July 4, 2001 – Six-year-old Luke Davis kneeled over the bulkhead on the St. Thomas waterfront apron and peered into the water. No sooner had he looked than he hooked something. Careful not to tug on the handline too hard and lose his catch, he inched the line to the surface.
Four fish, not one, had bit into the tiny shrimp-baited hooks, eliciting a grin of satisfaction from the young angler. "I caught four fish twice," Luke explained later at the Fish and Wildlife Division weight-in station for the July Open Inshore Tournament, which was set up on the porch of Offshore Marine in Crown Bay.
"We set up right where the pot fish boat comes in to clean and sell fish everyday. Thought that would be a good spot, and it was," Luke's father, Jody Davis, said. The spot and angler's good luck paid off as the menagerie of yellowtail, sergeant majors and seabass netted Luke 2.44 pounds of fish — enough to win first place in the ages 3-6 category for Most Total Weight of Fish Caught.
"We have over one hundred kids fishing in the tournament this year," Harry Clinton, V.I. Game Fishing Club board member and event organizer, said. The July Open Tournament is unique in having three fishing divisions — offshore, inshore and onshore. All three traditionally have been held on or close to the Fourth of July. This year, the offshore, marlin-oriented division is scheduled Friday through Sunday — just after the month's moon.
As of two years ago, the inshore event became the Inshore Four — with kingfish, dolphin, wahoo and tuna the eligible species — fished over the Labor Day weekend.
The junior onshore tournament has stayed true to its Fourth of July holiday date. One hallmark of this no-entry-fee event is the chance for youngsters who have never fished before to enjoy a day casting about and maybe getting lucky.
"Normally, she's hard to wake, but not this morning," Eilia Wiley said of her daughter Felisa. "She was eager to go fishing."
Even though Felisa didn't catch anything, "I had fun," the 6-year-old said with a shy smile.
One emphasis of this year's event was on conservation. Kids reeled in their fish, placed them in water-filled buckets to be weighed, and then released them back to the sea to swim away. One young angler got so caught up in the release concept that he proudly tossed his catch right back into the water without stopping to have it weighed -– much to his older brother's dismay.
The overwhelming success of the tournament played out over the young faces as they munched pizza, enjoyed cold drinks and were treated to a splash of cool water, thanks to a visit from Fire Services. Not everyone won a prize or even reeled in a fish, but they all did catch a day full of fun.
Results
Ages 3-6 years
1st Total Weight – Luke Davis, 2.44 lbs.
2nd Total Weight – Delano Peterson, 0.822 lb.
3rd Total Weight – Nicholas Capozzoli, 0.578 lb.
Largest Fish – Nicholas Capozzoli, 0.238 lb.
Ages 7-12 years
1st Total Weight – Noah Matthews, 2.26 pounds
2nd Total Weight – Albert Tharp, 1.3 lbs.
3rd Total Weight – Clyde Tapp, 1.224 lbs.
Largest Fish – Albert Tharpe, 0.828 lbs.
Ages 13-15 years
1st Total Weight – Ban Bruni, 8.77 lbs.
2nd Total Weight – Kai Bryan, 8.3498 lbs.
3rd Total Weight – Lawrence Olive II, 2.9 lbs.
Largest Fish – Bam Bruni, 1.298 lbs.
Most Fish – Kai Bryan, 52
All ages
Smallest Fish – Bam Bruni, .004 lb.
Ugliest Fish – A. Harry Blenny (Dakota Whistler)
Funniest Fish – Magnus Larson (Goat Fish)
DRAKE'S SEAT PROTESTS AND LAWSUITS PROCEED
July 3, 2001 – "We are going to continue to fight this," Evaristo Rios said Tuesday as he sat on the brick wall just below the bench affording a view of the waters Sir Francis Drake reputedly sailed through more than four centuries ago. "This isn’t over."
Across the road, at the Drake's Seat overlook, tourists took pictures of the panorama and peered with curiosity at posted signs alleging a government conspiracy against vendors who were removed from the site on Dec. 1.
Rios is among those few who have continued to protest the government's action — and to solicit help from tourists for the legal battle he and two other vendors are waging in their efforts to continue doing business at the site.
Trespassing charges were dropped against four vendors who refused to halt their protests at Drake's Seat in February. Two vendors at the site said Tuesday that they can and will continue to protest their ouster.
Three vendors demonstrated at the lookout on Friday and they said they will continue to do so, off and on, while lawsuits seeking more than $5 million in damages wend their way through District Court.
The vendors have sued Christine Wheaton, co-trustee of the estate of Homer Wheaton, and the V.I. government, charging that their civil rights were violated because they were not given a hearing before their permits to operate on the property were not renewed last year.
Meanwhile, Rios said, three vendors also have applied to the Police Department for placement permits to operate at Drake's Seat. District Court Judge Thomas Moore ruled on Jan. 26 that only the police could issue valid placement permits. Memorandums of understand the vendors had from the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department were invalid, he said.
However, the Police Department has not issued placement permits since 1993. In response to the vendors' permit applications, police officials "didn’t say anything and we haven't heard back from them," Rios said.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron said the Police Department will not issue any permits to sell wares at Drake's Seat, and that any vendor who attempts to sell anything there will be arrested and prosecuted.
Stridiron said he was unaware of the current protests but would look into the situation. If protesting "is all they are doing," he said, that's legal as long as they stay off the easement, which the government and representatives of the Wheaton estate say is private property. "If they are on the public thoroughfare, they are all right," he said.
On the other hand, "If they are selling, that is where the problem comes in," Stridiron added.
Four vendors who ignored police orders to relocate to Vendors Plaza on the St. Thomas waterfront, saying the plaza is overcrowded, a flood zone and less lucrative, were arrested in February. Three still refuse to leave and are pressing their claims in court, Rios said. He said one who moved to the new overlook platform on Waldemar Hill "Skyline" Drive is making significantly less money there.
Rios said the three vendors who have sued will fight until the court makes a determination on whether the land is privately owned or not — an issue unaddressed in a succession of District Court rulings.
And according to Rios, a plan by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to appropriate $4 million from a projected tax windfall to acquire all or part of the Wheaton Estate will not help the vendors. He said reports that the governor plans to purchase the Drake's Seat easement are misleading. The vendors would be positioned at another location below the easement, he said, removed from the thousands of tourists who visit the site each year on island tours and on their own.
The vendors who have sued are still being represented by attorney Kenth Rogers, Rios said. In March, the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department said Rogers did not have a current license to practice law in the territory.
Rogers said that move was politically motivated, because Commissioner Andrew Rutnik was a frequent target of vendors' criticism and was named as a defendant in their lawsuit. The move came days before a court hearing in which a motion to dismiss the U.S. government as a defendant was granted and the Wheaton estate was allowed to intervene in the vendors' attempts to continue selling at the overlook.
Denying that Rogers was singled out for political reasons, Rutnik said the attorney had been practicing law in the territory illegally for years because he had no license. (Many lawyers have long protested that licensing should be not of individual attorneys but of law firms.) Rogers did not attend a hearing on the matter and other attempts to resolve the issue with him were unsuccessful, Rutnik said.
Rogers could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Across the road, at the Drake's Seat overlook, tourists took pictures of the panorama and peered with curiosity at posted signs alleging a government conspiracy against vendors who were removed from the site on Dec. 1.
Rios is among those few who have continued to protest the government's action — and to solicit help from tourists for the legal battle he and two other vendors are waging in their efforts to continue doing business at the site.
Trespassing charges were dropped against four vendors who refused to halt their protests at Drake's Seat in February. Two vendors at the site said Tuesday that they can and will continue to protest their ouster.
Three vendors demonstrated at the lookout on Friday and they said they will continue to do so, off and on, while lawsuits seeking more than $5 million in damages wend their way through District Court.
The vendors have sued Christine Wheaton, co-trustee of the estate of Homer Wheaton, and the V.I. government, charging that their civil rights were violated because they were not given a hearing before their permits to operate on the property were not renewed last year.
Meanwhile, Rios said, three vendors also have applied to the Police Department for placement permits to operate at Drake's Seat. District Court Judge Thomas Moore ruled on Jan. 26 that only the police could issue valid placement permits. Memorandums of understand the vendors had from the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department were invalid, he said.
However, the Police Department has not issued placement permits since 1993. In response to the vendors' permit applications, police officials "didn’t say anything and we haven't heard back from them," Rios said.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron said the Police Department will not issue any permits to sell wares at Drake's Seat, and that any vendor who attempts to sell anything there will be arrested and prosecuted.
Stridiron said he was unaware of the current protests but would look into the situation. If protesting "is all they are doing," he said, that's legal as long as they stay off the easement, which the government and representatives of the Wheaton estate say is private property. "If they are on the public thoroughfare, they are all right," he said.
On the other hand, "If they are selling, that is where the problem comes in," Stridiron added.
Four vendors who ignored police orders to relocate to Vendors Plaza on the St. Thomas waterfront, saying the plaza is overcrowded, a flood zone and less lucrative, were arrested in February. Three still refuse to leave and are pressing their claims in court, Rios said. He said one who moved to the new overlook platform on Waldemar Hill "Skyline" Drive is making significantly less money there.
Rios said the three vendors who have sued will fight until the court makes a determination on whether the land is privately owned or not — an issue unaddressed in a succession of District Court rulings.
And according to Rios, a plan by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to appropriate $4 million from a projected tax windfall to acquire all or part of the Wheaton Estate will not help the vendors. He said reports that the governor plans to purchase the Drake's Seat easement are misleading. The vendors would be positioned at another location below the easement, he said, removed from the thousands of tourists who visit the site each year on island tours and on their own.
The vendors who have sued are still being represented by attorney Kenth Rogers, Rios said. In March, the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department said Rogers did not have a current license to practice law in the territory.
Rogers said that move was politically motivated, because Commissioner Andrew Rutnik was a frequent target of vendors' criticism and was named as a defendant in their lawsuit. The move came days before a court hearing in which a motion to dismiss the U.S. government as a defendant was granted and the Wheaton estate was allowed to intervene in the vendors' attempts to continue selling at the overlook.
Denying that Rogers was singled out for political reasons, Rutnik said the attorney had been practicing law in the territory illegally for years because he had no license. (Many lawyers have long protested that licensing should be not of individual attorneys but of law firms.) Rogers did not attend a hearing on the matter and other attempts to resolve the issue with him were unsuccessful, Rutnik said.
Rogers could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
RLS HOSPITAL RECEIVES $1.78 MILLION IN GRANTS
July 3, 2001 – Two grants, amounting to $1.78 million, from the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of Interior, will allow the Roy L. Schneider Hospital to make needed improvements to its infrastructure.
Some of the money will be used for ongoing hurricane mitigation projects.
The grants were part of money which was reprogrammed after a meeting in October between Virgin Islands grant administrators and their federal counterparts.
According to Keith Parsky, public information officer for Insular Affairs, "If we hadn't gone through the exercise of looking at the unused federal funds," the grant money might not have been available.
The goal of the Inter Governmental Inter Agency (IAIG) meeting last fall was to "take an accurate look at what was out there," Parsky said.
The combination of a more accountable administration in the Virgin Islands and the efforts of Insular Affairs resulted in the money being made available, he said.
One grant, of $1.35 million, is slated for "critically needed capital improvements."
The other grant, of $429,750, is earmarked for a lightning protection system, infrastructure improvements and staff training.
In the transmittal letter to Eugene Woods, chief executive officer of RLS Hospital, the acting director of Insular Affairs, Nikolao Pula, commended Woods' efforts. Pula said he was pleased to make the grants available, having been told about "your excellent staff and your efforts and hard work to improve the hospital."
Some of the money will be used for ongoing hurricane mitigation projects.
The grants were part of money which was reprogrammed after a meeting in October between Virgin Islands grant administrators and their federal counterparts.
According to Keith Parsky, public information officer for Insular Affairs, "If we hadn't gone through the exercise of looking at the unused federal funds," the grant money might not have been available.
The goal of the Inter Governmental Inter Agency (IAIG) meeting last fall was to "take an accurate look at what was out there," Parsky said.
The combination of a more accountable administration in the Virgin Islands and the efforts of Insular Affairs resulted in the money being made available, he said.
One grant, of $1.35 million, is slated for "critically needed capital improvements."
The other grant, of $429,750, is earmarked for a lightning protection system, infrastructure improvements and staff training.
In the transmittal letter to Eugene Woods, chief executive officer of RLS Hospital, the acting director of Insular Affairs, Nikolao Pula, commended Woods' efforts. Pula said he was pleased to make the grants available, having been told about "your excellent staff and your efforts and hard work to improve the hospital."
SUMMARY OF ROBBERIES AND BURGLARIES JUNE 24 – 30
Here are the major crimes, broken out by location, for the week beginning June 24.
ROBBERY
There was one reported case of robbery
1. Crystal Gade
BURGLARY
There were seventeen cases of burglary reported that week. They occurred at the following locations:
1. All Saints Cathedral School-Garden Street Commercial
2. Annas Retreat -Residential
3, Annas Retreat-Residential
4. Annas Retreat-Residential
5. Tutu Hi Rise-Residential
6. Est. Ross Taarenberg~Residential
7 Est. Lindberg Bay-Residential
8. Catherinbcrg-Commercial
9. flonne Resolution-Residential
10. Est Nazareth-Residential
11. Est. Nazareth-Commercial
12. Est Smith Bay-Residential
13.Est Smith Bay-Residential
14.Dutch Reformed Church-Crystal Gade
15. Hair Salon-Subbasc-Commercial
16.Machine Shop-Subbase-Commercial
17. Four Winds Plaza-Commercial
ROBBERY
There was one reported case of robbery
1. Crystal Gade
BURGLARY
There were seventeen cases of burglary reported that week. They occurred at the following locations:
1. All Saints Cathedral School-Garden Street Commercial
2. Annas Retreat -Residential
3, Annas Retreat-Residential
4. Annas Retreat-Residential
5. Tutu Hi Rise-Residential
6. Est. Ross Taarenberg~Residential
7 Est. Lindberg Bay-Residential
8. Catherinbcrg-Commercial
9. flonne Resolution-Residential
10. Est Nazareth-Residential
11. Est. Nazareth-Commercial
12. Est Smith Bay-Residential
13.Est Smith Bay-Residential
14.Dutch Reformed Church-Crystal Gade
15. Hair Salon-Subbasc-Commercial
16.Machine Shop-Subbase-Commercial
17. Four Winds Plaza-Commercial
CRIME SUMMARY WEEK OF JUNE 17-23
Here are the major crimes, broken out by location, for the week beginning June 17.
ROBBERIES
There were no reported cases of robberies that week.
BURGLARIES
There were seven cases of burglary reported that week, They occurred at the following locations:
1. W.I.C. Office – Knud Hansen Hospital – Commercial
2. Annas Retreat – Residential
3. Benner Bay-Residential
4. Temple Street-Residential
5. Est. Nadir-Residential
6. Est. Nadir-Commercial
7. Est. Nadir-Residential
RAPES
There were no reported cases of rapes that week.
ROBBERIES
There were no reported cases of robberies that week.
BURGLARIES
There were seven cases of burglary reported that week, They occurred at the following locations:
1. W.I.C. Office – Knud Hansen Hospital – Commercial
2. Annas Retreat – Residential
3. Benner Bay-Residential
4. Temple Street-Residential
5. Est. Nadir-Residential
6. Est. Nadir-Commercial
7. Est. Nadir-Residential
RAPES
There were no reported cases of rapes that week.
GETTING RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
For years a friend would tell me, "Try tofu. Try miso," and I would look at her, appalled. Could she really believe that I would ever attempt to eat such weird stuff? Was she sane? Now I eat it regularly.
Likewise, I met suggestions about exercising the same way. I even responded with jokes about waiting in parking lots to get a space as close to the store entrance as possible. Me exercise?
And don't talk about even trying to eat fat-free foods. It was inconceivable. No, I did not eat some of the really fat-filled food of the Virgin Islands, such as souse or corn pork, but I surely handled many others well.
I, as a true Virgin Islander, do not believe in "talking my business in the street." Alcoholics Anonymous and other forums where you talk your "business" to a whole group is not for me — although intellectually I am a firm believer that these groups can really make a difference. And I do strongly recommend the lasting benefits of joining self-help groups. But, as a Virgin Islander, I just cannot believe that if you talk your business in a group, it will not travel any further than the room you are in.
Well, I am deviating from my personal belief system in the hopes that doing so may help others. And as a professional social worker, I am committed to making a difference for the better in any way that I can.
I have heart disease. I had six coronary bypasses almost a year and a half ago. Now, although it is not easy, I do exercise, and I dedicate myself to trying lots of reduced-fat or fat-free foods, adapting many fat-filled local recipes. Some have come out inedible, yet others have been delicious. I no longer smoke. In an effort to reduce stress, I try not to place unrealistic demands on myself or to let others do so. And I focus on doing what is necessary to prolong my life and maintain a good quality of life in the future.
This may sound easy to those of you gifted with strong personal motivations (or good genes) to maintain your bodies and refrain from addictions or inclinations that are damaging to your body. But to me, it is amazing that I am living this kind of lifestyle. I now realize — a bit late I may add — that, had I lived this way from a young age, I most likely would not have heart disease. And for those of you who don’t know, heart disease is permanent. A change in lifestyle slows its progress but does not halt it. I still have a ways to go, like getting slim, but I am convinced I am on my way and will get there.
As I walk on the Cyril E. King Airport perimeter sidewalk, or at other times on the St. Thomas waterfront apron, I see the large number of other people, particularly women, exercising, too. As is traditional here, most say "hello" or "good evening" as we pass each other by. (Remember when a public figure thought the Port Authority could increase revenues by charging for the use of its sidewalk? A novel approach, wouldn’t you say?)
Previously unknown to me, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. I would have thought it was cancer, particularly breast cancer, if I had given it any thought at all. However, in reading about heart disease, I find that one in 10 American women 45 to 64 years of age has some form of heart disease, and the rate increases to one in four women over 65.
New information that I have learned from The Women's Heart Institute is that African-American women have the greatest risk of heart disease of any gender or ethnic group, with heart disease their No. 1 cause of death after the age of 25. Obviously, that puts most of the Virgin Islands population at even greater risk. It also is said that about 40 percent of the time the traditional stress test is inaccurate as it pertains to women. Therefore, further testing, such as an echocardiogram, is necessary.
Women do not get the attention from the medical field and the media that men do as regards heart disease. Fortunately for me, my excellent primary care physician picked up on a comment I made and sent me on the path that led to the discovery of my heart disease before I had a heart attack. I remain eternally grateful to her and for her paying attention to every little detail (yeah for women!).
Washington Hospital Center, where I had my surgery, has had a Women's Heart Disease Education and Prevention Program since 1996. The program provides information on the specific symptoms found in women and says our symptoms are usually more subtle than those found in men with heart disease. These symptoms are:
– Angina — chest discomfort or fullness.
– Breathlessness — experienced during activities, or upon waking up at night.
– Chronic fatigue — inability to complete routine activities.
– Dizziness — a condition which can indicate irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmia.
– Edema — swelling, particularly of the lower legs and ankles.
– Fluttering heartbeats — rapid heartbeats that may cause pain or difficulty in breathing.
– Gastric upset — nausea unrelated to diet.
The web site of the Washington Hospital Center offers much interesting and useful information. For example, it notes there are risk factors in women that you cannot control (age, family history and race) and those you can (smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity).
We as women need to listen to our bodies and learn to focus on ourselves. It is not selfish or self centered; it is necessary. Many of us spend a lifetime personally or professionally helping others and put "us" on the back burner. Stress is common among women as we balance our professional and personal selves.
I do not profess to be any type of health professional, and I hope nothing I have written is inaccurate. But I have done this to remind all of you women who read this, and any male reader who loves a woman, to take heed from it. Go to the web sites, think about yourself and try to change a little bit at a time. Heart disease and surgery is awfully scary (and expensive). If I can make progress in this area, believe me, anybody can.
Likewise, I met suggestions about exercising the same way. I even responded with jokes about waiting in parking lots to get a space as close to the store entrance as possible. Me exercise?
And don't talk about even trying to eat fat-free foods. It was inconceivable. No, I did not eat some of the really fat-filled food of the Virgin Islands, such as souse or corn pork, but I surely handled many others well.
I, as a true Virgin Islander, do not believe in "talking my business in the street." Alcoholics Anonymous and other forums where you talk your "business" to a whole group is not for me — although intellectually I am a firm believer that these groups can really make a difference. And I do strongly recommend the lasting benefits of joining self-help groups. But, as a Virgin Islander, I just cannot believe that if you talk your business in a group, it will not travel any further than the room you are in.
Well, I am deviating from my personal belief system in the hopes that doing so may help others. And as a professional social worker, I am committed to making a difference for the better in any way that I can.
I have heart disease. I had six coronary bypasses almost a year and a half ago. Now, although it is not easy, I do exercise, and I dedicate myself to trying lots of reduced-fat or fat-free foods, adapting many fat-filled local recipes. Some have come out inedible, yet others have been delicious. I no longer smoke. In an effort to reduce stress, I try not to place unrealistic demands on myself or to let others do so. And I focus on doing what is necessary to prolong my life and maintain a good quality of life in the future.
This may sound easy to those of you gifted with strong personal motivations (or good genes) to maintain your bodies and refrain from addictions or inclinations that are damaging to your body. But to me, it is amazing that I am living this kind of lifestyle. I now realize — a bit late I may add — that, had I lived this way from a young age, I most likely would not have heart disease. And for those of you who don’t know, heart disease is permanent. A change in lifestyle slows its progress but does not halt it. I still have a ways to go, like getting slim, but I am convinced I am on my way and will get there.
As I walk on the Cyril E. King Airport perimeter sidewalk, or at other times on the St. Thomas waterfront apron, I see the large number of other people, particularly women, exercising, too. As is traditional here, most say "hello" or "good evening" as we pass each other by. (Remember when a public figure thought the Port Authority could increase revenues by charging for the use of its sidewalk? A novel approach, wouldn’t you say?)
Previously unknown to me, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. I would have thought it was cancer, particularly breast cancer, if I had given it any thought at all. However, in reading about heart disease, I find that one in 10 American women 45 to 64 years of age has some form of heart disease, and the rate increases to one in four women over 65.
New information that I have learned from The Women's Heart Institute is that African-American women have the greatest risk of heart disease of any gender or ethnic group, with heart disease their No. 1 cause of death after the age of 25. Obviously, that puts most of the Virgin Islands population at even greater risk. It also is said that about 40 percent of the time the traditional stress test is inaccurate as it pertains to women. Therefore, further testing, such as an echocardiogram, is necessary.
Women do not get the attention from the medical field and the media that men do as regards heart disease. Fortunately for me, my excellent primary care physician picked up on a comment I made and sent me on the path that led to the discovery of my heart disease before I had a heart attack. I remain eternally grateful to her and for her paying attention to every little detail (yeah for women!).
Washington Hospital Center, where I had my surgery, has had a Women's Heart Disease Education and Prevention Program since 1996. The program provides information on the specific symptoms found in women and says our symptoms are usually more subtle than those found in men with heart disease. These symptoms are:
– Angina — chest discomfort or fullness.
– Breathlessness — experienced during activities, or upon waking up at night.
– Chronic fatigue — inability to complete routine activities.
– Dizziness — a condition which can indicate irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmia.
– Edema — swelling, particularly of the lower legs and ankles.
– Fluttering heartbeats — rapid heartbeats that may cause pain or difficulty in breathing.
– Gastric upset — nausea unrelated to diet.
The web site of the Washington Hospital Center offers much interesting and useful information. For example, it notes there are risk factors in women that you cannot control (age, family history and race) and those you can (smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity).
We as women need to listen to our bodies and learn to focus on ourselves. It is not selfish or self centered; it is necessary. Many of us spend a lifetime personally or professionally helping others and put "us" on the back burner. Stress is common among women as we balance our professional and personal selves.
I do not profess to be any type of health professional, and I hope nothing I have written is inaccurate. But I have done this to remind all of you women who read this, and any male reader who loves a woman, to take heed from it. Go to the web sites, think about yourself and try to change a little bit at a time. Heart disease and surgery is awfully scary (and expensive). If I can make progress in this area, believe me, anybody can.
Editor's note: Catherine L. Mills of St. Thomas, a former Human Services commissioner, holds a master's degree in social work.
GETTING RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
For years a friend would tell me, "Try tofu. Try miso," and I would look at her, appalled. Could she really believe that I would ever attempt to eat such weird stuff? Was she sane? Now I eat it regularly.
Likewise, I met suggestions about exercising the same way. I even responded with jokes about waiting in parking lots to get a space as close to the store entrance as possible. Me exercise?
And don't talk about even trying to eat fat-free foods. It was inconceivable. No, I did not eat some of the really fat-filled food of the Virgin Islands, such as souse or corn pork, but I surely handled many others well.
I, as a true Virgin Islander, do not believe in "talking my business in the street." Alcoholics Anonymous and other forums where you talk your "business" to a whole group is not for me — although intellectually I am a firm believer that these groups can really make a difference. And I do strongly recommend the lasting benefits of joining self-help groups. But, as a Virgin Islander, I just cannot believe that if you talk your business in a group, it will not travel any further than the room you are in.
Well, I am deviating from my personal belief system in the hopes that doing so may help others. And as a professional social worker, I am committed to making a difference for the better in any way that I can.
I have heart disease. I had six coronary bypasses almost a year and a half ago. Now, although it is not easy, I do exercise, and I dedicate myself to trying lots of reduced-fat or fat-free foods, adapting many fat-filled local recipes. Some have come out inedible, yet others have been delicious. I no longer smoke. In an effort to reduce stress, I try not to place unrealistic demands on myself or to let others do so. And I focus on doing what is necessary to prolong my life and maintain a good quality of life in the future.
This may sound easy to those of you gifted with strong personal motivations (or good genes) to maintain your bodies and refrain from addictions or inclinations that are damaging to your body. But to me, it is amazing that I am living this kind of lifestyle. I now realize — a bit late I may add — that, had I lived this way from a young age, I most likely would not have heart disease. And for those of you who don’t know, heart disease is permanent. A change in lifestyle slows its progress but does not halt it. I still have a ways to go, like getting slim, but I am convinced I am on my way and will get there.
As I walk on the Cyril E. King Airport perimeter sidewalk, or at other times on the St. Thomas waterfront apron, I see the large number of other people, particularly women, exercising, too. As is traditional here, most say "hello" or "good evening" as we pass each other by. (Remember when a public figure thought the Port Authority could increase revenues by charging for the use of its sidewalk? A novel approach, wouldn’t you say?)
Previously unknown to me, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. I would have thought it was cancer, particularly breast cancer, if I had given it any thought at all. However, in reading about heart disease, I find that one in 10 American women 45 to 64 years of age has some form of heart disease, and the rate increases to one in four women over 65.
New information that I have learned from The Women's Heart Institute is that African-American women have the greatest risk of heart disease of any gender or ethnic group, with heart disease their No. 1 cause of death after the age of 25. Obviously, that puts most of the Virgin Islands population at even greater risk. It also is said that about 40 percent of the time the traditional stress test is inaccurate as it pertains to women. Therefore, further testing, such as an echocardiogram, is necessary.
Women do not get the attention from the medical field and the media that men do as regards heart disease. Fortunately for me, my excellent primary care physician picked up on a comment I made and sent me on the path that led to the discovery of my heart disease before I had a heart attack. I remain eternally grateful to her and for her paying attention to every little detail (yeah for women!).
Washington Hospital Center, where I had my surgery, has had a Women's Heart Disease Education and Prevention Program since 1996. The program provides information on the specific symptoms found in women and says our symptoms are usually more subtle than those found in men with heart disease. These symptoms are:
– Angina — chest discomfort or fullness.
– Breathlessness — experienced during activities, or upon waking up at night.
– Chronic fatigue — inability to complete routine activities.
– Dizziness — a condition which can indicate irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmia.
– Edema — swelling, particularly of the lower legs and ankles.
– Fluttering heartbeats — rapid heartbeats that may cause pain or difficulty in breathing.
– Gastric upset — nausea unrelated to diet.
The web site of the Washington Hospital Center offers much interesting and useful information. For example, it notes there are risk factors in women that you cannot control (age, family history and race) and those you can (smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity).
We as women need to listen to our bodies and learn to focus on ourselves. It is not selfish or self centered; it is necessary. Many of us spend a lifetime personally or professionally helping others and put "us" on the back burner. Stress is common among women as we balance our professional and personal selves.
I do not profess to be any type of health professional, and I hope nothing I have written is inaccurate. But I have done this to remind all of you women who read this, and any male reader who loves a woman, to take heed from it. Go to the web sites, think about yourself and try to change a little bit at a time. Heart disease and surgery is awfully scary (and expensive). If I can make progress in this area, believe me, anybody can.
Likewise, I met suggestions about exercising the same way. I even responded with jokes about waiting in parking lots to get a space as close to the store entrance as possible. Me exercise?
And don't talk about even trying to eat fat-free foods. It was inconceivable. No, I did not eat some of the really fat-filled food of the Virgin Islands, such as souse or corn pork, but I surely handled many others well.
I, as a true Virgin Islander, do not believe in "talking my business in the street." Alcoholics Anonymous and other forums where you talk your "business" to a whole group is not for me — although intellectually I am a firm believer that these groups can really make a difference. And I do strongly recommend the lasting benefits of joining self-help groups. But, as a Virgin Islander, I just cannot believe that if you talk your business in a group, it will not travel any further than the room you are in.
Well, I am deviating from my personal belief system in the hopes that doing so may help others. And as a professional social worker, I am committed to making a difference for the better in any way that I can.
I have heart disease. I had six coronary bypasses almost a year and a half ago. Now, although it is not easy, I do exercise, and I dedicate myself to trying lots of reduced-fat or fat-free foods, adapting many fat-filled local recipes. Some have come out inedible, yet others have been delicious. I no longer smoke. In an effort to reduce stress, I try not to place unrealistic demands on myself or to let others do so. And I focus on doing what is necessary to prolong my life and maintain a good quality of life in the future.
This may sound easy to those of you gifted with strong personal motivations (or good genes) to maintain your bodies and refrain from addictions or inclinations that are damaging to your body. But to me, it is amazing that I am living this kind of lifestyle. I now realize — a bit late I may add — that, had I lived this way from a young age, I most likely would not have heart disease. And for those of you who don’t know, heart disease is permanent. A change in lifestyle slows its progress but does not halt it. I still have a ways to go, like getting slim, but I am convinced I am on my way and will get there.
As I walk on the Cyril E. King Airport perimeter sidewalk, or at other times on the St. Thomas waterfront apron, I see the large number of other people, particularly women, exercising, too. As is traditional here, most say "hello" or "good evening" as we pass each other by. (Remember when a public figure thought the Port Authority could increase revenues by charging for the use of its sidewalk? A novel approach, wouldn’t you say?)
Previously unknown to me, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. I would have thought it was cancer, particularly breast cancer, if I had given it any thought at all. However, in reading about heart disease, I find that one in 10 American women 45 to 64 years of age has some form of heart disease, and the rate increases to one in four women over 65.
New information that I have learned from The Women's Heart Institute is that African-American women have the greatest risk of heart disease of any gender or ethnic group, with heart disease their No. 1 cause of death after the age of 25. Obviously, that puts most of the Virgin Islands population at even greater risk. It also is said that about 40 percent of the time the traditional stress test is inaccurate as it pertains to women. Therefore, further testing, such as an echocardiogram, is necessary.
Women do not get the attention from the medical field and the media that men do as regards heart disease. Fortunately for me, my excellent primary care physician picked up on a comment I made and sent me on the path that led to the discovery of my heart disease before I had a heart attack. I remain eternally grateful to her and for her paying attention to every little detail (yeah for women!).
Washington Hospital Center, where I had my surgery, has had a Women's Heart Disease Education and Prevention Program since 1996. The program provides information on the specific symptoms found in women and says our symptoms are usually more subtle than those found in men with heart disease. These symptoms are:
– Angina — chest discomfort or fullness.
– Breathlessness — experienced during activities, or upon waking up at night.
– Chronic fatigue — inability to complete routine activities.
– Dizziness — a condition which can indicate irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmia.
– Edema — swelling, particularly of the lower legs and ankles.
– Fluttering heartbeats — rapid heartbeats that may cause pain or difficulty in breathing.
– Gastric upset — nausea unrelated to diet.
The web site of the Washington Hospital Center offers much interesting and useful information. For example, it notes there are risk factors in women that you cannot control (age, family history and race) and those you can (smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity).
We as women need to listen to our bodies and learn to focus on ourselves. It is not selfish or self centered; it is necessary. Many of us spend a lifetime personally or professionally helping others and put "us" on the back burner. Stress is common among women as we balance our professional and personal selves.
I do not profess to be any type of health professional, and I hope nothing I have written is inaccurate. But I have done this to remind all of you women who read this, and any male reader who loves a woman, to take heed from it. Go to the web sites, think about yourself and try to change a little bit at a time. Heart disease and surgery is awfully scary (and expensive). If I can make progress in this area, believe me, anybody can.
Editor's note: Catherine L. Mills of St. Thomas, a former Human Services commissioner, holds a master's degree in social work.
107-INCH BIG BLUE WINS JUNE MOON TOURNAMENT
July 3, 2001 – Big fish, big money: Those were the lures for creating the June Moon tournament last year, and they worked again for the second annual competition, held last weekend and hosted by the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club.
A 107-inch blue marlin — two inches longer than the minimum required — caught by St. Thomas angler Stewart Loveland on the first day of fishing earned the $36,000 prize for the captain, crew and anglers aboard Salt Shaker, Capt. Eddie Wettengel's 48-foot Monterey.
Fishing with fellow anglers Michael and Brian Wettengel — Capt. Eddie's son and grandson, respectively –Loveland got his bite mid-morning Friday. "I snaked the rod and reeled it in," he said. Snaking the rod in this case means stealing it away. Normally, anglers switch off on rods by a set order of hourly rotations to assure everyone gets an equal chance. But this event is also known for its minimum of official rules, which adds to the excitement.
The Salt Shaker crew held a stick out to the big blue and determined it big enough for a prize. Loveland also hooked a bigger fish on Sunday, but lost it.
Although the eight boats in the tournament did see several blue marlin, underscoring that marlin season has definitely started, it was only Loveland's big blue that was prizeworthy in this event. The prize money was awarded out of the $5,000 boat entry fees after the fishing club took its 10 percent.
The tournament took its name from last year's premiere event, which was held at the time of the full moon. This year's June full moon, on the 5th, was too early to attract gamefishing boats coming down for marlin season from Florida; the July moon, also on the 5th, will occur during this year's July Open Offshore Tournament, a weekend event which has been fished on or around the Fourth of July since the mid-1960s.
The next Virgin Islands Gamefishing Club event is the July Open for youngsters, on the Fourth of July.
Then comes the July Open, Friday through Sunday. This will be the first time in the tournament's nearly four decades that an all-release format is used, meaning that all blue marlin that are caught will be released. To register or obtain more information, call 775-9144.
A 107-inch blue marlin — two inches longer than the minimum required — caught by St. Thomas angler Stewart Loveland on the first day of fishing earned the $36,000 prize for the captain, crew and anglers aboard Salt Shaker, Capt. Eddie Wettengel's 48-foot Monterey.
Fishing with fellow anglers Michael and Brian Wettengel — Capt. Eddie's son and grandson, respectively –Loveland got his bite mid-morning Friday. "I snaked the rod and reeled it in," he said. Snaking the rod in this case means stealing it away. Normally, anglers switch off on rods by a set order of hourly rotations to assure everyone gets an equal chance. But this event is also known for its minimum of official rules, which adds to the excitement.
The Salt Shaker crew held a stick out to the big blue and determined it big enough for a prize. Loveland also hooked a bigger fish on Sunday, but lost it.
Although the eight boats in the tournament did see several blue marlin, underscoring that marlin season has definitely started, it was only Loveland's big blue that was prizeworthy in this event. The prize money was awarded out of the $5,000 boat entry fees after the fishing club took its 10 percent.
The tournament took its name from last year's premiere event, which was held at the time of the full moon. This year's June full moon, on the 5th, was too early to attract gamefishing boats coming down for marlin season from Florida; the July moon, also on the 5th, will occur during this year's July Open Offshore Tournament, a weekend event which has been fished on or around the Fourth of July since the mid-1960s.
The next Virgin Islands Gamefishing Club event is the July Open for youngsters, on the Fourth of July.
Then comes the July Open, Friday through Sunday. This will be the first time in the tournament's nearly four decades that an all-release format is used, meaning that all blue marlin that are caught will be released. To register or obtain more information, call 775-9144.
107-INCH BIG BLUE WINS JUNE MOON TOURNAMENT
July 3, 2001 – Big fish, big money: Those were the lures for creating the June Moon tournament last year, and they worked again for the second annual competition, held last weekend and hosted by the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club.
A 107-inch blue marlin — two inches longer than the minimum required — caught by St. Thomas angler Stewart Loveland on the first day of fishing earned the $36,000 prize for the captain, crew and anglers aboard Salt Shaker, Capt. Eddie Wettengel's 48-foot Monterey.
Fishing with fellow anglers Michael and Brian Wettengel — Capt. Eddie's son and grandson, respectively –Loveland got his bite mid-morning Friday. "I snaked the rod and reeled it in," he said. Snaking the rod in this case means stealing it away. Normally, anglers switch off on rods by a set order of hourly rotations to assure everyone gets an equal chance. But this event is also known for its minimum of official rules, which adds to the excitement.
The Salt Shaker crew held a stick out to the big blue and determined it big enough for a prize. Loveland also hooked a bigger fish on Sunday, but lost it.
Although the eight boats in the tournament did see several blue marlin, underscoring that marlin season has definitely started, it was only Loveland's big blue that was prizeworthy in this event. The prize money was awarded out of the $5,000 boat entry fees after the fishing club took its 10 percent.
The tournament took its name from last year's premiere event, which was held at the time of the full moon. This year's June full moon, on the 5th, was too early to attract gamefishing boats coming down for marlin season from Florida; the July moon, also on the 5th, will occur during this year's July Open Offshore Tournament, a weekend event which has been fished on or around the Fourth of July since the mid-1960s.
The next Virgin Islands Gamefishing Club event is the July Open for youngsters, on the Fourth of July.
Then comes the July Open, Friday through Sunday. This will be the first time in the tournament's nearly four decades that an all-release format is used, meaning that all blue marlin that are caught will be released. To register or obtain more information, call 775-9144.
A 107-inch blue marlin — two inches longer than the minimum required — caught by St. Thomas angler Stewart Loveland on the first day of fishing earned the $36,000 prize for the captain, crew and anglers aboard Salt Shaker, Capt. Eddie Wettengel's 48-foot Monterey.
Fishing with fellow anglers Michael and Brian Wettengel — Capt. Eddie's son and grandson, respectively –Loveland got his bite mid-morning Friday. "I snaked the rod and reeled it in," he said. Snaking the rod in this case means stealing it away. Normally, anglers switch off on rods by a set order of hourly rotations to assure everyone gets an equal chance. But this event is also known for its minimum of official rules, which adds to the excitement.
The Salt Shaker crew held a stick out to the big blue and determined it big enough for a prize. Loveland also hooked a bigger fish on Sunday, but lost it.
Although the eight boats in the tournament did see several blue marlin, underscoring that marlin season has definitely started, it was only Loveland's big blue that was prizeworthy in this event. The prize money was awarded out of the $5,000 boat entry fees after the fishing club took its 10 percent.
The tournament took its name from last year's premiere event, which was held at the time of the full moon. This year's June full moon, on the 5th, was too early to attract gamefishing boats coming down for marlin season from Florida; the July moon, also on the 5th, will occur during this year's July Open Offshore Tournament, a weekend event which has been fished on or around the Fourth of July since the mid-1960s.
The next Virgin Islands Gamefishing Club event is the July Open for youngsters, on the Fourth of July.
Then comes the July Open, Friday through Sunday. This will be the first time in the tournament's nearly four decades that an all-release format is used, meaning that all blue marlin that are caught will be released. To register or obtain more information, call 775-9144.
107-INCH BIG BLUE WINS JUNE MOON TOURNAMENT
July 3, 2001 – Big fish, big money: Those were the lures for creating the June Moon tournament last year, and they worked again for the second annual competition, held last weekend and hosted by the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club.
A 107-inch blue marlin — two inches longer than the minimum required — caught by St. Thomas angler Stewart Loveland on the first day of fishing earned the $36,000 prize for the captain, crew and anglers aboard Salt Shaker, Capt. Eddie Wettengel's 48-foot Monterey.
Fishing with fellow anglers Michael and Brian Wettengel — Capt. Eddie's son and grandson, respectively –Loveland got his bite mid-morning Friday. "I snaked the rod and reeled it in," he said. Snaking the rod in this case means stealing it away. Normally, anglers switch off on rods by a set order of hourly rotations to assure everyone gets an equal chance. But this event is also known for its minimum of official rules, which adds to the excitement.
The Salt Shaker crew held a stick out to the big blue and determined it big enough for a prize. Loveland also hooked a bigger fish on Sunday, but lost it.
Although the eight boats in the tournament did see several blue marlin, underscoring that marlin season has definitely started, it was only Loveland's big blue that was prizeworthy in this event. The prize money was awarded out of the $5,000 boat entry fees after the fishing club took its 10 percent.
The tournament took its name from last year's premiere event, which was held at the time of the full moon. This year's June full moon, on the 5th, was too early to attract gamefishing boats coming down for marlin season from Florida; the July moon, also on the 5th, will occur during this year's July Open Offshore Tournament, a weekend event which has been fished on or around the Fourth of July since the mid-1960s.
The next Virgin Islands Gamefishing Club event is the July Open for youngsters, on the Fourth of July.
Then comes the July Open, Friday through Sunday. This will be the first time in the tournament's nearly four decades that an all-release format is used, meaning that all blue marlin that are caught will be released. To register or obtain more information, call 775-9144.
A 107-inch blue marlin — two inches longer than the minimum required — caught by St. Thomas angler Stewart Loveland on the first day of fishing earned the $36,000 prize for the captain, crew and anglers aboard Salt Shaker, Capt. Eddie Wettengel's 48-foot Monterey.
Fishing with fellow anglers Michael and Brian Wettengel — Capt. Eddie's son and grandson, respectively –Loveland got his bite mid-morning Friday. "I snaked the rod and reeled it in," he said. Snaking the rod in this case means stealing it away. Normally, anglers switch off on rods by a set order of hourly rotations to assure everyone gets an equal chance. But this event is also known for its minimum of official rules, which adds to the excitement.
The Salt Shaker crew held a stick out to the big blue and determined it big enough for a prize. Loveland also hooked a bigger fish on Sunday, but lost it.
Although the eight boats in the tournament did see several blue marlin, underscoring that marlin season has definitely started, it was only Loveland's big blue that was prizeworthy in this event. The prize money was awarded out of the $5,000 boat entry fees after the fishing club took its 10 percent.
The tournament took its name from last year's premiere event, which was held at the time of the full moon. This year's June full moon, on the 5th, was too early to attract gamefishing boats coming down for marlin season from Florida; the July moon, also on the 5th, will occur during this year's July Open Offshore Tournament, a weekend event which has been fished on or around the Fourth of July since the mid-1960s.
The next Virgin Islands Gamefishing Club event is the July Open for youngsters, on the Fourth of July.
Then comes the July Open, Friday through Sunday. This will be the first time in the tournament's nearly four decades that an all-release format is used, meaning that all blue marlin that are caught will be released. To register or obtain more information, call 775-9144.
