Great Bay:--- The first Community Helpdesk under the umbrella of the Integrated Neighborhood Development Program was opened in St. Peters in December 2011 at the Rupert Maynard Community Center by Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever. The purpose of the Community Helpdesk will be to reach out to the residents in those particular neighborhoods and assist them by giving information on services offered at the Ministry of Public Health Social Development & Labor. Official daily opening hours for the Community Helpdesk is 8:30AM-5PM, but on Tuesdays afternoons closed as the staff is undergoing training sessions.
A job placement Officer and a complaints officer from the Department of Labor Affairs is available in St. Peters as of February 1, 2012 from 8:30AM – 12noon only on Wednesdays.
"Persons can also come in to the Community Helpdesk to make complaints about the private sector as it relates to infringement of the labor laws, employee rights and dismissal procedures," said Dros-Richardson.
With the implementation of the Integrated Neighborhood Development Program/Community Helpdesk the aim is to have the establishment manned at all times with someone from Labor Affairs and Social Affairs. Head of Labor Affairs, Peggy-Ann Dros-Richardson mentioned that staff from her department will be at the Community Helpdesk in St. Peters to assist persons with the services they offer, such as job placement. Persons who are registering or seeking employment can visit the Community Helpdesk in St. Peters to get assistance, instead of going to the main office in Philipsburg.
The Community Helpdesk in St. Peters is located at the Rupert Maynard Community Center on St. Peters main road and can be reached on telephone numbers 548-4633 or 548-4634.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- On Wednesday, February 1st, an agreement with the purpose of strengthening administrative co-operation in the field of taxation was signed between the Attorney-General, the Chief Public Prosecutor, the acting Head of Fiscal Affairs and the Head of the Tax Administration Sint Maarten.

This agreement will contribute to the prevention and effective combating of tax fraud through co-operation and the exchange of information that is relevant to the determination, assessment and collection of taxes, the recovery and enforcement of tax claims and the investigation or prosecution of tax matters.

Regular meetings are planned and a policy plan will be drafted with the priorities being laid on investigation and prosecution of tax fraud cases.

The strengthened co-operation between the different organizations must ensure better enforcement of the tax laws. This initiative is a prerequisite to further improve tax compliance.

Philipsburg:--- A Central Committee of Parliament hearing is planned for 7 February about Inheritance and Legacies.

The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 4:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament.

The law that parliamentarians will be dealing with is the National Ordinance establishing Book 4 and Title 7.3 of the Civil Code, National Ordinance on Inheritance and Legacies.

The Association of Notaries will give their input with respect to the aforementioned national ordinance.

The committee hearing will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and only the audio can be heard via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 as well as via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

Philipsburg:--- The Miss Mature Carnival Queen Pageant is back with a bang! St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) will be introducing the contestants for their pageants for Carnival 2012 this week and has started with an impressive amount of 9 for the mature pageant that caters to women 26 years of age or older.

Last held 5 years ago, the Mature Pageant has since been one of the most popular requested shows by Carnival and pageant lovers. The SCDF decided in 2012 to give the show another shot and has been rewarded with high participation, growing excitement and a group of participants from various walks of life. Some of which, are former queens while others are no strangers to the stage.

The pageant will be held on Monday, April 23 in Carnival Village. The nine ladies will participate in five categories of competition, talent, sports, Carnival costume, evening wear and the interview segment on stage. Contestants will also participate in various public outings and make appearances at SCDF events in the lead-up to their big night.

The backgrounds of the nine contestants vary from school teacher, hotel reservation manager to executive secretaries, medical workers and more. They are Tatiana Arrindell, Lisette Carty, Shanna Cornet de Riggs, Mireya Ostiana-Wijman, Davia Bailey-Wilson, Diana Gumbs, Lavinia Marsham, Sharon Layne and Charmain Radjouki.

"The hype around this show is already very high, just from word-of-mouth. When we start to promote all of our local events, we expect this to increase and expect the show to get terrific support from the general public," President of the SCDF Stuart Johnson said.

"The mature pageant is for professional women who just feel like having a good time for Carnival and doing something different. Some of our contestants have been in pageant before, some are past queens. We are excited that they chose to be part of Carnival in this fashion and guarantee that this will be a show that no one should miss," Johnson said.

He added that the show is being coordinated by veteran pageant coordinator Rhoda Smith-Fowler and her team and is sponsored by United Telecommunication Services (UTS) Chippie. UTS have also stepped up as a sponsor for the Teen and Senior Carnival Queen Pageants. The contestants for those pageants will also be introduced this week.

The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF), law enforcement, emergency services and support services of Carnival have once again focused their efforts on enforcing a policy that makes no compromises on safety and security for the upcoming Carnival season.

The aforementioned parties met on Friday last to go over details for the upcoming season and to ensure that all are on the same page in terms of regulations and safety procedures. All other stakeholders, such as band leaders, booth holders and troupe leaders, will now be apprised of the rules and

regulations with regards to safety and security in respective meetings.

Among other things, discussions centered on band truck inspections, the mandatory availability of fire extinguishers on these trucks and in the booths, access for the ambulance department, outlining of the jump-up and parade routes etc.

Represented at the meeting were the Fire Department, Ambulance Department, the Ministry of VROMI, the entity responsible for the Festival Village Stichting Overheids Gebouwen St. Maarten (SOG-SXM) and board members of the SCDF. The Police Department could not be present on this particular day, but there will be a follow-up meeting.

"Basically we went over details that worked well for us in 2011 and discussed some things that could be improved upon for this year," SCDF President Stuart Johnson said.

"We hope by now that everyone realizes that we will not compromise on the safety and security of Carnival participants as well as the general public. Regulations are not in place to be a nuisance to anyone, but to protect them. All of the services that met on Friday is on the same page in this regard and we look forward to the kind cooperation of all Carnival stakeholders again this year," Johnson added.

Great Bay:--- Dancer/Choreographer Indhira Marlin, carnival costume designer and sculptor Randolph Scot, youth group, Voice of our Children foundation and new author, Lydia Henderson were among first-time nominees for the annual Culture Time Awards who took top honors when the winners were announced Sunday, February 5, 2012 in a special edition of the island's longest-running cultural program on PJD-2 radio 1300AM.
Indhira Marlin "whose consistency in producing quality work with the island's youth ensures the continuity of excellent output in dance on the island," took over from Broadway star Nicole de Weever, winner of the dance category for the last couple of years.
Producer and host of Culture Time, now in its 25th consecutive year, Fabian Badejo, expressed the hope that a National Dance Ensemble could emerge from the work of artistes like Indhira Marlin, Clara Reyes of Imbali Creative Movement Center, and groups like the Motiance Dance Company, the other two nominees in the Dance category for 2011.
The Mighty Dow, who had a stellar year during 2011, with accolades pouring in for him both at home and abroad, won the Music category against nominees like Addy "Shadowman" Richardson and the band, Control. Others nominated in this category included Tanny and the Boys, the Jolly Boys (both leading exponents of stringband music) and the Ebony Steel Orchestra.
However, Addy Richardson would not be denied a well-deserved recognition when his song, "In your eyes" was adjudged "Song of the Year" in a mano-a-mano with Control band's rendition of the Sparrow classic, "No money, no love."
"Shadowman has come out of the shadows to enter the spotlight of Caribbean music with his undeniable success on regional charts and on Tempo," noted Badejo. Culture Time co-host, Fernando Clark, stressed that "Shadowman has been consistently on the radar in the region, producing quality work that has made him stand out as a frontline musician."
However, it was not a matter of musical chairs when Control took the "Band of the Year" award in a category that included nominees "Youth Waves" and "No Limits". It is the second year consecutively that Control has won this category.
Randolph Scot, one of the island's leading carnival costume and set designers, won the Fine Art category in his first year of being nominated, while Lydia Henderson, another first-timer in the nominations race, won the Book of the Year award with her controversial autobiography, "Lydia; from heterosexual to homosexual to bisexual to God."
"Yori Yori" by Bracket, won the "Foreign Song of the Year" title, while "DJ of the Year" was won by Mix Master Pauly.
The Culture Time Lifetime Achievement Award went to artist/musician Urmain Dormoy who has gone from "Slujj to New Status Generation Drum Band in a lifetime full of hard work, dedication and breaking new grounds," according to Clark.
Chef Dino Jagtiani, won "Chef of the Year" award, instituted last year in recognition of the fact that the island is commonly referred to as the 'Culinary Capital of the Caribbean'. His Rare and Temptations restaurants offer "creative and innovative fare that soothe the palate," the judges noted.
"Culture Time Person of the Year" is Jacques Hamlet (better known as "Billie D") of SOS Radio in Marigot. "This is also a first for us," said Badejo, who observed that not only Billie D's work as Radio Personality but also as "local entrepreneur in the broadcast field has had a significant impact on the island's cultural field which has not escaped the notice of our judges."
There were a total of 16 categories for the Culture Time Awards, with two being declared vacant – Theatre and the Fashion Designer of the Year categories.
The Culture Time Awards do not carry any monetary or other material value but have become a prestigious recognition of consistent and excellent work in the field of culture by those who are in the field.

Click here to view detailed list of winners of Culture Time 2011 Awards.

Philipsburg:--- The second and final night of the 2012 Winter's Words series will take place on Wednesday, February 8, at 7:30pm sharp, at Top Carrot Restaurant in Simpson Bay.
Event organizer Lysanne Charles said that the theme of the last night would be The Naked Truth: Sounds and Fury. The featured poets are all expected recite several poems in line with that theme, though they do have some liberty to deviate in order to read other pieces.
The poets scheduled to perform are Sharella Richarson, Roberto Arrindell, Stephen "Stretch" Rodney and Lucinda "LaRich" Audain.
"Last week's theme was just The Naked Truth and Giovanni "Gino" Olivacce and I performed. I have to say for the both of us, I think that night we stepped up both our poetic games and opened up to our audience in new ways," Charles said.
Charles said the poems of the night had covered education migration, love lost, healing, molestation, and mental illness and noted that the audience had really responded well to both performers.
"For me it was the first time performing all my pieces to music and trying to do something tangibly different with my performances. I loved it and I enjoyed the feedback so I think I will do more of that in the future and of course encourage the other poets to do so as well. Gino was explosive as as expected and really delved deep into issues many people would shy away from. His delivery as well as his content was powerful," Charles said.
She said that she was in discussion with Clara Reyes of Imbali Center for Creative Movement to have several workshops with the poets to further develop their spoken word and performance skills. These workshops would most probably take place between March and April of 2012, but definitely before July's Summer Speaks.
Charles said that during the open mic parts of the evening one of her PSVE students Gabriella Pensa had recited a poem she had written for the school's upcoming fourth form showcase themed Our History. Marianne Tefft had also performed several pieces to the delight of the audience. Audience members were also treated to songs from rising local singers Morenika Arrindell and Julia Bates.
"We really opened up the show to the full participation of the audience and everyone had a great time at the end of the night. We had a really delicious, abundant hors d'oeuvres plate and some drinks at the beginning of the night prepared and served by Top Carrot's Peter and Lydia Bonev.
Charles encouraged all poetry aficionados to come out and support the poets on Wednesday night.
"Unfortunately this is the last night of the season, but already I know of some poetry events in the works, both on the Dutch and French side with Lucinda "LaRich" Audain and Melissa "One Poet" Fleming, so we, as local artists are doing our part and now we need publics to do their parts and support the efforts," Charles said.
Cost of the evening is $15, which includes a great platter of food and one drink of choice. Reservations should be made with Charles at 586-1266 or at Top Carrot Restaurant at 544-3381.

Philipsburg:--- The theme for World Cancer Day observed over the weekend across the world was, "Together it is Possible."

President of Parliament Hon. drs. Gracita Arrindell calls on women and men to seek early screening to detect the disease promptly as that is the key to reducing the nearly eight million deaths caused by cancer across the globe annually.

Each year on 4 February, the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) supports International Union against Cancer (UICC) to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.

Preventing cancer and raising the quality of life for cancer patients are recurring themes. WHO and IARC will focus their efforts this year on screening and vaccination.

Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasm.

One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is referred to as metastasis and is a major cause of death from cancer.

"Breast cancer is currently the top cancer in women worldwide, both in developed and the developing world. Together it is possible to reduce the number of women who die from breast cancer annually.

I would like to commend local cancer awareness groups who deserve our continued support as a community in their efforts to educate the populace.

It's critically important to take your screening as prescribed by your family physician. This fact hit home, when just this past week a very good friend of mine shared with me her fear of perhaps having breast cancer. I hope and pray for her that her diagnosis is not life threatening.

Early screening and vaccinations, especially the latter, can prevent infections associated with cancers. Vaccination is available against cervical cancer, which is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and liver cancer, which results from infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV).

I appeal to the women of this great country to make it a priority when it comes to preventive health and get screened and also look into the aforementioned vaccinations that can prevent cancer," President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell said on Sunday.

Philipsburg:--- Parliament has four additional hearings planned for this week excluding the one for Monday.

Parliamentarians will be dealing with Inheritance and Legacies on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00pm; the Sole Proprietorship Law on Wednesday afternoon 4:00pm; Common Law Marriage on Thursday 4:00pm; and Amendment Book 2 Civil Code on Friday at 10:00am.

A Central Committee Hearing is planned for Monday, 6 February about a Centralized Registration System for Child Abuse.

A representative from Women's Desk will be present for the parliamentary session that starts Monday afternoon at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament.

The Women's Desk will give their input with respect to the national ordinance to amend Book 1 of the Civil Code.

The committee hearings for the week will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and only the audio can be heard via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 as well as via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

Bellevue:--- The Solidarity Organization and the "We Agree with Culture Association" held their two day Agricultural Fair this past weekend at the We Agree Exploitation in Bellevue.
The Agricultural Fair kicked off on Saturday February 4th with a great Reggae Show featuring the Youth Waves and Freedom Fighters featuring Sister Seagone Marlene.
The main event the Agricultural Fair was held on Sunday February 5th. The event kicked off at 7am with local breakfast. At 10am there was an exhibition of freshly grown local fruits, vegetables, arts and craft, and ital food all of which were on sale. Several stands were on site selling cakes, tarts, patties, sugar-cakes, local fruit juices, and locally made coconut and sour-sop ice cream. The two day event did not attract as much people as it did in the past. This event this past weekend was the 5th Annual Agricultural Fair since the Solidarity Association began developing the Bellevue plantation.
Several persons on the plantation said the residents and visitors that support the local plantation were not in any mood to listen to the politicians who might have used the event to campaign for the upcoming elections.
However, a number of persons from both the French and Dutch side flocked the area where the fresh vegetables and ground food were sold. There were groups of people that sat under the trees and waited for the ital kitchen to begin selling its specialties. At noon, the crowd rushed over to the kitchen area to make sure they got a bowl of the soups, or the specially made pea's balls.
On the hill the actual plantation graced the eyes of many persons who toured the farm which was once dry lands. SMN News was told that the land is cultivated by some 15 young men that live on the island. There are a number of the Jamaican Ackee trees that are filled with the red looking fruit. One of the of the men from the Solidarity Group said that while the Ackee trees are attractive they are also very deadly. "This is a Jamaican delicacy but there is a flower inside that has to be taken out before it is prepared. You just cannot pick this fruit and cook it; it must be matured and open before you can remove the toxic flower," the Solidarity member said.
The We Agree Exploitation has bananas, Tanya's, pumpkins, christophine, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, peppers, egg plants, green onions, packchoy and other vegetables and herbs that are sold daily.
Several speakers such as Nicole Piper, Jos Richardson, Julien Richardson, President Frantz Gumbs and Senator Louis Constant Fleming delivered speeches. Most of them encouraged the Solidarity members and the We Agree to continue the island's culture by planting fresh fruits and vegetables. Senator Louis Constant Fleming said that five years ago he provided the land for the Solidarity members to explore their ideas but now the time has come for them to go to the next step which is to expand.
Jah Bash, the founder of Solidarity Association honored 174 elderly persons from the community for their contribution and development of St. Martin.

Click here to view more photos of the 5th Annual Agricultural Fair on Sunday.