St. Maarten Private Eye

Thank you very much for your interesting comments and welcome, I truly hope you become a regular user here. This is the whole idea of this site, to allow anyone and everyone to communicate and discuss, post topics about issues that they have concerns or questions about etc.

If you go take a look at the Agonist website listed in the newslinks here you will get a good idea of the concept. It's not really a regular blog as your site is. I did go take a browse of course and I hope it's ok that I added your site in my Island Links too. The idea behind this site is that any user can add content, even a commissioner. :)

This site is going to slowly become less Flipper's site and more a community site, or at least that is our hope. At present it has been mainly myself or others using my id to post stories and threads, this is in order to add content to the site and lay out how it might progress as more and more people discover it and participate.

People who have been reading from the start can see this process I'm sure. For example the Dawn Beach Thread is now in the "Uncontrolled Development? Thread" and all other articles, opinions and other info about this issue should really go there. The Dolpinarium Thread now has the links to previous posts which have now been removed from the front page.
Other stories on the front page like Safe Haven and Police will be combined in a Social and Community thread and the individual stories filed so they are easier to find.

New threads coming to the front page are "Open Discussion Thread" which will be for anything. An "Island Energy Thread" which will look at the plans (if there are any) for 15 or 20 years time when oil will be alot more expensive than it is now for sure. Also "Humor Thread" for the jokers and to lighten everyones spirits :)

The thing is, this site is hoping to be exactly what you seem to wish for. It may not look like it from the comments but there are quite a few readers, from many walks. Preffesionals, business people, foundation members, bankers, locals, reporters and lawyers. Over time, as more and more people find the site and post then others will get courage too.

The option is there for any registered user to post a story or a blog. A story should be for news and a blog should be used for personal comment or opinions. If you for example have an issue that you wish to see discussed, post it as a story and if it's interesting, as I am certain it will be, then it will be promoted to the front page. If you have ideas and an opinion then do it in a blog and it will appear in the Recent Blogs links. It can still be promoted to front page though, especially if it creates a discussion.

When it comes to anonymity I think you understand my reasons. It is actually my hope that as the site grows and more people post comments, articles and stories then Flipper will fade into the background.

I can assure you of this though.

Firstly this site is not for any person gain. We will not take advertisements and if we ever do it will be for foundations and freely. No money will ever change hands regarding this website. Except by myself for it's upkeep online.

Secondly, I am not affiliated with any party, nor is the site a tool for political power. I am not anti DP, Pro NA or anything like it, I can't even vote. All I really want is to see open governance by people that care about the issues I do. Issues like the environment, the community's health in regards to social services and crime prevention, animal welfare, education, historical preservation, promotion of culture ect. It is only by making these things important to the electorate that change will come.

I can't find the article online that the Daily Herald used but it was about Bob Geldof's Live 8 plans and protests against the G8 meeting in Edinburgh. In the Herald it has him saying this.

"Eight World leaders in one room in Scotland on the 8th of July can save millions and millions of lives, but they will only do it if enough people tell them to."

The same goes for the small stuff too.

Flipper