At the center of Tiananmen Square, Beijing we noted a giant display counting down the days, hours, and seconds until something. We though it was for the Millennium; but doing a quick calculation, the figures were wrong. Were the Chinese using a different New Year's date? No, the calculation was for Dec. 20, 1999 when Portugal turned Macau back to China.
Macau lies at the end of a peninsula attached to mainland China directly west, across a large body of water called Zhujiang Kaú, from Hong Kong. It's major draw is gambling, though we didn't
You can fly to Macau, drive in from mainland China, or take the rapid ferry from Hong Kong. We chose a 1999/ 10/ 19 (Chinese place the year, month, day) ferry from Kowloon to Macau. Since we were elderly (seniors), we got a special rate. Many activities offered a special rate for the "elderly" at cultural events, galleries and museums, and for transportation.
Always check at the local tourist office for the definition of elderly/ senior and the activities offered.
Throughout Asia, there are many levels of charges, the "Westerners are all wealthy, " "tops for any adult," government regulated adult, government regulated elderly, "just skim a little," and "either accept it or they won't buy." The trick is finding the government regulated price (you really cannot bargain lower than what is regulated).
The rapid ferry is a jet propelled, cathedral hull boat seating about 350 passengers on two levels. It is quite comfortable. Food and drink are available, and the travel time between Hong Kong and Macau is about an hour.
Macau is very small. A tour runs from 50 – 100 HK$ dollars ($6.50 to $13 US) and takes a couple hours depending upon how often the driver wants to stop and get you to buy things from his friends and business associates.
We opted to take the bus to Leal Senado, an historic building that is the main administrative building, legal library, and art gallery. It houses the Portugese archives. It is also across from the entrance to a major cluster of shops featuring cloths, accessories and antiques.
When we got hungry, I asked one of the store guards where I could get some good Portuguese food and he pointed me to the Safari. We had heard about this establishment in several contexts and decided to check it out. A couple bottles of Mateus Rosé and dishes of seafood later, we were ready to hit the street again. Lunch and wine for three came to 243 patacas (about $25 US).
Patacas are the official currency of Macua, but Hong Kong dollars are freely exchanged on the street.
Back in the shopping district, my wife bought a nice woolly vest by Baleno and several pairs of slacks. I bought a great car coat by John Harris. We spent under $50 for our jacket, vest, and several pair of pants.
For the next couple of hours we walked the streets, poked our noses into the shops, and toured a couple of historical churches and administrative buildings. When it was time for our boat, we jumped into a taxi and sped back to the terminal.
On the ride back to Hong Kong we passed several ferries full of passengers either returning from a day's business in Hong Kong, or on their way to an evenings gambling in Macau.
I didn't appreciate how fast I was traveling until we passed another boat going about the same speed in the opposite direction. It was a case of now you see it, now you don't.
It will be interesting to see what happens to Macau following its return to China. My guess is it will be absorbed by China and disappear as an economic force.
Hong Kong, on the other hand, is an economic power house and I expect it to persevere as one of China's primary economic centers along with Shanghai and Beijing.
Editor's note: Next, China by train.

Any group wishing to use the University of the Virgin Islands’
grounds and athletic fields must complete an application form.
An approved authorization form should be in hand prior to
scheduling activities or using the facilities. On the St. Croix campus,
contact the Associate Chancellor’s Office at 6922-4000.
UVI administrators welcome the use of school facilities by the
public, but must ensure that the grounds are used for the intended
purposes of the space, that groups have the proper insurance coverage
and that they are placed on the schedule.
Scheduling and other conflicts can thus be avoided if
organizations seek the proper authorization prior to using the facilities.
Please be reminded that the golf course on the St. Thomas
campus is not intended for general recreation activities and may only be
used for playing golf. The golf course may be used by golfers at their
leisure without any prior approvals.

December and January on St. Croix mean food, fun and Festival:And this year is no exception.
While some events in “A Vision Beyond the Horizon — St.Croix Festival 1999-2000" have already been held in the last few weeks, the sure sign that party time had officially arrived was the opening of the Festival Village Sunday evening.
The custom is for Christiansted and Frederiksted to alternate hosting the event. This year it’s Frederiksted’s turn and on Sunday the lights of the Festival Village were turned on — despite a power outage that put a damper on things around 7:30 p.m.
Hundreds of residents turned out to the village next to the Paul E. Joseph Stadium to sample a variety of drinks and local delicacies like fish and fungi, conch and Johnny cake from dozens of booths and listen to music form the Digital Band.
"This is the beginning of Festival," said Kurt Vialet, chairman of the St. Croix Festival Committee. "Any type of food you can find in the village."
The first tramp of the season, lead loudly by China Dan, livened things up as dozens of people followed in a musical procession from the Post Office to the village.
Back this year are the thrill-inducing carnival rides that were absent from the Festival Village in Christiansted last time around. Children of all ages lined up for rides on the the Ferris wheel and carousel.
"We made a real big effort to bring back the Coney Island activities," Vialet said.
Other Festival events include: Jan. 4, Quelbe tramp and cultural night, 7 p.m. in Frederiksted. Jan. 5., King and Queen of the Bands, 8 p.m. in the Festival Village; Jan. 6, J’ouvert, 6 a.m. in Frederiksted; Jan. 6, Food, Arts and Crafts Fair, 11 a.m. at the Ann Heyliger Vegetable Market in Frederiksted; Jan. 6, Calypso Monarch finals, 8 p.m. at Island Center; Jan 7, Children’s Parade 11 a.m. in Frederiksted; Jan. 8, Adult’s Parade in Frederiksted.

St. Thomas attorney Tom Bolt was recently honored with the President's Award at the Annual Meeting of the Virgin Islands Bar Association on St. Croix.
The annual award was presented by Bar Association President Patricia Welcome. In making the presentation, Welcome noted that Bolt had served as a member of the Bar Association Board of Governors for the past 13 years and as the Territory's American Bar Association Delegate for the past 11 years.
Bolt, who is the President of the St. Thomas firm, Tom Bolt & Associates, P.C. was recognized for his support and encouragement of local bar activities.
"You can always count on Tom Bolt no matter the task. He has consistently worked toward bringing benefits to our local attorneys, including affordable insurance and continuing legal education," Welcome said.
In accepting the award Bolt said, "We have accomplished much over the past decade, but many important tasks remain ahead to bring our Virgin Islands bar and its attorneys into the 21st century."

I am a Virgin Islander who lives in the states for five months out of the year. I was just flipping around the TV and saw a really nice "Come to St. Lucia" commercial. On other national networks, I have seen Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Aruba and Bahamas commercials. What I haven't seen in years … is a Virgin Islands commercial.
If V.I. commercials do air – where? I understand the V.I. government is broke, but can't the Tourism Department air commercials in smaller cable markets where it's much cheaper?
Look around the Caribbean; other islands are in the same financial crisis and are starting to compete harder for tourist dollars. Where are the "Tim Duncan spots"? Also, what are the Tourism offices in several cities doing to promote tourism? Are they waiting for someone to call, and then giving info? Or are they actively going out to promote the islands?
The Virgin Islands has a great product going to waste. Look at the other islands nipping on our heels. Yes, we do have a lot of ships coming during "high season." What is the West Indian Company doing to keep them coming during the summer months?
Yes, more airlines are coming to the V.I., and government officials say they have been "negotiating" to get more flights in. I am skeptical about what they consider negotiating. Other islands already have had U.S. carriers flying regularly. If you look around the Caribbean, airlines are moving in everywhere. St. Croix is losing Delta. St. Martin is gaining Delta. Actually, it has American, Continental, US Air, TWA, Air France, ALM, and Lufthansa flying.
The time for talking has come and gone; when is the implementation of all the "plans" going to happen? Several deals have fallen apart because of politicians. We have to stop thinking about yesterday and 2020, and start thinking about right now.

Dee Lappy

I am a Virgin Islander who lives in the states for five months out of the year. I was just flipping around the TV and saw a really nice "Come to St. Lucia" commercial. On other national networks, I have seen several Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Aruba, and Bahamas commercials. What I haven't
seen in YEARS….is a Virgin Islands commercial.
If VI commercials do air – where? I understand the V.I. government is broke, but can't the Tourism Department air commercials in smaller cable markets. It is much cheaper in smaller markets.
Look around the Caribbean; other islands are in the same financial crisis and are starting to compete harder for tourist dollars. Where are the "Tim Duncan spots?"
Also what are the Tourism Offices in several cities doing to promote Tourism? Are they waiting for someone to call and then give info? Or are they actively going out to promote the islands? The V.I. has a great product going to waste. Look at the other islands nipping on our heels. Yes, we do have a lot of ships coming during "high season." What is WICO doing to keep
them coming during the summer months?
Yes, more airlines are coming to the V.I. and government officials say they have been "negotiating" to get more flights in. I am skeptical about what they consider negotiating.
Other islands already have had U.S. carriers flying regularly. If you look around the Caribbean, airlines are moving in everywhere. St. Croix is losing Delta. St. Maartin is gaining Delta. Actually, they have American, Continental, US Air, TWA, Air France, ALM, and Lufthansa flying.
Time for talking has come and gone; when is the implementation of all the "plans" going to happen? Several deals have fallen apart because of politicians. WE have to stop thinking about yesterday and 2020, and start thinking about right now.

Dee Lappy

St. John police enjoyed a mostly silent night for Christmas Eve, although they had to remind some citizens forcibly about peace on Earth and goodwill toward all.
Four men were arrested in Cruz Bay from Christmas Eve into the early hours of Christmas Day, among them Daryl Ward, alleged to have given a reverse impersonation of Santa Claus. Shortly after 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Zone D Police Command in Cruz Bay got the first of four burglary calls from the Contant-Enighed area. Police arrested Ward at 6:30 a.m. after he was identified by two of the four callers as the man they had seen breaking into their homes.
The others arrested, "Bushio" Bell, Kenneth Smalls and Felix Olivieri, were apprehended in the daylight hours of Friday, Dec. 24, and charged with decking not the halls but their fellow men. Bell was charged with assault, resisting arrest, and possession of a controlled substance with attempt to distribute. Smalls was charged with third-degree assault after a St. Thomas man told authorities Smalls assaulted him with a gun. Oliveri was charged with simple assault. Smalls and Oliveri were released on bail.

Journalists and most of their readers know that the last days of the year produce little in the way of hard news. Governments, which originate most of the news, gradually shut off their faucets of information. The media consequently gets so thirsty for stories that it will print information and discussion of less than top drawer significance and soundness.
The St. Thomas Source is just short of its first birthday. It is a mark of this paper's new maturity that the Source feels it can indulge in some of this end-of-the-year frivolity.
Case in point: Where does the Millennium start?
This is not as simple a question as it might appear.
There actually are three questions. Prepare to see a lot of stories about them between now and Dec. 31. Ignore all those stories in other publications; you are getting the authoritative word here. We're mature enough to know we're right.
The first question is not where, but when? Five years ago this became a controversial question when the bean counters insisted—not without some justification—that a millennium of 1,000 years begins with the first of those 1,000 years; in other words, in 2001, not 2000. With rare unanimity, world opinion ignored that hidebound approach and decided that if we're advancing all four dials on the odometer of years, that's a new millennium.
The second question is where in the world will the new Millennium first display itself? There's a raging argument about this; a lot of tourist money is involved.
Way out in the Western Pacific, there's something called the International Dateline. All you need to know about it is that it's a line on the map of the world that separates today from tomorrow. If you step across the line in a westward direction at, say, 11 p.m. on Dec. 30, the time of the day doesn't change but the date sure does. For you, it is now 11 p.m. on Dec 31 and the new year is only one hour away.
Some nice countries just to the west of the Dateline, such as New Zealand and Australia, are proudly asserting their belief that the new Millennium is coming first to them. Cruise ships have marketed packages that promise passengers they will be the first in the world to usher in the Millennium from their floating pleasure palaces just a mile west of the Dateline.
Television personality Geraldo Rivera will be on one of those cruise ships and thinks he will be the first to broadcast live in the new Millennium.
Not so fast there, Geraldo.
Half a world away from Geraldo, on the south bank of the Thames River, in the middle of a verdant park in the town of Greenwich, is the Royal Observatory of Great Britain and through this charming building runs another line far more important than that dippy International Dateline. It is the zero line of Longitude running from the North Pole to the South Pole. We call it the Prime Meridian. By worldwide agreement, official time is measured from the Prime Meridian; the time on the line itself is the reassuring worldwide standard, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). (Our Atlantic Standard Time, or AST, is four hours behind GMT.)
The Brits are old hands at this sort of pomp and circumstance. So with hardly a nod to their former colonies in the Southwest Pacific and no gesture of any kind toward Geraldo and the milling thousands on the cruise ships, Her Majesty's government observes that by international agreement they were commissioned to keep the world's official time, and to do so not at any old place but on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.
Therefore, declare the British, the world's new Millennium officially will arrive at one second after midnight on Saturday, January 1, on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.
It's hard to disagree with Great Britain's stand. After all, they've got the meridian. And they've already spent all that money on their giant Millennium Dome and other tourist attractions.
Support for the British position was swift in coming from an old adversary. The city of Boston will kick off its Millennium celebration at 7 p.m., five hours early, because that's when the new age will dawn at the Prime Meridian five hours away across the Atlantic.
Now, the third question is really interesting. Forget about the world. Where in the United States will the Millennium make its first appearance?
Readers of the Source know a strong claim has been put forth by our own island of St. Croix on behalf of Point Udall, the eastern tip of the big island, as the first location in the United States to herald the Millennium.
Not so fast, writes Bob Pedersen of Florida in an e-mail to the St. Croix Source. He points out the state of Alaska straddles the 180 degree line of longtitude, location of the International Dateline and exactly half way around the globe from Britain's Prime Meridian. Mr. Pedersen's point presumably is that parts of Alaska are going to get that crucial 24-hour jump on the Millennium.
Not so fast, Mr. Pedersen. The Dateline is out there, sure, but it zigs and zags like crazy to avoid carving up any country or state. And Alaska, Mr. Pedersen, is entirely on the eastern side, our side, of the Dateline.
In addition, Alaska doesn't meet the standard of the Prime Meridian Principle (PMP) which we will explain shortly. Furthermore, it's too cold up there. You don't see Geraldo Rivera heading up toward the Arctic Circle, do you?
Then there is the island of Guam, whose most vocal supporter is, oddly enough, a resident of St. Croix, Herb Schoenbohm. He isn't so much in favor of Guam, as he is against bestowing the honor on his own island. Schoenbohm doesn't think much of the festivities scheduled for Point Udall that night.
With or without Schoenbohm, Guam has a strong case. It meets all the qualifications except one. Guam is part of the United States and is on the correct side, the west side, of the Dateline. Its slogan is "Where the Nation's Day Begins." The people of Guam are proclaiming that if the nation's day begins there, the nation's Millennium begins there, too. A powerful argument and it almost carries the day—until you apply the PMP.
This principle states that the Millennium must arrive first at Greenwich and then sweep in a stately manner westward, hour by hour, time zone by time zone, until it encircles the earth. In other words, it matters not which side of the dateline you're on, but how many time zones west of Greenwich you are. Rome, the eternal city—one hour east of GMT, thus will be the last major city to welcome the Millennium, according to the PMP.
Bad news for Guam, Alaska and Schoenbohm. Good news for St. Croix. It took the application of the Prime Meridian Principle to do it, but Point Udall is going to be the first location in the United States to welcome the Millennium.
We must, however, stand firm with the British on the Prime Meridian Principle. If the Brits fall, the Geraldo Rivera cruise ship fleet heading for the International Dateline will take over. That means Guam will snatch away the distinction that is truly St. Croix's.
If that happens, don't blame the Source. In line with the sound journalism so typical at this time of the year, we've given you a tightly reasoned case for St. Croix's ascendancy.

Editor's Note: When he isn't consulting maps, charts and globes, Frank Jordan is an editor for The Source, a local radio commentator, and former journalism professor at UVI.

Journalists and most of their readers know that the last days of the year produce little in the way of hard news. Governments, which originate most of the news, gradually shut off their faucets of information. The media consequently gets so thirsty for stories that it will print information and discussion of less than top drawer significance and soundness.
The St. Thomas Source is just short of its first birthday. It is a mark of this paper's new maturity that the Source feels it can indulge in some of this end-of-the-year frivolity.
Case in point: Where does the Millennium start?
This is not as simple a question as it might appear.
There actually are three questions. Prepare to see a lot of stories about them between now and Dec. 31. Ignore all those stories in other publications; you are getting the authoritative word here. We're mature enough to know we're right.
The first question is not where, but when? Five years ago this became a controversial question when the bean counters insisted—not without some justification—that a millennium of 1,000 years begins with the first of those 1,000 years; in other words, in 2001, not 2000. With rare unanimity, world opinion ignored that hidebound approach and decided that if we're advancing all four dials on the odometer of years, that's a new millennium.
The second question is where in the world will the new Millennium first display itself? There's a raging argument about this; a lot of tourist money is involved.
Way out in the Western Pacific, there's something called the International Dateline. All you need to know about it is that it's a line on the map of the world that separates today from tomorrow. If you step across the line in a westward direction at, say, 11 p.m. on Dec. 30, the time of the day doesn't change but the date sure does. For you, it is now 11 p.m. on Dec 31 and the new year is only one hour away.
Some nice countries just to the west of the Dateline, such as New Zealand and Australia, are proudly asserting their belief that the new Millennium is coming first to them. Cruise ships have marketed packages that promise passengers they will be the first in the world to usher in the Millennium from their floating pleasure palaces just a mile west of the Dateline.
Television personality Geraldo Rivera will be on one of those cruise ships and thinks he will be the first to broadcast live in the new Millennium.
Not so fast there, Geraldo.
Half a world away from Geraldo, on the south bank of the Thames River, in the middle of a verdant park in the town of Greenwich, is the Royal Observatory of Great Britain and through this charming building runs another line far more important than that dippy International Dateline. It is the zero line of Longitude running from the North Pole to the South Pole. We call it the Prime Meridian. By worldwide agreement, official time is measured from the Prime Meridian; the time on the line itself is the reassuring worldwide standard, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). (Our Atlantic Standard Time, or AST, is four hours behind GMT.)
The Brits are old hands at this sort of pomp and circumstance. So with hardly a nod to their former colonies in the Southwest Pacific and no gesture of any kind toward Geraldo and the milling thousands on the cruise ships, Her Majesty's government observes that by international agreement they were commissioned to keep the world's official time, and to do so not at any old place but on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.
Therefore, declare the British, the world's new Millennium officially will arrive at one second after midnight on Saturday, January 1, on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.
It's hard to disagree with Great Britain's stand. After all, they've got the meridian. And they've already spent all that money on their giant Millennium Dome and other tourist attractions.
Support for the British position was swift in coming from an old adversary. The city of Boston will kick off its Millennium celebration at 7 p.m., five hours early, because that's when the new age will dawn at the Prime Meridian five hours away across the Atlantic.
Additional support can be found in the fact that many computer clocks around the world, the clocks that may or may not be bitten by the Y2K bug, are set not to local time but to GMT.
Now, the third question is really interesting. Forget about the world. Where in the United States will the Millennium make its first appearance?
Readers of the Source know a strong claim has been put forth by our own island of St. Croix on behalf of Point Udall, the eastern tip of the big island, as the first location in the United States to herald the Millennium.
Not so fast, writes Bob Pedersen of Florida in an e-mail to the St. Croix Source. He points out the state of Alaska straddles the 180 degree line of longtitude, location of the International Dateline and exactly half way around the globe from Britain's Prime Meridian. Mr. Pedersen's point presumably is that parts of Alaska are going to get that crucial 24-hour jump on the Millennium.
Not so fast, Mr. Pedersen. The Dateline is out there, sure, but it zigs and zags like crazy to avoid carving up any country or state. And Alaska, Mr. Pedersen, is entirely on the eastern side, our side, of the Dateline.
In addition, Alaska doesn't meet the standard of the Prime Meridian Principle (PMP) which we will explain shortly. Furthermore, it's too cold up there. You don't see Geraldo Rivera heading up toward the Arctic Circle, do you?
Then there is the island of Guam, whose most vocal supporter is, oddly enough, a resident of St. Croix, Herb Schoenbohm. He isn't so much in favor of Guam, as he is against bestowing the honor on his own island. Schoenbohm doesn't think much of the festivities scheduled for Point Udall that night.
With or without Schoenbohm, Guam has a strong case. It meets all the qualifications except one. Guam is part of the United States and is on the correct side, the west side, of the Dateline. Its slogan is "Where the Nation's Day Begins." The people of Guam are proclaiming that if the nation's day begins there, the nation's Millennium begins there, too. A powerful argument and it almost carries the day—until you apply the PMP.
This principle states that the Millennium must arrive first at Greenwich and then sweep in a stately manner westward, hour by hour, time zone by time zone, until it encircles the earth. In other words, it matters not which side of the dateline you're on, but how many time zones west of Greenwich you are. Rome, the eternal city—one hour east of GMT, thus will be the last major city to welcome the Millennium, according to the PMP.
Bad news for Guam, Alaska and Schoenbohm. Good news for St. Croix. It took the application of the Prime Meridian Principle to do it, but Point Udall is going to be the first location in the United States to welcome the Millennium.
We must, however, stand firm with the British on the Prime Meridian Principle. If the Brits fall, the Geraldo Rivera cruise ship fleet heading for the International Dateline will take over. That means Guam will snatch away the distinction that is truly St. Croix's.
If that happens, don't blame the Source. In line with the sound journalism so typical at this time of the year, we've given you a tightly reasoned case for St. Croix's ascendancy.
Editor's Note: When he isn't consulting maps, charts and globes, Frank Jordan is an editor for The Source, a local radio commentator, and former journalism professor at UVI.

Choirs sounded, music abounded and a waning moon peeked out from beneath a brilliant rainbow to greet Christmas Day at 6 a.m. for the annual Challenge of the Carols at Emancipation Garden.
Eleven choirs marched in singing and swinging, willing the rainy weather away. They didn't quite succeed with the weather, but they did keep several hundred people happily humming along and sharing umbrellas.
This marked the 23rd celebration of a Virgin Islands tradition that, although neglected for a while, is now heartily revived. This year's performance was dedicated to the memory of Mercyla Leerdam, an active force in the musical program over many years past.
Keeping time with the resounding choirs, several local musicians wound through the crowd. Among them: Rusty Velleck of Sax Cymbals, the inimitable Nicky "Mighty Whitey" Russell, saxophonist Ladd Richards, Polly and Fred Watts of Harmony Dem and pianist Sally Smith. Keeping things warm was Smokey Frett's little stand where hot bush tea and cheese and bread were dispensed to the damp but spirited crowd.
In probably the most innovative means of fending off the weather, Al LaBorde of the Party/Hardy Carolers was seen ducking under his tambourine.
The Salvation Army Songsters and Voices of Love got things under way with Party/Hardy hard on their heels. The V.I. Pride Boys Choir was a big hit, and received honorable mention. Among other voices heard were those of the Bethel Baptist Church Choir, Merry Carolers, WHMM, the Charlotte Amalie High School JROTC Chorus, the Lucinda Millin Choir and the Public Works Chorale.
Last, and almost abandoned when time was running out, came Celestino White's Hapless/Hopeless Carolers, hot from a night serenading the island. All but the leader tramped onto the stage amid lots of drums, palm fronds and general good cheer, to the tune of "All We Santas." The final Santa, White, was then led in on a donkey wearing flowers and large sunglasses. He was the only member of the troupe who appeared not to be having a good time — the donkey, not White.
The final massed choir performance didn't quite happen, as most folks had apparently gotten wet enough by that time. However, the Voices of Love and the Party/Hardy Carolers prevailed.
Concluding this year's program was something new. Brother and sister Olabayo and Oluwaseyi Olaniyi from Nigeria presented Yoruba dancing and storytelling, backed by local drummers. Finally, the crowd joined in a tramp to Rothschild Francis "Market" Square.