Flipping Grand Bahama

Soo  I was going through my Facebook feed this week and came across this bit of information that rocked my work. I always remind my self that because it is written does not mean it is all true but you ready this except and you decide if you think its true. What caught my eye was the title: HOW THE BAHAMAS BECAME THE BAHAMAS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME VERY STRANGE MEN .... AND CANADA. Hmmm I thought. Very interesting. Then I saw the length of the article and immediately thought it was going to be boring. Well I was left trying to buy the book. If you dont hear from me for a while, I'm still contemplation ways forward. Posted: June 25, 2013 | Author: jr | Filed under: Insights , Jeffrey Robinson's eBooks , Money Laundering | Comments Off on HOW THE BAHAMAS BECAME THE BAHAMAS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME VERY STRANGE MEN… AND CANADA EXCERPT FROM: “THE SINK – Terror, Crime and Dirty Money in the Offshore World” (C) JEFFREY ROBINSON 2003, 2011 ...

The optimism of this blog is meant only to inspire others to think of what they can do to make life better for themselves and for the island which would mean making it better for the country. Asked about my blog, I thought it was self explanatory. Grand Bahama has been looking for a saviour and the residents need to wake up and realize they are that saviour and they need to begin by doing something. We have been through some of the history of Freeport and the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. In the archives there is the entire (well almost entire) Hawksbill Creek Agreement and the Bend or Break speech by the late Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling first Prime Minister of The Bahamas. There is a saying that if you don't know your past your are doomed to repeat it. In the past we had waited for the investors and we have planned on jobs that we don't want to work but  we have plotted on making money without working. Its time to re-think our future and make it one that says we are ...

Apologies to my readers for not bringing you the promised speech but I have not found the speech just yet in my collection of speeches but as soon as I do you will have it. In the mean time, there is something of great interest that came up and that was the information on why investors did leave. Following the "Bend or Break" speech, a new unwritten law was to come that would try to equalize the playing field for Bahamians of all colour, but at a great expense to investors. It was said that business would be approved if they had Bahamian partners who were 50/50 without the Bahamian putting anything into the business but being able to have 50% of the profits. This was the beginning of what was called "Bahamianization" and continued to say that all positions held by foreigners were to be held by foreigners for a limited about of time, while they trained a Bahamian to take over. While this theory was said to have been great for Bahamians, for persons bringing...

After the "Bend or Break" Speech Following the famous or infamous "Bend or Break" speech by the then Premier and later first Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden O Pindling, there was a lot of movement in Grand Bahama and Freeport in particular. It is said that the Sir Lynden knocked down the gates the bounded Freeport from the East and the West allowing "dark" Bahamians to travel in and out of Freeport not only during the day time, but also during the evening. A number foreign investors then decided to leave the island and the country. Some without closing businesses or selling. What was left was the hope of a flourishing Freeport continuing at a sluggard pace. This pace through the years seemed to have dropped off but the "hope" of the Magic City, still persisted. In the 1980's there are a number of persons who are still very, very hopeful and even came up with papers on how we can better this island and the economy here. ...

"Bend or Break speech" On July 26, 1969, Sir Lynden O. Pinding, then Premier of The Bahamas, delivered this speech during an inspection tour at the official opening ceremony for the new Bahamas Oil Refinery Company (BORCO). This speech in history has been called the "Bend or Break Speech" and has long be said by officials in Grand Bahama to be the reason the lights went out at the "Magical Fair" that was the spark called Freeport. Here is the entire speech: “I am certainly delighted to be here this morning because what I see beginning on this site is not only the erection of an oil refinery but also the real true birth of a petro-chemical industry in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Islands. I am delighted to be here because, if the industry develops as the proprietors hope it will be and I hope it will, not only will The Bahamas be able to meet from within its shores its own presently small needs of kerosene, gasoline, diesel and oth...