Proud moments in the lives of 19 young St. Johnians came Tuesday night at the Westin Resort at the graduation ceremony for the Julius E. Sprauve School Class of 2000.
Parents, teachers, brothers, sisters and grandparents filled the seats in the Westin ballroom to hear Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and other dignitaries admonish the graduating ninth graders about negative peer pressure and the value of direction from their parents and teachers.
"To the parents: This is not the time to desert them," the governor said of the young people. "In many ways, they are going to need you now more than ever."
"To the graduates: Please pay attention to your parents," he added. "They may be strict and stern, but they mean you well."
Sprauve School and Addelita Cancryn Junior High on St. Thomas were among the first schools to hold graduation exercises this year. Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds reportedly skipped the St. John exercise to attend the Cancryn commencement being held at the same time.
The governor said he felt it was important for him to attend the Sprauve School ceremony because its graduates represent the highest education attainable in the St. John school system.
This year's graduating class featured two male students taking top honors as valedictorian and salutatorian.
Salutatorian Oswin Sewer Jr. thanked all of his teachers from kindergarten through the ninth grade and encouraged those classmates who did not complete the requirements for graduation to try again.
Valedictorian Zahur Anthony spoke about the importance of faith in his academic success. "I am grateful to God, who has given me many skills and talents. Without him life can be very complicated," he said.
Seven boys and 12 girls paraded across the ballroom stage to receive their graduation certificates and the congratulations of district schools Supt. Rosalia Payne and Board of Education representative Harry Daniel.
Fourteen of the 19 graduated with honors. But for Principal Shirley Joseph, one of the greatest achievements in the Class of 2000 was that of Inocencia Troncoso.
Inocencia, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, entered the school as a ninth grader last fall, speaking no English. With the help of Sprauve's new bilingual instruction program and the encouragement of her father, Joseph said, the Inocencia kept up with the course work and learned enough English to graduate on time with the rest of her class.
This year's guest speaker, Police detective Sgt. Angelo Hill, graduated from the Sprauve school himself in 1978. He told his listeners that in his school days he was disciplined by some of his male teachers because of misbehavior. But now, as a police detective, he said, he sees the consequences of today's behavior problems among the young. He warned the graduates that these consequences are far more severe than those of his youth.
"It's good to be here tonight and see young people who are not in handcuffs and not covered by white sheets," Hill said somberly. "Earlier today, I had to arrest a 16-year-old who committed armed robbery. He had a gun in his hand instead of a book, and now he's going to pay the price."
TWO INCIDENTS DRAW POLICE TO GARDEN STREET
Two teen-aged boys have been arrested by St. Thomas police in connection with an attempted robbery incident on Garden Street late Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 4:40 p.m. in the area of Poor Richard's boutique. About two hours after the attempted robbery, in which an unidentified suspect suffered a superficial gunshot wound to the right side of the body, the minors, ages 14 and 15, were taken into custody.
In addition to robbery, they were both charged with first-degree assault. It was not clear whether the minors were detained overnight or released to parental custody.
When the late afternoon call about the shooting came in, police units from the patrol division, special operations bureau and investigation bureau all converged on the Garden Street area for the second time Tuesday
Earlier in the day, in an unrelated incident, an off-duty police officer ran down a suspect from Garden Street to the "Jah Yard" area of Hospital Ground after the suspect held up a convenience store. The unnamed suspect made off with $80 and a watch during the robbery at the Food Plus store on Commandant Gade.
The off-duty police officer had walked into the store as the robbery was going down, then chased and apprehended the suspect. The suspect, a minor, was charged with first-degree armed robbery.
The incident occurred around 4:40 p.m. in the area of Poor Richard's boutique. About two hours after the attempted robbery, in which an unidentified suspect suffered a superficial gunshot wound to the right side of the body, the minors, ages 14 and 15, were taken into custody.
In addition to robbery, they were both charged with first-degree assault. It was not clear whether the minors were detained overnight or released to parental custody.
When the late afternoon call about the shooting came in, police units from the patrol division, special operations bureau and investigation bureau all converged on the Garden Street area for the second time Tuesday
Earlier in the day, in an unrelated incident, an off-duty police officer ran down a suspect from Garden Street to the "Jah Yard" area of Hospital Ground after the suspect held up a convenience store. The unnamed suspect made off with $80 and a watch during the robbery at the Food Plus store on Commandant Gade.
The off-duty police officer had walked into the store as the robbery was going down, then chased and apprehended the suspect. The suspect, a minor, was charged with first-degree armed robbery.
2 AT CANCRYN WIN NATIONAL WRITING HONORS
Two Virgin Islands eighth graders, both students at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School, have won recognition for their writing ability from the National Council of Teachers of English.
Sadiqua Chinnery and Jennell Todman were among 291 students recognized nationwide in the 2000 Promising Young Writers program. A total of 1,051 eighth-grade students in the United States, Canada and American schools abroad participated in the program.
Students nominated by their eighth-grade English teachers competed by writing impromptu essays and submitting other samples of their work. A panel of teachers at the state level judged the papers on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style.
The 77,000-member national council is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.
Sadiqua Chinnery and Jennell Todman were among 291 students recognized nationwide in the 2000 Promising Young Writers program. A total of 1,051 eighth-grade students in the United States, Canada and American schools abroad participated in the program.
Students nominated by their eighth-grade English teachers competed by writing impromptu essays and submitting other samples of their work. A panel of teachers at the state level judged the papers on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style.
The 77,000-member national council is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.
GRAY UPS PREDICTION OF NAMED, MAJOR STORMS
Seven days into the 2000 hurricane season, Colorado State University's hurricane forecast team, led by William Gray, is now predicting 12 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
Gray, a professor of atmospheric science, had originally predicted 11 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes in his initial December 1999 forecast and in the first update, issued on April 7.
On Wednesday, however, Gray said a series of changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions, so-called "climate signals," led the team to project the higher numbers.
The new forecast suggests an above-average hurricane season roughly similar to or slightly weaker than those in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Gray noted that the prediction of an above-average season follows a trend begun in 1995, when changes in global circulation systems led to the five most intensive consecutive storm seasons on record. The years 1995-99 saw 65 named storms, 41 hurricanes and 20 major hurricanes.
Another factor leading to the increase in predicted numbers, according to Gray: "The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation is not coming down from an easterly direction as fast as we thought." The oscillation is a roughly two-year pattern of stratospheric winds that blow from the east, then from the west, and then from the east again. Winds from the east tend to inhibit hurricane formation.
In the Atlantic, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures at both high and low latitudes are a favorable indicator of storm formation and are expected to be present later in the 2000 season, which runs through the end of November.
Also in the Atlantic, lower than normal atmospheric pressures, which enhance hurricane development, are expected to be present during the height of the hurricane season.
In the Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperature patterns associated with higher Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity are present. Easterly upper-level equatorial winds over the Atlantic and South America are favorable for enhanced Atlantic hurricane activity.
Gray said the Caribbean basin faces a possibility of landfall by one or more major hurricanes — about 15 percent above the past century's average.
Although the forecasters originally saw the 2000 hurricane season as only moderately above average, the indications of increased activity did not surprise them, according to Gray. He has theorized that an oceanic circulation system commonly referred to as the "Atlantic conveyor belt" affects the number of major hurricanes that make landfall along the East Coast. While it does not influence the number of weaker cyclone systems very much, the number of major hurricanes forming and making landfall is increased.
Major hurricanes, when normalized by coastal population, inflation and wealth per capita, generated about 85 percent of the hurricane-spawned destruction.
Gray and his colleagues at Colorado State University predict the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes, along with measures of duration such as named storm days, and give overall estimates of annual hurricane activity and destructive potential. They do not predict when or where a storm will occur, what category it will achieve or what specific track it will take.
More on the latest report from the hurricane research team at CSU is available at clicking here.
Gray, a professor of atmospheric science, had originally predicted 11 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes in his initial December 1999 forecast and in the first update, issued on April 7.
On Wednesday, however, Gray said a series of changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions, so-called "climate signals," led the team to project the higher numbers.
The new forecast suggests an above-average hurricane season roughly similar to or slightly weaker than those in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Gray noted that the prediction of an above-average season follows a trend begun in 1995, when changes in global circulation systems led to the five most intensive consecutive storm seasons on record. The years 1995-99 saw 65 named storms, 41 hurricanes and 20 major hurricanes.
Another factor leading to the increase in predicted numbers, according to Gray: "The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation is not coming down from an easterly direction as fast as we thought." The oscillation is a roughly two-year pattern of stratospheric winds that blow from the east, then from the west, and then from the east again. Winds from the east tend to inhibit hurricane formation.
In the Atlantic, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures at both high and low latitudes are a favorable indicator of storm formation and are expected to be present later in the 2000 season, which runs through the end of November.
Also in the Atlantic, lower than normal atmospheric pressures, which enhance hurricane development, are expected to be present during the height of the hurricane season.
In the Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperature patterns associated with higher Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity are present. Easterly upper-level equatorial winds over the Atlantic and South America are favorable for enhanced Atlantic hurricane activity.
Gray said the Caribbean basin faces a possibility of landfall by one or more major hurricanes — about 15 percent above the past century's average.
Although the forecasters originally saw the 2000 hurricane season as only moderately above average, the indications of increased activity did not surprise them, according to Gray. He has theorized that an oceanic circulation system commonly referred to as the "Atlantic conveyor belt" affects the number of major hurricanes that make landfall along the East Coast. While it does not influence the number of weaker cyclone systems very much, the number of major hurricanes forming and making landfall is increased.
Major hurricanes, when normalized by coastal population, inflation and wealth per capita, generated about 85 percent of the hurricane-spawned destruction.
Gray and his colleagues at Colorado State University predict the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes, along with measures of duration such as named storm days, and give overall estimates of annual hurricane activity and destructive potential. They do not predict when or where a storm will occur, what category it will achieve or what specific track it will take.
More on the latest report from the hurricane research team at CSU is available at clicking here.
GRAY UPS PREDICTION OF NAMED, MAJOR STORMS
Seven days into the 2000 hurricane season, Colorado State University's hurricane forecast team, led by William Gray, is now predicting 12 named storms — eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes — for the 2000 season, which runs through Nov. 30.
Gray, a professor of atmospheric science, originally predicted 11 named storms — seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes — in his initial December 1999 forecast and in the first update issued April 7.
On Wednesday, Gray said a series of changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the so called "climate signals," led the team to project the higher numbers.
The increased numbers suggest an above-average hurricane season roughly similar to or slightly weaker than those that occurred in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999. Gray said the predicted increase this year follows a trend begun in 1995 when changes in global circulation systems led to the five most intensive consecutive storm seasons on record. The years 1995-99 saw 65 named storms, 41 hurricanes and 20 major hurricanes.
Another factor leading to the increase in predicted numbers, according to Gray: "The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation is not coming down from an easterly direction as fast as we thought." The oscillation is a pattern of stratospheric winds that blow in a roughly two-year period, from the east and then from the west and then from the east again. Winds from the east tend to inhibit hurricane formation.
In the Atlantic, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures at both high and low latitudes are a favorable indicator of storm formation and are expected to be present later in the season.
Also, in the Atlantic, lower than normal atmospheric pressures that enhance hurricane development are expected to be present during the height of the hurricane season. In the Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperature patterns associated with higher Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity are present. Easterly upper level equatorial winds over the Atlantic and South America are favorable for enhanced Atlantic hurricane activity.
Gray noted that the Caribbean basin faces a possibility of landfall by one or more major hurricanes about 15 percent above the past century's average.
Although the forecasters originally saw the 2000 hurricane season as only moderately above average, Gray and his colleagues are not surprised by indications of increased activity. He has theorized that an oceanic circulation system commonly referred to as the Atlantic conveyor belt affects the number of major hurricanes that make landfall along the East Coast. While it does not influence the total number of weaker cyclone systems very much, the number of major hurricanes forming and making landfall is increased.
Major hurricanes, when normalized by coastal population, inflation and wealth per capita, generated about 85 percent of the hurricane-spawned destruction.
Gray and his colleagues at Colorado State University predict the number of named storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes and measures of duration such as named storm days, plus overall estimates of annual hurricane activity and destructive potential.
They do not predict when or where a storm will occur, what category it will achieve or what specific track it will take.
More on the latest report from the hurricane research team at CSU is available by clicking here.
Gray, a professor of atmospheric science, originally predicted 11 named storms — seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes — in his initial December 1999 forecast and in the first update issued April 7.
On Wednesday, Gray said a series of changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the so called "climate signals," led the team to project the higher numbers.
The increased numbers suggest an above-average hurricane season roughly similar to or slightly weaker than those that occurred in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999. Gray said the predicted increase this year follows a trend begun in 1995 when changes in global circulation systems led to the five most intensive consecutive storm seasons on record. The years 1995-99 saw 65 named storms, 41 hurricanes and 20 major hurricanes.
Another factor leading to the increase in predicted numbers, according to Gray: "The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation is not coming down from an easterly direction as fast as we thought." The oscillation is a pattern of stratospheric winds that blow in a roughly two-year period, from the east and then from the west and then from the east again. Winds from the east tend to inhibit hurricane formation.
In the Atlantic, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures at both high and low latitudes are a favorable indicator of storm formation and are expected to be present later in the season.
Also, in the Atlantic, lower than normal atmospheric pressures that enhance hurricane development are expected to be present during the height of the hurricane season. In the Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperature patterns associated with higher Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity are present. Easterly upper level equatorial winds over the Atlantic and South America are favorable for enhanced Atlantic hurricane activity.
Gray noted that the Caribbean basin faces a possibility of landfall by one or more major hurricanes about 15 percent above the past century's average.
Although the forecasters originally saw the 2000 hurricane season as only moderately above average, Gray and his colleagues are not surprised by indications of increased activity. He has theorized that an oceanic circulation system commonly referred to as the Atlantic conveyor belt affects the number of major hurricanes that make landfall along the East Coast. While it does not influence the total number of weaker cyclone systems very much, the number of major hurricanes forming and making landfall is increased.
Major hurricanes, when normalized by coastal population, inflation and wealth per capita, generated about 85 percent of the hurricane-spawned destruction.
Gray and his colleagues at Colorado State University predict the number of named storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes and measures of duration such as named storm days, plus overall estimates of annual hurricane activity and destructive potential.
They do not predict when or where a storm will occur, what category it will achieve or what specific track it will take.
More on the latest report from the hurricane research team at CSU is available by clicking here.
'FATHERS' NIGHT OUT' WILL BE A TIME FOR TALK
Consider the implications: A thousand or more men meeting in a hundred or more places on a single night in the Virgin Islands to discuss what it means to be a father.
The organizers believe that the potential impact in these small islands could be much more meaningful than a Million Man March in distant Washington, D.C.
The planned "Fathers' Night Out" meetings are a high-profile part of a series of events and activities being sponsored in June — the month in which Father's Day is celebrated — by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands under the umbrella title of Fatherhood Collaborative 2000.
John deJongh Jr., Community Foundation president, says, "We believe that this is an important first step in strengthening the lives of children, youth and families in the territory."
The Fathers' Night Out gatherings will take place on the evening of Wednesday, June 14. The goal is to enlist 100 good men — or 200, if they're available — to host discussions with 10 additional men on "the roles, responsibilities, challenges and triumphs of being a father," according to a letter deJongh sent out soliciting volunteer hosts.
The men invited to the groups can be "fathers, father figures, stepfathers, godfathers, grandfathers or fathers-to-be," deJongh wrote. They can gather in homes, offices, meeting rooms, restaurants or wherever. Hosts will be provided with guide materials to facilitate the discussions, T-shirts for participants and "informational material to spark discussion on how to improve the state of fatherhood in our community."
DeJongh, the president and chief operating officer of Lockhart Caribbean Corp., is also the current president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, and he has involved that business organization in the effort as well. On Thursday, June 8, CFVI will sponsor the chamber's Business After Hours gathering at Cafe Amici in Riise's Alley.
Whereas the typical Business After Hours is an informal social gathering with music, finger food, a cash bar and handouts by the sponsoring enterprise, this one will be a participation event. A special effort is being made to invite fathers, and "guests will be asked to share their favorite stories about their father, or about being a father as they network and socialize," according to a CFVI release. Resource materials will be available for pickup, too.
According to Community Foundation volunteer Richard Brown, the Fatherhood 2000 Initiative "is one of the strategies within CFVI's 'Our Children Now!' initiative. The events over the next two weeks are intended to start a community conversation on responsible fatherhood and its impact on the lives of children, youth and families in the Virgin Islands."
When the Community Foundation launched the Our Children Now! initiative in 1997, deJongh said, "Fathers were identified as one critical element in the success and development of children and youth in the Virgin Islands. Over the past two years, CFVI has been working to make responsible fatherhood a part of the community discussion" by hosting events for fathers and their children and sponsoring a support group for fathers.
In addition to hosting the Business After Hours on Thursday and the Fathers' Night Out meetings on June 14, the foundation is sponsoring a "Celebrating Fathers" essay contest for children and adults, arranging for a national expert on father-focused programs and community engagement to visit the territory, and conducting a "responsible fatherhood" public relations campaign in the territory.
Essay contestants are asked to describe on a single 8 1/2-by-11-inch page why their fathers have been important in their lives or their families' lives. Prizes for the competition are dinners at local restaurants. The deadline is Monday, June 12, for submitting entries to the Community Foundation.
The foundation is looking for "positive" pieces, and "the contest is open to ‘children' of all ages," including adults, Brown said. The Virgin Islands Source newspapers will publish the winning essays.
The invited expert, Dr. Bernard Franklin, will visit the territory to help CFVI plan further Fatherhood Collaborative 2000 strategies and tactics. While in the Virgin Islands, he will address service clubs and make the rounds of talk shows discussing national and community-based projects to promote responsible fatherhood.
For more information about Fatherhood Collaborative 2000, call the CFVI office at 774-6031.
The organizers believe that the potential impact in these small islands could be much more meaningful than a Million Man March in distant Washington, D.C.
The planned "Fathers' Night Out" meetings are a high-profile part of a series of events and activities being sponsored in June — the month in which Father's Day is celebrated — by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands under the umbrella title of Fatherhood Collaborative 2000.
John deJongh Jr., Community Foundation president, says, "We believe that this is an important first step in strengthening the lives of children, youth and families in the territory."
The Fathers' Night Out gatherings will take place on the evening of Wednesday, June 14. The goal is to enlist 100 good men — or 200, if they're available — to host discussions with 10 additional men on "the roles, responsibilities, challenges and triumphs of being a father," according to a letter deJongh sent out soliciting volunteer hosts.
The men invited to the groups can be "fathers, father figures, stepfathers, godfathers, grandfathers or fathers-to-be," deJongh wrote. They can gather in homes, offices, meeting rooms, restaurants or wherever. Hosts will be provided with guide materials to facilitate the discussions, T-shirts for participants and "informational material to spark discussion on how to improve the state of fatherhood in our community."
DeJongh, the president and chief operating officer of Lockhart Caribbean Corp., is also the current president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, and he has involved that business organization in the effort as well. On Thursday, June 8, CFVI will sponsor the chamber's Business After Hours gathering at Cafe Amici in Riise's Alley.
Whereas the typical Business After Hours is an informal social gathering with music, finger food, a cash bar and handouts by the sponsoring enterprise, this one will be a participation event. A special effort is being made to invite fathers, and "guests will be asked to share their favorite stories about their father, or about being a father as they network and socialize," according to a CFVI release. Resource materials will be available for pickup, too.
According to Community Foundation volunteer Richard Brown, the Fatherhood 2000 Initiative "is one of the strategies within CFVI's 'Our Children Now!' initiative. The events over the next two weeks are intended to start a community conversation on responsible fatherhood and its impact on the lives of children, youth and families in the Virgin Islands."
When the Community Foundation launched the Our Children Now! initiative in 1997, deJongh said, "Fathers were identified as one critical element in the success and development of children and youth in the Virgin Islands. Over the past two years, CFVI has been working to make responsible fatherhood a part of the community discussion" by hosting events for fathers and their children and sponsoring a support group for fathers.
In addition to hosting the Business After Hours on Thursday and the Fathers' Night Out meetings on June 14, the foundation is sponsoring a "Celebrating Fathers" essay contest for children and adults, arranging for a national expert on father-focused programs and community engagement to visit the territory, and conducting a "responsible fatherhood" public relations campaign in the territory.
Essay contestants are asked to describe on a single 8 1/2-by-11-inch page why their fathers have been important in their lives or their families' lives. Prizes for the competition are dinners at local restaurants. The deadline is Monday, June 12, for submitting entries to the Community Foundation.
The foundation is looking for "positive" pieces, and "the contest is open to ‘children' of all ages," including adults, Brown said. The Virgin Islands Source newspapers will publish the winning essays.
The invited expert, Dr. Bernard Franklin, will visit the territory to help CFVI plan further Fatherhood Collaborative 2000 strategies and tactics. While in the Virgin Islands, he will address service clubs and make the rounds of talk shows discussing national and community-based projects to promote responsible fatherhood.
For more information about Fatherhood Collaborative 2000, call the CFVI office at 774-6031.
GRAY UPS PREDICTION OF NAMED, MAJOR STORMS
Seven days into the 2000 hurricane season, Colorado State University's hurricane forecast team, led by William Gray, is now predicting 12 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
Gray, a professor of atmospheric science, had originally predicted 11 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes in his initial December 1999 forecast and in the first update, issued on April 7.
On Wednesday, however, Gray said a series of changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions, so-called "climate signals," led the team to project the higher numbers.
The new forecast suggests an above-average hurricane season roughly similar to or slightly weaker than those in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Gray noted that the prediction of an above-average season follows a trend begun in 1995, when changes in global circulation systems led to the five most intensive consecutive storm seasons on record. The years 1995-99 saw 65 named storms, 41 hurricanes and 20 major hurricanes.
Another factor leading to the increase in predicted numbers, according to Gray: "The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation is not coming down from an easterly direction as fast as we thought." The oscillation is a roughly two-year pattern of stratospheric winds that blow from the east, then from the west, and then from the east again. Winds from the east tend to inhibit hurricane formation.
In the Atlantic, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures at both high and low latitudes are a favorable indicator of storm formation and are expected to be present later in the 2000 season, which runs through the end of November.
Also in the Atlantic, lower than normal atmospheric pressures, which enhance hurricane development, are expected to be present during the height of the hurricane season.
In the Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperature patterns associated with higher Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity are present. Easterly upper-level equatorial winds over the Atlantic and South America are favorable for enhanced Atlantic hurricane activity.
Gray said the Caribbean basin faces a possibility of landfall by one or more major hurricanes — about 15 percent above the past century's average.
Although the forecasters originally saw the 2000 hurricane season as only moderately above average, the indications of increased activity did not surprise them, according to Gray. He has theorized that an oceanic circulation system commonly referred to as the "Atlantic conveyor belt" affects the number of major hurricanes that make landfall along the East Coast. While it does not influence the number of weaker cyclone systems very much, the number of major hurricanes forming and making landfall is increased.
Major hurricanes, when normalized by coastal population, inflation and wealth per capita, generated about 85 percent of the hurricane-spawned destruction.
Gray and his colleagues at Colorado State University predict the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes, along with measures of duration such as named storm days, and give overall estimates of annual hurricane activity and destructive potential. They do not predict when or where a storm will occur, what category it will achieve or what specific track it will take.
More on the latest report from the hurricane research team at CSU is available at clicking here.
Gray, a professor of atmospheric science, had originally predicted 11 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes in his initial December 1999 forecast and in the first update, issued on April 7.
On Wednesday, however, Gray said a series of changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions, so-called "climate signals," led the team to project the higher numbers.
The new forecast suggests an above-average hurricane season roughly similar to or slightly weaker than those in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Gray noted that the prediction of an above-average season follows a trend begun in 1995, when changes in global circulation systems led to the five most intensive consecutive storm seasons on record. The years 1995-99 saw 65 named storms, 41 hurricanes and 20 major hurricanes.
Another factor leading to the increase in predicted numbers, according to Gray: "The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation is not coming down from an easterly direction as fast as we thought." The oscillation is a roughly two-year pattern of stratospheric winds that blow from the east, then from the west, and then from the east again. Winds from the east tend to inhibit hurricane formation.
In the Atlantic, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures at both high and low latitudes are a favorable indicator of storm formation and are expected to be present later in the 2000 season, which runs through the end of November.
Also in the Atlantic, lower than normal atmospheric pressures, which enhance hurricane development, are expected to be present during the height of the hurricane season.
In the Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperature patterns associated with higher Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity are present. Easterly upper-level equatorial winds over the Atlantic and South America are favorable for enhanced Atlantic hurricane activity.
Gray said the Caribbean basin faces a possibility of landfall by one or more major hurricanes — about 15 percent above the past century's average.
Although the forecasters originally saw the 2000 hurricane season as only moderately above average, the indications of increased activity did not surprise them, according to Gray. He has theorized that an oceanic circulation system commonly referred to as the "Atlantic conveyor belt" affects the number of major hurricanes that make landfall along the East Coast. While it does not influence the number of weaker cyclone systems very much, the number of major hurricanes forming and making landfall is increased.
Major hurricanes, when normalized by coastal population, inflation and wealth per capita, generated about 85 percent of the hurricane-spawned destruction.
Gray and his colleagues at Colorado State University predict the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes, along with measures of duration such as named storm days, and give overall estimates of annual hurricane activity and destructive potential. They do not predict when or where a storm will occur, what category it will achieve or what specific track it will take.
More on the latest report from the hurricane research team at CSU is available at clicking here.
'FATHERS' NIGHT OUT' WILL BE A TIME FOR TALK
Consider the implications: a thousand or more men meeting in a hundred or more places on a single night in the Virgin Islands to discuss what it means to be a father.
The organizers believe that the potential impact in these small islands could be much more meaningful than a Million Man March in the distant nation's capital.
The planned "Fathers' Night Out" meetings June 14 are a high-profile part of a series of events and activities being sponsored in June — the month in which Father's Day is celebrated — by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands under the umbrella title of Fatherhood Collaborative 2000.
John deJongh Jr., Community Foundation president, says, "We believe that this is an important first step in strengthening the lives of children, youth and families in the territory."
The "Fathers' Night Out" gatherings will take place next Wednesday evening. The goal is to enlist a hundred good men — or 200, if they're available — to host discussions with 10 additional men on "the roles, responsibilities, challenges and triumphs of being a father," according to a letter deJongh sent out soliciting volunteer hosts.
The men invited to the groups can be "fathers, father figures, stepfathers, godfathers, grandfathers or fathers-to-be," deJongh wrote. They can gather in homes, offices, meeting rooms, restaurants or wherever. Hosts will be provided with guide materials to facilitate the discussions, T-shirts for participants and "informational material to spark discussion on how to improve the state of fatherhood in our community," he said.
DeJongh, the president and chief operating officer of Lockhart Caribbean Corp., is also the current president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, and he has involved that business organization in the effort as well. On Thursday, June 8, CFVI will sponsor the chamber's Business After Hours gathering at Cafe Amici in Riise's Alley.
Whereas the typical Business After Hours is an informal social gathering with music, finger food, a cash bar and handouts by the sponsoring enterprise, this one will be a participation event. A special effort is being made to invite fathers, and "guests will be asked to share their favorite stories about their father, or about being a father, as they network and socialize," according to a CFVI release. Resource materials will be available for pickup too.
According to Community Foundation volunteer Richard Brown, the Fatherhood 2000 Initiative "is one of the strategies within CFVI's Our Children Now! initiative. The events over the next two weeks are intended to start a community conversation on responsible fatherhood and its impact on the lives of children, youth and families in the Virgin Islands."
When the Community Foundation launched the Our Children Now! initiative in 1997, deJongh said, "fathers were identified as one critical element in the success and development of children and youth in the Virgin Islands. Over the past two years, CFVI has been working to make responsible fatherhood a part of the community discussion" by hosting events for fathers and their children and sponsoring a support group for fathers.
In addition to hosting the Business After Hours on Thursday and the Fathers' Night Out meetings June 14, the foundation is sponsoring a "Celebrating Fathers" essay contest for children and adults, arranging for a national expert on father-focused programs and community engagement to visit the territory, and conducting a "responsible fatherhood" public relations campaign in the territory.
Essay contestants are asked to describe on a single 8 1/2" by 11" page why their fathers have been important in their lives or their families' lives. Prizes for the competition, which has a deadline of Monday, June 12, for submitting entries to the Community Foundation, are dinners at local restaurants.
The Community Foundation is looking for "positive" pieces, and "the contest is open to ‘children' of all ages," including adults, Brown said. The Virgin Islands Source newspapers will publish the winning essays and they will be broadcast on local radio stations.
The invited expert, Dr. Bernard Franklin, will visit the territory to help CFVI plan further Fatherhood Collaborative 2000 strategies and tactics. While in the Virgin Islands, he will address service clubs and make the rounds of talk shows discussing national and community-based projects to promote responsible fatherhood.
For more information about Fatherhood Collaborative 2000, call the CFVI office at 774-6031.
The organizers believe that the potential impact in these small islands could be much more meaningful than a Million Man March in the distant nation's capital.
The planned "Fathers' Night Out" meetings June 14 are a high-profile part of a series of events and activities being sponsored in June — the month in which Father's Day is celebrated — by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands under the umbrella title of Fatherhood Collaborative 2000.
John deJongh Jr., Community Foundation president, says, "We believe that this is an important first step in strengthening the lives of children, youth and families in the territory."
The "Fathers' Night Out" gatherings will take place next Wednesday evening. The goal is to enlist a hundred good men — or 200, if they're available — to host discussions with 10 additional men on "the roles, responsibilities, challenges and triumphs of being a father," according to a letter deJongh sent out soliciting volunteer hosts.
The men invited to the groups can be "fathers, father figures, stepfathers, godfathers, grandfathers or fathers-to-be," deJongh wrote. They can gather in homes, offices, meeting rooms, restaurants or wherever. Hosts will be provided with guide materials to facilitate the discussions, T-shirts for participants and "informational material to spark discussion on how to improve the state of fatherhood in our community," he said.
DeJongh, the president and chief operating officer of Lockhart Caribbean Corp., is also the current president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, and he has involved that business organization in the effort as well. On Thursday, June 8, CFVI will sponsor the chamber's Business After Hours gathering at Cafe Amici in Riise's Alley.
Whereas the typical Business After Hours is an informal social gathering with music, finger food, a cash bar and handouts by the sponsoring enterprise, this one will be a participation event. A special effort is being made to invite fathers, and "guests will be asked to share their favorite stories about their father, or about being a father, as they network and socialize," according to a CFVI release. Resource materials will be available for pickup too.
According to Community Foundation volunteer Richard Brown, the Fatherhood 2000 Initiative "is one of the strategies within CFVI's Our Children Now! initiative. The events over the next two weeks are intended to start a community conversation on responsible fatherhood and its impact on the lives of children, youth and families in the Virgin Islands."
When the Community Foundation launched the Our Children Now! initiative in 1997, deJongh said, "fathers were identified as one critical element in the success and development of children and youth in the Virgin Islands. Over the past two years, CFVI has been working to make responsible fatherhood a part of the community discussion" by hosting events for fathers and their children and sponsoring a support group for fathers.
In addition to hosting the Business After Hours on Thursday and the Fathers' Night Out meetings June 14, the foundation is sponsoring a "Celebrating Fathers" essay contest for children and adults, arranging for a national expert on father-focused programs and community engagement to visit the territory, and conducting a "responsible fatherhood" public relations campaign in the territory.
Essay contestants are asked to describe on a single 8 1/2" by 11" page why their fathers have been important in their lives or their families' lives. Prizes for the competition, which has a deadline of Monday, June 12, for submitting entries to the Community Foundation, are dinners at local restaurants.
The Community Foundation is looking for "positive" pieces, and "the contest is open to ‘children' of all ages," including adults, Brown said. The Virgin Islands Source newspapers will publish the winning essays and they will be broadcast on local radio stations.
The invited expert, Dr. Bernard Franklin, will visit the territory to help CFVI plan further Fatherhood Collaborative 2000 strategies and tactics. While in the Virgin Islands, he will address service clubs and make the rounds of talk shows discussing national and community-based projects to promote responsible fatherhood.
For more information about Fatherhood Collaborative 2000, call the CFVI office at 774-6031.
SHIPPING SHEEP FROM ST. CROIX IS SCIENTIFIC STUFF
Five scientists from the State University of Utah will visit the University of the Virgin Islands Agricultural Experiment Station on St. Croix next week to collect and transport sheep embryos.
Dr. Robert Godfrey, a UVI research professor of animal science, said the Utah scientists are interested in increasing Utah's St. Croix white-hair sheep and Barbados blackbelly-sheep flocks.
The state of Utah has had a 30-year association with UVI, which began when Utah scientists first transported St. Croix white-hair sheep there. This most recent trip is funded by Utah's State Veterinary Office.
The embryos, each consisting of fewer than 16 cells, will be harvested in test tubes and transported in portable incubators. Each incubator can hold up to 50 test tubes.
Both the St. Croix white-hair sheep and the Barbados blackbelly are prolific, breed year-round and are resistant to parasites, Godfrey said.
"The St. Croix white-hair sheep were actually developed here –– they are a local product. Because this is where the breed originated, people want to come here to get them."
The St. Croix white-hair sheep, Barbados blackbelly sheep and Senepol cattle are all affiliated with ongoing research at UVI's St. Croix Agricultural Experiment Station and all have "worldwide impact," Godfrey said. He explained that St. Croix white-hair sheep and Barbados blackbelly sheep are sought after because they do not produce wool, a byproduct that livestock farmers no longer find economical to harvest.
The Agricultural Experiment Station sells its USDA-inspected sheep to local supermarkets, local farmers and to individuals for food. Researchers from the station have conducted on-farm research on Senepol cattle that has included artificial insemination, semen collection and processing for export.
The collection of sheep embryos, a surgical procedure, will take place on Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 14, at the UVI Agricultural Experiment Station.
Dr. Robert Godfrey, a UVI research professor of animal science, said the Utah scientists are interested in increasing Utah's St. Croix white-hair sheep and Barbados blackbelly-sheep flocks.
The state of Utah has had a 30-year association with UVI, which began when Utah scientists first transported St. Croix white-hair sheep there. This most recent trip is funded by Utah's State Veterinary Office.
The embryos, each consisting of fewer than 16 cells, will be harvested in test tubes and transported in portable incubators. Each incubator can hold up to 50 test tubes.
Both the St. Croix white-hair sheep and the Barbados blackbelly are prolific, breed year-round and are resistant to parasites, Godfrey said.
"The St. Croix white-hair sheep were actually developed here –– they are a local product. Because this is where the breed originated, people want to come here to get them."
The St. Croix white-hair sheep, Barbados blackbelly sheep and Senepol cattle are all affiliated with ongoing research at UVI's St. Croix Agricultural Experiment Station and all have "worldwide impact," Godfrey said. He explained that St. Croix white-hair sheep and Barbados blackbelly sheep are sought after because they do not produce wool, a byproduct that livestock farmers no longer find economical to harvest.
The Agricultural Experiment Station sells its USDA-inspected sheep to local supermarkets, local farmers and to individuals for food. Researchers from the station have conducted on-farm research on Senepol cattle that has included artificial insemination, semen collection and processing for export.
The collection of sheep embryos, a surgical procedure, will take place on Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 14, at the UVI Agricultural Experiment Station.
COMPETITORS’ ADS ARE MORE VISIBLE THAN THE V.I.’S
Dear Source:
I am writing to agree with the reader from California about the noticeable absence of St. Croix in the few V.I. television ads that appear usually in the middle of the night here in Chicago.
There are ads for the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico running almost every hour. Travel to these destinations is flourishing, airlines are adding flights to accommodate the additional travelers and yet St. Croix is floundering.
I own a home which I am desperately trying to rent and usually lose my potential customers to another island. Mostly they can’t get air reservations, give up and hop on one of the several options to another warm destination. This situation is appalling. I really can't afford to keep my place going without tourists coming on a regular basis. We are so far behind everyone else in the industry that I doubt we can ever catch up.
Instead of spending our time whining about public or private, we need to be working to make the V.I. a very visible and desirable destination.
Sue Seibel
Chicago, Il
I am writing to agree with the reader from California about the noticeable absence of St. Croix in the few V.I. television ads that appear usually in the middle of the night here in Chicago.
There are ads for the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico running almost every hour. Travel to these destinations is flourishing, airlines are adding flights to accommodate the additional travelers and yet St. Croix is floundering.
I own a home which I am desperately trying to rent and usually lose my potential customers to another island. Mostly they can’t get air reservations, give up and hop on one of the several options to another warm destination. This situation is appalling. I really can't afford to keep my place going without tourists coming on a regular basis. We are so far behind everyone else in the industry that I doubt we can ever catch up.
Instead of spending our time whining about public or private, we need to be working to make the V.I. a very visible and desirable destination.
Sue Seibel
Chicago, Il
