Oct. 8, 2001 — Hotel operators in the St. Thomas-St. John district were asked to step up security measures at their properties Monday morning after an unknown individual called the police emergency 911 system and threatened to blow up hotels.
The call was an apparent response to "Operation Enduring Freedom," the military action being led by the U.S. against Afghanistan.
Beverly Nicholson, executive director of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said Monday that the organization received word of the threatening call from the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
"We were notified of the call and have asked hotels to step up their security awareness as a precaution," Nicholson said. She said the threat was taken seriously by the association. "I would want us to err on the side of caution … We found it necessary to take the threat seriously," she said.
Security measures could include logging all vehicles entering hotel properties, increased awareness among staff of any trespassers on the properties and random stopping of vehicles entering hotel complexes, Nicholson said.
Sources were quoted by WVWI Radio as saying the call to the 911 system was made in the pre-dawn hours Monday by a male caller who suggested that it was time to destroy hotels in the Virgin Islands. Law-enforcement sources were quoted as saying that contingents of police officers were making the rounds of the district's hotels to reassure guests, employees and hotel owners aware of the threat and caution them not to panic.
A caller to the station’s morning talk show "Topp Talk" said he was at the Palms Court Harborview Hotel when police entered and "began to evacuate the building."
Nicholson said she did not know whether similar action was taking place on St. Croix.
St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis said Monday afternoon that no threats had been called in to 911 on that island.
"Everything is status quo on St. Croix," Francis said.
ST. CROIX REALTORS SUPPORT YOUTH
For the fourth year, members of the St. Croix Board of Realtors have donated funds for a scholarship program with AmeriCorp and the Boys and Girls Clubs on the island.
The program, said Diana Robinson, the public relations chairperson for the Board of Realtors, will help with continuing educational needs.
"Realtors agree that it is imperative for today’s business leaders to contribute to the future leaders of our community, and are committed to doing just that," Robinson said.
This year marks the fourth year in which The Boys and Girls Club has received scholarship funds donated by the St. Croix Board of Realtors. The scholarship is set up for the members of AmeriCorps under a federal grant from the Corporation for National Service. It provides members the opportunity to work with The Boys and Girls Clubs at their three Virgin Islands sites.
The program promotes a "Positive Place for Kids" and is always appreciated, said the Club’s unit director, Amoy Douglas.
"We are always pleased that the realtors remember us over the years and continue their support," Douglas said.
Upon learning of Sen. Emmett Hansen’s plea to the community for assistance in obtaining contributions for desperately needed school supplies for Central High School, the St. Croix Board of Realtors did not hesitate to contribute funds.
It had also come to the attention of the realtors that a new non-profit organization called St. Croix Boat had recently been established for those children experiencing disciplinary problems resulting in difficulties remaining in school. Headed up by Frank Cousins, master boat-wright, along with David and Betty McDonald, a "tough love" program has been put into place at the Vocational School.
Not only do students learn discipline, safety, class instruction, and life-coping skills, they have the opportunity to be part of the island tradition of boat building. Two students have received scholarships donated by the St. Croix Board of Realtors, affording them the opportunity to be involved in the building of a 28-foot wooden fishing boat.
It is the hope of St. Croix Boat to sell the vessel upon completion in an effort to continue funding the organization and keep it going.
For more information, contact Diana Robinson at 773-8444.
The program, said Diana Robinson, the public relations chairperson for the Board of Realtors, will help with continuing educational needs.
"Realtors agree that it is imperative for today’s business leaders to contribute to the future leaders of our community, and are committed to doing just that," Robinson said.
This year marks the fourth year in which The Boys and Girls Club has received scholarship funds donated by the St. Croix Board of Realtors. The scholarship is set up for the members of AmeriCorps under a federal grant from the Corporation for National Service. It provides members the opportunity to work with The Boys and Girls Clubs at their three Virgin Islands sites.
The program promotes a "Positive Place for Kids" and is always appreciated, said the Club’s unit director, Amoy Douglas.
"We are always pleased that the realtors remember us over the years and continue their support," Douglas said.
Upon learning of Sen. Emmett Hansen’s plea to the community for assistance in obtaining contributions for desperately needed school supplies for Central High School, the St. Croix Board of Realtors did not hesitate to contribute funds.
It had also come to the attention of the realtors that a new non-profit organization called St. Croix Boat had recently been established for those children experiencing disciplinary problems resulting in difficulties remaining in school. Headed up by Frank Cousins, master boat-wright, along with David and Betty McDonald, a "tough love" program has been put into place at the Vocational School.
Not only do students learn discipline, safety, class instruction, and life-coping skills, they have the opportunity to be part of the island tradition of boat building. Two students have received scholarships donated by the St. Croix Board of Realtors, affording them the opportunity to be involved in the building of a 28-foot wooden fishing boat.
It is the hope of St. Croix Boat to sell the vessel upon completion in an effort to continue funding the organization and keep it going.
For more information, contact Diana Robinson at 773-8444.
TROPICAL STORM HEADED WELL SOUTH OF ST. CROIX
Oct. 8, 2001 – Virgin Islands residents should see intermittent light showers Monday morning, but by the afternoon, the rains are likely to get heavier and the wind is expected to increase to about 20 mph. The wet weather is associated with Tropical Storm Jerry's feeder bands, Ernesto Morales, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Juan, said.
He said that Tropical Storm Jerry should pass about 150 miles south of St. Croix on Monday.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, the weather system was centered at 14.1 degrees north latitude and 62.7 degrees west longitude and moving west-northwest at 18 mph. Jerry's sustained wind speed was 50 mph with gusts up to 65 mph, and the minimum pressure was at 1007 millibars.
Tropical Storm Jerry appears to be on a direct course for Jamaica, which on Sunday saw winds of 70 mph blow roofs off some houses as Hurricane Iris passed to the south. By the time it reaches Jamaica, Jerry is projected to have reached hurricane strength.
Morales said a tropical wave now out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean could develop into something stronger, but he expects it will take a northward track and bypass the territory.
He said that Tropical Storm Jerry should pass about 150 miles south of St. Croix on Monday.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, the weather system was centered at 14.1 degrees north latitude and 62.7 degrees west longitude and moving west-northwest at 18 mph. Jerry's sustained wind speed was 50 mph with gusts up to 65 mph, and the minimum pressure was at 1007 millibars.
Tropical Storm Jerry appears to be on a direct course for Jamaica, which on Sunday saw winds of 70 mph blow roofs off some houses as Hurricane Iris passed to the south. By the time it reaches Jamaica, Jerry is projected to have reached hurricane strength.
Morales said a tropical wave now out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean could develop into something stronger, but he expects it will take a northward track and bypass the territory.
BRYAN URGES VETO OF TWO OMNIBUS BILL ITEMS
Oct. 8, 2001 — Sen. Adelbert Bryan is urging Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to veto two sections of the recently approved Omnibus Act of 2002 because of the precedents he says they will set.
In a letter last week, Bryan said that the Senate’s decision to sell a historic building on St. Croix to a local American Legion Post and the body’s granting of more than half a million dollars to the City of Refuge Church blur the accounting of public funds and the separation of church and state.
In the first instance, the Senate at the end of September approved the sale of the derelict Old Convent building in Frederiksted to American Legion Post No. 133 for $1. Senators — not counting Bryan — also appropriated $100,000 to renovate the building.
Further, Bryan said, the sale of the building — a historic site — was done without "any consideration for reversionary rights if the property is not used in the future for the purposes for which it was conveyed."
Instead of selling the building to the American Legion, Bryan said, the government could renovated it for use in counseling, continuing education and assisting teen-age mothers in learning parenting skills. He also said the government could lease the building to the American Legion, and then the organization could seek grant funding from other public and private entities for the renovations.
Bryan called on Turnbull to veto a $600,000 grant to City of Refuge for a teen intervention center and a program for the elderly and homeless.
"If we are now setting a precedent in giving out grants in over one-half million dollars to a church organization," Bryant wrote, this "would mean every other church would have the legal right to petition the Legislature for funding and demand that they be given equal treatment."
The St. Croix senator noted that while the V.I. government is trying to pull out of a "downward spiral, especially since the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon," it also is seeking forgiveness of debts owed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
If the government can afford to give away hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, "then we should have a better means to establish priorities as a public policy," Bryan said.
In a letter last week, Bryan said that the Senate’s decision to sell a historic building on St. Croix to a local American Legion Post and the body’s granting of more than half a million dollars to the City of Refuge Church blur the accounting of public funds and the separation of church and state.
In the first instance, the Senate at the end of September approved the sale of the derelict Old Convent building in Frederiksted to American Legion Post No. 133 for $1. Senators — not counting Bryan — also appropriated $100,000 to renovate the building.
Further, Bryan said, the sale of the building — a historic site — was done without "any consideration for reversionary rights if the property is not used in the future for the purposes for which it was conveyed."
Instead of selling the building to the American Legion, Bryan said, the government could renovated it for use in counseling, continuing education and assisting teen-age mothers in learning parenting skills. He also said the government could lease the building to the American Legion, and then the organization could seek grant funding from other public and private entities for the renovations.
Bryan called on Turnbull to veto a $600,000 grant to City of Refuge for a teen intervention center and a program for the elderly and homeless.
"If we are now setting a precedent in giving out grants in over one-half million dollars to a church organization," Bryant wrote, this "would mean every other church would have the legal right to petition the Legislature for funding and demand that they be given equal treatment."
The St. Croix senator noted that while the V.I. government is trying to pull out of a "downward spiral, especially since the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon," it also is seeking forgiveness of debts owed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
If the government can afford to give away hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, "then we should have a better means to establish priorities as a public policy," Bryan said.
LIVING WITH DIABETES IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Oct. 7, 2001 – Local residents diagnosed with diabetes mellitus don't have to go it alone. The Diabetes Association of the Virgin Islands, under the direction of its president, Steve Prosterman, is resuming monthly support group meetings.
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The exact cause of diabetes remains a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play key roles.
There are two major types of diabetes. Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, occurs when the body stops making insulin. People with Type I diabetes, mostly children and young adults, must take daily insulin injections to survive. Type 1 accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases of diabetes. People develop Type 2 diabetes when their bodies becomes unable to make enough — or to properly use — insulin. Type 2, the most common form of the disease in adults, is nearing epidemic proportions, mainly due to increased obesity and sedentary lifestyles.
Data from the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, which involves collecting information regularly on the V.I. population, indicate that diabetes mellitus is the third leading cause of death among residents in the territory.
Prosterman, a diabetic for the last 34 years, started the local association in 1987. "There were lots of good people with information to share, but the word wasn't getting out enough," he recalls. "People with diabetes didn't seem to know they had a say in their disease, or that life-threatening complications weren't inevitable."
At first, Prosterman focused on children with diabetes. "But then I saw there was a need for everyone," he says. The group met regularly for years, then hit a slump in the mid-1990s and became inactive, except for the summer camp he conducts each year at Lameshur Bay on St. John.
Last year, Kieva Rogers, a senior nursing student at the University of the Virgin Islands, approached Prosterman about resuming the group. "Kieva put a lot of energy into it, and it went over well," he says. "We had seven to eight kids and their parents attending through the winter and spring," he says. "My promise to her was to carry on with the group after she graduated."
The purpose of a support group is to share information, suggestions and practical living tips, Prosterman says. "Everyone comes away with something important they've learned. Maybe it's something basic like how to guestimate accurate portion sizes, or something more technical like the importance of testing blood sugar regularly."
Self-care is the first and fundamental step
Speakers include local physicians, pharmacists and ophthalmologists. But often group members themselves help and guide one another. "Many times people who have diabetes are too passive," Prosterman says. "They think if they just pop a pill, they'll be okay. They have to learn the importance of taking care of themselves. If they learn that, they can prevent complications."
The most important advice Prosterman offers for someone who has diabetes is to "start with the basics. Take your medicine, follow your diet and exercise." He says the people he's known "who have had diabetes for many years and who are active are the ones without complications. It's the ones who aren't active that are losing limbs, having kidney failure and going blind."
Another fundamental point, Prosterman says, is to test blood sugar often. "It can be expensive, but without a record of blood sugar readings it's hard for physicians to know what's going on and to prescribe the best treatment," he says. For those afraid of sticking themselves to get blood for a sugar reading, he offers two tips: "Use a little-used finger like the pinky or ring finger, and stick on the sides of the finger where there are fewer nerve endings rather than the middle fleshy part."
Oneday soon it may become easier for squeamish diabetics to monitor their blood sugar. "There is research into a nasal mist insulin and non-invasive blood sugar testing like with the GlucoWatch(r)," Prosterman explains. The GlucoWatch(r) is a glucose-monitoring device that is worn like a wristwatch. It takes glucose readings via an extremely low-level electric current that pulls glucose through the skin and reports readings on a numerical display screen as often as every 20 minutes and for up to 12 hours at a time.
Further in the future is a cure for diabetes in the form of transplants of insulin-producing beta cells from the pancreas. When he spoke at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation earlier this year, Prosterman met a woman who was cured of diabetes after receiving a transplant of such cells. "The problem is that it takes two to three cadavers to get enough beta cells to transplant," he explains. "This means that demand is high but resources are low. That's why stem cell research is so important."
The stem cell is a type of body cell that has a unique capacity to renew itself and to give rise to specialized cell types that can be directed to perform a variety of vital functions, including producing insulin.
Since symptoms of diabetes — thirst, hunger, the urge to urinate often, cuts and bruises that heal slowly, dry itchy skin, feelings of weakness and numbness in hands and feet — can be easy to ignore, it's possible for someone to have the disease and not know it. In fact, statistics indicate that for every person diagnosed as having the disease, there is another person who is undiagnosed.
"If you're overweight and have a family history of diabetes, it's important to get a thorough check-up," Prosterman says. "People often wait until something extremely serious or life-threatening happens, but the complications from diabetes are fairly easy to control with diet, exercise and medication. People with diabetes need to know they have the power to prevent these problems from happening."
The next meeting of the Diabetes Association of the Virgin Islands support group is scheduled for mid-October. For specific information, contact Prosterman by calling 693-1399 or e-mailing to sproste@uvi.edu.
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The exact cause of diabetes remains a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play key roles.
There are two major types of diabetes. Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, occurs when the body stops making insulin. People with Type I diabetes, mostly children and young adults, must take daily insulin injections to survive. Type 1 accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases of diabetes. People develop Type 2 diabetes when their bodies becomes unable to make enough — or to properly use — insulin. Type 2, the most common form of the disease in adults, is nearing epidemic proportions, mainly due to increased obesity and sedentary lifestyles.
Data from the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, which involves collecting information regularly on the V.I. population, indicate that diabetes mellitus is the third leading cause of death among residents in the territory.
Prosterman, a diabetic for the last 34 years, started the local association in 1987. "There were lots of good people with information to share, but the word wasn't getting out enough," he recalls. "People with diabetes didn't seem to know they had a say in their disease, or that life-threatening complications weren't inevitable."
At first, Prosterman focused on children with diabetes. "But then I saw there was a need for everyone," he says. The group met regularly for years, then hit a slump in the mid-1990s and became inactive, except for the summer camp he conducts each year at Lameshur Bay on St. John.
Last year, Kieva Rogers, a senior nursing student at the University of the Virgin Islands, approached Prosterman about resuming the group. "Kieva put a lot of energy into it, and it went over well," he says. "We had seven to eight kids and their parents attending through the winter and spring," he says. "My promise to her was to carry on with the group after she graduated."
The purpose of a support group is to share information, suggestions and practical living tips, Prosterman says. "Everyone comes away with something important they've learned. Maybe it's something basic like how to guestimate accurate portion sizes, or something more technical like the importance of testing blood sugar regularly."
Self-care is the first and fundamental step
Speakers include local physicians, pharmacists and ophthalmologists. But often group members themselves help and guide one another. "Many times people who have diabetes are too passive," Prosterman says. "They think if they just pop a pill, they'll be okay. They have to learn the importance of taking care of themselves. If they learn that, they can prevent complications."
The most important advice Prosterman offers for someone who has diabetes is to "start with the basics. Take your medicine, follow your diet and exercise." He says the people he's known "who have had diabetes for many years and who are active are the ones without complications. It's the ones who aren't active that are losing limbs, having kidney failure and going blind."
Another fundamental point, Prosterman says, is to test blood sugar often. "It can be expensive, but without a record of blood sugar readings it's hard for physicians to know what's going on and to prescribe the best treatment," he says. For those afraid of sticking themselves to get blood for a sugar reading, he offers two tips: "Use a little-used finger like the pinky or ring finger, and stick on the sides of the finger where there are fewer nerve endings rather than the middle fleshy part."
Oneday soon it may become easier for squeamish diabetics to monitor their blood sugar. "There is research into a nasal mist insulin and non-invasive blood sugar testing like with the GlucoWatch(r)," Prosterman explains. The GlucoWatch(r) is a glucose-monitoring device that is worn like a wristwatch. It takes glucose readings via an extremely low-level electric current that pulls glucose through the skin and reports readings on a numerical display screen as often as every 20 minutes and for up to 12 hours at a time.
Further in the future is a cure for diabetes in the form of transplants of insulin-producing beta cells from the pancreas. When he spoke at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation earlier this year, Prosterman met a woman who was cured of diabetes after receiving a transplant of such cells. "The problem is that it takes two to three cadavers to get enough beta cells to transplant," he explains. "This means that demand is high but resources are low. That's why stem cell research is so important."
The stem cell is a type of body cell that has a unique capacity to renew itself and to give rise to specialized cell types that can be directed to perform a variety of vital functions, including producing insulin.
Since symptoms of diabetes — thirst, hunger, the urge to urinate often, cuts and bruises that heal slowly, dry itchy skin, feelings of weakness and numbness in hands and feet — can be easy to ignore, it's possible for someone to have the disease and not know it. In fact, statistics indicate that for every person diagnosed as having the disease, there is another person who is undiagnosed.
"If you're overweight and have a family history of diabetes, it's important to get a thorough check-up," Prosterman says. "People often wait until something extremely serious or life-threatening happens, but the complications from diabetes are fairly easy to control with diet, exercise and medication. People with diabetes need to know they have the power to prevent these problems from happening."
The next meeting of the Diabetes Association of the Virgin Islands support group is scheduled for mid-October. For specific information, contact Prosterman by calling 693-1399 or e-mailing to sproste@uvi.edu.
PISTARCKLE OFFERING DANCE, DRAMA CLASSES
Oct. 7, 2001 – Afterschool classes in the performing arts are under way at Pistarckle Theater, with others soon to begin.
– A series of 10 dance classes began Sept. 26 and will run through Dec. 1. One session meets on Tuesdays from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. for students ages 11 to 16, and another meets on Fridays from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. for students ages 6 to 10.
The classes, which are classically based using a progressive dance syllabus, are being taught by Paul Dennis, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, received his BFA in dance from The Juilliard School in 1990 and performed with the world-renowned Jose Limon Dance Company. Registration for the series is $150. There will be a $10 fee for a holiday presentation on Dec. 1.
– Tap dance classes are meeting on Saturdays from Sept. 22 through Dec. 10. There's a session from 9 to 10 a.m. for ages 5 to 8, and another from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 9 to 12. Mary Ann Dennis is the teacher for both. Registration is $150.
– On Nov. 5, social drama classes will get under way. The series of six classes will conclude Dec. 20. Sessions will be held on Monday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. for students ages 9 to 12, and on Thursday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. for those ages 13 to 16.
Pamela New, the instructor, will use drama to explore everyday social interactions through improvisation. This course encourages students to expand their emotional vocabulary in new situations. Registration is $90.
More classes will be staring in January and running through April of 2002. For more information, call the Pistarckle office at 775-7877. Anyone who has not received a mailer describing the coming season's theatrical productions can obtain one by calling the same number.
– A series of 10 dance classes began Sept. 26 and will run through Dec. 1. One session meets on Tuesdays from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. for students ages 11 to 16, and another meets on Fridays from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. for students ages 6 to 10.
The classes, which are classically based using a progressive dance syllabus, are being taught by Paul Dennis, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, received his BFA in dance from The Juilliard School in 1990 and performed with the world-renowned Jose Limon Dance Company. Registration for the series is $150. There will be a $10 fee for a holiday presentation on Dec. 1.
– Tap dance classes are meeting on Saturdays from Sept. 22 through Dec. 10. There's a session from 9 to 10 a.m. for ages 5 to 8, and another from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 9 to 12. Mary Ann Dennis is the teacher for both. Registration is $150.
– On Nov. 5, social drama classes will get under way. The series of six classes will conclude Dec. 20. Sessions will be held on Monday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. for students ages 9 to 12, and on Thursday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. for those ages 13 to 16.
Pamela New, the instructor, will use drama to explore everyday social interactions through improvisation. This course encourages students to expand their emotional vocabulary in new situations. Registration is $90.
More classes will be staring in January and running through April of 2002. For more information, call the Pistarckle office at 775-7877. Anyone who has not received a mailer describing the coming season's theatrical productions can obtain one by calling the same number.
BLENDER MAKES QUICK WORK OF LEMON BASIL PESTO
Oct. 7, 2001 – Nestled on a hillside looking over Coral Bay, St. John writer Pam Gaffin is building her dream home among the lush greenery. On a recent trip, we benefited from some of her flourishing bounty in the form of fragrant lemon basil.
"Cut as much as you want," she said. "It grows so fast."
Our children nipped away with clippers until there was a whole bag full of this aromatic herb. The idea of making pesto instantly came to my mind.
Called the "royal herb" by the ancient Greeks, who revered it for both culinary and medicinal uses, basil is a member of the mint family. The green leaf has a pungent flavor often described as a cross between licorice and cloves. However, lemon basil also has a decidedly tart citrus taste.
For cooking, lemon basil leaves should be fresh with no signs of discoloration or wilting. To keep just-picked basil fresh, refrigerate it wrapped in damp paper towels and tucked into a plastic bag. Or, place a bunch of basil stems down in a glass of water and cover the leaves with a plastic bag.
Lemon basil is especially good for making teas and herb vinegars, and to add flavor to chicken, fish and vegetables. A substantial amount of the herb is needed to make a suitable quantity of pesto.
Pesto is an uncooked, paste-like sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. The ingredients are whirled together in a blender until they come together as a beautiful, smooth green mass. Pesto can be melted over spaghetti in place of tomato sauce, used as a bread spread similar to mayonnaise, employed as a seasoning or stuffing for chicken and fish, and even used as a baked-potato topper.
Try making up a batch and inventing your own flavorful uses.
Lemon Basil Pesto
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Drop pine nuts and garlic into the container of a blender or food processor; process until minced. Add basil, cheese and lemon juice; process until finely minced. With blender at low speed, slowly pour in oil and process until mixture is well blended. Spoon pesto into a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator. Makes 1 cup.
Nutrition per tablespoon: 35 calories, 3 gms fat (80 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 20 mg sodium.
Variation: Pesto also can be made from other Virgin Islands herbs. For example, substitute rosemary or thyme for the basil in the recipe above. Or, try making a mixed-herb pesto with thyme and rosemary along with spinach, parsley and chives.
"Cut as much as you want," she said. "It grows so fast."
Our children nipped away with clippers until there was a whole bag full of this aromatic herb. The idea of making pesto instantly came to my mind.
Called the "royal herb" by the ancient Greeks, who revered it for both culinary and medicinal uses, basil is a member of the mint family. The green leaf has a pungent flavor often described as a cross between licorice and cloves. However, lemon basil also has a decidedly tart citrus taste.
For cooking, lemon basil leaves should be fresh with no signs of discoloration or wilting. To keep just-picked basil fresh, refrigerate it wrapped in damp paper towels and tucked into a plastic bag. Or, place a bunch of basil stems down in a glass of water and cover the leaves with a plastic bag.
Lemon basil is especially good for making teas and herb vinegars, and to add flavor to chicken, fish and vegetables. A substantial amount of the herb is needed to make a suitable quantity of pesto.
Pesto is an uncooked, paste-like sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. The ingredients are whirled together in a blender until they come together as a beautiful, smooth green mass. Pesto can be melted over spaghetti in place of tomato sauce, used as a bread spread similar to mayonnaise, employed as a seasoning or stuffing for chicken and fish, and even used as a baked-potato topper.
Try making up a batch and inventing your own flavorful uses.
Lemon Basil Pesto
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Drop pine nuts and garlic into the container of a blender or food processor; process until minced. Add basil, cheese and lemon juice; process until finely minced. With blender at low speed, slowly pour in oil and process until mixture is well blended. Spoon pesto into a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator. Makes 1 cup.
Nutrition per tablespoon: 35 calories, 3 gms fat (80 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 20 mg sodium.
Variation: Pesto also can be made from other Virgin Islands herbs. For example, substitute rosemary or thyme for the basil in the recipe above. Or, try making a mixed-herb pesto with thyme and rosemary along with spinach, parsley and chives.
MEETING SET ON VENDORS PLAZA, PARKING FACILITY
Oct. 7, 2001 – A community meeting is set for Oct. 18 to share information and obtain public input on a vendors plaza and parking facility proposed for construction across from the Cruz Bay car ferry dock. It will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the third floor meeting area of the Marketplace.
The meeting is sponsored by the Gateway Planning Council and will be co-hosted by St. John Administrator Julien Harley and V.I. National Park Supt. John King.
Harley said the purpose of the meeting is to inform the community about the status of the planned facility and to obtain on how it should be designed and managed. "This is an important and long-awaited project," he said. "Public input is critical to ensure that it meets the community's needs and makes Cruz Bay a more attractive place to live and visit."
Representatives of the Office of the Governor and the Property and Procurement Department will explain the project’s background and the process for determining the facility’s design, construction and maintenance.
Input will be solicited on issues such as what the facility should look like, how it should be used, whether parking should be paid or free, who should manage it and the parking operation, and how the cost of leasing commercial space should be determined.
A separate food court project also will be discussed.
The Gateway Planning Council was created earlier this year by Harley and King to lead community efforts in planning for the future of Cruz Bay. Its purpose is to advise and assist the territory and the National Park Service in cooperatively planning for the improvement of downtown Cruz Bay as a "gateway community" to the V.I. National Park.
The council's functions include short- and long-range planning, information sharing and coordination of activities by public and private groups involved in projects affecting downtown Cruz Bay. For further information, call Corine Matthias at 776-6484 or Jim Owens at 776-6201, ext. 247.
The meeting is sponsored by the Gateway Planning Council and will be co-hosted by St. John Administrator Julien Harley and V.I. National Park Supt. John King.
Harley said the purpose of the meeting is to inform the community about the status of the planned facility and to obtain on how it should be designed and managed. "This is an important and long-awaited project," he said. "Public input is critical to ensure that it meets the community's needs and makes Cruz Bay a more attractive place to live and visit."
Representatives of the Office of the Governor and the Property and Procurement Department will explain the project’s background and the process for determining the facility’s design, construction and maintenance.
Input will be solicited on issues such as what the facility should look like, how it should be used, whether parking should be paid or free, who should manage it and the parking operation, and how the cost of leasing commercial space should be determined.
A separate food court project also will be discussed.
The Gateway Planning Council was created earlier this year by Harley and King to lead community efforts in planning for the future of Cruz Bay. Its purpose is to advise and assist the territory and the National Park Service in cooperatively planning for the improvement of downtown Cruz Bay as a "gateway community" to the V.I. National Park.
The council's functions include short- and long-range planning, information sharing and coordination of activities by public and private groups involved in projects affecting downtown Cruz Bay. For further information, call Corine Matthias at 776-6484 or Jim Owens at 776-6201, ext. 247.
CAN NON-VIOLENCE COUNTER TERRORISM?
Dear Source,
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, it is difficult to know what to think! I've been trying to reconcile my desire for peace with the desire to safeguard our way of life. This is how I see it:
Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. showed that the way to make changes in a society that esteems human rights is civil disobedience and nonviolent protest.
Terrorists have every right to use the nonviolent method to painfully point out the areas in which Western society falls short of its own mark. They are not invoking this method. They invoke another, older method: violence and terror.
This makes me very sad. Terrorists do not realize that embarrassing us with our own hypocrisy would be far more effective than violently attacking us.
I do not know why they take the violent path. I suspect they are unable to take the nonviolent path. The terrorists define and reveal themselves by their choice of the violent path.
Here's how it is for me: We are each cells in the body of humanity. As in a human body, there are cancerous cells that arise every day and are naturally destroyed by the immune system. There will always be some errant cells in the body; the body can live with that. It's the balance that counts. Such a body is healthy.
But when the body gets cancer, the best solution is to do whatever it takes to remove the cancer. Cancer is a disease that crosses a threshold. By that I mean that it is not prudent to tolerate large numbers of errant cells together.
Indeed, some people choose to let the cancer run its course, especially if they are elderly and content to die. But the body of humanity is young, with a long future. If we meet a grave challenge with an ambiguous response, that future may be bleak. (Imagine the whole world being like Afghanistan!)
If you got cancer, would you cut it out, or simply question what it was that you did to get the cancer? I, personally, would do both.
In like manner, questioning what brought on this terrorism is appropriate, right from the start.
But our appropriate response to terrorists is: "What you did was wrong. The damage you inflicted is not justifiable under any circumstances. Your stated goal is to topple our way of life. You use our own extraordinary freedoms, technology, and open society as weapons against us. We shall remove your ability to harm us."
We must treat terrorists like cancer: eradicate the cancer, while asking how to avoid producing more cancer in the future.
P.S. — Explaining to kids what is happening is a challenge. Using the cancer analogy can be helpful. Kids know what cancer is, they know that medical treatment can sometimes be scary and painful, and they know that we have to "do what it takes" to get better.
Craig Barshinger
St. John
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, it is difficult to know what to think! I've been trying to reconcile my desire for peace with the desire to safeguard our way of life. This is how I see it:
Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. showed that the way to make changes in a society that esteems human rights is civil disobedience and nonviolent protest.
Terrorists have every right to use the nonviolent method to painfully point out the areas in which Western society falls short of its own mark. They are not invoking this method. They invoke another, older method: violence and terror.
This makes me very sad. Terrorists do not realize that embarrassing us with our own hypocrisy would be far more effective than violently attacking us.
I do not know why they take the violent path. I suspect they are unable to take the nonviolent path. The terrorists define and reveal themselves by their choice of the violent path.
Here's how it is for me: We are each cells in the body of humanity. As in a human body, there are cancerous cells that arise every day and are naturally destroyed by the immune system. There will always be some errant cells in the body; the body can live with that. It's the balance that counts. Such a body is healthy.
But when the body gets cancer, the best solution is to do whatever it takes to remove the cancer. Cancer is a disease that crosses a threshold. By that I mean that it is not prudent to tolerate large numbers of errant cells together.
Indeed, some people choose to let the cancer run its course, especially if they are elderly and content to die. But the body of humanity is young, with a long future. If we meet a grave challenge with an ambiguous response, that future may be bleak. (Imagine the whole world being like Afghanistan!)
If you got cancer, would you cut it out, or simply question what it was that you did to get the cancer? I, personally, would do both.
In like manner, questioning what brought on this terrorism is appropriate, right from the start.
But our appropriate response to terrorists is: "What you did was wrong. The damage you inflicted is not justifiable under any circumstances. Your stated goal is to topple our way of life. You use our own extraordinary freedoms, technology, and open society as weapons against us. We shall remove your ability to harm us."
We must treat terrorists like cancer: eradicate the cancer, while asking how to avoid producing more cancer in the future.
P.S. — Explaining to kids what is happening is a challenge. Using the cancer analogy can be helpful. Kids know what cancer is, they know that medical treatment can sometimes be scary and painful, and they know that we have to "do what it takes" to get better.
Craig Barshinger
St. John
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
UVI HOSTS 5 P.R. TEAMS IN VOLLEYBALL MATCHES
Oct. 7, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands Lady Bucs and Male Bucs will host five Puerto Rico teams for a series of volleyball matches Thursday through Saturday at the Sports and Fitness Center. The schools include Metropolitan University (UMET), Politecnica University, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayaguez, UPR Utuado and Colegio Universitario del Este (CUE).
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
