Robert W. Nicholls, Ph.D., the author of "Old-time Masquerading in the U.S. Virgin Islands," will discuss the sifnificance of masquerading in the Virgin Islands at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5, in the Legislative conference room.
Nicholls is an associaate professor of education at UVI and has conducted extensive research on masquerading in the Caribbeean, Africa and Europe.
For more information call the Public Relations Office at 693-1057.

Rotary East meets at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday July 28 at the Elysian Beach Resort.
See Community/Organizations for details of this week's special theme.

Prospective insurance agents and brokers are invited to attend the insurance examination at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27, at the Division of Personnel.
Registration fee is $15 and will be held on Tuesday, July 27, at the Division of Banking and Insurance.
For more information contact Claudette Georges at 774-7166.

Prospective insurance agents and brokers are invited to attend the insurance examinations at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 28, at the Division of Personnel.
Registration fee is $15. Exam applicants should be in the testing room by 9:45 a.m. For more information contact Marta Francis at 773-6449.

Robert W. Nicholls, Ph.D., author of "Old-time Masquerading in the U.S. Virgin Islands," will discuss the cultural significance of masquerading in the Virgin Islands.
Nicholls will hold three separate talks at Ft. Frederick, at 10:30 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
An associate professor of education at UVI, Nicholls has conducted extensive research on masquerading in the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.

Robert W. Nicholls, Ph.D., the author of "Old-time Masquerading in the U.S. Virgin Islands," will discuss the significance of masquerading in the Virgin Islands. On Wednesday, August 4, Nicholls will hold three separate talks at FT. Frederick at 10:30 a.m, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Nicholls, an associate professor of education at UVI, has conducted extensive research on masquerading in the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.

Though there may be more important factors in passing legislation and winning elections, when it comes to college, senators in the 23rd Legislature range from part-time students to masters of public administration to doctors of law.
Of the 14 senators who provided information for this article, one has a doctorate in law, two have master's degrees in public administration, six others hold B.A.s, and three have associates' degrees.
Two others, who attended various institutions part-time, have yet to attain a degree.
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen did not provide her educational history for this article despite numerous requests over a period of several weeks. Hansen attended the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico and the University of the Virgin Islands but further details were not offered.
Whatever the level of their education, however, senators interviewed agreed having a degree does not mean being a better legislator, even though there are some advantages.
"You cannot conclusively say that having a degree lends itself to someone being an effective legislator," said Sen. Allie-Allison Petrus, who earned a master of science in public administration from Central Michigan University in 1989.
Petrus attended UVI from 1982-1983 and received a B.A. in psychology from Kean University in New Jersey in 1985.
A degree may help a person be "a more critical thinker," Petrus said.
Sen. Lorraine Berry, however, said having a degree was often "irrelevant" because senators, no matter what their educational background, do not make always the "right" decisions, but rather opt to make "political" ones.
Berry majored in business administration while attending UVI in the '70s but did not complete a degree.
What matters more than a degree, she said, is whether a senator understands the needs of his or her constituents, is well-read and has been exposed to a "little bit of everything." When it comes to financial analysis, for example, senators have technical staff to do the actual computing, Berry said.
The only doctorate in the Senate belongs to Sen. Judy Gomez, who obtained hers in law from Howard University in 1983. Gomez also attended UVI, but received a bachelor of science in elementary education from Morgan State University in 1977.
Like Sen. Petrus, Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole has a master's in public administration, which he received from UVI. Cole earned a B.A. in social science from Kent State University in 1982.
Other graduates: Sen. Gregory Bennerson, B.S. in criminology from Florida State University, 1981; Sen. Adelbert M. "Bert" Bryan, an A.A. in police science and administration from College of the Virgin Islands in 1975 and a B.A. in social science from UVI in 1988; Sen. Violet Anne Golden, B.A. in business administration from Jacksonville University in 1981; Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste, B.A. in Spanish and secondary education at the College of the Virgin Islands, 1976; Sen. David S. Jones, B.A. in history and political science from Mercy College; and Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd, B.A. in foreign languages from Inter-American University in Puerto Rico in 1974.
Golden pursued a master's degree in general administration at the University of Maryland and is now working toward a master's in education technology at UVI. Liburd also did graduate work in education at UVI, in 1985-86.
Sen. Roosevelt David received an associate's degree in accounting from UVI in 1992, and has since earned certificates from various banking programs, including a three-year program at the University of Texas.
Sen. George Goodwin got an A.A. in hotel management from the College of the Virgin Islands in 1968 and has also taken courses at Monmouth University and George Washington University.
Senate President Vargrave Richards attended the College of the Virgin Islands and Antioch University part-time from 1969-73.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, who received an associate's degree after attending several colleges, said a degree did not necessarily help a senator understand the desires of the community.
"An idea to serve the common good is not driven by whether or not you have a degree," Donastorg said. The "right" attitude, integrity and principles are more crucial, he said.
Donastorg studied business management part-time at Fullerton College and Mount St. Antonio College from 1982-83 and at the College of the Virgin Islands from 1983-87. He earned an A.A. in business from the University of Phoenix via Internet correspondence in 1998.
Attending college, he said, has helped him, "relate to the experiences of students."
Other senators said having attended or received a degree from UVI made them more sensitive to educational needs and other issues at the territory's only university. "I know a lot of students here who do not want to go to UVI, not only because it is in the V.I. but because it is a tough school," said Liburd.
The fact that UVI is his alma mater influences university-related legislation, he said, because he has seen the school's strengths and weaknesses first-hand.
"It has not developed into the kind of institution it ought to be," Liburd said. The university should provide more hospitality training and offer specialized courses for skills needed at Hess, or "any business or industry that comes in here," in order to create a labor pool, he suggested.
His experiences as a student seeking financial aid prompted him to develop legislation that is now law, Liburd said: all Virgin Islands high school valedictorians and salutatorians receive full four-year scholarships to UVI.
Almost all the senators said higher education was critical to the success of residents and the progress of the territory.
"At the level of the Senate, one has to have not only common sense, but also a degree of knowledge of the needs of the university in this community," Goodwin said.
Cole said a degree was not a "barometer for measuring success," but that it "exposes one to certain runnings of the government" and "enhances" a Senator's ability when it comes to complex decisions like assessing cost-benefit analysis, program evaluation and budget issues.
"One has to understand the priority of higher education and funding the institution to make sure that priority is carried forth," Cole said.
More important than a degree, however, are practical skills and insight, he said, quoting his grandmother: "Study-ation beats education."
Commissioner of Education Dr. Ruby Simmonds, a former senator, said having a degree helped her in her field and should also help senators.
"The job of a senator is not specialized — you have to be an expert in everything," Simmonds said. A liberal arts degree was perhaps one of the most valuable, she said, because "part of the process of getting a degree [in liberal arts] exposes you to decision-making, critical thinking, negotiating, debate and public speaking."
Liburd said although senators have technical staff to help analyze budgetary issues, they cannot compensate for education.
"The bottom line is that you have to make a decision," he said.

Pierre Belain, Sieur d'Esnambuc was born in Allouville, Normandie, France, on March 9, 1585. He was the youngest son in a family of the Lesser Nobility.
The family had lost most of its wealth during the unending local wars and were deeply in debt. Land and other properties had been sold to satisfy creditors.
Young Pierre, ambitious to regain some of the lost wealth, took what was left of his inheritance and in 1620 he bought the Marquise, an 80-ton ship, and became a privateer.
Pierre sailed to the Atlantic along the routes of the Spanish galleons. On his ship, d'Esnambuc he had as ensign, Henri de Chantail, who had previously grown tobacco on Saint-Christophe, (now St. Kitts).
Not satisfied with the performance of the Marquise, d'Esnambuc sold it and purchased a larger vessel, a four-gun brigantine which he called, L'Esparance. De Chantail was made lieutenant and Jean Le Vasseur became the new ensign.
Le Vasseur had been an engineer in France and had designed some of the fortresses, including the one at La Rochelle. But Le Vasseur was also a Huguenot, so he had fled the persecutions, taking berth in privateers and pirate ships.
In 1625, d'Esnambuc landed on the island of Saint-Christophe for minor repairs and no doubt, to see for himself the tobacco fields of which de Chantail had spoken.
At the landing on Saint-Christophed'Esnambuc he was met by the English commander, Warner, along with the Frenchmen who resided with the natives, the Carib Chief Tegreman and some of his subjects.
The French who were on Saint-Christophe had been driven from Guiana by the aborigines. Henri de Chantail had been Captain of the ship which had taken the exiles to Saint-Christophe. But after staying on the island for some time, growing tobacco, de Chantail got restless for the sea, so taking a load of tobacco, he had returned to France.
Some of his companions had elected to remain on the island where they were happily living with the natives. Now they were here present to welcome d'Esnambuc and their former ship's captain, Henri de Chantail.
D'Esnambuc had not been very successful as a privateer so with a little encouragement from the English commander, Warner, he made his decision to start a French colony on Saint-Christophe and to become a planter, a cotton and tobacco grower.
For his new enterprise, d'Esnambuc would need colonists and supplies. He would need backers and supporters. With his crew and the French already on Saint- Christophe, he had a total of 80 men. He would have to return to France and try to obtain the funds and supplies to start and sustain a colony.
Soon after d"Esnambuc had landed on Saint-Christophe, a friend with whom he had served in the French Navy, Urbain Du Roissey, Sieur de Chardonville, limped into Saint-Christophe for repairs to his ship after having been bested by a Spanish galleon, while on a privateering expedition.
In 1626 d'Esnambuc sailed to France, leaving a small band of French planters on Saint-Christophe. He took a load of tobacco and cotton as proof of the crops that could be grown on the island. Du Roissey also sailed to France where he joined with d'Esnambuc in partnership for the new venture.
Cavaley de Razilly, a ship owner, helped d'Esnambuc make contact with Armand Jean du Pleissis, Duke and Cardinal de Richelieu, the king's minister. The influential cardinal agreed to help d'Esnambuc because as advisor to King Louis XIII, he was very interested in the expansion of French territories. The cardinal persuaded the pope to grant France the right to establish colonies in the new world. The pope decreed that France had the right to colonize "Saint-Christophe and the islands not already colonized by any other Christian Prince" D'Esnambuc and du Roissey had sold their cargo of cotton and tobacco. Now, dressed in their fine new clothes, they hired a carriage and set out to impress the bankers and rich merchants of Paris. After they had recruited backers for their venture, the two partners set out to recruit colonists.
D'Esnambuc went to Havre where he enlisted 322 men for his ship, La Catholique. In Brittany, du Roissey recruited 210 men for La Victoire and La Cardinale. The ships sailed from France on February 24, 1627.
After a very hard crossing, during which nearly half the recruited settlers perished at sea, they arrived at Pointe du Sable on May 8, 1627 with only 250 men out of the 532 who had set sail just over two months before.
With these 250 men, in poor health, along with his crew and the men whom he had left to tend the newly planted fields of cotton and tobacco, Pierre Belain, Sieur d'Esnambuc established the first French settlement in Saint- Christophe. Out of this colony, a group of 52 persons would eventually be sent to settle the tiny island of Saint-Barthelemy.

What book still lives with you from your childhood? "Winnie the Pooh?" Is Eeyore still rattling around there with Christopher Robin? Or perhaps it's "Green Eggs and Ham," in Dr. Seussland. Celebrating Rotary's Literacy Month, Corinne Van Renssalaer conceived the idea of revisiting ones's childhood in search of favorite memories.
Members are asked to bring their special book to the next meeting at 6:30 Wednesday, July 28 in the Elysian Hotel's Conference Room.
Calling herself "a bear of very little brain," Van Renssalaer said "Everyone can read, and we'll all make fools of ourselves together. We can let the child in us read for tomorrow."
Titled "An Evening of Juvenile Distinction," members of the Bovoni Boys and Girls Club's Rotary sponsored Rainbow Reading Room will attend the event. Members are urged to invite a child or two, as well.

Editor
St. Thomas Source
Dear Editor;
For the last few months, I read and listened to the many comments surrounding Sinbad's Soul Music Festival 5. It is amazing, that during and after the Festival, how many people seemed to have jumped on the bandwagon claiming fame to its success. After reading former Lt. Governor Derek Hodge's letter to the Editor of July 23, 1999 and his comment, that Jean Etsinger "cleverly and fraudulently tries to give the credit for the Sinbad festival" to me, I felt I had to respond to set the record straight as to who was responsible for the success of the Soul Music Festival.
Does Mr. Hodge really believe an event of this magnitude just dropped out of the sky and landed on someone's lap? I think not! I was instrumental in bringing this event to the Virgin Islands after a year and a half of hard work, negotiation, and dedication in the position of Assistant Commissioner of Tourism. I would be remiss if I didn't credit Mr. Steve Bornn for bringing to the attention of former Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Wylie Whisonant, and myself the possibility of the Festival coming to the Virgin Islands.
Mr. Whisonant and I then met with Mr. Mark Adkins, Sinbad's brother and executive producer of the Festival and the logistics managers, Mr. Phil Fisher and Mr. Michael Ferguson, during a Caribbean conference in Aruba.
I then went back to Aruba for Soul Music Festival IV, to follow through with Mr. Adkins, Mr. Fisher and Mr. Ferguson, and to obtain information that would ensure the success of Festival 5 coming to the Virgin Islands.
Upon my abrupt departure from the Department of Tourism, I made sure that I provided support to Mr. Cain Magras for a few additional days in order to provide a smooth transition, specifically with regards to the Festival.
Who was responsible for the success of the Sinbad Soul Music Festival? Most people failed to realize the success of an event of this magnitude required many dedicated people that put their heart, soul, and hard work into making sure that the event was successful.
I will attempt to provide an accurate list of the many contributors, and I hope that I don't offend anyone that I may have forgotten to mention: Sinbad, Mark Adkins, The Soul Music Festival Management Team and crew, Mr. Phil Fisher, Mr. Michael Ferguson, the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel Association and its members, Mr. & Mrs. Todd Hecht, the taxi associations, the Government of the Virgin Islands, the ICC Companies, the many sponsors, the many citizens who were ambassadors to our guests, and myself. The point that I'm trying to make is "let's not be selfish, give credit where credit is due!"
It was a distinct honor and pleasure to work for Sinbad, as his representative on island to ensure a successful Soul Music Festival 5. I am proud of my accomplishments during my tenure with the Department of Tourism to include Sinbad's Soul Music Festival 5. As a native Virgin Islander, I will always continue to be a true ambassador for our beautiful Virgin Islands in whatever role I can.
Judith A. Watson, St. Thomas