Sept. 19, 2001 – Cruise industry officials were hoping Wednesday to persuade the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to rescind its recent order barring cruise ship crew members who are not U.S. citizens from leaving the vessels while they are in port in the Virgin Islands.
The ban's effects have been felt all this week — a blind-siding economic blow to the Havensight Mall and nearby merchants, as business dropped off dramatically at shops, restaurants, telephone centers and cybercafes.
Edward Thomas, president of the West Indian Co., and Michael Crye, president of the International Council of Cruise Lines, were working on the problem, Calvin Wheatley, WICO spokesman, said Wednesday.
It appeared evident that the ban on disembarkation by non-U.S. nationals was a part of the heightened security measures that have been instituted nationwide in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland. Efforts by the Source to obtain clarification of the INS order were unsuccessful. Repeated telephone calls Tuesday and Wednesday to Ivan Ortiz, the INS public information officer in San Juan, went unreturned. Calls to the INS office on St. Thomas were referred to Ortiz in San Juan.
Cruise ships typically carry a crew-to-passenger ratio of about 1:3, according to Wheatley.
Thus, an average-size cruise ship such as the Carnival Destiny, with a 2,766-passenger capacity, would have about 900 crew members aboard. Megaships such as the Carnival Triumph can carry some 3,000 passengers with 1,000 crew. Most crew members are foreign nationals — mainly from Central and South America, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Wheatley said WICO estimates that crew members spend an average of about $73 per person ashore each time their ship is in port at St. Thomas. That would mean about $170,000 on Tuesday alone, with the crew of the megaship Explorer of the Seas prevented from disembarking.
The Delly Deck restaurant, long a fixture in the Havensight Mall, has felt the loss. "We've really taken a hit," manager Anna Saplis said. "Monday and Tuesday were bad."
At Modern Music, across the street from the mall entrance, general manager Jim Burke said business has been down about 80 percent in the last three days. The store has done a thriving business in renting videos to the crews, which they take one week and return the next, he said.
"Tuesday we had Explorer of the Seas, one of the big ones with about 1,000 crew," Burke said. "We had about 20 American crew in, and they told us the foreign crews were allowed off in Nassau in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico." Puerto Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth, flying the U.S. flag.
The S&B Liquor store in Frederiksted also felt the impact of the ban on Wednesday, when the megaship Carnival Triumph was in port. "We usually sell lots of phone cards and sodas and snacks," manager Lionel Smith said, "but today we didn't."
On Wednesday morning, Attorney General Iver Stridiron said became aware of the problem when "I noticed Sunday that Havensight looked deserted." He said he was meeting with the governor later in the morning and would bring the matter to his attention.
"I think we will have to deal with the federal authorities," he said. "I'll tell the governor that I'll contact the Justice Department and see if I can help."
Thinking for a moment, Stridiron added, "You know, most of those guys have been on the ships for years."

Dear Source,
I read in the St. Thomas Source an article that appeared this [Wednesday] afternoon. It was an invitation to the public to attend a candlelight vigil in Emancipation Garden at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The vigil was being hosted by the local firefighters to pay tribute to the firefighters and all involved in the tradegies of last week.
I got my flag and my red candle and headed to town for 6 p.m. I arrived minutes before the time and met two police officers and one other lady. I asked if they knew anything and was told their job was to block off the street but they didn't know why. I told them what I had read in your paper.
As I was sitting in my car for a while, one reporter from The Daily News showed up totally bewildered. Soon a firefighter from across the street came over to tell the officers there would be no vigil due to information getting out too late.
So there was no candlelight vigil. I sat in my car, lit my red candle and sang "America the Beautiful," wiped away a tear and drove home.
I am writing because I am sad that the message didn't reach others and to thank you for putting it out.
I am glad I drove the half hour to get there. I feel better. Thanks for your news.
Jane Clemo
St. Thomas

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.

Sept. 19, 2001 – A combination of network and server problems at BellSouth in Florida caused the Virgin Islands Source publications to be inaccessible for several hours Wednesday.
No one at OnePaper Inc., the company which provides the template for all three Source publications, could say exactly what the problems were.
Joanna Dame, president of OnePaper, said she was in constant contact with technicians, but when the server goes down, it is hard to pinpoint the exact problem.
The Source regrets any inconvenience as a result of the interruption.

Theophilus Reginald Forbes, age 80, of Sea Cows Bay, Tortola, died Sept. 13, at Peebles Hospital. Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, at Sea Cows Bay Methodist Church. Viewing will be at 10 a.m. at the church. Internment will be at the Forbes Family Cemetery.
He is survived by sister Louise Bianca Cills of St. Thomas; brother Carl Forbes of New York, many nieces, nephews, and numerous other relatives and friends.

Eisenhower Decides to Run: Presidential Politics and Cold War Strategy
by William B. Pickett
Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 269 pp, $29.95
Rating 5 stars *
Churchill: A Study in Greatness
by Geoffrey Best
Hambledon, London, 384 pp, $29.95
Rating 5 stars *
A World War II monument is planned for the Mall in Washington, D.C., but the real monuments of that war will be its men and memories, its women and mementos. A lot of them will survive. Standing out on the winning side will be two great figures – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Democrats, take heart: Eisenhower was neither Democrat nor Republican but sought the White House unilaterally. Liberals, take heart: Churchill was Churchillian, not Conservative — as everybody knows. But they were, to the core, politicians.
Proof that Eisenhower was no reluctant presidential candidate, despite the image to that effect, is neatly compiled in William B. Pickett's studious short work "Eisenhower Decides to Run: Presidential Politics and Cold War Strategy," along with an explanation of why he decided to do so.
Ike did have an altruistic purpose in running for the presidency, indeed two: first, the threat of excessive defense spending (that parting shot at "the military industrial complex"), and second, national complacency and isolation. Did he really fear Soviet world domination? Apparently not.
On the other hand, Pickett does not seriously deal with some enigmas of Eisenhower's administration which haunt us today: Why, of all possibilities, did he choose Richard Nixon as his running mate? Why, when he could have rid the Republic earlier of Joseph McCarthy, did he allow him to drink himself into political oblivion first? And why did he capitulate to the red-scare insistence to purge the government of homosexuals (on grounds of their being subject to blackmail)?
Pickett's otherwise thoughtful, savvy and well-written portrait of Eisenhower is an eye opener. All considered, Ike was the best general in World War II, and he made a highly useful interim president.
In comparison to Eisenhower (no littérateur), to Roosevelt (no international negotiator), and to Stalin (no human being at all), Winston Churchill (no unflawed genius) looms over the war era with his essential English port from Portugal and his English cigar of Cuban tobacco with a Connecticut wrapper. As Shakespeare said of Caesar, "Why man, he doth bestride the world like a Colossus."
Here was the last English aristocrat (the last worth the title he turned down, anyway) who was half American and more worldly than any cosmic figure of the era. He was the wife of every Englishman and the husband of every Englishwoman despite the fact that he had a Penelope for a wife (Dear Clemmy), the epitomal English mother. His American mother was useful, too, for she invented the Manhattan cocktail: Canadian rye, French sweet vermouth, and an Italian cherry.
Beatified in The Battle of Britain, Churchill has survived more revisionist debunking in recent years than Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito combined; yet his portly figure still dominates the 20th century — for his bravery (in the Boer War), his colossal mistakes (Antwerp and Gallipoli), his sulking (between the wars), his deviousness (with Roosevelt), his demagoguery (in the Phony War) and his stubbornness (not merely against the Axis but against Stalinism, not merely for his Soft Underbelly theory about Italy but for his obstinate support of Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery).
Geoffrey Best is brilliant elucidating Churchill's shrewd handling of Parliament, Congress, the Kremlin, the British Empire, radio, film, the press, chicanery, port, and the cigar to defeat the Nazi terror.
Few men so eloquent as Churchill have led so many to do so much; and few men so inarticulate could be more precise with battle orders than Eisenhower. The greatest gift of each, however, was the ability to pick subordinates who were winners. And this key factor in the Allied victory both authors readily recognize.
We were lucky to have had so many willing to risk their lives for us in those dark days, so many to work so hard, so many who knew what to do to save civilization. But we also were lucky to have had the services of these specific men at that specific time to get those vital tasks done.
Eisenhower was, without America's real comprehension, the ultimate military authority. Churchill was the leader of the Allied leaders, and now even we Americans can admit this without in any way diminishing the value of the millions who contributed to the Allies' victory. As Churchill told the free world then, everyone who fought in whatever way he could, in any way she would, was bloody essential. We were that up against it.
Look back and contemplate the alternatives to all-out victory over fascism and, ultimately, communism. There were no alternatives. But few realized that when Churchill stood alone, then Britain stood alone, then we all stood alone together.
* Richard Dey rates the books he reviews for the Source on a scale of 1 to 5 stars:
5 stars – Beyond serious criticism
4 stars – A fine read
3 stars – Good, fascinating, with caveats
2 stars – Interesting or shows promise
1 star – Cautionary tale

James Archibald Donovan, age 55, of Carrot Bay, Tortola, died on Sept. 11, at Peebles Hospital. His funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Zion Hill Methodist Church. Viewing will be at 9 a.m. preceding the service at Zion Hill Methodist Church. The Internment will be at Capoons Bay Cemetery.
He is survived by sisters Doris Smith, Eugenie Donovan, Glasgow, Bernice Phyllis and Beulah Donovan, Claudette Industrious, Joan Hunter aand Melba Nedd; many aunts, uncles, and friends too numerous to mention.

Eisenhower Decides to Run: Presidential Politics and Cold War Strategy
by William B. Pickett
Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 269 pp, $29.95
Rating 5 stars *
Churchill: A Study in Greatness
by Geoffrey Best
Hambledon, London, 384 pp, $29.95
Rating 5 stars *
A World War II monument is planned for the Mall in Washington, D.C., but the real monuments of that war will be its men and memories, its women and mementos. A lot of them will survive. Standing out on the winning side will be two great figures – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Democrats, take heart: Eisenhower was neither Democrat nor Republican but sought the White House unilaterally. Liberals, take heart: Churchill was Churchillian, not Conservative — as everybody knows. But they were, to the core, politicians.
Proof that Eisenhower was no reluctant presidential candidate, despite the image to that effect, is neatly compiled in William B. Pickett's studious short work "Eisenhower Decides to Run: Presidential Politics and Cold War Strategy," along with an explanation of why he decided to do so.
Ike did have an altruistic purpose in running for the presidency, indeed two: first, the threat of excessive defense spending (that parting shot at "the military industrial complex"), and second, national complacency and isolation. Did he really fear Soviet world domination? Apparently not.
On the other hand, Pickett does not seriously deal with some enigmas of Eisenhower's administration which haunt us today: Why, of all possibilities, did he choose Richard Nixon as his running mate? Why, when he could have rid the Republic earlier of Joseph McCarthy, did he allow him to drink himself into political oblivion first? And why did he capitulate to the red-scare insistence to purge the government of homosexuals (on grounds of their being subject to blackmail)?
Pickett's otherwise thoughtful, savvy and well-written portrait of Eisenhower is an eye opener. All considered, Ike was the best general in World War II, and he made a highly useful interim president.
In comparison to Eisenhower (no littérateur), to Roosevelt (no international negotiator), and to Stalin (no human being at all), Winston Churchill (no unflawed genius) looms over the war era with his essential English port from Portugal and his English cigar of Cuban tobacco with a Connecticut wrapper. As Shakespeare said of Caesar, "Why man, he doth bestride the world like a Colossus."
Here was the last English aristocrat (the last worth the title he turned down, anyway) who was half American and more worldly than any cosmic figure of the era. He was the wife of every Englishman and the husband of every Englishwoman despite the fact that he had a Penelope for a wife (Dear Clemmy), the epitomal English mother. His American mother was useful, too, for she invented the Manhattan cocktail: Canadian rye, French sweet vermouth, and an Italian cherry.
Beatified in The Battle of Britain, Churchill has survived more revisionist debunking in recent years than Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito combined; yet his portly figure still dominates the 20th century — for his bravery (in the Boer War), his colossal mistakes (Antwerp and Gallipoli), his sulking (between the wars), his deviousness (with Roosevelt), his demagoguery (in the Phony War) and his stubbornness (not merely against the Axis but against Stalinism, not merely for his Soft Underbelly theory about Italy but for his obstinate support of Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery).
Geoffrey Best is brilliant elucidating Churchill's shrewd handling of Parliament, Congress, the Kremlin, the British Empire, radio, film, the press, chicanery, port, and the cigar to defeat the Nazi terror.
Few men so eloquent as Churchill have led so many to do so much; and few men so inarticulate could be more precise with battle orders than Eisenhower. The greatest gift of each, however, was the ability to pick subordinates who were winners. And this key factor in the Allied victory both authors readily recognize.
We were lucky to have had so many willing to risk their lives for us in those dark days, so many to work so hard, so many who knew what to do to save civilization. But we also were lucky to have had the services of these specific men at that specific time to get those vital tasks done.
Eisenhower was, without America's real comprehension, the ultimate military authority. Churchill was the leader of the Allied leaders, and now even we Americans can admit this without in any way diminishing the value of the millions who contributed to the Allies' victory. As Churchill told the free world then, everyone who fought in whatever way he could, in any way she would, was bloody essential. We were that up against it.
Look back and contemplate the alternatives to all-out victory over fascism and, ultimately, communism. There were no alternatives. But few realized that when Churchill stood alone, then Britain stood alone, then we all stood alone together.
* Richard Dey rates the books he reviews for the Source on a scale of 1 to 5 stars:
5 stars – Beyond serious criticism
4 stars – A fine read
3 stars – Good, fascinating, with caveats
2 stars – Interesting or shows promise
1 star – Cautionary tale

Sept. 19, 2001 – Recognizing the value of information, the Cancer Information Service produces newspaper columns focused on the dissemination of such information in a question-and-answer form. Readers are encouraged to e-mail questions about any type of cancer, myths and rumors, or other cancer-related concerns. Answers utilizing the latest information on cancer-related issues will be provided via this medium in an easy-to-understand format.
The Cancer Information Service is a program of the National Cancer Institute, the nation’s primary agency for cancer research, and is entirely federally funded through the NCI. Through a network of regional offices, the CIS provides the latest and most accurate cancer information to patients, their families, health professionals and the public. It does this by:
– Talking with people one-on-one through its telephone service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
– Working with businesses and organizations through its Partnership Program.
– Participating in research efforts to find the best ways to help people adopt more healthful behaviors.
– Providing cancer information on the Internet at Cancer Information Service.
Since Oct. 15, 1999, the CIS has been providing service to V.I. residents through the toll-free telephone number. There is no charge to for the service, and all calls are confidential. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
People who call the toll-free number are connected to trained staff members who are experienced at explaining scientific information in understandable terms in both English and Spanish. The only time that the telephone specialist may ask for the caller's name and address is if the caller requests that printed information be mailed. And after the material is sent, the name and address record is destroyed.
On St. Thomas, the CIS has opened a regional Partnership Program office to serve the territory. The program is dedicated to reaching medically underserved populations. Partnering with local businesses and organizations, the CIS can provide an array of support services in areas such as cancer education, program planning and implementation, training assistance and media development.
One of the partners of the CIS is the "Every Woman at Heart" V.I. Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Its purpose is to reduce mortality from breast and cervical cancers. Once a woman meets the income guidelines, the program provides underinsured or uninsured women over the age of 50 with free mammograms and women over the age of 18 with free pap smears. Program staff personnel will schedule appointments with doctors but provide transportation, if necessary. They also provide information on health education and treatment options. The woman is supported through every step of the process, providing a continuum of care.
For more information about "Every Woman at Heart, " call 774-9000, ext. 4643 on St. Thomas or 773-2676 on St. Croix.
For more information about the CIS and its services in the Virgin Islands, send an e-mail to Carthy Thomas, Partnership Program coordinator. Thomas also may be reached by telephone at 774-9000, ext. 4707. Queries also may be mailed to Health Department, Old Municipal Hospital, Bldg. F, St. Thomas VI 00802.
Many people in the Virgin Islands have lots of questions, comments and concerns about cancer. Any and off of them can be answered in the CIS column. I encourage the people of the Virgin Islands to utilize the services available. As our people become more educated about cancer, they will be able to make more informed decisions concerning health care. We look forward to hearing from you!
Carthy Thomas,
Partnership Program Coordinator
Coastal Cancer Information Service

Sixth and last in a series of articles on the Summer 2001 visit to Denmark by the Friends of Denmark, hosted by the West Indian Society there
More than 20 years ago, our son sailed into Copenhagen on a freighter. Being 20 years of age and having been at sea for almost two weeks, he headed straight for the Carlsberg Brewery. His experiences at this fabled institution gave his mother and me one of our best stories about him — and made a similar tour by us inevitable.
Friday was the day that we rode our bicycles to the train station and where we boarded a train to get off at the Valby stop. At the Visitor Center, we were given a self-guided tour pamphlet and turned loose in the original brewery. By 1847, Copenhagen had become one of the denser major cities in the world. Given the crowded conditions, J.C. Jacobsen decided to build his brewery outside the city's ramparts, on a hill at Valby. He called the brewery Carlsberg (Carl's hill) after his son Carl.
The son followed in his father's footsteps. After a tour of Europe, he began his career as a brewer, opening his own brewery 10 years later, in 1971. In 1906, the New and Old Carlsbergs merged into Carlsberg Breweries.
In 1970, after almost a century working together, Tuborg and Carlsberg merged. Today, Carlsberg exports some 12 percent of its Danish output and owns all or part of some 72 breweries in 40 countries around the world. The publicity would have you know that some 30 million bottles of Carlsberg beer are opened around the world every day.
Our son was given a guided tour by a lively Danish lass. Judy and I were turned loose to wander around the old brewery with a map, augmented by numerous information boards and challenged by hordes of foreign tourists — German, Swedish, Japanese, Italian, Russian, and some we didn't recognize.
The machinery was polished to a shine, but the most interesting area to me was the malting germination bins. I have toiled toward the bottom of a silo in Kansas where corn stalks had been working for almost a year. You could only work so long and had to get out before you collapsed with a case of secondary drunkenness. I can only imagine working all day with a pitchfork and shovel turning heaps of barley as it germinated in the bins, which filled the entire basement of the brewery.
Another interesting area was the stable, which still houses the Carlsberg prize hitch of draft horses used to pull the ceremonial beer wagons. While we were there, the horses were undergoing a periodic veterinary examination which entailed minute study of each animal by four individuals.
At last we reached the bar. If you thought it was fun mixing it up with a couple hundred individuals of mixed nationalities touring the brewery, try drinking with them.
When my son visited the brewery, he was allowed to drink all the beer he wanted. We have a priceless picture of him and his friends attempting to ride their bicycles back to the ship. Today, each tourist gets two tickets good for beer, soft drinks (Carlsberg is associated with Coca-Cola) and water. I tried a glass of Old Carl and one of Tuborg Classic. Since we had to ride our bicycles I decided against the Elephant.
The Carlsberg complex covers many square blocks. It houses the latest modern brewery, warehouses, several institutes, laboratories, museums and the corporate headquarters. Wending our way through the maze with the help of a map, we came upon the Elephant Gates. This famous landmark was conceived and constructed in the mid-1800s, when art and architecture were bragging points for the world's foremost industrialists.
With a healthy respect for lunch, we headed for the nearest bakery for a sandwich and then to a park to eat it in. On the far side of the park we found the Royal Copenhagen factory and factory store. What the factory store lacked in finesse, it made up for with discounted prices. We were able to purchase fine ceramic statues at 40 percent below downtown prices, which encouraged us to get one for each child and grandchild. We also had an adventure roaming through two floors and a tent packed with every conceivable product of one of the world's finest manufacturers of ceramics.
The location of this gem is the northwest corner of Frederiksberg Have, or north of the Copenhagen Zoo on Sondre Fasanvej just south of Peter Bangs Vej. After well over an hour and hundreds of dollars, we shouldered our backpacks and lit out for our hosts' home.
Ending it all with a ball
Friday evening was the big "Good-bye Ball." Some 70 Virgin Islanders and more than 150 Danes met at the Egmont H. Peterson Student Dormitory. The Egmont, a hotel with students living there year 'round, rents out the restaurant for parties. The management allowed the Danish West Indian Society to have a bar and bring in their own food. It was the best of all worlds.
We began socializing in the bar area with wine and snacks provided by the individual society members and beer and other drinks available at the bar. Many of the hosts from Jutland and Fynn came into Copenhagen for the festivities, so it was a real mash-up of socialization.
A unique aspect of the location was a very narrow, curved stairway between the bar and the main salon. Since it allowed one thin person at a time to make the transition from the bar to the dining area, it was a great place to meet people. The pace of the evening was leisurely, with lots of time to enjoy the snacks, first course, main course and dessert. After two weeks of events, a couple sets of hosts, and several other parties, everyone had many friends to have one last conversation with.
The high point of the evening, after the food, was the Original Danish Polcalypso Orchestra. Polka-plus-calypso is the kind of fusion of Danish and West Indian music that only true fans of the two forms could create.
Band leader Kazo Dierpaul became infatuated with it around 1988, formed a band and made it his mission to introduce the music to all of Europe. To maintain the Caribbean influence, the band visits the islands regularly and has extended its range to the U.S. mainland. Band members play banjo, harmonica, saxophone, clarinet, guitar, drums, percussion and bass.
The band had played for the visiting Friends of Denmark group four years ago and has traveled to the territory several times to play — most recently with St Thomas's Jamesie (of Jamesie and the Happy Seven) Brewster appearing as guest artist.
Once the band began playing, several rows of tables were removed, and the floor was packed with dancers until the evening was brought to a close. There is absolutely no question in anyone's mind concerning the success of Festival 2001. We all enjoy the finer things in life: eating, socializing and dancing. Skal!

Sept. 19, 2001 – V.I. Fire Services on St. Thomas will hold a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Emancipation Garden to pay tribute to those firefighters and police officers who lost their lives in responding to the terrorist attacks in New York City on Sept. 11.
Ian Williams Sr., Fire Services director, is asking police personnel, other emergency workers and the public "to join us in honoring these fallen American heroes."