Six days (nights) what ever; dedicated to MUSIC! Great!
Was Beachjam '99 a good deal? You betcha. Bill Grogan, the Bornns, and all their cohorts should be praised to the rooftops. Beachjam '99 was near perfect. Great weather, Great location, excellent proscenium, super duper crowd, and lively music to quench any pallet. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
I loaded biker mama on the Kawasaki and trundled off to the beach around noon. The crowd was building and the food services were doing a great business. By 12:30 the pates were almost all gone and we were into serious food. The only thing lacking was mutton, beef stew and Chinese. Next time?
The Zydeco Express didn't garner their share of publicity last week, but they were a great choice to lead off the day. Country and Western is simply fun music. There was a guy in the middle of the stage who was committed to scratching his chest off except for some galvanized — hung there by his mother? Good band, good sounds, good presentation. Made my Texas Pit go down smooth.
Next was the Tabou Combo. I never did figure out just how many are in a combo, maybe it is like the Texas Pit Combo, some of everything that's around. Again, good sound with a bit more of a jump up beat. One problem they have is some dude in black who chose to educate us to the Fxxx word. We have enough of our own trash without importing any more from New York. I would suggest the Tabou Combo educate Mr. Mud Mouth to the realities of a family beach outing before they become taboo.
Similarly, there was a trashy woman from New York thrown away by a Jamaican; or something. She obviously has a problem with body parts and sex. Someone who has to stoop to this level looking for comedy obviously lives in a waste land. Not next year!
Finally the band we had been waiting to cap the weekend stormed the stage and warmed up. Then we all waited. Now and then an instrumentalist would blow or twang to keep his fingers/ tongue/ etc. warm. And we all waited. Making people wait is a cheap shot used by immature egoists. Puente shouldn't need that garbage.
When he found the stage, we were treated to bursts of excellent mambo and asides of how good Tito Puente is. Mr. Grandstand made it a point of playing every piece and announcing he didn't need to do encores because he was so great. As I remember it, the audience asks for an encore because the musicians have done a superior job and the audience wants to hear more. Puente's Band I would definitely ask for encore. I love Big Band Music. The only reason I would encore Puente based on today's performance is the fact I think he should work for his money.
As a Senior Citizen proudly sporting my blue band, I have great empathy for the many jazz stars this week who slowed down, took breaks, etc. to overcome the fatigue incumbent with extended performance. Especially at the rate they all played; including Puente. My problem is the performer with a great band who limits the performance to the lowest common denominator  his stamina. The Puente Band had three trumpets, two trombones, two saxes, a piano, three percussion and a guitar. Talented musicians most capable of carrying one number after another. Brownie stepped in for the final number and rapped out his own mean mambo. Puente could have let Irvin play several numbers and capitalized on a most talented Virgin Islander who has the respect of us all. In my humble opinion, Mr. Puente would be well advised to headline a special number now and then, letting his most excellent organization carry the show. Seventy to eighty minutes of music didn't cut it.
Beachjam was an almost unqualified success. Next time lets get a less egotistical headliner, one who enjoys playing music for the crowd. Paul Oscher and Danielo Perez are two who come to mind.

On his fourth trip to St. Thomas, Latin legend Tito Puente said his message to St. Thomas and its people is, "I love you -— you have given me inspiration for my music."
Puente, who is from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the headliner for BeachJam ‘99. Puente said he believes God gave him a gift of musical talent and he will play "for as long as my health holds up."
In an interview before his afternoon performance at Magens Bay, he said he had a special connection to St. Thomas and its people.
"St. Thomas people understand Latin music," he said.
He remembered a special St. Thomian: Milo Francis, former band leader of Milo and the Kings, whom Puente recalled playing with at the Palladium in New York City in 1964.
"I loved Milo," he said. "I remember drinking rum with him."
Puente brought the house down with his famous "Oye Como Va," made popular by the band "Santana," but written by Puente.
When asked about the tune that most people think was written by Carlos Santana, Puente said, "I don't mind. I love getting those nice royalty checks."

People arrived steadily all day long Monday, the Martin Luther King holiday, for BeachJam '99 at Magens Bay.
Starting at 6 a.m. and continuing throughout the day they came: young and old; black, white and brown — even some red by the end of the day; locals, tourists and people from surrounding islands, joined together in a momentous musical event. And there was not a sour note to be heard on stage or off.
How many people? It's hard to judge, according to Bill Jowers, general manager at Magens Bay.
"Because there are no cars here, I don't have my usual measuring stick," Jowers said. Early in the day he said his best guess would be about 3,000 people, but as the day came to an end Jowers estimated the crowd at its peak to be 4,000 to 4,500. But people were coming and going all day long so there could have been more, he said.
BeachJam organizer Bill Grogan said he had no idea how many people showed up. But no matter how many people are there, Grogan said, "you always want more."
But, he added, "it's a great crowd."
And that was sentiment of the day.
"It was a great success and really well-organized," said UVI student Teneka Richardson. "I hope they do it again next year, or next week even."
Teneka arrived on foot from her home in the Wintberg area.
That is how almost everyone arrived.
"It's different here at the beach — to have this here and with top-name bands, too," said one attendee who asked not to be named.
"I'm a Seventh-day Adventist, " she explained.
Capt. Red Bailey of the sportfishing boat Abigail III said, "I've seen more familiar faces here today than I've seen in the last five years. It's great."
Those who didn't walk in came by boat. About 45 boats were anchored in the bay where it's unusual to see five.
"Except for the fishing boats, there are usually only one or two here on a good day," said Jowers.
People who came in by boat paid the same $15 admission fee as everyone else, according to a visitor from Boston who arrived on a boat.
And for the $15 ticket price, beach goers got a day full of music, starting at 9 a.m. at the two Jam stages at either end of the beach road with two gospel choirs, the UVI Jazz Ensemble, and continuing with the All Stars Steel Band.
Events got under way at noon on the main stage where HBO comediennes Barbara Carlyle and DK took turns MCing the event and cracking up the crowd with their unique wit. Irving "Brownie" Brown, local radio personality, calypsonian and musician, also took the stage to help introduce the acts.
Brown was surprised to find himself on stage again later, when headliner Tito Puente invited him to join his band for the final number.
Puente and Brown were reacquainted before the show when they realized they had met back in 1964 in New York City when Puente and well-loved local band leader
Milo Frances played the Palladium together.
As the sun began to get lower in the sky, the crowd slowly began leaving the beach, gathering at the entrance to the park to get a "ride-up" on one of the 10 shuttles that were circling the road into and out of the beach all day.
"Outstanding", said resident Richard Brown. "Someone stepped up and made this happen. That's the best part."
"Love it, love it," said Monique Sibilly Hodge. "I'm having a great time."
"These are the kinds of events the Virgin Islands needs," said E.J. Armstrong as he left the beach with his wife and two children.
A day at the beach, as the promoters said, will never be the same.

Thousands of people moved in and out of Magens Bay in a steady, quiet stream without any apparent hitches all day Monday, Martin Luther King Day.
Bill Jowers, general manager of Magens Bay, called the organizing of the event "superb."
"Almost every security department has been involved: police, housing police, several security companies and even DPNR's Blue Lightning force," he said.
The other thing organizers did was to make sure that cars parked along the road were parked facing out, Jowers said. That expedited their exit.
Event organizer Bill Grogan said at mid-fternoon, "We got 'em in really well. Now let's hope we can get everyone out as well."
They did, and with many cleaning up after themselves on the way out.
Local Boy Scouts were on hand for the clean-up operation, picking up trash on the beach before the event ended.
Young people from the Civil Air Patrol were also on hand to assist with parking and traffic control.
What helped was the fact that the event went on all day, which invited people to come and go at a leisurely pace. And the times of performances were not announced beforehand. That was so people would not be expecting
anything at a particular time, according to one of the production staff members.
Ten shuttles ran up and down the Magens Bay road, giving beach goers a lift in and out.

Our streets are untidy. We allow unclean, mentally disturbed people to beg, threaten and annoy anyone in sight. No one seems to be in control.
Police sometimes ignore crimes. Government officials throw up their hands in frustration at an inability to make government work. Newspaper headlines
bombard their readers with revelations of an empty treasury, illegal payments, fraud and mismanagement.
Is this the Virgin Islands? No, this was
New York City before a control board was appointed by the federal government to assist New Yorkers in solving their problems.
The comparison is not that much different than our current situation in the Virgin Islands.
However, New York City has 9 million people in an area the size of St. Thomas; we have 100,000 people spread out over three major
islands.
Do we need the drastic measures that saved New York City from collapse? Can we make the tough decisions necessary to improve our shaky financial, social and attitudinal problems? Can our new governor's "grander
vision" take root under these dire conditions? Are we trying to grow new
plants in old soil — will they sprout only to wither from lack of fresh nutrients?
Never before in the modern political history of the Virgin Islands has such intense pressure been placed on our institutions, social framework and people.
Our problems are not only financial, but spiritual as well; we need to be led up the mountain, not just down the road.
Being a Democrat myself, it is hard for me to tout a Republican politician, but my hat is off to Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City, who has continued his city's climb from bankruptcy to prosperity with the skill of a great leader.
The crime rate of both nuisance and violence has dropped to levels below the 1960s. You
can walk the streets of the once-infamous Times Square with your children and not be assaulted by street people, prostitutes, drug dealers and visual decay.
This resurgence of New York City only occurred after a humiliating but visionary decision to let the federal government restore integrity into a collapsing infrastructure.
Our leaders must recognize that the people of the Virgin Islands are prepared for the worst, and are willing to sacrifice now for a brighter future. We came out in great numbers to support a "grander vision" and are
hungry for the details.
Band-Aids cannot cover the deep wound in our
economy, and God cannot be called upon to save us if we don't first do for ourselves what needs to be done. There is no time for a grace period. Get the right people and get the job done.
The momentum of the great upset must
be continued, for the people are energized.
Let the sins of the past be forgotten so the future can be realized. Let the grander vision begin.

Greetings from New Orleans!
I have just recently discovered this site, as a friend in Georgia informed me of its existence. I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the content of this "electronic" newspaper, and look forward to reading it regularly.
The cost of having the Daily News or the St. Croix Avis mailed to New Orleans is pretty expensive. So, this is a welcome alternative to print media.
One question I do have is this: I realize that your site is new and is "evolving" to provide the most concise content, but are there any plans to add news happenings from St. Croix? I think that content from St. Croix would be very well-received. I have many friends that live in the territory,
especially St. Croix. And as a future resident of the territory, I am keenly
interested in the welfare of the citizenry of the territory.
In closing, I would like to thank you and the web developers that brought this site to fruition. And if there is anything that I can do to provide assistance of any kind, please do not hesitate to call on me.
Mike McGill
Metairie, La.

Too bad Russia, during her days of communism and attempts to rule the world, did not know the moral commitment the United States has placed on its leaders. Would it not have been threatening if a Lewinsky type was used as a spy to dismantle a government? Don’t worry, China, Cuba and other so-called “enemies of the state,” to include Saddam, are listening and taking notes.
Is it a litmus test? You betcha! You see, University of California Regents versus Bakke was the beginning of the United States Supreme Court sustaining the litmus test using the so-called “white male” as example of ex and inclusion in social problems of our America. Bakke and white skin color became constitutional reasons to deny minorities rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Then, down went “Affirmative Action.”
How does this become a litmus test and how is Clinton and Lewinsky involved? Mrs.. Dole waits in the wings for a possible candidacy as president. What happens when she’s asked if she ever dated a black man, or, if she had premarital sex, or, if she has messed around on her husband, any of them if more than one? What happens to a General Colin Powell who is asked if he ever had sex with a subordinate soldier in his entire career, or, if he has had foreign women while serving overseas, or, if he has messed around on his wife?
Impeachment is an indictment concept of law saved for elected officials because of high crimes against the state? Possibly, President Clinton has committed sodomy. A crime, yes, but not a high crime against the state. Okay, then let the local prosecutor prosecute him. Can’t do that because no one complained officially. Lewinsky and Jones sought civil action in hopes of earning some money like any prostitute on the streets. Ken Starr and others became the complainant in this case and turned a possible sodomy violation into high crimes against the state. As a matter of fact, sodomy, only, is a low level crime in any state one can go to. And, it is impossible for sodomy to be a sexual act as sexual acts are for procreation alone; any other sexual contact, disguised as sex, is for pleasure alone; that’s the reason it is labeled sodomy.
Most of congress, to include the special prosecutor process, ought to be forced by citizens to take a laxative as that is one of the few instances where liquid runs from both ends with little or no resistance. We must not allow morality to become a litmus test in actuality wherein the qualifications clearly dictated in the United States Constitution does not require it. Look at the qualifications in the United States Constitution and you’ll find that the very court judges and justices have no qualifications. My opinion, qualifications would limit their ability to accept a lifetime appointment and force them to adhere to law, public pressure, morality, spirituality and the Lewinsky’s of the world.

Three nights of Caribbean Jazz culminated Sunday night at the Reichhold Center for the Arts with a crowd pleasing evening of piano and percussion from Omar Sosa and John Santos. The madness started Friday night with the Mario Canonge' Trio, followed on Saturday night by the Danilo Perez Trio and finishing up with a "bang" on Sunday night with Sosa and Santos.
You will find reviews of all three performances and more in the Music and Things to do sections of St. Thomas Source.

You guys are great. Back one day after two weeks in my other home, it's always depressing. But here you are, just as if I was still there. And your paper is for real! My heart is lighter…thank you. Good luck for both you and me.
Bob Dunn
New York City/St. Thomas
P.S. You've pushed Charles Schwab down to second on my AOL list of favorite places.

The more we think about that $383,000 surreptitiously shelled out to those 37 Schneider administration officials for unused leave, the more galled we get.
There are several reasons.
The way it was done was appalling. To circumvent routine procedures and process rush-rush fat checks for a favored few as they were exiting government -– assuming all have actually left -– is really bad form.
But the fact that it was done at all is what's really disgraceful. Approving those lump-sum leave payments may have been legal –- that remains to be seen -– but it was morally indefensible.
How could Gov. Roy L. Schneider -– who got the biggest payment, $24,460 –- justify cutting this check for himself when the hospital can't buy lifesaving supplies because vendors who haven't been paid are refusing to extend any more credit? How could he and the other 36 take lump-sum payments when the police can't afford gas for their vehicles to go out on routine patrols?
Of course, those are rhetorical questions, considering that Schneider only weeks earlier processed a 1997 tax-refund check for himself for $19,000 when thousands of people are still waiting for tax refunds dating back two to three years.
The man simply has no shame.