NASSAU, Bahamas -– ADM’s Lair, a local Bahamian artisan company made its debut at this year’s Bahamas National Trust’s Christmas Jollification and according to its CEO, Dandria Miller, the timing was perfect.  The annual holiday affair held at the Retreat was ideal for the company’s launch, being the country’s premiere event for buying unique hand-crafted goods and other holiday products.

Occupying a prime corner porch space, ADM’s Lair caught the attention of festival goers with a wide array of decorative items, all personally handmade. Brightly coloured tea towels with crocheted floral designs were popular, as well as decorative wall quilts, and children’s quilted sleep/play mats featuring popular cartoon characters. 

Miller’s vast artistic skills also stretched to the production of Bahamian flowers and sea life wall art pieces, featuring frangipanis, orchids, turtles, seahorses, crawfish and groupers made from embroidery and metallic threads.

A banker by profession, this newly established entrepreneur is the first to admit that her true passion lies in garment making and home décor designs.  “Our motto is ‘handmade treasures made with flair’. This means that each piece is individually custom-made to the highest professional standard,” Miller explained.

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Bahamians love to exercise their right to vote, and now they can do so again and again in an effort to help our queen land in the semi-finals of this year’s Miss Universe pageant, to be held December 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Miss Universe Bahamas Celeste Marshall needs your help.  The statuesque beauty – who will represent The Bahamas in the 2012 Miss Universe Pageant – is calling on all Bahamians 16 and over with an email address (or two) to vote for her to help her snag a coveted Top 16 spot in the international competition.  The Miss Universe Organization is once again allowing the public to choose one of its semi-finalists via online voting from now until the voting closes on December 18 at 6 p.m.   

Anyone located in, and a legal resident of, the Bahamas can cast their vote(s) for Celeste by logging onto www.missuniverse.com or telemundo.com, and following the instructions to vote and enter registration details. To register you will need to provide your email address, confirm you are 16 years of age or older, and confirm your acceptance of the voting terms and conditions. After you register, you should rank Celeste as a “10”.   If done correctly, you will get a message on your screen.

Unlike other elections where you can only cast one vote, pageants fans can vote online up to 10 times per e-mail address per day. Any additional votes you attempt to cast above these limits – or votes cast outside of the voting window -- will NOT be counted as valid. The producers reserve the right to disqualify, block or remove any votes for any reason, including those votes from any individual who votes by any electronic, mechanical or automated means, or otherwise tampers with the vote process. Rules and procedures are subject to change at the sole discretion of the Miss Universe Organization without notice.

ELEUTHERA, The Bahamas -- A group of talented Bahamian youth have won the opportunity to learn about photography from the best in the business during National Geographic Photo Camp in Cape Eleuthera, The Bahamas. From Tuesday, Nov. 27, to Saturday, Dec. 1, 20 students will learn the basics of photography from National Geographic photographer Raul Touzon and National Geographic photo editor Todd James. Photo Camp is presented by the National Geographic Society, the Bahamas National Drug Council (BNDC) and the United States Embassy, Nassau.

During the workshop, Touzon, James and Photo Camp staff will mentor the students on the basics of photography, photographic vision, equipment and technique. They will lead them through the process of creating a story through photography and writing.

The youth who will participate were picked as finalists in the first “Youth Expression Against Drugs” Essay, Rap and Poetry Competition, held by the U.S. Embassy and the BNDC. The contest encouraged students in The Bahamas to consider the harmful impact of illegal drugs, how to resist negative peer pressure and act as leaders against drugs in their community, and to express that through essays, poems and raps. The program is part of a continuing partnership between the U.S. Embassy and the BNDC to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and foster the development of young leaders in The Bahamas.  

Following the theme of the BNDC’s campaign, “Drugs and Crime Are a Waste of Time,” Photo Camp will discover, document and reflect on the natural beauty of The Bahamas and the importance of preserving the islands and their people.

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Bahamian dancers are taking over world stages, with the Bahamas Salsa Social Network team recently dancing away from Florida’s Youth Ballroom Blitz with nearly half a dozen prizes and awards, including one of the most coveted: Top Dance Team.

Held in Orlando earlier this month, The Bahamas’ 15-member team brought home several of the top awards in categories including participants from around the world.   The prizes include Top Studio 2012 and have sparked invitations for local dancers to travel more frequently to perform against other studios in the U.S.

“This was a marvelous achievement for the Bahamas since the dance team competitors have only been competing abroad for three years,” said Indira Francis, co-founder of the BSSN.  “The Bahamas has now been put on the map in this dance sport and hopefully this will spread more among the youth and some of them will benefit from some of the scholarships that can become available to them through this dance sport."

It’s a goal of the organizer who started the organization in 2010 with a vision of promoting youth and adult dance programs for local and international competitions at the same time providing a platform for individuals to act as cultural ambassadors abroad.