Taiwanese Ambassador Launches Model Farm

It was exactly 10:30 am on Friday March 12, 2010, when the front gates of the Choiseul Secondary School swung open to allow a tinted  black BMW to enter the school's compound. Minutes later the school's principal approached the parked car to meet the passengers. First to alight the vehicle was H.E. Tom Chou, the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ambassador to St. Lucia, closely followed by a young lady known as Susana Huang. The principal, Mr. Augier then introduced the ambassador and Ms. Huang to the school's staff. Shortly afterwards Mr. Sunny Shaw (leader) and Mr. Lee (extension specialist) of the technical mission arrived. Also present were two agricultural officers from region 6 in the persons of Felix Chicot and Bron Laffeuille.

   What was the purpose of this high level entourage? To launch a model farm project at the school. Late last year during the presentation ceremony to launch the operation of an intercom system for the school Bousquet hinted during his short address that he was looking into the possibility of having the Taiwanese Government  consider using this school for a pilot project in farming. This has materialised.

 The day's activity started with prayers followed by the national anthem which was played by a section of the school's steel orchestra. The principal welcomed the entourage and in his short delivery thanked the Rep for getting the Taiwanese Government to consider this school for the project, and went on to conclude by saying, "Mr. Bousquet, we will make you proud."

Nigel Mitchel, an agriculture teacher at the school gave a brief history of the school and plans for the model farm. He mentioned that the orchard farm will be opened to all schools. He went on to say, "This model farm will introduce farming to the students in a non- evaluative environment using the latest technologies. The school has five acres of land for agricultural practices.

H.E. Chou greeted the school gathering in kweyol, "Nous kontan vini ici a epi ou en Choiseul." This brought a loud roar from the  seven hundred plus students who never thought that the Ambassador could speak kweyol. In his brief remarks he mentioned about a similar project undertaken by Sir Arthur Lewis College. He mentioned about the partnership of his Government with the St. Lucia Government in agriculture. He expressed the willingness of his Government to assist this school in this project.

" The key to  supporting a nation is to be able to feed itself. If you cannot feed yourself well you cannot talk about independence." Bousquet  opened his remarks. He went on to talk about the island's high food import bill. The Taiwanese he told the gathering are well known for their agrcultural prowess and skill and he welcomes their effort to establish this project at this school. "I want this school to be known as the best agricultural school in the island ." he boasted.

The school's dance troupe performed a dance to the tune of "Eileen" and to bring much amusement to the gathering the dance troupe brought the last lap of the dance to the Ambassador and the District Representative(see video). Meshach, a well known reggae artist, performed a piece, extraordinaire,  called "Stay Outta Trouble" dealing wth the need for youths to stay out of violence. It was well received by the students who kept chanting, "stay out of trouble" throughtout the presentation.

The principal was presented with an orchid plant by the Ambassador as a token of friendship between the school and his government. Mr. Augier in receiving the plant remarked, "When students come to the office they will see two beauties there, myself and this orchid." The students roared.

Shortly afterwards the the entourage visited the school's garden where  H.E Chou and Mr. Bousquet turned the sod over to officially commnce the project, while individuals took turns at planting pineapple and dragon fruit plants. NB: Some of the photos were shot by Susana Huang.

Bousquet assists in a worthy Cause

There can be no doubt that Rufus G. Bousquet is the ideal politician for Choiseul/Saltibus. There is no substitute. The man is charismatic,eloquent, humane, gives everyone a listening ear, has so far dedicated his term to the upliftment of the standard of living in the constituency,and last but not least handsome . You could not ask for more.
Last Sunday at Delcer, patrons at a Bingo held to raise funds to assist Mrs. Bibiana Edgar  to undergo chemotherapy, witnessed the Rep making a donation of $800.00 towards this worthy cause.

Receiving the donation on behalf of Mrs. Edgar was daughter Juliana Edgar, a pre school coordinator in the community. Mr. Bousquet in making the donation told the gathering that he and the Edgar family go back a long way. he expressed sadness at Mrs. Edgar's illness . Juliana expressed great thanks and gratitude towards this timely gesture and went on to say, "This donation will go a long way in helping towards my mom's medical bills. Thanks Mr. Bousquet for your generous contribution. Once again,thank you."

 Prior to the presentation Bousquet paid Mrs. Edgar a visit and one could see that he was very moved by the account given by the lady.
After the short ceremony the Rep mingled with the gathering injecting a little humour here and there. Everyone applauded him for this gesture. A group of youths at the ceremony kept chanting, " Bousquet, Bousquet,Bousquet, Nous parkar teway ou." The Bingo was well attended and the prizes attractive.

Bousquet is really a working peoples'representative, giving his all to uplift his constituency. This brings me back to a point Bousquet made last budget, "When I am gone, Choiseulians will remember me for how I transformed this constituency." Well, he surely has made an impact in this direction.

                        Big Up to the man!!!!!!

Ps: Coming soon Bousquet's website

Earthquakes safety Tips

An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the earth caused by the breaking and shifting of rock beneath the earth’s surface. Earthquakes strike suddenly, without warning, and they can occur at any time of the year, day or night.
  With the spate of earthquakes around the world these days,it would do no harm to brush up on some safety tips.  Recent death tolls - Haiti, over 250,000,  Chile, over 300,  and Turkey 57.
 This is a three part series which will be published every Tuesday starting today. Please encourage your friends and loved ones to read the articles. You never know when it will be our turn.

What should you do during an earthquake?


If you are inside when the shaking starts...

Drop, cover and hold on. Move as little as possible.

If you are in bed, stay there, curl up and hold on. Protect your head with a pillow.

Stay away from windows to avoid being injured by shattered glass.

Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit. If you must leave the building after the shaking stops, use stairs rather than an elevator in case there are aftershocks, power outages or other damage.

Be aware that fire alarms and sprinkler systems frequently go off in buildings during an earthquake, even if there is no fire.

If you are outside when the shaking starts...

Find a clear spot and drop to the ground. Stay there until the shaking stops (away from buildings, power lines, trees, streetlights).

If you are in a vehicle, pull over to a clear location and stop. Avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines if possible. Stay inside with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Then, drive carefully, avoiding bridges and ramps that may have been damaged.

If a power line falls on your vehicle, do not get out. Wait for assistance.

If you are in a mountainous area or near unstable slopes or cliffs, be alert for falling rocks and other debris. Landslides are often triggered by earthquakes.

Source:http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.53fabf6cc033f17a2b1ecfbf43181aa0/?vgnextoid=6f461c99b5ccb110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&currPage=13cbb969ae282210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

Morne Sion,s Youth Moving Up

Sanderson, a youth in the Morne Sion community operates a newly built barber shop. He said after giving it much thought and really thinking of getting work and seeing the need for this type of business he decided to proceed.

For starters,the shop is ideal for the area - very cosy and well decorated to attract the customer.
The shop is situated near M&C's refreshment house in "Daytoo Canarwee". His business hours are 8:00am to 10:00pm daily except Sundays.
This young man says he is very competent and asks the general public to visit his place.

We wish him all the best in his endeavour.

Youth Leaders Visit The Elderly

The Choiseul Secondary School RBTT Young Leaders are a dynamic group.  Inspired by their coordinator Ms. Descartes, this year they are really on the move.

 On Wednesday March 3, 2010 the group took a trip to visit the elderly at the Mongouge Adult Day Care Centre. This Centre  was constructed in 2002 and attends to at least twenty-five persons.

Upon arrival at the centre one could sense a feeling of harmony among the elderlys as they sat in a small group discussing their past time history with each other. A member of the group greeted the senior citizens and informed them about the purpose of the group's visit. The Parish priest offered prayers and a short sermon based primarily on the importance to do good deeds as you will be greatly be rewarded in the future. He took time to caution the young leaders that people will "blah blah" about their good deeds but when the "blah blah" is gone the good deeds still remain, so keep doing the good deeds.
The young leaders after helping in serving the seniors with  snack, spent quite some time with them during which they provided much entertainment - singing, dancing, playing board games etc.

The senior citizens feeling very relaxed provided much information to these young leaders as they were engaged in  a one-on-one conversations.

One of the senior citizens, Ide Monrose ironically was celebrating her 86th birthday on this very day. The young leaders sang her the happy birthday song and showered her with praise on her longevity.
Just before parting with the senior citizens Zara Bernard, on behalf of the Young Leaders presented the Director of the centre  with a monetary contribution towards the senior citizens and centre.
In return the senior citizens presented tokens of appreciation to the four teachers who accompanied the group on this visit. Among them was Ms. Jennifer Eugene, who is also the president of the Club 60.

Bousquet Urges Choiseul Youth

 The Rep. is putting his full support behind the initiative to assist youths in the country. He urges Choiseul youths to take advantage of this oppurtunity. Bousquet said he is very aware of the number of students who have qualifications in the business field and he would be very pleased if those students would find more details about this deal offer by the St. Lucia Development Bank. The bank can be contacted at tel.# 456-4807, E-mail  address at
mybank@sldb.lc  or the website at  www.sldb.lc for more details.

  Last Wednesday  saw the launching of this novel youth entrepreneurship programme by the Saint Lucia Development Bank.

The launch was part of activities to mark the Bank’s first anniversary since its re-establishment. According to Shakka St. Ange, the Equity Fund will be one with a difference, offering young aspiring business owners equity financing to help them create employment for themselves and others.

"Young persons with the proper business and technical training who want to set up a business, can come to the bank to try to secure financing for that particular project. Now instead of offering loan financin which has repayment terms, we're going to offer shares. The equity fund which is actually being promoted by the Saint Lucia Development Bank ill actually purchase shares in the business. Those young persons have to be between the ages of 18 and 35 and have to have proper business and technical training, and basically that is the structure of the fund."

The launch took place at the National Cultural Centre Friday past.

 CHOISEUL YOUTHS, GO FOR IT!!!!!