Bousquet Addresses UN General Assembly

Those of us who had the expertise could have watched live our District Rep. in his capacity as St. Lucia's Minister of External Affairs, International Trade and Investments deliver a superb speech to the United Nations General Assembly. It all took place at exactly 5:25pm Tuesday September 28, 2009 and lasted twenty minutes.

This was the 64th sitting of the General Assembly. The Guinea Foreign Minister had just finished his presentation and the voice of the newly appointed President echoed through the assembly, calling on the St.Lucia's External Affairs Minister to make his presentation. What a moment!

Bousquet arose and strolled down the isle in his porshe greyish tuxedo well matched with a blue tie. The graceful walk towards the podium alone, told you this was a no nonsense Minister.

Bousquet started by acknowledging the appointment of the President of this 64th Assembly.

This was his opening statment:

"Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary‐General
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mr. President, let me extend the warm congratulations of the delegation of Saint Lucia on your
election to serve as the President of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly. With your
vast diplomatic experience we are most confident that this session will yield significant results
in advancing the agenda of the international community through this most universal of
institutions – the General Assembly – which has been rightly coined by your predecessor,
Miguel D’Escoto Brockman, as the “G‐192.” We express our appreciation for the work of
President D’Escoto Brockmann who succeeded in further elevating the General Assembly to
regain its rightful place as the parliament of the world. We pledge to work with you, Mr.
President, in furtherance of this approach.

We thank also Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, for his tireless efforts on behalf of us all."

Excerpts of the full speech will be posted at a later date.

BRAVO!!!!

Metric Conversions

As I promised I would give you a few formulas to help you convert English measure to Metric measure. This will be important to you, as Metric will soon be part of your daily life.These will be most valuable for your children/students.

Have you ever noticed the "454 Grams" on a pound packet of Peak lentils? Check this and other consumer products and you may be amazed at how much the Metric System is a part of our lives.

If you don't know the simple formulas for converting English measurements to Metric, or vice-versa, you will certainly run into problems in your business dealings as well as in your personal life. But, you can avoid these problems by using the following information in order to easily make the necessary conversions.
Conversion Formulas :
To change English measure to Metric measure:
Inches into Millimeters-multiply the number of inches by 25.4
Inches into Centimeters-multiply the number of inches by 2.54
Feet into Meters-multiply the number of feet by 0.305
Yards into Meters-multiply the number of yards by 0.914
Miles into Kilometers-multiply the number of miles by 1.609
Square Inches into Square Centimeters-multiply the number of square inches by 6.45
Square Feet into Square Meters-multiply the number of square feet by 0.093
Square Yards into Sqaure Meters-multiply the number of square yards by 0.836
Cubic Inches into Cubic Centimeters-multiply the number of cubic inches by 16.4
Cubic Feet into Cubic Meters-multiply the number of cubic feet by 0.0283
Cubic Yards into Cubic Meters-multiply the number of cubic yards by 0.765
Pints into Liters-multiply the number of pints by 0.473
Quarts into Liters-multiply the number of quarts by 0.946
Gallons into Liters-multiply the number of gallons by 3.78
Ounces into Grams-multiply the number of ounces by 28.4
Pounds into Kilograms-multiply the number of pounds by 0.454
Tons into Metric Tons-multiply the number of tons by 0.907
I have added another link in the right window which you will find amazing and easy to manipulate. Try it.
Coming soon an article on VAT.

The metric System is at our door steps

Hello! Are you ready for the change? Did I hear you say what Change? Well my dear reader it is the change fron the Imperial measure to Metric

St. Lucia is preparing its citizens for the change which is due to take effect come January 1, 2010.

I thought it prudent of me to give my readers a little insight into the metric system which I am sure will be helpful to them as well as their kids. Make no bones about it, metric is easier to work with, once you grasp the concept,

In the window on the right of this blog you will see a site " Metric Conversions." Use this to do your conversions.Just click on the link.

Have you ever examined the labels of a Baron bottle of ketchup (medium) net contents 28 oz/754g, bottle of Sunrise oil 1 litre, bottle of Baron gravy browning (small) 14oz/397g, a packet Maggi chicken noodle soup 60g, anAvon Cool Confidence roll on 9small) 50ml/1.70z, a Heineken beer 250ml/8 3/4fl oz,a small Nido powdered milk 900g, a packet pink beans 1lb/454g and one roll Snuggle toilet paper 4"x 4" (10.2cm x 10.2cm). You relised that on some labels there were two sets of measurements imperial - "lb" for pound, "oz" for ounces and " for inches. This is the measurements that were most used in our everyday lives, but soon the mesurements "g "for gram, "kg" for kilogram, "ml" for millilitres and "cm" for centimetresas well as "m" for metre will become part of our everyday vocabulary. So get used to it. In tomorrow's post I will let you have a simple conversion table which will make life easier for you.

My dear reader make yourself knowledgeable on the topic as you can never tell: there may be scammers on the loose hoping to capitalise on your ignorane of the metric system.

Don't forget to check the link. Finally,the metric systm was developed in late 18th century France by the chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier. Picture seen above.

Drainage works full speed ahead.

A number of sub-contractors are presently constructing drains at various locations throughout the constituency. As we near the peak of the hurricane season the Rep. takes the initiative to have these drains built to channel the water properly. Victoria, La Fargue, Rivere Doree, and Delcer are where these block drains are being constructed. At least fifty person gained employment in this project.

Also works are ongoing at Boisden where the road is being upgraded. This community have longe ask for some work to be done on this road which goes from Raveneau to Delcer. What a relief! Pics of this project will be posted at a later date.

Recovery efforts taking shape for St. Judes

Condolences and financial commitments are continuing to pour in for the government and people of Saint Lucia in the wake of the devastating fire which paralysed the operations of the St. Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort Wednesday morning.

First Caribbean International Bank has pledged two hundred thousand dollars to the recovery effort. Since then First National Bank has contributed One Hundred Thousand Dollars and one local business man Michael Chastanet donated Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars on behalf of his group of companies.

Prime Minister Honourable Stephenson King said theses noble gestures along with commitments from regional ad international friends like the government of Taiwan will ensure that the St. Jude hospital will soon be up and running.

“This tragedy has presented us with an opportunity to mobilise the country behind a national institution which has of great repute which has contributed so much to our society. We believe that in the coming weeks we will be in a position to critically analyse the situation and put in place a technical team to conduct the necessary feasibility studies immediately to facilitate the redevelopment of the St. Jude Hospital, even greater and more modern and up to date medical services in the south,” said the Saint Lucian leader at a handover ceremony Thursday.

Three people lost their lives in the fire that consumed the surgical, recovery and laboratory wing of the St. Jude Hospital early Wednesday morning.

Prime Minister King again saluted the many doctors and nurses, volunteers, emergency personnel and ordinary Saint Lucians who assisted with rescuing patients and containing the fire. He said those individuals rose to the occasion like real patriots in a time of distress.

“From all indications the responses we have received particularly from the people in Vieux Fort and surrounding communities, doctors, nurses, volunteers and emergency personnel who came out early in the morning to support and assist in the rescue mission we must appreciate their efforts ad so we express our gratitude to those people,” the prime minister said.

In addition to the financial assistance businessman Michael Chastanet says he will be teaming up with some of his counterparts in the US to donate some portable and makeshift hospitals which he expects to arrive on island in the coming weeks.

A delegation from the Pan American Health Organisation headed by the Director Gena Watson are schedule to arrive in Saint Lucia next week Wednesday to assist government with the restoration

Several Embassies on Saint Lucia along with the governments of Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have all called to express condolences and to pledge their countries support to the government and people of Saint Lucia

Reproduced from the Government's Website.

The Sportsman,Fireman and Enterpreneur

It was only yesterday September 13, 2009, when I happen to bump into Faustinus "Guillet" Duval, his wife, Raymona Duval and brother Tracy Duval. What a click! It is no coincidence that both Faustinus and Tracy used to be top sportsmen in the Choiseul possee.
Faustinus used to be the quickest bowler in Choiseul in the 80's, while a decade later Tracy, was the top footballer.. Boy oh boy there were no helmets you know and that boy was quick. Standing at first slip I used to admire that boy's run-up and delivery. Talking about Holding, "awah", that boy was smoother. Guillett flourished in his time but was plagued with ankle injuries.
During the same period he took up goalkeeping. It seems that whatever this guy took up he was destined to do great. A bird I tell you. Many great forwards tested his metal. Huggins "Neil" Nicholas was his nightmare. Many at times it was him ad a forward alone, and you wouldn't believe that the forward woulg not score. Class? More than that. Agility.
Duval is now a retired fireman and prosperous enterprenuer operating in Vieux Fort.
True greatness. Is he willing to pass this skills on to the present generation? Ask him.

St.Judes' Surgical Wing Destroyed

Reports reaching this blog informed us that at about 1:30 am Wednesday morning a fire which started in the recovery room at the hospital completely destroyed the upper section of the surgcal wing, and the operating theater. It was also reported that three patients lost their lives in the fire.
Government officials and management are holding a meeting today to discuss the way forward. In the meantime the Vieux-Fort Comprehensive Secondary School,Campus B, is being used to house the patients from the surgical ward. The George Odlum Stadium will be used as an Emergency Centre.

St. Jude Hospital, managed by Mercy Hospital Medical Centre, Des Moines, Iowa is in the town of Vieux Fort, in southern St. Lucia. It is owned by the St. Lucian Government and until 1992 was managed by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.
The 110-bed hospital has medical, surgical, maternity and pediatric wards, two operating rooms, recovery room, intensive care, emergency room, pharmacy, laboratory, x-ray, ultrasound and physical therapy.
In 1998, the hospital admitted 4,851 patients, recorded 932 live births and conducted 1,025 operative procedures. There was a total of 31,452 outpatient visits.
Outpatient clinics include general medical and maxillo facial. Specialty clinics for general surgery, orthopedics, ENT, OB-GYN, dermatology, cardiology, rheumatology, internal medicine, pediatrics, diabetic and psychiatric care are also held regularly.
St. Judes provides high-quality primary care for the largely rural southern half of the island but its specialty care services the entire island. The hospital employs about 200 local staff, including 14 full-time physicians.
Volunteers play an important role in augmenting the permanent staff.

President Ma Meets Minister Bousquet

President Ma Ying-jeou met with Saint Lucia Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Investment Rufus Bousquet and Mrs. Bousquet at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of September 1. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome to the Bousquets and members of the delegation accompanying them on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma commented that the ROC and Saint Lucia established diplomatic relations in 1984. While relations between the two countries were severed in 1997, formal ties were re-established in 2007. Over the past two years, significant progress has been seen in agricultural and computer-related cooperation projects between the two countries, he said. The president acknowledged Saint Lucia's donation of US$100,000 in the wake of the disaster caused by Typhoon Morakot, adding that the people of Taiwan will always remember this gesture. President Ma also said that in the course of the ROC's quest to participate in international organizations, Saint Lucia has spoken on behalf of Taiwan on many occasions. He stated that the support of Saint Lucia was a major reason why Taiwan was able to attend this year's World Health Assembly as an observer, and specially thanked Saint Lucia in this regard.
The president remarked that while Saint Lucia has a population of only 170,000, it has produced two Nobel Prize recipients, which attests to the excellent education and unique training provided to students in that country. The president said that in addition to the existing agriculture and information technology cooperation projects, the ROC is pleased to share its developmental experience with Saint Lucia in a variety of national and community development projects. He stressed that interaction and cooperation between the two countries will not be adversely impacted by improvement in relations between Taiwan and mainland China. Rather, President Ma said that he hopes to see cooperative relations between Taiwan and Saint Lucia be further expanded in the future.
Minister Bousquet, on behalf of Prime Minister Stephenson King, expressed his sympathies to Taiwan in relation to the August 8 disaster here. He said that the people of Saint Lucia are deeply moved by the many efforts made by the ROC over the years to assist in his nation's development, adding that the people of his country are willing to lend support to the people of Taiwan in their hour of need. In the future, Saint Lucia will continue to support Taiwan's participation in the international community, he said. Minister Bousquet also expressed his hopes that cooperation between the two countries will become even more comprehensive, helping to forge even closer relations and a stronger alliance in the future.
Minister Bousquet and Mrs. Bousquet were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Joseph Y. L. Kuo, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Central & South American Affairs, to meet President Ma. Also in attendance were Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco H. L. Ou and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ho Szu-yin.

Source: News Releases - Office of the President

Republic of China

Taiwan

2009 - 09 - 01

Bousquet Visits Forest Springs Bottling Operations

Earlier this year Bousquet paid a visit to a water bottling plant in the heart of Saltibus - to be exact, Daban. The Rep. was given a complete tour of the facility by the managing director, a young, energeticc and prospering enterprenuer.

Bousquet was very impressed by what he saw and assured the young businessman that he will do his utmost to assist him in anyway possible.

J.M.D Bousquet Football Tournament is On!

The JMD Bousquet Choiseul Football Tournament is in full swing as eight clubs compete for the coveted JMD Bousquet Trophy won last year by the Retire Young Team. Matches are scheduled for the La-fargue Playing Field and the Piaye grounds on Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 4:00 pm. The competition is sponsored by the parliamentary representative the Hon. Rufus Bousquet to the tune of $5000.00 and is managed by the Choiseul Football Committee a sub-committee of the Choiseul Youth & Sports Council.

After two rounds of matches in JMD Bousquet Choiseul Football Tournament a total of 25 goals have been scored, 10 cautions have been waved and no player has received the dreaded red-card. Piaye and Ebony head the table with six points each as Piaye have amassed 9 goals and Ebony is the only team yet to concede a goal. It is early goings still, as the competition has a double round robin format where each team will play each other twice and the top four teams will qualify for the knock-out semi-final round.

The many spectators who flood the La-Fargue and Piaye Playing fields are delighted with such a format so that they can thoroughly enjoy “the beautiful game.”

Matches for this week:
Retire Young vs Platinum Steel - Tuesday
Champion Crew vs B.Y.C.O - Wednesday

Platinum Steel vs Harambe - Thursday

Retire Young vs Piaye -Saturday

Ebony vs Village -Sunday

Written by Jonathon Chalon

Edited by Logix

Choiseul Secondary First School Day Assembly

The mini buses filled with students started arriving at the school at about 7:35 am. Filled with excitement and a little tense the new comers disembarked the buses and gazed in awe at the school plant thinking wow this is my new school. A number of parents accompanied their children hoping to make the transition easier for their kids.

Braving the inclement weather Mrs. Laffeuille, a teacher at the Choiseul Secondary School stood at the podium to welcome the new batch of students as well as the old ones and to officially commence a new school year.The assembly started with prayers followed by the National Anthem.

Mr. Augier, the principal, in welcoming the students lamented the low percentage pass at the CXC exams last school year. He said the school got a 66.46% pass mark, the lowest the school has ever performed. He asked, " You form fives, are you going to change this ,this year?" One could hear mumbles among the students, giving a hint that they are not even sure.

At a recent meeting with the parents of the new students, the principal assured the parents that this is their students'new home and that he considers himself as the students' father and the the female teachers their mothers.

The school has an enrollment of over seven hundred pupils and a staff of about forty teachers including a vice principal.

The students were awarded a half day on the first day of school. School gets into full speed on Wednesday September 2, 2009..