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cEO ck


c o v e r y o u r w o r I d


u S)


VO. 1 / NO. 6


PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MIAMI, FL
PERMIT NO. 7315

I: (305) 238-2868
800-605-7516
aribtoday@earthlink.net
t ads@bellsouth.net


The debate
over immigra-
tion reform in
the United
States is
approaching
boiling point.
America is
trying to protect its borders as
undocumented aliens contin-
ue to flood in. Yet immigration
activists like Irwin Claire are
wondering if the Caribbean
community is doing enough to
help its own in the struggle,
page 6.

Basdeo
Panday is
a powerful
man in
Trinidad and
4: Tobago. But
t last month
the former
Prime minis-
ter and
Opposition leader was con-
victed of fraud and sentenced
to two years in prison. Could
this be the end of Panday's
political career or will jail
harden an already tough cam-
paigner? The rise and fall of
Panday, page 7.

Yet another
mainstream
conglomer-
ate has
carved out
a big piece
of the
Caribbean
entertain-
ment busi-
ness, and artistes like Freddie
McGregor are asking ques-
tions about the move, page 16.


W e


INSIDE
New s ........................... 2 FYI ............................ 11 Arts/Entertainment .............. 16 Health ......................... 21
Feature .......................... 7 Food ........................... 12 Culture ......................... 18 Politics ........................ 23
Viewpoint ....................... 9 Tourism/Travel .................. 13 Sport .......................... 19 Banking and Investing .......... 25


1-ca
car


11-1 4 '7 A





CARIBBEAN TODAY


N EWS


ICE freezes Caribbean nationals


in Florida on immigration violations


U.S. warns region


over human trafficking


GORDON WILLIAMS
Caribbean nationals did
not escape a Florida
dragnet set by the
United States Immigration
and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) which hauled in dozens
of suspects late last month.
Several fugitives and
immigration violators with
links to the region were
among the 183 arrested for
crimes ranging from rape -
including cases involving
minors to drugs and gun pos-
session during a weeklong
operation.
There were at least 37
Caribbean nationals among
those arrested by detention
and removal officers and spe-
cial agents in the statewide
operation. They included 16
Haitians, 11 Jamaicans, four
from the Dominican Republic,
three from Trinidad and
Tobago, two Guyanese and
one from The Bahamas.
Barbara Gonzalez, public
relations officer for ICE, told
Caribbean Today that the sig-
nificant presence of Caribbean
nationals among the group of
those arrested was not an indi-
cation that the region was a
special focus of the agency's
operation.
"No country was target-


NEW YORK, CMC -
Influential United States
Congressman Charles Rangel
has called on Washington and
the Caribbean community
(CARICOM) to fashion a
"blueprint" that would accel-
erate economic and social
development in the region.
Rangel said this is now
necessary in light of recent
efforts by both parties to nor-
malize their tattered relations.
The dean of New York's
Congressional delegation, who
represents Harlem, said the
"blueprint" would take
regional countries "forward".
"These islands are among
our strongest allies, and they
deserve a better deal from its
powerful neighbor and trading
partner," Rangel said.
Rangel said the U.S. has
an onus to make the region
more "competitive" in this age
of globalization and trade lib-
eralization.
"We have to extend a
helping hand to the island-
nations and coastal states in
the Caribbean so they can be
competitive.
"It must be a blueprint on


ed," she said.
The operation was spear-
headed by ICE Fugitive
Operations teams in Miami,
Tampa, Jacksonville and
Orlando, according to a press
release issued by the agency.
The release stated that the
arrests were part of efforts by
ICE "to identify and arrest
those who pose a threat to our
community and who have no
legal right to remain in the
country".
ICE claimed that "among
the arrested were 130 fugitive
criminal aliens that were
ordered removed from the
U.S. by a federal immigration
judge but failed to comply
with their lawful orders.. .The
remaining 53 arrested were
illegal aliens amenable to
removal from the United
States.
"All have been charged
administratively for being in
violation of immigration
laws", the release added.

CRIMINAL HISTORY
The agency said "many of
the fugitives arrested during
this operation have a history
of violent criminal activity
that includes sexual assault of
a child, driving under the
influence (DUI), child abuse,
aggravated assault, cocaine


1 -mi
Rangel
which everyone can agree as
to what has to be done for the
Caribbean to be competitive,"
he added.

'COMMITMENT'
"There must be a commit-
ment by the U.S. that it is a
part of our obligation because
the Caribbean countries have
been our friends and neigh-
bors. We must also look upon
this exercise as part of our
national security. When we
are dealing with the
Caribbean, we never have to


trafficking and weapons viola-
tions".
Among the arrested was
Liston Bartley, a 55-year-old
Jamaican who had been con-
victed of indecent assault after
impregnating a 12-year-old
girl. His subsequent appeal to
the Board of Immigration
Appeals (BIA) was denied
and he was ordered by an
immigration judge removed
from the U.S. Up to press
time Bartley was still in ICE
custody awaiting deportation.
ICE also reported that its
agents diL\ NLrLd and seized
a SKS 7.62mm assault rifle, a
9mm pistol, seven grams of
marijuana, three scales and
$2,200 in U.S. currency fol-
lowing a consent search given
by Clovis Walbert Pinnock, a
citizen of Jamaica". Pinnock,
according to the agency,
entered the country in 1997 as
a visitor but failed to depart as
required by law and was sub-
sequently ordered deported
by a judge. He is a convicted
felon who had been on the
run since 2001.
Nationals from the follow-
ing other countries were also
nabbed during the operation
which, according to ICE, "was
a combined effort between
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


worry about our backs.
"We may disagree from
time to time, as sovereign
nations often do, but the
states in the region have stood
with us as our friends," he
said.
Rangel believes the recent
meeting in The Bahamas
between U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and
CARICOM foreign ministers
was a first step towards the
creation of the "blueprint".
"The comprehensive plan
should emerge from follow-up
meetings between officials of
both sides and in subsequent
talks between Rice and the
foreign ministers," he said.
Rice is expected to meet
with the region's foreign min-
isters in September "on the
margins" of the United
Nations General Assembly.
Rangel was instrumental in
helping to broker the recent
meeting between then U.S.
Special Trade Representative
Robert Portman and CARI-
COM trade ministers in
Washington.
0


DAMIAN P. GREGORY

Months after the
United States State
Department threat-
ened Jamaica and 14 other
countries with sanctions if
they did not take steps to
combat cases of human traf-
ficking mostly of women and
children that has become the
focus of international atten-
tion, the island's status on the
list of countries involved in
the practice has been down-
graded.
There are between 600,000
and 800,000 persons trafficked
across international borders
each year, the majority of
those are women and children,
and about 80 percent of those
are minors under the age of
18, the State Department
estimates.
The 256-page annual
report is intended to heighten
awareness about the problem
of human trafficking and
encourage governments to


United Nations, CMC -
Caribbean community
(CARICOM) diplomatic rep-
resentatives at the United
Nations say they have been
inundated with requests from
other countries to support
their individual bids for a seat
on the newly-established U.N.
Human Rights Council
(UNHRC).
"We have been inundated
with requests from other
countries for support," said
Crispin Gregoire, Dominica's
ambassador to the U.N.
Gregoire told the
Caribbean Media Corporation
(CMC) that since the UNHRC
is a new entity, "a lot of coun-
tries want to be founding
members of it."
St. Lucia's U.N.
Ambassador Julian Hunte,
said there were more candi-
dates than available seats on
the UNCHR.
"This is the level of com-
petition that exists, where
there are more candidates
than seats. It's intense lobby-
ing across the board," he said.
Hunte's Trinidadian coun-
terpart, Philip Sealy, said can-
vassing for votes on the 47-
member council for the May 9
elections has, indeed, been
intense.
"In most regional group-
ings, there are more candi-
dates than vacancies. Member
states are, accordingly, being


form new partnerships to fight
it. Countries that engage in
trafficking are ranked accord-
ing to tiers, or categories,
according to activities they
were believed to have partici-
pated in. Jamaica was initially
ranked in Tier 3 of the report.
"Jamaica is a source coun-
try for children trafficked
internally for the purpose of
sexual exploitation", the
report stated in June 2005
when it was first released.
"Jamaica is a transit country
for illegal migrants moving to
the U.S. and Canada; some
may be trafficking victims.
Jamaicans are also trafficked
into forced labor in the
United SiL, k .

IMPROVEMENT
But according to a Feb.
2006 interim report, things have
begun to improve for some of
the island's most vulnerable.
"The government of

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


approached by the candida-
tures countries seeking sup-
port for their respective candi-
datures," he told CMC.
Last month, the U.N.
General Assembly adopted
Resolution 60/251 establishing
the UNHRC as a subsidiary
organ of the General
Assembly. The UNHRC,
which will be based in
Geneva, replaces the U.N.
Commission
on Human
Rights.
Members of
the Council
will be elected
"directly and
individually"
Hunte by secret bal-
lot, Sealy said.
Membership
will be based on equitable
geographical distribution, with
the groups of African and
Asian states both getting 13
seats each, the group of Latin
American and Caribbean
states eight, the group of
Western European and other
states seven. The group of
Eastern European states will
get six seats.
Gregoire said the United
States, which voted against
the UNHRC resolution, is not
seeking a seat.
"There's a perception that
they would not get enough
votes," he said.
0


Developed countries lobby

Caribbean for U.N. seats


U.S. Congressman wants 'blueprint'


for economic and social development


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


U.S. report gives CaribbeaN Epoor marks for human rights protection

U.S. report gives Caribbean poor marks for human rights protection


WASHINGTON, CMC In a
new report released last
month, the United States has
given five Caribbean countries
poor marks for their human
rights record.
The report, "Supporting
Human Rights and
Democracy: The U.S. Record
2005-2006", complements the
U.S. State Department's coun-
try report, which was issued
last month.
It identified Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Jamaica and Suriname among
global countries with poor
human rights records, stating,
however, that Caribbean and
Latin American democracies
continue to confront chal-
lenges of strengthening weak
institutions, fighting corrup-
tion and redressing social
inequality.

CUBA
On Cuba, the U.S. State
Department said the Fidel
Castro government has, for 47
years, "consistently spurned
domestic and international
calls for greater political toler-
ance and respect for human
rights.
"Cuba's human rights


Protestors in Canada rally against poor conditions and human rights violations in Haiti.


record remained poor in
2005", the report charged.
"The Cuban government
ignored or violated virtually
all of its citizens' fundamental
rights, including the right to
change their government.
"The Cuban people did
not enjoy freedom of speech,
press or movement, and were
denied the right to assemble
peacefully or freely form asso-
ciations", the report said,
adding that the police had
broad detention powers and


used them frequently, includ-
ing against those who ques-
tioned the single-party rule.
Accused dissidents, some
charged with common crimes,
received sham trials, and
those sent to prison were
often held in harsh conditions,
the report said.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The State Department
said though the Dominican
Republic has a democratically
elected government and a


U.S. requests extradition of


T&T five on kidnap charges


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC The United States gov-
ernment has requested the
extradition of five people,
including two soldiers, now
before a court in Trinidad on
charges of kidnapping and
murdering a former U.S.
soldier.
Washington is seeking the
extradition of the people
under a violation of Title 18 of
the United States Code that
states "whoever, whether
inside or outside the United
States, seizes or detains and
threatens to kill, injure, or to
continue to detain another
person or a government
organization to do or abstain
from doing any act as an
explicit or implicit condition
for the release of the person


detained.. .shall be punished
by imprisonment for any term
of years or for life".
It also warns that "if the
death of any person r NultI
those accused "shall be pun-
ished by death or life impris-
onment" if they are convicted.
Four of the five, Sargeant
Leon Nurse, Private Ricardo
De Four, of the Trinidad
Defence Force, Kevon
Demerieux and Zion Clarke,
have been charged with the
murder of U.S. war veteran
Balram Maharaj, 62, who was
abducted on April 5, 2005. His
remains were found in two
containers in the Santa Cruz
forest, west of here on Jan. 9.
The fifth, David Suchit,
has been charged like the oth-
ers of conspiracy to commit


hostage-taking resulting in
death and hostage taking
resulting in death in violation
of Title 18 of the U.S. Code.
Attorney David West,
who represents the U.S. gov-
ernment, said the Grand Jury
indictment had been handed
late last month and wanted a
60 day period to seek the
authority of the attorney
general to proceed with the
extradition. But lawyers for
the accused have labelled the
extradition as a ploy and a
delaying tactic by the state
not to begin the murder case.
Chief Magistrate Sherman
McNicolls reserved his ruling
on the application by the U.S.
government to May 5.
0


J'can among 12 most wanted

U.S. immigration fugitives


NEW YORK, CMC The
United States Immigration
and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) agency says a Jamaican
national is among its 12 most
wanted fugitives.
The agency said late last
month that Robert Anthony
Walker, 35, of St. James,
Jamaica, has been eluding
officials since 2001. He is the


only Caribbean national on
the ICE fugitives list.
Officials said he is wanted
on international drug smug-
gling charges. They allege that
Walker "is responsible for the
importation of at least 100
kilograms of cocaine, smuggled
from Jamaica and distributed
to central and southern Florida
over a three-year-period".


In Feb. 2001, Walker, who
also carries the aliases Ralph
Newman, Colin James,
Preston and Rusty, was indict-
ed in the Middle District of
Florida with conspiracy to
import cocaine. ICE officials
said he is "armed and danger-
ous".
0


"dynamic" multiparty system,
"accountable, democratic gov-
ernance with appropriate
checks and balances is still
new and fragile, and much
remains to be done".
The report said while
freedoms of the press, assem-
bly, and religion were respect-
ed, problems remain in other
areas, noting that security
forces carried out unlawful
killings and used excessive
force. It said, however, that
deaths at the hands of police
officers declined in the second
half of last year.

HAITI
The State Department
also said the human rights
record of Haiti remains poor.
It said while civilian authori-
ties generally maintained con-
trol of the security forces,
there were frequent instances
in which elements of the secu-
rity forces acted independent-
ly of government authority.
The report said state-
orchestrated abuses ceased
under the interim govern-
ment, but there were "credi-
ble .IIkg.iinrn of extra judi-
cial killings by members of the
Haitian National Police, inci-
dences of retribution killings
and politically motivated vio-
lence, and kidnapping for
ransom.
"Endemic corruption, a
deteriorating judiciary, and
worsening economic and
social conditions exacerbated


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Guyana is seeking help
from the Canadian and United
States governments to help
solve last month's murder of
Agriculture Minister

"Sash" Sawh
and three
others.
According
to reports
here, the
Guyanese gov-
ernment has
written the two Sawh
foreign admin-
istrations seeking assistance for
local law enforcement agencies
currently probing the latest
gun-related executions here.
Government sources have
said the murders were politi-
cally motivated.
Minister Sawh, his brother
Rajpat Sawh, sister Pulmattie
Persaud and the minister's
personal bodyguard Curtis
Robertson, were executed in a
hail of gunfire when heavily
armed gunmen stormed the
minster's east coast residence
at Earl's Court, La Bonne
Intention. Three others were


this situation", it said.

JAMAICA
The report said while the
government of Jamaica gener-
ally respected the human rights
of its citizens, there were seri-
ous problems in some areas.
It charged that members
of the security forces commit-
ted unlawful killings, and that
mob violence and vigilante
killings against those suspect-
ed of breaking the law remain
a problem.
"Although the govern-
ment moved to investigate
incidents of police abuses and
punish some of those police
involved, continued impunity
for police who commit abuses
remained a problem", the
report said. "The judicial sys-
tem was overburdened and
lengthy delays in trials were
common".

SURINAME
In Suriname, the report
said problem areas include
alleged police mistreatment of
detainees at the time of arrest,
abuse of prisoners by guards,
and overcrowding of local
detention facilities. It said a
shortage of judges resulted in
a significant case backlog and
lengthy pretrial detentions.
The report said self-cen-
sorship by some media contin-
ues, and that instances of cor-
ruption in the executive
branch are more visible.
0


injured during the armed
attack.
Government officials, the
human rights body, private citi-
zens, and organizations, over-
seas-based Guyanese and
groups, Opposition legislators
and the labor movement here
have condemned the slaying
of the minister and the three
others.

EXECUTIONS
Between January and
April 22 this year, 42 people
have been murdered in the
Caribbean community head-
quarter state, with 24 of the
victims killed execution-style.
The majority of the killings
have remained unsolved.
Many Guyanese expressed
outrage over last month's
killings with some calling for
vengeance. However, Minister
Sawh's younger son Dave, in
an appeal, advised the
aggrieved to "move on and
not take revenge as it would
not heal the hurt. Revenge
could only cause more blood-
shed and pain," the young
Sawh counselled.
0


Guyana asks Canada, U.S. to help

solve murder of government minister


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Several Caribbean-born
sex felons were arrested
in New York last month.
They include a 60-year-old
national of the Dominican,
who served time for the sexual
abuse of his granddaughter.
Another Dominican
Republic national nabbed in
New York was charged with 13
counts of rape, six counts of
sodomy and endangering the
welfare of a 15-year-old he
tutored at an after-school tutor-
ing center. He too served jail
time.
Others picked up late last
month in New York, United
States immigration officials
said, included a Guyanese,
who was charged with rape,
kidnapping and sodomy of a
12-year-old girl; and a Haitian,
who was convicted of four
counts of rape, five counts of
sodomy, nine counts of sexual
abuse and endangering the
welfare of a 12-year-old child.
The Haitian man allegedly
abused the young girl over a
four-day period.


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
federal, state and local law
enforcement ,igL niu K Brazil,
Canada, Peoples Republic of
China, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,
Ghana, Honduras, India,
Israel, Lebanon, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Peru, Syria,
Poland, Uruguay and
Venezuela.
Florida law enforcement
agencies, including the
Orange County Sheriff's
Office; U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP);
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office;
Miami-Dade Police
Department; City of Miami
Police Department; Coral
Gables Police Department;
Broward Sheriff's Office;


Other migrants nabbed
for deportation in the New
York raid included nationals of
Jamaica, Trinidad and Cuba,
as well as China, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Italy,
Liberia, Mexico and Norway.
Their names had not been
released up to press time.
"When you think you have
seen it all, you find that there
are sex crimes even more
heinous," said New York
Special Agent-in-Charge
Martin D. Ficke.
"As their convictions
demonstrate, these predators
are the worst of the worst.
They prey on our children and
they have forfeited their privi-
lege to remain in this country."
Martin F. Horn, New York
City's probation commissioner,
added: "When the offenders
rounded up this morning are
deported, New York City will
be a safer place."

Compiled from CMC reports.
0


Palm Beach Sheriff's Office;
Hialeah Police Department;
and Florida Probation and
Parole also participated in the
operation.
ICE explained that the
operation was "part of the
second phase of the Secure
Border Initiative (SBI), a
comprehensive multi-year
plan launched by the
Department of Homeland
Security to secure America's
borders and reduce illegal
migration".
ICE was formed in Mar.
2003. It is the largest investiga-
tive arm of the Department of
Homeland Security in the U.S.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
*


NEWS

Brain drain to North America


is substantial ~ Jamaica


UNITED NATIONS, CMC -
Jamaica has told the United
Nations Commission on
Population and Development
that based on studies the brain
drain from Jamaica to North
America is "quite substantial".
Easton Williams,
Jamaica's representative at the
commission's general debate
on population, migration and
remittances, said 1n 70
percent of tertiary-level grad-
uates emigrated annually from
Jamaica to North America
and the United Kingdom."
Noting that migrants from
Jamaica were mainly persons
in their "prime reproductive
and productive years," and
were predominantly female,
Williams added that recent
studies indicated that Jamaica
and other countries in the
English-speaking Caribbean
have the highest loss of terti-
ary graduates in the world. He
said as a result of Jamaicans'
migratory patterns, the gov-
ernment has established a spe-
cial department in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

U.S. willing to assist
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC The United States has
offered to assist Trinidad and
Tobago fight corruption and
terrorism, Attorney General
John Jeremie has said.
Jeremie returned from the
Dominican Republic where he
met with his U.S. counterpart
Alberto Gonzales during the
meeting of the Attorneys
General and Ministers of
Justice of the Americas.
A statement issued by his
office said that he held private
talks with Gonzales on the
issue and was offered assis-
tance in the fight against cor-
ruption and terrorism.
"The offer of assistance in
dealing with corruption and
terrorism came in an hour long
closed door meeting on (April


"In recent years, the gov-
ernment had implemented a
number of innovative meas-
ures for the mobilization of
the diaspora for national
development," he said. "The
Jamaican diaspora had created
niche markets in all its major
destination countries that had
great potential for expansion."

COMMUNITIES
Williams said given
Jamaica's long history of emi-
gration, Jamaicans have estab-
lished large communities in
major cities in North America
and the United Kingdom, and
set up numerous informal and
formal associations and net-
works in those cities. He
noted that, in the 19th century,
Jamaicans had migrated to
Central America and other
Caribbean territories in search
of employment opportunities.
"Many Jamaicans had
died while building the
Panama Canal," he said.
"Today, many Central
American communities retain
Jamaican language, culture

T&T fight corruption
24) between
Attorney
General
Jeremie and
his U.S. coun-
terpart,
Alberto
Gonzales...",
said the state- Gonzalez
ment.
It said that the assistance
from Washington would come
on a bilateral level.
The statement said that
Jeremie had been elected
vice-president of the
Attorneys General and
Ministers of Justice, a working
group under the auspices of
the Organization of American
States.
0


and genealogical features."
Williams also said the vol-
ume of remittances channeled
through official money trans-
fer networks has been increas-
ing since the 1990s, currently
estimated at some $1.5 billion,
or 10 percent of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). He
said remittance is currently
the largest source of foreign
exchange available to the
Jamaican government.
"The reduction of
absolute poverty from an esti-
mated 35 percent in the early
1990s to the current estimate
of below 15 percent is also
linked to the increase in the
flow in remittances," he said.



U.N. appoints

Jamaican to int'l

emergency group
UNITED NATIONS, CMC -
United Nations Secretary
General Kofi Annan has
appointed a Jamaican among
12 members worldwide to the
Advisory Group of the U.N.
Central Emergency Response
Fund (CERF).
Barbara Carby, director
general of the Office of
Disaster Preparedness and
Emergency Management of
Jamaica, is the only Caribbean
national appointed to the
group.
Other representatives
comprised nationals from
Canada, India, Egypt, Sweden,
United States, Malaysia,
United Kingdom, Switzerland,
South Korea, South Africa
and the Netherlands.
The first meeting of the
Advisory Group is scheduled
for May 23 in New York.
0


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
Jamaica has shown clear
progress in its efforts to combat
trafficking in the country. After
Jamaica was ranked at Tier 3 in
the 2005 TIP Report, the gov-
ernment stepped up efforts to
address the problem and has
committed to do more in the
future", the report stated.
Among the accomplish-
ments cited are the raids, clo-
sure and arrest of 39 people
believed to be involved in
trafficking activities.
But the report warns that
more needs to be done in the
by the island's law enforce-
ment to combat this problem.
Throughout the month of


March, when Caribbean
Today tried repeatedly to con-
tact Jamaican government
representatives to get them to
discuss what specific steps
they are undertaking to
address this issue, calls went
unreturned to both the perma-
nent secretary in the Ministry
of Justice and or the Jamaica
Constabulary Force.
Meanwhile, the problem is
causing serious hurt.
"The heartbreak of this is
that you lose your children,"
Katharine Cahn, Univerisity
of Portland graduate social
school professor, told
Caribbean Today. "It is an
invisible issue. There is a real
lack of awareness about it."


For the U.S. State
Department, the importance
of this issue is becoming an
even greater concern.
Estimates are that human traf-
ficking is a $9.5 billion indus-
try, which brings about 17,500
people into the U.S. each year.
The U.S. can cut off military
aide and cultural exchange
programs and "withholding of
non-humanitarian, non-trade-
related assistance", to coun-
tries deemed to have done
nothing to combat trafficking.

Damian P Gregory is
Caribbean Today's deputy
managing editor.
0


Caribbean-born convicted

sex felons arrested in N.Y.


ICE freezes Caribbean nationals

in Florida on immigration violations


U.S. warns region over human trafficking


May 2006




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CARIBBEAN TODAY


N EWS ______________


C8rbe-* t Caribbean not pulling its weight on U.S.

caribo a t immigration reform Irwin Claire


r T e current debate over
immigration reform in the
-1 United States has stirred
mixed feelings among
Americans and non-US. citi-
zens. Irwin Claire, co-director of
Cairibbeain Immigration Services
in Queens, New York, is among
those who have weighed in.
Caribbean Today's Managing
Editor Gordon Williams spoke
with Claire two days after his
presentation on the issue at a
community forum in
Phiihidellpla, Pennsylvania late
last month based on
the theme "Immigration Reform
and The Caribb'eai
( ..,ii..,..,,,i '. The following
is an edited version of that inter-
view.

Caribbean Today: The forum
must have taken on added sig-
nificance considering what is
going on with the immigration
issue in the U.S. What kind of
response was there to the
forum and what came out of it?

Irwin Claire: The response
was great. I was one of maybe
two speakers who might have
spoken on immigration...
We had a fantastic turnout.
Sometimes you have these
forums which are too top-


heavy with speakers, and so
speakers don't get an opportu-
nity, not only to speak on an
issue or a point, but they start
dropping sound-bites. That can
be very dangerous, when peo-
ple hear piece of the
story and it is not properly
explained. So that is something
that we run afoul of at forums
every year, when it becomes
top-heavy with flowery stuff,
feel good stuff.
I made the point in my
presentation, as far as where
we are with immigration, what
we need to do. My challenge to
the group that evening was to
the clergy, because here in
Philadelphia it is a very power-
ful group. Community-based
organizations also need to rec-
ognize that they need to start
making sure that the
Caribbean face is showing up
in the pictures and in the rallies
that are being held, as far as
the immigration rallies,
because for many people who
are our friends, when they look
at the pictures and don't see
our pictures they don't believe
that we have a problem too.
C.T.: Why is that so?


a mentality of being secretive
and we (Caribbean people) are
always busily working...
It is unfortunate. There are
many among us who have
worked diligently, but not in
the numbers. When you
look at Eastern Parkway (in
Brooklyn, N.Y. during the
annual West Indian Labor
Day parade) there's three
million people, yet we can't full
10 buses, when you give them
free seats, to go to Washington
(to immigration rallies).

C.T.: Did you sense that there
is urgency, coming out of the
community forum, with what is
going on with the immigration
situation now? Is there an
awakening or is it still laid
back?

E.C.: There is an awakening (in
the Caribbean community).
The problem is though is that
the people who need it most
are not the ones coming out.

C.T.: Meaning?

E.C.: Meaning it is probably
the persons who don't see


(immigration reform) as
E.C.: Complacency. The fact of urgent. Meaning the persons
the matter is that we have who are undocumented, they


are not the ones coming out.
They are not coming out in the
numbers we need them to
come out, because for some
reason they are afraid...
although they are the first ones
to take their money
to some bogey man who prom-
ises them some kind of (immi-
gration) benefit. As a
Caribbean community we are
independently rich and collec-
tively poor. Rich in the fact
that we can stand up and show
the physical wealth, rich in the
fact that we have the collateral
to demonstrate that we are a
force, but collectively it doesn't
make any sense.

C.T.: Coming out of the forum,
did you get the sense that there
is any type of turning point,
also in your dealings in New
York, from a Caribbean stand-
point?

E.C.: I think (Caribbean) peo-
ple need just to reiterate that
we have an issue. I don't
believe that we came out (of
the forum) with any kind of
platform that we are going to
go out and marshall people.
No, I don't think we achieved
that.


C.T.: What is
the sense you
get, in such a
large
Caribbean
community as
New York,
what is the
sense you get Claire
among the
undocumented? Is there a
heightened sense of fear (over
upcoming immigration reform?

E.C.: Yes, there is a heightened
sense of fear when you realize
that the (U.S.) Department of
Homeland Security has been
doing some work site raids,
that they made public, when
you see these enforcement
measures that have been taking
place that are being made pub-
lic, when you see that you can't
get driver's license because
(of) the rule changes, when you
see that employers are now
checking more into certain
situations.
Yeah, there is fear. But
then people realize they have
to survive, they're survivalists
and that is the irony. They will
make sacrifices and expose
111LII.h IL S to certain situations

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 11)


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


.. FEATURE ............... 1


The rise and fall of a T&T political giant

~ Basdeo Panday goes from prime minister to prison inmate


PETER RICHARDS

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -
When he was prime minister of this oil
rich nation, Basdeo Panday said his
greatest desire would be to use his
tenure in office to unite the citizens of
Trinidad and Tobago "so that we might
better face the challenges ahead."
But last month, a Magistrate's Court
sentenced the 72-year-old lawyer to two
years imprisonment on charges that he
knowingly failed to declare to the
Integrity Commission a bank account he
and his wife, Oma, held in London while
he was prime minister. In addition, Chief
Magistrate Sherman
McNicolls also ordered
that the TT$1.6 million
($258,000) in the for-
mer prime minister's
accounts be confiscat-
ed.
Panday had, dur- .
ing his trial, told the -
court that he knew 4
nothing about the
account that was in his
wife's name, and
Lawrence Duprey,
chairman of the
Colonial Life
Insurance Company Panday
(CLICO), the
Trinidad-based con-
glomerate, testified that he had indeed
given over one million dollars
($166,666) to the Pandays for the edu-
cation of their children in London.

THE END?
The ruling may well spell the end
of a political career for Panday, the
first indo-Trinidadian to have been
elevated to the Office of Prime
Minister, when in1995, his United
National Congress (UNC) formed a
coalition with the National Alliance for
Reconstruction (NAR) to defeat the
People's National Movement (PNM).
A former trade unionist, and cur-
rent Opposition leader in Parliament,
Panday's legal battles are far from
over. Along with his wife and other
ministers of his administration, he is
before the courts on other corruption
related charges.
He was fond of telling his support-
ers that "if you see me fighting with a
lion, feel sorry for the lion," reflecting
perhaps his love for drama having
graduated from the London School of
Dramatic Arts in 1960.
Writers Samaroo Siewah and
Roodal Moonilal, in their book enti-
tled "An Enigma An,%\\ rd noted
that Panday's mL'nrL it klLJdL rNhip
has been sufficient to steer him
through the roughest times adding, "of
Panday's magnetisability there can be
no doubt."

FALLOUT
Political scientist and University of
the West Indies (UWI) lecturer Dr.
Hamid Ghany once referred to Panday
as "a craft mover," a "political animal
who can't really be under-rated.
"He has been down and then
bounced back so many times, his
instinct for survival is tremendous.he
has that ability to stay on," Ghany


noted.
But a former UWI lecturer and
political scientist, Dr. John La
Guerre, said the guilty verdict against
Panday last month may well spell the
end of a charismatic political career
that in recent months had been
bogged down by political infighting
within the UNC and Panday's own
legal troubles.
"He would be badly wounded
and would be the end of his career,"
he said, adding that the verdict could
also affect the UNC's chances in the
next general elections.
"What we are witnessing is that it
is a very critical stage for
the UNC," La Guerre
: said.
Married and the
father of four girls,
Basdeo Panday was
born in the southern
rural village of Prince
K Town on May 25, 1933.
He worked as a cane
weigher with the state-
owned sugar company,
.. Caroni Limited, as a pri-
mary school teacher and
also as a civil servant
attached to the San
Fernando Magistrate's
court.
His involvement in
the trade union movement began in
1956 when he served as legal adviser
to the powerful Oilfield Workers
Trade Union (OWTU) before head-
ing off to London to study law.
In 1962, he became a barrister
at law, Lincoln's Inn, and three years
later graduated from the London
University with a bachelor's degree
in economics.
On his return home, Panday
entered into private practice, but by
1973 had moved to the top position
within the All Trinidad Sugar and
General Workers Trade Union, a
position he held until 1995, when he
resigned the position because of his
elevation to the post of prime minister.

FIREBRAND
A firebrand politician in his early
years, Panday's biographers recalls
the many labels that have been used
to describe him. To some he was a
capitalist/imperialist stooge, commu-
nist and socialist Brahmin. Nowadays
he has been dubbed a friend of the
"parasitic oligarchy", a term Panday
himself used effectively to describe
the capitalist business sector in
Trinidad and Tobago in his days as an
Opposition politician.
His rise to the highest political
office in the land has been a checkered
one. In 1976 he founded and led the
United Labour Front (ULF) entering
Parliament that same year. He was
Leader of the Opposition during the
period 1981-86 and led his ULF into
the coalition of opposition forces to
form the NAR that successfully ended
the 30-year unbroken rule of the PNM.
But Panday's involvement in the
new government lasted only two
years after public disagreement with
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)


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May 2006






CARIBBEAN TODAY


FE AT U R E ..


La Soufriere eruption: 27 years on


KENTON CHANCE

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent -
Thursday, April 13, marked 27
years since La Soufribre in St.
Vincent last erupted.
Vincentians were remind-
ed of the national emergency
plan to be implemented if
the volcano becomes active
again even as residents of
Montserrat were warned last
month of increased dangers as
a result of the "vigorous
resumption of dome growth"
within the Soufriere Hills
volcano there.
Aisha Samuel, volcanolo-
gist at the Soufribre Monitoring
Unit, said that the 4048-feet
mountain is in a "quiet ,.IIL
and that the alert level is at
"green", "which means that the
volcano is behaving normally."
Samuel said there are tremors
once or twice each month with
gaseous emissions.
"That's normal behavior,
more or less," she said.

BAD FRIDAY
It was on a Good Friday
morning 27 years ago that La
Soufribre belched ash and lava
on St. Vincent and neighbor-
ing Barbados. And Martin


Last month Basdeo Panday,
then leader of Trinidad and
Tobago's Opposition United
National Congress (UNC)
and a former prime minister
of the twin-island republic,
was convicted of criminal
charges. His sentencing drew
a range of reactions in the
Caribbean. Below are some
of the responses:


* "It is a devel-
opment that
affects the
image of the
Caribbean
politician -
Barbados
Prime Minister


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)

the then Prime Minister ANR
Robinson erupted in a divi-
sion within the Cabinet.
Panday left the govern-
ment, taking along some col-
leagues to form Club 88 that
later became the UNC.
Defeated in the elections of
1991, Panday sat as Opposition
leader in the Parliament until
1995, when he negotiated his
way to the office of prime min-
ister following the historic tie
in the general election.

'SILVER FOX'
It is perhaps this strength
and belief in self that made
him prime minister in the first


Bernard,
recounting
the 1979
experience,
spoke of the
lack of pre-
paredness
then.
"Things
were so hec-
tic, people
were really
getting hun-
gry, so we
went back to
our little shop
in Orange
Hill and got
flour and lots
of bananas,"
Barnard, a La Soufriere erupts.
former owner
of the Orange Hill Estate
recounted in a Ministry of
Agriculture publication last
month.
Barnard's efforts were
"just to keep the wolf from
the door until the government
machinery could have kicked
in with food from other
places."
And, the National
Emergency Management
Office (NEMO) is using the
anniversary of the eruption to


Owen Arthur reportedly quot-
ed by the Daily Nation news-
paper.

* "I understand
that he should b
treated harshly.
but the idea of
sentencing a 72-
year-old man to
hard labor, I
think it offends a
moral tone in a lot of us and
for that reason it was a bit
shocking" political scientist
Peter Wickham.

* "...By virtue of Section 49
(3) of the Constitution of the
Republic of Trinidad and


instance. Following the incon-
clusive 1995 election when
both the UNC and the PNM
gained 17 seats each, Panday,
nicknamed the 1,1\ r Fox"
for his political acumen, was
able to form a coalition
administration with the NAR,
becoming the first Trinidadian
of Indian descent to have
attained the highest political
office in the land.
He consolidated his gov-
rnmim n \ shaky position by
luring two of the Opposition
MPs to his side, while his gov-
ernment nominated Arthur
NR Robinson, the NAR
leader and minister of extraor-
dinaire for the post of presi-
dent of the oil rich republic.


apprise residents of this multi-
island nation of revisions to
the volcano plan drafted in
1979. Michele Forbes, acting
director of training at NEMO,
says the revised volcano plan
of 2004 focuses on threats to
which residents can be
exposed if the volcano erupts.
The plan identifies the "red
irLd" 'in which evacuation is
mandatory in a volcanic erup-
tion. These are the communi-
ties on the north east and north
west of mainland St. Vincent.


Tobago, Mr. Basdeo Panday,
representative for the
Constituency of Couva
North, shall forthwith cease
to perform his functions as a
member of the House of
Representatives" T&T
President
Professor Max
Richards declar-
ing the office of ,
the Leader of the
Opposition
vacant following
the guilty verdict.

* Politicians must begin to
understand that to serve in
public service is an honor and
is not a route to quick enrich-


Panday came into office
promising to unite the various
ethnic groups here under his
"National Unity" banner,
while pursuing macro-eco-
nomic policies that would be
beneficial to the entire nation.
"My greatest desire is that
as prime minister, I will be
able to use my office and
influence to bring our people
closer together and to unite all
of us, so that together we
might better face the chal-
lenges ahead," he said.
But his desire to unite the
nation has been dismissed by
his critics who pointed to a
number of factors, including
his government's attack on
almost all institutions in the


Forbes said because
of the higher level of
monitoring since
1979, NEMO can
start warning resi-
dents early of any
activity at the vol-
cano.
At this stage,
the plan allows for
families in the "red
i- .rxj to identify the
shelters to which they
want to relocate,
hence minimizing
separation. The plan
also identifies the
evacuation routes
and rendezvous
points, both at the
community and
national levels.

CHALLENGE
Forbes said the major
challenge to evacuation during
a volcanic eruption in
St. Vincent would be pyroclas-
tic flow. And, although she
said this did not occur in 1979,
Forbes said the Rabacca "dry"
River, in north west St.
Vincent, is a natural path for
lava flow. This would cut off
all the communities north of
the Rabacca River, which is


ment. One can't use the
opportunities created by the
virtue of holding public office
to corruptly or otherwise
enrich themselves" Chester
Humphrey, who represents the
labor movement in the
Grenada Senate.

* "Nobody is above the law"
- Chairman of St. Lucia's
Integrity Commission
Randolph Evelyn, adding that
Panday's conviction should
serve as a lesson for St. Lucia
and the wider Caribbean.

Compiled from CMC and
other sources.
0


country ranging from the judi-
ciary to the media.
During his term in office,
Panday made it clear that no
one who attacks his adminis-
tration and ,,. p, unscathed"
while flippantly being dismis-
sive of charges of corruption
and other allegations levied
against his government.
He was fond of urging
those making such accusations
to "take the evidence to the
police" while insisting that his
administration was the "most
transparent" in the history of
the country.

- CMC
0


essentially a sea of aggregate
and a highly unpredictable
flow of water making sea
evacuation on the rough,
Atlantic side of the island
mandatory.
Disaster officials also fear
and are preparing for tsunamis
that could be generated if the
flank of the volcano collapses.
NEMO took to communities
across the nation sensitizing
residents about the dangers of
a volcanic eruption and how
they could minimise loss of life
and property.
Houlda Peters, NEMO's
training officer, said the
response to the itinerant exhi-
bition was "very, very, very,
good."

- CMC






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Vol. 17, Number 6 MAY. 2006

PETER A WEBLEY
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A REGION RESPONDS


The rise and fall of a T&T political giant


May 2006











U.S. border policy: Long live


balance, not baloney I


WASHING-
TON- George
Washington is
said to have
described
Congress's
functions as
the hot tea of
the House
poured into CLARENCE
the cooling PAGE
saucer of the
Senate. On
the volatile issue of immigra-
tion, a saucer may not be
enough. A chilled dinner plate
sounds more like it.
A taste of how low the
debate can go spilled out
when Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
(R-California) LI,',_lILd that
we give jobs now held largely
by illegal aliens to convicts. "I
say, let the prisoners pick the
fruits!" he said.
Ah, yes, involuntary servi-
tude. I think we tried that
once before in America.
Didn't work out.
Yet, even a remark
as memorably goofy as
Rohrabacher's stumbles onto
a troubling truth: If we did
look to prison workers to save
certain industries, we would
find an unfortunately growing
labor pool.
America's porous borders
and bulging prisons both stem
from a dirty little open secret:
Our national desire to live life
on the cheap.

CHEAPER YET
Yes, it's cheaper, at least
in the short run, to lock up
people after they commit
crimes than to invest earlier in
the lives of poor, undereducat-
ed children, long before they
spiral downward into lives of
crime.
And it's cheaper for con-
sumers to give a wink and a
nod to massive illegal immi-
gration, as long as it helps
them to avoid paying more for
restaurant meals, produce,
home construction and vari-
ous domestic services like


nannies, housekeepers and
gardeners.
Republicans, notable as
they usually are for lockstep
party discipline, are divided
over immigration because
the country always has been
deeply divided on immigra-
tion. We're a nation of
immigrants, voluntarily or
involuntarily, who never have
been quite sure of how many
new immigrants are enough -
or what kind of immigrants
will make the best Americans.
Even Benjamin Franklin, who
later would enlist German
help with our Revolutionary
War, railed in 1751 against the
,%\\,rm of German immi-
grants he feared would make
Pennsylvania "a Colony of
Aliens."
In a far more relaxed
time, the 1986 Simpson-
Mazzoli law legalized three
million illegal immigrants in
a mass amnesty, accompanied
by new employer sanctions
and other get-tough measures
that didn't stay tough very
long. Now, 20 years later,
Congress finds itself grappling
with an estimated 11 million
more illegal immigrants and
an unexpected but under-
standable opposition to
President Bush's proposed
plan to allow temporary
gLIL "i Ni,'rkL r, 'to take "jobs
Americans don't want."
Again, we're talking about
cheap. If the president were
being candid, he would say,
"jobs Americans don't want at
the low wages that illegal
workers will eagerly accept."

REVEALING
In a revealing sign of the
times, Bush's plans have run
into a stalemate in Congress
between its two most powerful
factions: Republicans vs.
Republicans. House
Republicans in December
passed a get-tough bill that,
among other breathtaking

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


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-u-nw-


h we all long for them,
lust after them, women
hate and fear them,
many of them hate themselves,
but loose women are a perma-
nent part of society.
Loose women leave their
musk, their perfume and instil
fear in other women, merely
because of their sheer poten-
tial to take away their men
from them, real or imagined.
Loose women are the stuff
that legends are made, they
are the subject of male gossip
and the stories and accom-
plishments last forever.
"Say what, she could do
what, and for how long, and
-,i l t' c t ''
Every young lad remem-
bers that special girl from high
school days who left her mark
on him, and others, and oth-
ers, and others. Loose women
are the subject of graffiti, the
poetry of the streets and bath-
rooms.
"For a really great time,
call Lurline, she can suck a
golf ball through twenty feet of
garden hose."
Now with the Internet,


loose women

r~cm c* 10 vv MOuM4J


you can simply log on to
www//xxx.com.

PURPOSE
Loose women serve their
purpose and are here to stay.
Even in the Bible loose
women held centercourt, as
when one was about to be
stoned, Jesus rebuked the
mob with the now famous
line, "He who is without sin,
cast the first stone."
Loose women are the
object of desire of males of all
ages, from young boys just
approaching puberty, to mid-
dling men, single, married or
in between, to the older
males, who now have the
dubious distinction of having
dirty placed before their
names, to wit, Dirty Old Men.
Loose women have them lust-
ing.
If it wasn't for loose
women, many boys would
never know what it is to expe-
rience sex. Say what you will,
but many fathers still intro-
duce their sons to sex via the
route of loose women. Other
boys get the experience from
girls with a less than
respectable reputation.
"Hey, just go check Easy
Eloise, she will let off for a
cream.
Loose women fill a niche.
When a man wants a fling


with no com-
mitment, he
seeks out a
loose woman.
SAfter all, a
good woman
will want a
long term
i t relationship
TONY with all the
ROBINSON trappings,
pitfalls and
emotional
baggage, things he does not
need. If he did, he'd just stay
with his wife. Loose women
provide a relief with no strings
attached.
Loose women are more
likely to have one night
stands, although many so
called good women have also
indulged in this practice. The
irony is, usually after a one
night stand, a good woman
instantly becomes a 'loose
woman'. A loose woman does
not care about reputation, and
may even juggle two or three
men at the same time.

GRATIFICATION
Loose women exist for
instant gratification; loose
women appear in porno
movies and may even become
huge stars. Where would that
industry be without loose

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


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May 2006


CARIBBEAN TODAY


I





CARIBBEAN TODAY


* "All the Caribbean has lost
a good comrade" Peter
David, general secretary of the
National Democratic Congress
of Grenada on the murder of
Guyana's Agriculture Minister
Satyadeow ".\, /i 'Sawh last


month.

"We view this
as totally unac-
ceptable and we
hold the police
commissioner
totally and personally respon-
sible for this" a statement
issued last month by the
Georgetown (/ Ia,i/tclr of
Commerce and Industry fol-
lowing Sawh's murder.


* "No one no territory, no
matter how small can hide
as these desperate criminals
act globally" Lord
Goldsmith, the British govern-
ment's top lawyer warning of
the importance of all Overseas
Territories pulling together in
the fight against international
terrorism.

* "No one should be allowed
to walk around with a cutlass;


no one has a
right to
threaten any-
one" -
Grenada's
Prime
Minister Dr.
Keith
Mitchell hop-
ing to quell the fears of two
feuding communities in his
constituency last month.


* "It's a blight that will never
go away" Bermuda's
National Drug Control
Minister Wayne Perinchief
voicing his support for down-
grading marijuana offenses in
a bid to stop criminalizing
" 1 iitI" of the illegal drug
trade.

Compiled from CMC and
other sources.
0


U.S. border policy: balance, not baloney


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)

provisions, would turn the
nation's estimated 11 million
illegal immigrants into felons
and criminalize anyone who
assisted them in any way. Just
what we need: more convicts.
Perhaps they, too, can pick
fruits, if
Rohrabacher
gets his way. Hardliners
Fortunately, amnesty, a


that cool saucer how high w
of the Senate walls along
responded new folks w
recently with a
recipe of meas-
ures that return the debate to
a realm resembling reason and
reality. Their bill would boost
border security, but also allow
immigrants who already are
here to work their way to
legal status, temporary or per-
manent, depending on how
long they've been here.


opp
nd,


ve b
the
jill


Now, the heated process
to reconcile the two measures
could drag on and on, maybe
even past the November elec-
tions, which would be just fine
with quite a few nervous
incumbents in both parties.
Yet, Congress should not
be allowed to wiggle that easi-
ly out of what
many perceive
ose another to be a grow-
no matter ing immigra-
uild fences or tion crisis. If
e border, some nothing else,
sneak in... Congress
should deliver
what it prom-
ised in the 1986 but failed to
deliver: Better border controls
to keep new illegals out and
an orderly process to lift those
who already here out of the
underground economy and
into the mainstream work-
force.
I know, I know, neither


goal is perfect. Hardliners
oppose another amnesty, and,
no matter how high we build
fences or walls along the bor-
der, some new folks will sneak
in even if only by overstay-
ing tourist or student visas.
But we can't let the pursuit of
perfection be the enemy of


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
women? And even as society
looks down on the porno
industry, it still ranks as one of
the world's largest industries.
Loose women supply maga-
zines with photos that have
males and even some females,
from age three to 93, drooling
at the pages. Without loose
women, all that would be zip,
zero, nada. Then we have the
loose women dancers who fill
the strip joints and clubs, hav-
ing lascivious men leer and
salivate as they bump, grind
and wine. Just mention the
name go-go and watch the
reaction of some men, men
who are hooked on loose
women, drawn like the moth
to the flame, as the allure and
lore of the loose woman
excites and titillates him. Even
a tight man will pour his
money into a loose woman,
rather than give it to his wife,
or even his child.
Loose women have that
magnetism.
When you watch those


needed, if imperfect, improve-
ments. Past immigration
reforms failed not because
they were bad laws but
because they were not
enforced. Our country, includ-
ing its many newcomers,
deserve better than that. Our
leaders need to come up with


HBO documentaries about
hookers, you will understand.
Men in fancy cars will cruise
the streets in search of loose
women, and the risks that
they take are enormous. The
wads of cash that they fork
over are huge. Loose women
can earn a good living. But it's
not all glory and glamour,
even for the high class call
girls. The life of the loose
woman isn't what it's cut out
to be, as even though they're
sought after, desired by men,
yearned after, it's not usually
for a long term relationship.
But loose women need
love too. The irony is, men
will say that they want a loose
woman, and they really do,
but the usual phrase is: "Hey
man, only for a good time,
remember, some you marry
and some you just have fun
and run."
The irony is, the few men
who take the chance and set-
tle down with a loose woman
often regret it, for loose
women often do not change
and will exhibit looseness with
other men.
Why are you bitching, you
knew that I was a loose
woman when you met me,
didn't I two time my husband
with you?"
I spoke to some good
women (tight as opposed to
loose?) who were lamenting
the fact that they had no men,
while others had men but the
men seemed bored with them,
lost interest, had no passion
for them.
"He says he wants me to
act loose with him sometimes,
but I just can't be what I'm
not, I wasn't brought up that
way," one told me. "I'm a


balance in our immigration
policy, not more baloney.

2006 by The Chicago
Tribune. Distributed by
Tribune Media Services Ltd.
0


good woman and my
boyfriend is always looking at
porno and lusting at loose
women how can I get him to
look at me that way?" another
one told me.

THE TRICK
The trick is to be all
things to men, a good woman
by day, but a loose woman by
night. Few women have mas-
tered that art, very few. What
usually happens is that men
will settle with good women,
even marry them, but have
loose women as mistresses.
The loose women who I
spoke to included multi-part-
ners women, mistresses, plus
some generally loose women
who gave new meaning to the
word promiscuity, and the one
underlying theme from all of
them was that they got no
love, real love that is.
"Oh, the men come,
spend time, but always go
home to their wives," was the
common cry.
Loose women are always
left lonely, no matter how
often the man visits, whether
it's for a short term fund and
fun lay away plan, or a mis-
tress who lets him in, then lets
him out before the crack of
dawn, the feeling is the same,
unloved and lonely. Men just
don't seriously stick around
with loose women. So even
though they may look hot and
sexy, healthy body and lusty,
it's often a sad lonely life for a
loose woman.
Damn, damned if they do,
and they do so often.

Seidol@hotmail.com
0


Long live loose women


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v I EWPO I NY






CARIBBEAN TODAY


6618 or 954-721-6268.


Morton
CBA'S BARRISTER'S
BALL
Frederick Morton, general
manager for MTV's
Caribbean Cable Channel
TEMPO, is the scheduled
keynote speaker at the 2006
Barrister's Ball to be staged
on June 10 by the Caribbean
Bar Association's Central
Florida Chapter. The black tie
event will kick off the CBA-
CF's Caribbean American
Heritage Month celebrations.
Morton was born and
raised in St. Croix, United
States Virgin Islands, to
Nevisian parents. Before join-
ing TEMPO, he was senior
vice president and deputy gen-
eral counsel of business and
legal affairs at MTV
Networks. Prior to joining
MTV, he practiced law at the
firm of Simpson & Thatcher.
Before that, the graduate of
Rutgers University School of
Lawhe was a corporate coun-
sel at Johnson and Johnson.
For more information
about the CBA and the ball,
visit www.caribbeanbar.org

JAMAICA YOUTH
PAGEANT
The annual Miss Jamaica
Florida 2006 Pageant will be
held on June 25 in South
Florida.
The pageant, presented
by the Partners for Youth
Foundation in association with
ABI Startime, allows contest-
ants who are either Jamaican-
born or of Jamaican parentage
to vie for titles in four age cat-
egories: five to eight; nine to
12; 13-16 and 17-21.
This year's event is sched-
uled to be held on at the
Coral Springs Center for the
Arts.
For more information,
call June Minto at 954-739-


STORYTELLING
The Miami-Dade Public
Library System will present its
5th Annual International Art
of Storytelling Family Festival
Day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 20 at the Main Library,
Miami-Dade Cultural Plaza,
101 W. Flagler St.
The festival, presented in
collaboration with the Rio de
Janeiro Public Library, will
feature live music, food,
Brazilian martial arts, games
and crafts. Children will be
treated to a special appear-
ance by PBS characters
Arthur & DW, Clifford, Maya
& Miguel, and they will also
have the chance to win free
books with stamps collected
in their festival passport.
The event is free and
open to the public. Miami-
Dade Transit is offering free
bus and Metrorail passes
(while supplies last).
For more information,
call 305-375-BOOK (2665), or
visit www.mdpls.org

PASSPORTS
The National Passport
Information Center (NPIC),
the United States Department
of State's single, centralized
public contact center for U.S.
passport information, is offer-
ing a toll free service and has
expanded its service availabili-
ty/options.
Persons with questions or
need status checks on pending
passport applications can call
1-877-487-2778. Customer
service representatives are
available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday through Friday,
excluding Federal holidays.
Automated information is
available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
For e-mail access, visit:
npic@state.gov Website of
passport and other interna-
tional travel information is
available at travel.state.gov

'GREEN CARD' FILING
The United States
Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) has
announced that aliens must
mail applications to renew or
replace permanent resident
cards, commonly known as
"Green Cards", directly to the
Los Angeles Lockbox.


The Lockbox is a process-
ing facility used by USCIS to
accelerate the collection of
applications and petitions.
The announced change allows
the agency to improve the
processing of Form 1-90
(Application to Replace
Permanent Resident Card) by
electronically capturing data
and images and by performing
fee receipting and depositing
from one central location,
rather than at the local district
office, service center, or appli-
cation support center (ASC).
Aliens filing a Form 1-90,
regardless of their state of res-
idence, must mail those appli-
cations with an application fee
of $185 and a biometrics fee
of $70 to one of the following
addresses:
For U.S. Postal Service
(USPS) deliveries:
U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, P.O.
Box 54870 Los Angeles, CA
90054-0870;
Or for non-USPS deliver-
ies (e.g. private couriers):
U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services,
Attention: 1-90, 16420 Valley
View Ave., La Mirada, CA
90638
Applicants should not
include initial evidence and
supporting documentation
when submitting the Form I-
90 to the Los Angeles
Lockbox.
Applicants will receive a
notice for a biometrics pro-
cessing appointment at an
ASC and will submit their ini-
tial evidence during that


May4 FILM Not
Tower Theater 150
This film by Juan Cat
farce about a lonely p
strari and writes ui
Winner of the Grand
Festival and Best First
Cuba/Spain. Subtitle

May 11 FILM M
(L'homme sur les
Historical Museum, 10
Set in the Haiti of the
Duvalier, this highly s
a woman haunted by i
childhood. Directd b
entry at the Cannes Fi
Palm. 1993. HaitiUS


appointment.
Applicants will receive


their biometrics appointment
in the mail.


g yg ag a ga g
M= 5 VM V M 5 ***
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6) Latino group, and that's what is
e ht(t ig nivird protest rallies)


for independent gains, but for
collective gains they shudder.

C.T.: In terms of the vulnerabil-
ity of the Caribbean (undocu-
mented) population, you men-
tioned the 'bogeyman'...who
offers them sweet deals and
don't deliver, that will show up
more now?

E.C.: And is going to show up
itself more. I am optimistic that
some form of immigration
reform will come. I don't know
when, because it creates a new
industry for fraud. When you
start to put up cut off points
(for an undocumented alien to
qualify for amnesty) and a man
misses the cut off point by two
days, do you really think he's
going to say 'I missed the cut
off point by two days I'm
gonna go back home?' Hell no,
he's going to make sure he
qualifies himself one way or
another. That's why we say any
immigration reform that is to
be passed has to be wide
enough to the largest possible
amount of persons are
involved. So those who are left
out is a more manageable
group to be controlled.

C.T.: Do you think Washington
hears the Caribbean?

E.C.: No, Washington hears the


C.T.: And that's whose fault?

E.C.: I think the answer is self
explanatory Recently, case in
point, CARICOM met with
(U.S. Secretary of State)
Condoleezza Rice and the sub-
ject matter they were discussing
was deportation. Nobody is
gonna listen to them when you
start with deportation. You speak
on immigration, its implication,
how we assist the United States,
how the United States need to
reciprocate. You look at it in a
general sense. Once you pigeon-
hole yourself with deportation,
the argument locks. No one in
the (U.S.) Executive, no one in
Congressional is going to go back
to their constituents saying we
are going to relax situations so
that criminals to remain here.
Hell no.

C.T.: So Caribbean people are
not carrying their own weight
on immigration matters?

E.C.: We are not carrying our
own weight, no. We need to
take a page from Vincente Fox,
(president) from Mexico.
Vincente Fox, in every oppor-
tunity that he gets to address
the United States government
or services, he mentions his
Mexican people.


CARIBBEAN COLLAGE
May 2006 Film Series
In collaboration with The Miami International Film Festival

thing More (Nadamds) 7pm FREE May18 FILM lam Cuba.
D8 SW Eighth St., Little Havana The Siberian Mammoth 7pm FREE
los Cremata Malberti is a charming romantic Historical Museum, 101 W Flagler St Downtown Miami
postal worker who intercepts the mail of Vicenre Ferraz examines the making of Mikhail Kalotosov's
solicited replies, with hilarious consequences. 1964 film lam Cuba (Yo soy Cuba). This documentary provides
Jury Prize, 2003 Miami International Film insights into the production of the movie by Cuban and Soviet
Film, Havana Film FestivaL 2002. collaborators, the ideology of the Cold War and the recent history
&. of Cuba. 2004. BraziL Subtitles.

Ian by the Shore May 25 FILM H-2 Worker 7pm FREE
s uais) 7pm FREE Historical Museum, 101 W Fiagler St Downtown Miami
01 W Flagler St, Downtown Miami Set near Lake Okeechobee, this documentary by Stephanie
1960s, during the dictatorship of "Papa Doc" Black focuses on the more than 10,000 men from Jamaica and
symbolic tale of Haiti's hopes and desires fldlows other Caribbean islands who, until recendy, performed the
niglmzares of a man who put an end to her brutal task of cutting sugar cane by hand-a job so dangerous
y Raoul Peck, this film was die first Caribbean and low-paying that Americans refuse to do it. 1990
lm Festival and was nominated for the Golden Jamaica/U.S.


.Subdd~


Your Story, Your Community... Your Museum
HISTORICAL MUSEUM 101 W Flagler St Downtown Miami
iOFSOUTHERN FLORIDA 305.375.1492 historical-museum.org


Experience Church with a difference...
Come to a family friendly, multicultural church
with programs for the entire family. You will
leave Living Word Open Bible church uplifted, m

joyful worship.

Sunday: 8:00 AM. 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM
Tuesday: 7:30 PM Bible study (Adult)
Children's Bible Program Youth Program

Living Word Open Bible Church Pastor Karl Francis
3900 NW 89th Avenue, (Stirling Rd. & NW 89th Ave), Cooper City
For more information, call the Church Office at (954) 438-5604


May 2006


............... ........ ........
v I EWPO I NY


Al T F)Ar
;"AOL --s-

NAwkO;








f4 O~ -' o~ 4
ceo c


CARIBBEAN TODAY


frOOD


I www .caibeatoa.com I


everyone likes
a barbeque -
the simple and
hearty fare has uni-
versal appeal and is
appropriate for
almost every gather-
ing.
Use these flavor-
ful and simple
recipes from "The
Dinner Party
Cookbook"
(Meadowbrook Barbecue
Press) to have a fun
cookout!
For the garlic toast, get
one large loaf French bread,
sliced, a stick of butter and
one teaspoon garlic, minced.
Place bread slices on a cookie
sheet and toast on one side
under the over broiler.
In a saucepan or a
microwave-safe container,
combine butter and garlic and
heat over low hear or in a
microwave until melted.
Spread the butter mixture
on untoasted sides of the
bread and return the bread to
the broiler, butter-side up,
until golden. Serve immedi-
ately.
Tip: Before mincing gar-
lic, sprinkle the garlic cloves
with a little salt. The salt will


spareribs
absorb some of the garlic juice
and keep the garlic from stick-
ing to the knife. Makes eight
servings.

BARBECUED SPARERIBS

INGREDIENTS
1 cup ketchup
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 to 5 pounds pork spareribs

METHOD
In a medium bowl, com-
bine all the ingredients except
spareribs; mix well to make
the marinade.
Arrange the ribs in a shallow


pan and pour the marinade on
top.
Cover the pan with a lid
or aluminum foil and marinate
for eight hours or overnight.
Remove the ribs from the
pan and place them on a pre-
heated barbecue grill. Cook
slowly, away from high heat,
for about 20 to 30 minutes or
until done, basting continually
with remaining marinade.
Serve with plenty of nap-
kins. Makes eight servings.

WATERMELON SORBET
* 3 cups watermelon chunks,
seeded
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* Thin watermelon wedges for
garnish
METHOD
In a blender, mix together
the watermelon chunks, sugar,
and lemon until slushy.
Pour the mixture into
metal bowl and freeze for
about 30 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the
freezer and beat the mixture
with an electric mixer. Repeat
freezing/whipping process one
or two more times before serv-
ing, until mixture reaches the
desired consistency.
0


Snack on hot, spicy black


beans with mango salsa


Here's a great treat that's
perfect as a snack or
appetizer. It's one of
the many international treats
that can be prepared using
healthy and flavorful citrus.
The new book "Citrus
Cookbook: Tantalizing Food
& Beverage Recipes from
Around the World", by Frank
Thomas and Marlene
Leopold, lists over 200 citrus
recipes that include condi-
ments, sauces and dressings,
appetizers, soups and salads,
rice, pasta, seafood, and meat
entrees as well as breads and
desserts.
It even includes recipes
for over 25 delicious citrus
beverages including tangy
strawberry rhubarb lemonade,
refreshing mint strawberry
Cooler, and a super-zesty
blackberry lime margarita.


INGREDIENTS
* Two 15 3/4-ounce cans black
beans, drained and rinsed
* Two oranges, peeled, seeded
and chopped


* Two mangoes, peeled, pitted
and chopped
* 1/2 sweet red pepper, cored,
seeded and chopped
* Three Serrano chiles, or one
large jalapeno chile seeded
and thinly sliced
* Two tablespoons fresh lime
juice
* Two tablespoons chopped
fresh cilantro
* One teaspoon grated fresh
ginger


METHOD
Combine all ingredients in
a large mixing bowl and mix
well.
Tightly cover and place
the mixture in the refrigerator
for several hours or overnight.
Serve with hot tortilla
chips or chunks of Cuban or
French bread to please the
most finicky of appetites.
Yield: eight cups.

- FeatureSource
0


Celebrate summer with a barbeque feast


May 2006


Publix Joins You in Celebrating Haitian Flag Day-5.18.06


Publix.
WHERE SHOPPING IS A PLEASURE.
www.publix.com
0 2006 Iublix A2 t Managment Gmpam











Analyst identifies four Caribbean tourism hot spots CTO to help U.S.


HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC
- A leading international
corporate finance company
has identified four Caribbean
states as being in the forefront
of tourism development activi-
ty and the focus of investor
financing among the interna-
tional banking community.
Simon Townend, partner
at KPMG Corporate Finance,
told the 10th Caribbean Hotel
and Tourism Investment
Conference last month that
while several Caribbean coun-
tries were doing well, St.
Lucia, Barbados, the Turks
and Caicos and The Bahamas
were the hot spots.
"This we think is a success
story of the private sector and
governments working closely
together ensuring that the cor-
rect infrastructure is in place,
and that the destination is
marketed and finding the right
investors who are committed
to the long term have deep
pockets and can make things
happen," the KPMG official
said.

ATTRACTIVE
He said in the case of The
Bahamas, there were three
billion dollar projects under-
way in the south, one involv-
ing golfer Tiger Woods, so it
was a very attractive location
for investment at this time.
"It's something of a mar-
keting engine, with as many as


Golfer Tiger Woods is reportedly involved
in a Caribbean tourism project.
five million tourists going into
The Bahamas each year," he
said.
Townend said St. Lucia
was always a very strong prod-
uct which attracted the high-
end traveller and tended to be
well marketed and there was a
lot of construction activity
taking place on the island,
while the Turks and Caicos,
and Grace Bay Beach in
particular, was developing
quickly.
"The development there
is huge and prices are sky-
rocketing, there is a lot hap-
pening there so it is all very
positive," he said.
He said with the 2007
Cricket World Cup coming


St. Kitts prepares for


visitor influx 2007-8


BASSETERRE, St. Kitts,
CMC St. Kitts and Nevis
is bracing for an influx of
visitors over the next two ....
years as a result of
increased visits by the
Royal Caribbean and
Celebrity cruise lines,
according to junior Tourism Empress of the Seas
Minister Richard Skerritt.
He said Royal Caribbean He sa
and Celebrity Cruise Lines that all of
(RCI) have confirmed that stakeholdc
they will be significantly advantage
increasing the number of calls lenge to ii
and the size of their ships to of "our de
the federation starting in Oct. and service
2007. such signify


Skerritt last month held
talks with executives of RCI
in Miami, Florida and said the
increase in visitor arrivals
would be felt by the local
cruise sector in the ;21 I 2F' is
season, when five RCI ships
will be deployed to St. Kitts.
He said the five ships carry a
total of 11,478 passengers.
He said as a result of RCI
rescheduling their calls, the
ships would make an estimat-
ed 45 calls here, bringing
more than 103,000 passengers
to the island.


-" U


id he is confident
the local tourism
ers would take
of the new chal-
nprove the quality
destination's products
es while undergoing
ficant growth."


In the 2005/06 cruise sea-
son, which ended last month,
St. Kitts had a total of 28 calls
from the RCI's "Empress of
the SL,, and the Celebrity
Cruises "Constellation". For
the upcoming 2006/2007 sea-
son, which begins in October,
RCI/Celebrity will again have
28 calls to St. Kitts, but in
addition to the "Empress" and
the "Constellation", a third
ship, Celebrity Cruises'
"Galaxy" will be deployed
to St. Kitts.
0


up, there were a lot of
new projects underway in
Barbados, and while the event
provided only a short window,
and there were concerns going
forward as to how this addi-
tional capacity would be used,
the fact was the event has
brought in huge investment
for a year or two.
"The event will surely
bring in hundreds of visitors
during the few weeks who will
come back and by word of
mouth encourage others to
visit," he said.
The KPMG Partner said
CWC provided a lot of posi-
tive benefits which would put
each of the host countries on
the map and as a world event,
people will now start thinking
about Barbados and stop con-
fusing it with The Bahamas or
Bermuda. He said while the
short term windfall was great,
it was important how the
investments were managed in
the long term to ensure that
what was being built up now,
would not end up empty in
the years ahead.




Tourism officials

seeking change

to marriage laws

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada
(CMC) The Grenada Board
of Tourism (GBT) is lobbying
for the marriage laws of the
country to be changed to
meet the growing demand
from cruise ship passengers
who want to get married here.
Newly appointed GBT
Chairperson Nikoyan Roberts
said Grenada is losing out on
business opportunities since
there have been requests from
couples about tying the matri-
monial knots on the island.
"There are other islands
that have done their research
and gone ahead and changed
the legislation to make it easi-
er for their different niches to
maximize these economic
returns," Roberts said.
"One of our niches is
wedding and honeymoons
and we're not making it avail-
able for more people to come,
get married and drive busi-
ness."
A visiting couple wishing
to marry in Grenada needs
to spend at three days on the
island before taking the mar-
riage vow. But the Grenadian
official is hoping that the
Marriage Act could be
changed to provide marriage
for less than one day.
0


citizens get passports


NEW YORK, CMC The
Barbados-based Caribbean
Tourism Organization (CTO)
says it has reached an
agreement with
the United
States Postal
Service (USPS)
to facilitate appli-
cation for U.S.
passports at CTO-
organized events.
"CTO has
taken this necessary
leadership role in
approaching the
USPS to establish a
partnership to ensure
that the passport
application process is
quick and convenient
for prospective Caribbean
vacationers who will need
documentation to return
home starting in January
2007", CTO said in a state-
ment late last month.
It said the partnership
would help "address the new
U.S. requirement under the
Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative for all travellers
entering or re-entering the
United States starting
December 31, 2006 to be in
possession of a valid pass-
port".

CRUCIAL
Caribbean governments
have said the new require-
ment could adversely affect


the tourism industry in the
region.
"We see this
partnership as a cru-
cial ingredient in our
nationwide efforts
to inform con-
sumers about the
In ed to get pass-
po)rts before the
I )ecember 31,
2006 deadline set
by the U.S. gov-
ernment," said
Hugh Riley,
CTO's director
of marketing
for the
Americas.
"We support the U.S.
Postal Service efforts and
appreciate all that they plan to
do to help inform and sign up
citizens for U.S. passports.
With the deadline fast
approaching, we don't want to
jeopardize the peak vacation
season next winter when vaca-
tioners will not be allowed to
re-enter the U.S. without a
valid passport."
CTO said that the USPS
had been actively promoting
its passport services around
the country and would have
application forms and a cam-
era at the Caribbean Fair on
June 13, where U.S. citizens
can apply for a U.S. passport
without difficulty.
0


I -



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L ------------------------ A


May 2006


CARIBBEAN TODAY









Regional officials want changes to Caribbean marketing strategy


Regional officials want changes to Caribbean marketing strategy


CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC -
Regional tourism officials,
who met here last month,


called for the market strategy
for the Caribbean to be
changed in an effort to come


to terms with an increasingly
competitive environment.
The calls came during a


Guyana gives 'green light' to three new air carriers


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC The Guyanese govern-
ment has given the go-ahead
for three new international
carriers to ply its regional and
international routes.
Head of the Presidential
Secretariat (HPS) and
Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger
Luncheon told reporters that
Cabinet authorized granting
licenses to Caribbean Air
Systems; Travelspan Guyana
Inc.; and E-JET Inc.
"The three carriers will be
establishing escrow accounts
and performance bonds
prior to commencing opera-
tions...which are expected to
commence by the peak season
of 2006," Luncheon said.
He said the size of the
escrow accounts lodged
depended on the range of


service to be
offered,
among other
undisclosed
factors. It has
been agreed _
that
Caribbean
Air Systems Luncheon
will provide a
regional serv-
ice to Belem, Cayenne,
Paramaribo, Port of Spain,
Caracas, Curacao, St. Maarten
and Santo Domingo.
Travelspan Guyana Inc, a
sister company of the existing
Travelspan Inc., which cur-
rently provides chartered serv-
ices between Port of Spain
and North America, would
provide direct service to New
York, while E-Jet Inc. will fly
the Georgetown New York


and Georgetown Toronto
routes, the government offi-
cial said.
In recent times there have
been dramatic collapses of
local carriers, with GA 2000
and Universal Airlines
folding in the last five years.
Universal is still to repay
scores of passengers left
stranded in Caribbean and
North American countries
last summer after the business
collapsed.
Local and overseas offi-
cials representing the three
new airlines held detailed dis-
cussions with the Guyana
Civil Aviation Authority
(GCAA) before their licenses
were granted.
0


series of professional develop-
ment meetingshosted by the
Caribbean Society of Hotel
Association Executives
(CSHAE).
President of the St
Lucia Hotel and Tourism
Association
(SLHTA)
Allen
Chastanet
sent a strong
message to
investors in
the regional
Chastanet tourism indus-
try that they
should heed
the recent changes in the
global travel market as a sign
that difficulties may lie ahead
for the industry.
"Right now the competi-
tion from cruise ships is crucify-
ing us," he told representatives
from 10 hotels and tourism
associations across the
Caribbean.
"The honeymoon afford-
ed us by 9/11 is over. Asia is
on the way back and they are
coming back stronger than


L... ir 1


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ver before. The need for a
regional marketing campaign
s more apparent than ever
before," Chastanet said.
The CHA director also
claimed that governments
end to shy away from the
development of the tourism
ector and focus more on local
politics. He contended that
hey needed to change their
approach to the tourism
industry so they may treat it
n export.

BRAND
President of CSHAE
nd representative of the
Barbados Hotel and Tourism
Association Sue Springer
supported the call for a new
direction in marketing, noting
hat although Caribbean gov-
rnments have recognized the
potential economic impact of
ourism, sufficient attention
s not being given to the
industry.
"We need to look at the
Caribbean as a brand. Some
people say I am going to Asia.
am going to the Middle East.
I am going to the
Far East. But people
don't often say I
am going to the
Caribbean. They
say they are going
to St. Lucia or
Jamaica," she said.
l. Springer said
people need to be
sensitized that the
Caribbean is a brand
as a region and then
there will be individ-
ual opportunities for
each island to also
market llicil\S ch
for their own culture
and diversity.
President
of the Caribbean
Hotel Association
Berthia Parle said
the Caribbean
Federation of
National Hotel and
Tourism Associations
is the backbone of
the Caribbean
tourism private
sector.
"Our goal is
to strengthen the
relationship between
national hotel associ-
ations, CHA and its
subsidiaries and
explore how together
we can drive the
tourism private
sector to achieve
better results,
enhanced perform-
ance and more pro-
ductivity at the
national level,"
Parle said.

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CARIBBEAN TODAY


S/N T E R T Ai Il


BET targets Caribbean music, culture markets


DAWN A. DAVIS
et another mainstream
conglomerate has
carved out a big piece
of the Caribbean entertain-
ment business.
Recently, Black
Entertainment Television
(BET) in the United States
announced changes to its BET
Jazz television network. With
a new attitude and name,
BET J, the channel will
increase its Caribbean music
and culture programming in
addition to offering news from
the region.
Launching its new format,
Cybelle Brown, vice president
of sales and marketing for
Events Production and BET
Digital Networks, said "there
will be a lot more Caribbean
coverage.. .We will be a true
home for Caribbean artists to
present their skills and talent."
Brown added "BET as a com-
pany has always recognized
the Caribbean as part of the
African American heritage
and culture. As a company
that targets this demographic
(African Americans), we feel
that it is critical to include
Caribbean programming on
our networks."
The BET J executive
outlined that the channel has
created an entire day of
Caribbean programming,
adding: "Our audiences love
it, and we generate successful
business partnerships from the
region. There is a lot of
demand for this format and
we are currently exploring the
economic advantages of it."
BET's move is not the
first foray into Caribbean
entertainment by a major


Poetry g
Some 50 women are
expected to come togeth-
er in Jamaica over two
weeks beginning next month to
exchange literary skills, knowl-
edge and culture as a pre-cur-
sor to the publication of an
anthology celebrating the
bicentennial of the Abolition
of Slavery Act 1807.
The annual Wilde
Summer Poetry Alliance
(WiSPA) will be launched in
Negril on June 30 as women


media outlet outside the
region as MTV launched its
Tempo network late last year
with a focus primarily on
Caribbean entertainment and
cultural activities. MTV held a
series of launches in several
islands, including Jamaica,
which set the stage for other
serious ventures into the
Caribbean market.
Certainly not new to
BET, the primarily African
American-focused network
has always showcased
Caribbean music festivals,
such as the St. Lucia Jazz
Festival on its BET Jazz chan-
nel. However, this makeover
is designed to capture a huge
share of the Caribbean market
in South Florida, New York
and most of the region wher-
ever BET J is available.


Clarke


the current channel's market
share. These numbers should
boost the digital network's
"relationship with its
Caribbean destination part-
ners," according to the com-


ivicuregor


pany. Those destina-
tion partners include
Barbados, St. Lucia,
Anguilla, Cayman
Islands, Jamaica,
Antigua, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Turks
and Caicos.
"We are pursuing
other partnerships
and look forward to
working with each
island to successfully
achieve their strategic
plans for their destina-
tion," Brown under-


PARTNERSHIP scored. Asked about the per-
BET Jazz has been work- centage of Caribbean viewers,
ing hand-in-hand with its "sis- Brown said: "We do not have
ter" MTV Digital Networks to a measure of what percentage
help build its Caribbean audi- of Caribbean viewers watch
ences. According to the com- the channel, however, what I
pany, BET J's viewership is can say is that we are carried
expected to shoot to an in every major U.S. market
incredible 21 million house- where there are large
holds, eight million more than Caribbean communities. In

joes Wilde in Jamaica


from Jamaica and the United
Kingdom collaborate in the
first International Black
Women Writers Retreat.
The retreat is expected to
take the form of an explo-
ration of Jamaican people and
cultures, especially those that
strongly reflect their African
heritage; and a series of cre-
ative writing workshops. It is
scheduled to culminate in a
free two-day literary festival
for the public.


WiSPA is the concept of
two U.K.-based arts organiza-
tions JustWrite, a communi-
ty writers group and
WILDE Network Ltd., which
have joined forces with
Positive Tourism in Negril.
For more information on
the event, call 876-381-1591;
visit www.wilde2000.org.uk
or email Sharon Parris-
Chambers at sharon@posi-
tivetourism. corn
0


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New York for example, where
25 percent of the population is
Caribbean, we are carried by
Time Warner Cable (Channel
89) and Cable Vision, and we
are in 80 percent of the televi-
sion households in New York,
probably greater now with our
Direct TV launch."
A subsidiary of Viacom,
Inc., BET Jazz is a 24-hour
channel that provides jazz
music, news, and information
for primarily a black audience.
It carries live concerts and fes-
tivals, in-studio events.

MIXED IMPACT
Undoubtedly, Caribbean
entertainment producers have
taken note. How will this
seeming trend impact their
business?
"The fact that BET is now
spotlighting Caribbean culture
and music is only going to
enhance it. I think it's a won-
derful opportunity. They are
finally realizing that there is a
wealth of information and
entertainment that has been
untapped," said Bobby
Clarke, chief executive officer
of New York-based Irie Jam
Radio and independent pro-
ducer.
Clarke welcomes the
move by BET J because of
the attention it brings to the
genre, adding "it exposes what
we are doing globally... I must
commend them for finally see-
ing the light."
He also had good words
for Frederick Morton, founder
of MTV's Tempo channel.
However, noted reggae artiste
and producer Freddie
McGregor disagrees.
"BET is not doing this
because they think the
Caribbean has talent, they
see the Caribbean as a great


ome of the most talented
female writers from the
region will get together
for "The Caribbean Woman
Writer as Scholar" conference
between May 30 and June 3 in
South Florida.
The 10th anniversary con-
ference, presented by Florida
International University,
will be held at the Westin
Diplomat Resort and Spa
in Hollywood.
Haitian American
Edwidge Danticat will serve
as distinguished conference
host writer, while Jamaican
American Sylvia Wynter will
be awarded a special confer-
ence honor. Jamaica's Erna
Brodber will be the opening
plenary speaker.
Among the invited
writers are Jamaicans Marcia


market where they can make
money," McGregor explained.
"It is all money driven."
Referring to the network
as Black American Television,
McGregor continued, "BET
has never helped Caribbean
artistes. The few artistes who
manage to be shown on BET
is because they are signed to
major record labels (artistes
such as Sean Paul and Kevin
Little). BET does not respect
the Caribbean people."
The outspoken artiste
stressed that BET does not
work with independent
artistes whose videos are not
on film, citing quality issues.
Explaining that the high costs
for producing on film is pro-
hibitive, the reggae artiste
admonished: "That cuts out
the entire Caribbean, and to
me that is racist!"
For those who feel they
are being squeezed out of the
business Clarke had this to
say: "It is closed-minded to
feel that way. If you are confi-
dent in your product and what
you are producing, then noth-
ing can touch it."

IGNORED
McGregor agrees that
there is great talent coming
out of the Caribbean, but
without a network of their
own few are acknowledged.
"We yearn for assistance
from companies like BET, but
it never happened. So, there is
no real interest as far as I can
see. They just see money in
the Caribbean," he said.
Although Clarke wel-
comed BET J, he explained
that local Caribbean networks
are doing a better job.
"I have seen better pro-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 17)


Douglas, Opal Palmer Adisa
and Olive Senior. Martinique's
Nicole Cage-Florentiny, and
Haiti's Evelyne, Myriam
Chancy, J.J. Dominique and
Joanne Hyppolyte have also
been invited. They should
be joined by Trinidad and
Tobago's Ramabai Espinet,
Merle Hodge, Eintou Pearl
Springer and Elizabeth
Nunez, along with Lelawattee
Manoo-Rahming of The
Bahamas and others.
The conference is sched-
uled to include panel presen-
tations, poetry/spoken word
presentations and perform-
ance art.
For more information,
visit www.fiu.edu/-
africana/lcaribbean., women
0


Caribbean's top women

writers for conference


May 2006


I





CARIBBEAN TODAY


s/N T E R T A I


Inner Circle opens up to a new world of music


DAMIAN P. GREGORY
Sitting comfortably in a
leather chair in his Opa
Locka, Florida living
room, guitarist Roger Lewis
casually supervises the goings-
on and talks with excitement
and confidence about politics -
both. Jamaican and American -
religion, and how the music
industry continues to evolve -
all of which will be reflected in
his group's latest project.
Lewis's Inner Circle, the
quintet of Jamaican-born musi-
cians which first came to the
fore in 1970s as a regional
group, strives to keep the
music flowing. The group,
fronted by Jacob Miller
through many of its formative
years, gained commercial inter-
national success a few years
after Miller's death. The other
members are Roger's brother
Ian, who plays bass guitar, key-
board player Bernard "Touter"
Harvey, lead vocalist Kris
Bentley, and drummer/percus-
sionist Lancelot Hall.
When Caribbean Today sat
down with three members of
the group that became interna-
tionally famous more than two


(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
gramming on Jamaica's
RETV, TVJ, and CVM. BET
has a ways to go to catch up to
those stations," he said. They
(BET J) might not know who
Eek-A-Mouse is, whereas
local producers have a lot
more to offer because they
live the culture."
McGregor lauded the
efforts of a network station,
Caribbean Satellite Network
(CSN), that was in existence
up to the 1990s.
"CSN was our little BET,"
he said. "When Mr. Cowan
was struggling with CSN, none
of them (mainstream network
companies) would help
although they saw the poten-
tial. Those were the only
times Caribbean music had a
chance to be aired across the
Caribbean.
"BET never had any
interest. After CSN went
down there was no more
Caribbean videos to be seen
in the region. There was no
network that would carry any-
thing Caribbean. All they are
doing is sucking out what is
left from the poor Caribbean
people that they care nothing
about," McGregor added.
"Basically, our industry has
always been supported by us,
nobody else."
Winsome "Lady C"
Charlton, founder of the
ReggaeSoca Music Awards, is
one such supporter. First pre-
sented in 1994, the awards
show, sometimes dubbed


decades ago, they were busy at
work in their North Miami
home. But they remain low-key
despite the opulence of their
recording studio and neighbor-
ing home, where they work on
new recordings, mentor new up
and coming artistes and run
their own business.
Lewis is happy calling
South Florida home.
"I have adapted a little bit
of Jamaica here," he said.
Though the group has
been together for more than 25
years, to most of the world
they are known primarily for
two songs, "Bad Boys" the
1993 hit that is still the theme
for Fox television's "Cops",
and "Sweat (A La La La La
Song)". The group, though
happy for the success of both
songs, is borderline indifferent
to it.
"Just another song," Roger
Lewis told Caribbean Today.
"We have worked hard for
so long and have done so many
other songs," band mate and
brother Ian agreed.
As for the critical acclaim,
the group has received a
Grammy Award. Yet that,
too, they take with a grain of


"Fiwi Grammy", recognizes
reggae and soca artistes
throughout the region, tradi-
tionally left out of the popular
American Grammy Awards.
"It has taken them a long
time to recognize the incredi-
ble talent in the Caribbean,"
Charlton said. "I hope they
will look into other programs
like the ReggaeSoca Music
Awards as well."
Charlton explained that
BET could go way beyond
producing Caribbean music
programs.
"We have so much more
than music," she said. "There
are plays, carnival, jerk festi-
val, fashion shows, and other
cultural events. These are the
kinds of programs our people
want to see on channels like
BET."
However, the fact that
mainstream media is recogniz-
ing Caribbean music and cul-
ture is what's important,
Clarke said. The bottom line
for him is that "people are
appreciating reggae music for
what it is just great
music... I've seen the music in
a slump for so long, and I've
seen it at its worst. There is no
way that this move by BET
can be negative. I welcome
more people in the market-
place because the only way to
grow reggae to the level of rap
or rock is to expose it."

Dawn A. Davis is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


salt. Awards are more
about popularity than
about anything else, they
say.
"Gimme something
from Jamaica, it mean
more to me," Roger said.
"Gimme something from
my own Jamaica people
and Jamaican musicians,
say bwoy, dem man deh
wicked. That mean more
to me."
On the horizon for
the group is its next
release, tentatively titled
"The State of the World",
which members say will
chronicle its experiences Inner Circ
in the post 9/11 world. and Ian L
Harvey said the album will
be less constrained than some
of Inner Circle's past efforts.
The members plan to distribute
the record IhL mLIIIM S without
the help of a major record
label, which they claim makes
more financial sense.
"You don't have to sell a
lot of records to make back
your money," he explained.
"With the label, they go for
bottom line 300 to 400,000 in
America and maybe a 500 to
600,000 worldwide, to make
back their money...because
they look at it this way, 'if I
invest $100,000 in you I have to


;le members, from left, Hoger Lewis, KriS Bentley, Lancelot Hall, Bernard outere" Harvey


make back ($400,000)'. They
got big overheads."
To avoid that, they hope to
ride the wave of success of digi-
tal media that has captivated
the music industry and sell
directly to their fans via their
website www.innercircle-reg-
gae.com.
The group estimates it gets
200,000 visits to its site from
all over the world, and that is
enough to make them viable on
the scene for a huge internation-
al audience.
"It is about the process,"
Roger Lewis says. "It is about


making something from noth-
ing" that still gets him charged
up about the future. Band
members say both their kind of
music and dancehall can co-
exist on the musical landscape
and appeal to different audi-
ences.
"Music is always chang-
ing," he adds. "As long as it's
spiritual and meaningful to the
people."

Damian P Gregory is
Caribbean Today's deputy
managing editor.
0


BET targets Caribbean music...


,77 7;


O n August 6, 2006, the island of Jamaica ':
marks the 44th Anniversary of its
independence as a sovereign nation.
Caribbean Today invites the business
community in Jamaica and the United
States to celebrate this significant
milestone.
OUR INDEPENDENCE
SUPPLEMENT! Jamaica at 44~ to be 4
published in July 2006, will pay tribute
to Jamaica's history, culture, growth and
development including the achievements and
global contributions of a remarkable people.
Promote your products and services in this
40-page keepsake edition, to be distributed
widely throughout Florida, New York, Atlanta,
and the Caribbean.


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Fax 305-252-7843
e-mail: sales@caribbeantoday.com

ADVERTISING DEADLINE: JUNE 23rd, 2006


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


GORDON WILLIAMS

It still puzzles many listen-
ers outside the Caribbean
how music so sweet could
possibly escape from beating
cut off, dented tops of oil
drums.
It's one of those
"how do they do that?"
mysteries to those uned-
ucated about the instru-
ment that originated in
Trinidad over seven
decades ago.
Yet, if the promot-
ers of pan those pas-
sionate Caribbean
islanders get their way,
listeners especially
those in the United
States will be getting
far more chances to sat-
isfy their tastes and
curiosities.
"Pan is now
in every corner of
the globe," boasts
Trinidadian-born Dr. Pan m
Ajamu Nyomba, a lec-
turer at Clark Atlanta
University and a founding
member of the "Pan People"
steel band, convener of the
recent symposium "Pan in the
21st Century: The Scholarship
and Music of Steel Drums"
last month in that Georgia
city.
"It's growing in leaps and
bounds," Nyomba would tell
Caribbean Today later. "...It's
growing all over the world."
According to Nyomba's
calculations, pan music is a
"multi-billion dollar business."
And the instrument is being
played not just in balmy
climes of tropical regions such
as the Caribbean, but in
places where fur coats would
be the clothing of choice dur-
ing early year carnival time in
the region instead of skimpy
costumes that show curves
and paint almost everywhere.

LEARNING PAN
There are about 250 steel


bands in Switzerland, for
example. And in the U.S. the
instrument is starting to take
hold in school curriculums, in
states like Illinois, Florida,
West Virginia and Georgia. A
company in Ohio reportedly
sells pan instruments for thou-


can make the returns coming
out of pan beneficial to the
youth and people of Trinidad
and Tobago."
T&T, after all, is the home
of pan, the only acoustic
instrument invented in the
20th century. But just as how


music has spread from the Caribbean to Europe and North America.


sands of dollars a pop.
The recent symposium,
Nyomba explained, was
designed to heighten the
awareness of the potential the
business of pan can generate.
"We want to start an intel-
lectual movement for pan," he
said. "We don't have a forum
to discuss pan on that level."
So representatives from
various fields gathered at
Clark Atlanta University for a
couple days to examine the
business of pan, how it can be
properly marketed and pro-
moted, and how to get the
younger generation involved.
They came mainly from North
America and Europe.
"What came out is like we
are well on our way to having
that forum," Nyomba contin-
ued, "to share with the inter-
national community the
different aspects of pan...
The underlying aim is see
what we can see, how we


Nyomba described the origi-
nation of the instrument from
African goat skin drums which
came with slaves, to the tam-
boo bamboo which then led to
the idea for the modern day
pan instrument, he is also anx-
ious to see the transformation
of pan music from a local
Caribbean corner to become
embraced worldwide like its
regional counterpart reggae.
However, he is careful not to
match the two.
"To me, it's not an appro-
priate comparison," Nyomba
said. "Pan is a musical instru-
ment. Reggae is a form of
music. It's like comparing
apples and oranges. It's not
a fair comparison."
Yet he readily accepts
reggae's popularity worldwide,
spurred on by the work of
icons such as Bob Marley. It is
what he would eventually like
pan to match.
"That's the level I want


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info@delancyhill.com www.delancyhill.com
The hirin of a lawy is n inrqtal decision h thai should nr be based solely upon ad lismcnts. Before you decde, pkase ask us to sl you lte wntten iformaion abo our qualificalirs and experiece.


pan to reach," said Nyomba,
who formed Pan People some
30 years ago. The band was
recognized by Georgia legisla-
tors last month with a "Pan
People Steelband Day".
But Nyomba's wishes
would mean getting more
young people involved. He
and band members have
taught pan to students in the
U.S. for years. But often, he
explained, many young
Americans will eventually
embrace their own culture and
music as they grow older. Still,
he claims that three steel
bands have been started
among predominantly white
schools in Georgia in the past
four years and he is particular-
ly happy that the Trinidad and
Tobago government recently
earmarked some TT$40 mil-
lion in its budget for pan
instruction in school. He
thinks that will have an impact
as more students will be
exposed to the pan.
"Pan is the easiest instru-
ment to learn to play music
on," Nyomba said. "Pan has
this natural feel."

LACKING
UNDERSTANDING
Yet he was not pleased
that the T&T government did
not send a representative to
the symposium, despite, he
said, not only being invited,
but also offered assistance to
make the trip. He said the
government "has a little way
to go to understand and
dppr kI.uL where pan is
going internationally.
Nyomba would also like
to see the pan movement in
his homeland expand beyond
the infrequent competitions.
One of reggae's advantages,
he explained, is that musicians
can easily get their instru-
ments from one country to the
next. For pan, the task is more
difficult. So tough, in fact, that
his own band is considering
sending a member in advance
of the main party for an
upcoming overseas gig to
get the instruments ready
by time the rest arrive.
"A reggae band can leave
Jamaica without instruments
and come to the U.S. and per-
form," Nyomba explained.
"Now you have to transport
pan instruments to the U.S."
However, for those wait-
ing to catch pan in music's
mainstream, the wait might
not that long. After all, the
instrument has that unique
sound, that sweet sound you
just cannot keep locked in a
pan.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


Pan music ready to ring out in the U.S., world


No 'Caribana',

but Toronto

gets new fest
TORONTO, CMC Toronto
will not be having its popular
Caribana festival this year, but
the city will be home to a new
summer festival of calypso,
steel band and mas to be
organized by a new manage-
ment committee.
After months of wrangling
between Caribana organizers
and the Toronto City Council,
it has been revealed that a new
festival, to be called the
Toronto Caribbean Committee,
will be staged instead of
Caribana, which has been a
feature of Canada's cultural
landscape since 1967.
This year's Caribana had
been slated to run from July 15
to Aug. 7. The 2006 Toronto
Caribbean Carnival will run
from July 19 to Aug. 7.
The newly appointed
Festival Management
Committee, which is charged
with organizing the new festival,
is being headed by Jamaican-
born Joe Halstead, a former
economic development, cultural
and tourism commissioner for
the City of Toronto.



May is 'Haitian

Heritage Month'
May is being celebrated
as "Haitian Heritage
Month" and the City
of Miami has planned several
activities in recognition of the
event.
City Commissioner
Michelle Spence-Jones of
District 5, joined Miami-Dade
Commissioner Audrey
Edmonson of District 3 and the
2006 Haitian Heritage commit-
tee members to officially kick-
off the month of events at a
recent press conference at the
Freedom Garden on North
Miami Avenue.
This year's theme is
"Celebrating the Past, Building
the Future".
During the press conference
participants announced the activi-
ties surrounding the .LIbraih in
Those will include Haitian art
exhibits, street festivals, book
signing, a youth march with the
Mayor's Youth Council /Miami-
Dade County Public Schools and
the first Toussaint L'Ouverture
Parade and Birthday CLkbraih in
All Haitian Heritage
Month events are free and
open to the public.
Participating organizations
include the City of Miami Film,
Arts, Culture and Entertainment,
Miami Parks and Recreation,
NET offices, Miami-Dade
County and Miami-Dade County
Public schools.
0


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


S............S P O R T


T&T names World Cup soccer squad


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad
(CMC) National coach Leo
Beenhakker last month
announced the initial 24-man
squad to represent Trinidad
and Tobago at the FIFA World
Cup Finals in Germany next
month.
However, the Dutchman
will omit one player before
submitting his final 23-man
squad to FIFA on May 15 for
the June 9 to July 9 world
showpiece.
The squad includes most
of the players who were a part
of the historic 1-0 victory over
Bahrain in the Persian Gulf
state last November.
"Before making the final
choice of 23, we did our home-
work the best we could,"
Beenhakker said. "I have to
protect the players also who
brought us to Germany. They
have to be credited. And there
must be balance in the team."
The lone omission from
the historic squad which quali-
fied in Bahrain is Kansas City
Wizards striker Scott Sealy,
who is on the standby list.
Veteran former captain
Anthony Rougier is the one
surprise in the squad, but
Dundee winger Collin Samuel
has been included following a
good showing in Trinidad and
Tobago's 2-0 victory over
Iceland in London last month.
Beenhakker explained
that from looking at past
footage he realized there were
no players in his squad with
Rougier's characteristics and
felt the player had done


enough fitness-wise over the
last few months to be included
in the squad.
Several players will join
Sealy on the standby list,
including Fulham's Anthony
Warner, Kiruana's Nigel Henry,


Swindon Town's Ricky Shakes,
Port Vale's Hector Sam and
Anton Pierre of Defence
Force.
The 24-man squad will go
into camp for a May 10 friend-
ly international against Peru in
Port of Spain, after which the
squad will be whittled down to
23. T&T will undertake camps
in England, Austria and Czech
Republic before heading on to
Germany.
The Soca Warriors kick
off their campaign against
Sweden on June 10 before
taking on England (June 15)
and Paraguay on June 20.

GOALKEEPERS Kelvin
Jack (Dundee), Shaka Hislop


(West Ham United), Clayton
Ince (Coventry City).

DEFENDERS Cyd Gray
(CL Financial San Juan
Jabloteh), Marvin Andrews
(Glasgow Rangers), Brent
Sancho (Gillingham), Ian Cox
(Gilligham), Atiba Clirlk, (W
Connection), Dennis Lawrence
(Wrexham), Avery John (New
England Revolution).

MIDFIELDERS Silvio
Spann (Unattached), Chris
Birchall (Port Vale), Aurtis
Whitley (CL Financial San
Juan Jabloteh), Anthony
Rougier (Petrotrin), Anthony
Wolfe (Jabloteh), Densil
Theobald (Falkirk).

FORWARDS Carlos
Edwards (Luton Town),
Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC),
Russell Latapy (Falkirk), Stern
John (Coventry), Kenwyne
Jones (Southampon), Collin
Samuel (Dundee United),
Jason Scotland (St Johnstone),
Cornell Glen (LA Galaxy).

STANDBY PLAYERS -
Anthony Warner (Fulham),
Nigel Henry (Kiruana FF),
Ricky Shakes (Swindon
Town), Hector Sam (Port
Vale), Scott Sealy (Kansas City
Wizards), Anton Pierre
(Defence Force), Brent Rahim
(CL Financial San Juan
Jabloteh).

TECHNICAL STAFF Head
coach Leo Beenhakker, assis-
tant coaches Wim Rijsbergen
and Anton Corneal, goalkeep-
ing coach Michael Maurice,
football manager Hans
Hagelstein, general manager
Bruce Aanensen and assistant
manager George Joseph.
0


Batting superstar Brian
Lara has once again
been chosen to captain
the West Indies, marking the
third time he will lead the
regional cricket team.
"It's a great honor," Lara
told reporters after learning
about the appointment late
last month. "It's the third time
I'm taking the job and I feel I
have the necessary support.
(Former captain Shivnarine)
Chanderpaul did a wonderful
job under the circumstances.
He'll reap the benefits later in
life. He called me and he said
he'd support me and asked
that I give it some considera-
tion.
"The fact that a lot of for-
mer players called me was
humbling. This was followed
up by phone calls from pres-
ent team-mates who thought I
should assume the mantle of
leadership at this juncture. I
called past and present players
for an objective view on the
matter. They unequivocally
thought the same as the others


who were trying to influence
me."
West Indies Cricket
Board Chairman Ken Gordon
said Lara's appointment was
"not for any
fixed period
of time."
Lara first
served as
captain
between
1996-97 and
1999-2000.
He was again
Lara appointed in
2002-03, but
was replaced
by Chanderpaul in 2005.
Lara led the Windies in 40
Test matches, winning 10 and
losing 23. His next assignment
is against Zimbabwe, which is
currently touring the West
Indies. But the big test will be
next year's World Cup one-day
competition which is being
played in the Caribbean.
0


GORDON WILLIAMS

Caribbean athletes
turned in high quality
performances during
the 112th staging of the Penn
Relays at Franklin Field in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
late last month with Jamaicans
once again proving to be a
dominant force.
In a setting described as
carnival-like over the three-
day weekend, and the bright
sunshine and colorful atmos-
phere generated mostly by the
huge number of Caribbean
supporters adding to the fes-
tive mood, top athletes from
schools and the professional
ranks alike once again
reminded the world that the
region remains a powerhouse
in track and field.
World record holder
Asafa Powell of Jamaica
turned in an awesome display
in the Olympic Development
100 meters dash on the final
day. Though his time was a
relatively modest 10.10 sec-
onds, it was the easy manner
in which he blew away the rest
of the field that stunned the
crowd. Yet, according to
Powell, the race went accord-
ing to plan.
"I did what I wanted to
do," he said afterwards. "I ran
30 meters and took it easy. I
shut it down about 65 meters
in."
Other regional athletes
had to work much harder to
earn their success. Holmwood
Technical High School of
Jamaica girls' team made a
sweep of the three relays they
entered, capturing the
Championship of America
titles in the 4x100 (44.56),
4x400 (3:36.98) and 4x800
(9:04.35) meters, led by Sonita


Sutherland who ran on all
three winning teams. Three
others, Annastasia Le-Roy,
Bobbi-Gaye Wilkins and
Schillonie Calvert were mem-
bers of two of the three win-


Powell wowed the crowd.


ning relays. Sutherland said
the workload was difficult,
but that she had properly
prepared for the meet.
"We were confident com-
ing here," said Sutherland,
who was named the high
school girls athlete of the
meet for relay events. "We
know we could win all three
relays because we had the
fastest times from (the
beginning of the) season."
Also confident was
Camperdown High of
Jamaica, which scored
a double victory in the
Championship of America
4x100 (40.13) and 4x400
meters (3:11.46). Star sprinter
Remaldo Rose earned the
high school boys athlete for
the relays for his efforts in
both winning relays. Six of the
eight schools in the final of

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 20)


Jamaican stars shine


at 112th Penn Relays


West Indies names

Lara captain again


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May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Jamaica's Reggae Boyz salvage


pride in soccer draw with U.S.


Jamaican stars shine at

112th Penn Relays


GORDON WILLIAMS
Jamaica took a big step
towards regaining lost
international soccer credi-
bility last month by battling to
a hard fought 1-1 draw with
the fancied United States at
the SAS Soccer Park in
Cary, North Carolina.
The Reggae Boyz,
arguably the top ranked team
in the Caribbean, but forced
to watch regional rivals
Trinidad and Tobago play in
this summer's World Cup in
Germany after failing in
their own qualifying bid, had
slipped badly following a 5-0
thrashing to Australia late last
year.
However, on April 11 the
Boyz rallied with a relatively
inexperienced team to hold a
U.S. team hungry for a win
following its own embarrass-
ing 4-1 loss to Germany
recently. The match marked
the 17th time the two coun-
tries had met and going into
the game Jamaica had never
beaten its highly rated CON-
CACAF rivals. The final
result still kept the Reggae
Boyz winless against the
Americans, but helped them
score valuable recognition as a
program to be reckoned with
on the international soccer
scene.
"Yeah, it was a good
result for us in terms of the
whole marketing of the
team," said a happy Wendell
Downswell, Jamaica's techni-
cal director, after the game,
which was played on a cool
night in front of a standing
room only crowd of 8,093.
"...Overall the result was


quite satisfying."
Downswell's full squad,
assembled for only a single
training session the evening
before the game, and missing
several experienced and
proven performers, snatched
an early lead
to silence the
partisan
home crowd
before many
had even set-
tled in their
seats. Striker
Teofore
Bennett
Downswell slipped in
behind the
U.S.defense
in the fourth minute to collect
a precise pass from midfielder
Jermaine Hue and easily beat
goalkeeper Tony Meola, who
was making his 100th appear-
ance for the American nation-
al team.
Roused by the early set-
back, the U.S. swarmed all
over Jamaica's half of the field
and earned a 25th minute
equalizer when quick thinking
captain Landon Donovan
passed to Ben Olsen who fired
a shot that was deflected by
Jamaica's goalkeeper
Donovan Ricketts before set-
tling into the net.

JAMAICA CREDIT
From then on the game
was marked by steady streams
of attacks by the U.S. and
stout defending by Jamaica,
spliced in with occasional
attacking forays by the Boyz.
Both teams came close to
breaking the deadlock, but in
the end the result appeared to
justify what transpired on the


field. U.S. coach Bruce Arena,
who was expected to name his
World Cup squad early this
month, expressed disappoint-
ment in his team's surrender
of the early goal, but praised
Jamaica's performance in the
match.
"Give Jamaica credit,"
said Arena, who hoped to use
the game to assess players
vying for spots on his World
Cup roster. "I thought they
did well with that (scoring)
opportunity. For the night I
think they gave great effort
and defended pretty well."
Jamaica too looked to
analyze its young squad, and
although Downswell said he
would have loved to see the
Reggae Boyz break their win-
less streak against the U.S., he
returned to the Caribbean
with a better handle on his tal-
ented group.
"Overall the game was
played in good spirits," he
said. "...We have tried a num-
ber of young players and a
few of them we were really
impressed with. Definitely we
have to have another look at
them again in another game."
That chance comes in the
next few weeks. Jamaica is
scheduled to play World Cup
bound Ghana and England in
Britain. According to Jamaica
Football Federation President
Crenston Boxhill, the Ghana
match is scheduled for
Leicester on May 29. The
England game is set for
June 3 in Manchester.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19)
the 4x100 were from Jamaica,
and finished in that order. In
the 4x400 Jamaican schools
took the top three places.
Holmwood's boys 4x800
team also won in a time of
7:43.35 seconds.

INDIVIDUAL
BRILLIANCE
In the individual events,
the Jamaicans were again, fin-
ishing first or in the top three
several times.
Sherene Pinnock of
Edwin Allen Comprehensive
clocked a new meet record
56.90 to win the 400 meters
hurdles. She was named high
school girls athlete for indi-
vidual events. Other champi-
onship winners on the first
day were Taniesha Blair of
Holmwood Technical in the
girls javelin, with a throw of
46.08 meters, and Kimberly
Williams of Vere Technical in
the triple jump with a leap of
12.47 meters. Second in that
event was Kimona Smith of
Morant Bay.
On the final day of the
meet, which ran from April
27-29, Jason Robertson of
Wolmer's recorded yet anoth-
er victory for the Jamaicans,
winning the 400 meters hur-
dles in 52.89.
Jamaicans also excelled in
the field events. Alain Bailey
of Kingston College won the
high school boys long jump
championship with a leap of
7.46 meters. The runner-up
spots were also taken by
Jamaican athletes, with
Wolmer's Julian Reid (7.39)


and Calabar's Nicholas
Gordon (7.02) finishing sec-
ond and third.


Pinnock set a new meet record.


The high school championship
boys triple jump was won by
Robert Peddlar of Wolmer's
with 14.73 meters. Third was
Sean Powell of Munro
College. Jamaica College's
Sharif Small finished second
in the boys championship dis-
cuss throw with 53.44 meters.
Several Caribbean ath-
letes also competed for col-
leges and clubs at the meet.

Gordon Williams is
Caribbean Today's managing
editor.
0


BRIEFS


* Windies players agree to
deal
After more than a year
of squabbling, the West
Indies Cricket Board
(WICB) and the West Indies
Players Association (WIPA)
finally agreed to terms on
the controversial retainer
contract for players last
month.
WICB President Ken
Gordon, announced that a
group of between eight and
12 players will be contracted.
WIPA President Dinanath
Ramnarine, said the players
to be retained would be cho-
sen by the selectors.

* Jamaica tops regional U-15
cricket
Jamaica earned top hon-
ors in the CLICO West
Indies Under-15 cricket tour-
nament which was played
last month in Antigua and


Barbuda.
Jamaica finished the com-
petition unbeaten to secure
the title with a round remain-
ing, defeating Leeward
Islands, Barbados, Guyana
and Trinidad and Tobago.

* K.C., Holmwood take
'Champs' titles
Kingston College and
Holmwood Technical fin-
ished on top at the popular
and highly competitive 2006
VMBS/ISSA Boys and Girls
Athletics Championships last
month in Jamaica.
K.C. won the boys section
with 233.5 points, for a two-
point edge over rivals Calabar.
In the girls, Holmwood earned
319 points to finish ahead of
Vere Technical on 302.5.
Compiled from several wire
services.
0


MIAMI GETS A KICK FROM SOCCER


L ~LL]


Members of Miami F.C. soccer club take the field last month for an exhibition game against Caribbean champions Portmore
United of Jamaica. Miami F.C., which carries a roster that includes Caribbean-born players Sean Fraser of Jamaica and Haiti's
Stephane Guillaume, is the city's newest professional sports franchise. It plays in the United Soccer Leagues (USL), which
began last month.


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Breathe deeply to manage day-to-day stress.........

Breathe deeply to manage day-to-day stress


(FeatureSource)
What's an easy, con-
venient (and free)
way to manage day-
to-day stress? Just
breathe.
Deep breathing
can help you relax by
lowering your blood
pressure, slowing
your heart rate and
respiration rates and
easing muscle ten-
sion. Even as little as five min-
utes a day of deep breathing
can calm and refresh you and
leave you more alert.


Posture ranks at the top of
the list for good health.
It is as important as eat-
ing right, exercising, getting a
good night's sleep and avoid-
ing harmful substances.
Unnatural alignment of
the body can cause head,
shoulder, neck and back pain.
It can also compromise neuro-
logical, digestive, respiratory
and cardiovascular functioning.
"We spend a large portion
of our lives sitting, especially
during the computer age, so it's
important to learn to sit tall,"
says Dr. Marvin Arnsdorff,
author of "Pete the Posture
ParrotTM: Dinosaur DrLam
(Body Mechanics Press,
www. bodymechanics. com).
"One of the most common
mistakes we make is that when
we move into a sitting posi-
tion, we tend to aim for the


The "Mayo
Clinic Women's
Hlall I ,u rtl r
monthly publi-
cation offers
instructions to
achieve relax-
ation by breath-
J ing.
Sit in a com-
fortable chair,
feet flat on the
floor.
Close your eyes, or visu-
ally focus on something in the
room.
Paying attention to your


center of the chair. The proper
method is to sit deep in your
chair."
Unquestionably, children
and adults alike spend more
time at computers today than
20 years ago. Arnsdorff offers
nine tips to keep your posture
perfect when you're at the
computer:
Sit up straight and deep in
the seat. Your feet should be
flat on the floor or on a
footrest.
Keep your lower arms
level with the desk and keep
your wrists straight. This helps
prevent carpal tunnel syn-
drome.
Sit close enough to your
keyboard to eliminate stretch-
ing but far enough to avoid
leaning. Your shoulders should
be back, and your head should
be directly over your shoul-


breathing, inhale slowly
through your nose. Visualize
your diaphragm moving down
to create more space for your
lungs to expand.
Let your lower
abdomen relax and expand
as it fills with air.
When your lungs and
abdomen are full, slowly let
air out through your mouth
and allow your diaphragm to
collapse.
Repeat. If your mind
wanders, return your attention
to your breathing.
When you are ready to


ders.
Tap the keyboard lightly.
Don't pound.
Place your mouse within
easy reach of your dominant
hand. Hold the mouse loosely.
Place the monitor at eye
level, 16 to 24 inches away.
Take short stretch breaks
every 20 minutes.
Exercise your eyes fre-
quently. Look away and focus
on distant objects.
Periodically look up at the
ceiling to give your posture
muscles a break.
Good posture and body
mechanics are important for
maintaining a healthy spine
and nervous system. They
even help boost self-esteem.

- FeatureSource
0


Haitian group wins U.N. award


United Nations, CMC A
Haitian family planning
provider has won the 2006
United Nations Population
Award.
The United Nations
Family Planning Association
(UNFPA) announced last
month that Haiti's Foundation
for Reproductive Health and
Family Education (FOSREF)


and veteran Bangladeshi family
planning doctor and Program
Manager Dr. Halida
Hanum Akhter was awarded
this year's United Nations
Population Award.
The award goes each year
to individuals and institutions
for their outstanding work in
population and in improving
the health and welfare of


individuals.
UNFPA said the
Population Award Committee,
chaired by Ambassador Judith
Bahemuka of Kenya, chose the
winners from 27 nominees,
including top-level policy mak-
ers, researchers and health
workers from around the world.
0


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end the session, don't jump
out of your chair. Slowly start
to regain a sense of your sur-
roundings. When you're
ready, allow your attention to
return fully.
Practice breathing deeply
to reduce anxiety, conserve


energy, improve sleep,
improve concentration and
relieve muscle tension. The
long-term goal is to reduce the
effects of stress on your life.
Author: Mayo Clinic Staff
0


Olive Chung-James, M.D.
Board Certified Family
Physician
children* adults -gynecology
of c m.. es. M..* weight management
A Dr. Chung-James, practicing in Miami since 1983,
well-known in the Caribbean community.
NEW LOCATION:
9275 SW 152 Street, Suite 204. Miami, Florida 33157
(Across from Jackson South ER.)
(305) 251-3975


Donovan D. Taylor, M.D.
IS Board Certified Family
Physician
children adults gynecology
weight management
Donovan Taylor, M.D.
Please call for an appointment
(305) 655-0702
Graduate of UWI. !'rei ioi,,'ly practiced in Mandeville,
Residency at JMH.
NEW LOCATION
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Fax (954) 981-7955
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while using the computer


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* Preventive Dentistry
* Restorative & Cosmetic
Dentistry
* Crowns, Bridges, Dentures
* Oral Surgery & Root Canals
* Bleaching of Teeth


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


BUILDING
BETTER
COMMUNITIES
General Obligation Bond Program


a1 kv, I Ilk" I V


ng


I


WADE


-'I


Carlos Ah'are-z
&eayo,
Joe A ManI~r'ez
Dennirs C Moss
Barbara J Jonrlan
Dorrsn D Rol~e
Audrey M Edmonsorr
O 5
Salty A~ Heymar-
D~sgnct .
BrujnoA 8arrerro
Os'Stct 5
Retreca Sosa
Drstici6
Carlos A Grmierez
District 7
Katy Sorenrson
Orstmi f8
Dernns C mows
Dhstncr 9
San .Javier D Sourro
O'Stnc1 70
Joe A Marbn~ee
flstirml I?
Jo56 Pebe* Diaz
DlsIncr 1"
N haSeilas
Dmnstacl13
Harvey Ruver
Cler* a of Crm
George M Brgesam
county &tange
Murray A. Greenberg
CounlyArinrmyw


Your Dollars

at Work


A BETTER

PLACE to

LIVE WORK

and PLAY


benefit from tho
Projects. Many


riding Better Communities Bond
planned for our area including:


* Creation of a Farmland Protection Fund.
Old Cutler Road Bikeay: 'Construction'-and


or call 305-375-1900

btirw Et ( CC1C1LCC
Every 26


Marina, Redland Fruit and Spice Park, Camp
Owaissa Bauer, Lakes by the Bay Park, Gloria
Floyd-Pinesboro Pineland Preserve, Briar Bay
Pirk, S'outhdade Park, Leisure Lakes Park,
Medsouth Park, Continental Park: Area-wide park
improvements, upgrades and renovations.
Kendall Branch, Coral Reef Branch and South
Dade Regional Libraries: Major renovations and
enhancements. including ADA-compliant architecture.
Palmetto Bay/Perrihe Water and Sewer
Improvements along USi
.. 2, "
For a complete list of projects, visit
www.miamidade.govIbuild or contact
Commissioner Sorenson at 305-375- 5218.


MIAMI-
fMlk~I'


May 2006


* *


* 6





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Woman replaces Panday as T&T Opposition leader


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC Attorney Kamla
Persad-Bissessar has been
appointed
Opposition leader
in Trinidad and
Tobago, according
to an official state-
ment issued here
late last month.
The brief state-
ment from the
Ministry of Public
Administration and
Information said
the appointment of
Persad-Bissessar, a
former attorney
general, uki, I
effect from April Persad-Bisse
26". She becomes
the first woman to
hold the post in Trinidad and
Tobago.
Persad-Bissessar replaced
former Prime Minister Basdeo
Panday, who was sentenced to
two years imprisonment last
month after he was found
guilty of failing to declare a
London bank account to the
Integrity Commission for the
years 1997, 1998 and 1999,
while he was prime minister of
this Caribbean nation.


Television reports said
that Panday had personally
endorsed Persad-Bissessar, a
former educa-
tion minister.
Opposition
Chief Whip
I. |Ganga Singh
said it was his
understanding


that Panday
gave instruc-
tions to his
Members of
Parliament to
support Singh
Persad-
Bissessar.
"This is what I was told
by one sitting MP" he said.
Later in the month Singh
resigned his post as the
infighting between the main


Opposition United National
Congress (UNC) took another
turn.

DENIAL
But UNC Deputy
Chairman Vasant Bharat
denied that Panday had issued
instructions from jail on who
should be his replacement.
He said however
that Panday was
informed about all
the developments.
Bharat told a
news conference last
month that "the
UNC executive met
in emergency ses-
sion and endorsed
and approved the
position taken by
these MPs," to back
Persad-Bissessar.
In the letter to
President Richards,
the eight Opposition
MPs said that
Persad-Bissessar
"commands our support in
the House of Representatives
and we kindly request that
she be appointed as Leader of
the Opposition in the IH uIt, .L
0


KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
K.D. Knight, Jamaica's former
foreign affairs and foreign
trade minister, will lead a
Commonwealth Observer
Group for the general election
in the Fiji Islands next month.
A statement from the
London-based
Commonwealth Secretariat
said that Knight would lead
the team from May 6-13.
In addition to Knight,
who resigned from the
Jamaica government in
March, the other Caribbean
national on the team is Sheila
Roseau, executive director,
Directorate of Gender Affairs
in Antigua.
The Commonwealth


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC Three political parties,
including the newly formed
Movement for National
Development (MND), have
announced a merger, saying
they are confident of winning
the next general elections con-
stitutionally due in Trinidad
and Tobago next year.
The leaders of the MND,
the Democratic Party of
Trinidad and Tobago (DPTT)
and the National Alliance for
Reconstruction (NAR) told a
joint news conference last
month that a legal team would
be working on a Memorandum


Secretariat
said that the
observer
group would
consist of six
eminent per-
sons, support-
ed by three
members of Knight
staff.
Last month, the
Commonwealth Secretary-
General Don McKinnon sent
a Secretariat Assessment
Mission to Fiji, following an
invitation from the Prime
Minister Laisenia Qarase.

FOCUS
The observer group will
focus on relevant aspects of


of Understanding (MOU) to
guide the future activities.
The NAR, which held
power in this oil-rich
Caribbean nation from 1986-
91, has not fared well in the
last two general elections,
even though it once formed
part of a coalition government
that replaced the ruling
People's National Movement
(PNM) in 1995. Like the
DPTf, which contested the
last general election, the NAR
has not been able to command
more than five percent of the
popular votes.
But NAR Leader Dr.


the organization and conduct
of the general elections, in
accordance with the laws of
the Fiji Islands. It would also
consider the various factors
impinging on the credibility of
the electoral process as a
whole and to determine, in its
own judgement, whether the
conditions exist for a free
expression of will by the elec-
tors and if the results of the
elections reflect the wishes of
the people, the statement said.
The group will submit a
report at the end of its mis-
sion.
0


Carson
Charles said
he was confi-
dent that the
new force
would be
ready ahead
of the polls.
"We will be
Charles ready before
the elections,"
he said, adding "it will be a
terrible shame for us to have
found that we have so much in
common and not proceed
together."
IF


* U.N. investigating Haiti
polls
Haiti's most recent elections
are being investigated by the
United Nations mission amid
accusations that election officials
and other groups had committed
fraud during the polls, a U.N.
spokesman said late last month.
Spokesman Marc Jacque
said the inquiry into possible
fraud during the April 21 crucial
legislative runoff is being con-
ducted throughout the country by
the Major Crime Unit of the U.N.
Peacekeeping Mission, known as
MINIUTAH.
"We are investigating possi-
ble fraud in the election," said
Jacquet saying no time limit was
set for the investigation.


* Guyana's gov't seeks
extension
The Joint Parliamentary
Opposition Parties (JPOP) late last
month said it had been taken by
surprise by the Guyana govern-
ment's decision to table legisla-
tion seeking to extend its parlia-
mentary life.
"The move took us by sur-
prise," Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine
said. Head of the Presidential
Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon
said that the intention behind the
Constitution Amendment Bill was
"to extend and provide for an
additional month within which
general elections could be held."
He said that the amendment
"removes the Aug. 4 date that
has been bandied around as the
end of the constitutional authority
of the administration to a month
later, by which time one antici-
pates the Elections Commission
would be able to discharge their
mandate for general elections in
2006."


* Privy Council rules
Manning's favor
The London-based Privy
Council has said that Prime
Minister Patrick Manning did
nothing wrong when he delayed
calling another general election
after the unprecedented 18-18
election tie in Trinidad and Tobago
in 2001.
In an 11-page judgment, the
Privy Council, the island's final
court, dismissed a judicial review
case brought by two electors,
Florence Bobb and Girlie Moses,
that Manning should have called
fresh general elections when the
House of Representatives failed to
elect a Speaker in April 2002. It
has ordered that they pay costs.
The Privy Council found that
Manning did everything constitu-
tional to resolve the crisis in
Trinidad and Tobago, after then
ruling Peoples National Movement
(PNM) and the Opposition United
National Congress (UNC) both


won 18 seats in the 36-seat
Parliament.

* Bermuda premier plays
down election
Premier Alex Scott has
moved to squash speculation that
Bermuda might be heading for a
general election later this year.
Speaking during an
unscheduled appearance at a
Progressive Labour Party (PLP)
meeting in West Pembroke
recently, Scott ended a defiant,
campaign trail-style speech with
the comment: "If some of you
think we are preparing for an
election, you might be right," rais-
ing the possibility that govern-
ment might soon be planning to
call a snap vote. But the Premier
later warned the population not to
read too much into his comments
while speaking at last month's
community forum which was
attended by a number of govern-
ment ministers and other legisla-
tors.


* Christians offer election
guidelines
The Montserrat Christian
Council (MCC) has issued a list
of proposed guidelines, which it
hopes will "serve as guides for
political parties and candidates,
the electorate and the media for
the upcoming elections".
General elections will be
held on May 31.


* New political party for
Dominica?
William "Para" Riviere, the
former general secretary of the
ruling Dominica Labour Party
(DLP), says he will soon launch a
new political party in Dominica.
"I stand firm in my belief
that what is required now is a
new political movement to take
this country forward into the
twenty first century," Riviere
told the state-owned Dominica
Broadcasting Station (DBS) last
month.

* Preval likely to win
Parliament support
The political party of
President-elect Rene Preval failed
to win a majority in last month's
legislative run-off for the 129
seats in Parliament, but political
observers say he could still
receive the backing of at least 88
legislators.
Preval's party "Lespwa" won
11 of the 27 Senate seats already
decided and 20 the 85 house
seats tallied, according to the
results of the April 21 legislative
runoff released by the Electoral
Council on April 26.

Compiled from CMC reports.
IF


BRIEFS


Caribbean reps to monitor Fiji elections


Small Opposition parties merge in T&T


May 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


R E GI ON


Caribbean looks to 2007 confab

to mend fences with Washington


ST. GEORGES, Grenada,
CMC Caribbean community
(CARICOM) governments are
looking
towards the
proposed July
2007 United
States-
Caribbean i.
conference as
an occasion to
help mend
relations with
Washington, Nimrod
according to
Grenada's Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade
Elvin Nimrod.
Nimrod said there has
been a "period of relative cold-
ness" between the U.S. and the
Caribbean mainly because of
differences on contentious
issues such as the war in Iraq,
Haiti and the International
Criminal Court.
"Many matters directly
related to our economic and
social viability should be high-
lighted, while the mechanisms
to facilitate trade and invest-
ment in both parties should
be revisited," he said as he
addressed the Council for
Foreign and Community
Relations (CONFOR) of
CARICOM in Grenada.
Nimrod said among imme-
diate matters to be addressed
between the U.S. and CARI-
COM was "the vexing issue of
criminal deportees with a view
to agreeing on a better plan to
minimize the socio-economic


consequences of this practice
on our societies."

SUPPORT
Giving support to a recent
suggestion from Kerrie
Symmonds, Barbados's minister
of state in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Nimrod said
the issue of a collaborative
approach to insurance and bur-
den sharing in natural disasters
as well as disaster preparedness
and mitigation, including early
warning systems, were impor-
tant matters for a joint effort.
"These ideas and several
others definitely warrant seri-
ous discussions at the appropri-
ate level with U.S. officials. I
am confident that the tradition-
al excellent relations that exist
between both sides would be
further ,i rcngilicnid as a
result," the minister told his
colleagues at the meeting.
Nimrod also identified the
need for CARICOM countries
to revisit the issue of shared
diplomatic representation in
strategically selected countries.
"Our extremely limited
institutional and technical
capacity to deal with several
trade negotiations and the
plethora of issues which require
opinions and perspectives on a
constant basis, further highlight
the need for more collaboration
and co-operation in the conduct
of our international relations,"
he said.
0


BRIEFS


* Former Jamaican P.M. gets
new job
Four weeks after demitting
office as Prime Minister of Jamaica,
P.J. Patterson has been appointed
senior adviser to an international
consulting company, the Gleaner
newspaper reported.
Patterson, 71, has joined
GoodWorks International (GWI),
based in Atlanta in the United
States, which was co-founded 10
years ago by Jamaican Carlton
Masters and the civil rights leader
Andrew Young, a former U.S.
ambassador to the United Nations
and Atlanta mayor.

* St. Lucia turns to U.K. for
crime fighting help
The government has turned to
the United Kingdom government to
assist in improving the St.Lucia's
national security and crime fighting
strategy.
The announcement was made
last month by Governor General
Dame Pearlette Louisy in her Throne
Speech to the mark the opening of a
new session of Parliament.

* St. Vincent remains
committed to CCJ
The St. Vincent and the
Grenadines government last month
said it remains committed to the
Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of
Justice (CCJ).
However, Prime Minister and
Minister of Legal Affairs Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves told Parliament the coun-
try might not sign on to the appellate
jurisdiction of the court before 2008
when certain changes are made to
the island's Constitution.

* St. Kitts looking to Mexico


for help
The St. Kitts and Nevis govern-
ment says it is looking to Mexico to
help the federation diversify its
economy in the wake of the collapse
of the sugar industry.
Prime Minister Dr. Denzil
Douglas held a meeting with visiting
Mexican Ambassador to St. Kitts and
Nevis, Sergio Saavedra Melendez
last month and thanked that country
for providing training for locals in the
hospital service institutions. Douglas
said with the closure of the 350-
year-old sugar industry, the federa-
tion faces several challenges as it
puts in place a new tourism, finan-
cial and services-based economy.

* Suriname opens new bauxite
mines
President Ronald Venetiaan has
formally launched a $300 million
bauxite project in Suriname funded
by the British and United Staes
multinationals BHP-Billiton and
Alcoa/Suralco.
The new mining operations
began with the inauguration of a
bridge over the Surinameriver and
the authorities said the cross-river
connection leading to the so-called
Successor Mines, Kaaimangrasie
and Klaverblad, as well as the
accompanying roads, would be
handed over to the government at
the end of the project.

* LIAT improves on its finances
The cash-strapped regional air-
line, Leeward Islands Air Transport
(LIAT), has cut its losses in half and
has increased passenger load by 20
percent, according to Barbados
Minister of Tourism and International
Transport Noel Lynch.
Speaking in the House of


Assembly last month, as he sought
parliamentary approval for a guaran-
tee to a Canadian company of just
over $500,000 for each of LIAT's 13
planes, Lynch said while the carrier
should record small losses in the
third quarter it should register an
operational profit by year-end.

* Decrease in murders in Jamaica
~ police
Jamaica police late last month
said there had been a 25 percent
reduction in the number of persons
killed so far this year, as compared
to the same period in 2005.
"In the last couple of months,
the police, with the assistance of
communities, have been able to
reduce murder by approximately 25
percent this year, which in terms of
lives, is probably over 200 people
less dead this year than there were
last year," said Deputy Commissioner
of Police Mark Shields. He gave no
actual figures, but used figures from
the Jamaica Constabulary Force to
substantiate his claim.

* New Cuban ambassador to
Antigua
Cuba has appointed Marcelino
Fajardo Delgado as its new repre-
sentative to Antigua and Barbuda.
The Cuban news agency
Prensa Latina said that Fajardo
Delgado had been appointed by the
country's Council of State as
extraordinary and plenipotentiary
ambassador. It said he had been
working as major specialist in the
foreign affairs department for North
America.

Compiled from CMC reports.
0


U.N. agency projects favorable economic outlook for Caribbean


UNITED NATIONS, CMC -
An economic commission of
the United Nations is project-
ing that the gross domestic
product (GDP) of the


Caribbean will grow 5.9 per-
cent in 2006, up from the 4.2
percent rate achieved in 2005.
In a new report called
"Latin America and the


Caribbean: Projections 2006-
2007", the commission said
favorable international eco-
nomic conditions are spurring
growth in 2006. Economic


growth in the region is expect-
ed to slow slightly in 2007, to
about 4.3 percent.
Strong world trade, led by
the Asian economies, com-


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bined with active domestic
demands, are the main "driv-
ers" behind the region's
growth, according to the report
published released by the U.N.
Economic Commission for
Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC).
"The principal factor of
economic uncertainty in the
region is the possible change
in the 'evolution' of the econo-
my in the United States
(U.S.), given the importance
of the U.S. market for exports
from Latin America and the
Caribbean," ECLAC stated.
ECLAC said the sending
of money transfers (remit-
tances) from the U.S. to the
Caribbean and Latin America
countries is another important
factor helping the region's
economies. The commission
estimated that inflation in the
Caribbean and Latin America
will remain similar to 2005 lev-
els of five percent to seven
percent throughout the region.
0


May 2006








KING & I NVNES IN

~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature

U.S. tax facts and other myths CARICOM and U.S. to re-activate

of a limited liability company joint trade and investment council


JOSE NUNEZ &
MICHAEL ROSENBERG
For decades, corporations
have been the preferred
legal entity used to con-
duct business or hold invest-
ments in the United States.
Lately, however, with the
advent of the limited liability
company (LLC) this is chang-
ing and it is possible that the
preferred legal entity is or
would soon be LLCs organ-
ized under the LLC laws of
any state in the U.S.
Like the corporation, the
LLC offers limited liability
protection to its members as
each member's liability is lim-
ited to each member's interest
in the LLC. Thus, if a liability
accrues within the LLC, the
members' personal assets will
be protected from a judgment
creditor of the LLC provided
that the company form is
respected by the members and
the courts.

PROTECTION
An important non-tax dif-
ference between the corpora-
tion and the LLC relates to
another element of asset pro-
tection. In general, in the
event a judgment creditor of a
member of an LLC (not of the
LLC, but of the member per-
sonally) seeks to satisfy such
judgment with such member's
interest in an LLC, such credi-
tor will obtain only the rights
of an assignee of such mem-
ber. This assignee interest
would not give a creditor vot-
ing rights in the LLC nor the
power to force a distribution
by the LLC. As a result, the
LLC and its assets are protect-
ed from the judgment credi-
tors of its members.
From a U.S. tax view-
point, the LLC may take dif-
ferent forms, but these differ-
ent tax forms do not affect the
LLCs separate existence and
liability protection explained
in the previous paragraph.
However, these different tax
forms would greatly affect the
ultimate U.S. income, gift and
estate tax consequences to the
entity and its members, and
thus, should be fully under-
stood before making a choice
among them. The different
tax forms that an LLC can
take are as follows:
a) Disregarded entity By
default, if a single person or
entity forms a domestic LLC,
such LLC will be disregarded
for all federal tax purposes.
In this case, the LLC will be
taxed as a sole proprietorship
if the sole member of the LLC
is an individual, or it will be
taxed as a branch or division if
the sole member is a business


entity.
This tax form results in all
of the LLC's items of income,
gains, expenses, losses and
credits being reported directly
on the sole member's income
tax return. As a result, the tax
consequences of this LLC
depend entirely on the tax sta-
tus of the sole member (e.g., if
the sole member is an individ-
ual, the tax consequences
would be those applicable to
individuals directly engaged in
the activity of the LLC).
Notwithstanding this, from an
IRS viewpoint, even if an LLC
is a disregarded entity, the LLC
may still be liable for the tax
liability of its single member.
b) Partnership By
default, if two or more single
persons or entities form a
domestic LLC, such LLC
would be considered a part-
nership. Similar to a
Disregarded Entity, the part-
ners, and not the partnership,
include in their tax return the
items of income, gains,
expenses, losses and credits of
the partnership.
c) "C" Corporation A
domestic LLC may elect to be
taxed as an association taxable
as a corporation. In this case,
the net income earned by the
LLC will be taxed in the
hands of the LLC at the cor-
porate tax rate and distribu-
tions of earnings will generally
be subject to a second round
of income tax in the form of a
tax on dividends or a tax on
gains. From an income tax
viewpoint, this is probably the
most inefficient vehicle to
conduct business or hold
investments.
d) "S" Corporation An
LLC may also elect to be
taxed as an S corporation.
Unlike C corporations, an S
corporation generally avoids
double taxation as its share-
holders are subject to tax in a
similar manner to partners in
a partnership.
There are, however, some
important d 11, ILr k nL and
these differences are the rea-
son corporations are losing
their appeal. In the domestic
area, an S corporation can
generally only have one class
of shareholders and this can
be quite limiting for establish-
ing modern ventures where
different class of interests may
be required for example deal-
ing with rights to profit or
rights to capital. In the inter-
national tax arena, an S cor-
poration is even more limiting
as only U.S. citizens or income
tax residents (and certain
trusts and other S corpora-
tions) may be shareholders of
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 27)


WASHINGTON, CMC The
Caribbean community
(CARICOM) and the United
States last month agreed to re-
activate a trade and invest-
ment council between them,
after several years of dorman-
cy, the region's chief negotia-
tor Ambassador Richard
Bernal has said.
"This mechanism would
be available to discuss any
issue relating to trade and
investment. Whether it is
WTO (World Trade
Organization), the Free Trade
Area of the Americas, or any
bilateral trade and investment
issue," Bernal told the
Caribbean Media Corporation
(CMC).
He said the U.S. Trade
Representative Rob Portman
made the proposal during
"frank" and "open" talks with


bernal


CARICOM trade officials
here.

NO MANDATE
However, there is no
mandate for CARICOM to
raise the issue of a free trade
agreement with the U.S.,
Amb. Bernal said. He added
that while no follow up meet-


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the two parties, there was a
commitment to continue dia-
logue as the need arises.
"Today, we had a wide
ranging discussion which is
useful to us because it pro-
vides a lot of additional infor-
mation on a variety of possi-
bilities," Amb. Bernal told
CMC.
He noted that the Council
would not only promote trade
and investment between the
two sides but would also serve
as an early response mecha-
nism to any trade disputes
that may arise. It was first set
up between CARICOM and
the former Bill Clinton admin-
istration in the late 1990s.
However, after two meet-
ings, it became inactive.
0


Take action to fight Internet financial fraud


ANDREW LECKEY

Anyone who uses a
computer each day
comes into contact
with more attempts at finan-
cial fraud than we used to
encounter in six months.
In 2006, the Internet is
the efficient, cost-effective
way to mislead us about
investments or steal our
money outright. Most of us
regularly encounter "phish-


O V E R S


ing", a scam that employs
official-looking e-mails and
websites designed to replicate
real organizations, most
recently even the IRS. These
seek to trick us into revealing
personal brokerage account
numbers, Social Security
numbers, credit card numbers,
user names and passwords.
We receive lottery-win-
ning and Nigerian Internet
messages promising enormous
sums if we forward financial


E A S


R E S I D


information and seed money.
The son of a prominent
Orange County, Calif., psychi-
atrist recently obtained a court
order stopping his elderly
father from spending more on
a Nigerian Internet scam he
had already given $3 million.
We receive e-mail offers
in the guise of personal greet-
ings. In a consent decree,
Jumpstart Technologies LLC
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 27)


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


T AFKN C aG & I N VESTI

~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature


Seek new opportunities, Miller tells Caribbean


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC Caribbean countries
have been advised to seek
new and creative business
opportunities, in order to sur-
vive in an ever-changing busi-
ness environment.
The call came from
Barbados's Minister for
Foreign Affairs and Foreign
Trade Dame Billie Miller at
the fifth U.K./CARICOM
Forum, which ended here late
last month.
Dame Billie told the
meeting that many countries
would face serious challenges
against the background of
trade liberalization and
reformed international rules,
and they would need to
change.
"This new dispensation is


going to impose new economic
obligations on the Caribbean
and investment promotion
would be the key drivers of
the economy in the future,"
she said.
"We must now effectively
manage this new relationship
with Europe. We must now
reallocate our resources,
sometimes away from and
sometimes around some
of the traditional sectors, to
sectors of growth, potential
and areas capable of earning
foreign exchange."

NOT ALL BAD
With the pending changes
to Europe's sugar regime, St.
Lucia's Foreign Affairs
Minister Petrus Compton said
it was not all bad news for the


region, and Mu.L.lLd a
greater focus on services as a
means of dealing with the
anticipated fall out.
"We recognize that with
the virtual demolition of the
old trading pattern and the
trade in goods and commodi-
ties that has come about as a
result of the banana issue and
the sugar, we have to look to
services and we're talking
specifically tourism services,
financial services and we have
to develop our capacity in
those areas," Compton said.
Compton noted that the
region has a competitive
advantage in the two sectors,
and countries therefore need
to strengthen their market
outreach.
0


U.S.-based firm to invest


in Guyana's energy sector


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Guyana and Delta
Energy and Petroleum
Company, a United States-
based firm, are close to sealing
a $500 million deal to estab-
lish a refinery in Berbice, east
of here, according to an offi-
cial statement issued late last
month.
The Office of the Prime
Minister said the facility would
have the capacity to handle
some 100,000 barrels of crude
per day and create 1,000 new
jobs. It said the Guyana gov-
ernment and Crab Island
Refineries Incorporated
signed a Memorandum of


Understanding (MOU) for
establishing and operating the
refinery.
The refinery could help
reduce fuel price on the local
market. Construction is
expected to begin early next
year. The statement said that
construction would be done in
stages "with actual production
being realized within a further
15 months". It said that other
foreign companies were keen
to set up more petroleum
refineries in Berbice based on
the proximity to the Berbice
River and the Atlantic Ocean.
0


* Prepare for free trade, U.S. tells
Caribbean
A United States diplomat is telling
Caribbean counties that they need to
prepare for a world of free trade.
John Maisto, the U.S. ambassa-
dor to the Organization of American
States said that while his government
is committed to assisting Caribbean
countries with trade capacity building,
the region must embrace change.

* World Bank to cancel Guyana's
debt
The World Bank last month said
Guyana is among a number of the
world's poorest countries entitled to full
debt cancellation.
The bank said this has become
possible because of approval of the
Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative.
"We have secured the total votes
necessary to enact the Multilateral


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25)
the S corporation.
Although the LLC is a
very flexible business and
investment vehicle, anyone
considering it must under-
stand the different tax forms it
may take. For example, a for-
eign individual for U.S.
income tax purposes consider-
ing whether to become a
member of an LLC engaged
in the conduct of a U.S. trade
or business must be aware
that by being a member of
such LLC, he or she will be
considered to be so engaged
and this would require him or
her among other things to file
a U.S. income tax returns on
an annual basis. and likely
expose his or her estate to the
U.S. estate tax upon death.
Similarly, a foreign corpo-


Debt Relief initiative," said World Bank
President Paul Wolfowitz.

* Grenada confident in cricket
investment
Grenada Prime Minister Dr. Keith
Mitchell says his country will benefit
tremendously from staging World Cup
cricket matches next year.
Mitchell expressed such confi-
dence even as Jamaica's Finance
Minister Omar Davies said last month
that his country will not reap immedi-
ate financial reward from the event.
"I can't speak for Jamaica, but I
feel confident that, relative to the invest-
ment, we're going to benefit tremen-
dously," Mitchell said.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


ration considering becoming a
member in the same LLC, will
also be considered engaged in
the conduct of a U.S. trade or
business and not only subject
to federal and possibly state
corporate income tax but also
to the "branch profits tax".
In conclusion any foreign
person considering doing busi-
ness or holding investments in
the U.S. should seek the assis-
tance of competent U.S. tax
counsel to ascertain the U.S.
tax consequences of such busi-
ness or investment.

Michael Rosenberg and Jose
L. Nunez are shareholders
with the Coral Gables law
firm of Packman, Neuwahl &
Rosenberg and can be
reached at 305-665
0


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25)
of San Francisco recently
agreed to pay $900,000 in civil
penalties for its FreeFlixTix
promotion that the Federal
Trade Commission said avert-
ed spam filters by disguising
commercial e-mails as person-
al messages and misled con-
sumers as to the terms
involved in the "free" movie
tickets promotion.
We're offered money for
simple tasks. The Securities
and Exchange Commission
recently froze funds of the col-
lapsed "paid autosurf" site
12dailypro.com of Charlotte,
N.C., which promised mem-
bers a 44 percent profit in 12
days for viewing a series of
online advertisements. The
SEC alleged it was actually a
Ponzi scheme, with the catch
being a hefty fee running as
high as $6,000.

COMMON
Scams are so common-
place that the Federal Bureau
of Investigation has made
Internet fraud a priority rank-
ing behind only counterterror-
ism and counterintelligence.
At the FTC, online incidents
accounted for nearly half of
all consumer fraud complaints
filed last year.
Cell phone text messages
recently joined online bulletin
boards, e-mails, voice mails
and faxes as delivery vehicles
for unscrupulous stock pro-
moters. Messages are shorter,
such as: "Hot stock money
here!" and the stock name,
typically a smaller-cap stock
not traded on a major
exchange that is listed on the
so-called pink sheets.
"The 'pump and dump'
scams pump up the price of a


specific pink sheet listing with
a spam message about how
great the stock is and then
dump it once it hits a high
on the hype," said Michael
Byrne, chief counsel for the
Pennsylvania Securities
Commission and chairman
of the Enforcement Trends
Project Group of the North
American Securities
Administrators Association.
Prime bank swindles high-
yield investment programs
promising to double your
money are prevalent, Byrne
said. Bold criminals make a
fast hit, then run off with your
money without giving any-
thing in return.
"Fraud today has a tech-
nological twist but is really
old wine in new bottles," said
John Stark, chief of the SEC
Office of Internet
Enforcement in Washington,
D.C. "The Internet is a great
tool for the con artist, though
also a tool for law enforce-
ment because it provides a
trail."
Nearly 600 Internet-relat-
ed cases have been brought by
Stark's office since he began
handling them in 1998. As
many as 5,000 Internet-related
complaints of suspicious con-
duct in financial accounts are
lodged daily (in the United
States).
"The newest thing is fraud
that employs an electronic
1 I--i_-inii' program to monitor
your keystrokes so someone
can figure out your broker
account password and user
name," Stark said. "They then
go directly into your account
to remove your assets."

PREVENTION
Take these steps to avoid
online theft in your brokerage


and other financial accounts:
* Check monthly account
statements to be sure balances
are what they should be.
* Make sure your computer
has the latest security patches,
and access accounts only on
secure web pages using
encryption. If a padlock icon
is shown, click on it to see if
the pop-up window shows a
certificate with the same site
name.
* Don't click on a link provid-
ed in an e-mail message, but
type the web address into
your browser to see whether it
represents the true sender.
* Never give others your pass-
words, and be aware that
wireless networks in public
places may not provide as
much security as wired
Internet connections.
* Log out your computer
when you're not around. Type
in user name and password
information each time, rather
than utilizing the "remember"
feature because anyone using
your computer could access
your financial accounts.
* Report "phishing" and other
cyber crime to the FBI at
www.ifccfbi.gov. Send your
investment-related fraud com-
plaints to the SEC by e-mail-
ing enforcement@sec.gov.
Forward deceptive spam you
receive to the FTC at
spam@uce.gov.
"Too often, hard-working
people want to believe there
are ways other people make
money to which they haven't
been privy."

2006 Tribune Media
Services, Inc.
0


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Take action to fight Internet financial fraud


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May 2006




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