St. Maarten Private Eye

If you listen correctly to the video, you hear the girls saying that they wanted to know the opinions of tourists crossing the Rolandus Canal, since St.Maarten's economy is mainly tourism. Of course local sxm residents opinions are important but they wanted to show the effect that pollution has on tourism.

Laura

You appear to be missing what's important in this video and paying too much attention to what is not. The music music is totally irrelevant really, isn't it, to what the video is about. And as for 'no SXM'ers are in it', well, almost everyday we can read about local St. Maartener's speaking up about pollution and the environment in our newspapers and hear them on our radios.

Nearly all of the tourists interviewed are actually from the UK, not the US. Very often in life we turn to friends, family, or professional people like lawyers, doctors and others, for their opinion and advice, it helps us to learn and see things that otherwise we know nothing about, have not considered, or are blind to. We want tourists to be our friends right? We want them to like us and our island and to come visit again or convince their friends to, they are the ones who in the end, feed us and put money in our pockets.

Anyone who thinks they know it all and that they can learn nothing from others is really a fool don't you think? Who cares where these people are from really, are their views and opinions devalued because they are not SXM'ers?

Dr. Voodoo

what is "you must be from SXM?" supposed to mean exactly. I actually came on here to post in defense of Laura and her great work. But after reading this comment, I became so infuriated that I felt my time was better spent pointing out this extremely tasteless post. Your post Dr. Voodoo, addresses the issue of what the previous poster is writing, yet your title indicates that being from St. Maarten equates with being a "know it all, and can learn nothing from others". Do you think it would be appropriate to title something" You must be black?" or, "you must be illegal" , or " you must be gay?" Shame on you.

You would see I apologized already. As I explained, my first reaction was defensive and reactionary, caused by comments frequently made here by xenophobes and trolls who come here with those sort of attacks, on videos like Laura's for example, that 'outsiders' have no right or say in our business or advising us. It's a shame you didn't read further to discover this and write what you intended to write.

Again, I apologize for my poor choice of words and wording, accept it because I'm not repeating it again. It would be quite easy for me to delete or edit what I said, but we don't do that here. If we screw up or make mistakes we leave them in the open and we own up to them, as I am doing. It's that simple.

Dr. Voodoo

Dr. Voodoo says "You must be from SXM"

Mr. Voodoo, I may be wrong but do you have something against SXM'ers?
The tone of your post almost makes it seems so. And yes, I am a proud SXM'er. You should start accepting critics. It can help you when making your videos in the future.

And I am not saying I know it all. I just wanted to share my thoughts about the video. Its your video and you can do whatever you please in it but anyone should be given a chance to give their opinion. That's why I love forums like SXMPE.

Anyway, lets stop the complaining. Maybe the next video should focus more on solutions? What you think? Is that the next plan? Interview some locals and ask what can be done to help. You may be surprised how intelligent we are. Then lets start a project. Let me know if you need my email.

Before we get into a confusion situation on this website/webblog allow me to say that the video made is not Dr.Voodoo's. The video was made by Laura Bijnsdorp who is a highschool student at MPC.
She made this video for a science fair project that was created by 2 Learning Unlimited students. The Science fair project is about water testing and especially water testing around the Rolandus Kanaal. Since many cruise passengers have to walk over the Rolandus Kanaal bridge to get to and from cruise ship, they thought it appropiate to interview our day guests who come to SXM to experience Paradise.
As for Dr.Voodoo, he/she is just a commentator on this site just like many of the anonymous comments.

Lets look at the important stuff here, it is not about the music or the lack of local comments (I tend to agree, we have quite a lot of those) the video was made by SXM students for a science fair project that is trying to bring the plight of the local environment into focus.
Laura, Louise and Roxanne and all of the other students who made it to island wide science fair (sorry I cannot remember all the names) Congrats! you are doing something that I wish we had back in our school days.
No students should go unmentioned, pretty much all the projects this year were just wonderful. SXM Academy had a Solar home, a beautiful scale model showing how to prevent flooding. And another group tested the water of the Simpson Bay lagoon.
Learning Unlimited students also displayed many health and environment projects.

Wish more people would support the students with their science fair projects, some like the "Too Little Too Late" students take this event very seriously and commence working at the start of the school year.

I came across a bit irritated by your comment, I have nothing against SXM'ers, although I don't meet Leopold's criteria, I consider myself one and this island has been my home since I was a child.

It just seems to me though, at times, the opinions of people who are not from the island are often derided and scorned, as if no one from anywhere else has anything useful to say, or that they have no rights to say anything at all. You know what I mean, or I hope you do. I apologize for my irritated tone in my comment.

The video is not my video, it was made by students and posted on YouTube. They have made other videos which do have SXM'ers being interviewed, you can find them here. The makers are aware of this thread, Laura has posted a couple of responses, so please feel free to share your opinion and put your suggestions and ideas to her and the team.

Dr. Voodoo

P.S. There's a new video from Jadira and SXM Pride from the Science Fair, interviewing the students behind the video and about their project. I hope they got footage of other projects too as I was unable to get there myself and would like to see more.
New Video - St.Maarten Science fair 2008-too little too late

The thought of eating a fish from Rolandas Canal makes me feel extremely nauseous and ill. It's not just the things the students mention, like coliform and phospherous, but all the other things they didn't test for, heavy metals, chemical toxins, plastics, oils, etc etc. Those people eating those fish are really poisoning themselves.
Sewage and the lack of a comprehensive system on the island for waste is the cause of so much pollution and poisoning of island's environment, creating health risks and sicknesses that have not yet even begun to make them selves clear. If you track back the reasons and causes of us lacking such a system then you arrive at one man.

LH

May I guess? The individual mentioned in the last couplet (second line) of the recently posted version of the anthem?

I don’t mind critical comments on the video-making, but then maybe next time don’t suggest something that would be irrelevant (interviewing locals) to the point of the movie. Maybe you as a sxm-er can give a critical opinion on the point of the video instead: The effect of pollution on tourism.

Laura

Note: Watch the EnviroWeek 2007 movie showing on channel 15, for earth day. The International Coastal Cleanup & Science Fair Day video’s to hear some local reactions to pollution.

Laura Bijnsdorp ENVIRO WEEK 2007 movie will be aired April 22nd. on SXM CABLE TV15 as part of St.Maarten's earth day events and activities.
Laura's film was made in partnership with the Caribbean Foundation for Sustainability and other local environmental groups.
Airing of the movie is being sponsored by TV15 in observation of earth day 2008.
We thank Davey Woods from SXM Cable TV for helping the environmental groups and doing their part in helping bring across the awareness to the larger community.
The movie will be shown at 9:30pm. Please take some time out to watch it.

Youth News & Views will show 4 projects of the sciencefair on channel 15.
Tuesday 29th at 5pm
Friday May 2nd at 6pm
Tuesday 6th at 5pm
Friday 9th at 6pm
Same episode will replay the International Coastal Cleanup 2007.

Episode after will show the rest of the sciencefair filmed projects. (13th,16th,20th & 23rd of May.)

Laura

The dump is on fire again. Thick black, grey, brown, nasty smoke with whatever toxins in it decorate our skies in celebration of earthday. When is the great leader of this socalled country going to wake up and realize that this can't continue.
Revolution anyone?