Miserable haters tote with them a huge problem.   »

Church leaders from across the Caribbean and beyond will come together over the next week for five days of spiritual healing and learning at the 18th annual Caribbean Covenant Ministries Conference. »

Antiques aficianados will have the opportunity for a rare glimpse at the mahogany collection of St. Croix-born antique collector and senator Wayne James when the exhibit, "Sleeping with a Bachelor: The Antique Bedroom Furniture of Crucian Collector Wayne James," opens Wednesday at the historic Fort Frederik in Frederiksted. »

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The Most Rev. Herbert A. Bevard, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of St. Thomas, recently announced a number of new appointments on the island. »

A miserable hater totes with them a huge problem. One, they don't want anyone around them to surpass them in terms of success. On the second hand, they are not ambitious to achieve much out of life. So here's the problem. They are mad at and hate on pretty much a large number of people. They hate to see success. They hate how it intimidates them. They prefer to be mediocre and for them to feel better, they want you to be further beneath their level of mediocrity. If you are in their space, I "hate" it for you (no pun intended). These people feel better about themselves when you feel worse about yourself. That's how they are able to cope with their own failures and fear to be greater than our ancestry. They find every conceivable flaw in any of your successes. They plant negative seeds in the minds of others about you. In many cases, the miserable hater is simply unable to be happy for those they know and only able to praise and influence people who are not in their circle of socio-economic influence. »

St. Thomas author Jarrel Jackson is celebrating the release of three new books, "The Ancient Mariner Tells All," "Reilly's Sting" and "Reilly's War." »

There was an engineer in Pennsylvania who worked on a drawbridge for trains and large boats. He would open the bridge for huge boats to pass and close it for trains to go over the bridge. »

The 31-member choir of the Metropolitan University of Puerto Rico is on a 25th anniversary celebration Caribbean cruise and will stop on St. Thomas on Monday. »

Virgin Islands mothers now have a new option in breast feeding education as La Leche League of St. Thomas was recently reinstated on the island under new leadership. The group will celebrate with a new series of meetings beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Palms Court Harborview Hotel. All former members, mothers-to-be and breast-feeding mothers are encouraged to attend. Babies are welcome. Subsequent meetings will be held at 10 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Palms Court Harborview Hotel's Community Room. »

We as humans have a bad habit of judging and categorizing. In countless cases, we create time schedules on what we expect to happen and who we expect to accomplish milestones. This causes many talented individuals to be left by the wayside. It's not that their talent was not apparent, it just may not have been accepted. There will be times when we encounter rare individuals. These individuals will not fit the mold or norm of what we expect from the average person. They will have impeccable talents at a young age. They will have insight beyond their years. They will be ultimately brilliant but never own a suit or tie or will have determination above average. »

HEKIMA Outreach Multifamily Enrichment will present Operation C.H.O.I.C.E. (Communities Having Options in Christ Eternally) activities starting Sunday and ending June 7. All events are free and open to the community. »

Virgin Islands Mission Inc. will host a "Community Recognition Awards Dinner" in honor of four distinguished men of valor starting at 7:30 tonight at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort on St. Thomas. »

OK, my fellow Virgin Islanders, I've had a very, very turbulent past two weeks. As I promised you a few weeks ago, I did not plan on letting the suicide death of our 11-year-old St. Croix native Jaheem Herrera go in vain. »

As 2009 graduations near, many family and friends are preparing for their graduate to cross the stage and transition into the next phase of their lives. However, those who are able to participate in the ceremonies are leaving behind many others who should have. We are constantly plagued by students enrolling but not completing their studies. When this happens, it saddens the relatives who were rooting for them and making provisions and sacrifices so their student relative could realize the benefits of completing their education. »