ss_blog_claim=a0e68249d2953d75b9709698cddcf725

About Lynda Lippin

Lynda Lippin, resident Pilates teacher at the exclusive Caribbean Parrot Cay Resort, blogs about teaching Pilates & Reiki as an American Ex-pat in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Tales of life in the US and the Caribbean, expert Pilates & Reiki tips & advice, news, reviews, some ads, life lessons learned. Visit her Pilates & Reiki Website for even more information, articles, and links.

Download Lynda's Pilates for Back Pain Ebook

If you can't make it to Parrot Cay, or you want to continue the Pilates you experienced while on holiday, buy immediately usable downloads of Lynda's Pilates in Paradise Mat Class & Small Pilates equipment MP3s:

Pilates for Lower Back Pain, Pilates for Neck & Shoulder Pain, and Pilates Magic Circle & Roller(NEW!).

Showing posts with label Turks and Caicos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turks and Caicos. Show all posts

20 August 2008

As the Turks and Caicos Islands Turn

Yesterday Essence.com released previously unpublished photos of injures LisaRaye McCoy-Misick sustained on Providenciales, including bruises and bite marks said to be left by her soon to be ex-husband Premier Michael Misick (note that Premier Misick was also treated for injuries sustained at this fight). Last week a women's group on Providenciales issued a press statement and video denouncing the former First Lady, claiming that she never did anything for the people of Turks and Caicos.



It was a picture perfect wedding and a lovely two years, marred by a few allegations of infidelity but around here that's typical. But I sense that the people of this small adopted Caribbean country of mine briefly forgot that when an American actress is involved the world will become involved. Every video, every photo, every comment, every statement is being analyzed by millions of people.

Interesting timing, though. Everyone seems to have forgotten that the Premier is being investigated for corruption by the British overseas territory regulators. I hope for his sake that he didn't scam any funds to buy gifts for LisaRaye. That will not sit well with his people.

19 August 2008

Sunset & Storm

Yesterday I had a very odd schedule with every Pilates class or private being around 2 hours apart. As I was heading home from the spa around 7:15pm I saw this gorgeous storm at sea right in front of me.



Spectacular, yes. And then I looked up a little and got the entire scenario.



A few moments later I turned the corner and it was just close enough to actual sunset to produce this showy cloud production.



Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remember that I am not dreaming-it's that beautiful!

18 August 2008

Crescent August Moon

I took this photo the evening of 3 August 2008 while walking the dog right around dusk. I loved the combination of the pink sunset, the deep gray clouds, bright blue sky and the perfectly shaped crescent moon. I never tire of the skies, the water, and the views here. I so appreciate having the opportunity to live in a place of such great natural beauty! Every single day I see something new that makes me smile in wonder, awe, and gratitude.

16 August 2008

Tropical Storm Fay

As you can see from the radar image below from Weather Underground, Tropical Storm Fay is right in the passage between us and Hispaniola as she makes her way towards Cuba.


The rain started last night along with some pretty intense thunder and lightening, and the winds have been quite strong all day today. It has been raining on and off all day, and when it rains it rains hard! Below are some photos I took this morning of the sky as I was walking into work around 7:40am. Enjoy!



Misick Marriage Update


Well, in a new low for a small Caribbean country the looming Misick divorce has rated mention in the gossip pages of the ew York Daily News, where Rush & Molloy claim, It's a bit nippy for Caribbean duo".

They of course refer to the latest news where LisaRaye went back to discuss things with her ex and they both ended up at the clinic emergency room being treated for bite wounds. Oh how far we fall and how embarrassingly we behave!

"Misick's spokesman said, "LisaRaye, her cousin Phillip Travis, and her publicist, Lynn Jetter, assaulted the guard at the premier's home, proceeded to ransack the house, and then assaulted the premier and his sister. The premier at no time had any physical contact with LisaRaye."

LisaRaye countered, "An attempt was made by and on behalf of my husband to first prevent my entry into our home and then, later, to make me leave our home by force. I shall continue to assist the police force with its inquiries."

Jetter told us, "No, we didn't break in. She was at her home. Someone bit her. It might've been Michael or his sister, but there was shoving and someone bit her on the shoulder.""

Yes, we live in a soap opera.

12 August 2008

Trouble In Paradise?

OK, my google news alerts for Turks & Caicos have been a bit disturbing over the past few days. The country is in the middle of a British Enquiry into government corruption (we are still a British Overseas Territory), we just had a weird celebrity fight scene in the airport, and then...

After reports of his infidelity during the music festival Michael Misick announced his separation from American wife LisaRaye.

Local cable station WIV Channel 4 (which has been accused of being a spokes-channel for the currently in power PNP party) pulled the plug and canceled the opposition PDM party's TV show.

Nikky Blonsky's dad Carl was released from TCI prison on $3000 bail after appealing a lower court ruling to the Supreme Court.

It's just a little crazy.

07 August 2008

A Window To Heaven


Sometimes I look at the sky here and feel like I am really seeing into Heaven. On this day as the storm clouds were rolling in I looked up and there was this little keyhole of bright blue and white sunny sky peeking in between all those clouds. And after the rain it was sunny and beautiful once again. There is a parable in all of this, I have no doubt. Something about there always being a bright spot if you keep looking for one. Enjoy!

06 August 2008

Caribbean Clouds



This is the same sky at the same time, with one shot on zoom. I am always fascinated by the cloud formations here, especially at dusk and on stormy days. On this day we had intermittent rain all day and night, so I was expecting some great shots on my way home from the spa. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy taking them!

Why Michael, Why?

As if it isn't bad enough that every single day my Turks and Caicos Google alerts are full of references to actresses fighting at airports, money laundering schemes, and the British government's enquiry into government corruption, now it seems that Premier Michael Misick has actually been busted cheating on his wife.

According to LisaRaye McCoy Misick's PR firm, Lynn Allen Jeter & Associates, Turks & Caicos Premier Michael Misick was seen "canoodling" with BET's Rocsi of "106 & Park" during the TCI Music Festival while LisaRaye was in NYC.

"Sources have even reported that Rocsi stayed at the Misick home and hosted guests as if she was the lady of the house," the release stated.

Tacky tacky tacky!

05 August 2008

Actresses Fight In the Providenciales Airport

Oh, the laughter that ensued when I read the headlines in my Turks and Caicos Google Alert, "His & Hers Arrests for Nikki Blonsky, Dad", "America’s Next Top Model Meets Hairspray", "Ex-'Top Model' finalist Bianca Golden arrested after 'Hairspray' brawl". This is news!

Anyway, it seems that saved seats in the departure lounge caused a scuffle that ended in the arrests of all involved, including Blonsky, her father, and Golden and her mother. "Nikki Blonsky was charged with actual bodily harm as well as common assault; her father, Carl, was rung up on a count of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Bianca Golden was also charged with actual bodily harm and assault.

Golden's mother, Elaine, was hurt so badly she had to be airlifted to a hospital in Aventura, Fla...."

Craziness! How bad is your life when you have to hit people over a seat in the departure lounge of a tiny airport in the Caribbean? I won't see Hairspray on Broadway now just because I refuse to financially support someone so stupid.

12 July 2008

Tauwhare's Official Remarks RE: TCI Corruption Inquiry

I have found the total of Gov. Richard Tauwhare's official statement of the formation of a British Commission of Inquiry into government corruption in Turks and Caicos. He begins,

"I have today, Thursday 10th July 2008, appointed a Commission of Inquiry to inquire into whether there is information that corruption or other serious dishonesty in relation to past and present elected members of the House of Assembly (previously known as the Legislative Council) may have taken place in recent years. It is to report to the Governor within sixteen weeks its preliminary findings and recommendations concerning:

a) instigating criminal investigations by the police or otherwise

b) any indications of systemic weaknesses in legislation, regulation and administration

c) any recommendation that the inquiry's terms of reference be extended

d) any other matters relating thereto."

So the investigation is to last 16 weeks, therefore ending the first week of November 2008 with a preliminary report due to the new Governor by 3 November 2008. The investigation is being led by the Rt Hon Sir Robin Auld QC, who has a lot of inquiry experience as well as experience working in the Caribbean. In fact, he was a former acting Chief Justice here in TCI.

Hon. Auld, "sat on the Court of Appeal of England and Wales from 1995 to 2007, and was for some time the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. He was Counsel to the Inquiry into the Brixton Disorders in 1981, and for the British Government before the Australian Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia in 1984-85, Chairman of the William Tyndale Schools Inquiry from 1975-76 and of the Inquiry into Sunday Trading from 1983 to 84. In 1999-2000, he conducted the Review of the Criminal Courts of England & Wales. He also has experience of this region, having served as a Member of the Commission of Inquiry into Casino Gambling in the Bahamas during 1967, as acting Chief Justice of the TCI for a short period in 2005, and now as a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Bermuda."

The main investigation will take place in the months of September and October 2008. If Gov. Wetherill sees fit he may extend the time of the inquiry and investigations. Interestingly enough, "some, including the UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in their report issued on 6 July, have argued that a Commission of Inquiry should have been appointed earlier."

In the past Premier Misick has denied corruption charges, stating “My Government runs a transparent Government and we are putting modern legislation in place, to ensure that corruption does not rear its ugly head in our territory".

Governor Tauwhare Speaks About TCI Issues

Well, apparently our outgoing British Governor Richard Tauwhare, speaking at a Chamber of Conference meeting in Providenciales on Monday 23 June 2008, had some interesting comments to make about the Turks and Caicos present financial situation. Mind you, he arrived when we did in 2005.

According to a commentary by David Tapfer on Caribbean Net News, Tauwhare recommended that the UK government look into how TCI was running back when he first came into office.

First regarding the commission of inquiry,
"[Gov. Tauwhare] stated that shortly after his arrival, replacing Governor Poston (now deceased), he found evidence of corruption that he felt warranted the appointment of a Commission of Enquiry at that time.

In October of 2005 he presented his recommendation to his superiors at Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), who reportedly considered the evidence [and ramifications?] carefully, but told him to leave it alone."

Regarding our tourism boom,
"The Governor also stated that the amounts budgeted to tourism promotion represent in his words “a 600 percent increase" and he indicated the benefits from this increase were not there.

In budget year 2008, the government’s budget documents indicate that $10 million has been allocated for tourism promotion. In addition to this $10 million, we also have $3.5 million due to Lisa Raye McCoy Misick, the Premier’s wife. This government agreed to pay her $7 million over two years for her to promote our country. The first payment may have been made and the second is due this year."

Regarding budget and liquidity,
"Governor Tauwhare’s most serious comments came forth when he noted that the current economic position of the country was tentative, in that our monthly income is below our monthly expenses."

And regarding health care costs,
"One final bombshell was dropped by Governor Tauwhare when he stated that overseas health care costs were completely out of control, rising 82 percent in recent years, while population was up only 14 percent."

Mind you, the Commission of Inquiry is charged with investigating both political parties here, as the inquiry will go back through the last administration. This is not simply an old "party against party" issue, but a deeper look into what it takes to lead a small Caribbean country through massive expansion and therefore massive infuxes of money. The results should be interesting to everyone, as these issues come up in every country, simply on much larger scale.

11 July 2008

New Blooms at Parrot Cay


I was walking Smiley the other day and noticed these lovely red flowers blooming all over the place just down the road from our staff housing and behind the banana tree grove. I have been watching this tree for close to a year now and didn't think it bloomed at all; I thought it was some kind of evergreen tree. But the blooms are large, red with a bit of variegated white thrown in, and only seem to last about a day or so before they fall off. I'm not sure how long this tree blooms (I will ask Tony), but now that I've seen this one I am noticing others around the spa. Just lovely!

New Parrot Cay Review at Frequent Traveler Blog

While I sing the praises of Parrot Cay often and loudly, I am sure that many of you write me praise off because I work here. Well, for you doubters and naysayers out there I offer a brand new Parrot Cay Como Shambhala Retreat Review from the Frequent Traveler Blog.

Regarding the other guests,
"The guests also were fairly diverse—mostly couples but also a few families—and I counted the following nationalities represented: American, Argentine, Brazilian, Belgian, British, Costa Rican, Italian, Canadian, Spanish, and Pakistani. Non-human guests included a miniature schnauzer, a shi-tzu, and a weiner dog, so yes, the place is quite dog friendly. At least half of the people we talked to were return visitors. This in a resort with less than fifty rooms."

The island,
"Blessed with unspoiled beauty. The only other beaches I have been to that might rival this one were in the Maldives. TCI is much closer. The sand is bright white, The water is jewel-toned clear. The weather is sunny windy and in the 80s. The ocean water temperature is perfect. The beach is never crowded thanks to difficulty of accessing it (a 30 minute, 500-HP speedboat ride from the international airport on the island of Providenciales. Can’t say much more—this place is naturally, absolutely beautiful.
The grounds and common areas are attractive, well maintained, and lacking pretense."

The service,
"Service was generally top notch. The room itself is serviced three times a day. A generous plate of fresh fruit awaited every afternoon in the room, and on the first night, it was accompanied by an entirely decent bottle of Piper Heidsieck Brut. For the pain and suffering incurred in seven years of marriage to me, my also wife received a nice hand-embroidered and lavishly wrapped beach sarong. Nice touch. Bottles of Fiji water accompany the evening service. Complimentary flip flops and other nice freebies abound in the room."

The food,
"Outside of a couple of missteps, I give it an A. Not only did it taste good, but the program achieves significant variety out of just two kitchens. The wine program is good, and there are decent bottles to be had from $50-$500. I was surprised by its variety, again given the logistical challenge of getting and keeping wine safely at this far-off location. But perhaps the most impressive thing is that this is the first time I felt like I ate healthy for five straight days without ever feeling deprived—that is a monumental accomplishment for someone who quite literally has dreams about steak, bacon, butter, pasta and other less than stellar nutrition chart components."

The spa,
"The spa buildings (there’s like 6 of them) offer all kinds of services, are newer and offer more of a Balinese feel to them (COMO is an Indonesian company). The spa is rumored to be one of the very best. It looked great."

All in all,
"Yes, there were a few glitches, but after five days, its easy to understand why so many fellow guests were repeat visitors. I would absolutely go back,...."

Great beaches, great service, great food, great spa, lots of repeat guests. Come once and you will want to return! Sorry, the Pilates job is already taken!

UK Commission of Inquiry Into Turks and Caicos Government

According to many news sources, including the TCI Sun and BBC, our outgoing British Governor, Richard Tauwhare, has called for a UK Commission of Inquiry into charges of embedded corruption in both the current government led by PNP Party Premier Michael Misick and the past government led by PDM Party Chief Minister Derek Taylor.

"But beneath the tropical idyll, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee found "a palpable climate of fear" which could have come straight from the pages of a Graham Greene novel.

In a highly critical report, the committee accused the Foreign Office of being "too hands off" amid concerns about "rampant" corruption within the islands' government and the suppression of freedom of speech.

It pointed also to suspicions of "political interference" in the islands' judicial system which some witnesses had linked to a recent series of arson attacks on the islands' main courthouse and the offices of the attorney general.

The committee called for the British Government to establish a commission of inquiry with full protection for witnesses who came forward to give evidence.

At the centre of the corruption claims is the islands' Premier, Michael Misick, who is alleged to have built up a multi-million dollar fortune since he was elected to power in 2003."

Well, this should prove interesting, to say the least. As my readers know I have always had good personal dealings with Misick as pertaining to Jewish Community and other issues. However, we do live in a small country full of poor people and people do notice when your net worth and possessions suddenly become much much greater. He entered office with $50,000 in assets and now has many millions just a few years later. Did he think nobody would notice or care?

07 July 2008

Leeward Star Island Project Halted

I saw this on Rick MacPherson's Coral Notes From the Field blog and felt compelled to add my comments of this type of development.

Star island is, as MacPherson so eloquently states, "a project that involves dredging a Dubai-style, artificial island smack in the middle of a marine protected area [in Turks & Caicos]. The Star Island project was perhaps the most visible part of a more massive development plan consisting of luxury homes, high-end marina, cruise ship dredging, and other coastal modifications all within protected waters and near healthy coral reef systems."

Now on my supply trip to Provo last Tuesday I was amazed at how quickly the mega-yacht marina in front of Nikki Beach was going up and I still don't quite understand how they plan to get yachts with a deeper draught past the barrier reef and into the channel in low tide. Luckily, construction and dredging have been halted (at least temporarily) after protests by various environmental groups, including the Coral Reef Alliance.

03 July 2008

Turks & Caicos Film Festical Canceled

For the past two years TCI has hosted an international film festival, spearheaded by First Lady LisaRaye McCoy Misick. I have actually enjoyed the festivals, with great parties and films shown on Grace Bay Beach.

Now there has been a lot of strange news about Turks and Caicos over the past few months, regarding financial cloudiness, ineptitude, and dropping tourist rates. As someone who lives and works here I can safely say that the hotels are busy, the car rental places are booked, and generally things seem to be hopping.

Yet the tourism board just announced that the TCI film festival 2008 is not to be. Executive Chairman of the Turks and Caicos Islands Board of Tourism, Wayne Garland, said, "Unfortunately, the tough economic times globally, and particularly in the United States, have also impacted us here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. As a result, we felt it was prudent to cancel this year's festival."

But if this is true why is everything busy? Very strange...

30 June 2008

Wanna Buy An iMac?

Of course, this only applies to you if you live in Turks & Caicos as the computer is located in this Caribbean country. Anyway, in the interests of getting a laptop and having less Stuff around, I am selling my iMac 800mhz G4 desktop with 15" adjustable flat LCD screen external USB or Firewire DVD reader/writer, internal combo drive (CD-RW & DVD-R), 768 MB RAM, OSX version 10.5.2 (the latest) with CDs, plenty of software on the computer, external speakers, keyboard, mouse, usb hub, and usb wireless modem and bluetooth enabler. You can walk away with everything for the low price of $750 or best reasonable offer. Just leave comment with your email or check my ad at TCI Enews.