61 functions still needed to be filled in St. Maarten
May 6, 2008
As the train chugs along for Country St. Maarten, a total of 61 critical functions within the several Ministries of future country St. Maarten still need to be filled. Read more
St. Maarten loses a national icon
May 5, 2008
Philipsburg, St. Maarten — In expressing his condolences, Lieutenant Governor Franklyn Richards said of the passing of former leader, Nathaniel “Tanny” Davis, of St. Maarten’s most acclaimed string band Read more
Panman in film festival
May 5, 2008
The film “Panman: Rhythm of the Palms” will be shown in San Francisco for the 2008 San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) in June. Read more
Baggage pileup at airport again
May 5, 2008
Once again, passengers and airlines at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) were met with an offline security scanner on Saturday. Read more
Musings on St. Maarten’s labor welfare
May 2, 2008
Yesterday was the day of labor “celebrated” worldwide which made me think of the St. Maarten labor market and its stagnant, rigid and rediculously long process to obtain a work / residence permit for St. Maarten (Dutch side).
Sector Health Care urges parents to vaccinate children
April 29, 2008
Although Sector Health Care Affairs (SHCA) wrapped up its vaccination campaign last Saturday, Health Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus called on parents to ensure that their children’s vaccinations are up to date. Read more
Soualiga Patrol to be upgraded
April 29, 2008
The police force of St. Maarten is planning on upgrading the Souliga Patrol according to Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards. Read more
iPhone is sneaking into St. Maarten
April 28, 2008
The tremendously popular Apple iPhone is showing up on the shores of St. Maarten and Saint Martin. More and more island shops are offer the iPhone for sale (the 8mb and 16mb models) although there is no AT&T carrier on either side of the island.
The question that arises is: Who’s buying the i-Phones on St. Maarten and Saint Martin? Is it the U.S. tourists or the local population?
Seeing the amount of local advertising in newspapers and even radio stations, one may wonder. The typical target market of these advertising avenues is mainly the local population. This implies that the phones are being “unlocked” which according to Apple is not “allowed”.
Not to be a stickler about these practices, since the “unlocking” seems to happen all over the world but this does call for some questioning about “best practices” that could further tarnish the St. Maarten and Saint Martin duty-free markets since “knock-offs” have already been found on-island.
Granted, the iPhone is not a knock-off and the comparison may not necessarily be completely adequate, but the market is already tarnished by unsound practices such as parallel imports for cigarettes and alcohol, fake brand name imitation products such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Porsche … and other questionable practices such as music and DVD piracy.
Most surprising is that the Apple iPhones are sold via “official” Apple dealerships.
Unpaid Utility bills soaring in the US, and St. Maarten…?
April 26, 2008
According to the latest reports in the U.S. soaring unpaid utilities bills are causing major disruption for companies and residents since the harsh winter in the northern states created above average consumption as well as rising oil prices adding “insult to injury” to a declining economy.
In St. Maarten high season is almost coming to an end and this normally spells two incidents:
- Rising temperatures and thus higher “cooling” bills
- Less discretionary income for companies and thus also employees
Carnival Update!!!
April 23, 2008
Here is a recent update of Carnival 2008. After a few days of events, I will try to keep you posted on the happenings. Read more
