He said officials in Miami, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have been advised to monitor Caribbean cargo vessels and their operators for compliance. The Coast Guard will continue to check the licenses of masters coming into V.I. waters from foreign ports, he said.
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Lt. John Reinert, the Coast Guard commanding officer on St. Thomas, said on Tuesday that his unit and others were notified by Miami headquarters three weeks ago that some ships' masters were operating in U.S. waters with mariner licenses valid only for their local waters.
Since then, he said, half a dozen vessels have been detained in V.I. waters and four more have been stopped by Coast Guard officials off Puerto Rico.
"These are small cargo vessels," Reinert said. "I believe the tonnage regulation is under 300 gross tons … They are foreign-flagged vessels carrying anything and everything. I kind of describe them as the UPS of the vessel fleet."
The detentions have been brief, he said, with all of the freighters released after Coast Guard officials contacted their owners or home offices to say that if the freighters return to U.S. waters, they must be under the command of a master holding proper credentials.
"Under the International Maritime Organization, certain countries can give valid licenses that are recognized throughout the organization, the United States being one," Reinert said. To be allowed to issue such licenses, he said, "countries have to meet certain requirements that are across-the-board equal for safety at sea for these mariners and their vessels."
The problem, he said, is "that there are certain countries that are not supposed to be giving licenses to mariners for international voyages. They can give licenses for their own waters, but for international voyages they have to meet the requirement of the IMO."
Reinert did not say where the vessels that have been detained are registered.
He said officials in Miami, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have been advised to monitor Caribbean cargo vessels and their operators for compliance. The Coast Guard will continue to check the licenses of masters coming into V.I. waters from foreign ports, he said.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
SEABORNE ADDS 2 INTER-ISLAND ROUND TRIPS A DAY
June 25, 2003 – Seaborne Airlines has expanded inter-island service again effective this week, adding two round-trip flights a day between St. Croix and St. Thomas.
That brings the daily schedule between Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie to "17 flights each way every day except Fridays, when there will be 19," Omer ErSelcuk, Seaborne's chief marketing officer, said. Additionally, he noted, there are two round-trip flights between Frederiksted and Charlotte Amalie each day.
That adds up to 135 round trips per week between the two islands, 14 of them serving Frederiksted, where service was inaugurated in mid-May.
The additional flights "will help us better address supply with demand," ErSelcuk said.
Meantime, in order to carry out annual maintenance inspections of all of the seaplanes, Seaborne has temporarily suspended a few flights, he said. These "were the ones we normally added for Friday, Saturday and Sunday — and sometimes when demand warranted it during the week," he said. "When we add back flights after the completion of the maintenance checks, average flights per week will increase to 300-plus," or more than 150 round trips.
"Because June is maintenance month at Seaborne, we individually remove aircraft from service for a longer period of time than normal to conduct in-depth inspections at our Christiansted maintenance facility," ErSelcuk said. "As each aircraft is taken out of rotation, we have less flexibility to add to our normal schedule when demand warrants it on busy days like Friday. We are aware that over the past few weeks, some of our customers are not getting the flights they want, and we apologize for the inconvenience."
The annual inspections should be completed "by early to mid July, allowing us to add flights on busy Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons," he said. "When these flights are added, including Frederiksted, we'll have more flights between St. Thomas and St. Croix than ever before."
What's more, he said, Seaborne will "get additional capacity early this fall when we expect to add new aircraft" to the fleet.
According to ErSelcuk, Seaborne has been pleased by the response so far to the service connecting Frederiksted with St. Thomas. "Loads have averaged around 70 percent," he said. And, he added, when the airline adds service in the fall, it will "most likely" include a third, mid-day trip to and from Frederiksted.
Seaborne, one of the world's largest seaplane airlines, carries more than 100,000 passengers annually. Locally owned and operated, the company employs more than 100 persons in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and offers more than 50 flights a day serving Christiansted, Frederiksted, Charlotte Amalie and Old San Juan.
To see flight schedules and to book reservations online, visit the Seaborne Airlines Web site. Reservations also may be made by calling toll-free (888) FLY-TOUR / 359-8687, or locally by calling 773-6442 between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday or between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
That brings the daily schedule between Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie to "17 flights each way every day except Fridays, when there will be 19," Omer ErSelcuk, Seaborne's chief marketing officer, said. Additionally, he noted, there are two round-trip flights between Frederiksted and Charlotte Amalie each day.
That adds up to 135 round trips per week between the two islands, 14 of them serving Frederiksted, where service was inaugurated in mid-May.
The additional flights "will help us better address supply with demand," ErSelcuk said.
Meantime, in order to carry out annual maintenance inspections of all of the seaplanes, Seaborne has temporarily suspended a few flights, he said. These "were the ones we normally added for Friday, Saturday and Sunday — and sometimes when demand warranted it during the week," he said. "When we add back flights after the completion of the maintenance checks, average flights per week will increase to 300-plus," or more than 150 round trips.
"Because June is maintenance month at Seaborne, we individually remove aircraft from service for a longer period of time than normal to conduct in-depth inspections at our Christiansted maintenance facility," ErSelcuk said. "As each aircraft is taken out of rotation, we have less flexibility to add to our normal schedule when demand warrants it on busy days like Friday. We are aware that over the past few weeks, some of our customers are not getting the flights they want, and we apologize for the inconvenience."
The annual inspections should be completed "by early to mid July, allowing us to add flights on busy Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons," he said. "When these flights are added, including Frederiksted, we'll have more flights between St. Thomas and St. Croix than ever before."
What's more, he said, Seaborne will "get additional capacity early this fall when we expect to add new aircraft" to the fleet.
According to ErSelcuk, Seaborne has been pleased by the response so far to the service connecting Frederiksted with St. Thomas. "Loads have averaged around 70 percent," he said. And, he added, when the airline adds service in the fall, it will "most likely" include a third, mid-day trip to and from Frederiksted.
Seaborne, one of the world's largest seaplane airlines, carries more than 100,000 passengers annually. Locally owned and operated, the company employs more than 100 persons in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and offers more than 50 flights a day serving Christiansted, Frederiksted, Charlotte Amalie and Old San Juan.
To see flight schedules and to book reservations online, visit the Seaborne Airlines Web site. Reservations also may be made by calling toll-free (888) FLY-TOUR / 359-8687, or locally by calling 773-6442 between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday or between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
RICHARDS MISSES 2ND TOURISM INDUSTRY MEETING
June 25, 2003 – For the second time in nine months, Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards has failed to attend a major Caribbean tourism industry conference where she was scheduled to be a participant.
The first was last October's annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference.
The second was the Caribbean Hotel Association's annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference this week in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.
Responding to an article in The V.I. Daily News about her absence at Punta Cana, where she was scheduled to participate Tuesday in a panel discussion on airlift, Richards called the "Topp Talk" show on WVWI Radio on Wednesday morning to defend her absence.
Richards said she had not been able to get her travel approved by Government House. All travel must be approved by the governor. She said she stayed in her office until 6:30 p.m. Friday awaiting an answer to the travel request and that she told conference officials that if they did not hear from her, she would not be attending the meeting, which. ran from Sunday through Wednesday.
However, travel was approved for a member of her staff. According to the published report, Rick Carrington, the Tourism Department St. Croix bureau manager, attended the conference.
Richards acknowledged on the talk show that a Tourism representative was at Punta Cana. She did not explain how his travel had been approved, while hers was not. "I must follow the rules I work under," she said, adding: "I will get my report when my Tourism official returns."
Downplaying her absence, Richard said on the broadcast that "my participation wouldn't make or break the conference. It wasn't a keynote speech; I was to participate on a panel." She also said her staff member "wasn't invited to speak on the panel."
Later, in a telephone interview with the Source, Richards said she doesn't know why her travel was not approved and her employee's was. "That's not something I can answer," she said. "I don't sign them" — the travel vouchers. She had no comment as to whether Gov. Charles W. Turnbull considered the conference to be important.
She did say that she was "surprised the issue of cruise lines should have been so dominant at a hotel conference." She said she had been asked to talk about airlift, and that she had no knowledge the cruise lines would have representatives there.
The Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference program posted on the CHA CHIC Web site lists among four workshops on the schedule:
– "By Land or By Sea (or both!)," described as a discussion of what the cruise industry brings to and takes away from land-based tourism in the Caribbean. The schedule notes that this discussion "will be the basis for developing the CHA Cruise Policy."
The other CHIC workshops dealt with:
– Capitalizing on the trend toward direct-to-consumer online marketing and sales.
– Developing a mandate of priority the tourism sector would like to see applied by the public sector.
– Best practices of resource development, including securing public-sector support, attracting foreign and local investment opportunities and improving product branding.
Referring to another V.I. Daily News report, about references at the conference to the pullout of cruise lines from St. Croix last year, Richards said she doesn't know why nobody at the meeting remarked on the recent visit of a ship to St. Croix. "We just had a Royal Caribbean ship visit, and no one commented on that," she said. Asked about allegations in the published report about crime on St. Croix, she said she had not read the newspaper.
Richards said she is planning to attend the annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference in the fall. In preparation for that gathering, she said, she and her staff will meet "within the next week" with officials of the Port Authority (whose board she chairs by virtue of being Tourism commissioner), The West Indian Co. and the Economic Development Authority. She said that on Tuesday she was attending VIPA meetings.
Richards missed the 2002 F-CCA conference last October in Cancun. There, too, she was to be a panel speaker. She opted to return home from a Tampa meeting she had attended prior to the conference because of the approach toward the territory of Tropical Storm Lili. (See "Richards says Lili led her to skip conference".)
At that week-long F-CCA conference, Richards was scheduled to participate in a panel discussing cruise ship "conversion" programs, which refers to turning cruise visitors into returning overnight hotel guests. She said at the time that the panel could go on without her since there were five other members.
Wednesday' published reports about the CHIC said it was damning of St. Croix. Cruise ship officials — particularly Giora Israel, a Carnival Corp. vice president — "reminded a room full of Caribbean hoteliers that Carnival pulled its ships out of St. Croix more than a year ago because of continued criminal attacks on passengers and crew," according to one account.
In April 2002, Carnival announced it was canceling 52 calls at St. Croix by the Triumph and the Victory for the 2002-03 season. Two other cruise lines followed suit. (See "Of shoes and ships and crime and punishment".) In May 2002, Norwegian Cruise Line announced it was dropping eight scheduled calls to the island. A month later came word that Holland America had canceled plans for its new ship, the Zuiderdam, to call 43 times at St. Croix, from November 2002 through December of 2003. Carnival cited crime as a reason; all three cited lack of demand.
For the 2000-01 season — as calculated from October through June — St. Croix recorded 154 cruise ship calls. For the 2001-02 season, the number slid to about 103, mainly because Holland America dropped the island from its itinerary.
This past winter season, Celebrity Cruises' Constellation was the only major cruise ship scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix, with 21 visits scheduled. However, Celebrity announced last December that it was reducing the visits to 17, making the ship's last call on March 9 instead of continuing into April. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises.
For the 2003 summer season, May 1 through Sept. 30, no ships are scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix. There has been no announcement of whether the Constellation will return for the winter. So far, repeated talks involving cruise lines, the St. Croix hospitality industry and V.I. government officials have failed to entice any ships back.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The first was last October's annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference.
The second was the Caribbean Hotel Association's annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference this week in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.
Responding to an article in The V.I. Daily News about her absence at Punta Cana, where she was scheduled to participate Tuesday in a panel discussion on airlift, Richards called the "Topp Talk" show on WVWI Radio on Wednesday morning to defend her absence.
Richards said she had not been able to get her travel approved by Government House. All travel must be approved by the governor. She said she stayed in her office until 6:30 p.m. Friday awaiting an answer to the travel request and that she told conference officials that if they did not hear from her, she would not be attending the meeting, which. ran from Sunday through Wednesday.
However, travel was approved for a member of her staff. According to the published report, Rick Carrington, the Tourism Department St. Croix bureau manager, attended the conference.
Richards acknowledged on the talk show that a Tourism representative was at Punta Cana. She did not explain how his travel had been approved, while hers was not. "I must follow the rules I work under," she said, adding: "I will get my report when my Tourism official returns."
Downplaying her absence, Richard said on the broadcast that "my participation wouldn't make or break the conference. It wasn't a keynote speech; I was to participate on a panel." She also said her staff member "wasn't invited to speak on the panel."
Later, in a telephone interview with the Source, Richards said she doesn't know why her travel was not approved and her employee's was. "That's not something I can answer," she said. "I don't sign them" — the travel vouchers. She had no comment as to whether Gov. Charles W. Turnbull considered the conference to be important.
She did say that she was "surprised the issue of cruise lines should have been so dominant at a hotel conference." She said she had been asked to talk about airlift, and that she had no knowledge the cruise lines would have representatives there.
The Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference program posted on the CHA CHIC Web site lists among four workshops on the schedule:
– "By Land or By Sea (or both!)," described as a discussion of what the cruise industry brings to and takes away from land-based tourism in the Caribbean. The schedule notes that this discussion "will be the basis for developing the CHA Cruise Policy."
The other CHIC workshops dealt with:
– Capitalizing on the trend toward direct-to-consumer online marketing and sales.
– Developing a mandate of priority the tourism sector would like to see applied by the public sector.
– Best practices of resource development, including securing public-sector support, attracting foreign and local investment opportunities and improving product branding.
Referring to another V.I. Daily News report, about references at the conference to the pullout of cruise lines from St. Croix last year, Richards said she doesn't know why nobody at the meeting remarked on the recent visit of a ship to St. Croix. "We just had a Royal Caribbean ship visit, and no one commented on that," she said. Asked about allegations in the published report about crime on St. Croix, she said she had not read the newspaper.
Richards said she is planning to attend the annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association conference in the fall. In preparation for that gathering, she said, she and her staff will meet "within the next week" with officials of the Port Authority (whose board she chairs by virtue of being Tourism commissioner), The West Indian Co. and the Economic Development Authority. She said that on Tuesday she was attending VIPA meetings.
Richards missed the 2002 F-CCA conference last October in Cancun. There, too, she was to be a panel speaker. She opted to return home from a Tampa meeting she had attended prior to the conference because of the approach toward the territory of Tropical Storm Lili. (See "Richards says Lili led her to skip conference".)
At that week-long F-CCA conference, Richards was scheduled to participate in a panel discussing cruise ship "conversion" programs, which refers to turning cruise visitors into returning overnight hotel guests. She said at the time that the panel could go on without her since there were five other members.
Wednesday' published reports about the CHIC said it was damning of St. Croix. Cruise ship officials — particularly Giora Israel, a Carnival Corp. vice president — "reminded a room full of Caribbean hoteliers that Carnival pulled its ships out of St. Croix more than a year ago because of continued criminal attacks on passengers and crew," according to one account.
In April 2002, Carnival announced it was canceling 52 calls at St. Croix by the Triumph and the Victory for the 2002-03 season. Two other cruise lines followed suit. (See "Of shoes and ships and crime and punishment".) In May 2002, Norwegian Cruise Line announced it was dropping eight scheduled calls to the island. A month later came word that Holland America had canceled plans for its new ship, the Zuiderdam, to call 43 times at St. Croix, from November 2002 through December of 2003. Carnival cited crime as a reason; all three cited lack of demand.
For the 2000-01 season — as calculated from October through June — St. Croix recorded 154 cruise ship calls. For the 2001-02 season, the number slid to about 103, mainly because Holland America dropped the island from its itinerary.
This past winter season, Celebrity Cruises' Constellation was the only major cruise ship scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix, with 21 visits scheduled. However, Celebrity announced last December that it was reducing the visits to 17, making the ship's last call on March 9 instead of continuing into April. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises.
For the 2003 summer season, May 1 through Sept. 30, no ships are scheduled to call regularly at St. Croix. There has been no announcement of whether the Constellation will return for the winter. So far, repeated talks involving cruise lines, the St. Croix hospitality industry and V.I. government officials have failed to entice any ships back.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CARREY CARRIES IT OFF AS GOD-FOR-A-DAY
June 25, 2003 – If you can't picture Jim Carrey as God, then perhaps you should rush out right this minute and see "Bruce Almighty." Then, it's up to you.
Morgan Freeman has enough faith in Bruce Nolan (Carrey) to give him a chance at it in this unlikely comedy. Theologically, it leaves some room for doubt, but somehow comedically it works, according to many reviews.
Nolan is a forlorn, discontent television reporter in Buffalo, New York. He hates everything in his life, despite being popular and having an adoring girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). (Critics say Aniston, of "Friends" fame, has made the transition from TV to the movies very nicely.)
Anyhow, Nolan, after what he feels is the worst day of his life where everything has gone wrong, begins raging at God about the injustice of it all. And God (Freeman) answers. Oh, my. And challenges Bruce to take on his job and see if he can do it any better.
Well, it's not really like when John Denver found God (George Burns) talking to him from behind the cabbages in the produce section of a supermarket in "Oh, God." But then, that's show business.
Freeman's God has more of a sporting nature than Burns's did. He sits back, sort of, and lets the drums roll, so to speak. As one critic remarked, "If a butterfly can flap its wings in Samoa (or was that South America?) and begin a chain of events leading to a tropical storm in the Caribbean, think what Carrey could do."
That seems to me giving Carrey the best of it, but then, that's show business. Carrey does manage to pull the moon closer to Earth to have a more romantic liaison with Grace. However, the move backfires, so to speak, causing a tidal wave in Japan of which Bruce is blissfully unaware. In response to the prayers of the world, he sends out a mass e-mail with the one word "yes," which immediately creates untold numbers of lottery winners, riots and general mayhem.
Fortunately, Bruce's run in the realm of the divine is limited to 24 hours.
When you stop to think of it, perhaps Carrey, hero of such intellectual epics as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar, Liar," would lend the comic touch needed to look down on a world run by Texas oilmen. But then, that's show business.
"Bruce Almighty" is rated PG for language, sexual content and some "crude humor." Goodness. It's an hour and 34 minutes long.
It is playing at Market Square East.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Morgan Freeman has enough faith in Bruce Nolan (Carrey) to give him a chance at it in this unlikely comedy. Theologically, it leaves some room for doubt, but somehow comedically it works, according to many reviews.
Nolan is a forlorn, discontent television reporter in Buffalo, New York. He hates everything in his life, despite being popular and having an adoring girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). (Critics say Aniston, of "Friends" fame, has made the transition from TV to the movies very nicely.)
Anyhow, Nolan, after what he feels is the worst day of his life where everything has gone wrong, begins raging at God about the injustice of it all. And God (Freeman) answers. Oh, my. And challenges Bruce to take on his job and see if he can do it any better.
Well, it's not really like when John Denver found God (George Burns) talking to him from behind the cabbages in the produce section of a supermarket in "Oh, God." But then, that's show business.
Freeman's God has more of a sporting nature than Burns's did. He sits back, sort of, and lets the drums roll, so to speak. As one critic remarked, "If a butterfly can flap its wings in Samoa (or was that South America?) and begin a chain of events leading to a tropical storm in the Caribbean, think what Carrey could do."
That seems to me giving Carrey the best of it, but then, that's show business. Carrey does manage to pull the moon closer to Earth to have a more romantic liaison with Grace. However, the move backfires, so to speak, causing a tidal wave in Japan of which Bruce is blissfully unaware. In response to the prayers of the world, he sends out a mass e-mail with the one word "yes," which immediately creates untold numbers of lottery winners, riots and general mayhem.
Fortunately, Bruce's run in the realm of the divine is limited to 24 hours.
When you stop to think of it, perhaps Carrey, hero of such intellectual epics as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar, Liar," would lend the comic touch needed to look down on a world run by Texas oilmen. But then, that's show business.
"Bruce Almighty" is rated PG for language, sexual content and some "crude humor." Goodness. It's an hour and 34 minutes long.
It is playing at Market Square East.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CARREY CARRIES IT OFF AS GOD-FOR-A-DAY
June 25, 2003 – If you can't picture Jim Carrey as God, then perhaps you should rush out right this minute and see "Bruce Almighty." Then, it's up to you.
Morgan Freeman has enough faith in Bruce Nolan (Carrey) to give him a chance at it in this unlikely comedy. Theologically, it leaves some room for doubt, but somehow comedically it works, according to many reviews.
Nolan is a forlorn, discontent television reporter in Buffalo, New York. He hates everything in his life, despite being popular and having an adoring girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). (Critics say Aniston, of "Friends" fame, has made the transition from TV to the movies very nicely.)
Anyhow, Nolan, after what he feels is the worst day of his life where everything has gone wrong, begins raging at God about the injustice of it all. And God (Freeman) answers. Oh, my. And challenges Bruce to take on his job and see if he can do it any better.
Well, it's not really like when John Denver found God (George Burns) talking to him from behind the cabbages in the produce section of a supermarket in "Oh, God." But then, that's show business.
Freeman's God has more of a sporting nature than Burns's did. He sits back, sort of, and lets the drums roll, so to speak. As one critic remarked, "If a butterfly can flap its wings in Samoa (or was that South America?) and begin a chain of events leading to a tropical storm in the Caribbean, think what Carrey could do."
That seems to me giving Carrey the best of it, but then, that's show business. Carrey does manage to pull the moon closer to Earth to have a more romantic liaison with Grace. However, the move backfires, so to speak, causing a tidal wave in Japan of which Bruce is blissfully unaware. In response to the prayers of the world, he sends out a mass e-mail with the one word "yes," which immediately creates untold numbers of lottery winners, riots and general mayhem.
Fortunately, Bruce's run in the realm of the divine is limited to 24 hours.
When you stop to think of it, perhaps Carrey, hero of such intellectual epics as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar, Liar," would lend the comic touch needed to look down on a world run by Texas oilmen. But then, that's show business.
"Bruce Almighty" is rated PG for language, sexual content and some "crude humor." Goodness. It's an hour and 34 minutes long.
It is playing at Market Square East on St. Thomas.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Morgan Freeman has enough faith in Bruce Nolan (Carrey) to give him a chance at it in this unlikely comedy. Theologically, it leaves some room for doubt, but somehow comedically it works, according to many reviews.
Nolan is a forlorn, discontent television reporter in Buffalo, New York. He hates everything in his life, despite being popular and having an adoring girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). (Critics say Aniston, of "Friends" fame, has made the transition from TV to the movies very nicely.)
Anyhow, Nolan, after what he feels is the worst day of his life where everything has gone wrong, begins raging at God about the injustice of it all. And God (Freeman) answers. Oh, my. And challenges Bruce to take on his job and see if he can do it any better.
Well, it's not really like when John Denver found God (George Burns) talking to him from behind the cabbages in the produce section of a supermarket in "Oh, God." But then, that's show business.
Freeman's God has more of a sporting nature than Burns's did. He sits back, sort of, and lets the drums roll, so to speak. As one critic remarked, "If a butterfly can flap its wings in Samoa (or was that South America?) and begin a chain of events leading to a tropical storm in the Caribbean, think what Carrey could do."
That seems to me giving Carrey the best of it, but then, that's show business. Carrey does manage to pull the moon closer to Earth to have a more romantic liaison with Grace. However, the move backfires, so to speak, causing a tidal wave in Japan of which Bruce is blissfully unaware. In response to the prayers of the world, he sends out a mass e-mail with the one word "yes," which immediately creates untold numbers of lottery winners, riots and general mayhem.
Fortunately, Bruce's run in the realm of the divine is limited to 24 hours.
When you stop to think of it, perhaps Carrey, hero of such intellectual epics as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar, Liar," would lend the comic touch needed to look down on a world run by Texas oilmen. But then, that's show business.
"Bruce Almighty" is rated PG for language, sexual content and some "crude humor." Goodness. It's an hour and 34 minutes long.
It is playing at Market Square East on St. Thomas.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CARREY CARRIES IT OFF AS GOD-FOR-A-DAY
June 25, 2003 – If you can't picture Jim Carrey as God, then perhaps you should rush out right this minute and see "Bruce Almighty." Then, it's up to you.
Morgan Freeman has enough faith in Bruce Nolan (Carrey) to give him a chance at it in this unlikely comedy. Theologically, it leaves some room for doubt, but somehow comedically it works, according to many reviews.
Nolan is a forlorn, discontent television reporter in Buffalo, New York. He hates everything in his life, despite being popular and having an adoring girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). (Critics say Aniston, of "Friends" fame, has made the transition from TV to the movies very nicely.)
Anyhow, Nolan, after what he feels is the worst day of his life where everything has gone wrong, begins raging at God about the injustice of it all. And God (Freeman) answers. Oh, my. And challenges Bruce to take on his job and see if he can do it any better.
Well, it's not really like when John Denver found God (George Burns) talking to him from behind the cabbages in the produce section of a supermarket in "Oh, God." But then, that's show business.
Freeman's God has more of a sporting nature than Burns's did. He sits back, sort of, and lets the drums roll, so to speak. As one critic remarked, "If a butterfly can flap its wings in Samoa (or was that South America?) and begin a chain of events leading to a tropical storm in the Caribbean, think what Carrey could do."
That seems to me giving Carrey the best of it, but then, that's show business. Carrey does manage to pull the moon closer to Earth to have a more romantic liaison with Grace. However, the move backfires, so to speak, causing a tidal wave in Japan of which Bruce is blissfully unaware. In response to the prayers of the world, he sends out a mass e-mail with the one word "yes," which immediately creates untold numbers of lottery winners, riots and general mayhem.
Fortunately, Bruce's run in the realm of the divine is limited to 24 hours.
When you stop to think of it, perhaps Carrey, hero of such intellectual epics as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar, Liar," would lend the comic touch needed to look down on a world run by Texas oilmen. But then, that's show business.
"Bruce Almighty" is rated PG for language, sexual content and some "crude humor." Goodness. It's an hour and 34 minutes long. It is playing at Sunny Isle Theaters.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Morgan Freeman has enough faith in Bruce Nolan (Carrey) to give him a chance at it in this unlikely comedy. Theologically, it leaves some room for doubt, but somehow comedically it works, according to many reviews.
Nolan is a forlorn, discontent television reporter in Buffalo, New York. He hates everything in his life, despite being popular and having an adoring girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). (Critics say Aniston, of "Friends" fame, has made the transition from TV to the movies very nicely.)
Anyhow, Nolan, after what he feels is the worst day of his life where everything has gone wrong, begins raging at God about the injustice of it all. And God (Freeman) answers. Oh, my. And challenges Bruce to take on his job and see if he can do it any better.
Well, it's not really like when John Denver found God (George Burns) talking to him from behind the cabbages in the produce section of a supermarket in "Oh, God." But then, that's show business.
Freeman's God has more of a sporting nature than Burns's did. He sits back, sort of, and lets the drums roll, so to speak. As one critic remarked, "If a butterfly can flap its wings in Samoa (or was that South America?) and begin a chain of events leading to a tropical storm in the Caribbean, think what Carrey could do."
That seems to me giving Carrey the best of it, but then, that's show business. Carrey does manage to pull the moon closer to Earth to have a more romantic liaison with Grace. However, the move backfires, so to speak, causing a tidal wave in Japan of which Bruce is blissfully unaware. In response to the prayers of the world, he sends out a mass e-mail with the one word "yes," which immediately creates untold numbers of lottery winners, riots and general mayhem.
Fortunately, Bruce's run in the realm of the divine is limited to 24 hours.
When you stop to think of it, perhaps Carrey, hero of such intellectual epics as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar, Liar," would lend the comic touch needed to look down on a world run by Texas oilmen. But then, that's show business.
"Bruce Almighty" is rated PG for language, sexual content and some "crude humor." Goodness. It's an hour and 34 minutes long. It is playing at Sunny Isle Theaters.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
O'MALLEY AMONG SMALL GROUP OF 'FIXER' BISHOPS
June 22, 2003 – A select cadre of U.S. Catholic bishops assigned to serve as "fixers" in the church's efforts to promote healing in parishes that have been victimized by sexually abusive priests includes Sean P. O'Malley, former bishop of the Catholic Diocese of St. Thomas.
According to a report on Sunday in The New York Times, "After nearly 20 years of sporadic sexual abuse scandals culminating in last year's four-alarm crisis, there is now a small company of at least eight American bishops who have been called on by the pope to rush into troubled dioceses and help extinguish the flames."
And O'Malley, the Times said, is one of two who are now into their second such assignments.
O'Malley, a Capuchin friar, worked for a decade in Fall River, Massachusetts, where a priest had been accused of sexually molesting dozens of children. There, he reached a settlement with the victims and instituted "a policy on preventing abuse that would be studied by other dioceses," the Times reported. Last September, he was reassigned to Palm Beach, Florida, where "two consecutive bishops assigned there [had] admitted to sexually abusing minors."
The article stated that the work of the "fixer" bishops "requires multiple skills: reaching out to victims and their families, comforting parishioners, disciplining bad priests and reassuring good ones, negotiating with prosecutors and lawyers, raising money to pay off settlements."
One large diocese affected by the sexual scandals that is without a permanent replacement for a departed leader is Boston. There, Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who spent his youth on St. Thomas, attending Charlotte Amalie High School, was forced to resign six months ago after documents made public showed that he had known of child abusers among the priests serving under him.
A meeting of the nation's Catholic bishops on Saturday in St. Louis included a report on progress toward removing priests from ministry, appointing a national lay review board to keep the bishops accountable and preparing for teams of "auditors," some of them former FBI agents, who will arrive in each troubled diocese to check whether the bishops are complying with new policies.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
According to a report on Sunday in The New York Times, "After nearly 20 years of sporadic sexual abuse scandals culminating in last year's four-alarm crisis, there is now a small company of at least eight American bishops who have been called on by the pope to rush into troubled dioceses and help extinguish the flames."
And O'Malley, the Times said, is one of two who are now into their second such assignments.
O'Malley, a Capuchin friar, worked for a decade in Fall River, Massachusetts, where a priest had been accused of sexually molesting dozens of children. There, he reached a settlement with the victims and instituted "a policy on preventing abuse that would be studied by other dioceses," the Times reported. Last September, he was reassigned to Palm Beach, Florida, where "two consecutive bishops assigned there [had] admitted to sexually abusing minors."
The article stated that the work of the "fixer" bishops "requires multiple skills: reaching out to victims and their families, comforting parishioners, disciplining bad priests and reassuring good ones, negotiating with prosecutors and lawyers, raising money to pay off settlements."
One large diocese affected by the sexual scandals that is without a permanent replacement for a departed leader is Boston. There, Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who spent his youth on St. Thomas, attending Charlotte Amalie High School, was forced to resign six months ago after documents made public showed that he had known of child abusers among the priests serving under him.
A meeting of the nation's Catholic bishops on Saturday in St. Louis included a report on progress toward removing priests from ministry, appointing a national lay review board to keep the bishops accountable and preparing for teams of "auditors," some of them former FBI agents, who will arrive in each troubled diocese to check whether the bishops are complying with new policies.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
