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Happy Easter!
We'd like to wish all of our readers a peaceful and happy Easter holiday, and remind them that virtually all Bonairean businesses will be
closed on Good Friday, April 2nd, Easter Sunday, April 4th, and Easter Monday, April 5th. A few other items of interest:
Cultimara will be closed all of the above days, but will have regular hours, 8AM to 8PM on Saturday, April 3rd - expect it to be a mob scene on Thursday and Saturday
Washington Slagbaai National Park will be open non-stop from Thursday April 1st through Friday April 2nd as it has in previous years, but will be closed on Sunday, April 4th.
On Sunday, April 4th in the afternoon, there will be a Simadan Parade in Nikiboko, finishing at the museum, to celebrate the harvest season. The parade will feature music, dancing, harvest puppets, scarecrows
"belvas" (Courtesy of Bonaire Update)
Also on Sunday April 4th, there will be an Easter Wave Challenge at Lac Bai, featuring windsurfers, sunfish, and fishing boats. Starts at 11AM, call 2288 for more details (Courtesy of Bonaire Update). At 2PM also at
Lac Bai, keep an eye out for Aruban comedian, Vale Croes, who should be arriving after a long swim from his native Aruba (contact TCB at 8322 for information).
On April 5th, there's a 5km run starting at the soccer stadium at 7:30AM, and Simadan Di Pastorie in the afternoon in Rincon.
Melissa & Papa Viruses
One of our biggest news items isn't specific to just Bonaire, but with the world wide communications Bonaire now enjoys we can
expect more of this to come. E-mail communicators beware. The recent introduction of a particularly nasty computer virus called Melissa has many companies and even some cities around the world in an e-mail deadlock.
You are at risk if you use Microsoft Word 97 or Word 2000 as your word processor and if you use Microsoft Outlook for e-mail (this virus does not affect Outlook Express users directly). We at the Bonaire E-News
received our very own copy of the Melissa virus from a trusted friend in the U.S. just last Friday, the same day Melissa infected many e-mail systems around the world. As a result of being infected with the virus,
our friend's Outlook software had unbeknownst to her e-mailed the virus to the first 50 people in her e-mail address book. Within 15 minutes, we received a second message from her telling us about the suspect virus.
We thankfully do not use the critical combination of Word 97 and Outlook so we were spared this time.
We spent a good deal of time in the last few days tracking down anti-virus software to remove files from our computers, just in case, and we recommend our readers do the same. We bought an electronic version of
Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 5.0 on Saturday (it's a 14.4MB download - takes a while) and it successfully tracked down and removed the Melissa virus from the infected DOC file. While we think the software is good,
Symantec's policies on the reinstallability of their electronically purchased software are ridiculous if you don't happen to live in the U.S. Their Web site is at http://www.symantec.com. Other virus protection
software options include McAfee VirusScan - http://www.mcafee.com , Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus - http://www.drsolomon.com/ . For a review of anti-virus software, see http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/utilities98/antivirus/intro.html
How Melissa (also being called "Mailissa") works: When someone opens a document infected with the Melissa macro virus in Word 97 or Word 2000, the virus sends an e-mail with an attached infected Word
document to the first 50 entries in the system's Microsoft Outlook address book. The e-mail will appear to have originated with owner of the system - in other words, someone you know - and may or may not have the
subject line "Important Message from...".
The body of the message says "Here is the document that you asked for - don't show anyone else ;-)". The initial document sent out this way was a list of pornographic Web sites with alleged passwords to get
into them. If you open the document in Word 97 or Word 2000, it will run the Melissa macro virus which then sends the virus out to the first 50 people in your Outlook address book and the whole cycle repeats at an
exponential rate.
Note that it's also possible to pass an infect DOC file along via floppy or via network - it doesn't have to be e-mailed. This means that even if your system is not at risk because you don't use Outlook for your
e-mail, you could still pass the virus to someone else who might be vulnerable.
The only way to avoid running the Melissa macro virus is not to open the document. Which brings us to the most critical preventative measure - do not open any attachments of any kind from anyone unless you know
exactly what the attachment is.
This huge explosion of e-mail transmission caused by the Melissa virus last Friday and over the weekend overloaded servers and slowed Internet use to a crawl. Some cities, like Seattle, Washington in the U.S., were
forced to shut down over 30,000 computers used in the running of the city to clean out this virus.
Even if you only use Microsoft Outlook as your backup e-mail software, if it is set up to send e-mail the messages will get sent. And the default template for all new Word files will become infected by the virus so
that all future documents you write will also potentially contain the virus.
Not to be outdone, other computer hackers have tried to do one better and created another similar virus called Papa. The Papa virus sends a Microsoft Excel file as an attachment and in a similar manner causes a macro
to be run if the file is opened. This virus sends out 60 messages the first time and will send out another 60 each time the virus is activated. More variants of the Melissa virus are expected.
So remember - you can't get a computer virus from simply reading an e-mail message, but whatever you do - don't open or run any attached files unless you are absolutely sure what they are. And invest a little money
in a good anti-virus software package and use it on a regular basis. Some of the packages can be setup to run at set times so you don't have to remember to do so yourself. Note that shareware versions of anti-virus
software work best against older viruses and are not updated quickly as new viruses are discovered, so chances are you will have to spend a little bit of money (on the order of $30-60) to get a full version, but
most of these packages come with a fixed period or lifetime of free updates, so it's a good investment in these virus laden times.
For more information on the Melissa virus, see http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/melissavirus.html
Underwater Weekend: Clean-Up & Egg Hunting
This Saturday, April 3rd, Green Submarine and NetTech are co-sponsoring the monthly Underwater Clean-Up.
Meeting time is 10AM at Green Submarine Dive Center located at Kaya Playa Lechi 24, and will be followed by a potluck BBQ. Free tanks will be provided for participating divers. Call Eric at 2929 or mailto:dive@greensubmarine.com , or Jake at 6773, mailto:jake@nettechnv.com to RSVP.
And on Easter Sunday, April 4th, Dive Inn is sponsoring the "Egg-celent Dive". The Easter diveBunny has lost many eggs on Dive Inn's house reef and divers are needed to help locate them! Check-in time is
9am and prospective egg-hunting divers are advised to bring their C-cards and underwater collection bags. There will be a briefing at 9:30am, with the dive starting at 10am. Divers needing tanks, air, and weights
can get them for a special package price of NAFl 17.50 or US$10. Divers bringing their own tanks and weights will be charged a nominal NAFl 10, which includes a free air fill as part of the dive. Call 8761 or mailto:diveinn@bonairenet.com for more details. (We at the Bonaire E-News think the Easter Bunny hopped out on the now missing Playa Chachacha pier (soon to be rebuilt
anew) without looking first and must have taken a header straight into the ocean which would explain how he lost all his eggs.)
Turtle Club Reports More Turtle Poaching
On the heels of the discovery of a butchered turtle several weeks ago (see http://www.BonaireENews.com/html/feb99stack_0.html ), the Sea Turtle Club Bonaire (STCB) has received two alarming reports of sea turtles being taken. One of the turtles was brought ashore at the Harbour Village Marina where it was seen being put into a car and covered. A Bonairean fishing boat was involved in this incident.
Another witness saw a sea turtle trapped in fishing nets near the coast at Washington Slagbaai Park. It is not known if the turtle was brought ashore. In this incident a Curaçaoan boat which often comes to Bonaire to
fish was involved.
The STCB has relayed all the information to the authorities involved, such as the Bonaire Marine Park, STINAPA, the harbormaster and the Department of Nature and Conservation. According to STCB, BMP manager Kalli de
Meyer will determine if the evidence is sufficient to substantiate an indictment with the D.A. It is almost certain that the marina case will be prosecuted as there is apparently enough evidence to support the claim.
For years the sea turtles have been protected by law, and penalties can include a fine as high as NAFl. 5000 and/or a month in jail.
Coincident to the above reports, the remains of two Sea Turtles have been found near the Maricultura buildings near Lac Bai. Volunteers of the STCB have identified one as being a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).
The species of the other turtle has not yet been determined. It is assumed that the Green Sea Turtle died of fibropapillomatosis, a disease which in its later stages, takes the form of tumors around the eyes, in the
neck, and on the flippers of sea turtles.
It has recently been determined that the disease is actually a form of herpes, and that such diseases can be transmitted to other animals, including humans. All reported cases of the disease so far have
involved green sea turtles. The STCB is monitoring Bonaire's east coast with heightened intensity to try to map the spread of this dangerous disease. For more information, or to report turtles in distress please
contact the Bonaire Marine Park at 8444, FAX: 7318, or the STCB at 5074.
Contest - Things You Never Hear On Bonaire - Continues
As mentioned in last week's issue, the Bonaire E-News is sponsoring a contest to come up with a
humorous list of things you'd never hear on Bonaire, and we've already received dozens of entries, but we want more! You may enter as many times as you want, but the originator of the first entry of a given phrase
or item (or a similar variant) takes precedence. Each person whose entry gets published by the E-News in May will win recognition (their name in electronic print) and a prize (we're not sure what we're giving out
yet, but it will be in the vicinity of cool t-shirts or gift certificates for a movie or meal on Bonaire). If we feel a grand prize is in order for a particular entry, we'll come up with one. The contest runs
through the end of April, 1999, and the winning list will be published in one of the early May 1999 editions of the Bonaire E-News.
Here are a couple of the items we've come up with so far for the "Things You Won't Hear on Bonaire" list:
- Hmmm, looks like it might snow today
- Is there any coral to see in the water?
- The McDonald's is over there
Now it's your turn... Send your entries to mailto:Contest@BonaireENews.com
(NOTE: If any Bonairean-related businesses are interested in sponsoring this contest in exchange for free publicity to nearly 1000 readers weekly, please drop us a note at mailto:ContestSponsorship@BonaireENews.com )
Bonaire Twin Cinema News & Features - April 1 - 7, 1999
Bonaire Twin Cinema is located in the heart of Kralendijk next to the Exito Bakery and behind
the Cultimara Supermarket. Starting Thursday, April 1, Bonaire Twin Cinema will be offering the following film features (NaFl. 10.- for all normal features, special pricing for matinees on weekends):
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Enemy of the State - New this week!
- Matinees Sat. & Sun. at 2:00pm and 4:45pm
- Nightly at 7:30pm and 10:15pm
Will Smith stars as a bright young lawyer who gets framed for murder by a corrupt intelligence officer. He must reclaim his life and prove his innocence in this action packed thriller. (Rated R, Action Thriller, 132
minutes) For more details see http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Movies/Enemy_Of_The_State/
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Stepmom - New this week!
- Matinees Sat. & Sun. at 2:15pm and 4:45pm
- Nightly at 7:15pm
Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts star as the ideal mother and the learning stepmom struggling to find common ground for the sake of their children. (Drama, Rated PG-13, 124 minutes) For more details see http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Movies/Stepmom/
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I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
- Nightly at 9:45pm
- Late Shows Fri. & Sat. at Midnight!
In the sequel to the popular "I Know What You Did Last Summer", Jennifer Love Hewitt returns as the attractive but haunted student star, this time accompanying her college roommate, played by Brandy, on a
trip to a posh Bahamian resort won in a radio contest. On the island, the vacation becomes a nightmare and Hewitt's character becomes the victim of a murderous stalker, once again. (Rated R, Thriller, 108 minutes)
For more details, see http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Movies/I_Still_Know_What_You_Di d_Last_Summer/
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Dinner & A Movie
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:
Coco Palm Garden - http://www.CocoPalmGarden.com
(Be sure to check out their new on-line Guest Book)
If you have a new Bonaire-related Web site and want to make sure people know about it, send a message to mailto:news@BonaireENews.com with the details.
Quick Takes
- Habitat Newsletter. Capt. Don's Habitat is now offering a free monthly newsletter to past, present, and future guests. The newsletter, currently known as "The Newsletter Currently Known as Captain Don's Habitat News" is also looking for a name, and Habitat is sponsoring a contest to find that name. Ideally it should be something short, catchy, and relevant. Details on the newsletter and information on how to subscribe can be found at http://www.HabitatDiveResorts.com/BonaireNews.html and http://www.HabitatDiveResorts.com/BonaireAddList.html , respectively.
- Mangerie de la Mer. We joked in our April Fool's issue of the Bonaire E-News about the restaurant Mangerie de la Mer closing and being replaced by a McDonald's. That's not completely true. What is true is
that on Wednesday, March 31st, Mangerie de la Mer closed its doors permanently, as Ed and Joep, the owners, have sold their business to a new owner. The new owners are coming on island in a couple of weeks and will
then proceed to remodel the building before reopening as a new restaurant, hopefully sometime later this summer.
- Daylight Savings Time. This Sunday, April 4th, Daylight Savings Time hits North America, which means that at 1:00am Sunday, the time will instantly become 2:00am across most of North America. Daylight
savings time was made law several decades ago in the U.S. to increase the number of working hours of daylight, and traditionally comes into play on the first Sunday of April and goes out on the last Sunday of
October, which is where the seasonally inspired memory mnemonic "Spring ahead, Fall back" comes from. We don't observe Daylight Savings Time here on Bonaire because we are close to the equator, and the
amount of day light we experience during the normal work day doesn't vary by more than an hour over the course of a full year. However, the change in time in the U.S. will mean that we will share the same time with
the U.S.'s east coast, and can now watch programs on cable TV and satellite at the same time as the easternmost third of the U.S., and we don't have to worry about calling someone at 8am in the morning, only to
discover that they are still sleeping because it's 7am their time.
- Martinair. This coming Tuesday, April 6th, marks the first arrival of Martinair's new weekly charter service to Bonaire from Amsterdam. The flight is scheduled to arrive at Flamingo International Airport at
5:45pm, and a celebration to welcome this inaugural flight is planned.
- Missing Kitty. DeTuin Eetcafe, located across the street from Exito and the Bonaire Art Gallery, recently adopted a small calico kitten as their "guard cat". Named Piggelmee, the kitten was a
delight to observe and play with, but on Saturday, March 20th, Piggelmee apparently wandered off and disappeared. Anyone with any information as to the location of Piggelmee should contact Helmi at 2999 or mailto:detuin@infobonaire.com . A photo of the missing feline can be found at http://www.BonaireENews.com/piggelmee.jpg . A reward of a scrumptious meal is offered to the person who returns the kitty.
- Air Jamaica. While not yet 100% confirmed, it is appearing more likely that Bonaire will finally see the first arrival of an Air Jamaica flight on Saturday, June 19th, during mid-afternoon. The plane is
supposed to be an Airbus 320 with 187 seats of capacity, flying roundtrip from Montego Bay, where it will meet connections to and from major U.S. cities. Pretty much all of the larger tour U.S. operators offering
Bonaire as a destination are planning on offering Air Jamaica-based itineraries as part of their packages. We will provide more information once it becomes available.
- Art Exhibit. Starting on April 9th, the Bonaire Art Gallery will feature an exhibit of Renate v.d. Bijl's works, entitled "The Grace of Island Life".
- Books for Organizations. NetTech N.V., which provide Web site hosting and design on Bonaire, also sells computer and Internet books on a request basis (i.e. it doesn't stock any books for sale). Taking
advantage of its on-going relationship with book distributors in the U.S., NetTech would like to offer Bonaire's non-profit organizations the ability to order U.S.-published books for their efforts on Bonaire, at
reduced prices - usually 20-30% below U.S. retail price. This low rate would already include all shipping costs. This offer, in addition to Internet and computer related books, applies to any educational materials,
as well as works of fiction and non-fiction. Any non-profit organization that requires such books should contact Jake at 6773 or mailto:jake@nettech.an , providing a title, author, and ISBN number if available. Prepayment would be required, and it typically takes 3 weeks for the books to get to Bonaire from time of order.
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 - in other words, Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware). Note: Advertising real estate for sale or rent in our Classifieds is fee based. Contact us at mailto:classifieds@BonaireENews.com for details.
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Seeking Something:
COMPUTER
Villa Candidus (Maria Hoppner Foundation) is looking for someone to donate a computer for administration and for the older children's school work. If you can help, contact L. Michael Gayner at phone/FAX
4781 or mailto:gmichael@bonairelive.net .
ROOMMATE Looking for female roommate to share oceanfront condo. Fully furnished with all amenities. Private bedroom and bath. NAFl. 800, includes utilities. Call/fax: 7071 or mailto:islandfashions@bonairenet.com
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Real Estate:
CONDO/APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR SALE
Visit http://www.infobonaire.com/html/classifieds.html#apartments for details
RENTAL - BEACH FRONT
Attractive 2-bedroom beach house for rent on a weekly or monthly basis. Fully furnished. Aircos in bedrooms. Ceiling fans in bedrooms and living room & dining room. Solar hot water heater.
Wash machine. Beautiful garden. Very secure location with gated entrance. Convenient location, near restaurants, marina, resorts, tennis & spa. Attractive rates to responsible parties. Contact for
brochure, photos and availability.
Phone: 570-586-0098; Fax: 570-586-4013; e-mail: larryt49@alumni.princeton.edu
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For Sale/Rent:
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Paint Shop Pro 5.0 for Windows 95/98 - Professional paint and graphics software for preparing images for brochures, Web site, at affordable price of US$90.
Eudora Pro 4.0 for Windows 95/98 -
Professional E-mail software for people who live by e-mail - US$45.
Contact Jake @ NetTech, at 6773 or mailto:jake@nettech.an
INBOARD MOTOR
30 HP Inboard Universal Altas Motor. Less than 100 hours since overhaul. Gasoline with 50 liter tank.
Contact Mike Solbach at 6862
KITCHEN STOVE/OVEN
Gas. Works well. NAFl. 200,- or best offer. Call Carol or Mike at 6862 or mailto:waves@bonairelive.com
MULTIFUNCTION FAX/PRINTER/SCANNER/COPIER
Xerox Office Center Machine. Features plain paper FAX, computer printer & scanner, photo copying. Never used. Asking NAFl. 1500. Call Cristie at 4435
PELLET AIRGUN
Beeman Kodiak .25 - British made, wood finish. Comes with Bushnell 6-18x40 telescope, maintenance kit, cleaning kit, 1400+ pellets, plastic case. Brand new. Value is NAFl. 2450,-, selling for NAFl.
2200,-
Call 09-5607426 or 09-5607945.
FURNITURE
One (baby) bed (white) NAfl. 150,-
One (baby) dressing table with storage room for clothes NAfl. 200,-
One small refrigerator with missing freezer door. NAfl. 150,-
For more info: call: 6949 (Rita) during business hours or mailto:ritapcf@hotmail.com
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@nettech.an .
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
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Want to Buy:
FURNITURE
Futon Couch or other comfortable couch/sofa. Also a bookcase. Contact Carol at 7368 or mailto:sunfishworlds@bonairelive.com
UNDERWATER CAMERA
Second hand or new. Preferable Sea and Sea, but other makes are also welcome. Will be on Bonaire mid-May for several weeks. Contact Ed at mailto:eeboshuizen@amoco.com
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