Printed every fortnight, On-line every day, 24/7 Kunuku Shimaruku, P.O. Box 407, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Phone 790-6518, 786- 6125, email: [email protected] Since Also in this issue: ESTA permission pg. 2 Firemen and Turtles pg. 3 Whirlwind pg. 6 Hotel Construction pg.10 Dictionary pg. 14 Cft Report pg. 13 Bart and Jacqueline Landheer Get Ready For The Show If you’re not an American citizen Table of Contents and want to visit the US you need Internet access or a friend who does. Effective January 12, 2009, Antilleans (or This Week’s Stories Dutch citizens) who want to visit for 90 days or less in the US either for business ESTA Information 2 Firemen Save Sea Turtles 3 or leisure must have advance permission Whirlwind Hits Washington Park 6 from American authorities. Without this Four Day Walk 6 permission the traveler may not board an Shelter Pet Shop 8 airplane to the US. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 9 Hotel Development Postponed -1 1 0 “ESTA” stand for the Electronic System CIEE Report 10 for Travel Authorization that the Secre- Barracudas Get Ready 11 Sewage Awareness Bubbles 11 here are the eggs? tary of Homeland Security has introduced US Vice Consul Letters to the Editor: WEB vs. QM-2, W Eggs are missing from for border control. ESTA applies to 27 James Hogan. Police as Guards 12 supermarket shelves these days countries, including the Netherlands and BES Islands Finances Ok, but... 13 because the government, in or- the Netherlands Antilles. Although citizens Dreams of Bonaire 14 der to encourage the selling of Air France and KLM of these countries, the so-called Visa Waiver Program Countries, do Reporter Dictionary Donation 14 local eggs, won’t give permits launched Bluenity.com, the not need a visa for business or leisure when they stay up to 90 days Dictionary Donation Near Goal 14 to supermarkets to import them. first social network website in the US, they DO need this advance permission. Kingdom Day 17 However, local egg suppliers for air travelers last Friday. This program on the Internet replaces the green forms (I94W) that Study and Job Fair 18 can’t handle the demand and Think of it as a MySpace or citizens from the countries in the Visa Waiver Program have had to consequently shelves are emp- Facebook for flyers. The new complete until now. Weekly Features Homeland Security announced the ESTA system on June 3 of this tied quickly. Last week, we social website will let travelers Flotsam & Jetsam 2 were told by a merchant, there share their top tips or com- year and it’s been in operation since August 1. But it was optional- Profiles, Parisina Malatesta 4 were no eggs available between plaints about hotels, restaurants the green forms still have had to be completed. While ESTA clear- Bonairean Voices (Physical Education) 7 Wednesday and Saturday. Local and shopping anywhere in the ance is optional now, after January 12, 2009, it will be mandatory. Sudoku Puzzle 7 eggs must be priced at NAƒ world. “The same as with any other country in the world, the US wants Island View (Illiteracy) 8 5,59. But imported eggs will Bluenity.com is unique; it to know who enters the country,” says Vice Consul James Hogan. Pet of the Week (“Lola”) 8 Sudoku Solution 9 cost the consumer only NAƒ allows airline customers to Classifieds 12 3,75. In today’s economy peo- make their flight schedule pub- 72 hours before departure Reporter Masthead 13 ple need help to make it. lic and to get updates from oth- Travelers to the US are advised to get on the ESTA website, Tide Table 13 ers about their flight arrange- https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov 72 hours before departure and answer all Picture Yourself (Nursery, Quebec, The number of Antilleans ments, allowing travelers to the questions for the ESTA permission, then submit it. The ques- Houston ) 15 and Arubans living in the meet online before they travel to What’s Happening 16 tions are the same as those on the current green form you get Dining, Shopping Guides 17 Netherlands has increased by arrange to share a taxi, for ex- handed to you on the airplane: personal data, antecedents, passport Bubbles-Did You Know (Seahorses)18 24,600 persons, or some 23% ample, or to meet in a lounge. number, etc. Until now 96.6% of the requests submitted have been Sky Park (Three Brightest) 19 in the past eight years. 40% to The site is available in three approved and most of the time in mere seconds. In the past when a Star Power (Astrology) 19 50% of the Antilleans and languages- French, English and traveler neglected to hand in the stub of the green form, he/she was Arubans are second generation, Dutch - and is free. considered “still in the country,” and after 90 days was considered How to contact us Letters to the Editor: meaning they were born in the illegal. That would cause trouble on subsequent entries. The new [email protected] Netherlands. Last Wednesday the Minis- automated system would eliminate that problem. Story tip or idea: According to the Central Bu- ter of Minister of Traffic and [email protected] Three results are possible once everything is completed and per- Print and Online reau for Statistics (CBS), more Telecommunications, Mr. Mau- mission is requested: “Approved,” “Pending,” or “Travel not au- Advertising: than 131,800 persons of Antil- rice Adriaens, opened the new thorized.” Approved means that everything is in order and the per- [email protected] Archives: lean and Aruban descent were office of Bureau of Telecom- son can enter the US. This OK is good for two years or until the Bonairenews.com, then click living in the Netherlands as of munications & Post (BT&P) present passport expires. It is recommended to take a printout of the on “Go to Archives” January 1, 2008. The Nether- on Bonaire. Both Minister The Publisher: permission with you, even though it remains in the system. [email protected] lands had a total population of Adriaens and BT&P director, 16,405,400 as of January 1, Mr. Joao de Canha, declared Only via Internet 2008, of whom 13.19 million that BT&P, as the telecommuni- The Bonaire Reporter, ESTA is only obtainable via Internet. Travelers are responsible P. O. Box 407, Bonaire, are “native” Dutch and 3.21 cation regulator for the Nether- for the ESTA permission, but they can also have their travel agent Neth. Antilles. million foreign. Peculiarly, An- lands Antilles, is working hard Phone 790-8988 or airline company take care of the request if they have all the re- Phone 790-6518 tilleans and Arubans are classed on its future to accommodate quired data and offer that service. Available on-line at: as a foreign group, although the changes that are taking place www.bonairereporter.com The airline company that transports a passenger to the US without they hold Dutch nationality. The internationally in the area of the ESTA approval can expect vigorous fines and possibly addi- Printed Every Fortnight, Turkish group is the largest with telecommunication and the new tional sanctions. The passenger who appears before an American On-line Every day, 24/7 370,000 persons, followed by state structure of the Antilles. immigration officer without the ESTA permission can be deported Next edition printing on Surinamese and Moroccans, The new BT&P office on Bon- December 3, 2008. at the discretion of the immigration officer. Ad deadline Nov. 29 each with 335,000 persons. (Continued on page 5) Advertise your With your advertisements get restaurant in The Bonaire Reporter the only island newspaper exclusively for •Directory Listing Bonaire’s locals •Advertising on and tourists. the Internet •Editorial Coverage In English, the language of bargains 6 ad special and business. People read it because they need it! Call Laura 790-6518 / 786-6518 Page 2 Bonaire Reporter Nov. 21- Dec. 5, 2008 STCB Photoc were kept in a safe place until the eve- Light pollution is still not a major ning when they were released with the problem on Bonaire for our sea turtles, help of the fire team on duty. but this is not the first time that hatch- In a more natural setting hatchlings lings from nests on Pali Magel have These baby sea turtles are in good hands emerge from the nest and find their way crossed the road towards the airport and to the sea by orienting themselves to the been killed by cars instead of going to n Friday the 31st of October, the where these hatchlings come from. subtle brightness of the sky above the the sea. Perhaps it is time to start think- O team of airport firemen on duty horizon. In this case, STCB staff sus- ing about a proper lighting system for found one live hawksbill hatchling in the STCB Manager Mabel Nava found the pect that the airport’s bright lights con- coastal development to prevent our baby parking lot of the Flamingo Airport. An- nest on Pali Mangel beach in front of fused the turtle hatchlings, drawing them turtles from going to the wrong place. other hatchling, crushed by a car, was the airport. The procedure of opening inland instead of toward the sea. STCB encourages developers to install also found on the main road. The fire- and counting began and 10 live hatch- Light pollution from beach-front prop- turtle-friendly lighting when building men called STINAPA to report the find lings were found in the nest.