February 27, 2012

Monday, February 27, 2012

THE MORNING NEWSis proud to announce thatprincipal staff repor-ter/photographer RosalieKlein has signed a con-tract with Avalon Travel,part of the Perseus BooksGroup of New York, towrite the latest additionto their stable of popularguide books, The MoonAruba Handbook.

Avalon Travel isbased out of San Fran-cisco and publishes sev-eral series of travelguides, including TheDog Lover’s Companionand Road Trip USA.Their Moon Handbooktravel guides “have formore than 30 years ap-pealed to an eclecticgroup of travelers, frombackpacking students tosolo adventurers to familieson vacation (and a budget) -with expert writers deliveringa mix of honest insight, first-rate strategic advice, and anessential dose of humor.”

Moon travel books comein 7 different series, from in-depth advice for vacationersto handy tips for livingabroad from the U.S. Amongthem are specific guides forcamping, major cities aroundthe world and they have adigital series for the Kindle,iPhone and Nook. Their fullline of Moon Handbooks andothers editions can be viewedat www.moon.com.

Moon Handbooks aremeant to be in-depth guidesfor the “adventurous andbudget minded,” and theAruba Moon Handbook willbe their first such venture intothe southern and easternCaribbean; major regionaldestinations such as Jamaica,Dominican Republic, VirginIslands, Cuba and Puerto

Rico are among the titles intheir roster. Aruba is the firstCaribbean nation selectedbeyond these to merit aMoon Handbook, with re-searchers finding sufficientinterest in the island as adestination to invest in pub-lishing a guide.

Avalon Publishingrepresentatives con-tacted the ArubaTourism Authority in2011 for recommen-dations of local writ-ers; Rosalie wasamong a number ad-vised to reply to thepublishing company ifthey were interested inauthoring the book.“As a long time resi-dent of Aruba, firstworking directly intourism for over 20years and then in is-land media, I saw thisas a wonderful oppor-tunity to share thewealth of informationI have of things the ca-sual visitor never dis-covers,” she observes.“All the questions I

had been asked repeatedly byvacationers over the yearscould now be answered inprint. I saw this as an excitingopportunity to advise them onmany of the great restaurants,services and fascinatingsights “beyond the beach,”along with island culture,which is exactly what MoonHandbooks are all about.”

Continue on pg 3

Morning News reporterRosalie Klein contracted byU.S. publishing company to

write the Moon Handbook Aruba

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syri-ans voted Sunday on a newconstitution in the face of op-position calls for a boycottand deadly violence thatWashington has said madethe exercise "laughable."

US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton warned,meanwhile, there was "everypossibility" that Syria coulddescend into a civil warwhich could be worsened byforeign intervention.

The new text ends thelegal basis for the five-decadestranglehold on power of theruling Baath party but leaveshuge powers in the hands ofPresident Bashar al-Assad.

The opposition says thechanges are cosmetic and that

only Assad's ouster will suf-fice after 11 months of re-pression by his securityforces that human rightsgroups say have left morethan 7,600 people dead.

On Sunday, the oppositionSyrian National Council, ex-tended a hand to Assad'sAlawite community, warningthat the regime was attempt-ing to "drive a wedge" be-tween religious groups,assuring the minority groupthey will always be an "im-portant component of Syria."

As polling was under way,a Britain-based watchdog re-ported new violence aroundthe country that left at least17 civilians and 16 securityforce personnel dead.

Syrians vote on newconstitution in thick ofunrest

The Morning news re-porter rosalie Klein in ac-tion

2 Monday, February 27, 2012

PALMARUBA ManagingDirector Victor Acosta wel-comed owners and represen-tatives of Aruba’s mostprestigious real estate compa-nies for an orientation meet-ing on Thursday evening,February 23, regarding the is-land’s newest, innovativecondominium project, PAL-MARUBA.

Mr. Acosta, a veteran de-veloper known for such suc-cessful communities asPalma Real and Oceania, en-thusiastically enlightened theagents about the cozy newcomplex that will be conve-niently located betweenPalma Real and CaribbeanMercantile Bank in PalmBeach.

The realtors were alreadycommitted to representingPALMARUBA, and evenmore so after absorbing thedetails of this 76-unit facilitywhich will include suchamenities as tennis court, fit-ness and game rooms, restau-rant, concierge services, solarpanels and 24-hour security.Consisting of three five-storybuildings and a social center,the upper levels will offerlovely vistas of the CaribbeanSea, while the location pro-vides easy access to Aruba’smost demanded attractionsand convenient shopping.They were very impressedwith the price structure, anda number commented “thiswill be an easy sell at theseprices, particularly for whatthey offering.” Other vital

services, such as maid,babysitting and catering forspecial parties, as well asrental of the condo when notin use, can be arrangedthrough the PALMARUBAManagement services.

The spacious, afford-able units range from a 1 bed-room/bath of 76 sq meters toluxurious 3 bed/bath pent-houses of 224 sq meters. Fullfloor plans and schematicscan be viewed on the PAL-MARUBA website:www.palmaruba.com. Inter-ested parties seeking some-thing out of the ordinaryshould check out the “SugarPalm” design featuring amaster bedroom and bath in aduplex loft, for privacy and aremarkable view; this singu-lar design particularly caughtrealtors’ interest.

The orientation ses-sion ended with the finaliza-tion of the realtor’s contractsand an awarding of certifi-cates proclaiming them offi-cial representatives ofPALMARUBA, along withgoodies bags filled with de-tailed information.

The following realestate agencies are now qual-ified to respond to inquiriesand sell this very attractive

project, which is offering ex-cellent financing opportuni-ties and various paymentplans:

• Living Today Aruba• Aruba Palms Real-

tors• Century 21 Best &

Solid Real Estate• Coldwell Banker

Aruba Realty• Maurer Real Estate

N.V. International• Miko Sales & Rental

Services• MPG Aruba Real Es-

tate• Prestige Realty

Aruba• Remax Advantage

Realtors• Sun Caribbean Re-

alty• Rental Request Es-

tate• Amparo Realty Re-

sources N.V.

Freeland realtors are:Rixie Cohen, Leo Samsonand George Palm.

By Rosalie Klein

PALMARUBA condominiums partners with 15island realtors

Jan Falcone from Aruba

Palms Realtors signs upMilouska Briezen from

Miko Sales & Rental Serv-

ices Signs up

Coldwell Bankers gets their certificate

Realtor Muna Habash with the PalmAruba Girls

Monday, February 27, 2012 3

A lengthy winnowing-downprocess resulted in the formalsigning of a contract on Feb-ruary 22 to deliver a manu-script by August 15, 2012 fora complete 300-page travelguide, with an eye towards itbeing issued by the end of thefirst quarter of 2013.

“As a long-time resident,former scuba instructor, andlocal journalist, Rosalie hasthe insider knowledge andstrong connection to Arubathat made her the ideal candi-date to write Moon Aruba,”commented an Avalonspokesperson, “At MoonTravel Guides, we alwaysstrive to give readers the in-formation they need to havea more genuine experience of

a place, and from our firstconversation, Rosalie was al-ready talking about wantingto encourage people to ex-plore beyond the resorts andsee the local side of the is-

land. Rosalie also has such aninfectious enthusiasm forAruba -- she is brimmingwith ideas and advice, andafter talking with her, it'shard not to feel like just drop-

ping everything andbooking a trip.”

Despite more than32 years living onAruba, Rosalie ac-knowledges the fluidnature of the island’stourism industry, withnew restaurants, shows,services and out-of-ordi-nary accommodationscropping up regularly.She welcomes inputfrom island visitors andresidents in regards to

their personal discoveries orservices offered, and invitesthose with worthwhile infor-mation to contact her at: ros-aliemoonguide@ yahoo.comabout a great find or some-thing new that will be avail-

able by the deadline. “We are very proud and

not the least surprised thatRosalie was singled out fromthe candidates to author theMoon Aruba guide,” ex-pressed MORNING NEWSeditors Chandette Richardsonand Rosalinda Maduro. “Weare well aware of her talentand creativity as a writer andphotographer and how herwork has enhanced the con-tent of our newspaper, andwe are proud to have her onour team. It was very excitingwhen she informed us of thepossibility; we had no doubtshe would be the one chosento author the book.”

Morning News reporter Rosalie Klein contracted by U.S. publishingcompany ...Continued from pg 1

Moon Handbooks, and now one for Aruba


Last September 2011, theAruba Dr. Horacio E. OduberHospital began offering aspecial educational coursecombining the EmergencyUnit and the Intensive CareUnit. The purpose of thecourse is to educate 12 oftheir nurses to equip themprofessionally for work in theEmergency Unit and theICU. These 12 nurses justcompleted their very firstexam. The exam was doneonline and covered the topicof Cardiology. The results ofthe exam were exceptionallygood.

The combined educationalprogram was conducted to-gether with the Amstel Acad-emie, which is one of theprestigious intitutes of theVrije Universiteit of Amster-dam.

In the new curriculumthere is a component called“Clinical Reasoning” and“Educational Competency.”These are the areas that is be-lieved to specifically up-grade, enhance andprofessionalize the level ofstudy and competency ofthose working in the Emer-

gency Unit and in the ICU.The study program will guar-antee expert and optimal careto patients from these nurses.

The two-year study pro-gram is being coordinatedand directed by the educa-tional department of the Hos-pital in corporation withteachers of nursing workingin these departments. Med-ical specialists and teachersfrom the Amstel Acedemy ofHolland will also be part ofthe teaching staff.

The “Zorgopleiding Unit”of the Hospital is excitedabout the course and wishesall the students in the pro-gram great success. They ex-pect theses students tobecome experts who will beable to provide superb care toour patients

Hospital nursesbeing professionallyupgraded

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - UScomedian Bill Maher has do-nated $1 million to a Demo-cratic super PAC supportingPresident Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

Maher announced the do-nation to Priorities USA Ac-tion last week, saying

"having a country governedby Barack Obama rather thanany of the Republican candi-dates" was "worth a milliondollars," his spokeswomansaid.

"This is the wisest invest-ment I think I could make,"he said during a live-stream

video show, urging otherwealthy liberals to do thesame and "give until it hurts,"according to the publicist.

Tweeting after the Yahooonline comedy show"CrazyStup idPo l i t i c s , "Maher joked: "Most impor-tant advice I ever got in show

business, as true today asthen: always bring ur walletonstage."

"Thank u everybodywho's hit me up after theshow, and a great San Joseaudience. Obama donationwas a surprise to Yahoo toofyi!" he added.

US comic Maher gives $1 million to Obama super PAC

Monday, February 27 , 2012 5

The La Cabana/TropicanaResort beachfront will be thesite for some great fun andfundraising this coming Sun-day, March 4, with the inau-gural charity tournamentorganized by “Ms Canada,”long-time visitor MichelleBegin, from Ottawa, Canada.She earned her nickname byher enthusiasm for involvingherself in local events andparticipating as the ArubanResort Carnival Queen inpast parades.

Michelle has been spend-ing around 5 weeks winteringon Aruba for well over 20years, and her desire to “giveback” to the island where shehas made so many dearfriends, resulted in her organ-izing this fundraising volley-ball tournament, whichpromises to be a great day offun in the sun; she hope to seeit become an annual event.There will be handsome tro-phies awarded to the winners.

She already has 14 teamssigned up, and is looking for2 more 8-player teams to reg-ister. Fee for participation is$100 per person, of which

100% will go to AmbienteFeliz, a home for the intellec-tually challenged.

Michelle has also receivedsome donations of valuablejewelry from vendors such asQueen’s Jewelers and Dia-mante, and these items willbe raffled off. Tickets are onsale for $10 per ticket, $25when you buy 3.

Even if you don’t care toplay, Balashi is providing

beer and soft drinks, andSenor Frog’s will have tastysnacks for sale, and allmonies raised from the saleof refreshments will also bedonated to the foundation. Itwill be an entertaining dayfor a worthy cause, beginningat 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

For more information andto register to play callMichelle at 564-3179.

By Rosalie Klein

Join in beach volleyball action for a good causethis coming Sunday

Miclelle Begin poses with her tournament’s poster

on President Barack Obama inNovember has become.

Rick Santorum, a staunchChristian conservative, issurging after a trio of wins inMinnesota, Missouri andColorado earlier this monthand is now leading the formerMassachusetts governor innational polls of Republicanvoters.

Santorum, a former Penn-sylvania senator, haslaunched a strong challengein Michigan, where Romneywas born and his father wasgovernor, and in Arizona,where a significant propor-tion of the electorate shareRomney's Mormon faith.

But polls in the past weekhave showed Romney steadilyeating away at Santorum'slead in Michigan -- the twoare now locked in a virtual tiein the Midwestern state -- andsuggest Romney could bepulling clear in Arizona.

"I'm planning on winninghere in Michigan and also inArizona," Romney told "FoxNews Sunday." "Obviously,that will be huge for us ifwe're able to do (so), particu-larly having come from so farbehind here in Michigan."

The candidates face a po-

tentially decisive stretch in apresidential campaign thathas seen several rivalsemerge to challenge Romney,the default frontrunner, onlyto fall back in the full glare ofthe media spotlight.

After Tuesday, Washing-ton state votes on March 3.Ten states then vote at onceon "Super Tuesday" on March6, when almost one fifth of allthe vital convention delegatesare up for grabs.

The other two main candi-dates, former House speakerNewt Gingrich and small-government champion con-gressman Ron Paul, a veteranTexas congressman, trail sig-nificantly in national polls.

All four candidates havevowed to stay in the race allthe way to the party conven-tion at the end of August,when a result might have tobe brokered behind the scenesif no one reaches the magicnumber of 1,144 delegates.

Romney, a multi-million-aire businessman and formergovernor of Massachusetts,leads in terms of the numberof pledged delegates, havingwon important states such asNew Hampshire, Florida andNevada.


SAO PAULO (AFP) - Thedestruction of Brazil'sAntarctic base in a fire thatkilled two navy personnel hasdealt a major blow to thecountry's strategic researchon the resource-rich conti-nent, experts say.

"All the central core of thebase, where the installationswere concentrated, was lost.The exact extent of what oc-curred still needs to be deter-mined, but the assessment isthat we really lost virtuallyeverything," Defense Minis-ter Celso Amorim said lateSaturday.

Brazilian experts painted agrim picture of the damageafter Saturday's blaze, whichswept through a room hous-ing energy generators ofBrazil's Comandante Ferrazresearch base located in Ad-miralty Bay, King George Is-land, near the tip of theAntarctic Peninsula.

The base, which was es-tablished in 1984, conductsbiological science researchfocused on coastal and shelfmarine ecosystems.

Meanwhile, a BrazilianAir Force C-130 Herculesaircraft was to pick up 45evacuees from the base -- 32civilians, 12 navy personneland the injured navy man --in Punta Arenas, Chile.

The Brazilian Navy saidthe aircraft was due to land atthe Galeao air base near Rioaround midnight after drop-ping four scientists in Pelotasin Rio Grande do Sul state.

In a statement, it also saidthat roughly 70 percent of theinstallations at the base wasdestroyed by the fire.

Shelters for isolated emer-gency modules along withlaboratories, fuel tanks andthe helipad -- which are iso-lated from the main building-- remained intact, it added.

Loss of Antarctic base dealsBrazil a major blow

WASHINGTON(AFP) - Re-publican White House hope-ful Mitt Romney talked uphis chances Sunday ahead oftwo critical primary contests,saying he expected a "huge"double win that would cata-pult him towards the nomina-tion.

But the fact that either ofTuesday's votes, in supposedRomney strongholds Michiganand Arizona, is in play actuallyreflects how tight the Republi-can nomination battle to take

Romney says double primarywin would be 'huge'

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - NelsonMandela was given a clean bill ofhealth and left hospital Sunday after aminor diagnostic procedure, soothingfears over the beloved South Africannonagenarian's health.

The former president was hospi-talised Saturday for a keyhole operationto investigate persistent abdominal dis-comfort, raising alarms about the manrevered as the symbol of South Africa'spost-apartheid reconciliation.

"The doctors have decided to sendhim home as the diagnostic procedure

he underwent did not indicate anything seriously wrong with him," President Jacob Zuma's officesaid in a statement. Presidency spokesman Harold Maloka said Mandela, 93, was recovering at homein the leafy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, where he returned last month from his childhood vil-lage in the Eastern Cape, some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the country's economic hub.

"He is resting with family," Maloka told AFP. Mandela underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy, aprocedure in which doctors make small incisions in the abdomen to probe it with a tiny camera.

Shortly before his discharge was announced, Zuma said Mandela, known affectionately asMadiba, was relaxed and comfortable after his night's stay in hospital and was surrounded by hisfamily.

"The doctors have assured us that there is nothing to worry about and that Madiba is in goodhealth," Zuma said.

Mandela leaves hospital with 'nothing seriously wrong'

International News

(an Afghan colleague). Afterall this the guy had verbal ar-guments with the advisorsand was threatened by them.He gets angry and shootsthem. Eight rounds were firedat them," the source added,requesting anonymity.

"He then sneaks out anddisappears. No one knewabout the incident for morethan an hour because theroom is soundproofed," hesaid, adding that CCTV cam-eras had been viewed in theinvestigation of the shooting.

Government sources saidpolice were hunting for anAfghan intelligence officialsuspected of killing the twoAmericans, while the interiorministry confirmed that "thesuspect is one of the employ-ees of the ministry and he is atlarge".

Local television quoted asource which named the sus-pect as 25-year-old Abdul Sa-boor, who had studied inPakistan and joined the min-istry as a driver in 2007 beforebeing promoted.

Sunday's grenade attackcame during an anti-USprotest in northern Kunduzprovince over the burning ofKorans in an incinerator pit atthe Bagram airbase, policesaid.

In the neighbouringprovince of Samangan, twoprotesters were wounded dur-ing a one-hour demonstrationin Aybak city, provincial gov-ernor Khairullah Anosh toldAFP, but there were no reportsof unrest elsewhere inAfghanistan.

The latest death brings thetotal toll in six days of demon-strations since the Koran burn-ing to more than 30.

President Hamid Karzaiwent on television Sunday toappeal for calm.

Karzai "condemned with

KABUL (AFP) - Two US ad-visors who were shot dead inAfghanistan's interior ministryby an Afghan colleague hadbeen mocking anti-US protestsover the burning of the Koran,a government source said Sun-day.

The description of events -- which led to NATO pullingall its advisors out of Afghangovernment ministries -- cameamid renewed violence in asixth day of anti-Americandemonstrations.

A protester was killed andseven US soldiers werewounded in a grenade attackon their base as France an-nounced its Kabul embassywas temporarily withdrawingall its civilian mentors and ad-visors from Afghan institu-tions for "safety reasons".

Germany also said it hadwithdrawn its national and in-ternational staff from Afghanministries as a "precautionarymeasure".

Describing the sequence ofevents that led to the interiorministry shootings, the sourcesaid the US advisors were"scolding the protesters andcalling them bad names", asthey watched videos ofprotests in Kabul.

"They called the Koran abad book in the presence of


the strongest words" the treat-ment of Islam's holy book andsaid the perpetrators should bepunished, but told his country-men: "Now that we haveshown our feelings it is time tobe calm and peaceful."

He said he respected theemotions of Afghans upset bythe Koran burning, but urgedthem not to let "the enemies ofAfghanistan misuse their feel-ings".

Taliban insurgents havecalled on Afghans to kill for-eign troops in revenge for theincident, and claimed to havebeen behind the shootingdeaths of the two US advisorsin the interior ministry inKabul.

NATO, which has a130,000-strong US-led mili-tary force fighting the Talibaninsurgency, has advisorsthroughout the Afghan gov-ernment but commanding offi-cer General John Allenordered them all to be with-drawn.

US advisors shot in Afghanministry 'after Koran row'

International News

The statement, dated Febru-ary 26, and signed by the Cen-tral Secretariat of the FARC,said "serious obstacles" still re-main to the conclusion of apeace agreement with theColombian government.

Earlier this month, the rebelgroup had postponed an earlierdecision to free a half-dozenmilitary and police hostages,citing military movements inthe area where the captiveswere held.

Founded in 1964, theFARC is holding at least 10police and soldiers hostagewith the goal of trading themfor several hundred impris-oned guerrillas. They also areholding an unknown numberof civilians for ransom.

The FARC has come under

increasing pressure to free

their hostages with protests

erupting nationwide after four

rebel prisoners were allegedly

killed by their captors on No-

vember 26 when a rebel camp

came under attack.

BOGOTA (AFP) - Colombia'sFARC, the country's largestleft-wing rebel group, vowedSunday to free 10 remainingpolice and military hostagesand to end once and for all itspractice of kidnapping civil-ians.

"We wish to announce thatin addition to our already an-nounced plans to free six pris-oners of war, we will free thefour others who remain underour power," the group said in astatement published on itswebsite.

Plans to free the hostages,who have been held for morethan a decade, were announcedby the Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia (FARC)rebels on their www.farc-ep.cosite.

The communique said thegroup planned to "outlaw thepractice" of civilian kidnap-ping, which for decades it hadused as a way to raise revenue,saying the tactic was no longerseen as compatible with "ourrevolutionary activity."

Colombia's FARCvows to end civiliankidnappings

SYDNEY (AFP) - Jay Allenused to love having what hethought was a healthy tan -- somuch so that he would regu-larly expose his body to thelights of a sunbed to ensure hemaintained his overall colour.

But after one session he no-ticed a small mole on his anklewas bleeding and at his wife'sinsistence, he went to the doc-tor. He was told he had a skincancer which could kill him ifhe didn't have it removed.

"I thought it was a goodthing," he said of using a solar-ium. "I thought it was going to

United States today, accordingto the US National Library ofMedicine.

The disease can cause cir-rhosis of the liver and livercancer.

Treatments to remove thevirus from the blood includeweekly injections of of pegy-lated interferon alfa, and atwice daily capsule called Rib-avarin. However there is novaccine to prevent hepatitis C.

Researchers said the shift inmortality rates is largely dueto the success of treating HIV.

"The decrease in deathsfrom HIV infection in the pastdecades reflects the availabil-ity and utilization of highly ef-fective therapies, as well aseffective national implementa-tion of programs for preven-tion and care," said the study.

"A similar approach toHBV and HCV preventionmight lead to similar reduc-tions in mortality from viralhepatitis over time."

WASHINGTON (AFP)-More Americans died in 2007of hepatitis C infection, whichcauses incurable liver disease,than from the virus that causesAIDS, US health authoritiessaid this week.

More than 15,000 peopledied of hepatitis C infection in2007, compared to 12,734who died from HIV-relatedcauses, said the Centers forDisease Control and Preven-tion data, published in the An-nals of Internal Medicine.

Prior to 2007, human im-munodeficiency virus wasmore deadly than hepatitis C,which often causes no symp-toms and can be passed be-tween injected drug users, orpeople who have unprotectedsex with a hepatitis C infectedpartner.

About 1.5 percent of the USpopulation is infected withhepatitis C, making it one ofthe most common causes ofchronic liver disease in the


Health & Living

Hepatitis C kills moreAmericans than HIV:study

and if you absorb enough UVlight to turn your skin brownthen you've actually doneenough damage to trigger notonly skin cancer, but prema-ture ageing later on," he said.

"There isn't a safe form oftanning by UV light."

Olver said while there weremedical uses for UV treatment,you do not get the benefitswhen you damage the skin.

Allen hopes that banningsunbeds in New South Waleswill send a clear message thatthere is no place for indoor tan-ning.

"Just be pale. You don'thave to get that tanned look,it's not that important," he said.

be safer in the sunbed than lay-ing out in the sun for an hour.It turns out it nearly cost memy life."

Australia is known as thesunburnt country, wherebeaches are thronged withbathers basking in the sun andthe rates of melanoma, a po-tentially fatal form of skin can-cer, are the highest in theworld.

For decades public healthcampaigns have urged peopleto wear sunscreen, hats andsunglasses and avoid the sunduring the hottest part of theday, but now they say eventanning on a sunbed is not safeand must be banned.

The country's most popu-lous state New South Waleshas taken the strongest line sofar, saying commercial solari-ums will become illegal inthree years, given mountingevidence that the use ofsunbeds is linked to increasedmelanoma risk.

Recent research suggeststhat the use of sunbeds by peo-ple aged 18 to 39 increasestheir risk of developingmelanoma, the most commonform of cancer among youngAustralians, by an average of41 percent.

The main cause of skin can-cer is exposure to UV radia-tion, from the sun and othersources such as sunbeds, in ge-netically predisposed people,with more than 1,200 peopledying from the disease hereeach year.

Ian Olver from the CancerCouncil of Australia said it wasa myth that sunbeds were asafe way to tan, adding thatthey were capable of deliver-ing more energy -- up to fivetimes more -- than the middaysun in summer.

"The fact is, it's UV light,

Sunburnt Australia to pull plugon sunbed tans


SOUTH AFRICA (AFP) -Nelson Mandela's healthscares send Twitter into over-drive, but South African offi-cials made savvier use ofsocial media to keep the worldinformed on the global icon'slatest medical woe. The presidency used Face-

book and Twitter to tell thepublic that "Madiba," as he is

affectionately known, hadbeen admitted on Saturday,and later to assure an increas-ingly worried world that hewas not in danger. "It's a sign of a modern gov-

ernment embracing a modernera. The government has beenmore organised this time, andtheir social media activities arean example of that," MatthewBuckland, publisher of SouthAfrican technology trend siteMemeburn, told AFP.The efforts did not go unno-

ticed by a nation that increas-ingly uses smartphones and theInternet."Get well soon Mr Madiba,

tanx 4 informing us Mr Presi-dent," applauded a Facebookposter in typically casual socialmedia lingo.

The detail-hungry mediahas offered praise but also crit-icism. As officials refused tosay where Mandela was hospi-talised or divulge exact details,unconfirmed reports that hehad undergone hernia surgeryflowed furiously."Last time it was a mess,"

wrote BBC correspondent An-drew Harding on the Britishbroadcaster's website on Satur-day. "This time the presidency

has been ahead of the socialmedia rumours that fuelledmuch of the confusion in 2011,but the instinct to deny, ratherthan to say 'no comment,' re-mains strong, and as before,impatient and contradictoryspeculation has started toemerge."

S. African officials use Twitter forMandela news

PARIS (AFP) - French minis-ter Frederic Lefebvre and Mi-crosoft n Saturday announceda partnership to cultivatepromising Internet startups inFrance. The US technology titan

will work with the agency forthe creation of enterprises(l'APCE) headed by Alain Be-lais to identify young Frenchcompanies to join a MicrosoftBizSpark program, Lefebvresaid in a release. The program will provide

selected startups with Win-dows Azure storage capacityand free access to software of-fered by Microsoft as servicesin the Internet "cloud," accord-ing to Lefebvre. French Internet startups

with "high growth potential"will be eligible to get twoyears worth of online servicesfrom Microsoft. The development of small

and medium enterprises invital "to support innovation,value creation and employ-ment in France," according toLefebvre. Microsoft vice president for

emerging business develop-ment Dan'l Lewin said in therelease that the partnership fitswith the Redmond, Washing-ton-based company's strategyof cultivating technology start-ups around the world.

SOFIA (AFP) - Alpine SkiingWorld Cup events in Bul-garia's southern resort of Ban-sko use illegal ski runs andbreak international regula-tions, a coalition of naturegroups said on week-end. "With close to 40 percent of

the ski runs in Bansko beingillegally built and operated,many fear this event has cast ashadow over the reputation ofthe FIS (International Ski Fed-eration)," the For The Naturegroup said in a statement.Checks by Bulgaria's envi-

ronment and waters ministrylast October showed that Ban-sko operator Yulen had ex-panded the 99.5 hectares (245acres) of ski runs in its conces-sion contract by another 65hectares of state land. But Environment Minister

Nona Karadzhova said she"sees no reason to shut the skiruns" and suggested changesin Yulen's contract, allowing itto pay for the expanded runs. For The Nature however

warned that even if operating,Bansko "should not have beenawarded the Alpine Ski WorldCup." The resort is located in the

Pirin national park, a UN-ESCO nature heritage site, itadded,Bansko was hosting this

weekend the women's WorldCup downhill and super Gafter last weekend's men'sgiant slalom and slalomevents.

Franceworkswith Microsoftto cultivatestartups

Sci-Tech BulgariaWorld Cupski runs'illegal':naturegroups


FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 03

O’stad :’ Botica Central N.V.’ - S.N : ‘ Di Serv Seroe Preto N.V.’

FREE Coverage on our website:

www.themorningnewsaruba.com

FRANKFURT (AFP) - TheEuropean Central Bank ispreparing to flood eurozonebanks with cheap moneyagain this week in the secondof two such operations aimedat preventing a credit crunchin the euro area.

In an unprecedented movelast December, the ECB an-nounced it would lend asmuch as banks wanted at anultra-low interest rate of 1.0percent for a period of threeyears so as to keep creditflowing in Europe at a time

when banks are increasinglywary of lending to each otherin the current debt crisis.

In the end, some 523banks lined up to borrow arecord 489.2 billion euros($655 billion).

At the time, ECB chiefMario Draghi said that a sec-ond such three-year auctionof funds -- known as a long-term refinancing operation orLTRO -- would be held onFebruary 29 and he estimatedthat demand for the new cashwould likely be just as strong.


Finance

SATURdAy’S

Crossword Answer

ECB prepares to open liquidityfloodgates again

Rising oil prices fuel piracyin oil-rich Gulf of Guinea LAGOS (AFP) - The watersoff West Africa's coast, theGulf of Guinea, are a growingsource of oil and have recentlyseen a spike in piracy for theftof its riches, a developmentseen to be fuelled partly by ris-ing crude prices.

Attacks on vessels havegrown in number and scope,spreading across a broader re-gion in what is becoming anew piracy hotspot. Vesselscarrying petroleum productshave been the most targeted.

As oil prices hit nine-monthhighs this week, the leader ofthe small West Africa countryof Togo called on the UN Se-curity Council to create an in-ternational group to combatpiracy.

The group could be styledalong the lines of one battlingpirates off Somalia on the east-ern side of the continent.

Greece cannot imagineleaving eurozone: advisorATHENS (AFP) - Greecewould face steep inflation,massive wage cuts and the de-struction of currently healthybusinesses if it quits the euro,a senior Greek economic advi-sor said in an interview pub-lished Sunday.

Hardouvelis commentscame after German InteriorMinister Hans-Peter Friedrichsaid Saturday that debt-stricken Greece should begiven incentives to leave theeurozone, arguing such a movewould improve its chances ofbecoming competitive again.

"Outside European mone-tary union, Greece's chances ofregenerating itself and becomecompetitive are definitely big-ger than if it remained insidethe eurozone," Friedrich saidin an interview with newsmagazine Der Spiegel.

Briefs...MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Fi-nance officials from the G20leading and developingeconomies entered a secondday of talks here Sunday spliton how best to tackle Europe'sdebt crisis, which has domi-nated the gathering.

While hailing recent actionsto fight the crisis, G20 mem-bers from outside the regionwere turning the screws on Eu-rope to bolster its defenses fur-ther to prevent anotheroutbreak of panic that wouldharm the global economy.

A senior official from anon-European country said theG20 was engaged in a trickybalancing act of putting gentlepressure on the Europeanswithout seeming over-de-manding.

In addition to reinforcing"their firewall," Brazil's FinanceMinister Guido Mantega calledfor the implementation of 2010reforms that laid out a new sys-tem of quotas to increase the

voting power of emergingeconomies in the IMF's deci-sion-making processes.

The final statement fromthe finance ministers and cen-tral bankers in Mexico Citycould explicitly set out thetrade-off, a source said: moreIMF cash from outside Europeif the region first puts its handin its own pocket.

However, Germany, Eu-rope's top economy and pay-

master, has so far steadfastlyresisted calls -- from theUnited States, the IMF andothers -- to boost its crisis-fighting war chest.

Finance Minister WolfgangSchaeuble made no bonesabout Berlin's opposition say-ing ahead of the meeting it"doesn't make economicsense" to pour more moneyinto rescue funds for debt-wracked eurozone countries.

G20 turns screws on Europe to combat crisis

BARCELONA (AFP) - Chinesetelecoms giant Huawei on Sundaylaun-ched what it touted as the"world's fastest smartphone", in itsbid to squeeze into a market cur-rently dominated by Apple and Sam-sung.

"We are proud to ... introduce aworld first at the 2012 Mobile WorldCongress with the Ascend D quad,the fastest smartphone," saidRichard Yu, Huawei Device chair-man, on the eve of the industry's

biggest fair in Barcelona.The phone, which will be available from April, boasts a

quad core processor, double that of smartphones which areusing dual core at the moment, making them at least twice asrapid.

The phone's battery, for instance, lasts some 30 percentlonger than the industry average, it is said.

It also comes with a technology cancelling out backgroundnoise on voicecalls and boasts a surround sound system, saidthe group.

Huawei was unable to give a retail price for the phone butYu said it would be "15 percent more competitive than othersof the same class".

China's Huawei touts 'world'sfastest smartphone'

up. Would you be my date?"Representatives for Swift

confirmed that the messagewas posted by the singer.

The invitation grew from aFacebook campaign launchedby McGuire's sister, Victoria,who started up the Facebookpage "Taylor Swift takeKEVIN McGUIRE TOPROM!" to persuade thesinger to attend McGuire'sprom at Sterling High Schoolprom in Somerdale, N.J.

SOMERDALE – Country-pop star Taylor Swift said Fri-day she won't be able to accepta prom invitation from KevinMcGuire, a New Jersey teenundergoing treatment forleukemia, but offered to takehim to an awards show instead.

In a message left on theFacebook page, Swift said,"Kevin, I'm so sorry but Iwon't be able to make it to yourprom. But I was wondering,the ACM Awards are coming


"Well, I didn't listen," hesaid smiling.

His collection has grown tomore than 5,000 dusty bottles,kept safely behind lock andkey in a converted cow shed athis rustic farmstead on the out-skirts of the southern Dutchcity of Breda.

The collection consistsmainly of bottles of rare co-gnac and armagnac, distilledfrom French grapes, as well asa variety of ports, madeirasand rums.

Asked whether he preferredcognac or armagnac, Van derBunt just laughed: "It's likeasking a polygamist which oneof his wives he loves themost."

The crown prince of the col-lection is undoubtedly a six-litre bottle of 1795 LeopoldBrugerolle, bought at an auc-tion by Christie's in 1990.

It is the last remaininghand-crafted bottle in theworld that accompaniedNapoleon Bonaparte's army on

AMSTERDAM (AFP) - Fortyyears ago when Dutch busi-nessman Bay van der Buntbought his first two bottles ofvintage cognac on a road-tripto France, little did he know itwould be the start of a collec-tion worth millions of eurostoday.

"Collecting old liquor nevereven crossed my mind backthen," Van der Bunt, 63, toldAFP as he uncorked an an-cient-looking bottle, part ofwhat is regarded as the largestcollection of old liquors in theworld -- now up for sale for a"mere" six million euros.

"Go ahead have a taste, thisis an 1895 cognac from thehouse of A. E. Dor," he said,pouring the deep brown liquidinto a snifter glass then hold-ing it up to the light as the cel-lar filled with a musky, velvetyaroma.

Van der Bunt wants to sellthe collection in its entirety"otherwise its integrity will becompromised." And he has al-ready received solid interest,notably from potential buyersfrom China and Russia, buthas accepted no offers yet.

In the early 1970s, the busi-nessman owned a small an-tiques shop, which frequentlytook him on trips to France tolook for hidden gems in sec-ond-hand stores.

"But many times there werealso old bottles of cognac orarmagnac and I decided to buythese, not even thinking backthen what it would one day be-come."

In 1978, his collection gotits first major boost when Vander Bunt's father gave him agift of some 100 bottles, "pre-sents my dad received whilerunning a small gardeningservice company" for the well-heeled in the area.

"My father said: 'You areout of your mind to collectliquor. Why don't you invest insomething worthwhile?'

Dutch businessman Bay van der Bunt, 63, checks a co-gnac

its campaigns and is valued at138,000 euros (182,000 dol-lars), according to Van derBunt.

There's also three completesets of eight bottles of A. E.Dor cognacs, dating from1805, 1811, 1834, 1840, 1858,1875, 1889 and 1893 and val-ued at between 70,000 to80,000 euros per set.

Or a hand-blown bottle of1789 Courvoisier & Curlierwhich will set a potentialbuyer back 49,000 euros, or anArmagnac Eau de Vie fromthe same year.

"The year of the FrenchRevolution," Van der Buntsaid proudly.

"I have even been ap-proached by some of the co-gnac houses in France wantingto buy back their own histori-cal product," he added.

By his own admittance, ashis collection grew -- buyingat auctions and stock from fa-mous restaurants such asMaxim's in Paris -- so did hisneed to possess some of theold spirits in existence.

But after 40 years of pas-sionate collecting, the Dutchbusinessman is now puttinghis collection up for sale.

"I promised my wife whenshe turns 65, I will sell the col-lection and we'll use themoney to build a smallerhouse," Van der Bunt, who hasno children, told AFP.

There will, however, be onebottle not for sale.

It's a 1780 Remy Martin,believed to be one of theworld's oldest existing bottlesof cognac, "a gift from my fa-ther".

World's oldest liquor collection a'true passion'

Taylor Swift declines prom, givesfan dream date instead


and drop-off; they even boasta shopping service to stockyour shelves before arrival.

Gold Coast accommoda-tions are elegant and spa-cious, offering privacy forparents or a few couples.

Beautifully appointedkitchens and bathrooms graceeach abode; barbecues andlounges are provided forfriendly cookouts and trulysavoring the island life. Allhomes come with cable TV,

high-speed fiber-optic Inter-net connection, individualwasher/dryer, and are fullyair-conditioned. Cribs, highchairs and hair dryers areavailable for a modest fee.Concierge ser vices to arrange

rental cars, spa appointments,activities and restaurant reser-vations are all part of thepackage.

Check-in for your holidayescape is conducted in thecomfort of your vacationhome, not while waiting online at check-in desk. In everyway, Gold Coast seeks topamper their guests whileproviding them with the feel-ing of being in a cozy com-munity, not the normallybustling resort, particularlyexperienced during the majorholidays. If you wish an opti-mal vacation experience withgreat savings, visit their web-site: www.goldcoastaruba.com to get acquainted withthe community and the lay-out, details and availability ofaccommodations, or call 586-2200 to talk personally to aGold Coast representative.

Aruba’s newest and most in-novative gated communityhas enjoyed steady sales sincebreaking ground, as many arefinding the secure surround-ings and outstanding ameni-ties are just what they werelooking for before conside -ring purchasing property onthe island. Some owners areusing the villas or townhomes as vacation retreatsrather than full time and aretaking advantage of GoldCoast’s rental services to turntheir investment into ready in-come.

“The greater portion ofhome owners are using their“home away from home” inAruba to escape the wintermonths, or spend holidayswith the family on the is-land,” noted Gold Coast de-veloper Fito Croes. To assistin the demand for more com-plete facilities for groupsand fa mi- lies, famed hote-lier Ed Ma-lone has beenplaced in charge of the rentalprogram.

Staying at Gold Coast is avery attractive proposition forthose traveling with groupsthat would require multiplehotel rooms. Two and threebedroom Villas or TownHomes accommodate largenumbers and offer extensiveamenities along with a finalcost resulting in considerablesavings. The community isminutes to the best beachesand all the casino action, andoffers a quiet and secludedgetaway with two swimmingpools and specialized serviceswith more on the way, such asa fitness room, tennis courtsand mini-mall. Ed canarrange maid service, babysit-ters, caterers, airline pick-up

Gold Coast Aruba:Great savings for large familieson holiday rentals

are extremely popular; liter-ally flying off the shelves,”note the owners. In the twoyears since they opened theirdoors, they have found pa-trons are very impressed withthe quality and style of thegoods.

Just a short time ago, thedesign house created an ex-tremely attractive new linefeaturing the art of WilliamDeBilzan, noted Americanartist whose work is often seenadorning the chic homes of te -levision characters; he has po -pular galleries in both Floridaand California and his work isexhibited in over 28 galleriesacross the U.S. and Europe.

Mario Hernandez has beencreating and designing pro -ducts for over 30 years; hisname is synonymous withmanufacturing excellence andinnovation in design. Thestore in Paseo Herencia Mallin Palm Beach is opened until10:00 PM for convenientnight-time shopping andboasts the latest collection ofthese timelessly styled acces-sories, each of them hand-crafted at the Bogotá factory.

by Rosalie Klein

“It’s all in the details,” be-lieves the owners of the MarioHernandez shop in the PaseoHerencia Mall “The finehandcraftsmanship and classicstyling of the Mario Hernan-dez accessories have placedthem in high demand aroundthe world, and we are proud tohave the only MH store onAruba.”

The cozy little shop can befound tucked away just acrossfrom The Cinemas ticketbooth, featuring fine qualityleather goods with a trendytouch, the best of the currentMario Hernandez designercollection. It also features astylish selection of the de-signer’s logo unisex shirts andstunning silk scarves. Our per-sonal favorite was a cashmereshawl with MH 25th anniver-sary Chrysalis motif in suedeappliqués; the look and feel ofit is simply gorgeous. Shawlsand scarves perfectly combinewith the buttery leather hand-bags and accessories for anensemble fashion statement.

The Mario Hernandez col-lection encompasses luggage,handbags and wallets of everysort, with specialized func-tions. “Our men’s accessories

Visit the Mario Hernandezshop for the finest inLatin American designer accessories

Cashmir shawl with suede fringe and applique

casual wear, sturdy luggage and accessories

It will be just the third Europev United States title match inthe 14-year history of the

egation zone.Bilbao stay fifth, one point

behind Levante who currentlyhold fourth position and aChampions League classifica-tion for next season.

tional Fernando Llorente on 61and 65 minutes.

The home team snatched acrucial point with a Nilmargoal two minutes later to movethree points away from the rel-

event, and the first sinceAmerican Steve Stricker beatPierre Fulke in Melbourne in2001.

Mahan, who won the 2010WGC Bridgestone Invita-tional, seized control againstWilson by winning the firsttwo holes. Overall he madefive birdies, holding off Wil-son with a series of key putts.

"You've got to beat fivegreat players to get here,"Mahan said. "I've got to beatone more incredible player towin."

much the same vein untilRonaldo's moment of magic inthe 53rd minute.

Rayo's best chance to levelthe game fell to Miguel Perez'Michu', who blazed the ballover the bar after a mistakefrom Ramos put him clear ongoal.

On 75 minutes Real 'keeperIker Casillas had to be at fullstretch to stop a powerful drivefrom Daniel Armenteros.

Michu was unjustly sent-offwith a minute remaining for achallenge on Sami Khedira inwhich he did not appear tomake contact.

Earlier on Sunday AthleticBilbao enhanced their Cham-pions League prospects with ahard fought 2-2 draw at Villar-real.

Veteran midfielder MarcosSenna opened the scoring forVillarreal with a sweetly struckfree-kick after 10 minutes, butBilbao struck back with twosecond-half goals by MarkelSusaeta and Spanish interna-

ously on 24 minutes across theRayo goal from the left handside of the penalty area and aminute later he went closeagain with a right footed shotthat narrowly missed the tar-get.

Rayo chased, harried andreduced space all over thepitch and were close to takinga first half lead when Fran-cisco Medina burst into thearea and cracked a shot ontothe underside of the crossbaron 38 minutes.

The second half started in

MADRID (AFP) - CristianoRonaldo scored a wonderful,backheeled goal to give RealMadrid a 1-0 win over neigh-bours Rayo Vallecano on Sun-day to extend their lead to 13points over Barcelona at thetop of La Liga.

The second half was eightminutes old when the Rayo de-fence failed to clear a corner atthe first attempt.

Portuguese superstarRonaldo, facing away from thegoal, then backheeled the ballso powerfully from 15 yardsout that it evaded at least fourRayo defenders on its way intothe left hand corner of the net.

It was his 29th league goalof the season.

Barcelona can cut Real'slead back to 10 points laterSunday when they travel toAtletico Madrid.

Madrid coach Jose Mour-inho admitted his team werefortunate to escape with vic-tory.

The game was competitivethroughout and the main talk-ing point of a goalless first pe-riod was whether or notMadrid's Sergio Ramos had in-tentionally used an elbow tostop Diego Costa in thepenalty area after already re-ceiving a yellow card.

Ronaldo had shot danger-


Ronaldo's magical backheel gives Real victory

McIlroy downs Westwood .......continued from page 16

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland

"has a powerful and authori-tative aura." The traditionalorange colour isn't missingeither; the shirt has orangebands on the inside of thesleeves and an orange panelon the right shoulder.

in the design process. According to clothing

sponsor Nike, the Dutch teamboth commands respect andintimidates its opponents andthe black kit will add to theteam's presence because it

perstar player called the de-sign "spectacular" and "fan-tastic," which is hardlysurprising as he was involved

AMSTERDAM - Wesley Sneijder revealed thenew away strip in Amsterdamlast week. Inter Milan's su-

the 2010 champion to a 3-0mark, having also claimedtheir first-round encounter atRotterdam last week.

Sunday's win was also DelPotro's first indoor crown,after finishing runner-up inhis previous finals.

"I lost three finals indoorsand I thought that I wouldnever win one," said DelPotro, the 2009 US Openchampion and who put outtop seed Jo-Wilfried Tsongain Saturday's semi-finals.

"This shows that I haveprogressed. On this surface Ihave beaten lots of goodplayers.

"I am proud to win thistitle because at this momentit's very important for me andfor my season."

MARSEILLE (AFP)- JuanMartin Del Potro made up forhis defeat in the Rotterdamfinal last Sunday by takingthe Marseille event on Sun-day for his 10th career title,defeating FrenchmanMichael Llodra, 6-4, 6-4.

The number four seed,beaten by Roger Federer inthe Netherlands last week-end, broke Llodra once ineach set to wrap up the finalvictory in 83 minutes.

The Argentine increasedhis undefeated record against


Del Potro cruisesto Marseille title

Shirt for the Dutch football team for theupcoming European Championships


MARANA (AFP) - RoryMcIlroy rallied from 3 downSunday to beat Lee Westwoodin the semi-finals of the WorldGolf Championships MatchPlay Championship and keepthe world number one rankingin his sights.

Northern Ireland's McIlroybeat England's Westwood 3 and1 to advance to a Sunday after-noon championship showdownwith Hunter Mahan, who nevertrailed in his all-American duelagainst Mark Wilson and won 2and 1.

Both McIlroy and West-wood had a chance to supplantEngland's Luke Donald atopthe world rankings with a vic-

tory in the elite event at DoveMountain.

Westwood seized the earlyadvantage, winning threestraight holes from the secondto seize a 3 up lead.

McIlroy roared back, win-ning three of the next fourholes to square the match, thenwinning the ninth to make theturn 1 up.

A fortuitous bounce on acart path at the 11th helpedMcIlroy halve the hole with apar. He then won the next twoholes to go 3 up, sinking a 25-foot birdie putt at 12.

"I thought 11 was the turn-ing point, when he bounced it

off the cart path and got thehalve," Westwood said.

At 13, Westwood's driveinto the gallery found its wayinto the back of a womanspectator's sweater as sheducked to protect her head.

"Would you mind walking250 yards forward," West-wood caddie Billy Fosterquipped after they discoveredthe odd lie.

It was a rare moment oflevity in an otherwise seriousmatch, with little banter andfew conceded putts.

Westwood pulled one backat 15 -- the first hole he'd wonsince the fourth, driving thegreen on the 321-yard holeand making his 18-footer.

But two holes later McIlroyclosed it out with a par at 17,where Westwood missed hiseight-footer.

"Great to be in the final,"McIlroy said. "I played Hunterhere three years ago and beathim on the final green."

Players had a lunch breakbefore they were due out forthe 18-hole championshipmatch, which promised some-thing of a Ryder Cup feel.

continues on page 14

McIlroy downs Westwoodto reach Match Play final

Documents

February 27, 2012