CLICK HERE FOR THE EBOOK "SECRETS SKIN CARE COMPANIES & DERMATOLOGISTS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW",
| "AN AMERICAN IN
PARADISE", by Nancy Holloway-Prince Ah, the Caribbean, ever wonder what it would be like to live here? It's always warm, even when it's raining. For a tennis player and swimmer like me, it is paradise. The waters are liquid pleasure, cooling and caressing your tan body. Exactly, that is why I'm writing this daily column. I'm a writer, recently divorced and remarried. America's Paradise is somewhat famous for new starts, kind of like Hollywood. I arrived in St. Thomas the first time, single almost 25 years ago, from LA. My then boyfriend help me to open my third beauty salon a the Windward Passage Hotel. The boyfriend was a real womanizer, today I think he is addicted to sex. A year later I married my now ex husband, moved away and moved back twice. St. Thomas is now home for me three of my children and my new husband, an African Art Dealer from Senegal in West Africa. I sell the books I write from his store, "Touba Africa Fine Gifts". On the Internet Search Engine Google, I am #1 under "Fine Art Agent" out of 5 million results. My fine art collection is the largest in the Caribbean. A few of the artists clients I represent are famous, collected by presidential libraries and in royal collections. Click here for facts about The Virgin Islands "If Mamas not happy, nobody's happy". This could replace Home Is Where the Heart Is". Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America. Experts say one of the contributors to heart disease is an unhappy marriage, another stress. Could repeating yourself to your children and spouse be considered stressful? Once a day, five times a day, how much repetition can kill you, mom? This brings me to my opening words about mama and everyone's happiness. I tell my children, "I divorced your father because I didn't like the way he talked to me." We were married for 123 years, no I mean almost 24 years. It's time to embrace peace, balance, love and joy, or there will be hell. Life is what you make it. My married daughter tells me all of her friends have the same complaint about marriage. An unhappy marriage can kill you. Is it time for women to talk to their families about the endless repetition, they call nagging? Just before I ended my long marriage, I realized my husband and children let me beg them to help me clean the house and business without fear of consequence. I ended up cleaning the house and business myself because it was too stressful to request the family's assistance repeatedly. I was nagging them and stressing myself into high blood pressure and heart disease, like many other women. Is that our only recourse, overwork or death? What about the resentment? Mom is doing everything for the family, except going to school for the kids and work for the spouse, in too many families. Mom is just trying to keep the peace by keeping it all going, does mom resent this? Does this make mom happy or is mom being worked to death? "Hard work never killed anyone", may need to be revised. Achieving balance does require work. 65% of all American are overweight. this is addiction to food, and refusing to exercise is killing us all. These are simple concepts, but many of us are living lives like runaway trains. Many of us use food for gratification. I' do, then I play tennis and go to the beach. Too many people say there is nothing to do in The Virgin Islands. I disagree. Back to life is what you make it, plan for the raining day, literally. We don't have museums, but we do have art galleries. Fine Art gallery hopping in St. Thomas, leads you to Royal Dane Mall and #50 Solberg, to the largest fine art collection in the Caribbean. A raining day in the Caribbean is the perfect opportunity to go out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or if you're like me and you have a view envy, you're making your own gourmet meals, cutting your own flowers for the table and satisfying your senses. Entertaining friends in St. Thomas sometimes means a visit to the Art Retreat at #50 Solberg for their famous Fine Art Show & Brunch, it's by invitation only when it rains, if you e-mail me expressing your love for art, I may be able to get you an invitation. Sometimes it rains for days in Paradise, you need a plan that includes all the things you enjoy the most. When the weather is hot, the beach is a great place to be, but keep it simple. Beach trips can be expensive and the best food is very often the food you prepare yourself. MADAME SAMB Life in America's Paradise, it's writers workshop day, every Saturday 9-10am at Royal Dane Mall, Touba Africa Fine Gifts. I will walk to town, the art retreat is about a mile from town, we have a fabulous view of the Charlotte Amalie Harbor, that's where the web site photos are taken from. It's very hot this time of year so I walk with a sun umbrella and I always wear sunglasses. After the workshop I will probably come back to the retreat, French Open Tennis Tournament will be on cable. ESPN2 has only come in one day this year, but I have given this channel bonus points, because Serena Williams, won that day. Cable is much better than it use to be on St. Thomas. This is not the mainland! The Virgin Islands has it's own rhythm, and we should embrace the difference, not curse island life. After all, the people on the mainland or Continentals, are dying from stress and addiction to food in record numbers. Half of all American men will get cancer. Cancer like heart disease come from genetics, stress, poor diet and a bad environment. Life is different in paradise, forget the suit and tie but not your manners. Always speak saying, good day, and excuse me when you wish to speak to someone you do not know. Politeness matters in paradise, not the time of day. Slow down, you'll live longer. Be prepared and organized, don't wait until the last minute, you'll only be frustrated. Always, always take a book, snack and a drink where ever you go in The Virgin Islands. Always plan to spend more time than you are first quoted, and plan for at least one extra trip somewhere that doesn't make since, like Voodoo. Life in St. Thomas is about enjoying the things you love to do, often. For me that would be tennis, the kids, the beach and entraining my friends at the art retreat. If you e-mail me expressing your love for art, I may be able to get you an invitation for ArtShow Sunday Brunch.. Yesterday, Sunday, I went to Bluebeards Beach with a friend from Jordan. Foreign born V.I. Residents represent the largest group of business owners in The V.I., not Virgin Islanders. Our organization Image Research & Communication receives grant funds to conduct "Business Development Workshops" at the retreat seldom are the workshops well attended. Virgin Islanders represent more than 85% of government employees, business ownership should be more balanced. Many foreign born V.I. Residents move to The Virgin Islands because there are more African descendants than the mainland U.S. Fear of racism is one of the reason foreigners migrate to The Virgin Islands instead of the mainland U.S. It's still America without too many racist White Americans. Racism is an issue in The Virgin Islands, the "Good Old Boys Club" is just for whites from The States. Even though White Americans represent less than 15% of the population in The Virgin Islands. The first week in May HP was casting a commercial on St. Thomas. Debbie Quade of Water Island phoned a staff member where the casting call was being held and told him, "we want mostly whites". When I attempted to contact her by phone, I was told by her business partner, that HP asked for mostly Virgin Islanders, who are 85% African Descendent. There is a lot of racial discrimination in The Virgin Islands. I wrote a book "Corruption In America's Paradise", which is more like a diary of rage. The book documents a few blatant abusers and organizations by name. Monday, a slow walk to town, three cruise ships in. My book inventory is low, a trip to Cornerstone Printing, downtown Charlotte Amalie is my first stop. Upon my arrival, the owner voiced conern over my Corruption book, saying it could be bad for The Virgin Islands. I told him the book isn't about corrupt Virgin Islanders, but Virgin Island Residents, mainly those from the states. This doesn't mean there aren't corrupt Virgin Islanders, I think the Daily News makes Virgin Islanders look as bad as they can. Statesiders bring "Good Old Boy" corruption in The V.I., they bring racism and defacto segregation. Island life is stressed by statesiders and other immigrants blowing their car horns and complaining that it's not like this in the states. Exactly. Statesiders weren't happy in the states, that is why they moved here. (we moved here) Embrace the difference! Leave the stress in LA, or PA or MA, you'll live longer. Park your cars and walk more, it's better for us all. It takes planning and organization not to become stressed and frustrated in The Virgin Islands. Acceptance is the key. Things are the way they are here. The other parts of the civilized world need a lot more work than The Virgin Islands, at least we have water we can swim in without contracting a bacterial infection.. The U.S. Virgin Islands, is beginning to resemble a third world country and nothing is being done about growing poverty and economic imbalance. The V.I. Government is bombarded by those who continue to make The U.S. Virgin Islands a third world colony. This is graduation day for my youngest child, four more years to retirement! This could be a good beach day, yesterday was overcast, a little rainy, not a crisp beach day. Today, it's a little hard to tell, it's only 6 am. There are a lot of homeless chickens close to town and in the country. Twenty- years ago when I first moved here, chickens were only heard in the country. In Savan, the first settlement in St. Thomas, you see mother and baby chicks crossing the road like human families.. I'll walk to town and take the safari for $1.00 to Lindberg Bay, the beach by the airport. There's a five minute walk from the safari to the warm, crystal blue water. I'll pack a couple of frozen drinks, eat before I leave home and pack a light snack. The beach often doubles as my office. It's not hard to find a deserted corner during the off season, it truly is paradise. The graduation was great! It started on time and only went 15 minutes long. Last week my youngest daughter received her AP award, the ceremony started almost 45 minutes late, but the kids were superstars! I have come to look forward to important messages from guest speakers at school events. The Confidential Representative To The Governor Of The Virgin Islands, was one of the speakers at light nights graduation ceremony. One of his messages was "be grateful". He talked about a young man who graduated June 10, 2003 from a local middle school. The young man's mother, father and brothers attended his graduation as a happy family. Exactly one year later, June 10, 2004, the family's mother sadly died. Be grateful for what you have. I tell my children this all the time. We always want more and there is nothing wrong with ambition as long is you count your blessings. The view from the art retreat is so beautiful and of course it is never the same. I see the sun rise every day and every day it's different in a breath taking kind of way. Today, I'll walk to town, usually takes about 15 minutes, accompanied by a view of the harbor all the way. Sometimes the harbor water looks like blue glass, with ships and yachts appearing perfectly still. A rainy Friday, brings just one cruise ship to St. Thomas. I watch it come in from my workstation at the retreat. One can also see the Sea Plan approach over Frenchtown and land in the Charlotte Amalie Harbor. You, guessed it, I'm walking to town taking in the view along the way. Tennis today looks doubtful, clearly it's time for plan B which is always shopping if I have money or promoting my books downtown at Touba Africa Fine Art & Fine Gifts. A personal spa day is also a great rainy day activity. Fresh aloe grows just outside the retreat for an anti aging facial. Yard work is another rainy day activity, if you live here, if not come meet the artists at the retreat and have some mango tea.. The USVI Writers Workshop is tomorrow morning 9-10am, in Royal Dane Mall, on the sun porch with the fish fountain. Leah, a writer in the group will be writing an entertainment column for The V.I. Times and we're covering the basics in the workshop. The retreat has three mango trees on the property, so we have mangos getting ripe for the mango tea we serve at the Sunday ArtShow & Brunch. If you e-mail me expressing your love for art, I may be able to get you an invitation for ArtShow Sunday Brunch.. It's not easy being self employed but it can be profitable and you can make your own hours. The kids are out for the summer, only one of them has a job. Having a web site that generates revenue while you sleep, makes paradise accessible during sun light hours. Summer is hot is St. Thomas, except when it rains. The Virgin Islands is definitely a place where you need to make friends. Inviting people over, taking in the great view from the friends house and eating the friends great food, is one of the popular pastimes in The VI. This is hurricane season, which can bring a lot of rain. It's been overcast, rainy and overcast for the last several days. Yesterday, I forced myself to walk down the hill into Savan, and back up the hill. It took about 20 minutes and I cut back on the food. When I play tennis everyday or swim, what I eat is not a big problem. Sugar, packs the pounds on you. Try brown sugar in your tea with fruit, it helps me. 65% of us all are overweight. Fat and inactivity will contribute to premature death or an unhealthy life. The Virgin Islands is a great place to walk for exercise. When I don't walk I play tennis at the public courts or swim at the free beaches. Just another beautiful day in paradise. It helps if you're self employed and can make your own hours. Paradise is a state of mind and it's also very small. Every one knows everybody else, just like any other small town. The cost of living is not as bad as LA. We have a four bedroom house, our monthly mortgage is about $1,000 a month and I operate an artists & writers retreat here. Feeding a family of five will cost about $200 a week, electricity about $200 a month. When it doesn't rain, we have to buy water at $175 a small load. Jobs in paradise don't pay as much as the mainland, you almost have to be self employed to live here. My company was established in 1989, we are fine art agents, publish books, design web sites and sell all natural skin care. If you e-mail me expressing your love for art, I may be able to get you an invitation for Art Show Sunday Brunch.. I played tennis early this morning, 6 am. It was already light out but not hot. Exercise is a great way for a writer to start the day. After tennis, I cooked, cleaned and now I ' working. My view of the Charlotte Amalie Harbor is temporarily blocked by the clothesline of wet hand laundry. That's better, a view is essential to a writers product. Writers have tons of reasons why they can't write everyday, I have them too. Living in paradise is challanged when the cable is out. It's almost like a rainy day. We have a dvd recorder but no new movies. I should be better prepared for "No Signal". Whenever the cable goes out I think this is a good opportunity to work on that fiction project, and it is. Life is what you make it no matter where you live. You have to be able to love your environment or move, thoughtfully, someplace you enjoy walking through. I use to live on Venice Beach, on the Boradwalk, life was exciting at the SideWalk Cafe, I loved it there. The Charlotte Amalie Harbor walk, from downtown to The Havensight Dock is nice. Lunch at the Havensight Cafe, where we have a fine art exhibit would be a thing to do in St. Thomas. Yes the cable is still out , thank God for the DVD recorder! The cable guy won't be out till Monday afternoon, but I won't hold my breath. Welcome to Paradise! This could happen anywhere. Paradise is what you make it. The retreat is just above town. I can drive my car, parking is 10 minutes away from town. Or I can walk to town in 15 minutes. Life today is the writers workshop, the post office and the beach. I'm walking to town, where the post office is, then after the workshop, it's off to the beach. The safari is just $2.00 to go all over the island. Just 10 minutes on the safari and I'm a short walk away from Lindberg Bay, Emerald Beach Resort and The Beachcomer Resort on on Lindberg Bay Beach. I'll pack my lunch...bring my Oprah magazine and exfoliate. Yes, It's a day of "Beauty & The Beach" , a new article I'm working on for The V.I.Times. This beach is less than a mile to the airport and the water is beautiful! There are a couple of bars on the beach that belong to the resorts, there is a food truck parked off the road, that sells the best pate on island. Our family celebrated Fathers Day and a Birthday yesterday! I've always worked from home, when ever my parents couldn't watch my kids. Now the two kids are almost out of the nest, just four more years and I will be free and single. The marriage to the Art Dealer from Senegal is going to make a good fiction read, and I think I'll write the serial online. St. Thomas is sunny but a little overcast today. I've already played tennis and I'm set for a day of house cleaning and writing. Wild chickens are plentiful in St. thomas, almost every home has a chicken family that just seem to move in. Our home is no exception, I call her Henny Penny. Her name isn't very original , I only mention her because she is making a mess on my front porch. My mother says she will give me eggs if I feed her bread crumbs and call her name. I'll keep you posted. The cable man came early! These are bonus points for The Virgin Islands, and yes Serena played on ESPN2, the channel was clear as a bell. I walked to town, took the $1 safari to visit a client, banking and food shopping. I took a gypsy taxi back to the retreat for $6.00. It's hot here in St. Thomas, I think I'll play tennis in the am around 6am tomorrow, my partner picks me up and drops me off. Then all work and no more play till the next day. Sounds kind of boring, no night life. I go to bed at 8 pm and I'm up before the sun, every day. I try to cook and clean in the morning, after tennis and before work. This is beach weather in America's Paradise, pack your lunch take your work along ,and cool off at some of the best beaches in the world. The kids have gone back to work , we have a family owned business. I told them no work no money. They are 17 & 18 and have been working for the family business for almost five years. Put your kids to work sending out e-mail for your family's web based business, then you can live anywhere you want. Haven't seen the chicken or her family in a couple of days. I think I'll go out and throw her some bread. Life should be paradise where ever you decide to live. Get organized, organize the family, make a plan and stick to it. Too often mom does everything except go to school for the kids and work for the spouse. We own and operate a family owned business. My family is just like other American families. The kids don't do what I ask them to do the first time. Then I repeat, plead and scream. Today I went straight to cursing and demanding that they work for money they ask me for. It worked! My oldest son, who is in college needs money for a passport, I told him to clean his room or no money. College Boy's room looks like hell hit at Calvin Kline, Nike and Ralph Lauren's. He says he needs clothes. My youngest daughter, the straight A student, with a bad attitude wants to go to volley ball camp, $20.00 a day. I told her the same thing, work first, no respect, no money. No matter where you live you can't have paradise when you're doing all the work. Back from a weekend of laying down the law with the kids and the ex, my life is in control. No trouble with cable, Wimbledon is playing on ESPN 2 and NBC. I've invited friends over and we've been having a lot of fun. Of course everyone loves my view, it's the talk of where I play tennis! After Lindsay and Kim play, I'll walk to town, and take a safari to the beach or the tennis court later today. When you kids start telling you what they are not going to do, it's time for the parents to tell them that they won't support that behavior. This means the $400 my daughter ask me for to go to a basketball camp in Ky, is going shopping with me. My son just got back from St. Croix, Natl Team VolleyBall practice, he's overdue for a little tough love. When our children don't even respect us enough to do what we tell them to do without fear of physical violence, the parent must do something about it. Disrespect from your kids will interfere with paradise anywhere, not just St. Thomas. Every family with kids at home, has the same problems or worse. If you let your kids walk over you, they will grow up trying to inflect their bad behavior on others. If you take control of your life, drawing boundaries, demanding respect, and respecting others, others will respect you. Yes we are watching a lot of tennis. My husband and I did go to a movie last night, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. We have a good laugh, he said ..." this is like us?" The economy is changing in St. Thomas. My brother in-law is thinking about moving his business in favor of a destination with year round tourism. The summer months in St. Thomas can be financially devastating for those without savings, or another revenue generating venture for the off season. We bring people into the retreat year round and sometimes we take art and books to festivals and fairs in the Caribbean. Only food, out sells cosmetics in America. I have more than 30 years experience as a professional make-up artist and I've decided to build a cosmetic counter at my husbands downtown store. My books are sold at his main street store and fine art. I'm the president of a family owned business and the hq is here in St. Thomas. Living in paradise requires money and time to enjoy it. Paradise for me is also loving what I do to make money. Sometimes I sell my books and skin care, web site design services are marketed to local business owners and other professionals worldwide. Wimbledon is on... got to go. What a tennis match! Now it's time to get back to work, paradise does ot pay me for being here. There are three cruise ships in today, downtown will be busy. Art is one of the only items sold in the Virgin Islands or anywhere else, that is not made in China. There are a lot of Spanish speaking Caribbean residents in St. Thomas. When it's too hot to walk from the parking lot to town, I call a gypsy taxi, $4.00 to town from the retreat. Gypsy taxi drivers are usually Dominican's, from Santa Domingo and they charge less than union taxi drivers. Market Square is usually where I pick up my driver to get back up the hill or I can call and have someone pick me up. If I take my car I have to pay to park and walk for 10 minutes to downtown. Yesterday, after tennis, my husband and I went to Brewers Bay Beach, by the college. What a lovely day, Chinese food, mangos and the clear blue sea. This time of year during the week you can have a beautiful beach almost all for yourself. Sapphire Beach is also a nice beach, with a resort and condo's on the east end. I use to spend almost $100 a month on pantyhose when we lived in the States, make-up artist and web design instructor, heavy dress code. Not anymore, tennis clothes and beachwear, that's paradise for me. Sometimes I play dress-up but not often. The lifestyle in St. Thomas is very easy and casual, unless you work at a bank or for the government. I've been self employed for more than 30 years and have held down very few jobs, for very little time. Currently, my business is conducted here at the retreat or downtown at my husbands store in Royal Dane Mall. Jobs in St. Thomas are low paying especially for professionals, don't waste your time looking for a high paying job in St. Thomas. Consider an internet business venture, a non profit organization or a business service for tourist and locals. Diversification is essential in every business, especially a business dependent on tourism. What do you do during the off season? I cater to locals with cosmetics and fine art when tourism is down. I've been working on my business plan for "Madame Samb Cosmetics". We will market like Avon and Mary Kay. My background, before fine art and computers was in business development and most cosmetic selling environments. Only more food is purchased in America than cosmetics. Do you love where you live? I do. Paradise can be anywhere you make it. When we lived in Louisiana, I needed the beach. Now I have the beach, fabulous water view, nice house and respectful kids. Starting a new business is very exciting. The first step a business plan, paradise is no exception. Is there a demand for your product or service? If yes, how much money do you need to get started, how much revenue will be generated, what are the cost to do business? Answers to these questions can determine profitability, viability and feasibility. Madame Samb Cosmetics a division of Image Research & Communication established since 1989. Who is our market? Women. The Internet makes it possible to sell to women all over the world. Our skin care company publishes a book, "Secrets Skin Care Companies & Dermatologists Don't Want You To Know" . The book sells all over the world from the Internet and so will Madame Samb Cosmetics. Utilizing a successful model, like Mary Kay or Avon will make our jobs much easier, If it's not broke don't fix it. What's it like to live in paradise? What is paradise for you? Most people don't even try to live their dreams. Most people work, suffer long commutes and work for someone they don't like or respect. Most people end up taking their bad daily job experience with them on the long crappie drive home. This sounds like hell not paradise. What is home life for most people? Half of all marriages end in divorce. Half of all married people yet to divorce are unhappy. Do half of us leave our stressful jobs, suffer gridlock and go home to a spouse you will divorce? We have rush hour in America's Paradise, it's just an hour, not an hour to the interstate. Paradise has divorce, stupid bosses and bad job experiences. But paradise is warm and sunny year around. Paradise is a state of mine. My state ofmne needs a beach, clear blue water, uncrowded. I've been divorced and remarried. I don't believe in stress, suffering or self inflicted misery. I am living my dream. Living your dream requires spending a lot of time determining what you like, want and need, within reason and reality. Make a realistic plan to get what you want, live where you want and love your work. I've been busy, going to beach with my husband, playing tennis, driving my kids around to games and practice. St. Thomas has a lot of amateur sports leagues. Volleyball, tennis, baseball and soccer for adults and children. Catch a basketball game when you come to St. Thomas. Where you live is as important as how you live. If your life is full of stress you can't enjoy life anywhere. Paradise is a state of mine. If I needed to ride a horse, snow ski or catch a desert sunrise, St. Thomas would not be paradise for me. I need to be self employed, shop, swim and play tennis. In Louisiana we belonged to a tennis club for $100 per month. Now, I play at Sub base on the public courts free, $100 saved. Then there is the gas, the club was 50 miles a way. During the winter we played tennis indoor for $200 a month. Real estate is less expensive on St. Thomas than L.A. Virgin Islanders are private partiers. Having friends over for dinner, a lazy brunch or a beach party. Your group of friends keep you busy, not too much work if you're like me and have been to the other side. A couple years ago, I wrote a book, "Corruption In America's Paradise" where I used the real names of influential people, their offenses and how I came to know of them. Shaun A. Pennington owner of the online newspaper The Source, Mary Blazine and her husband Les Anderson are just a few Virgin Island residents who said and did things they wish they had not. I have not been sued because the book is non fiction and the facts are well documented as the truth. The truth hurts in paradise. I'm off to make mango jelley. The kids are off to Cali for a month!!!!! No cooking, no nagging, peace unit they come back home. Yes I will miss them bad, but they must go and live without mom and dad. Summer in paradise, deserted beaches and the water is just cool enough. When do I work? I'm working now, come on it's summer the off season. Writing is what I do in the summer. Business plans, articles and books, all summer long. During the season, we have up to 8 cruise ships with 3,000 passengers each. When you add hotel guest and cruise ship passengers, we could have 30,000 tourist on island . Tennis, shopping and swimming are daily activities in St. Thomas. Shop for food. tennis clothes and beach wear, which is usually underwear. We don't wear swim suits in St. Thomas, not us locals. Tee shirt, shorts, panties, briefs it doesn't matter. In paradise, forget your dress clothes but not your manners. It's rainy and it's still paradise. We have fresh herb plants on the terrace where this background image was taken from. We have a view of Water Island and Hassle Island from the retreat. Sadly, I must move the retreat to a downtown location to accommodate increase interest in our art and brunch events. St. Thomas has a fantastic waterfront, perfect for a new gallery and artists studio. The plan is to incorporate my cosmetic studio with the solo shows and brunch on the waterfront. You have to know voodoo to get a business license in St. Thomas. You need a police report and a letter that clears you with the Internal Revenue Bureau. There is a lot of back and forth in ST. Thomas. In the states there are also problems with the lack of efficiency. Today, I'm off to the bank and to have a look at some waterfront real estate for the new studio. Downtown is still the best Central Business District in St. Thomas, advertising is a must you can't depend on walking traffic to generate all of your sales. More than 25 years ago when I first left LA for St. Thomas, women who had been here said, the women don't care about stuff like their nails in St. Thomas. This is called institutionalized racism. They were of course wrong. One of my clients in St. Thomas was Erno Laszlo. I provided make-up artist and web master services, it lasted less than 2 months. In St. Thomas Erno Laszlo is owned by a German woman, Gesine Locker. Hitler would have loved Gesine. Gesine says the black women in St. Thomas don't care about their faces. They care about their hair, nails, feet, clothing, but they don't value their skin, according to Gesine. This is also called institutionalized racism. Erno Laszlo is too expensive for Alcohol, Vaseline and aspirin and women even black women in St.Thomas know that. The last day I worked for Gesine at Erno Laszlo St. Thomas, she cursed at me so badly, I went out and pruchased a tape recorder. I returned with the tape recorded and told Gesine that the way she spoke to me just 30 minutes earlier, was not acceptable. Gesine took the bait and began cursing at me again, this time I taped her. I revealed the tape to a mutual friend, during the recording. I threaten to expose Gesine Locker for the racist that the tape proved her to be, if she didn't pay me what she owed me. Needless to say I was paid. In St. Thomas people of color are not perceived to have power over people with money. I wonder if Shaun A. Pennington, told Gesine that she is in my book, "Corruption In America's Paradise" . I noticed just after Shaun's shopping trip to Erno Lazlo, where I was the make-up artist, Gesine began to treat me like her cleaning lady, literally. I was wearing a $128.00 blouse when Gesine asked me to clean the mold and mildew from her walls and dust the shelf's. I told her that she was my client and I was there to build a web site for her business and increase her sales, which I did. I think after Shaun Penningtons' visit, Gesine was trying to get me to quit, it didn' t work, instead I purchased a tape recorder and her racist abuse of me was caught on tape, with a witness. In paradise, the people with money assume they can step on you if you're not in the "good ole boys club", I call their club the "hall of shame", in my book, "Corruption In America's Paradise". Gesine was last years offender of the year. That's how small St. Thomas is, most of the people in my book are listed in the Virgin Island phone directory and they all know each other. Today, I'm off to the grocery store, beach and the tennis court. We have the same concerns in paradise that you have in the states, terrorism, unemployment, bird flu and I think wireless communications cause cancer. When is advanced technology too much. Johnny Cochran's doctor, Dr. Black, thinks so also. Dr. Black says, the proof in in his patients. As for terrorism, I include the war in Iraq as a terrorist act. The so called civilized world must change and make more of an effort to become civilized. Who knew about the imminent famine in Niger? When Ambassador Wilson went to Niger to investigate "yellow cake", did he also notice that Niger was suffering from a drought that would led to famine? Not only did Wilson not find "yellow cake" or rain, Niger was a dust bowl of dead animals and starving people. Each One Help Another My youngest daughter has a boyfriend (G) who has very little support from his home. Frequently we feed and encourage him. The daughters boyfriend is my $20 a month to the starving children's fund, We help him instead. G is my volunteer work, my contribution to society is to give G the guidance, love and support he does not receive from home. When my daughter is being a spoiled brat, G reminds her that she has both of her parents in the same home, taking care of her and her brothers. Even though G didn't graduate with his class he paid $150.00 out of his pocket for summer school, I told him that I was proud of him. My daughter told me that he was afraid to tell me and her father that G wasn't going to graduate. We could say G is not good enough for our daughter, she must make her own choices and we must support her. Our daughter will attend any college of her choice with a full scholarship, her grades are that good, she is in the top of her class. The schools are not all that bad, it is the parents who should be challenging their children, providing role models and supporting them. The truth is, many parents are too dysfunctional to help their children, just like the states. A stray dog has adopted me. Without knowing where I live this dog has met me on my way to town and back moe than a few times. Now the dog knows where I live, yesterday I gave her food and water. I haven't seen my chicken lately, but try to keep something in the yard for her. It impossible to feel bad about yourself when you are helping other people. When feel down or depressed, I remember the people that I have helped, and I know that they pray for me. It is more of a blessing to give than to receive. If more people knew this from being someones blessing, the world would be a better place. I dare you to help one person. Take an interest in someone who needs help. Help doesn't always mean money. Dorothy a former Nun, was a Sheriff Deputy at Dillards where I was the business manager for Christian Dior Cosmetics. I nagged Dorothy for months about a mole on her nose until she went to the doctor. Dorothy came to work one night and thanked me for saving her life. The doctor said it was going to be cancer. I will always have Dorothy to make me feel special on down days. Yes even paradise has down days, give yourself a facial, pedicure or try to do something nice for someone else. I remember people who have helped me by praying for them and their families. There is a lot of religion in paradise. Another hot morning of tennis and a cool of at Lindberg Bay Beach, by the airport in St. Thomas. Self employment is difficult everywhere, especially in paradise. You have to be smart in the tropical sun. Take water with you and don't over do it. Eat a small amount of food if you are going to be exercising in the sun. We are completely rewriting the business plan for the Fine Art Retreat, fine art gallery and cosmetic studio. Why cosmetics, diversification. The off season gives us an opportunity to market to government employees and others who are not adversely affected by off season slow downs, like retailers. The government employs about 40% of the population in The Virgin Islands. Tourism is the number one product in The Virgin Islands. The art retreat we operate houses one artist at a time in studio suitable for an artist and guest. The studio and gallery space is downtown is where we will have our solo shows starting in November.. One of the way the Virgin Island EDC AND EDA programs have hurt us is real estate prices. There is a building advertised for rent in Market Square that is $3,000 a month. This building remains unrented and a tax shelter for the owner. Meanwhile the property values are inflated or over priced for those of us who would become self employed. If all the commercial real estate is over valued, only those with money will open businesses until then the property will remain a vacant tax shelter. We watch a lot of CNN in paradise, it's on at some of the banks, Tickles Dockside Pub, Molly Malones Pub and other business locations. Our tourism season begins after hurricane season ends in November, as the weather in other parts of the world are cooler. People with money plan, people without money don't. My fine art agency is already booking December 2006 for our art retreat. Dare to be successful, plan the next day the day before, next year and the next five and ten years. Summer in paradise can be hot and miserable if you don't plan. Today, the dentist at 8 am, tennis at 9:30 and the beach after tennis. I am always the first appointment at my dentist, because I don't like to wait. After the beach, I will come back here and work for 5 or 6 hours. I don't go out much, too tired from tennis and swimming. Some people will find this boring, but I have children a home and a business to take care of. Balance in paradise is essential. Make your life a paradise, move to your ideal climate to enjoy your favorite things. How can you get bored with things that you love to do. Tennis could never bore me, I've played for 43 years.. Swimming in the warm crystal blue water water never gets tired. For me life is not about getting rich, it's about living richly. I'm self employed, in theory I work every waking hour, except when I'm playing tennis or swimming. Self employment is not easy I work 7 days a week , check out the view from my office. Get a web site and live where ever you want to live. Most people don't have control of their own lives and have no idea of what their paradise on earth could be like. Dare to dream. The day I went to the dentist, she told me I was " living the life", and she was right. I, don't have money. When I work my income is above average, so you could say I work part time, even though I work everyday. The constant planning I do is work. The actual time I spend working for a client is at $200 per hour, with very little overhead. To a large degree, I am supported by my ex-husband, who takes care of our children with my help. Before I married him, the criteria was, could he afford alimony and child support. No matter how much in love you are in with your spouse, you must have an exit plan that doesn't leave you financially destitute. I love my work and can't imagine not writing or designing web sites. I stayed home with my kids, went back to school and operated my business ventures. Sometimes, my parents helped with the kids, sometimes we had someone come in or live in. I had a contingency plan 25 years ago that is working today, in paradise. Ask yourself, what would you like to do for money and for fun, make a plan to do it. Spend time planning, write your plans down. Ask yourself, do I have energy for this, is this practical, will this make me money or will it make me happy? Well, I'm off to the tennis court and then the beach to work on a bit of fiction and my abs. . More tomorrow... Read "Corruption In America's Paradise" by, Nanci Holloway-Prince "I lived in the south for seven years, white chamber of commerce members in Shreveport/Bossier Louisiana helped me build my business. Business people here in St. Thomas hack my web site and send virus to my E-Mail for four years now. I have had to go to the FBI and the Department of Justice." Nanci Holloway-Prince I wrote this book two years ago, and they still hack my web site and send me virus in my E-Mail two years later. When they send the police and licensing, I tell them the story about economic genocide and cultural genocide in The Virgin Islands, they leave nodding. 9/15/2005 "HATE CRIMES IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, AMERICA'S PARADISE" What is life life like in America's Paradise? Life can be incredible, if you don't have a target painted on your back. My web site and my top search engine positioning on GOOGLE, have been hacked. Hacked as in Federal Crime. Yes, they hacked my level playing field. Worlddome.com has the size, the keywords and the content to be #1 in many global positions on GOOGLE and other major search engines. http://www.worlddome.com/gemcasa.html disappeared from GOOGLE all together for the entire month of August, 2005. The positioning for gem casa has miraculously been restored on GOOGLE when I had my host report the criminals to the FBI and other authorities. Worlddome.com is almost 1,000 pages published to the Internet. I wonder how many other pages they made disappear or sent to the bottom of GOOGLE? So much for we don't need Affirmative Action. A local lawyer says color doesn't matter in The Virgin Islands, tell that to the women in St. John who have been raped just because they're black. This lawyer has been on almost every prominent board of directors in The Virgin Islands, he and his friends are on a one hundred year plan and it's working in St. John. When I heard there was hate crimes in St. John, I thought it was against a white woman. Native St. John residents are being raped, robbed and openly discriminated against, with Jim Crow Signs, in the "Love City" St. John, U.S.V.I. I was responsible for getting myself off of welfare, making a name for my self, getting an education, so I could what, get no hits to my web site? The hotel association had a program to blacklist any hotel worker who would not act like a servant, I sat in on some meetings. They were trying to get their blacklist program funded by the very people they were hoping to blacklist. I stopped attending the meetings when I discovered the meeting minutes did not match what actually happen at the meetings. I feed my kids with what I make on the Internet. Worlddome.com was started at the dinning room table, my grandmother gave to me in 1999. Two of my children worked for worlddome.com this summer, not bad for a stay at home mom, in her Internet business. Now I worry, will they take this out on my children? Every web page worlddome.com has ever published to the net has been viewed and my clients contacted, past and present. Why, only to find dirt because I write the truth about them Read "Corruption In America's Paradise" Now I have more than truth, I have facts and their digital print. Remember what they did to Richard Jewel, exonerated Olympic bomber suspect? What kind of business will I have after they have contacted all of my past and present clients, they have already started to E-Mail me, asking me what is going on. Sadly, one of the artist I represent is being coached by them trying to entrap me, that is how life is like in St.Thomas, USVI. Check the Google position in the web archive, for gem casa in July, 2005, August and today. In the same way I have been investigated with no result, investigate the virus sent to my E-Mail and tampering with GOOGLE. They have been trying not only to run me out of business in St. Thomas, which they have, they don't even want me to keep what is rightfully mine. They say work hard and you will be rewarded. I have built worlddome.com from nothing, now that I have famous clients hosted on my web site, you query them about me. I've heard it said, "we've got to be better" look what happens when you are better, corruption. I got an E-Mail from someone wanting me to blog, and this is why I have written today. They have not beaten me, but I am bloody. I received another E-Mail this week from an artist I represent, it keep me going, it was the light. How did I discover the hacking, I track my stats and taught myself how to read the code and the protocol and I trust my instincts. I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago, which is unusual and I had the most irrestiable urge to check my E-Mail and my stats at 1:00 am. This was a first. While checking I discovered someone was viewing every page I had ever published and visiting every artists I'd ever represented. I saw what they saw, nothing to hurt me. I don't work when I can't sleep, but I have learned to trust my instincts and listen to my inner voice. I played tennis this morning and talked to some friends about my web site getting hacked and how they HACKED GOOGLE. They hate me. They hate me not just because I have the audacity to tell the truth and demand the same respect they give eachother, they hate me because I'm still in business and I haven't broken the law. In recent days they have had artists contact me for representation in St. Thomas. I no longer conduct business in St. Thomas because I fear for my life. I continue to write which is just as detrimental because of what I heard Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. say. "If you won't die for something, you aren't fit to live", and this why I write. Who are they, I call them goliath in "Corruption In America's Paradise", now they are bigger and act like the kkk. HERE IS A COPY OF AN ARTICLE I UPLOADED TO THE INTERNET TODAY 9/18/2005 HATE CRIMES IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS by, Nanci Holloway-Prince -
THE NINTH LIFE FINE ART GALLERY I wrote a book two years ago “Corruption In America’s Paradise”, it’s a free read on the Internet. I wrote the book because just after our second season in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands we began to get hate mail and phone calls. Dirty tricks and sophisticated 100-year plans predicted in my corruption book that have come to fruition in St. John. Half of all business ventures fail in the first year. In 1988 I wrote an entrepreneur training program that scored more points than the grant writers at Cal State L.A. School of business. I believe the strategy regarding my business The Ninth Life Fine Art Gallery was to do nothing the first year. They invited me to join the board of The St. Thomas, St. John Arts Council. It wasn’t until after my first full year on the arts council my worst fears were confirmed, no Native Caribbean Born Artists. I confronted them at the opening 2003 board meeting and they took a vote and fired me. We had to take into consideration at that time that there were artists joining our organization to cause us harm. These very artist have posted a web site claiming they can’t get back their art. When The Virgin Island Police Department called, I told them to have the shipper come for the art. Any artists having artwork in my closed gallery has been notified and their artwork has not been sold. There was one piece of lost artwork, the artist has been notified by me, with my deepest apology. There is an un-named artists comment on the web site trying to blackmail me, I know her, we have a photo of her at her solo show at The Ninth Life Fine Art Gallery, with a big smile on her face. I don’t think I would be smiling if 2/3 of my artwork was damaged. The hate E-Mail from the past board member and officer of the St. Thomas St. John Arts Council. The hate phone call another former board member and officer of The St. Thomas St. John Arts Council. These ladies are prominent in The Virgin Island community and I have used their real names in “Corruption In America’s Paradise”. Since the information regarding these pillars of the community is true, they cannot sue but them and their circle of friends can hack my web site and my search engine position on Google. This information is confirmed by my web host THMedia.net, the FBI and The U.S. Virgin Island Department of Justice. What would you do if you had all the power and someone was willing to tell the truth about you and your collaborators in a book published to the Internet for almost three years? Now black women are being raped on St.John, Virgin Islands, and black families just building on St.John are the victims of arson. Also, there is a communications monopoly in The Virgin Islands. The Wall Street Journal calls corruption the major problem in The Virgin Islands. Nanci Holloway-Prince also wrote "Secrets Skin Care Companies
&
Dermatologists Don't Want You To Know. After Holloway-Prince wrote
Corruption In America's Paradise, she went to the local FBI and Justice
Department to report the abuse of 501 (c) 3 organizations in The Virgin
Islands. MORE LATER... 9-19-2005The Good Old Boys Club had a bad night last night. I would have given almost anything to listen in on the phone when they told the webmaster at V.I. Now to erase the V.I. Now Message Board Topic: Racial Tensions On St. John. I saved two pages: http://www.worlddome.com/racism-st-john.html and http://www.worlddome.com/racism-st-john2.html.
INTERNET
MESSAGE BOARDS
– CAN THEY BE TRUSTED?
While posting on a vacation message board for St. John, Virgin Islands yesterday, I was referred to as a “troll” and compared to looters in Louisiana. Being called names in The Virgin Islands, especially from someone from St. John is par for the course. Even when the topic and postings disappeared, from the VI Now Message Board, I was not surprised. The VI Now Message board
seems not to be intended for just
anyone’s comments. Like most communications in The Virgin Islands, they
are
censored. In anticipation of the
message board being erased, I copied both pages, viewable now from my
web site. Past and future USVI
Vacationers come to the VI Now Message
Board for the truth about what is happening in The Virgin Islands, not
propaganda from condo owners looking for guest. There is a
communications
monopoly in The Virgin Islands. When the people with access to outgoing
news
control the outgoing news, it’s censorship. I was not surprised to
find the pages had been erased, the
topic was “Racial Tension On St. John. I
shared the missing pages with a woman who was also
reading the
postings on the VI Now Message Board, she sent E-Mail, and she wasn’t
the only
person I sent the missing pages to. The Wall Street Journal
calls corruption in The Virgin
Islands the major problem. Now the FBI
and the U.S. Justice Department are investigating hate crimes on “The
Love
Island” St. John. This was not the first
message board with advertisers
disguised as common folk. My name and one of my books is mentioned on a
Skincare Rx Message Board, but I was not allowed to post. It seems you
have to
be an advertiser to post on a message board for people trying to get
rid of
melasma and acne. I say that I’m not
surprised, but I am afraid. I’m afraid
we are losing our access to the true news because advertisers and
corporations
own our communications outlets, even the one’s on the Internet. When my father visited
me here in St. Thomas he asked me,
“Where are the Polynesians I saw in the travel magazines about The
Virgin
Islands? I said dad, The Virgin Islands is 85% African Descendants,
there are
no Polynesians. The people that control
the Message Boards in The Virgin
Islands don’t want prospective vacationers to St. John to know that the
FBI and
the Justice Department are investigating hate crimes. And the cosmetic
companies don’t want you to know that you can get rid of melasma for
less than
$10.00 a month, instead of several hundred dollars a year. Message Boards, can they
be trusted?
Regarding
that missing topic from VI Now Message Board, they
sent me an E-Mail, a very nice E-Mail, asking me for my
cooperation. It seems that the topic: Racial Tensions In St.
John, was inappropriate for a vacation message board. Who among us
could not see the "inappropriate card" coming? We are in the
process of researching the archive for more
"inappropriate vacation postings" from the VI Now Message Boards.
There is one we can share with you, Click here to
read this board on my server before they remove this from the Internet. I suspect I
will will be hearing from them again. I will let
them take me to court before I remove the the pages, then I will write
a summary about the VI Now Vacation Message Board. I ran my spy
ware removal software yesterday, but it does no
good when the people control all the communications in The Virgin
Islands, is also my communications provider. There is a lag, when I
keyboard, surf the net, check my E-Mail and upload files. There
is an illusion of security, I don't bother trying to convince myself
that they are not watching or listening to me and others right
now.
|