Jail Breaks

Ever since I first heard this story, a couple of things have made me go hmmm.  First - the story:

A routine check of cells at the St. Kitts prison turned up a number of contraband items. Of course, there's nothing surprising about that, such occurrences happen all the time in jails/prisons around the world. But here are the questions:

Now I've watched the interview of the prison superintendent on ZIZ TV, which is a bit different than what ZIZ's written article says. On TV, the guy says that a laptop typically used to listen to music by the guards was "found" in a cell and seemed surprised by it. In the written article it seems the laptop was given to the prisoner. Which was it? Plus, the superintendent said he wasn't sure if the computer had wi-fi capability so had given it to the police. If the prison gets an unsecured internet signal, then the prisoner had wi-fi access. It's not rocket science.

Then they said they found 2 cell phone batteries and a couple of make-shift mobile phone chargers (which they find regularly). HELLO??!!!! Someone clearly has a frickin' cell phone. Cavity search!!!!  Plus, it's not that hard to jam a cell phone signal. If a prisoner does get his hands on a phone (and they obviously have) but there's no signal for them to use it, big whoop.

And lastly, I was amazed when the superintendent said that there would be no punishment to the prisoners who were found with these contraband items (including makeshift weapons). His reasoning was that his staff couldn't do the searches (they were too busy trying to maintain security). The police and Defense Force had done them so, you know, what could anyone really do. Huh? If the cops can't charge these fools with another misdemeanor, felony, or whatever, then who the heck can?

Anyone found with a weapon in prison should be given an automatic extended sentence. If the criminals are awaiting a trial court date, notice of the weapon should be allowed as evidence and automatically require a minimum sentence or probation. Seriously, this system over-punishes people for petty theft and then almost looks the other way when it comes to violent stuff. The new police commissioner is going to fix this right???

Friday Musings

Well, lookie here it's Friday again. Nevis is going to attempt to have their Culturama parade again (it was postponed Tuesday), and in order to encourage people to attend, the Premier declared today (Friday) a 1/2 day holiday. Jeez - if you're a business owner, 2 1/2 holiday days in 1 week is a bit much. Employees that are forced to work anyway (and would be since it was in their schedule to do so), now have to be paid time and a half. Ouch. I'm curious if this is a one-time holiday??

I'm still playing ping pong with my editor with questions and answers, but the book is now being sent to a second-tier editor who will also be taking into account the book's formatting. I have to put together some pictures. Next week, the marketing aspects will be reviewed and a cover created. Getting exciting! It's been an interesting process and I've been really pleased with the amount of input I've been allowed and even humbled to note what the publisher's caught (I was going to self-publish with those mistakes??!!). I'm really grateful for this fantastic opportunity, whatever the book's sales/profits (although those would be nice too). Stay tuned for A Sail of Two Idiots...

Now, one of the reasons we chose St. Kitts out of all the other islands we visited was for its potential. Relatively new in its independence (mid-1980s), just coming out of the sugar cane industry (mid 2000s), etc., the island just seemed like one of the few places left that could be anything it wanted. Of course, so far the country has had mixed results. There's a lot that needs work (a friend has had his house broken into for the 5th time!!!!!!), but we see attempts being made in other areas.

There's talk of a cancer treatment/referral center (referrals to a more heavy-duty treatment place in Antigua). The PM here has discussed shaping St Kitts into a place to go for various medical procedures, but it's hard to picture with the current hit-or-miss hospital care situation. I guess private organizations setting up shop with their own medical staff would be different - but there's that have and have not thing again - rich people coming for care while locals get shoddy service. I think they'd have to set it up so that the private doctors would be required to volunteer time or training to the public sector or something occasionally.

There's draft legislation for harsh laws to stop the gang situation. Personally, I think if a cop or government employee/representative is found to be involved in gang activity (or money laundering), his sentence should be automatically doubled. That said, with the harsh sentences being proposed, St. Kitts/Nevis could end up with a potentially high # of its citizens (mostly male from teens to mid-30s) in prison (young fathers, working-aged potential tax payers, etc.). Just the # of people "harboring" gang members could be huge - the island is small, people know who's doing this crap, but they're scared so say nothing - we're going to arrest them? What will happen to the now father-less children? Can the country afford to feed/keep a large prison population? Who will staff the place? What happens once time is served? Will the convicted simply get more hardened while shacked up? Will there be education/training so they have a way to make a living when they get out? Who would hire them? Can (will) the police make arrests, let alone get convictions? How do you even prove some of the offenses being suggested? This is all fine for the creeps who have already gone "bad," but what makes a gang member? The education system here is really strange (there are different levels in each grade depending on how "smart" you are - there's an interesting post on this here) and should be reviewed big time. There should be more attention paid to drop-outs (before they get bored and in trouble). The policing and educating solutions need to be implemented simultaneously.

There's talk of a waste to energy plant. I love alternative methods to generate energy. My only question about this project is that there's a middle man for 25 years - the government (a government desperate for revenues). The energy is sold to the government and then to the customers. If the mark-up puts prices on par with current costs, big whoop. I guess it's worth it for a possible "greener" technology, but it would be nice if for once the end-users benefited financially from such a thing. The only reason organic food costs more than pesticide-laden produce in the U.S. is because the bad stuff is still being subsidized. If you switched the subsidies to the organic farmers instead, the costs would go down and consumers would switch. Who the heck voluntarily says "I'll take the stuff with the poison (or hormones or steroids or antibiotics if talking about meat) please" when given a choice? Or at least remove the subsidies altogether and give everyone a level playing field. It all comes down to $, so make it beneficial (or cost effective) for people to eat healthier. It's really not rocket science.

Anyway, there it is. My thoughts for the week. We're hoping for a dry weekend and some beach time and no thinking whatsoever. BTW, if you're on Facebook and like more introspective fare about island life from a Kittitian, Loughlin Tate makes some interesting points on all kinds of subjects pertaining to St. Kitts/Nevis (you don't have to be a "friend" to read them).

Miscellaneous Island Talk

Well, let's see. I have to admit to have a bit of the blahs thanks to the poopy weather. Pardon my crabby post. Plus, Michael was in his first car accident on the island yesterday. Head on with a co-worker, no less. The good news is that the speeds were relatively low, both drivers had on seat belts, and the cars took the brunt of the damage. Both guys are sporting bruised knees from hitting their steering wheels (maybe car makers should pad those). More accidents are waiting to happen as no one is cutting back the ever-encroaching foliage overtaking the peninsula roads. It's a jungle out there!

We are now up to 2-3 electrical power outages per week. Apparently raising the rates and fuel charges hasn't helped to improve quality of service. Never an explanation either. When is that geothermal power in Nevis coming online?

I also get cranky when I read that St. Kitts is still standing by Japan's stance on whaling. Apparently St Kitts officials, as well as those from 19 other countries, walked out of a meeting at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in order to block plans to approve a sanctuary that would protect whales in South America. Because, the meeting failed to reach the required number for a quorum, voting was delayed until the 2012 meeting, which is exactly what the pro-whaling countries wanted.

This wasn't even about the legality of whaling overall. All that was being proposed, by Brazil and Argentina, was that a sanctuary for whales be created in the South Atlantic. It would incorporate important breeding grounds and migratory routes for whale species in the southern hemisphere. There are currently two such whale havens, one in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica and the other in the Indian Ocean. Even though St. Kitts doesn't really have any plans to whale hunt itself, do you know why we don't have a lot of whales to hunt anyway? Because Americans came over here and killed most of them in the 1800s. We've left it open than anyone else can come and do the same once they've over"fish"ed their own waters. St. Kitts, stop being a pawn for once. If we get more whales in the area, then we can start whale watching tours, and make money ourselves. We won't need the bribes of others to sustain us.

Japan has been buying votes of small, desperate countries for years, offering all kinds of goodies (like our fishery) in return for a yes vote - or a walkout. Maybe we need someone who wants us to vote against Japan for some issue in the UN to offer us more money. Take Taiwan vs. China. For years, Taiwan has spent lots and lots of money building stadiums and bridges and assisting in education, infrastructure, and agriculture projects throughout the Caribbean. St. Kitts has certainly benefited in huge ways from Taiwan's generosity for almost 30 years and still does. In return, all the countries that benefited from this good will, simply vote against China where Taiwan is concerned. China cried foul until they realized that all they had to do was offer more $ to get votes swung their way. Dominica made the switch. So did St. Lucia although they switched back again after taking money from China for 10 years. These loans/donations and subsequent votes are serious business. Taiwan gets very crabby when countries turn on them. Grenada appreciated Taiwan's "assistance" for years, only to have China eventually win them over. Taiwan is now suing Grenada.

So I guess St. Kitts will have to tread lightly if it wants to switch its allegiance(s), but I'm still hoping they do so when it comes to Japan so we can save the whales. I'm not naive (although do still retain a bit of idealism). No country that is listed as #2 in debt will turn down money for something as simple as a vote against a fish. Well, not until someone makes them a better offer, at least. Maybe I should start taking contributions.

Tying up Loose Ends

Happily, I can report that that no one has lost their lives via foul play in the last 3 days. We'll take it. In the meantime, we've had a new police commissioner appointed. He's Kittitian but has been living in the States, working in Texas law enforcement for a # of years. Let's hope he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew and that the locals give him a chance and cooperate. I've got my fingers crossed!

Even more interesting, customs found something "suspicious" in their warehouse yesterday. Of course, it turned out to be a cache of weapons and ammunition. While I'm happy to hear that (well happy about the bust, not the weapons themselves), it's not like it's the 1st time. About a year ago they found a barrel of ammunition that had been there for a month (supposedly 2 people were arrested, but who knows if they're still in jail). It seems pretty obvious that someone in customs (or with access to the warehouse) is in on this, but you wonder if they're even pursuing that angle. We heard rumors of items coming in via shipping containers bringing in flower pots for hotels on-island too. Nothing a few metal-detector wands couldn't find. This isn't NY, the port isn't that busy. There wouldn't be much shock if they discovered guns or drugs on some of those "fishermen" that come into the various coves in the middle of the night either. I have to laugh at the comments people make on some of these articles. Everyone's so fed up and cynical that at this point sarcasm rules the day. The public relations officer initially wouldn't give details of the find, until others came to look at it basically, so there were comments from (I'm rewording here) - "What, they don't know what bullets and guns look like so they have to call in the experts?" to "What they mean by not wanting to jeopardize the investigation is that they want to give time to the people who brought in the goods to come up with cover stories or get out of town." Considering the package they found was "unmarked" one has to wonder how it got here at all. In a larger package? Possibly planted? In a place weary of crime and people wary of just about everyone, paranoia and indignation reigns. Security cameras might help.

Regarding good Samaritans, I have a couple more to add. An American couple who happened to visit here 10 years ago decided to just donate a bunch of education materials to the schools here. How nice was that? I also stumbled across a government department called the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and they're behind Youth Empowerment through Skills for folks 16-35 (started in 2009). A # of people just "graduated" from a 2-week program that taught them how to interview for a job and explained employer expectations (more of that please). They also provide computer training and teach other skills, giving those who want it a leg up (more people need to want it though). A blog reader also alerted me to a great organization called Operation Future. It's kind of like a Big Brother/Sister program. I like the idea of them using police to step in as role models and mentors, hopefully garnering respect instead of fear or distrust/mistrust. They're looking for new members to help "adopt" kids, perform speaking engagements, help out with sports activities, etc. The organization even has a t.v. show on ZIZ every 2nd Monday from 8:30 to 9:30pm to talk about youth/crime related issues. I think this group actually has hit a lot of the issues right on the nose and has great potential to do good. They need volunteers though. I'm terrible with kids (and many adults), so am afraid I'm no help there, but I will put the word out. If cats starting attacking people, I'll be first one to intervene. I'm the Cat Whisperer.

Some Positives

I wanted to refocus on the positives because anyone thinking about visiting absolutely should. I was surprised to hear that even Anguilla is struggling with crime - it's everywhere, but I would still visit there again too. These problems are fixable, and there are quite a few people on the island (and off) that are trying to do good things, so we'll acknowledge them too.

So first - the great stuff about St. Kitts. I wrote a post on this last year, so ask that you click on this link for a pleasant trip around the island. Don't forget about the "What to Do" Page that gives you a long list of things to see and activities available here. There's still a bunch of stuff we have yet to do and we've been here over 2 years. I've even created a map so you can find everything.


If that's not enough, I've got a calendar letting you know what's up.




I freely (literally) support any business or event and provide lots of tools to visitors and those on island so they can enjoy the same things we do; however, I am not an extension of the Tourism Board. If I don't like something, I'll say so. We can still love St. Kitts and dislike what's bad about it. I love Michael; I dislike his underwear on the floor. We can differentiate between the two and hopefully, everyone else can too.

Secondly, the reason there is still hope here is because there are some great people and organizations that are doing their best to help kids and their communities so it's not all doom and gloom going forward:

The St. Kitts Children's Home (Facebook Page)

Opened in 1950, the Christopher Children's Home, is a "volunteer organization which helps with emotional support for the children as well as to organize homework studies, outings and birthday celebrations to name just a small few. Up to 34 children and young people have been resident at the home at one time ranging in age from 4 years to 19 years. Children who are admitted to the home were mainly orphans, child abuse victims and neglected or abandoned children or those placed there by the Courts." This organization works in conjunction with the St Christopher Children's Home and Service League Association, Ltd. (Facebook Page), which has been around since 1935.

The government does have a Ministry of Sports that tries to engage kids in athletics as well (sportsdept@gmail.com ).

The St. Kitts Rotary Club/Rotaract Club of St. Kitts (ages 18-30)

Since 1969, these folks have been doing lots of community outreach - from care packages to the elderly to diabetes education to teens. They're all about civic mindedness and have had a hand in quite a few projects around St. Kitts.

The St. Kitts Sailing School (Facebook Page)

Since 2008, this group, teaches kids (and adults) how to sail, even providing summer camps and races. They operate out of Reggae Beach Water Sports (on Cockleshell).




Alliance-Francaise This organization promotes the French language and culture on the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. They have movies, camps, student cultural exchanges and trips to France or French territories for those who want to try out their newly learned lingo. They even provide scholarships for overseas study.

Island Xpressions (Facebook Page)/Positively Inclined (Facebook Page)


Positively Inclined focuses on promoting a positive way of life. Their website features videos, photos, people profiles, discussions, poetry, and articles about relationships, health, finance, education, sports, and more. Island Xpressions brings together poets, dancers, comedians, rappers, and anyone else who wants to share their artistic talents with others. They perform above the MaPau casino (in Sweet Lime) in Port Zante every 3rd Thursday of the month. The audience dresses up, people of all ages go, and it really is a positive experience.

The Learning & Empowerment through the Arts Program (Facebook Page)

LEAP "aims to be a centre for excellence and a creative oasis for the people of St. Kitts. Using primarily dance and other genres of the performing as well as the visual arts as instruments for learning and self-esteem building." These folks go grab kids all the way from pre-school and try to give them confidence simply by having fun. They've put on recitals and even had flash mob dances throughout the island.

Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club

Since 1996, this club tries to keep kids (and adults) out of trouble by keeping them too out of breathe to do anything nasty. These guys don't kid around and pretty much put anyone to shame who competes against them in the local races.



Cheer Coaches who Care (Facebook Page)

CCCC SKN is trying to "provide a positive medium for adolescents to portray their expressive nature, via the art forms of dance and cheer while developing the appropriate skill sets necessary for safety and team development."

St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association

Since 2001, SKNYBA gets youth involved in a mock parliament sittings that have tackled some serious issues and have had their voices sought out by the government agencies being debated.



The Change Centre - Started in 1993, this non-profit organization (NGO) in Nevis offers crisis counseling, legal advocacy support and related assistance to victims of domestic violence and child abuse, financial assistance to the economically disadvantaged, health and medical referrals, education and training.


We've also got Ade's Place - an organization that works on behalf of children with disabilities; the Special Olympics which "helps children with intellectual challenges develop their full potential through sport"; and the recently opened St Christopher Outreach Centre, a Christian-based soup kitchen for the "underprivileged, particularly the homeless and shut-ins who have no one to take care of them." Even the Peace Corps is here. Lots of successful businesses (local and foreign owned) and other countries donate their time, money, and goods to schools and charities too. Finally, add in the turtle organization, churches, the Hash House Harriers (Facebook), and even Boys on Bikes (an attempt to invite boys to participate in Carnival), and we can see that there are lots of people providing things to do and trying to guide this island's youth and their future. I'm sure there are many more and if I don't have you, sorry about that.

The village is trying to help. That leaves 2 other groups that need to step it up - the parents and the government. Too many parents here (and on other islands) are kids themselves. Too many others have too many kids, all by different fathers, none raising them. I asked a young guy with 7 kids about this once and he just shrugged and told me it was their "culture." They might want to rethink it a bit. The government needs to create and enforce better laws to keep kids in school (and deal with the drop-outs who have way too much time on their hands and no job prospects), step-up teacher credentials, stop releasing criminals back into the population unpunished, get some decent job-training programs (6 weeks does NOT make you a qualified electrician), and create real employment opportunities so maybe once these kids reach adulthood they won't simply become thugs or young, unwed mothers. It's not too late! Meanwhile, we still love what drew us here and hope the bad doesn't one day truly overshadow the good.

You're Welcome!

So my crime page is getting longer and longer. I have to admit I feel a bit badly about this, as the whole reason I moved the crime page off to the side was that I didn't want it to overshadow what we actually like about St. Kitts, but at this point it's hard to miss. It's a tightrope act trying to highlight the good, while keeping everyone informed of the bad, so I can only hope that anyone reading sees that. We have a right to know what's going on so we can protect ourselves (the FCO agrees). I also think it's important to keep the pressure on the government to actually do something about the negatives. The problems are fixable (if you can turn NY Times Square from the seedy place it was when I was growing up, to what it is today, anything is possible). Keeping them hidden only allows the people in charge to brush the issue(s) under the rug, leaving us as nothing but uninformed victims. I was a bit disturbed to read that even Caricom supposedly wished we'd all shut-up, but that's not the answer guys. Victims realize they're not alone, we all realize there's really a problem out there, and we can all work together to fight back. What's wrong with that? Crime against tourists is rare because the government has made an effort to stop it (well, that and businesses do everything they can to protect them too). If they make that same effort for the rest of us, we won't need a crime blotter.

There are a lot more articles about how fantastic St. Kitts is, and rightfully so. Again, we picked this island out of many after a 2 1/2 year sailing trip, and have no regrets. I think, for the most part, our blog reflects this. Unfortunately, facts are facts, and if you don't like them, then change the mitigating factors - don't shoot the messengers (No, really. Please don't shoot us).

Paradise...Lost?

Last night, after a rather yucky, wet day, we were awarded with an amazing sunset.



Despite the fact that the band didn't show up at The Shiggidy Shack last night, the Amazing, Blazing Fireman at least performed the first part of his act, hoping to give the few people who came out at least a bit of a show.



Then today, we woke up to find out that there had been another death by shooting before midnight last night (with a suspect arrested). By the time I had finished my morning soda at 8am, yet another person had died of gunshot wounds (shooters possibly known and being sought). Then I made the mistake of checking the news before lunch only to read about an 80+-year-old grandmother shot in the legs in broad daylight in downtown Basseterre. 3 people shot in 12 hours? This is on top of the other 2 shooting incidents that occurred Monday, July 4th. In just over 2 weeks, there have been 6 people killed. Holy cow. This is all on my crime page, obviously, but I couldn't help but note it here. I know crime is everywhere, but this island is only 23 miles long and most of the population (including us) lives on about 2/3rds of that length. We're not in gated communities (although they're coming), we're all intermingled and friends with everyone else and when someone is shot, robbed, etc. we all know about it are affected by it.

The unlucky Sergeant in charge of public relations for the police department held a press conference, but I'm pretty amazed that someone higher up isn't talking to the besieged public. The police forces are reportedly engaged in some sort of strategery (I couldn't help myself), but are not at liberty to tell us what exactly their new offense is going to entail. Sure hope it's good. My favorite part of the press update was a woman reporter who totally laid into the speaker about how unprepared he was (we were getting more info from the internet) and how dare he tell them that he didn't have a lot of time to talk. If he's going to have a press conference then have one where they actually give information. The speaker got defensive, pointed out it was a press update not conference and then pretty much ended the shabang. I give him credit for getting out there, it's more than they usually do, but he (or his aides) might want to check the internet first next time so he knows what's already out there (right or wrong).

I keep trying to take solace in the fact that this is a small nation, with an even smaller population that would get involved in this kind of crap. I mean Jamaica has a major crime problem but they have over 2.6 million people. Mexico City is out of control, but they've got over 21 million people. We've only got about 50,000 (including Nevis). The entire country is about the size of Charleston, South Carolina (104 sq mi with 120,000 people), except that they "only" had 11 murders last year while St. Kitts/Nevis had 20 (we're already at 19 and it's only July). We're not even talking about all the non-fatal shootings and hold-ups going on. Surely we can shut these delinquents down. I can't help but think we're in a chicken & egg situation though. I think the people want to help (despite a protective yet self-defeating anti-snitch code), but don't trust the cops. The police have to stop arresting people and then releasing them for lack of evidence, despite actually having a preponderance of evidence. No one is going to tell on someone they think might end up back in the neighborhood. The cops are going to have a hard time making arrests and convictions if no one talks. Someone better figure out where the arms/ammunition are coming from too.

(Photo by Keeth France) Well, security forces are in the countryside now, so let's see if this all ends up in a shoot-out involving the good guys vs bad. I know who I'm rooting for. BTW, I hope the picture taker isn't going to follow these guys around and tell everyone where they are the whole time - that's so CNN/FOX.

Holy Haboob! & Mean Lion Fish

Yet another incredible blast from mother nature. Have you guys seen the huge dust storm that hit Arizona? We lived there for about 14 years and dealt with them all the time, but this one was a doozy. I was driving home one day and watched one approach from behind in my rear-view mirror; it was just mesmerizing. I managed to stay ahead of it until I got home and could close all the windows - and then had to clean all 2 dozen of said windows later. I'm not sure what I would have thought if I'd seen this behemoth coming up on me. Floor it! The cloud was over 100 miles wide, over a mile high, and tootling along at 60mph. Sheesh! Great for car washes and pool cleaners, not so much for car dealerships. Here's a video, if you missed it. The music wasn't necessary and I'm not sure what the happy face is about, but there it is. Why would anyone drive into this storm? I'm just saying...



Weather sure is coming in powerful doses this year. I have to admit we're all a little nervous about hurricane season. There's no doubt we're in the rainy season, as we've been getting tropical waves passing over us about every 3-4 days now. We're still getting the majority of the downpours at night, which we appreciate, but it's pretty overcast at the moment. I did notice the ocean water was a bit cooler last weekend, and sure enough the buoy readings were down 2 degrees (to a "chilly" 83 degrees), so hopefully that's a bit of a deterrent for any storms developing here for while. We're still enjoying brisk breezes and lower humidity than usual for this time of year, so have been quite pleased with the much smaller population of mosquitoes and no-see-ums so far.

For any locals here, a warning has been issued about a surge in the lion-fish population. They can be nasty if provoked and can eat a surprising amount of fish. They're not native to the Caribbean, possibly getting caught up in hurricane currents, but could have been controlled had the locals not decimated the grouper population (you can't find snapper anymore and lobsters are getting scarce too, but I digress). The only other predator? Humans, of course, so people are being asked to eat them. Wonder if we'll be seeing them pop up on local menus. They'll be in good company with pig snouts, goat hooves, monkey meat, cow tail, and rabbit bits - and people wonder why we've lost weight since we've been here...

Criminal Discount

Well, this explains everything. A career criminal convicted 25 times (wonder how many times he's been arrested), begged for a sentencing discount because he'd frequented the court so many times. But that's not the crazy part. HE GOT IT! That's right - the Newtown man was running around town with a knife yelling "A gon kill somebody…a gon kill somebody," picked and chased a victim, got arrested, and then pleaded his case that if other people get discounts for being "regular customers" that he should too. THE JUDGE AGREED. Someone in the comments section of the article said that this particular crazy man had been in court before for rape, among other things, and now this threat to life and not only was he let out on probation, but got a frickin' rebate, as it were. All I can say is wow. Apparently, this judge has given such a discount to another criminal as well.

I even question the charge - Armed with an offensive weapon. A guy with a looooong criminal history was threatening to kill someone, police actually witnessed the threat. Why the wimpy charge? How about intent to kill or attempted manslaughter? Get this beanhead behind bars for Pete's sake. People who screw their pigs get tougher sentences on this island (1 1/2 years). I'm still trying to figure out the difference between unlawful carnal knowledge which gets you a 15-year sentence and buggery which can only get you 10 years - even if you've been convicted of one or both before (article). As far as I can tell, they both include the rape of someone (or something) - just depends on which point of entry. Not only should both carry the same maximum sentence, but why isn't there a way for judges to sentence more time if someone has multiple infractions on his/her record? Sigh.

So what do we know about the judge on this case, Her Worship Josephine Mallalieu-Webbe? Well, in 2010 she took part in training to harness the "best practice" in the fight against crime and to review prosecutorial code. She's certainly not adverse to putting people in jail - sending a homeless guy away for 4 months for trespassing and a thieving employee for 9 months with hard labor even. Apparently these guys didn't know that if they had just committed more crimes, she might have discounted their time for bad behavior. She's listed as a coroner in one article and she's also the first national to have been certified in maritime law. When do you think this woman lost her mind?

If there's another side to this story (perhaps the judge is reading?), do share. I'd much rather believe that the story was just incorrectly reported than think that this is business-as-usual in the St. Kitts judicial system. Much.

It's like this in the workplace too. A friend of ours had his own shovel shoved into his neck by an irate employee (high-up, BTW). Thankfully it was all caught on video because when the police arrived, the ahole made up a story (he was threatened) and the 3 "witnesses" stuck with the lie. The company had to pay the jerk 2-weeks severance pay when they fired him because the employee wasn't actually working the day he threatened to kill his boss. No chance of jail time, no one charged with lying to the police... Did I mention, sigh?

Of course, who's to judge? Every time a city gets burned to the ground by idiot rioters because of a frickin' game, they should lose their team. Period. You know the world's gone mad when Canadians go bonkers, eh?

Only in St Kitts

So last week I was informed of an interesting offer for dad's on Father's Day here in St. Kitts: Adult entertainment at the new bar in Sandy Point called the G-Spot. If you're a dad, not only can you ditch your family on your big day, but you get to enjoy a little pole & lap dancing from a 1/2-naked woman who did not give you those kids. If that doesn't say "family values" quite enough for you, then you'll be thrilled to hear that prizes will be given to the youngest fathers in the bar. Now lest you worry that 12 year olds with their own broods show up to claim their winnings (or start trying to impregnate someone so they win next year), don't fret, they have to be at least 18 (although that's only because the gov't just passed a new law blocking "kids" under 18 from going to clubs). Now, the radio ad was heard about 2 weeks ago and hasn't been heard again, so maybe someone came to their frickin' senses and canceled the fun, but you just might want to put it on your calendar if this sounds like the right thing to do for you (you'll note it's not on mine). And if it does, I really feel sorry for your baby(ies) momma(s)...

Another thrill was our latest electric bill. The usage was the same as always, but this month, we got a little surprise when an $81 fuel charge was added along with a $13 standing charge. We're getting an additional $100 (almost) added to our bill now? The scary part is that we don't know what these extra charges will be month to month so can't plan. Sigh. I know that the gov't is the biggest user of gas on the island, with the electric generators consuming a lot of it, but considering that the government gets a rather nice discount from Venezuela, is this really necessary? All I can say is ouch. All this to sit in a puddle of my own sweat because now I won't even turn the ceiling fans on...(well, until beddie-bye time).

So after cutting my own hair since October (yes, I know that explains it), I went to a professional today. My senility kicked in when I got the time wrong and showed up an hour late. Luckily, this is the island's mon and people don't get too put out about stuff like that. Whatcha think?



I had planned on going shorter, but it will never be that straight again, so once it starts to curl up like usual, it'll be shoulder length. I also might look like Florence Henderson,



as opposed to Kendra




but we'll deal with that when we get there.

Maxine, at the Pink Daisy Salon & Spa, has hired Priscilla, who had her own hair salon in Phoenix, and she did a fantastic job. Plus, she's incredibly nice. She also does waxing, pedicures, and manicures for those of you into that kind of thing. Priscilla and her husband have only been here 2 weeks, so go and make her feel welcome! I couldn't convince her to the hash...yet. The salon is located above Rituals (phone # 869-763-9647)

Hidden Hydrants

So here's another interesting tidbit for you. Did you know that fire hydrants in St. Kitts are buried 4 feet below the ground? Why, because the Brits did in the early 1800s and no one's changed the "tradition." I just read Live de Life, by Joan F. Harrington (a Rhode Islander who built a home in St Kitts in the 1980/90s and lives here part time each year) and stopped and scratched my head when I read that. She & her husband had had a close call with a fire in her "new" neighborhood and the fire department had to use pool water to try to put it out because no one could find the hydrants. When they asked the developer about the issue, he told them there were lots of hydrants - very 200 feet as a matter of fact. All below ground.

Apparently this practice took place in the U.S. too, but someone obviously figured out the drawbacks and changed gears. Hydrants are still built underground in a number of European countries (as well as the UK) because of narrow streets and limited space, but I still think it's silly. I mean look at this picture of a below-ground hydrant in Germany. Note the car parked in front of it. According to Harrington, that's what happened during a fire in Basseterre too, when a fire truck erroneously parked over top of the hydrant marker, which meant they couldn't find the thing, which resulted in the building burning to the ground.

Well, you'll note that the new development going up on the Peninsula uses above-ground hydrants, thank you very much. Dogs rejoice!

Live de Life was published in 2003, and I have to say, much is eerily still the same. The book sums things up pretty well, so if you're interested in life here on St. Kitts, I recommend this read. Harrington's section on crime almost read exactly the same as some of my blog write-ups; criminals being let go for "lack of evidence." I actually could have written almost this exact same book today (well, with some personality differences), things have changed so little. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad...Probably a little of both.

Guess what else doesn't change? Cricket!! The Pakistan-W Indies series will be in St. Kitts from 20-24 May so get out your English tea & crumpets and your 4 & 6 signs and let's get ready to clap politely! W Indies beat Pakistan in the 1st Test series, so let's do it again!

The Sun again at Sand Bank + Paying Bills

Hey! The sun is out for the first time in days! I hurried up and took a picture of it because the forecast says that we'll be alternating between wet and dry troughs and suggests that it will be "showery" on alternating days.



So here's something to think about the next time you note your electric bill seamlessly getting paid electronically from your bank account...Here, you have to go into the Electricity Department to pay. There is ALWAYS a loooong line full of desperate people who have been warned their electricity will soon be shut off. Yesterday, when Michael went in, there was the usual long line, but it was moving surprisingly quickly. There were 3 payment windows open and all was running smoothly. Until two windows abruptly closed and they were down to one. Luckily for Michael there was just one person in front of him, so he figured he'd wait it out. Except that the woman pulled out a HUGE bag of coins to pay her bill. COINS! Think about it, most bills are over $100EC, some in the thousands.

People in the line gave her a hard time about it, but she just told them to mind their own business. Michael waited a whole half hour while the teller counted out the correct # of coins. Lest he be bored while waiting though, a preacher/taxi driver was standing in line bellowing at everyone that God told him that we would be hit by a tsunami this year, not to mention a terrible hurricane. He also couldn't help himself from going on a diatribe about taxes and politics. The best part though was when the woman behind the preacher asked him to move up and he went into a fit about how young people didn't respect older people anymore. As she tried to explain that the line was going out the door and it might be considerate of him to make some room, he just got louder. Yep, just another day paying bills in St. Kitts.

And, of course, you feel good having paid it when the power goes out for a few hours every week. In our neighborhood, they're working on the street lights. Of course, they don't warn you, they just cut the power...and then you know...

Still don't miss the States though.

UPDATE: Ok, a blog reader alerted me to a year-old online payment service I totally forgot about: www.paykn.com (869) 466-7114. There is a fee per transaction, but I suppose you have to ask yourself what your time is worth. You pay using a debit or credit card, so it's a good way to earn frequent flyer miles. I couldn't figure out which companies were participating, so I don't see how anyone would join up without knowing if their creditors were included (and what extra fees the companies themselves charge). I did send them an email, so guess will see what the service is about.

Thor! & Crime Thoughts

Uh oh, Renee's in jeans (her only pair).



Guess what that means.



Movies!

Now where else could you go see a big budget movie like Thor on opening weekend and have absolutely no lines? I remember standing in lines that went around the block in NYC for movies that had been out for weeks!



We were completely alone until a few minutes before the movie started. I think there were about a dozen of us in all. Amazing. I had no idea the movie was in 3D and hadn't seen a 3D movie in decades, so was very excited to try on my new shades. Sweatshirt on - check. Glasses on - check. Popcorn ready - check. Diet soda - check. Start the previews! Oooooh sea sick...

So we thought the movie was pretty good. While it had a lot less action than we were expecting and thought the dialog was a bit corny, it kind of had the feel of the Iron Man movies, so was entertaining enough. Like Iron Man 2, I felt that the lead lady character was a little bit too dreamy about the lead male character (constant shots of her "iiiiiin looooooove") which took away from some of her strengths, but it wasn't enough for me to hate it. Thor's body wasn't so bad to look at either...

We got out to find it raining. There was pink mist over the sea, making me expect New Orleans-style humidity and cicadas, but it wasn't too bad. It looks similar this morning. I'm guessing summer is trying to make a come back.

Hey! Today is Mother's Day! Michael & I both give our shout outs to our favorite Moms! Happy 1st Mommy's Day to Kristen & Krista. I'll bet it feels weird being on the "other side" of that day for a change. Enjoy everyone!

A bit of island minutia:

So first all, the guys they caught in relation to the hold up of 17 tourists last November have been released due to lack of evidence. If they really have had the wrong men in custody all this time, what a shame. If the police force is really this inept, it's down-right scary. A business owner who commented on the release, said that they caught the guy who robbed his store, found all the stuff in the guy's house, and ended up releasing him for lack of evidence too. I'm not aware of a single fatal or major crime conducted here in the past 2 years resulting in a conviction. I don't know how much of it is just not having the right equipment/training (the U.S. has provided quite a bit of both - $3Million in the last 2 years!), or problems with the legal/lawyering end, but I sure wish they'd figure out it out.

I keep reading about how St Kitt's doesn't have the equipment, but I have to ask what's happening to it then? The US donated lab equipment, a vehicle, a laptop, uniforms, etc. last year and set them up so that they could use the Antigua lab services for forensics. Any of that happening? The EU has also provided money for security. Now they're talking about getting more training from the Israelis. Ok, so what are they doing about the prosecution end of things? Who cares if you catch the guys and then can't convict them?

Interestingly, the Minister of National Security has come up with a 10-point plan to make us more secure. Two of those items include allowing women to get easier access to mace/pepper spray and arming home/business owners. While I wonder how many of the bad guys will end up with access to the stuff being discussed, I will be more than happy to partake in some of the options being offered myself.

The next cost to go up here is the airport departure tax. Nooooo! One of our biggest gripes about this island is how hard it is to get from/to here. Unless you're going to Miami, it'll most likely take you 2 days to get home. The best you can do is land around midnight. There's usually a stopover somewhere - say St Martin, Antigua, or Miami - and you basically pay about $300 extra to go from St Kitts to wherever that stopover is and then to your destination. I've mentioned previously, that a "$49" LIAT flight becomes about $249 when you add up all the taxes. It's too expensive to go anywhere, so we're starting to get slap happy. So what's the latest? Doubling the departure tax for locals/residents (that includes us). It is now $37US. That's right; before Mike & I even step on a plane or boat, we get to cough up $74US. Ouch!!!!!! The increase takes affect in July, so it's a good thing our next planned trip is before that.

There's a census going on. I give credit to the poor census takers - that truly is a thankless job. Add paranoid home owners and it's probably even a dangerous one. Well, we haven't been home during the last 2 visits from our guy, but he left a surprisingly professional letter/brochure explaining how we can make an appointment and what the census is all about. Our rep even provided an email address. Well, let's see if he answers it...