SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – A massive rat and mouse plague will hit the Netherlands in a few years’ time if the government goes ahead with plans to ban the sale of poison to private individuals.

Sightings of rats and mice in Dutch cities are already on the increase and, according to the Dutch Pest & Wildlife Expertise Centre (KAD), there are no good alternatives to the poison on the market.

‘We are very worried,’ spokesman Bastiaan Meerburg told Radio 1 news. ‘Lots of people use poison to kill rats and mice in their homes. If it is banned, there is not much left to do the job.’

The Dutch government agency for crop protection said in 2014 that the sale of the poison for mice and rats should be restricted because of its impact on the environment and on birds of prey.

Consumers will no longer be allowed to buy the poison but will be able to bring in professional companies to deal with the problem. ‘We understand that the poison is bad for the environment and are not against a ban in principal,’ Meerburg said.

‘But there is no good alternative. Traps are an option but are more difficult to use … and not all cats are good mousers.’ Local health board figures from 2017 show a 25% rise in rat sightings in Amsterdam and a doubling in Rotterdam.

(DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that applications for the 2020 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows Program will be accepted through September 18, 2019.

See https://ylai.state.gov for more information or to join the YLAI Network. Launched in 2015, YLAI is the Department of State’s flagship program to empower emerging entrepreneurs from the Western Hemisphere to enable the full economic potential of the region’s citizens.

Combining a yearly professional fellows’ program, an active online network, and ongoing engagement from U.S. embassies, YLAI fosters prosperity, inclusive development, and democratic values. YLAI also promotes U.S. business models, increased trade, and job creation.

To date, the YLAI Professional Fellows Program has helped over 750 business and social entrepreneurs to build new leadership skills, collaborate with American counterparts, and expand their ventures. Each year, approximately 70 U.S. hosts visit their Fellows to work on joint action plans and develop their own business ties.

The YLAI Network is an open, online community of 40,000 entrepreneurship-minded young leaders from across the Americas. Network members engage with curated leadership and business development resources that highlight innovative U.S. models, policy focused campaigns, and networking opportunities.

U.S. embassies and consulates connect fellows and Network members and support mentoring networks with diverse populations to advance social and economic development in their communities.

The yearly YLAI Professional Fellows Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented for 2020 by IREX. This year, the Fellows Program has been expanded to 280 participants and will include fellows from Canada for the first time.

SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) – The Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) recently received a report from the Department of VROMI which states that the department received three separate complaints regarding three separate incidents of unknown persons shooting flares in the direction of the landfill dumpsite, police said on Wednesday.

These flares came from the direction of Arch road in Sucker garden and are intended to ignite the garbage at the dumpsite and cause a large fire. These incidents took place on Saturday July 20^th, Tuesday July 30^th and Wednesday July 31^st, 2019.

KPSM is sending a warning to the community that is shooting flares at the dumpsite with the intention to ignite the dumpsite and cause fire is a criminal act called “arson” (Article 2:98 of the Criminal Code).

Arson can cause destruction, severe damage to one’s property, one’s health and it can even lead to death. This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Anyone caught committing this act will be arrested and punished to the fullest extent of the law. (Sint Maarten Police Force)

GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – Health-related behaviors may play a role in the ability to learn. Critical stages of brain maturation occur early in life, and with the new school year just about to kick-off, the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), executing agency of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, would like to share some information related to the aforementioned.

The St. Maarten Health Study of 2015, “How Healthy is St. Maarten?” indicated that on a daily basis 31 per cent of the participants don’t consume breakfast; 63 per cent don’t consume vegetables and 66 per cent don’t consume fruits.  Based on these results it is likely that this lifestyle is also practice by their descendants.

CPS recommends to parents and guardians to prepare healthy snacks for their children, encourage drinking of water and promote physical activity throughout the new school year 2019-2020.  Healthy choices equal healthy children and healthy smiles!

According to information available to the World Health Organization (WHO), “because diet affects specific outcomes that are important for children’s educational attainment, some authors tested the association of diet with school grades or standardized test scores.

“A positive association between good diet and academic performance was found in adolescents from Canada, Chile, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.”

Improving the nutritional status of school-age children is an effective investment for improving educational outcomes of school children and ensuring a healthy population.

Establishing healthy dietary and physical activity patterns among young people promotes health and nutritional well-being helps prevent obesity and various non-communicable diseases.

In making healthy foods and beverages available at home and for school, and in providing, supporting and encouraging opportunities for physical activity, parents can influence their children’s behavior.

Parents, guardians and adults in general are also advised to live and promote a healthy lifestyle because children’s behavior is often shaped by observation and adaptation.

Here are some tips for children and adolescents: provide healthy breakfast before each school day; don’t leave home without breakfast; serve healthy school snacks to children (whole-grain, vegetables, fruits); promote and encourage the intake of fruits and vegetables. Introduce the children to local fruits e.g. sour sap, guava, passion fruit, mango, etc.

Restrict intake of energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods (e.g. packaged snacks); restrict intake of sugars-sweetened soft drinks; ensure an opportunity for family meals; provide information and skills to make healthy food choices.

Promote regular intake of water and physical exercise and get your child involved in sport activities. CPS says let us continue to work towards a healthy and enriched community, make a healthy decision each second.

For more information, contact CPS at 542-1122, 542-1222 or 542-3003.