Monthly Archives: June 2017

Air Force leaders discuss the future of Air and Space power – Santa Maria Times (subscription)

Posted: June 15, 2017 at 9:35 pm

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill June 6.

At the forefront were the efforts to restore readiness and increase the lethality of the force. Wilson said any objective evaluation of todays Air Force reaches two conclusions:

The Air Force is too small for the missions demanded of it, she said in advance of the hearing. And adversaries are modernizing and innovating faster than we are, putting Americas technological advantage in air and space at risk.

Looking forward, Wilson and Goldfein do not envision the demand for air and space power diminishing in the coming decade.

Today, the Air Force is manned with 660,000 active, guard, reserve and civilian Airmen, a 30 percent decline since Operation Desert Storm 26 years ago.

We have the same level of taskings today as we did during Desert Storm, Wilson said. But we have 55 squadrons rather than 134.

The Air Force leaders said while the fiscal 18 budget request focuses on restoring readiness and increasing lethality, future budgets must focus on modernization and continued readiness recovery.

The two testified that maintaining superiority starts with people.

For an Airman, its nothing short of a moral obligation to gain and maintain air superiority, Goldfein said. This budget request begins to set the table for recovering and rebuilding our force.

The fiscal 18 budget will bring the active duty force to 325,100 while also adding 800 reservists, 600 guardsman, and 3,000 civilians, bringing the total force to approximately 669,000. The increased manpower will focus primarily on increasing remotely piloted aircraft crews, maintainers, and pilot training capacity by adding two additional F-16 training squadrons and maximizing flying hours to the highest executable levels.

Wilson said next to people, the most obvious readiness need is munitions. In the fight against ISIS, the Air Force has delivered approximately 56,000 direct-attack munitions, more than it used in all of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The fiscal 18 budget funds maximum factory production of the most critical munitions.

The fiscal 18 budget focuses on the Air Forces top three modernization programs:

Purchasing 46 F-35A fighters and modernizing other fighters;

Buying 15 KC-46 tankers;

Funding the B-21 bomber development.

The proposed budget also supports the continuation and modernization of the nuclear triad with funds dedicated to both air- and ground-based capabilities.

Our nuclear enterprise is getting old and we must begin modernizing now to ensure a credible deterrent, Wilson said.

Side-by-side with the United States Navy, we are responsible for two of the three legs of the nuclear Triad, Goldfein said. On our worst day as a nation, our responsibility is to ensure the president is where he needs to be, when he needs to be there, and he stays connected through command and control to the nuclear enterprise and for an Airman, that remains jobs one.

The Air Force has been the leading military service responsible for space for 54 years. Over the last several years, the service has been developing concepts for space control, changing the way it trains its space force and integrating space operations into the joint fight.

Weve provided GPS for the world. Weve transformed not only the way we fight but the way all of you probably navigate around the city, Wilson said. We must expect that war, of any kind, will extend into space in any future conflict and we have to change the way we think and prepare for that eventuality.

The proposed budget increases space funding by 20 percent, including a 27 percent increase in research, development, testing and evaluation for space systems, and a 12 percent increase for space procurement.

Innovation for the future

Research, development, testing and evaluation are critically important for the Air Force, Wilson and Goldfein said.

To prevail against rapidly innovating adversaries, the Air Force must accelerate procurement. The service will take advantage of authorities like the FY17 Defense Authorization Act to help get capabilities operational faster than ever before, Wilson said.

The request for funding for long-term research in air dominance increased significantly in the fiscal 18 budget. The Air Force will seek to increase basic and applied research in areas where it must maintain the competitive advantage over adversaries. This includes hypersonic vehicles, directed-energy, unmanned and autonomous systems, and nanotechnology.

Its going to take us approximately eight years to be able to get to full spectrum readiness with stable budgets, Goldfein said. We will be unable to execute the defense strategic guidance under sequester.

If the Budget Control Act limit isnt fixed and we have to go through sequester, that will be equivalent to a $15 billion cut, Wilson said. Were too small for what the nation expects of us now, sequestration would make the situation worse.

According to Wilson and Goldfein, by supporting the budget request, Congress can provide fiscal predictability to the Air Force so it can continue to own the high ground, defend the homeland, and project power in conjunction with allies.

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‘Devil Is In Details’ On Fiscal Responsibility – Bahamas Tribune

Posted: at 9:35 pm

ByNEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government is definitely on the right track with its promised Fiscal Responsibility legislation, a governance reform group said, while warning: The devil is in the details.

Matt Aubry, the Organisation for Responsible Governances (ORG) executive director, told Tribune Business that buy in from both the private sector and civil society was critical if a well-crafted Fiscal Responsibility Act is to work.

Emphasising that such legislation needed to be combined ina one-two punch with a Freedom of Information Act, Mr Aubry said the two reforms would improve economic development and decision-making, while also boosting consumer confidence and trust in government.

We feel this is definitely on the right track, and that theyre on the right lines, he told Tribune Business of the broad Fiscal Responsibility Act objectives outlined by KP Turnquest, minister of finance.

Were cautiously optimistic, but the devils in the detail and we need to see how this goes forward. Those were the critical words regarding a Fiscal Responsibility Act, but the particulars are very important. The nuances that make that happen are going to be important.

Mr Turnquest last week told the House of Assembly that the Fiscal Responsibility legislation proposed by the Minnis administration would target an annual GFS balanced Budget, meaning that the goal is to add no new debt to the existing $7-billion plus national debt.

The Governments other objective would be to maintain a desirable and sustainable debt-to-GDP ratio, Mr Turnquest said. To underpin this, the proposed law would require the Government to set out the assumptions underpinning its annual Budget, along with its longer-term fiscal targets.

Explanations would also have to be provided if Budget targets for prior years were missed, while short-term fiscal targets will have to be placed in the context of the Bahamas long-term objectives.

Mr Turnquest suggested that targets could also be set for some components of the Governments fixed-cost spending, such as the civil service wage bill, while plans and timelines for eliminating any deficits will also have to be laid out.

He also suggested that the Budget process could be opened to public consultation, in a bid to obtain a national consensus around the Governments fiscal targets, while Ministries and Departments eyeingnew initiatives maybe required to find the funding from their original allocations.

Mr Aubry told Tribune Business that Mr Turnquests comments sound like the basis of being fiscally responsible to me, and gave particular backing to the notion that non-budgeted government spending be justified through a cost/benefit analysis.

Were going to stress the importance of the private sector, he added, not just in holding the Governments feet to the fire, but in helping to craft strong and positive legislation.

Getting buy-in from the public is essential to help make this live. You can have great legislation, but if you dont have enforcement then the intent of great legislation doesnt happen.

Mr Aubry said the crux of Fiscal Responsibility legislation lay in the details, and he expressed concern that many recent laws gave latitude to the responsible Minister to override certain statutory provisions.

He added that having an open, accessible and structured process for the crafting of a Fiscal Responsibility Act was vital to obtaining public support, which was why ORG had itself recently issued recommendations forimproving consultation.

Public consultation is the critical part, as it creates a platform for the open sharing of data, Mr Aubry told Tribune Business. Making information publicly available is essential to open, modern governance. It facilitates better economic development.

He explained that by allowing the Bahamian public to play an active role in stemming government spending, they would be more understanding if social programmes had to be delayed or cancelled, and not respond in the reactionary manner many politicians fear.

If people have been part of that process, you will get their buy-in, acceptance and understanding, Mr Aubry reiterated, and if you can show a long-term plan, when it comes to times that will be more painful, people have a sense of when that will be alleviated.

That allows more consumer confidence, and greater trust in the Government and the democratic approach.

ORG has been among the numerous groupscampaigning for Fiscal Responsibility-type legislation, viewing it as a key tool in restraining government spending and forcing it to be more accountable and transparent over how it uses taxpayer monies.

The Government is currently seeking Parliamentary approval to borrow $722 million, which will be used to cover the estimated $500 million deficit for 2016-2017, and the $323 million forecast for 2017-2018.

With the Bahamas debt-to-GDP ratio now around 80 per cent when contingent liabilities are factored in, and the national debt climbing beyond $7 billion, the need for a Fiscal Responsibility Act has arguably never been greater.

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Unusual Activity Spotted in Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) – BVN

Posted: at 9:34 pm

Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) shares are moving today onvolatility-40.00% or $-0.20 from the open.TheOTC listed companysaw a recent bid of $0.3000 and2747shares have traded hands in the session.

Trying to project the day to day short-term movements of the stock market may be all but impossible. Stocks have the tendency to make sudden moves on even the slightest bit of news or for apparently no reason at all. The daily trader may be looking to capitalize on swings or momentum, but the long-term investor may be searching for stability and consistency over a sustained period of time. During trading sessions, stock movements can seem like a popularity contest from time to time. Even after careful study, there may be no logical reason for a particular stock move. Riding out the waves of uncertainty may not be easy, but having a full-proof plan for when markets erode may just be the savior. Having the patience to wait out abnormal moves may help evade the mistake of letting go too soon out of panic.

Digging deeping into the Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) s technical indicators, we note that the Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R currently sits at -83.33. The Williams %R oscillates in a range from 0 to -100. A reading between 0 and -20 would point to an overbought situation. A reading from -80 to -100 would signal an oversold situation. The Williams %R was developed by Larry Williams. This is a momentum indicator that is the inverse of the Fast Stochastic Oscillator.

In technical analysis prices of securities tend to move in observable trends with a tendency to stay in the trend. The trend is considered to be intact until the trend line is broken. After a trend has been established, the future price movement is more likely to be in the same direction as the trend than to be against it. This is where the old adage the trend is your friend comes from, meaning you should trade in the same direction as the trend.

Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) currently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -110.00. Active investors may choose to use this technical indicator as a stock evaluation tool. Used as a coincident indicator, the CCI reading above +100 would reflect strong price action which may signal an uptrend. On the flip side, a reading below -100 may signal a downtrend reflecting weak price action. Using the CCI as a leading indicator, technical analysts may use a +100 reading as an overbought signal and a -100 reading as an oversold indicator, suggesting a trend reversal.

Currently, the 14-day ADX for Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) is sitting at 11.77. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would identify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would lead to an extremely strong trend. ADX is used to gauge trend strength but not trend direction. Traders often add the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) to identify the direction of a trend.

The RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a widely used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSI for Sealand Natural Resources Incis currently at 46.68, the 7-day stands at 43.03, and the 3-day is sitting at 34.77.

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Nuclear Booms in Asia as New Reactor Ideas Flourish in US – InsideSources

Posted: at 9:33 pm

The nuclear electric industry has sustained some mighty blows in the United States and Western Europe in recent years. It might be reeling, but it is not out and it is not going down for the count. Taken globally, things are good.

The need to curb carbon in the air, to service a growing world population and the surging cities are impelling nuclear forward. At the annual summit meeting of the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council (NIC) in Washington, this future was laid out with passion: Nuclear power is experiencing a growth spurt but not in the United States and Western Europe, except for Britain.

Nuclear demand is high where air pollution is at its worst and where economic activity is fast and furious in Asia generally, and in China and India in particular.

Vijay Sazawal, president of IAEC Consulting, told the NIC meeting that India would be adding two reactors a year to its nuclear fleet moving forward. China and India are building half of the 60 new reactors under construction worldwide, according to Andrew Paterson of Verdigris Capital Group, which studies nuclear.

Paterson predicted world electricity demand will double by 2050 and that most of the demand would come from the megacities of Asia, Africa and Latin America. He said, By 2030, China will have 15 megacities (10 million or more people) and 150 cities with more than 1 million people.

Wind and solar energy, the other carbon-free electricity sources, also will grow dramatically but will be constrained by their land needs. Big cities are ill-suited to roof-mounted solar, and windmills require large acreages of open land not found near megacities.

In the United States, the shadow of the Westinghouse bankruptcy is passing over the nuclear community. How could a once-proud and dominant company get its sums so wrong that it has been forced into bankruptcy? The collapse of the company which was building two plants with four reactors in South Carolina and Georgia, four reactors in China, and was engaged in projects in the United Kingdom and India will be studied in business schools for generations to come. Bad management, not bad nuclear, has brought Westinghouse and its parent Toshiba to its knees.

But nuclear believers are undaunted. Nuclear advocates have a kind of religious commitment to their technology, to their science and to the engineering that turns the science into power plants.

I have been writing about nuclear since 1970, and I have featured it on my television program, White House Chronicle, for more than 20 years. I can attest that there is something special in the passion of nuclear people for nuclear power. They have fervor wrapped in a passion for kind of energy utopia. They believe in the great gift that nuclear offers a populous world: a huge volume of electricity.

The kernel here, the core belief, the holy grail of nuclear is wrapped up in energy density: how a small amount of nuclear material can produce a giant amount of electricity in a plant that has few moving parts, aside from the conventional steam turbine. As designs have evolved and plants have become passive in their safety systems, the things that can go wrong have been largely eliminated.

To understand energy density think this way: The average wind turbine you see along the highway turns out 2 megawatts of electricity when there is wind, a trifling amount compared to the 1,600 megawatts a new nuclear plant produces continuously and probably will produce for 100 years before it is retired.

Asia, choking on air pollution and with huge growth, needs nuclear. America is not gasping for new generation: demand is static and there is a natural gas glut. Also, there is land aplenty for solar and wind to be installed.

But U.S. nuclear creativity, even genius, will not rest. The United States is on the frontier, pioneering a generation of wholly new reactor concepts, mostly for small modular reactors and even big new reactors, which may first be built in China and India but, like so much else, will be thought up in America.

At nuclear conclaves like the NIC meeting, there is sadness that the U.S. market is stagnant. But there is incandescent hope for the future.

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Ports of Auckland: Still Oceania’s Best Seaport? – Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Posted: at 9:32 pm

Friday, 16 June 2017, 1:20 pm Press Release: Ports of Auckland

Ports of Auckland: Still Oceanias Best Seaport?

For the second year running, Ports of Auckland has been selected as a finalist for the Best Seaport in Oceania, the only New Zealand port to make it through to the finals.

Ports of Auckland was voted into the finals of Asia Cargo News Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards by industry peers and customers.

In 2016, Aucklands port beat out three major Australian ports to win the category.

It is fantastic to be chosen as one of the best seaports in the region by our industry peers for another year. Our people have been working hard for our customers, building strong relationships and ensuring were doing our best to deliver the utmost value for them. This is well-deserved recognition for our team said Ports of Auckland Chief Executive Tony Gibson.

This year, thousands of Asia Cargo News readers cast votes across award categories such as Best Seaport, Best Container Terminal and Best Airport; the latter counts fellow Kiwis, Auckland Airport, as a finalist. Asia Cargo News reported votes in the thousands a record number of votes were submitted this year.

Like last year, Ports of Auckland is up against three major Australian ports to retain the award; Port of Brisbane, Port of Melbourne and Sydney Harbour. The awards will be held on June 29 in Singapore.

ENDS

Scoop Media

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Venezuela loses 2018 Caribbean baseball tournament amid protests – Reuters

Posted: at 9:31 pm

CARACAS The 2018 Caribbean Series baseball tournament, originally slated to be held in Venezuela, has been relocated to Mexico, the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation said, amid a wave of violent protests in the South American country.

The confederation did not specify why the tournament, which brings together the champions of professional winter leagues from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico, will not be held in Venezuela.

"The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League voted against the decision at the assembly held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 14, 2017," the group said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The confederation said the 2019 Caribbean Series will take place in the city of Barquisimeto, located about 350 kilometers (217 miles) from the capital of Caracas.

Next February, the Mexican team of Venados de Mazatlan will defend its title in a city in Mexico that has not yet been determined.

Venezuelans struggling under a deep economic crisis have for over two months been staging often violent protests against President Nicolas Maduro, with about 70 dead. Maduro says the protests are an attempt to overthrow him with the backing of ideological adversaries in Washington.

(Reporting by Diego Ore; writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson plundered an eight-under-par 63 for a one-stroke lead over Lexi Thompson and five others after the first round at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday.

ERIN, Wisconsin Big-hitting Dustin Johnson was one of the biggest disappointments in Thursday's opening round of the U.S. Open as the defending champion and world number one shot three-over 75 to languish 10 shots behind leader Rickie Fowler.

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Travel Fix: all about the Caribbean – CW33 NewsFix

Posted: at 9:31 pm

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Travel Fix's Drew Binsky tells us everything we need to know about the Caribbean including when the best time to visit, which he says is between December and April.

"That's the peak season...meaning best weather, less humid and it's not rainy season," says Drew.

Drew says the Caribbean has mostly good weather throughout the year, but May to September are considered rainy season. But the good news is, "in the Caribbean it's not going to ruin your trip. It might rain for an hour or two a day, but then it'll go away," he said.

According to Drew, every country in the Caribbean is somewhat the same, but he says his favorite country in the Caribbean by far is Cuba, which he visited in March.

"They haven't really gotten out of the 1950's yet, everything there is really old school. People are really nice, and there's lots of things to do."

Another Caribbean country that's near the top of Drew's list is Haiti. It's not a very touristy place, although it has beautiful beaches, according to Drew. It's for people who are more adventurous.

"It's more of like you go just to like throw yourself in a new culture and kind of see what happens," Drew said.

The most touristy destination out of the bunch, he said, is the Bahamas.

"It's super close to Miami, and easy to get to. A lot of resorts and stuff, and it's really expensive," Drew said.

If you're willing to take longer flights, Drew says you should visit the southern Caribbean.

"Countries like Saint Lucia, Dominica and Barbados."

Once you get there, each country is around a 2 hour fair ride from each other.

If you want to see what part of the world Drew will explore next, add him on Snapchat for the latest.

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Martinique: Caribbean with a French flavor – Travel Weekly

Posted: at 9:31 pm

The Disney Magic at the Pointe Simon dock in Fort-de-France as seen from Fort Saint-Louis in Martinique. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

Next year the number of cruise passengers to Martinique will exceed its population for the first time.

The small, French-speaking island in the Lesser Antilles expects around 440,000 cruisers in the 2017-18 season, compared with about 396,000 permanent residents.

It's a remarkable achievement, considering that seven years ago, Martinique had barely 40,000 cruise passengers visit.

The turnaround is due in part to a program to retire a generation of combative taxi drivers who were an obstacle to cruise line shore excursion programs, Martinique tourism officials said. Martinique's use as a turnaround port for European cruise lines has also grown.

A couple of cruise lines are putting a greater effort into cruises to the southern Caribbean. Martinique has made sure that when North American cruise tourists arrive, communication isn't an issue.

"You walk around, there are people speaking English," said Roger Blum, a consultant for Martinique on cruise issues and principal at Cruise & Port Advisors in Miami. "The service staff are opening up to Americans."

The result is an expected 203 calls and turnaround departures next season from 25 cruise lines, including 13 from Holland America Line, 11 from Norwegian Cruise Line and eight from both Princess Cruises and Seabourn.

For North American guests, there's plenty to see and do. On a recent trip hosted by the Martinique Tourism Authority, I spent time in three areas of the island: the capital of Fort-de-France, the Trois-Ilets peninsula across the bay from Fort-de-France and the north, around Saint-Pierre.

Most big cruise ships dock conveniently at the Pointe Simon pier in downtown Fort-de-France, which was doubled in length several years ago. Buses are staged there for excursions, or guests can wander the city.

Among the attractions is Fort Saint-Louis, a 17th century battlement that still serves as the headquarters for the French Navy in the Caribbean. Because it is a working military base, it can be toured only with a guide from the tourism bureau.

Other attractions include a large covered market, the 19th century library of the liberator of French slaves in Martinique and a cathedral that celebrates Mass in English on days when cruise ships are scheduled.

Some ships also arrive at the less-central Les Tourelles terminal, which is mainly used by MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises for a turnaround on fly-sail cruises for Europeans. Last year they brought more than 104,000 passengers to Martinique.

Martinique has several compelling shore excursions, mainly offered by Roger Albert Voyages, the island's biggest provider. On a day when the Disney Magic called, about 100 guests took the 45-minute drive north to the Zoo de Martinique.

Built amid the ruins of an old sugar mill, the zoo has dozens of birds, snakes, monkeys, iguanas and jaguars, along with a pirate museum.

The zoo is south of Mount Pelee, an active volcano whose eruption in 1902 violently destroyed the port of Saint-Pierre and killed 30,000 people.

The remnants of Saint-Pierre make for an interesting tour, as does a trip on the way back through the rain forest, which we took on a semicovered bus through Caribbean Open Tour. Also worth a stop is the beachfront Le Petibonum restaurant in Le Carbet, where chef Guy Ferdinand made us ceviche from a blue marlin bought from a fisherman that morning.

Due to his habit of wearing a chef's coat over cutoff shorts, Ferdinand is better known as "Chef Hot Pants." A former aircraft mechanic, he's got personality to spare. His outpost includes a rum bar that showcases all 12 of Martinique's distilleries.

Another outstanding tour is of Habitation Clement, one of the rum producers. I've been to three or four Caribbean rum facilities, and this by far was the best. It includes an outdoor sculpture garden, several museums, a historical mansion, a warehouse full of rum casks and a factory-museum (be sure to get the English audio guide).

David Baude, a manager for Roger Albert, said cruise passengers like to combine Clement with a tour of a banana plantation. Another top tour is to a bay to swim among sea turtles, Baude said.

Cruise passengers looking to make the most of a day call in Martinique could do worse than to hop the ferry near the cruise dock to Les Trois-Ilets, about 15 minutes away. For around $8, they can visit one of the best beaches in Martinique at Anse Mitan.

Blum said some cruise passengers ask to be taken to the best beach in Martinique, which is the remote Les Salines, a $200 taxi ride. Anse Mitan is a practical alternative. We stayed for two days in Pointe du Bout, within walking distance of the beach.

One of the great charms of Martinique is that you are actually in France. The island is as much a part of France as Hawaii is of the U.S. There is a shopping village in Pointe du Bout where French fashions are available. A wide selection of French wines are served in the bars. The pastries and breads are made to French standards.

Blum said he's done checks of the restaurants, bars and vendors in Anse Mitan and that most can accommodate English speakers. In addition to a beautiful crescent beach, there is a Jet Ski rental and a dock where sailing and snorkeling excursions are offered.

We dined at Le Kano restaurant, where guests can sit outside in the sand, practically on the beach if they wish. We ate just as well indoors, and our server, a young woman from France, couldn't have been more engaging.

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Dominican Republic dreams of becoming Caribbean Hollywood … – The Seattle Times

Posted: at 9:31 pm

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) In the opening scenes of the latest Vin Diesel action movie, troops in the Dominican Republic chase the hero through a rainforest and down a twisty mountain road. But in real life, the government is doing all it can to welcome the Hollywood star or anyone else who wants to produce a film in this Caribbean country.

The filming here of some scenes from xXx: Return of Xander Cage is a sign of progress in efforts to persuade the film industry to use the Dominican Republics lush mountains, white-sand beaches and colonial architecture as a backdrop.

Now, we are on the map, said Yvette Marichal, director of a government agency created in 2010 to woo film production companies to the country and to regulate their activities here.

Marichal spoke in a recent interview after returning from the Cannes Film Festival, where her agency had a pavilion promoting the countrys varied landscape along with tax breaks and other incentives to lure companies from other destinations, including other parts of the Caribbean or the U.S.

Besides the Vin Diesel action flick, which grossed more than $300 million at the box office this year, the countrys film credits have grown to include last years Netflix production True Memoirs of an International Assassin, as well as 47 Meters Down, which stars Mandy Moore and opens in the U.S. on Friday.

There are small-screen offerings as well, including the Turkish version of the competition series Survivor, which moved from the Philippines to the Dominican Republics Samana area in the north, as well as the Greek version of the same program, which is moving from Argentinas Patagonian region, and a Swedish production of The Bachelor.

All or part of 45 foreign productions, including full-length movies, documentaries and reality TV shows, were filmed here last year. There were another 20 full-length movies for the domestic market, compared to three in 2010.

In the past, the country played host to some notable films. Parts of Apocalypse Now were filmed here as were scenes in Godfather II representing Cuba. In the 2006 movie adaptation of Miami Vice, the Dominican Republic stood in for Haiti, the other country occupying the island of Hispaniola. Those occasional productions inspired former President Leonel Fernandez, who was looking for ways to diversify the economy and bring jobs to the country of more than 10 million.

That bit of investment in the Dominican Republic without any type of incentives motivated the president, said Omar de la Cruz, who served on an advisory board that helped launch a more concerted effort to attract the film industry.

In 2010, the government established tax credits for productions costing at least $500,000 and exemptions on such things as import duties for audiovisual equipment. The movie A Dark Truth, starring Andy Garcia, was the first to take advantage of the new law in 2011.

In addition to the incentives and marketing, universities in the Dominican Republic began offering courses to provide the technical skills that production companies could use to find the local production and technical workers they are required to hire under the law. In 2013, the prominent Vicini family opened Lantica Media, which operates what it describes as the Caribbeans most modern studio and sound stage facilities in a partnership with Britains Pinewood Studios.

Among the movies that Lantica Media worked on is xXx: Return of Xander Cage, which required hiring 300 local people with technical skills, providing valuable experience for them to work in future major productions, said Rafael Nunez, a production director at the companys location in San Pedro de Macoris on the southern coast. The facilities were also used in 47 Meters Down and True Memoirs of an International Assassin.

Marichal credits some of the success to the countrys varied landscape. It is incredible how we have almost all ecosystems on this little island, she said. The only thing we lack is snow but for that we have studios.

The benefits are difficult to measure, but Marichals office says that film production in 2016 injected nearly $87 million into the economy and created 4,000 direct jobs. Most lucrative for the country are the long-running reality TV series, which bring crews staying six months or more at a time. There is also the benefit of promoting the country, already among the Caribbeans top tourist destinations.

It encourages me to see how much the Dominican Republic has achieved in so little time, Marichal said.

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New Royal Caribbean corkage fee may put a damper on your BYOB celebrations aboard ship – Los Angeles Times

Posted: at 9:31 pm

If you like to wine a little when you cruise, here's some bad news: Royal Caribbean International has reinstated its $15 corkage fee for each bottle of wine or Champagne brought aboard.

The cruise line, which formerly charged passengers as much as $25 per bottle, did away with the fee in 2014. But it has reinstated the charge, albeit lowering the cost to $15 per bottle.

Royal Caribbean was one of the few major cruise lines that didn't charge the fee. Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line charge $15. Holland America Line charges $18, and Disney Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises charge $25 per bottle.

Though some cruise lines, like those mentioned above, allow you to bring a couple of bottles of wine or Champagne aboard when you embark on your cruise, others will confiscate bottles you bring on board.

Some lines, such as Disney, specify that passengers can bring two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne, or six beers, on board on embarkation day and in each port of call.

Many lines confiscate bottles brought aboard at ports of call and don't return them until the end of the voyage.

What's the best way to sort it all out? Check the individual cruise company's rules online before spending money on wine you might not be able to drink during your vacation.

travel@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimestravel

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New Royal Caribbean corkage fee may put a damper on your BYOB celebrations aboard ship - Los Angeles Times

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