July 30, 2001 – Fans of St. Thomas chef Patricia LaCorte will find her in town once again when the restaurant of The Inn at Blackbeard's Castle officially reopens Friday night.
LaCorte has been presiding over her North Side restaurant, Lulu's (subtitle: An Unpretentious Neighborhood Café), since 1999, when she left Blackbeard's, where she had run Cafe Lulu. Now she is eager to take on a new endeavor at her old base, while keeping Lulu's open under her care.
Baron Vernon Ball, longtime owner of Hotel 1829, and his partners recently purchased the Blackbeard's property along with the adjacent Villa Notman, which until recently was known as L'Hotel Boynes. Michael Ball, his son, has managed Hotel 1829 for the last 12 years and now is overseeing the newly acquired properties as well, along with the Haagensen House museum situated behind Hotel 1829 on Government Hill.
And this is where LaCorte comes in. "It's like a slice of heaven," she said. "Michael offered me a great challenge, and I took it." LaCorte is the new food and beverage manager of the Blackbeard's restaurant, the Hotel 1829 dining room, Haagensen House and Villa Notman. "The last two are for caterings only," she noted. No matter; she will have her hands full.
"We've been easing into it slowly," LaCorte said. "We have done it systematically so that we do it well." She has no such hesitation in displaying her enthusiasm for her new kitchen concept. "We're calling it New World cuisine," she said. "It's like Columbus, what he found here in these islands – new spices, new combinations, recipes from Colombia, Haiti, interesting combinations. What I want to do is serve what really denotes the Caribbean basin."
Such as? Chutneys, mojos, banana and guava catsups. A spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with mashed boniato and a confit of cayenne-dusted carambola. Or perhaps panella and tamarind spice-painted salmon on a calabaza ratatouille preceded by a chilled cucumber and chayote soup and topped off with mango and white chocolate bread pudding.
And if there's anything there that you don't recognize, feel free to ask the wait staff for an explanation.
"The concept of New World cuisine isn't limited," LaCorte said, rather unnecessarily. "There's nothing worse than being limited, tied down." She said the menu will change with the seasons and the availability of fresh produce, a staple in her trade.
LaCorte, whose parents were restaurateurs in France, studied at the famed Cordon Bleu culinary institute there. Settling on St. Thomas in the 1970s, she first worked at the hotel on Water Island then opened her first Fiddle Leaf restaurant in the old Safari Lounge off Back Street. She later moved it to the Watergate Villas, and went on to add the Little Leaf. After Hurricane Hugo closed the main restaurant, she moved it to the Government Hill site where Herve is today. Later, she opened Provence in Frenchtown; then, after Hurricane Marilyn, Cafe Lulu; and, three years ago, Lulu's.
"There's another bit of wonderful news," LaCorte said, "Chad Nunez is back." Nunez was restaurant manager at Blackbeard's in her previous tenure. She will oversee a kitchen staff of four there and a separate staff at Hotel 1829, which is now closed until season starts, probably in November, she said.
Blackbeard's is having a "soft opening" now at nights, offering appetizers and a limited entree menu. From Friday on, the restaurant will be open for dinner Monday through Saturday. "We'll continue to evolve and be open seven nights and start lunches probably in October," LaCorte said.
Dedicated Lulu's patrons, take note: The Crown Mountain Road restaurant will take a vacation, too, starting Aug. 16. But it will reopen Oct. 18, LaCorte said. "That's my baby," she wanted to reassure old friends. "It'll still be there."
WOMEN'S SOCCER GAMES, PRACTICES CONTINUE
Aug. 1, 2001 – St. Thomas Women's Soccer teams will play in pre-season games at 5 p.m. Saturday Aug. 4 and Sunday Aug. 5 in the Lionel Roberts Stadium. All women players are encouraged to attend.
Soccer practices continue at the UVI field at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
For more information contact Tanya Ward Benjamin at 776-2105.
Soccer practices continue at the UVI field at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
For more information contact Tanya Ward Benjamin at 776-2105.
PETTY CRIME DESTROYING ST. CROIX
Dear Source,
We were seriously considering your islands as a place we would like to retire to in a few years.
Although St.Thomas is wonderful for visitors and tourists, our heart was for St. John and its treasures. But St. John is a little expensive for real estate, so we considered logically that St. Croix should be the best bargain and the place we should take a look at.
With its size and industry and desire to attract tourist dollars, we might be a good investment for the island.
I was on St. Thomas in March 1968, yes, when chickens were running loose down by the main docks. We were on St. Thomas for a few days last year and on St. John for a week last year and again this year. We had never been to St. Croix.
So this year we decided to give St. Croix a good look and took three days to see the island. We booked into the Buccaneer Hotel, so you know we were comfortable and had a good base to start from.
St. Croix could be so charming and it could be so successful, but it fails itself. And it fails badly. Petty crime is not a cottage industry; it is the main industry, ahead of tourism, because that's what you remember.
I'm not going to include the missing police officer in my impressions, because that's something else entirely.
We were told when we rented our car to please roll our windows down and empty our cars when we park, because the bandits won't break the car windows if they're rolled down.
Then at the hotel we were told the same thing. Then we went around the island and saw and photographed young men running along the parked cars checking the windows and doors for a quick hit and run.
You know this is happening and then dare to put me and my family in the middle of these crimes. We were told to leave Christiansted when it gets dark.
We had planned to snorkel at the old pier in Fredriksted in the evening to find octopus, but a visit to that town for lunch showed us we didn't belong there daytime or nighttime. We turned around and left.
The island of St. Croix has many, many treasures; yet, I may never go back and put my family in that unsafe position again.
I say to St. Croix: See your overgrown, petty crime-ridden, threatening island through the eyes of a visitor with a plan to settle there, and maybe you'll clean up your act.
Your crime is your failure, and failure is your future.
John R. DiMiceli
Germantown, MD
We were seriously considering your islands as a place we would like to retire to in a few years.
Although St.Thomas is wonderful for visitors and tourists, our heart was for St. John and its treasures. But St. John is a little expensive for real estate, so we considered logically that St. Croix should be the best bargain and the place we should take a look at.
With its size and industry and desire to attract tourist dollars, we might be a good investment for the island.
I was on St. Thomas in March 1968, yes, when chickens were running loose down by the main docks. We were on St. Thomas for a few days last year and on St. John for a week last year and again this year. We had never been to St. Croix.
So this year we decided to give St. Croix a good look and took three days to see the island. We booked into the Buccaneer Hotel, so you know we were comfortable and had a good base to start from.
St. Croix could be so charming and it could be so successful, but it fails itself. And it fails badly. Petty crime is not a cottage industry; it is the main industry, ahead of tourism, because that's what you remember.
I'm not going to include the missing police officer in my impressions, because that's something else entirely.
We were told when we rented our car to please roll our windows down and empty our cars when we park, because the bandits won't break the car windows if they're rolled down.
Then at the hotel we were told the same thing. Then we went around the island and saw and photographed young men running along the parked cars checking the windows and doors for a quick hit and run.
You know this is happening and then dare to put me and my family in the middle of these crimes. We were told to leave Christiansted when it gets dark.
We had planned to snorkel at the old pier in Fredriksted in the evening to find octopus, but a visit to that town for lunch showed us we didn't belong there daytime or nighttime. We turned around and left.
The island of St. Croix has many, many treasures; yet, I may never go back and put my family in that unsafe position again.
I say to St. Croix: See your overgrown, petty crime-ridden, threatening island through the eyes of a visitor with a plan to settle there, and maybe you'll clean up your act.
Your crime is your failure, and failure is your future.
John R. DiMiceli
Germantown, MD
COMING CRUISE SEASON NOT KIND TO ST. CROIX
July 31, 2001 – St. Thomas was No. 1 in the world for cruise-ship traffic in the year 2000, as it also was the year before, according to the Lloyds Cruise International report for June/July 2001.
That's the good news the West Indian Co. put out Tuesday.
Even better news — this from WICO itself — is that cruise ship arrivals in the first seven months of 2001 are up by 14 percent over a year ago — standing at 1,148,126 this year compared with 1,007,407 in 2000.
And, according to a WICO release, "Based on current studies, this created an increase of $85 million in economic activity over the similar period in 2000."
Total passenger spending to date this year is $696 million, the release said, while "our nearest competitor in the industry," Sint Maarten, reported combined earnings from both overnight and cruise passengers for the year 2000 at $479 million.
More good news is that the 2001-02 season for the St. Thomas-St. John district will bring two new ships, one of them an eagle class — the largest passenger ships afloat — that will be calling year-round. And for the 2002-03 season, St. Thomas will be a port of call for five more new ships, one of them an eagle-class vessel.
Meantime, next summer has "the strong possibility" on alternate weeks "of at least one ship every day for one week and then followed by ships for five days the next week."
All of which has WICO president and chief executive officer Edward Thomas projecting a record 1.9 million passenger arrivals in the district this calendar year, and more than 2 million in 2002.
(The release notes that WICO "continues to work closely with the hotel industry" in efforts to see that "a large percentage" of cruise ship visitors return as overnight guests.)
Now, for the bad news.
St. Croix arrivals will be down significantly in the coming season, with the number of calls dropping to 103 from 154 in 2000-01. This is mainly because the Holland America line has discontinued the island as part of its itinerary and because the Nordic Empress will call every other week rather than weekly, the WICO release said.
But even St. Thomas has cause for concern in the foreseeable future, for two reasons, Thomas said.
First, the fastest area of growth in the region for cruise lines now is the Western Caribbean — essentially the Cayman Islands and Mexico's Yucatan, and perhaps Jamaica, the Bahamas and/or Hispaniola. St. Thomas is a part of the Eastern Caribbean circuit.
The reason is that "the cruise lines are now tapping into the heavy drive markets of the Southwest for their clientele," the WICO release states, referring to travelers who would drive to their point of embarkation, rather than fly, as they must do for cruises that commence in Puerto Rico, for example. "The gulf port cities of Houston, Galveston, Tampa and especially New Orleans are becoming major embarkation points" for both full week and three- and four-day cruises. Islands in the Western Caribbean are closer to those port cities.
Second, Thomas noted that there are again efforts within Congress to lift the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. He said that within as little as four years of that happening, "the infrastructure of Cuban cruise ports" could create "a significant threat to other destinations in the Caribbean."
The St. Croix situation
"The problem with St. Croix as a key destination remains an issue," the release states, and Thomas has written to Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards "suggesting that the government's public relations company link up" with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's marketing committee "to design a special promotional program for that island."
The 2001-02 season opens on St. Croix with the arrival of the Infinity on Oct. 14.
One bit of good news for St. Croix, subject to confirmation in the spring: The Galaxy will be a regular Sunday visitor, and the Carnival Victory will continue to call. This, the release states, ensures that the island can hold Harbor Night mini-carnival events year-round.
Another: The 2002-03 season will bring the new Zuiderdam to St. Croix on Tuesdays.
Where the territory stands
In second place behind St. Thomas (which had 1.64 million passengers) on the Lloyds list for 2000 is the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (1.48 million), where Cozumel is the main port of call and the Mayan ruins are a major attraction. That's a significant spread, but Mexico is moving up fast. In third place is Miami (1.44 million), the world's largest homeport for cruise lines.
Nassau (1.40 million) in the Bahamas moved from fifth place in 1999 to fourth last year. And San Juan, Puerto Rico (1.28 million), slipped from third to fifth. The next most popular ports in 2000 were Grand Cayman; Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Fla.; Sint Maarten and Juneau, Alaska.
What lies ahead for St. Thomas-St. John
The coming season will see the first visits to St. Thomas of the new eagle-class Adventure of the Seas and the Carnival Pride; both will continue calling year-round.
The Adventure's enticements include an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall and the first-ever staterooms with an interior view — looking down on the "street life" of the Royale Promenade of on-board shops. The mega-ship can carry up to 3,838 passengers in double- and three-quarter-occupancy cabins.
The Pride, which can accommodate 2,124 passengers, features a dining room with a name St. Thomas residents can identify with — the Normandie — plus a reservations-only supper club called David's that has as its decor showpiece a 12-foot replica of Michelangelo's masterpiece of that name.
In addition, the Infinity, Summit, Radiance of the Seas and Sea Princess will be new seasonal callers. And the Millennium and Norwegian Sky, which visited on alternate weeks last season, will call weekly in the coming one.
Noticeable by its absence will be the blue, twin-smokestack Norway, a year-round visitor since the 1980s, which is being repositioned to Europe in September.
The Virgin Islands cruise ship season officially begins Oct. 5, by WICO's reckoning, with the return from its summer Alaska base of the Dawn Princess. The number of scheduled calls for St. Thomas-St. John are 55 in October, 88 in November, 111 in December, 123 in January, 110 in February, 139 in March and 93 in April.
Although next summer's schedule won't be certified until the Seatrade conference next March, plans call for the Grand Princess to return for another summer season and the Galaxy to be a weekly Friday caller, the WICO release states.
For the 2002-03 season, new ships scheduled to make their first calls at St. Thomas are the Navigator of the Seas (an eagle-class vessel), Constellation, Zuiderdam, Coral Princess and Norwegian Dawn.
That's the good news the West Indian Co. put out Tuesday.
Even better news — this from WICO itself — is that cruise ship arrivals in the first seven months of 2001 are up by 14 percent over a year ago — standing at 1,148,126 this year compared with 1,007,407 in 2000.
And, according to a WICO release, "Based on current studies, this created an increase of $85 million in economic activity over the similar period in 2000."
Total passenger spending to date this year is $696 million, the release said, while "our nearest competitor in the industry," Sint Maarten, reported combined earnings from both overnight and cruise passengers for the year 2000 at $479 million.
More good news is that the 2001-02 season for the St. Thomas-St. John district will bring two new ships, one of them an eagle class — the largest passenger ships afloat — that will be calling year-round. And for the 2002-03 season, St. Thomas will be a port of call for five more new ships, one of them an eagle-class vessel.
Meantime, next summer has "the strong possibility" on alternate weeks "of at least one ship every day for one week and then followed by ships for five days the next week."
All of which has WICO president and chief executive officer Edward Thomas projecting a record 1.9 million passenger arrivals in the district this calendar year, and more than 2 million in 2002.
(The release notes that WICO "continues to work closely with the hotel industry" in efforts to see that "a large percentage" of cruise ship visitors return as overnight guests.)
Now, for the bad news.
St. Croix arrivals will be down significantly in the coming season, with the number of calls dropping to 103 from 154 in 2000-01. This is mainly because the Holland America line has discontinued the island as part of its itinerary and because the Nordic Empress will call every other week rather than weekly, the WICO release said.
But even St. Thomas has cause for concern in the foreseeable future, for two reasons, Thomas said.
First, the fastest area of growth in the region for cruise lines now is the Western Caribbean — essentially the Cayman Islands and Mexico's Yucatan, and perhaps Jamaica, the Bahamas and/or Hispaniola. St. Thomas is a part of the Eastern Caribbean circuit.
The reason is that "the cruise lines are now tapping into the heavy drive markets of the Southwest for their clientele," the WICO release states, referring to travelers who would drive to their point of embarkation, rather than fly, as they must do for cruises that commence in Puerto Rico, for example. "The gulf port cities of Houston, Galveston, Tampa and especially New Orleans are becoming major embarkation points" for both full week and three- and four-day cruises. Islands in the Western Caribbean are closer to those port cities.
Second, Thomas noted that there are again efforts within Congress to lift the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. He said that within as little as four years of that happening, "the infrastructure of Cuban cruise ports" could create "a significant threat to other destinations in the Caribbean."
The St. Croix situation
"The problem with St. Croix as a key destination remains an issue," the release states, and Thomas has written to Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards "suggesting that the government's public relations company link up" with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's marketing committee "to design a special promotional program for that island."
The 2001-02 season opens on St. Croix with the arrival of the Infinity on Oct. 14.
One bit of good news for St. Croix, subject to confirmation in the spring: The Galaxy will be a regular Sunday visitor, and the Carnival Victory will continue to call. This, the release states, ensures that the island can hold Harbor Night mini-carnival events year-round.
Another: The 2002-03 season will bring the new Zuiderdam to St. Croix on Tuesdays.
Where the territory stands
In second place behind St. Thomas (which had 1.64 million passengers) on the Lloyds list for 2000 is the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (1.48 million), where Cozumel is the main port of call and the Mayan ruins are a major attraction. That's a significant spread, but Mexico is moving up fast. In third place is Miami (1.44 million), the world's largest homeport for cruise lines.
Nassau (1.40 million) in the Bahamas moved from fifth place in 1999 to fourth last year. And San Juan, Puerto Rico (1.28 million), slipped from third to fifth. The next most popular ports in 2000 were Grand Cayman; Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Fla.; Sint Maarten and Juneau, Alaska.
What lies ahead for St. Thomas-St. John
The coming season will see the first visits to St. Thomas of the new eagle-class Adventure of the Seas and the Carnival Pride; both will continue calling year-round.
The Adventure's enticements include an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall and the first-ever staterooms with an interior view — looking down on the "street life" of the Royale Promenade of on-board shops. The mega-ship can carry up to 3,838 passengers in double- and three-quarter-occupancy cabins.
The Pride, which can accommodate 2,124 passengers, features a dining room with a name St. Thomas residents can identify with — the Normandie — plus a reservations-only supper club called David's that has as its decor showpiece a 12-foot replica of Michelangelo's masterpiece of that name.
In addition, the Infinity, Summit, Radiance of the Seas and Sea Princess will be new seasonal callers. And the Millennium and Norwegian Sky, which visited on alternate weeks last season, will call weekly in the coming one.
Noticeable by its absence will be the blue, twin-smokestack Norway, a year-round visitor since the 1980s, which is being repositioned to Europe in September.
The Virgin Islands cruise ship season officially begins Oct. 5, by WICO's reckoning, with the return from its summer Alaska base of the Dawn Princess. The number of scheduled calls for St. Thomas-St. John are 55 in October, 88 in November, 111 in December, 123 in January, 110 in February, 139 in March and 93 in April.
Although next summer's schedule won't be certified until the Seatrade conference next March, plans call for the Grand Princess to return for another summer season and the Galaxy to be a weekly Friday caller, the WICO release states.
For the 2002-03 season, new ships scheduled to make their first calls at St. Thomas are the Navigator of the Seas (an eagle-class vessel), Constellation, Zuiderdam, Coral Princess and Norwegian Dawn.
CRUISE NEWS: ST. THOMAS STILL NO. 1 AND GROWING
July 31, 2001 – St. Thomas was No. 1 in the world for cruise-ship traffic in the year 2000, as it also was the year before, according to the Lloyds Cruise International report for June/July 2001.
That's the good news the West Indian Co. put out Tuesday.
Even better news — this from WICO itself — is that cruise ship arrivals in the first seven months of 2001 are up by 14 percent over a year ago — standing at 1,148,126 this year compared with 1,007,407 in 2000.
And, according to a WICO release, "Based on current studies, this created an increase of $85 million in economic activity over the similar period in 2000."
Total passenger spending to date this year is $696 million, the release said, while "our nearest competitor in the industry," Sint Maarten, reported combined earnings from both overnight and cruise passengers for the year 2000 at $479 million.
More good news is that the 2001-02 season for the St. Thomas-St. John district will bring two new ships, one of them an eagle class — the largest passenger ships afloat — that will be calling year-round. And for the 2002-03 season, St. Thomas will be a port of call for five more new ships, one of them an eagle-class vessel.
Meantime, next summer has "the strong possibility" on alternate weeks "of at least one ship every day for one week and then followed by ships for five days the next week."
All of which has WICO president and chief executive officer Edward Thomas projecting a record 1.9 million passenger arrivals in the district this calendar year, and more than 2 million in 2002.
(The release notes that WICO "continues to work closely with the hotel industry" in efforts to see that "a large percentage" of cruise ship visitors return as overnight guests.)
Now, for the bad news.
St. Croix arrivals will be down significantly in the coming season, with the number of calls dropping to 103 from 154 in 2000-01. This is mainly because the Holland America line has discontinued the island as part of its itinerary and because the Nordic Empress will call every other week rather than weekly, the WICO release said.
But even St. Thomas has cause for concern in the foreseeable future, for two reasons, Thomas said.
First, the fastest area of growth in the region for cruise lines now is the Western Caribbean — essentially the Cayman Islands and Mexico's Yucatan, and perhaps Jamaica, the Bahamas and/or Hispaniola. St. Thomas is a part of the Eastern Caribbean circuit.
The reason is that "the cruise lines are now tapping into the heavy drive markets of the Southwest for their clientele," the WICO release states, referring to travelers who would drive to their point of embarkation, rather than fly, as they must do for cruises that commence in Puerto Rico, for example. "The gulf port cities of Houston, Galveston, Tampa and especially New Orleans are becoming major embarkation points" for both full week and three- and four-day cruises. Islands in the Western Caribbean are closer to those port cities.
Second, Thomas noted that there are again efforts within Congress to lift the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. He said that within as little as four years of that happening, "the infrastructure of Cuban cruise ports" could create "a significant threat to other destinations in the Caribbean."
The St. Croix situation
"The problem with St. Croix as a key destination remains an issue," the release states, and Thomas has written to Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards "suggesting that the government's public relations company link up" with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's marketing committee "to design a special promotional program for that island."
The 2001-02 season opens on St. Croix with the arrival of the Infinity on Oct. 14.
One bit of good news for St. Croix, subject to confirmation in the spring: The Galaxy will be a regular Sunday visitor, and the Carnival Victory will continue to call. This, the release states, ensures that the island can hold Harbor Night mini-carnival events year-round.
Another: The 2002-03 season will bring the new Zuiderdam to St. Croix on Tuesdays.
Where the territory stands
In second place behind St. Thomas (which had 1.64 million passengers) on the Lloyds list for 2000 is the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (1.48 million), where Cozumel is the main port of call and the Mayan ruins are a major attraction. That's a significant spread, but Mexico is moving up fast. In third place is Miami (1.44 million), the world's largest homeport for cruise lines.
Nassau (1.40 million) in the Bahamas moved from fifth place in 1999 to fourth last year. And San Juan, Puerto Rico (1.28 million), slipped from third to fifth. The next most popular ports in 2000 were Grand Cayman; Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Fla.; Sint Maarten and Juneau, Alaska.
What lies ahead for St. Thomas-St. John
The coming season will see the first visits to St. Thomas of the new eagle-class Adventure of the Seas and the Carnival Pride; both will continue calling year-round.
The Adventure's enticements include an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall and the first-ever staterooms with an interior view — looking down on the "street life" of the Royale Promenade of on-board shops. The mega-ship can carry up to 3,838 passengers in double- and three-quarter-occupancy cabins.
The Pride, which can accommodate 2,124 passengers, features a dining room with a name St. Thomas residents can identify with — the Normandie — plus a reservations-only supper club called David's that has as its decor showpiece a 12-foot replica of Michelangelo's masterpiece of that name.
In addition, the Infinity, Summit, Radiance of the Seas and Sea Princess will be new seasonal callers. And the Millennium and Norwegian Sky, which visited on alternate weeks last season, will call weekly in the coming one.
Noticeable by its absence will be the blue, twin-smokestack Norway, a year-round visitor since the 1980s, which is being repositioned to Europe in September.
The Virgin Islands cruise ship season officially begins Oct. 5, by WICO's reckoning, with the return from its summer Alaska base of the Dawn Princess. The number of scheduled calls for St. Thomas-St. John are 55 in October, 88 in November, 111 in December, 123 in January, 110 in February, 139 in March and 93 in April.
Although next summer's schedule won't be certified until the Seatrade conference next March, plans call for the Grand Princess to return for another summer season and the Galaxy to be a weekly Friday caller, the WICO release states.
For the 2002-03 season, new ships scheduled to make their first calls at St. Thomas are the Navigator of the Seas (an eagle-class vessel), Constellation, Zuiderdam, Coral Princess and Norwegian Dawn.
That's the good news the West Indian Co. put out Tuesday.
Even better news — this from WICO itself — is that cruise ship arrivals in the first seven months of 2001 are up by 14 percent over a year ago — standing at 1,148,126 this year compared with 1,007,407 in 2000.
And, according to a WICO release, "Based on current studies, this created an increase of $85 million in economic activity over the similar period in 2000."
Total passenger spending to date this year is $696 million, the release said, while "our nearest competitor in the industry," Sint Maarten, reported combined earnings from both overnight and cruise passengers for the year 2000 at $479 million.
More good news is that the 2001-02 season for the St. Thomas-St. John district will bring two new ships, one of them an eagle class — the largest passenger ships afloat — that will be calling year-round. And for the 2002-03 season, St. Thomas will be a port of call for five more new ships, one of them an eagle-class vessel.
Meantime, next summer has "the strong possibility" on alternate weeks "of at least one ship every day for one week and then followed by ships for five days the next week."
All of which has WICO president and chief executive officer Edward Thomas projecting a record 1.9 million passenger arrivals in the district this calendar year, and more than 2 million in 2002.
(The release notes that WICO "continues to work closely with the hotel industry" in efforts to see that "a large percentage" of cruise ship visitors return as overnight guests.)
Now, for the bad news.
St. Croix arrivals will be down significantly in the coming season, with the number of calls dropping to 103 from 154 in 2000-01. This is mainly because the Holland America line has discontinued the island as part of its itinerary and because the Nordic Empress will call every other week rather than weekly, the WICO release said.
But even St. Thomas has cause for concern in the foreseeable future, for two reasons, Thomas said.
First, the fastest area of growth in the region for cruise lines now is the Western Caribbean — essentially the Cayman Islands and Mexico's Yucatan, and perhaps Jamaica, the Bahamas and/or Hispaniola. St. Thomas is a part of the Eastern Caribbean circuit.
The reason is that "the cruise lines are now tapping into the heavy drive markets of the Southwest for their clientele," the WICO release states, referring to travelers who would drive to their point of embarkation, rather than fly, as they must do for cruises that commence in Puerto Rico, for example. "The gulf port cities of Houston, Galveston, Tampa and especially New Orleans are becoming major embarkation points" for both full week and three- and four-day cruises. Islands in the Western Caribbean are closer to those port cities.
Second, Thomas noted that there are again efforts within Congress to lift the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. He said that within as little as four years of that happening, "the infrastructure of Cuban cruise ports" could create "a significant threat to other destinations in the Caribbean."
The St. Croix situation
"The problem with St. Croix as a key destination remains an issue," the release states, and Thomas has written to Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards "suggesting that the government's public relations company link up" with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's marketing committee "to design a special promotional program for that island."
The 2001-02 season opens on St. Croix with the arrival of the Infinity on Oct. 14.
One bit of good news for St. Croix, subject to confirmation in the spring: The Galaxy will be a regular Sunday visitor, and the Carnival Victory will continue to call. This, the release states, ensures that the island can hold Harbor Night mini-carnival events year-round.
Another: The 2002-03 season will bring the new Zuiderdam to St. Croix on Tuesdays.
Where the territory stands
In second place behind St. Thomas (which had 1.64 million passengers) on the Lloyds list for 2000 is the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (1.48 million), where Cozumel is the main port of call and the Mayan ruins are a major attraction. That's a significant spread, but Mexico is moving up fast. In third place is Miami (1.44 million), the world's largest homeport for cruise lines.
Nassau (1.40 million) in the Bahamas moved from fifth place in 1999 to fourth last year. And San Juan, Puerto Rico (1.28 million), slipped from third to fifth. The next most popular ports in 2000 were Grand Cayman; Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Fla.; Sint Maarten and Juneau, Alaska.
What lies ahead for St. Thomas-St. John
The coming season will see the first visits to St. Thomas of the new eagle-class Adventure of the Seas and the Carnival Pride; both will continue calling year-round.
The Adventure's enticements include an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall and the first-ever staterooms with an interior view — looking down on the "street life" of the Royale Promenade of on-board shops. The mega-ship can carry up to 3,838 passengers in double- and three-quarter-occupancy cabins.
The Pride, which can accommodate 2,124 passengers, features a dining room with a name St. Thomas residents can identify with — the Normandie — plus a reservations-only supper club called David's that has as its decor showpiece a 12-foot replica of Michelangelo's masterpiece of that name.
In addition, the Infinity, Summit, Radiance of the Seas and Sea Princess will be new seasonal callers. And the Millennium and Norwegian Sky, which visited on alternate weeks last season, will call weekly in the coming one.
Noticeable by its absence will be the blue, twin-smokestack Norway, a year-round visitor since the 1980s, which is being repositioned to Europe in September.
The Virgin Islands cruise ship season officially begins Oct. 5, by WICO's reckoning, with the return from its summer Alaska base of the Dawn Princess. The number of scheduled calls for St. Thomas-St. John are 55 in October, 88 in November, 111 in December, 123 in January, 110 in February, 139 in March and 93 in April.
Although next summer's schedule won't be certified until the Seatrade conference next March, plans call for the Grand Princess to return for another summer season and the Galaxy to be a weekly Friday caller, the WICO release states.
For the 2002-03 season, new ships scheduled to make their first calls at St. Thomas are the Navigator of the Seas (an eagle-class vessel), Constellation, Zuiderdam, Coral Princess and Norwegian Dawn.
PERSONNEL ARE ONE SOLUTION, ANOTHER PROBLEM
Aug. 1, 2001 – Although the proposed Fiscal Year 2002 budget appropriation for his office is less than he got this year, V.I. Inspector General Stephen Van Beverhoudt told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday that he considers the proposed funding sufficient to meet his agency's needs.
The proposed budget for the office is $981,750, down $6,643 from this year. Van Beverhoudt said the request is in keeping with a five-year reorganization/expansion plan prepared in 2000 with the ultimate goal of a $2 million budget for 2005.
Because of the deletion of an unclassified position and the creation of a classified special investigative position, $54,000 should be transferred from the unclassified to the classified personnel category, Van Beverhoudt said at the hearing on St. Croix.
"When all positions are filled, there will be a staff of 17 employees, the most since the early 1990s, which will include an investigative unit working specifically on cases developed by the V.I. Inspector General's Office," he said.
He emphasized that his top priority is to fill the positions of prosecuting attorney and fraud hotline operator. "An aggressive audit follow-up program is contingent on the filling of the vacancies," he said. "Once the positions are filled, the program can resume with vigor."
Van Beverhoudt said his office is currently conducting audits of the of the 2000 bond issue proceeds and federal funds, the hotel occupancy tax, certain areas in the operations of both the Water and Power Authority and the V.I. Lottery, and the operations of the Economic Development Commission program. Also, he said, without giving details, several investigations are under way or will be initiated in the near future.
He said his office is requesting that a section of the V.I. Code relating to peace officers be amended to include investigators employed by the Office of the Inspector General.
The Finance Committee meeting, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., didn't get under way until after 1 p.m. because of flight problems for some witnesses coming from St. Thomas. The committee also heard budget testimony from representatives of the Board of Education.
The proposed budget for the Board of Education is $1.27 million, also a reduction from this year's funding. The board chair, Jorge 'Tito" Galiber, said the board will strive to operate within the reduced amount, but he said it is requesting that, as more funds become available, all additional appropriations be made to the territorial scholarship fund "to enable V.I. students to obtain a higher level of assistance to fulfill their educational pursuits."
In the meantime, the senators appeared alarmed to hear that about half of the territory's public school teachers, mainly at the secondary level, may not hold required certification. The board executive director, Evadney Hodge, cited two possible reasons for this: One is that some teachers may not have taken requisite college-level education courses. The other is a law passed in 1992 requiring all teachers to complete a college course in Virgin Islands history.
"The board is trying to work with the Department of Education and the teachers to bridge that gap and, in the interim, to make sure we have our classrooms staffed with qualified teachers." Hodge said. She said that secondary-level teachers have been hired who have degrees in such subjects as math, English, social studies and science but who have not taken any teaching courses.
Because the need for teachers "was so severe in the Virgin Islands, those persons were hired," Hodge said. "And they were not informed that they had to have these courses in order to be certified; so, it persisted year in year out."
What the board is trying to do now is give the teachers "a time-certain to take these courses," she said. "That's a big fight with the department, and we are working on that, and we probably will win that fight this year."
The proposed budget for the office is $981,750, down $6,643 from this year. Van Beverhoudt said the request is in keeping with a five-year reorganization/expansion plan prepared in 2000 with the ultimate goal of a $2 million budget for 2005.
Because of the deletion of an unclassified position and the creation of a classified special investigative position, $54,000 should be transferred from the unclassified to the classified personnel category, Van Beverhoudt said at the hearing on St. Croix.
"When all positions are filled, there will be a staff of 17 employees, the most since the early 1990s, which will include an investigative unit working specifically on cases developed by the V.I. Inspector General's Office," he said.
He emphasized that his top priority is to fill the positions of prosecuting attorney and fraud hotline operator. "An aggressive audit follow-up program is contingent on the filling of the vacancies," he said. "Once the positions are filled, the program can resume with vigor."
Van Beverhoudt said his office is currently conducting audits of the of the 2000 bond issue proceeds and federal funds, the hotel occupancy tax, certain areas in the operations of both the Water and Power Authority and the V.I. Lottery, and the operations of the Economic Development Commission program. Also, he said, without giving details, several investigations are under way or will be initiated in the near future.
He said his office is requesting that a section of the V.I. Code relating to peace officers be amended to include investigators employed by the Office of the Inspector General.
The Finance Committee meeting, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., didn't get under way until after 1 p.m. because of flight problems for some witnesses coming from St. Thomas. The committee also heard budget testimony from representatives of the Board of Education.
The proposed budget for the Board of Education is $1.27 million, also a reduction from this year's funding. The board chair, Jorge 'Tito" Galiber, said the board will strive to operate within the reduced amount, but he said it is requesting that, as more funds become available, all additional appropriations be made to the territorial scholarship fund "to enable V.I. students to obtain a higher level of assistance to fulfill their educational pursuits."
In the meantime, the senators appeared alarmed to hear that about half of the territory's public school teachers, mainly at the secondary level, may not hold required certification. The board executive director, Evadney Hodge, cited two possible reasons for this: One is that some teachers may not have taken requisite college-level education courses. The other is a law passed in 1992 requiring all teachers to complete a college course in Virgin Islands history.
"The board is trying to work with the Department of Education and the teachers to bridge that gap and, in the interim, to make sure we have our classrooms staffed with qualified teachers." Hodge said. She said that secondary-level teachers have been hired who have degrees in such subjects as math, English, social studies and science but who have not taken any teaching courses.
Because the need for teachers "was so severe in the Virgin Islands, those persons were hired," Hodge said. "And they were not informed that they had to have these courses in order to be certified; so, it persisted year in year out."
What the board is trying to do now is give the teachers "a time-certain to take these courses," she said. "That's a big fight with the department, and we are working on that, and we probably will win that fight this year."
ANALYSIS: WHAT TO DO ABOUT SIRCAM AND MORE
July 31, 2001 – Recent national media and Internet reports about the SirCam virus and the Code Red worm have caused many people to be rightfully concerned about their computer's safety. The following is a brief discussion of what you should be worried about and what you can do before and after a virus attack.
The term virus is used throughout this article, as the differences between virus, worm, Trojan horse and other such terms are not all that important in this context.
Computer users are almost inevitably exposed to computer viruses, and certainly if they work online. Computer viruses are small programs that are spread in a variety of ways. Unlike the kinds of diseases that humans get, all computer viruses are created by humans, and there is no way that a human being can be infected by computer code. Also, just as you would be unlikely to catch a disease from a fish, different operating systems (i.e., Windows, Macintosh, Unix) are not likely to be cross-infectious.
The degree of damage done by a virus varies with the virus writer's intent, your computer system and probably a few dozen other things. The folks who write this stuff are not known for being friendly, so it is best to avoid their "gifts."
Computer professionals often joke that the best way to protect your computer is to practice "safe disk," but the point they make is dead serious. There are three aspects of safe disk: Don't put things in your computer unless you know where they have been; never open an e-mail attachment unless you requested it; and use protection.
Even when you are careful, a bit of protection can go a long way. Get, use and update one of the latest anti-viral software packages. I use Norton AntiVirus and update it at least once a week, or whenever I read about a new virus making the rounds. It has never failed me. Last time I checked, Norton (www.symantec.com/) was about $20. If you surf a lot, you should probably use a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com), which is free for personal use.
If you have been infected, it is polite, to say nothing of prudent, to let the person whose transmission infected you know that he or she is passing a virus along.
While losing the contents of your hard drive hurts, viruses that cause physical computer damage are extremely rare. Thus, infected computers can often (but not always) be repaired with full data recovery. Norton AntiVirus comes with some excellent tools for this, but some viruses require special efforts and/or do things that just can't be repaired. A visit to some of the major virus-associated web sites such as Symantec often provides a cure.
Finally, our local computer vendors and consultants have a lot of experience in data/virus recovery. If you don't already have a local contact, look in the Yellow Pages to find one near you, and give them a call. (Note: If I were to be told that my hard drive was trashed, I'd get a second opinion).
It is timely to mention the latest threats.
SirCam: If you got a short message that included an interesting-looking attachment and content something like "I send you this file in order to have your advice," you have been exposed to SirCam. If you opened the attachment, you are most likely infected and may be passing the virus along to everyone on your local network and in your e-mail list.
Worse, SirCam attaches a random document from your system and sends it along. This has proven embarrassing or worse to many folks. Even worse, SirCam selects a few computers and either fills the hard disk with junk or erases a lot of the content.
For more information online, see sarc.com.
There is a free fix for SirCam at symantec removal tool.
Code Red: This one is not likely to be a cause for concern to the general user, except that it may slow down the Internet and cause some of your favorite web sites to have problems. It only infects Internet servers. Unless you are running specific types of Internet servers that have not been recently updated, you can't be infected by Code Red. It is very unlikely that a general user would be using such server software, which is used to deliver web pages to visitors.
Code Red spreads by trying to connect itself to random Internet addresses; thus, to be threatened, you must both be running the specific server software and be connected to the Internet when an infected server attempts to connect with your computer.
Other than infecting lots of servers, the apparent intent of Code Red is to cause the federal government's White House server to fail when, at specified times, the infected servers all attempt to connect at once. This form of attack results in what is called "denial of service," as the server can't help legitimate visitors because it is too busy with the fake ones. The White House server never sees these attacks, as it changed its address; but we all feel a net slowdown as servers participate in the attack and a loss of bandwidth. Even if you don't run a server, it is worth an occasional visit to windowsupdate.microsoft.com to ensure that your system has the latest updates from Microsoft.
Remember: Don't open strange attachments, no matter how interesting they look. Get and use a good anti-virus program. And, if you're a web surfer, consider getting a personal firewall.
The term virus is used throughout this article, as the differences between virus, worm, Trojan horse and other such terms are not all that important in this context.
Computer users are almost inevitably exposed to computer viruses, and certainly if they work online. Computer viruses are small programs that are spread in a variety of ways. Unlike the kinds of diseases that humans get, all computer viruses are created by humans, and there is no way that a human being can be infected by computer code. Also, just as you would be unlikely to catch a disease from a fish, different operating systems (i.e., Windows, Macintosh, Unix) are not likely to be cross-infectious.
The degree of damage done by a virus varies with the virus writer's intent, your computer system and probably a few dozen other things. The folks who write this stuff are not known for being friendly, so it is best to avoid their "gifts."
Computer professionals often joke that the best way to protect your computer is to practice "safe disk," but the point they make is dead serious. There are three aspects of safe disk: Don't put things in your computer unless you know where they have been; never open an e-mail attachment unless you requested it; and use protection.
Even when you are careful, a bit of protection can go a long way. Get, use and update one of the latest anti-viral software packages. I use Norton AntiVirus and update it at least once a week, or whenever I read about a new virus making the rounds. It has never failed me. Last time I checked, Norton (www.symantec.com/) was about $20. If you surf a lot, you should probably use a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com), which is free for personal use.
If you have been infected, it is polite, to say nothing of prudent, to let the person whose transmission infected you know that he or she is passing a virus along.
While losing the contents of your hard drive hurts, viruses that cause physical computer damage are extremely rare. Thus, infected computers can often (but not always) be repaired with full data recovery. Norton AntiVirus comes with some excellent tools for this, but some viruses require special efforts and/or do things that just can't be repaired. A visit to some of the major virus-associated web sites such as Symantec often provides a cure.
Finally, our local computer vendors and consultants have a lot of experience in data/virus recovery. If you don't already have a local contact, look in the Yellow Pages to find one near you, and give them a call. (Note: If I were to be told that my hard drive was trashed, I'd get a second opinion).
It is timely to mention the latest threats.
SirCam: If you got a short message that included an interesting-looking attachment and content something like "I send you this file in order to have your advice," you have been exposed to SirCam. If you opened the attachment, you are most likely infected and may be passing the virus along to everyone on your local network and in your e-mail list.
Worse, SirCam attaches a random document from your system and sends it along. This has proven embarrassing or worse to many folks. Even worse, SirCam selects a few computers and either fills the hard disk with junk or erases a lot of the content.
For more information online, see sarc.com.
There is a free fix for SirCam at symantec removal tool.
Code Red: This one is not likely to be a cause for concern to the general user, except that it may slow down the Internet and cause some of your favorite web sites to have problems. It only infects Internet servers. Unless you are running specific types of Internet servers that have not been recently updated, you can't be infected by Code Red. It is very unlikely that a general user would be using such server software, which is used to deliver web pages to visitors.
Code Red spreads by trying to connect itself to random Internet addresses; thus, to be threatened, you must both be running the specific server software and be connected to the Internet when an infected server attempts to connect with your computer.
Other than infecting lots of servers, the apparent intent of Code Red is to cause the federal government's White House server to fail when, at specified times, the infected servers all attempt to connect at once. This form of attack results in what is called "denial of service," as the server can't help legitimate visitors because it is too busy with the fake ones. The White House server never sees these attacks, as it changed its address; but we all feel a net slowdown as servers participate in the attack and a loss of bandwidth. Even if you don't run a server, it is worth an occasional visit to windowsupdate.microsoft.com to ensure that your system has the latest updates from Microsoft.
Remember: Don't open strange attachments, no matter how interesting they look. Get and use a good anti-virus program. And, if you're a web surfer, consider getting a personal firewall.
Editor's note: Charlie Balch is a computer information systems faculty member at The University of the Virgin Islands. The Source asked him to provide this information because of concerns locally about the virus and worm problems.
ANALYSIS: WHAT TO DO ABOUT SIRCAM AND MORE
July 31, 2001 – Recent national media and Internet reports about the SirCam virus and the Code Red worm have caused many people to be rightfully concerned about their computer's safety. The following is a brief discussion of what you should be worried about and what you can do before and after a virus attack.
The term virus is used throughout this article, as the differences between virus, worm, Trojan horse and other such terms are not all that important in this context.
Computer users are almost inevitably exposed to computer viruses, and certainly if they work online. Computer viruses are small programs that are spread in a variety of ways. Unlike the kinds of diseases that humans get, all computer viruses are created by humans, and there is no way that a human being can be infected by computer code. Also, just as you would be unlikely to catch a disease from a fish, different operating systems (i.e., Windows, Macintosh, Unix) are not likely to be cross-infectious.
The degree of damage done by a virus varies with the virus writer's intent, your computer system and probably a few dozen other things. The folks who write this stuff are not known for being friendly, so it is best to avoid their "gifts."
Computer professionals often joke that the best way to protect your computer is to practice "safe disk," but the point they make is dead serious. There are three aspects of safe disk: Don't put things in your computer unless you know where they have been; never open an e-mail attachment unless you requested it; and use protection.
Even when you are careful, a bit of protection can go a long way. Get, use and update one of the latest anti-viral software packages. I use Norton AntiVirus and update it at least once a week, or whenever I read about a new virus making the rounds. It has never failed me. Last time I checked, Norton (www.symantec.com/) was about $20. If you surf a lot, you should probably use a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com), which is free for personal use.
If you have been infected, it is polite, to say nothing of prudent, to let the person whose transmission infected you know that he or she is passing a virus along.
While losing the contents of your hard drive hurts, viruses that cause physical computer damage are extremely rare. Thus, infected computers can often (but not always) be repaired with full data recovery. Norton AntiVirus comes with some excellent tools for this, but some viruses require special efforts and/or do things that just can't be repaired. A visit to some of the major virus-associated web sites such as Symantec often provides a cure.
Finally, our local computer vendors and consultants have a lot of experience in data/virus recovery. If you don't already have a local contact, look in the Yellow Pages to find one near you, and give them a call. (Note: If I were to be told that my hard drive was trashed, I'd get a second opinion).
It is timely to mention the latest threats.
SirCam: If you got a short message that included an interesting-looking attachment and content something like "I send you this file in order to have your advice," you have been exposed to SirCam. If you opened the attachment, you are most likely infected and may be passing the virus along to everyone on your local network and in your e-mail list.
Worse, SirCam attaches a random document from your system and sends it along. This has proven embarrassing or worse to many folks. Even worse, SirCam selects a few computers and either fills the hard disk with junk or erases a lot of the content.
For more information online, see sarc.com.
There is a free fix for SirCam at symantec removal tool.
Code Red: This one is not likely to be a cause for concern to the general user, except that it may slow down the Internet and cause some of your favorite web sites to have problems. It only infects Internet servers. Unless you are running specific types of Internet servers that have not been recently updated, you can't be infected by Code Red. It is very unlikely that a general user would be using such server software, which is used to deliver web pages to visitors.
Code Red spreads by trying to connect itself to random Internet addresses; thus, to be threatened, you must both be running the specific server software and be connected to the Internet when an infected server attempts to connect with your computer.
Other than infecting lots of servers, the apparent intent of Code Red is to cause the federal government's White House server to fail when, at specified times, the infected servers all attempt to connect at once. This form of attack results in what is called "denial of service," as the server can't help legitimate visitors because it is too busy with the fake ones. The White House server never sees these attacks, as it changed its address; but we all feel a net slowdown as servers participate in the attack and a loss of bandwidth. Even if you don't run a server, it is worth an occasional visit to windowsupdate.microsoft.com to ensure that your system has the latest updates from Microsoft.
Remember: Don't open strange attachments, no matter how interesting they look. Get and use a good anti-virus program. And, if you're a web surfer, consider getting a personal firewall.
The term virus is used throughout this article, as the differences between virus, worm, Trojan horse and other such terms are not all that important in this context.
Computer users are almost inevitably exposed to computer viruses, and certainly if they work online. Computer viruses are small programs that are spread in a variety of ways. Unlike the kinds of diseases that humans get, all computer viruses are created by humans, and there is no way that a human being can be infected by computer code. Also, just as you would be unlikely to catch a disease from a fish, different operating systems (i.e., Windows, Macintosh, Unix) are not likely to be cross-infectious.
The degree of damage done by a virus varies with the virus writer's intent, your computer system and probably a few dozen other things. The folks who write this stuff are not known for being friendly, so it is best to avoid their "gifts."
Computer professionals often joke that the best way to protect your computer is to practice "safe disk," but the point they make is dead serious. There are three aspects of safe disk: Don't put things in your computer unless you know where they have been; never open an e-mail attachment unless you requested it; and use protection.
Even when you are careful, a bit of protection can go a long way. Get, use and update one of the latest anti-viral software packages. I use Norton AntiVirus and update it at least once a week, or whenever I read about a new virus making the rounds. It has never failed me. Last time I checked, Norton (www.symantec.com/) was about $20. If you surf a lot, you should probably use a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com), which is free for personal use.
If you have been infected, it is polite, to say nothing of prudent, to let the person whose transmission infected you know that he or she is passing a virus along.
While losing the contents of your hard drive hurts, viruses that cause physical computer damage are extremely rare. Thus, infected computers can often (but not always) be repaired with full data recovery. Norton AntiVirus comes with some excellent tools for this, but some viruses require special efforts and/or do things that just can't be repaired. A visit to some of the major virus-associated web sites such as Symantec often provides a cure.
Finally, our local computer vendors and consultants have a lot of experience in data/virus recovery. If you don't already have a local contact, look in the Yellow Pages to find one near you, and give them a call. (Note: If I were to be told that my hard drive was trashed, I'd get a second opinion).
It is timely to mention the latest threats.
SirCam: If you got a short message that included an interesting-looking attachment and content something like "I send you this file in order to have your advice," you have been exposed to SirCam. If you opened the attachment, you are most likely infected and may be passing the virus along to everyone on your local network and in your e-mail list.
Worse, SirCam attaches a random document from your system and sends it along. This has proven embarrassing or worse to many folks. Even worse, SirCam selects a few computers and either fills the hard disk with junk or erases a lot of the content.
For more information online, see sarc.com.
There is a free fix for SirCam at symantec removal tool.
Code Red: This one is not likely to be a cause for concern to the general user, except that it may slow down the Internet and cause some of your favorite web sites to have problems. It only infects Internet servers. Unless you are running specific types of Internet servers that have not been recently updated, you can't be infected by Code Red. It is very unlikely that a general user would be using such server software, which is used to deliver web pages to visitors.
Code Red spreads by trying to connect itself to random Internet addresses; thus, to be threatened, you must both be running the specific server software and be connected to the Internet when an infected server attempts to connect with your computer.
Other than infecting lots of servers, the apparent intent of Code Red is to cause the federal government's White House server to fail when, at specified times, the infected servers all attempt to connect at once. This form of attack results in what is called "denial of service," as the server can't help legitimate visitors because it is too busy with the fake ones. The White House server never sees these attacks, as it changed its address; but we all feel a net slowdown as servers participate in the attack and a loss of bandwidth. Even if you don't run a server, it is worth an occasional visit to windowsupdate.microsoft.com to ensure that your system has the latest updates from Microsoft.
Remember: Don't open strange attachments, no matter how interesting they look. Get and use a good anti-virus program. And, if you're a web surfer, consider getting a personal firewall.
Editor's note: Charlie Balch is a computer information systems faculty member at The University of the Virgin Islands. The Source asked him to provide this information because of concerns locally about the virus and worm problems.
V.I. EMERGES VICTORIOUS ON 2ND DAY OF PLAY
July 31, 2001 – Monday's play in the second annual Junior Little League Latin American Regional Championship in Freeport, Grand Bahama, was delayed by rain. But that didn't stop the Virgin Islands team from winning, 8-7, a nerve-wrecking game against the host team of the Bahamas.
The Bahamas came out roaring in the first inning, scoring five runs off the Virgin Islands' starting pitcher, Kemo Simeon, with timely hitting and
thanks to some costly Virgin Islands errors.
The Virgin Islands answered with three runs off Bahamas starting pitcher Ramon Grant in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead down to two. The Bahamas coach wasted no time in pulling Grant and bringing in Cordero Bauld to stop the Virgin Islands comeback.
The Bahamas added another run in the top of the second inning to increase its lead to 6-3. This prompted the Virgin Islands manager, Melvin Gerald, to make a pitching change, calling on Jamal Wesselhoft to stop the bleeding in relieving Simeon.
Both Wesselhoft and Bauld held their opponents scoreless until the seventh inning — Bauld not allowing the Virgin Islands so much as a hit during those innings.
In the top of the seventh inning, Bahamas third baseman Brent Sands hit a ground ruled double and later scored another run.
The Virgin Islands came back with a vengeance in the bottom of the inning. The first two batters, Wesselhoft and Tehron Christian, got on base on with hits. Later in the inning, the Virgin Islands scored one run and had one out and two runners on base. Shareem Samuel then connected on a 1-1 pitch that he drove just fair over the left field fence for a three-run home run to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bahamas then relieved Bauld with Jamie Collie, who got another out. But then the Virgin Islands' Anson Larcheveaux Jr. singled to right. The Virgin Islands eventually loaded the bases and sent Wesselhoft to the plate. Wesselhoft smashed a shot that the Bahamas' Sands smothered but was unable to make play as Larcheveaux scored the winning run.
Wesselhoft won the game for the Virgin Islands as Collie absorbed the lost. Samuel led the Virgin Islands offense with two hits in three at bats. Latrell Gittens led the Bahamas with three hits in four at bats.
The Bahamas out-hit the Virgin Islands six to five. However, the hosts also committed eight costly errors, while the Virgin Islands committed four.
The Virgin Islands players will rest for a couple of days; their next game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, against Curacao.
The standings for the tournament are: Group A: Mexico 1-0, Puerto Rico 1-1, Venezuela 1-1 and Aruba 0-1. Group B: Panama 2-0, Virgin Islands 1-1, Bahamas 0-1, and Curacao 0-1.
The Bahamas came out roaring in the first inning, scoring five runs off the Virgin Islands' starting pitcher, Kemo Simeon, with timely hitting and
thanks to some costly Virgin Islands errors.
The Virgin Islands answered with three runs off Bahamas starting pitcher Ramon Grant in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead down to two. The Bahamas coach wasted no time in pulling Grant and bringing in Cordero Bauld to stop the Virgin Islands comeback.
The Bahamas added another run in the top of the second inning to increase its lead to 6-3. This prompted the Virgin Islands manager, Melvin Gerald, to make a pitching change, calling on Jamal Wesselhoft to stop the bleeding in relieving Simeon.
Both Wesselhoft and Bauld held their opponents scoreless until the seventh inning — Bauld not allowing the Virgin Islands so much as a hit during those innings.
In the top of the seventh inning, Bahamas third baseman Brent Sands hit a ground ruled double and later scored another run.
The Virgin Islands came back with a vengeance in the bottom of the inning. The first two batters, Wesselhoft and Tehron Christian, got on base on with hits. Later in the inning, the Virgin Islands scored one run and had one out and two runners on base. Shareem Samuel then connected on a 1-1 pitch that he drove just fair over the left field fence for a three-run home run to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bahamas then relieved Bauld with Jamie Collie, who got another out. But then the Virgin Islands' Anson Larcheveaux Jr. singled to right. The Virgin Islands eventually loaded the bases and sent Wesselhoft to the plate. Wesselhoft smashed a shot that the Bahamas' Sands smothered but was unable to make play as Larcheveaux scored the winning run.
Wesselhoft won the game for the Virgin Islands as Collie absorbed the lost. Samuel led the Virgin Islands offense with two hits in three at bats. Latrell Gittens led the Bahamas with three hits in four at bats.
The Bahamas out-hit the Virgin Islands six to five. However, the hosts also committed eight costly errors, while the Virgin Islands committed four.
The Virgin Islands players will rest for a couple of days; their next game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, against Curacao.
The standings for the tournament are: Group A: Mexico 1-0, Puerto Rico 1-1, Venezuela 1-1 and Aruba 0-1. Group B: Panama 2-0, Virgin Islands 1-1, Bahamas 0-1, and Curacao 0-1.
V.I. EMERGES VICTORIOUS ON 2ND DAY OF PLAY
July 31, 2001 – Monday's play in the second annual Junior Little League Latin American Regional Championship in Freeport, Grand Bahama, was delayed by rain. But that didn't stop the Virgin Islands team from winning, 8-7, a nerve-wrecking game against the host team of the Bahamas.
The Bahamas came out roaring in the first inning, scoring five runs off the Virgin Islands' starting pitcher, Kemo Simeon, with timely hitting and
thanks to some costly Virgin Islands errors.
The Virgin Islands answered with three runs off Bahamas starting pitcher Ramon Grant in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead down to two. The Bahamas coach wasted no time in pulling Grant and bringing in Cordero Bauld to stop the Virgin Islands comeback.
The Bahamas added another run in the top of the second inning to increase its lead to 6-3. This prompted the Virgin Islands manager, Melvin Gerald, to make a pitching change, calling on Jamal Wesselhoft to stop the bleeding in relieving Simeon.
Both Wesselhoft and Bauld held their opponents scoreless until the seventh inning — Bauld not allowing the Virgin Islands so much as a hit during those innings.
In the top of the seventh inning, Bahamas third baseman Brent Sands hit a ground ruled double and later scored another run.
The Virgin Islands came back with a vengeance in the bottom of the inning. The first two batters, Wesselhoft and Tehron Christian, got on base on with hits. Later in the inning, the Virgin Islands scored one run and had one out and two runners on base. Shareem Samuel then connected on a 1-1 pitch that he drove just fair over the left field fence for a three-run home run to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bahamas then relieved Bauld with Jamie Collie, who got another out. But then the Virgin Islands' Anson Larcheveaux Jr. singled to right. The Virgin Islands eventually loaded the bases and sent Wesselhoft to the plate. Wesselhoft smashed a shot that the Bahamas' Sands smothered but was unable to make play as Larcheveaux scored the winning run.
Wesselhoft won the game for the Virgin Islands as Collie absorbed the lost. Samuel led the Virgin Islands offense with two hits in three at bats. Latrell Gittens led the Bahamas with three hits in four at bats.
The Bahamas out-hit the Virgin Islands six to five. However, the hosts also committed eight costly errors, while the Virgin Islands committed four.
The Virgin Islands players will rest for a couple of days; their next game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, against Curacao.
The standings for the tournament are: Group A: Mexico 1-0, Puerto Rico 1-1, Venezuela 1-1 and Aruba 0-1. Group B: Panama 2-0, Virgin Islands 1-1, Bahamas 0-1, and Curacao 0-1.
The Bahamas came out roaring in the first inning, scoring five runs off the Virgin Islands' starting pitcher, Kemo Simeon, with timely hitting and
thanks to some costly Virgin Islands errors.
The Virgin Islands answered with three runs off Bahamas starting pitcher Ramon Grant in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead down to two. The Bahamas coach wasted no time in pulling Grant and bringing in Cordero Bauld to stop the Virgin Islands comeback.
The Bahamas added another run in the top of the second inning to increase its lead to 6-3. This prompted the Virgin Islands manager, Melvin Gerald, to make a pitching change, calling on Jamal Wesselhoft to stop the bleeding in relieving Simeon.
Both Wesselhoft and Bauld held their opponents scoreless until the seventh inning — Bauld not allowing the Virgin Islands so much as a hit during those innings.
In the top of the seventh inning, Bahamas third baseman Brent Sands hit a ground ruled double and later scored another run.
The Virgin Islands came back with a vengeance in the bottom of the inning. The first two batters, Wesselhoft and Tehron Christian, got on base on with hits. Later in the inning, the Virgin Islands scored one run and had one out and two runners on base. Shareem Samuel then connected on a 1-1 pitch that he drove just fair over the left field fence for a three-run home run to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bahamas then relieved Bauld with Jamie Collie, who got another out. But then the Virgin Islands' Anson Larcheveaux Jr. singled to right. The Virgin Islands eventually loaded the bases and sent Wesselhoft to the plate. Wesselhoft smashed a shot that the Bahamas' Sands smothered but was unable to make play as Larcheveaux scored the winning run.
Wesselhoft won the game for the Virgin Islands as Collie absorbed the lost. Samuel led the Virgin Islands offense with two hits in three at bats. Latrell Gittens led the Bahamas with three hits in four at bats.
The Bahamas out-hit the Virgin Islands six to five. However, the hosts also committed eight costly errors, while the Virgin Islands committed four.
The Virgin Islands players will rest for a couple of days; their next game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, against Curacao.
The standings for the tournament are: Group A: Mexico 1-0, Puerto Rico 1-1, Venezuela 1-1 and Aruba 0-1. Group B: Panama 2-0, Virgin Islands 1-1, Bahamas 0-1, and Curacao 0-1.
