Happiness is....realizing Dominica is remarkable in countless ways.
They say a negative mind can only reap negative results. With all the troubling news overwhelming the world nowadays - from civil wars to terrorist acts to race-based murders to gender oppression to child abuse to animal cruelty - we the Panel must take a few moments to praise the GOOD that unfolds right here in the Nature Isle. Enjoy the good news from the past few weeks!
- Miss Dominica 2015 Miss Odessa Elie continues to make Dominica proud!
Our talented sweetheart made good of her trip to Antigua and, on Sunday, July 26, captured the 2nd runner-up prize at the 54th annual Jaycees Queen Pageant. The Best Interview award under her belt, Miss Elie must be one of the "gems beyond compare" our national anthem speaks of so highly. Congratulations to her!
And let's wish her the best as she moves on to Nevis this weekend for the Miss Caribbean Culture Pageant. Isn't it comforting to have beauty, grace, AND brains representing us? I love it. Read more at DA Vibes here.
The stunning Miss Elie at right. - 767 Girls Rock!
As if we didn't know! But thank you, thank you. Founder of the movement (and underrated heroine) Jael Joseph dubbed four of our nominated ladies with fierce, slaying awards as follows:
Dare to Care: Princess Margaret Hospital physician Dr. Gilda Nesty
Jill of All Trades: Ministry of Public Works civil engineer Jodie Dublin Dangleben
This Girl is Loyal: LIME Corporate Communications Manager Ferdina Frampton
The Boss Extraordinaire: Tropical Shipping Dominica General Manager Tamara Lowe
The message is pretty clear: ladies, do not underestimate yourselves! You can do whatever you put your minds to, with passion and hard work. Read more at DA Vibes here.
#767GirlsRock! L to R: Frampton, Lowe, Joseph, Dangleben, Nesty. - LA Special Olympics is putty in Dominicans' hands!
If Friday, July 21st was any indication, Dominica is sweeping the floor with the competition at the biennial Special Olympics World Summer Games, this year being held in Los Angeles, USA. Our representatives are "Crispine Dailey, Micheal Detouche, Claudius Shipley and Stephanie Laronde competing in track and field and Adrina Aaron, competing in Bocce." (DNO) So far, they've secured three medals - Shipley and Laronde with gold in the 200m and 50m races, respectively, and Aaron with a bronze in Bocce.
"In the 2010 Special Olympics Caribbean Games, held in Jamaica," says DNO, "seven athletes represented Dominica and all seven returned home with various medals including gold, silver or bronze medals." I have a strong feeling this year and this event will be no different. 'Is a habit we have'. Read more at DNO here.
All we do is win! L to R: Olympic medalists Aaron, Shipley, Laronde. - Bellevue Rawle Grotto Home gets a makeover!
Volunteers from the USNS Comfort, a USA Navy Hospital ship, got their hands dirty on Saturday, August 1, and painted the Community Hostels Inc.'s (CHI) new building, expected to house an estimated 40 people. And that's not all the sailors have done. The crew, led by Religious Specialist First Class Jonathan Coreson, has also read and presented to children at the Roseau Public Library, speaking about various aspects of healthy living.
Their third and final project on island is the painting of the CHANCES facility for children at risk, located in Jimmit. Read more about the Navy's mission here and more from DNO here.
USNS crew members brighten up the CHI's exterior. - Kerdisha St. Louis shatters hair shaming in 'Natural Hair Movement' article!
Let's face it: dark-skinned face discrimination from every direction, including inward, and the praise that light-skinned girls often get because their hair is considered "better" can sometimes feel like adding insult to injury. In her DA Vibes write-up, however, Miss St. Louis breaks down the slavery roots of Euro-centric standards of beauty that power this nasty phenomenon and she drives those roots right back beneath the ground where they belong.
Of the growing trend among our women to wear their hair natural, she says, "The consciousness that Dominican women have for their hair now is not only a fashion trend but a genuine love of self that begins with their hair." We all are beautifully made, Miss St. Louis's article assures us, regardless of our complexion. Be proud of your unique features! And do patronize the many "naturalista" hair products created and sold on island!
ALL black hair is a beautiful crown on the head of a queen! - Association K'nawa builds Kalinago canoe ' Kubulika 2'!
A gommier tree from the depths of Syndicate has had the honour of being transformed into a traditional kanawa by expert naval carpenters of our Kalinago community. The Association's 50-strong envoy from Guadeloupe banded with Dominicans at an official launching ceremony on Saturday, July 25, at the Community Tourism Facility near Indian River in Portsmouth.
The celebrations included addresses from various local Ministers, a blessing by the Karina Cultural Group, and performances by the Heartbeat Band of Portsmouth and Mas Ka Kle of Guadeloupe. Read more at DNO here.
The illustrious Kubulika 2. - Biologists confirm historic sighting of rare seabird in Dominica!
The non-profit organization Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, has spotted the black-capped petrel - also known as 968 Diablotin - in the heights of the Dominican rainforests and will report their findings at the imminent BirdsCaribbean International Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica.
Dominica's protected forest reserves have provided a safe haven for the petrels to breed, something it does only briefly during the year. With 968 Diablotin's total numbers in the low thousands, the sightings provide hope that our verdure can help ensure the continuation of this rare species, believed until now to only nest in Hispaniola. The Division of Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks will work closely with EPIC biologists in early 2016 on breeding ground expeditions, when they anticipate the petrels will next return. Read more from DA Vibes here.
The black-capped petrel, AKA 968 Diablotin. - Talented Dominican youths rake in the goods at regional competition!
During the week of July 12, a few gifted Dominicans furthered the exceptional reputation of our country at the Music, Model & Talent Showcase of the Islands, a huge conference held at the Melia Nassau Beach Resort, Bahamas. Shivaughn Johnson won 3rd place in Monologue and 2nd place prizes in Beauty Spokesmodel and Commercial Print for her modeling abilities, while Janae Jackson and Carsim Birmingham came in 3rd and 2nd respectively with their solo singing performances.
The Island MMTS strives "to provide a safe, professional event for talent training, mentorship and advancement into international markets for Caribbean entertainers, models and actors." I know a local model or two who could really shine at such an event - cough, Carlyn Valmond, cough, Tallia Celestine - ahem, excuse me. Read more at DA Vibes here.
Dominica wins more prestige, thanks to gifted young people, at the Island MMTS. - U-21 volleyballers kick some serious shutyomouth at Junior Championships!
The Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA), a sub-zone of the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA), is hosting its Junior Championships and, apparently, only two months of training is enough to turn the raw talent of Dominica's young men into a lean, mean volleyball machine.
En route to grabbing 4th place overall, the U-21 team first pummeled Anguillan and Grenadian contenders with 3-0 and 2-1 victories, respectively, before losing in straight sets to familiar St. Lucian nemeses in the semis. With the bronze medal then on the line, our beginner's luck finally ran out as the boys were knocked out by the St. Maarten team. Coach Robinson appears optimistic that more training and improved facilities will seal the deal for us in the future. S/O to Arden Elmes and Faywani Foye! Read more at DNO here.
Dominica's U-21 boy's volleyball team. Top: L to R - Ray Robinson (coach), Faywani Foye, Darnel Pollock, Marcus Cornelius, Arden Elmes, Lesroy King, Kede Edmund, Jeffrey Edmund (trainer/asst coach). Bottom: L to R - Tamir Lawrence (captain), Wayne James, Caron James, Akeem James. (DNO) - Bending it like Beckham in business attire!
The story behind this one couldn't possibly be more exciting than these two photos....it's just amazing to see that heels and dress pants don't stop us from blasting footballs like it's nothing at all. Hon. Austrie looks like he's definitely done this before. Go Team Dominica!
Goooooooooaaaaaaaaaallllllll!!!
So there you have it, guys: there's no shortage of "le good stuff" here in Dominica. We're not the 4th happiest place on earth for no reason! You just have to know where to look. ;)
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