Daily Archives: May 8, 2017

No HGTV show can compare to the visions on ‘Grand Designs’ – Washington Post

Posted: May 8, 2017 at 12:19 am

Grand Designs has something no other home makeover show has: host Kevin McClouds strong, dark eyebrows. The British designer frequently raises them to the sky as he ponders seemingly foolhardy schemes. The series, which launched in Britain in 1999 and focuses on one extraordinary building project in each episode, began streaming two seasons on Netflix in April. So U.S. fans can see the brows and the buildings for themselves.

In one show, Colin, who teaches flying, and his wife, Marta, a trapeze artist, decide to build a home on their airfield. They want it to mimic an aircraft hangar with materials like steel and as the British pronounce it a-loo-min-ee-um. Colin lays the foundation, guided by an online course. He has no real idea what hes doing, McCloud says. Up go the brows.

In the end, their hangar home comes to life. A poetic McCloud describes it as an airship straight out of the pages of some graphic novel.

Then theres the family who buys a run-down movie parlor. They aim to tear it down and build a new home but it turns out they must preserve the historic Edwardian brick facade. Curiously, they decide the new construction behind it will be made of concrete. McClouds brows appear skeptical. But somehow it works: The home blends brutalist concrete with rustic timber and architectural echoes from the cinema.

No HGTV show can compare with the bold visions on Grand Designs. The only downside is that my 1920s colonial now seems rather boring. Maybe cloaking it with a-loo-min-ee-um would be just the thing!

Read more of Marcs musings:

Whats making people tune into Southern Charm?

Can millennials create a new utopia in Jungletown?

Brockmire turns a crisis into a home run

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No HGTV show can compare to the visions on 'Grand Designs' - Washington Post

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Aus, NZ trying to corner India in Oceania – The Sunday Guardian

Posted: at 12:18 am

One of Prime Minister Narendra Modis most insightful, if low key, foreign policy initiatives was to work to deepen relations with more than a dozen island nations of Oceania. He met with regional leaders in Fiji soon after he was elected, and invited regional leaders to India the following year.

There are many reasons for the engagement. Oceania has age-old ties to India, covers about 1/6th of the planets surface, is increasingly strategic, has a lot of votes in international platform, substantial resources, a largely educated population, and is culturally and economically compatible with India. However, ever since the colonial period, Australia and New Zealand have considered much of the region to be theirs. Even India has bowed to their lead. During the most recent coup in Fiji, they told India to stay out of it, and India did. It was like India taking Spains advice on how to deal with South America.

China, of course, followed its own path. As a result, it has become highly influential in the region, including in Australia and New Zealand themselves. As others, including India, started to realise that perhaps Australia and New Zealand were advancing their own agenda, they started to try to develop direct relations with the region. Modi was a leader in this area.

In turn, as Australia and New Zealand saw their primary position threatened, they began to tighten their grip. The most prominent form that has emerged is the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) trade agreement. Australia and New Zealand have been pushing for PACER Plus for over a decade. There was little appetite for it in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Most already have duty free and quota free access to Australia and New Zealand for their goods, and the only labour mobility they are likely to get (and have already anyway) is to work seasonally for low wages, in difficult conditions, on Australian and New Zealand farms.

The PICs on the other hand will have to open up their fragile economies to Australia and New Zealand, dropping tariffs, rewriting their regulations, getting rid of policies that protect domestic innovation, and potentially undermining their possibilities of creating new bilateral relationships with, for example, India. PACER Plus, for example, might make it very difficult for the PICs to buy much needed, low cost Indian pharmaceuticals. What the PICs get in exchange for opening themselves up to what amounts to economic regime change is very unclear.

So why did the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Kiribati, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, agree to sign PACER Plus in June? One reason is that, while Australia and New Zealand have large dedicated teams (including from their own business sectors) to negotiate PACER Plus, most PICs have very few trade negotiators. To resolve that problem, Australia, New Zealand, and a few others funded an organisation to negotiate on behalf of Pacific Island Countries. The organisations Chief Trade Advisor, the man supposed to be advising Pacific Island countries, is not from the Pacific. He is from Ghana. Pacific Island Countries are socially and economically complex. It is difficult to know how someone who hasnt lived the intricate social capital constructs of the region can, even with the best of intension, design a trade system that will protect food security, social stability and healthy family life in Oceania. The Australians were clear about their goals from the start. In 2002 an Australian official said: A practical or economic interest of ours was to ensure that, whatever trade liberalisation occurred between the island countries, if it were extended to other states such as the United States, Japan or the EU, it did not disadvantage our trading position.

Since then, Australia and New Zealand have used what Pacific Network on Globalisation has called bullying and cheque-book diplomacy to push through what is essentially an old style neo-liberal agreement they probably think will enhance their own position in the region, but is more likely to open the door to Chinese companies registered in Australia and New Zealand. The process of the negotiations has been problematic. Qualified, honest senior civil servants in at least one PIC were moved out of their jobs at the insistence of the larger countries due to their objections to the deal. While Australia and New Zealand regularly extol the virtues of accountability and transparency in the region, they have negotiated the agreement in secret and even now, a month before the signing, are not releasing the official text.

The two countries in the region self-confident enough to stand up to Canberra and Wellington are not signing. Papua New Guinea pulled out early on, saying the deal was completely in Australia and New Zealands favour. And Fiji claims it was excluded from the final meeting in part because of its objections over the very restrictive third party most favoured nation clause (MFN), a clause that seriously risks affecting Indian engagement in the region.

New Zealand Member of Parliament Barry Coates says of PACER Plus: Typically trade rules have been preferential for developing countries but in this case Australia and New Zealand, as developed countries are requiring treatment at least as favourable. The MFN clause also sits uncomfortably with the look North approach adopted by PNG and Fiji. This will restrict the scope for future trade agreements with India and others.

Now is the time for Indian trade negotiators to take a close look at PACER Plus not only to see what it might mean for India but also, in conjunction with their colleagues in the PICs, to help make sure this agreement will actually help the region to become stronger, not weaker, in the difficult times ahead.

Cleo Paskal is The Sunday Guardians Special Correspondent.

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Aus, NZ trying to corner India in Oceania - The Sunday Guardian

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National Tourism Department sends 20 young chefs to the Seychelles – Independent Online

Posted: at 12:17 am

The National Youth Chefs Training Programme is the result of a partnership between the National Department of Tourism (NDT) and the South African Chefs Association (SACA) to address the urgent need for cooks and chefs in South Africas growing hospitality industry. This programme forms part of the National Governments Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) as an initiative to fund skills development projects to create employment.

The programme began in April 2011, enlisting 800 students in a platform that is designed to provide learners with both theoretical and practical training. The National Youth Chefs Training Programme (NYCTP) is facilitated by South African Chefs Association (SACA). NYCTP is a dynamic, practical and important project that trains and develops previously unemployed youths between the ages of 18 and 35.

The programme runs in all nine provinces and 26 SACA-accredited culinary schools have taken an active part in the creation and success of NYCTP. In addition to the solid theoretical training, the students in first, second and third year gain valuable practical experience in restaurant, hotel and resort kitchens across the country.

As a return on investment and with the objective of job creation, the Department chose to select graduate chefs from NYCTP. After a rigorous interview process, twenty chefs were selected to participate in a one year placement programme in Seychelles.

South Africa and Seychelles signed a tourism cooperation agreement in August 2013. The relationship between the two countries has been progressive; with the display of support for strategic tourism events, hosted in each country, and a shared vision for regional tourism development and integration. This cooperation agreement has also facilitated institutional agreements between South African and Seychellois tourism institutions adding depth to this country-to-country commitment.

The tourism cooperation agreement emphasises focus on capacity building initiatives towards the development of the tourism sectors in both countries. In response to this, numerous engagements have taken place between South African and Seychellois tourism and hospitality institutions.

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National Tourism Department sends 20 young chefs to the Seychelles - Independent Online

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Growth in the Cuban market could help the Caribbean as a whole … – Bradenton Herald

Posted: at 12:17 am


Bradenton Herald
Growth in the Cuban market could help the Caribbean as a whole ...
Bradenton Herald
Some regional tourism leaders say growth in the Cuban market could lift all boats, and that Caribbean nations, including Cuba, should band together to jointly ...
Here's How To Think About Cuba's Potential Impact On Caribbean ...Cuba Journal

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Royal Caribbean Announces Return to New Orleans – Cruise Industry News

Posted: at 12:17 am

Royal Caribbean International has announced its return to New Orleans with a seasonal home-based cruise ship in late 2018.

The Vision of the Seas will sail seven-night itineraries to culture-rich destinations across the Bahamas and Yucatan Peninsula from the Port of New Orleans Julia Street Cruise Terminal. The ship will sail on Saturdays.

The Port of New Orleans is thrilled to welcome back Royal Caribbean. We look forward to working productively together for many years to come, said Brandy Christian, Port President and CEO. Our Citys energy and music, culinary and cultural attractions perfectly compliment the Caribbean cruise experience. Our cruise business continues to grow, as does the variety of itineraries offered, as most cruise passengers spend an average of two nights in the region, either before or after their cruise.

The Port handled 1,070,695 cruise passengers in 2016 and ranks as the sixth-largest cruise port in the United States, with direct industry expenditures in Louisiana of $406 million.

New Orleans is becoming a more accessible city for international visitors now that we have direct air service to Panama, Frankfurt and London on Copa, Condor and British Airways, respectively, said Christian, who also serves as chair of the Cruise Committee for the American Association of Port Authorities. We have always enjoyed a sizeable drive-in market from Louisiana and nearby states, as well.

Mark Romig, President and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, the citys official leisure travel promotion agency added: We welcome Royal Caribbean back to New Orleans and look forward to a successful partnership. We know RCCL as a trusted brand name in the cruise industry and we look forward to their guests spending time exploring all that our city has to offer before and after their cruise.

The return of Royal Caribbean to New Orleans with the Vision of the Seas is excellent news, said Kim Priez, Senior Vice President of Tourism, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2016, New Orleans broke all previous visitation records by attracting 10.45 million visitors from around the world. New Orleans unique and authentic culture combined with these cruise offerings makes the Crescent City a world-class destination that is increasing in popularity year after year.

Before repositioning to New Orleans on Dec. 15, 2018, Vision of the Seas will offer two 16-night sailings through the Panama Canal from Miami to Los Angeles and from Los Angeles to New Orleans marking the first time in three years a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will traverse the Panama Canal.

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Need to go back to our Caribbean roots to eat healthier – The Philadelphia Tribune

Posted: at 12:17 am

The term the Battle of the Bulge came on the scene many years ago. I can remember it as far back as the late 1970s when I was a teenager. Today, more Americans are experiencing issues with being overweight than ever before. Some are mildly overweight, some are obese and some are morbidly obese. Have you ever seen the show on cable television called, My 600-pound Life? That is a prime example of what we are talking about.

Supersized meals continue to be served at most restaurants and when they are served, there are no doggie bags because most customers have gotten to the point where they are consuming all of it right there at the table. And many of us from the islands are falling into the same trap.

Remember when we were living back home and we would eat fresh fruits from the trees growing outside? Remember when we would plant our own vegetable gardens? For those who lived in rural (inna de country), remember when most of our food came from the local farmers or we would have our own little piece of land where we raised pigs, goats, chickens and maybe a cow or two? We knew exactly what we were feeding our livestock. And when we slaughtered an animal for meat, we did not have to worry about mad cow disease, size-boosting hormones, salmonella, etc. Those were the good old days, right?

Now that we are living here in the United States, we are prone to have issues with obesity. We are so busy working sometimes we dont have time to cook so on the way home, we pick up some fast food. We dont even know what we are putting into our bodies.

We need to make better choices. We need to teach our children how to do better. Children who make poor nutrition choices usually become adults who make poor nutrition choices. That is why it is imperative that we lead by example. Lets educate them about nutrition by showing them how to make their own vegetable garden in the spring and summer. Even if you dont have the yard space, they can grow vegetables and herbs in flower pots and have them on the windowsill. Take them to the supermarket and show them how to choose good, nutritious foods. Take the processed foods out of your familys diet gradually. Adopt an active lifestyle.

Back home in the Caribbean, many people who live in rural areas still do not have access to modern conveniences as we do here in America or even as their more affluent relatives do in the developed areas (more urban areas) of their country. They do not have a supermarket or a store on every corner. That sounds like a pretty bad deal right? The answer is no. Having that type of life may not be all bad.

The positive thing about their life is that is still depend on the land so they continue to grow their own produce. They are not putting a lot of processed foods into their bodies. When they occasionally go to the local store, they have to walk there and back because they more than likely do not have a car. They are getting lots of exercise that way. They do not have a lot of choices of processed foods in the stores nor do they have the money to afford a lot of those imported products. Most of those products come in from the United States or European or Asian countries. They do not have electricity in their homes so they do not sit around and watch television. They go outside and find some form of play or amusement. Some do not have indoor plumbing so they still have to go to a spring to get drinking water and bring it back home. They definitely do not live a dormant lifestyle.

Sounds like something we need to expose our children to? I would say, Yes!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have to do better and go back to our roots. We need to identify what would be considered unhealthy foods in our Caribbean culture and get rid of those things out of our diet. We have to identify what would be considered unhealthy foods here in the America culture and get rid of those things because without our good health, we have nothing.

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Need to go back to our Caribbean roots to eat healthier - The Philadelphia Tribune

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Gay American tourist attacked in Bahamas – Washington Blade

Posted: at 12:17 am

A gay man from Atlanta was attacked at a carnival celebration in the Bahamas on May 5, 2017.

Alexus DMarco, president of Bahamas Transgender Intersex United, the Washington Blade in an email that Adrian Brown, who is in the U.S. Navy, was attacked and beaten with bottles and rocks during the Bahamas Junkanoo Festival in Nassau, the Bahamian capital.

DMarco said the altercation began when Brown confronted the two men after they threw water at him.

They replied because youre a sissy batty man dancing up, DMarco told the Blade. They began to hit the tourist with bottles and rocks.

DMarco said Brown was taken to the hospital.

She told the Blade the police were nowhere to be found during the incident. DMarco said local residents chased one of the men who allegedly attacked Brown and he is now in police custody.

Thank God good Bahamians were around to run after the boys, she told the Blade.

These tourists are our bread and butter, added DMarco. This stuff cannot be going ok at international events we host here in the Bahamas.

The Blade has reached out to Brown for comment.

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Fyre Festival’s Bahamas Bust & Lessons Learned – Pollstar

Posted: at 12:17 am

InstagramThe Fyre Festival beckons Millennials with the promise of sun and fun. Well, they did get some sun.In the immediate aftermath of the Bahamian debacle that was the Fyre Festival, social and other media were awash in scorn for the participants, for the influencers including celebrities like Kendall Jenner and assorted models that helped market the ill-fated festival, and especially for organizers Ja Rule and a 25-year-old marketing whiz named Billy McFarland.

A mental picture emerged of karma served cold to promoters with more money than sense, entitled Millennials willing to pay through the nose to frolic in the Bahamas with celebrities they see in their Instagram feeds, being entertained by some of the biggest-name musicians in the world, all while being housed and fed in world-class luxury.

But that oh-so-mockable image belies the fact that there is a very real market for, and businesses that support, the kind of experiential events Ja Rule and McFarland aspired to create, even if they were completely incapable of executing their vision.

Its no laughing matter to the professionals who could have helped them, and its of little consolation to fans who found themselves trapped on a Caribbean island without adequate shelter, food or water after Fyre Festival was abruptly canceled April 29.

There were different kinds of risks at play here. Sure, some people sprung for packages reportedly costing in the six figures, including concert tickets ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. Its also certain that the vast majority paid substantially less.

So, many of Fyre Festivals customers, rather than mockable trust fund babies, could be the same people willing to spring for somebody elses camping festival. And some deeply experienced companies, while skeptical, were willing to at least kick Fyres tires during the early planning stages, even if they ultimately declined to become involved.

CAA Sports Ety Rybak toldPollstarthat Fyre Festival contacted the company about being a sales partner.

The owners credibility issues made be me believe there was a strong chance it was a lot of smoke and mirrors, Rybak said. The only reason to have agreed to work with them is if we believed the festival had staying power for the future.

There wasnt enough reason to believe this would be the case, so we passed.

Lynne King Smith, CEO of ticket solutions firm TicketForce, told Pollstar that a first-year festival is inherently challenging and that partners and fans alike should make responsible decisions about risk.

As a consumer, I always look at the record of the festival or event from previous years, read the press and reviews and then make my decision, Smith toldPollstar. With those things in mind, all the Fyre Festival buyers took a huge risk and had nothing to go on. Despite Fyre Festivals tsunami of bad press, she (and many othersPollstarspoke with but werent willing to speak on the record), agreed one disastrous island party shouldnt tarnish future destination events that are backed by established professionals.

I dont think it will harm the festivals with long track records of success but, hopefully, bring to light that producing an event of this scope that involves it all travel, food, lodging, and entertainment should only be taken on by companies who are in it full-time and have the expertise to deliver, Smith said. Any new festival had better be prepared to make partnerships with experienced companies to bring confidence to their buyers and the ability to deliver.

CID Entertainment is one of those companies, having done destination festivals for the last four years in locales like Cancun, Mexico, with artists including Luke Bryan, Dave Matthews Band, members of the Grateful Dead and more.

CEO Dan Berkowitz spoke to Pollstar right after leaving a lunch meeting with one such artist, talking about their own festival.

They went through with it, thats the thing, Berkowitz said. Knowing what they knew, clearly, a week before the show they knew what they were getting into. People came anyway and then couldnt get off the island. Thank God no one was hurt or killed there, Berkowitz said.

He is skeptical of reports that 81 percent of those offered a choice of refunds or free VIP services in 2018 opted for the latter, but marvels at Fyre Festivals obviously successful marketing.

They proved there was a market for such an event. If it had been successful, Fyre could have been a game-changer, Berkowitz told Pollstar. They showed you can get to critical mass for a high-end event like that. The problem is, you have to execute what it is that you offer.

Their plan was to charter private planes, take [festival-goers] to an island, build all these structures, feed them gourmet food, house them in villas, provide them with yachts. You cant fault them for thinking big. They didnt come anywhere close to pulling it off, though.

Berkowitz started CID Entertainment in 2007, and does VIP and travel packages.

We started CID Presents in 2015 with guest services and other amenities and our staff has experiential chops.

Having an informed staff is the difference between having a good event and a bad event, Berkowitz said. The goal is sending people home with a memory for life. You build the magic on top of that.

Fyre Festival certainly sent people home with a memory for life. For those experienced professionals willing to help Ja Rule and McFarland pick up the pieces and make magic for Fyre 2018, theres room on a saturated festival calendar for something new and likely rewards for well-managed risk and vision. I do not believe this will diminish interest in other festivals, Rybak said. On the contrary, horror stories like this only further lend credibility to established festivals.

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Fyre Festival's Bahamas Bust & Lessons Learned - Pollstar

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GOPSUSPORTS.com MBB Poised for Foreign Trip to Bahamas … – GoPSUsports.com

Posted: at 12:17 am

May 4, 2017

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The Penn State mens basketball program will get an early jump on the 2017-18 season when it takes a foreign trip to the Bahamas for three games August 4-11.

Game dates, opponents and sites are still being finalized; however, while in the Bahamas, the Nittany Lions will stay at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.

This trip is exactly what we need at this point, Patrick Chambers, Penn State head coach said. It will give us the opportunity to work on our chemistry and culture with many new faces. We can reinforce good habits and get a good look at what we need to work on heading into the season. Hopefully we will be ahead of the curve a little bit.

The team will get 10 practices to prepare for the foreign tour with all players expected to make the trip. NCAA basketball teams are allowed to take an international tour to play exhibition games once every four years. The Nittany Lions last traveled abroad to Belgium, France and England in 2013.

Penn State returns all five starters and over 80 percent of its scoring for next season, including top-three scorers Tony Carr (13.2 ppg), Lamar Stevens (12.7) and Shep Garner (12.0). Defensive standouts Mike Watkins and Josh Reaves round out the starting lineup from a year ago and will anchor the Nittany Lions in the upcoming campaign.

The Bahamas trip will be the first action in a PSU uniform for junior transfer Satchel Pierce, who will suit up for the Nittany Lions this year, and incoming freshmen: Trent Buttrick, John Harrar and Jamari Wheeler.

Fans wishing to attend the games in the Bahamas can arrange travel packages by contacting Lea Miller atlea.miller@leamillerassociates.com or 404-668-7468.

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Team Bahamas Ready For Beach Soccer All-Stars – Bahamas Tribune

Posted: at 12:17 am

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Similar to the IAAF World Relays where the Bahamas got to put on a display for the fans in winning the mixed gender relay two weeks ago at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, Team Bahamas will get another chance to delight the local crowd at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.

Although they got eliminated with a 1-2 win-loss record during the Group matches, Team Bahamas was awarded a chance to play in a friendly match against a FIFA Beach Soccer All-Stars team from the various countries.

The match is scheduled for 6pm Saturday in the newly constructed beach soccer stadium at Malcolm Park just after the two semi-final matches, minus defending champions Portugal, are played at 3pm and 4:30pm.

While the Bahamas welcomed the news, it was not quite the same for Portugal after they got dethroned by Brazil 4-3 in their quarter-final match yesterday as the tournament resumed following a day off on Wednesday.

Any chance to touch the sand in our stadium in front of the home crowd and also playing against other beach soccer players at a high level is a joy, said Mark Daniels. We have another crack at it, another chance to bring one home for the Bahamas.

Daniels likened their match to when the gladiators took to the stadium in the past for their showdown in the stadium and they heard the roar of the crowd.

Its similar to that, he said. It takes a lot to prepare to play these types of matches, the physical level and the mental level and then to go on the sand and you have to be just as prepared.

But to hear the cheer from your home crowd, it literally shakes you. Theres no better feeling than that. It gets addictive, so I want to encourage our Bahamian fans to come on out and cheer us on.

Team Bahamas, according to Daniels, has gotten better with each game after losing 3-2 in their opener to Switzerland on day one last Thursday, April 27 and 10-1 to Senegal on Saturday, April 29 before knocking off Ecuador 4-1 on Monday, May 1.

We like our wombs, we got a win in our last match, so we feel very confident so on Saturday, look for us to try and do it again, said Daniels, who is nursing a fractured big right toe, while another player has a dislocated shoulder from the nature of the game.

We just have to toughen it up and play through the pain.

Another team member Jean Francois said its a great opportunity for them to play so that they can bring out the fans, not only to match them play, but the high level of competition in the semifinal.

Having the fans behind us has helped us out a lot, having them behind us cheering for us, he insisted. I think its going to be a great opportunity and we hope they wont miss it.

Despite getting eliminated from the tournament, Francois said this is an opportunity for the team to show their appreciation to the fans for supporting them in the three games they played.

Everybody is good. Everybody is ready, he insisted. We have training tomorrow at 6:30 at Arawak Cay and then we will take it from there so that we can put on a great show, he projected.

As the tournament start to wind down with the teams on a break today before the final four play the semifinal on Saturday and the final is played on Sunday, Jeff Beckles, chairman of the Local Organizing Committee said they are pleased with what has transpired so far.

Its been a great learning experience having a different sport on the world stage, he said. I think the LOC has learned a lot and we are looking to doing some things with CONCACAF and FIFA.

I think this last two weeks has caused us to be better positioned with CONCACAF as the regional site for qualifiers and other tournaments like the Kalik Cup and the Heineken Cup.

Next year, the qualifying stages begin for the 2019 World Cup Beach Soccer and Beckles said the Bahamas is in a fantastic position to be the host of the qualifier for CONCACAF again.

If I had one wish, I would have love to have seen more fans from the Bahamas, said Beckles, who indicated that he hope they will show up in large numbers on Saturday when Team Bahamas play an All-Star team.

When we do a world event, we are not only graded or evaluated on how well the event goes, but on how well the host city the global event. So if the Bahamas truly wants to be a global host, then the community plays a huge part by supporting the event.

For a new stadium, Beckles said they have gotten some fantastic reviews from the visiting players, fans and FIFA and CONCACAF executives and he commended the LOC, the Bahamas Football Association and their partners, BTC, Coca-Cola, Kalik, Bahamas Waste, who stepped up to the plate.

I think weve done a great thing in the face of everything that is going on, said Beckles, who has been busy as a bee, moving from one event to the next. In the face of all of that, pour team has been able to remain focus.

And Nick Dean, whose company Integrated Building Services developed the structure and said hes been just as impressed by everyone on the magnificent view of the new stadium.

Its been a labor of love for us and so Im really pleased to the development of the stadium, he said. We were here when it was just dirt and concrete, but its now something that is fantastic.

Just looking at the lights, the seats and the stadium itself, its a far cry from what it was when we got started.

Dean said its a world-class facility that has attracted people from al around the world and as a local business, they hope that the beach soccer fever can be spread throughout the islands as a result of hosting the event.

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Team Bahamas Ready For Beach Soccer All-Stars - Bahamas Tribune

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