Aruba is sending nine athletes to compete at the South American Youth Games in various events. They are training very hard to be well prepared for the competitions. Read what Emmazira Kelly and Jayda Mejia have to say. They are two of the nine athletes, that set aside some time from their formidable training schedule to share their thoughts on the upcoming competition that will take place very soon in Lima, Peru.

Two years ago Xander Bogearts was part of the winning team to take the World Cup of Baseball in the Minor League back to Europe since  1938, beating Cuba who had annually taken the title for the prior 26 years. Now Aruba's native son, will be the youngest Red Sox position player since 20-year-old Dwight Evans in 1972.

Surrounded by water, fishing plays a great part of the Aruban culture. The tradition of living from the surrounding sea in a native manner using simple wooden boats with no modern communication or fish detecting equipment also has some drawbacks. Losing a family or a friend at sea is not easy to cope with. Now families and friends who has lost a fisherman at sea, have a place to pay their respects and perhaps even release their grief at this colossal and beautiful monument.

Recently the Marriott invited the local press for the introduction of their latest and innovative concept the GreatRoom. The GreatRoom is the latest concept for today's business travelers that are looking for a meeting room for their social gatherings or small business meetings, allowing them to be more productive in an environment where they can meet over cocktails and bites or dine in comfort.

Turtugaruba with the help of Prographics, Zen Design and funding from TPEF (Tourism Product Enhancement Fund)  have introduced "Driekel-o-meters" with information about the Leatherback Sea Turtle (locally called Driekiel) at different beaches on the island.

Oranjestad – Vicente Kock makes wine from his own grapes. “The government encourages the production of homegrown produce, but the amount of water needs to be distributed between the growing numbers of farmers.” Amigoe visited vintner Vicente Kock who despite the drought persists in following his passion of winemaking.

Oranjestad – Ari Lichtenstein, an Aruban farmer who owns Nos Cunucu, The Landfarm, stands behind the principle of ecological farming, keeping the soil healthy by using sustainable farming techniques. Ari has ambitious plans for his farm and is aiming to complete all of them, such as growing lettuce in the six greenhouses that he reserved for this purpose. Amigoe visited Ari on the occasion of Earth Day.

After 100 years, combined of coming to Aruba, these ladies love it more than ever. Aruba has some long-time visitors, whose highlight of their year is an annual vacation on Aruba. A long time devotee is Elenore Kowalcheck, of Tinton Falls, N.J. whose recalls her first visit to the island with her husband John, was before her daughter and annual companion, Karen, was born. We would never tell a lady's age here, but that was some time ago.

In an effort to facilitate visitors a trip to San Nicolas and all the attractions in the area, the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Arubus have introduced a new route to the schedule which will now also make stops at Baby Beach.

The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba was recently honored as the first resort on the island to receive the IBISA Award, certified by Mr. Richard Visser, Aruba’s minister of health and sports. In conjunction with PACO (Pan American Conference on Obesity), a certification program constructed over the past three years was created with the objectives of raising the prestige of tourism and the tourism industry in the region, and providing economic resources for projects within the community on the prevention of obesity through exercise and healthy eating. Certification for hotels and restaurants is granted on the basis of compliance with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), HAACP (Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point System), and healthy food principles.

The International Four Day Marches Nijmegen (or Vierdaagse) is the largest marching event in the world. It is organized every year in Nijmegen in mid-July as a means of promoting sport and exercise. Participants walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometers daily depending on their age and gender, and, on completion, receive a royally approved medal (Vierdaagsekruis). The participants are mostly civilians, but there are also a few thousand military participants.

A win-win scenario where showing your support for Aruba's new Donkey Sanctuary can have you win one of the fabulous prizes being offered. The Donkeys are in dire need of more spacious diggs, since the Santa Lucia location has been seriously outgrown. The fundraising event will start on August 1 and end aptly on Animal day, October 4, 2013.