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News from DEMA
The Bonaire E-News' intrepid editors (us, in case that's not obvious) are attending the annual Dive Equipment Marketing Association (DEMA)
dive conference and exhibition in New Orleans this week and have a few Bonaire related tid-bits to share.
First, the Tourism Corporation of Bonaire has announced the dates for the 3rd Annual Dive Festival, now firmly set for November 6 - 13, 1999. As in the previous two years, the Dive Festival will be sponsored
by CORAL, REEF, and Rodale's Scuba Diving, and will be kicked off by the second annual Taste of Bonaire food sampling event at Wilhelmina Park. The week of the dive festival will feature presentations and workshops
led by prominent underwater naturalists, photographers, and divers, and will also be open for participation by the local populace. Dive Festival packages for visitors are available from Captain Don's Habitat,
Harbour Village Beach Resort, and Sand Dollar Condominium Resort. As more details become available we'll create a Web page at the InfoBonaire Web site to give you all the information.
At DEMA, Bonaire and its resorts and dive operators participated with exhibits in the Dutch Caribbean section of the show floor, sharing space with Aruba and Curacao. Bonaire companies represented included Sand
Dollar, Harbour Village, Bon Bini Divers, the all-new Caribbean Court, Buddy Dive, Plaza Resorts, Lion's Dive, and Habitat Dive Resorts (the latter three had booths which featured both their Bonaire and Curacao
properties), as well as a booth for the Tourism Corporation of Bonaire (TCB). TCB also sponsored a seminar entitled "Destination Bonaire" for dive travel oriented companies and dive shops who do group
trips, as well as a press conference to announce the Dive Festival and 500 year celebration.
Carnival is Coming!
Carnival Season began last Friday with music and an appearance by the Magic Sound and Barbados band Krosfyah ("Crossfire"
in written English) at the stadium. Some highlights from the up coming schedule include: - 23 January - Election of Youth Queen
- 23-28 January - Tumba Festival
- 5 February - Election of Carnival Queen
- 6-7 February - Children's Parades
- 13-14 February - Grand Carnival Parades
- 16 February - Farewell Parade
(Courtesy of Port Call)
Tax Confusion
Confusion over the ABB (sales) tax repeal reigns. The Antillian Parliament says they haven't taken a final vote on the issue, but the Central
Government (executive branch) has declared the tax repealed. As a result, the Island Ontvanger (Revenue Collector) is saying businesses should continue to charge the taxes while the ABB Tax Office says the tax is
repealed, and not to charge.
The instructions by Prime Minister Suzy Camelia-Römer and Finance Minister Frank Mingo to stop applying the sales tax were illegal acts in the minds of former Prime Minister Miguel Pourier and MAN party leader Don
Martina.
However, Attorney General Frits Goedgedrag (the former Lt. Governor of Bonaire) cleared the ministers. "He may see no reason to prosecute them, but they still broke the law," Martina said. Nevertheless the
ABB tax is repealed unless Parliament votes to reinstate it. Along with it come income tax reforms allowing mortgage, insurance premiums and maintenance costs as tax deductible as well as other changes.
(Courtesy of Port Call)
UFO No More?
The UFO spotted on New Year's Eve may be a UFO no more. A reader of the local Dutch newspaper, Amigoe, by the name Erwin van Ballegoij made
contact with the IMO (International Meteor Organization) and was told that the UFO was most likely a satellite, Cosmos 2335, falling from the skies in a decayed orbit. That could explain the bright white light at
the end of the object. In a search of the Internet we uncovered that Cosmos 2335 was predicted by various authorities, including NASA to enter the atmosphere for its final plunge in the last week of December or
possibly very early January. The Cosmos 2335 was launched on November 11, 1996 by the Russians for observation of the oceans of the world. Mr. Ballegoij would be interested in getting photos or videos from that
night. (Thanks go to Brigitte from the Beefeater Restaurant and Coco Palm Garden for this information.)
Bonaire Twin Cinema News & Features - January 14 - 20, 1999
Bonaire Twin Cinema is located in the heart of Kralendijk next to the Exito Bakery and behind the Cultimara Supermarket. Starting Thursday, January 14, Bonaire Twin Cinema will be offering the following film features
(NaFl.10.- for all normal features):
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The Siege - New this week!
- Matinees Sat. & Sun. at 2:00pm and 4:30pm
- Nightly at 7:00pm and 9:30pm
- Late shows Fri. & Sat. at Midnight
Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington star in this riveting tale about a fight against extreme terrorism. See http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/guide/the_siege.html for details.
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The Mighty
- Matinee Sat. & Sun. at 4:15pm
- Nightly at 8:30pm
- Late Shows Fri. & Sat. at 12:30am
An unlikely bond forms between two young boys who have vivid imaginations and worlds to conquer. Kevin is an intellectual giant trapped in the a small fragile body, while Maxwell is a good hearted oversized kid who
is slower than Kevin and also lacks courage. (Rated PG-13, Drama Adventure, 107 min.) For details, see: http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Movies_and_Film/Titles/Drama/Mighty__T
he/
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Antz!
- Matinees Sat. & Sun. at 2:15pm
- Nightly at 6:30pm
Z-4195 is a rather unhappy ant because he feels meaningless and insignificant. He wants to be able to make a difference and stand out. An encounter with an ant princess gives him the change. Rendered entirely in
stunning 3D computer graphics, and featuring the voices of Woody Allen, Gene Hackman, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Lopez, and Christopher Walken.
(Rated PG, Animation, 82 minutes) For details see: http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Movies/Antz/ (InfoBonaire's Editors give this
movie a 4 stars out of a possible four for excellent entertainment for families - adults will get a kick out of the more sophisticated humor and dry wit (courtesy of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, and Gene Hackman)
which kids won't understand but not be slighted, while at the same time enjoying the fantastic 3D animation.)
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Another Movie Marathon...
...arrives January 16th. 12 hours of action movies for NAFl. 35,- Admission included six (6)! movies, a sandwich and coffee or tea. Call 2400
for details.
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The Bonaire Twin Cinema also offers a Dinner and a Movie special in conjunction with and DeTuin Eetcafe. Nafl. 35.- gets you dinner, beer or soda, popcorn, and a ticket to a movie.
The Bonaire Twin Cinema Box Office opens nightly at 6:00pm, and no reservations are required. Tickets are only available at the box office. Questions about the movies? Call Bonaire Twin Cinema at 2400 (Noon to
closing everyday), FAX: 8010, or send an e-mail to mailto:TwinCinema@InfoBonaire.com (please include your phone or FAX number).
Web Site of the Week
Each week, we'll list the addresses of new Bonaire Web sites that we come across.
Our Web site of the week is:
ABC Yachting - http://www.abc-yachting.com
If you have a new Bonaire-related Web site and want to make sure people know about it, send a message to mailto:news@infobonaire.com with the details.
Quick Takes
- U.S. Postage. Bonaire E-News reader Peggy Bowen (thanks!) reminded us to remind our other readers that U.S. postage costs have
increased this past weekend from 32 cents for a first class, one-ounce letter, by a penny to 33 cents. Costs for larger packages have decreased somewhat. This is important for the many people on Bonaire that choose
to save quite a bit of money and time (compared to Bonaire's postal service) when mailing things to U.S. addresses by having friends carry their mail back to the U.S. to mail it from there. For details, see http://www.uspo.gov .
- B&W Film. For years we've been hearing people bemoan the fact that it's near to impossible to develop traditional Black & White negative film and get prints on Bonaire. However, this just
isn't so. The Kodalux shop in the Harborside mall in Kralendijk can develop B&W negative film and make prints on B&W paper via their handy-dandy film processing machines. They use T-MAX developer for those
interested in the specifics. The cost is NAfl. 12.95 for developing the film, and Nafl 1.85 per automated print.
- Mola Mola Caught. Extra! reports that a local fisherman caught a strange fish earlier this week and contacted us for assistance in identifying it. Turns out that what was caught was a "mola
mola" also known as an Ocean Sunfish. This one was quite small, measuring about a meter in size - they can grow to four meters in length and 1500 kilograms in weight. They are quite slow swimmers, and stay near
the surface, and are almost exclusively found out in open, deep water so they can sustain themselves on their diet of jellyfish, salps, and ctenophores. They are _very_ unusual looking fish. See the following Web
sites for some excellent photos of mola molas:
http://www.earthwindow.com/mola.html
http://www.oceanlight.com/html/mola.html
- Internet Course. NetTech's Internet expert, Jake Richter, in conjunction with BonaireLive, will be conducting an Internet Workshop on Saturday, January 30th, in the BonaireLive/Tjin N.V. computer
class room in downtown Kralendijk. The workshop is targeted at new and intermediate Internet users interested in getting a good handle on the Internet. The course, which will be taught entirely in English (the
language of the Internet and of Jake), will run from 9am until 4pm, and will include lunch (catered by the Sandwich Factory) and two text books for a fee of US$150. Topics covered in the workshop will include an
overview of what the Internet is and how it works; configuring and using e-mail, newgroups, and the Web for maximum benefit; getting the results you want from search engines on the Web; and how to effectively
communicate and market yourself via the Internet. The workshop will be hands-on oriented and quite interactive. Space is limited.
Call BonaireLive at 5180 to reserve a seat or send a message to mailto:tjin@bonairelive.com .
- Become a Dive Instructor. Bonaire's Pam Teitel, owner of Professional Motivations N.V., and a great PADI Course Director (this is speaking from personal experience) has announced that she will be
teaching a PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) in Curacao starting on February 17, 1999. See http://www.infobonaire.com/pmti for details.
- Contractor Victims. If any of our readers have recently (in the last several months) had dealings with a Theo Clappers (he also does business under the name Thetronics N.V.) which have left you
holding the bag and him the money, please drop us a note with details at mailto:ClappersMatter@infobonaire.com . This information may be used to aid an official investigation.
Classifieds
Lots of things for sale, and some things being sought (please note that we do not warrant the accuracy or validity of the
products/services/etc. being presented here):
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For Sale:
MOTORCYCLE & BICYCLE & PHONE/FAX/ANSWERING MACHINE Suzuki 550 motorbike for NAfl 3500. Raleigh off and on road bicycle for NAfl. 400 Telephone/fax/answer machine for NAfl. 400 Call 2050 for details.
BOOKS: Sea Change, personally autographed by author Dr. Sylvia Earle, NAFl.25,- or US$14. Profits go to benefit the Bonaire Marine Park. Call Jake at 6773, mailto: jake@nettechnv.com .
RANGE ROVER STATION WAGON
Classic '76 4x4 - only one of its kind on Bonaire Mint condition with parts and qualified maintenance available locally.
Only NAFl. 12,000. Call 7223 or e-mail mailto: intertech@bonairelive.com
TOYOTA TERCEL
"Classic" car. Cream puff condition, 65,000 miles. Asking Nafl. 5000. Call 2447
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
New freezers (several sizes available)
17 kw Lister Diesel Generator (mint)
Slicing machine
Vacuum pack machine
Clothes dryer
Reel of coaxial cable
Maple wood bed frames - twin size
"Harvard" mattress frames
And more....all priced to sell
Call 2447
CELLPHONE
Motorola Ultra Lite MicroTAC Cellphone with Vibra Call, Enhanced Features include battery, Intellicharger, leather case, Already programmed for Bonaire and USA. Cost in Curaçao over Nafl. 2000. Reduced!
Asking Nafl.600. Call George 8988 or mailto: portcall@infobonaire.com
COMPUTER HARDWARE
Used 2GB External SCSI Hard Disk - 3 years old - Nafl. 500 or best offer Used (5 months) 32MB DIMM - Nafl. 75
Call 6773 or mailto: jake@nettech.an
HELP WANTED
Accounting office "Bonaire Pro" is looking for an accounting assistant.
Must have experience working in accounting. Please respond to mailto: bonairepro@bonairelive.com or call 8143.
GARAGE SALE
Sunfish sailboat - Nafl. 900
Computer keyboard - Nafl. 50
Cellular Phone - Nafl. 200
Canon Video Camcorder with Underwater Housing - Nafl. 1500
Four (4) Kitchen Chairs - Nafl. 100 for all
Dot Matrix Printer - Nafl. 150
Minolta x-700 35mm camera with flash, 5 lenses, auto-winder, bag - Nafl. 1800
Call Susan at 5425 between 8:00am and 5:00pm, or 2848 from 6:00pm until 9:00pm
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Want to Buy:
STUFF FOR APARTMENT
- Second Hand (small) refrigerator with freezer section * Furniture for a small living room
* Bed (mattress size 1.90m x 1.40m)
* A carpenter :-) who can make me a bed and a desk/cubboard
Contact tel./fax 5095 or e-mail mailto: titus71@hotmail.com
USED NOTEBOOK COMPUTER:
Looking to spend not more than Nafl. 1500. Send details to mailto: classifieds@infobonaire.com .
USED COMPUTER MONITOR:
15" or 17", color, PC compatible. Contact mailto: tcbproduct@bonairelive.com
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