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This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
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Topic: Why I'm Jealous of Manny....
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-08-2004 10:58 AM
Okay, I've had time to reflect on all of this and, well, here is what I have to say:
Firstly, I am very flattered to know that anyone is jealous of me. Sincerely, I don't know how to deal with that so I'll just move on to the next point.
As mentioned, I do not hold the monopoly on residential status in The Bahamas. I was fortunate enough to have been born here and my father was Bahamian so I have automatic citizenship/permanent residency. Foreign nationals apply for permanent residency all the time. All of my "expatriate friends" tell me that it is a lengthy and expensive legal process. Planning to retire here? Start the process well in advance...and plan to purchase real estate here...supposedly, that makes you a "shoe-in" for permanent residence status.
Sean Connery and Oprah Winfrey are two current examples of celebrities who own homes in The Bahamas.
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is an archipellago in the Atlantic Ocean just south-east of Florida. It is said to be a nation of 700 islands, although most of those are large reefs, rocks or cays with no population. Only about 40 islands are populated. Nassau -- the city where I live -- is the nation's capital. It is situated on the island of New Providence which is a mere 7mi x 21mi and home to over 120,000 Bahamians and permanent residents. The "second city" is Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.
Legal age for drinking? C'mon! There may be an age "on the books" but there aren't too many laws that are consistently or vigorously enforced here. You can drink and drive and nobody will stop you...there may be serious consequences if you should be so unlucky as to have an accident while driving under the influence.
But how much damage can you really do if you're obeying the 30mph speed limit?
(BTW we drive on the left-hand side of the road here.)
The Bahamas used to be British territory. The country gained independence on July 10th, 1973 but remains part of the British Commonwealth. Local currency is the Bahamian Dollar (B$) and it is "on par" with the US$, meaning that there is no currency exchange rate to worry about, except in a bank where the exchange rate will fluctuate one or two cents per dollar.
The cost of living is very high -- about double the COL in Florida. A car that costs $15k in the U.S. will cost $30k here and the current cost of gas is $3.47 per gallon. A 10oz. box of Kellogg's cereal costs about $4.30 and a 2qt. carton of orange juice adds another $4.69 to the grocery bill.
On the other hand, a few items are cheaper. It still costs only $6 for a movie ticket and I pay about half the U.S. price for name-brand prescription medicine. We also have decent public health-care system. A visit to the ER in the Princess Margaret Hospital can cost as little as the $10 registration fee (walk-in) and, if an ambulance brings you, there may be no fees at all.
Civics follow the British Parliamentary system. We have a Prime Minister and a Governor General. Official spellings of words (like "colour") also follow British tradition. The Anglican faith (Church of England) has a healthy following, as do the Roman Catholic and Baptist faiths.
As for movie theatres and any tech work there might be here...the two competing multiplex companies -- at war with each other "since the get go" -- settled their differences at the end of 2003 with the newer operation (Galleria) acquiring the older one (RND). This created a monopoly and I was displaced as a result of the takeover.
Lucky for me, I had other work to do. My video production company had three projects in the works and I suddenly found myself in a position to address them all full-time. Some of you already know about my cooking show that airs on TV here -- we just wrapped production on the 2nd season of that. Last month, I finished my documentary for/about the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and this week I expect to complete the editing of "Macbeth" which we videotaped for a local theatre company.
I am returning to Southern California to complete my BA degree in Cinema-Television at USC. I have 12 units remaining (just one semester) but I will divide that over 2 semesters so that I can work part-time. Courses for this semester (Fall 04) will be:
The Recording Studio in the Motion Picture Industry; and
Musical Theatre Audition.
GETTING BACK TO THE BAHAMAS...
Those of you interested in diving would really enjoy it here. Lots of ancient wrecks, living reefs and colorful fish. Also, the water is crystal clear and the beaches are clean and white. The images from space demonstrate the breathtaking difference between "our" ocean water and that found elsewhere. Go see the IMAX film "The Dream Is Alive."
Speaking of movies, following is a brief filmography of The Bahamas (in no particular order):
THUNDERBALL
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
JAWS: THE REVENGE
SPLASH
MY FATHER THE HERO
AFTER THE SUNSET (Coming Soon)
INTO THE BLUE (Coming Soon)
Okay...back to work for me. I have to finish editing "Macbeth" or I won't be able to leave on Thursday.
(Hmmm...mental note: make airline reservation...)
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