THIS IS A NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM FLORENCE MONDAY, 3rd SEPTEMBER, 2018.
FLORENCE IS A LITTLE STRONGER AS IT CONTINUES MOVING ACROSS THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC…
LOCATION: NEAR LATITUDE 18.3°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 38.7° WEST OR ABOUT 980 MILES WEST OF THE CABO VERDE ISLANDS.
PRESENT MOVEMENT: TROPICAL STORM FLORENCE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH.
AT 11AM DST, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FLORENCE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.3°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 38.7° WEST OR ABOUT 980 MILES WEST OF THE CABO VERDE ISLANDS.
FLORENCE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MILES PER HOUR AND A WESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 65 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY FOLLOWED BY A SLOW WEAKENING TREND STARTING ON TUESDAY.
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
Florence is several hundred miles away from the TCI. Forecasters have indicated that the system is currently projected to continue on a West North West path through Thursday morning. Additional strengthening is expected later today followed by a slow weakening trend starting on Tuesday. As this information is based on current projections, Florence poses no threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands at this time, residents should continue to monitor Florence. The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) will continue to monitor and provide information of any changes.
The next advisory issued on Florence by the DDME will be at 6:00pm. If it appears Florence may pose an immediate threat to the TCI, advisories will be issued in keeping with those of the Bahamas Department of Meteorology Forecast Office Section.
FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT MONDAY 03RD SEPTEMBER 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: A BROAD AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE IN THE VICINITY OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT PORTIONS OF THAT AREA WHILE QUICKLY MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARDS AND EXITING THE COUNTRY THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: RESIDENTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE RISK OF LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS DURING HEAVY OR PROLONGED RAINFALL EVENTS. BOATERS AND RESIDENTS SHOULD ASLO REMAIN VIGILANT FOR POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD OR WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY WHILE BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT EAST COAST BEACHES.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY, HOT AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSHORMS TODAY. FAIR, WARM AND BREEZY TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: VARIABLE CLOUDINESS, WINDY AND WARM WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH SOME BECOMING HEAVY TO SEVERE AT TIMES THIS MORNING WITH GRADUAL CLEARING BY EARLY AFTERNOON. MOSTLY FAIR, WARM AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS SHOULD NOT VENTURE FAR FROM PORT AND SHOULD ASLO BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 5 TO 8 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90F 32C HEAT INDEX: 103F 39C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE: 75F 24C
SUNRISE: 6:52AM SUNSET: 7:24PM
MOONSET: 2:10PM MOONRISE: 1:21AM TUE.
LOW TIDE: 7:01AM HIGH TIDE: 1:31PM
LOW TIDE: 8:00PM HIGH TIDE: 1:15AM TUE.
EXTENDED FORECAST: A SERIES OF MULTI-LEVEL TROUGHS WILL DOMINATE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE WAKE OF POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SEVEN, WHILE A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM ANCHORED NORTH OF THE AREA MAINTAIN BREEZY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE ISLANDS.
Bahamas utility board carnage involves Shell Energy in unwelcome controversy
While the “unholy mess” appears to be subsiding at the Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) after the entire board was terminated, including the chairman, with some of those same board members being almost immediately re-engaged except the chairman and a new board put in place, the company is heavily engaged with Shell Energy North America (SENA) on several different fronts.
SENA was engaged by BPL in April 2018 in relation to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project as well as a contract to build a new power plant for BPL, which was approved to go to SENA.
However, lack of progress on the contract to build the new power plant, with the previous board reportedly being at “loggerheads” over the issue, has been cited as the primary reason why minister for works, Desmond Bannister, terminated the entire board pursuant to his authority to do so under The Electricity Act 2015.
However, former BPL chairman, Darnell Osborne, claimed that allegations of stalling on the SENA contract were misleading and, in a release to the media on August 23, said: “Cabinet approved the award of the contract for new generation to Shell NA. As members of the Technical Committee, Directors Heastie and Rollins were tasked to arrange for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be presented to the board.”
After some delay, because BPL’s law firm did not have a legal representative in place to review the documents, Osborne noted that a few days after a hold was placed on the documents being approved by the board, Bannister issued a directive to her to sign the MOU by end of the same day, to which Osborne then responded that all of the directors’ concerns and some other legal issues had not been settled and the document was not ready.
Following the installation of the new BPL board, Bannister insisted that the SENA proposal will move forward. Some two days prior, new chairman, Dr Donovan Moxey, said that the new board will review the process under which SENA was agreed to be the preferred bidder under the previous board.
Notwithstanding Bannister’s assurance, sources close to the matter remain sceptical of the SENA deal moving forward. However, SENA has not weighed in on the recent changes at BPL and the LNG agreement is said to be set in stone and progressing regardless of the new plant initiative currently on the table.
While the construction of a new plant for BPL is the big chunk of meat in the pot, other ancillary scopes of work, for example transportation for construction, construction partners, temporary power supply and backup power supply in the event BPL goes offline during the transition, is still separate and apart from the main SENA/BPL proposal.
BPL’s new board is comprised of chairman, Dr Donovan Moxey; deputy chairman, Stephen Holowesko; James Moss; Debra Wood; (a former board member who was terminated but brought back); Ferron Bethell; and Viana Gardiner.
Moxey, the new BPL chairman, was immediately involved in his own controversy, when it was discovered that his technology firm had been unsuccessfully lobbying BPL to install and use a payment app, but was not approved.
Moxey claimed in an interview that he does not see his lobbying for the app to be used by BPL, then or now, to be an issue as he is still working diligently on getting his payment app approved by the Central Bank of The Bahamas for countrywide use and not just for use at BPL.
Moxey stated that “it is not an issue unless you make it an issue”, to which Bannister responded a day later, saying that that Moxey’s payment app is not under consideration, leading to the assumption that the conflict of interest is clear and present since the Electricity Act 2015 prohibits vendors serving as board directors.
There is also a linkage between new BPL deputy chairman, Stephen Holowesko, and another company that was bidding on works at BPL, New Fortress Energy – a subsidiary of New Fortress Investment Group.
New Fortress is co-owned by Wesley Edens and Peter L. Briger, and Holowesko and Briger both work together at multinational investment firm, Goldman Sachs. In addition Briger and Holowesko’s wife, Alessandra Griffiths Holowesko, both serve on the Council on Foreign Relations – an American nonprofit think-tank on foreign policy and international affairs.
According to sources close to the matter, including consulting firm AES Corporation, the New Fortress bid lacks transparency and critical pieces of structural detail.
The trade war is deepening the gloom at Chinese factories
Chinese factories are losing export orders and laying off workers as the trade war with the United States exacerbates an economic slowdown that started earlier this year.
Growth in output from China's huge manufacturing sector slumped last month to its lowest level in more than a year, according to the results of a survey of hundreds of companies published Monday.
The latest purchasing managers index survey, conducted by media group Caixin and research firm Markit, fell to 50.6 in August from 50.8 in July. Any reading above 50 indicates growth, but August showed the slowest rate of acceleration in 14 months.
China is one of the world's fastest growing major economies, but it has begun to slow down this year, and signs of further weakness are spreading.
"China's economy is now facing relatively obvious downward pressure," Zhengsheng Zhong, a senior analyst at research firm CEBM Group, said in comments accompanying the release of the survey Monday.
Chinese factories' export orders slumped for the fifth month in row, according to the data. The decline in orders has coincided with the escalation of trade hostilities with the United States, which began in earnest in late March.
Over 100 Pink Cadillacs Turn Out for Aretha Franklin's Funeral
Of all the motor vehicles that have been lionized in popular music, none have carried more lyrical and atmospheric impact than the Cadillac. Whether for the way its triple-syllable name rolls off the tongue and can be twisted like phonetic putty or for its stature as the pinnacle of Motor City sheet metal, it’s been the go to muse for countless artists.
But unlike Chuck, Johnny, Bruce, and countless others who appropriated the Caddy, Aretha Franklin is a Detroit native, and when she called out a Pink Cadillac in her 1985 hit “Freeway of Love,” it intrinsically linked her for eternity with the make and hue. So when the call went out earlier for a procession of pink Cadillacs to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul at here Detroit funeral, the faithful responded en masse.
Coming from as far away as Houston, participants lined Detroit’s Seven Mile road with all manner of pink Cadillacs including Escalades and at least one XLR. Many were bearing the Mary Kay logos in the rear windows. The procession, led by Crisette Ellis, the first lady of the Greater Grace Temple and Mary Kay national sales supervisor, preceded the service.
Definitely a fitting tribute to the Queen of Soul.
Alastair Cook: England great to retire from international cricket after fifth Test
England's highest Test run-scorer Alastair Cook will retire from international cricket after this week's final Test against India.
The opener, 33, has scored 12,254 runs and made 32 centuries in 160 Tests - all England records.
"There is nothing left in the tank," said Cook, who captained his country in a record 59 Tests.
The fifth Test of the series, in which England have an unassailable 3-1 lead, starts on Friday at The Oval.
Cook is sixth on the all-time list of Test run-scorers and has made a record 11,627 runs as an opener.
He added: "I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined and feel very privileged to have played for such a long time alongside some of the greats of the English game."
However, he has struggled this year, averaging 18.62 in 16 innings, and has not scored a fifty in the current series against India.
Chloe x Halle: Meet Beyonce's soulful proteges
Chloe and Halle Bailey were in their mid teens when, five years ago, they posted a cover of Beyonce's Pretty Hurts on YouTube - but they showcased a poise and vocal ability beyond their years.
The clip soon caught the attention of Beyonce herself, who shared it on her Facebook page, adding the caption: "So amazingly talented!!"
After learning they were unsigned, she contacted the sisters at their home in Atlanta, Georgia - taking them under her wing and signing them to her Parkwood Entertainment label.
A few years later, they have uprooted from Atlanta to Los Angeles, released an award-nominated debut album, landed roles in TV show Grown-ish (for which they wrote the theme song), and are currently opening for Beyonce and Jay-Z on their On The Road II stadium tour.
"We're having such a blast," says Chloe, on the phone from New York. "Just building our craft and being really happy and making memories."
It's a pretty safe bet, however, that the duo would have succeeded even without Beyonce's endorsement.
They wrote and produced their debut album themselves, concocting an ethereal take on R&B infused with trap beats and intricately-woven harmonies.
"Pretty much the whole album we did in our living room," says Halle who, at 18, is the younger of the two sisters.
"It's so funny because that's the family area where we watch TV, then our studio's off in a little corner of the room. So whenever we're recording it's like a game where we're like, 'OK everybody, be quiet!'
"Our little brother's bedroom is right next door so he always has to tiptoe by when we're recording!"
They prefer the homemade approach, turning down the A-list collaborators Beyonce could easily have supplied so they could forge their own musical identity.
"Our mum and dad instilled in us that we can do amazing things, we can learn to do whatever we want," says Halle.
"So we were like, 'Instead of getting a big-time producer and having to wait four weeks for a meeting, why don't we just try to create it ourselves?'"
Skype U-turns on Snapchat-like features after complaints
Microsoft has announced it will remove a number of Snapchat-style features from its Skype messenger service.
The software giant updated Skype in June 2017 but faced criticism from users who said it was "stupid" and the "worst ever update".
Microsoft said it accepted that the new features "got in the way" of the app's core uses: messaging and making phone calls
Many of the updates simply "didn't resonate" with most users, it said.
It will reduce the navigation options from five to three by removing the highlights and camera buttons.
When it announced the June 2017 updates, Microsoft told the BBC: "We know this was a big change and we welcome feedback along the way.
"We're confident that as we continue to listen to users and provide updates to the app... we'll be able to keep improving the experience."
And now, Skype design director Peter Skillman has written in a blog: "This past year we explored some design changes and heard from customers that we overcomplicated some of our core scenarios."
Released in 2003, Skype was bought by Microsoft in 2011.
But now, Facebook's Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Telegram and Snapchat all provide similar features, with many copying ideas from one another.
Most noticeably, Messenger and Instagram incorporate the "stories" features from Snapchat.
Brazil museum fire: Funding cuts blamed as icon is gutted
Officials in Brazil have blamed lack of funding for a huge fire that has ravaged the country's National Museum.
One of the largest anthropology and natural history collections in the Americas was almost totally destroyed in Sunday's fire in Rio de Janeiro.
There had been complaints about the dilapidated state of the museum. "We never had adequate support," its deputy director said after the fire.
Presidential candidate Marina Silva also criticised lack of investment.
"Given the financial straits of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and all the other public universities the last three years, this was a tragedy that could be seen coming," Ms Silva, a left-wing politician standing in next month's election, tweeted.
The fire started on Sunday evening, after the building - a 19th Century former royal palace - closed for the day.
The cause is not known, but Culture Minister Sergio Sa Leitao was quoted in Brazilian media as saying it may have been ignited by a small paper hot air balloon landing on the roof.
No injuries have been reported but most of the 20 million items the museum contained went up in flames.
Mr Sa Leitao said it was a "tragedy that could have been avoided" but a reconstruction effort would begin.
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT NOTICE: PRE–TENDER MEETING
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government would like to invite potential tenderers to a Pre-Tender Meeting for the following Contracts:
- Refurbishment of Ministry Infrastructure - Parade Grounds, Grand Turk, TR 18/11
- Reinstatement of Seawall Salt Cay, TR 18/13
- Schools Infrastructure Project Phase 2, TR 18/14
Lot 1: Mary Robinson Primary School
Lot 2: Clement Howell High School
- Reinstatement of Government Buildings All Islands, TR 18/15
Lot 1: Crown Land Building, Grand Turk
Lot 2: Ministry of Education, Grand Turk
- Shelters and Emergency Operations Center, TR 18/16
Lot 1: Community Centre, South Caicos
Lot 2: Antioch Adventist Church, Grand Turk
Lot 3: H. J. Robinson High School, Grand Turk
Lot 4: Club House, Salt Cay
Lot 5: Methodist Sunday School, Salt Cay
This meeting will be held on Friday, 7 September, 2018 at 9:00 A.M. at the Office of the Deputy Governor, Waterloo Plaza, Waterloo Road Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands.
All interested persons must RSVP via email to procurement@gov.tc by 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, 4 September 2018
Additional information for these contracts may be obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s website: https://www.gov.tc/government-tenders.