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S0 NOVEMBER 2006


0@OT
-N m Y 1


e r y o u


r w o r I d


PRESORTED
STANDARD
,,4, U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MIAMI, FL
PERMIT NO. 7315
Tel: (305) 238-2868
1-800-605-7516
caribtoday@earthlink.net
ct ads@bellsouth.net
Jamaica: 654-7782


Former West
Indies bowl-
ing great
Courtney
Walsh
believes the
standard of
the region's
cricket has
dropped in recent years, but
could reboundatorthefglory '00 ii on
days in time for next yeart s i n a e l
Cricket World Cup, page 7. atis r ot


As we
devour
Caribbean
I foods with
relish, let's
j5 honor those
who pre-
pare them
so well.
Top-of-the-class chefs from
the region, known for their
dedication, innovation and
expansive use of the local
bounty, are in our spotlight
this month, page 13.


Jamaican sprinters Asafa
Powell, right, and Sherone
Simpson have been selected
the best Central American and
Caribbean Athletes of the
Year, after both had superb
seasons in 2006, page 23. A -: A A Y D

INSIDE
News ................2 Health ................11 Arts/Entertainment.......19 Sport .................23
Feature ................ 7 Food .................. 12 FYI .................... 20 Region ................ 25
Viewpoint ............. 9 Tourism/Travel ......... 17 Business .............. 21 Politics ................ 27
......1I: CARGO SERVICE TO JAMAICA


Air Jamaica Cargo offers freighter service to Kingston three times a week and twice weekly to Montego Bay.

L , :,;M *j -Miami Internatllonal Airport ____<____ ______
1701 N.W. 66th Ave. #709 Miami, FL 33122 .--.-g_
Tel.: (305) 526 5985
Ft. Lauderdale Airport A
3519 S.W. 2nd Ave. Bay 9 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315 M t,
Tel.: (954) 359 8088


W e


C o V









-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


November 2006


Stand and be counted: Caribbean

immigrants still pouring into the U.S.


U.S. strengthens Caribbean ties,

appoints diplomat to CARICOM


GORDON WILLIAMS

The United States' popu-
lation jumped to a
record mark of 300 mil-
lion last month, with trends
indicating that the influx of
Caribbean immigrants in
search of the "American
Dream" is keeping apace the
increasing count.
According to the U.S.
Census Bureau, the new mark
was reached on Oct. 17, based
on the average population
gain of roughly 2.8 million a
year.
With over a third of the
estimated one percent annual
growth rate coming from
immigration, the Caribbean
has likely figured prominently
among the statistics again. In
the last official U.S. census in
2000, the number of foreign-
born residents in the U.S. was


estimated at 28.4 million,
some 10.4 percent of the total
population. Just over half that
figure -14.5 million came
from Latin America and 9.8
million from Central America,
including Mexico. Immigrants
from the

registered 2.8
million and
the trend is
not likely to
subside soon.
"The (rea-
sons are the)
Clare same as as
always, eco-
nomics," said Irwine Clare,
managing director of the New
York-based Caribbean
Immigrant Services Inc.,
"especially when countries
like Jamaica and others in the
Caribbean cannot provide
economic opportunities for its
population. They will seek


opportunities elsewhere."
The official census, which
is done every 10 years,
showed the foreign-born pop-
ulation was scattered primari-
ly over six states: New York,
Florida, California, Texas,
New Jersey and Illinois.
The growth in the U.S.
population through immigra-
tion from the Caribbean has
been steady for close to three
decades. For example, only
0.7 million immigrants from
the region were registered in
the U.S. in 1970.

MOVING ON
However, the census indi-
cates that not all of the for-
eign-born population includ-
ing those from the Caribbean
- may be staying in the U.S.
for long periods. The statistics
show that although more
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)


I'-


Bilateral relations between
the United States and the
Caribbean will be strength-
ened with the appointment of
an envoy to the Caribbean
community (CARICOM), a
U.S. spokesman said late last
month.
Ambassador to Guyana
David Robinson, who has
been accredit-
ed as the first
U.S. plenipo-
tentiary rep-
resentative to
CARICOM,
said the
appointment
signaled
Robinson Washington's
desire to
maintain good
relations with the group of 15
nations in the regional
grouping.
"As recent and continuing
meetings between CARICOM,
its member states and high lev-
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els of my government, includ-
ing the secretary of state, the
U.S. trade representative and
most recently Homeland
Security Secretary Chertoff
demonstrate, we recognize the
importance of cooperation and
friendship in the region,"
Robinson said.
Robinson presented his
credentials to CARICOM
Secretary General Edwin
Carrington during a brief cer-
emony at CARICOM's
Georgetown-based secretariat.
The American
diplomat said
both parties
were aware
"of the oppor-
tunities and
challenges
that shape the
region's hemi-
spheric rela- Carrington
tionship, from
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)

Antigua's Sir Viv

is 'National Hero';

U.S. mogul knighted
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
Antigua and Barbuda has con-
ferred one of its highest awards
on former West Indies cricket
captain Sir Vivian Richards,
proclaiming him as a "National
Hero" as the island celebrated
its 25th anniversary of political
Independence from Britain on
Nov. 1.
Sir
Vivian, who
never lost a
series at the
helm of the
West Indies
cricket team,
is the second
person after Stanford
the late Vere
Cornwall Bird, the island's first
prime minister, to receive the
award. Sir Vivian was honored
for his contribution to the
development of sports.
United States businessman
Allen Stanford was conferred
with a knighthood.
The knighthood for
Stanford, who has Antigua
and Barbuda citizenship, had
been mired in controversy
with Prime Minister Baldwin
Spencer describing the nomi-
nation by the Opposition
Antigua Labour Party (ALP)
as "most unfortunate."
Stanford is the island's sin-
gle largest investor with a num-
ber of companies including
Caribbean Star and Caribbean
Sun airlines. He was honored
for his contribution to the
development of the island.
0




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November 2006




CARIBBEAN TODAY


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November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


CARICOM partners U.S. in security for 2007


CARICOM partners U.S. in security for CWC 2007


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC Trinidad and Tobago's
Prime Minister Patrick Manning
says security restrictions in the
world have changed since the
Caribbean decided to host the
ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
(CWC).
"When we agreed to host
CWC in 2007, there was no
9/11," said
Manning, the
head for the
Caribbean
community's
(CARICOM)
regional secu-
rity. "There
was no issue
involving ter- Manning
rorism in the
U.K. and the effects on air
travel."
He said because of those
developments, CARICOM
decided to seek assistance
from other countries, includ-


ing the United States, to
ensure that CWC would have
proper security arrangements.
Manning was speaking
last month on the memoran-
dum of intent (MOI) that was
signed by U.S. Homeland
Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff and CARICOM
heads.
It was also disclosed that
the U.S. government will be
entitled to
receive infor-
mation about
people travel-
ing to and
from the
Caribbean
and even
within the
region under Chertoff
an agreement
signed between CARICOM
and the U.S. It provides for
the sharing of airline passen-
ger data.


"Generally, we look at the
security situation as it relates
to drugs in particular, taking
into consideration that we are
located between the produc-
ing countries of the south and
the consuming countries of
the north," Manning said.

IMPORTANT
Chertoff said the aim is to
keep out terrorists and serious
transnational criminals from
the Caribbean, a region that he
says is important to the U.S.
"I think the Caribbean is
very important...we are part of
this community because of the
coastline that borders on the
Gulf and the Caribbean," he
said.
According to Chertoff,
"we have a vibrant travel
industry that moves people
back and forth...We have a lot
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)


Stand and be counted: Caribbean immigrants still pouring into the U.S.


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
immigrants are coming to the
U.S., they are spending far
less time in the country. That
could mean that although
more Caribbean immigrants
sense better opportunities are
available in the U.S., once
they have achieved a certain
level of accomplishment they
are willing to return to the
region.
"You find that people
came here at a younger age,"
Clare explained. "Many who
came in the 1970s, came in
their 20s and 30s. So once
they reach a point where they
have sent their children to col-
lege, retired from their jobs,
they realize that the opportu-
nity to live in the Caribbean is
better than it is to live in the
States...especially if they are


U.S. citizens."
According to the 2000
census, "the proportion of the
foreign-born population resid-
iing in the United States for 20
years or more dropped from
50.4 percent in 1970 to 32.2
percent in 2000.
"The proportions residing
in the United States less than
five years, five to nine years,
10 to 14 years and 15 to 19
years, were all higher in 2000
than in 1970", it added.

WIN-WIN
However, the census
appears to indicate that the
large influx of immigrants
from the Caribbean in the
1960s and 1970s had a specific
historical pattern, and the
length of time those immi-
grants resided in the U.S. may
have been directly related to


the mass migration of Cubans
during that period following
the communist takeover of the
island. But other countries
from the region are not being
left out. They can see benefits
that go both ways.
"The good thing with the
whole migration pattern is
that it provides for economic
infusion with the whole remit-
tance business," said Clare.
"The brain drain in today's
real world is a positive for the
region. The people who come
here are taking care of their
families in the U.S. and at
home in the region. The
migration pattern now is a
win-win situation."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


U.S. strengthens Caribbean ties, appoints diplomat to CARICOM


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
economic promise of trade
and tourism; to the cultural
and family ties that come with
migration; and to the difficult
work of confronting organized
crime, drug trafficking and
terrorism."

NO CONFLICT
Robinson said his appoint-
ment as ambassador to CARI-
COM would not be in conflict
with other U.S. ambassadors
throughout the Caribbean.
"I am accredited bilateral-
ly only to Guyana, but I am
the United States representa-
tive to the secretariat, to
CARICOM itself. So I will be
working closely with the sec-
retary general and his staff,
but will certainly not be trying


to dictate terms to my col-
leagues in other Caribbean
countries," Robinson added.
Carrington noted that the
over the years CARICOM
and the U.S. have enjoyed a
friendly and fruitful relation-
ship, which has been under-
pinned by many factors,
including the shared common
democratic values and tradi-
tions.
"This year has been
especially active for relations
between CARICOM and the
United States," Carrington said,
adding that CARICOM foreign
ministers were pleased to have
met with U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice in The
Bahamas in March.
"You will also recall that in
April of this year, CARICOM


trade minis-
ters met with
the then
United States
representa-
tive, Mr. Rob
Portman, to
build on
-Rice CARICOM-
U.S. trade
relations. More recently, in
September in New York, our
foreign ministers held further
discussions with the secretary
of state, in the margins of the
United Nations General
Assembly," Carrington added.
He said meaningful dia-
logue is taking place between
the U.S. and Caribbean coun-
tries on issues beyond trade
and economic issues.
0


LWW-crbbatoa.co


Photograph by DerrickA. Scott
Mayor Shirley Franklin, right, presents the Phoenix Award, the United States City of
Atlanta's highest honor, to Metty Scarlett-Jones, chairman of the Montego Bay
branch of the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Committee. The award is in recognition of
the committee's outstanding contribution in supporting the Atlanta Montego Bay
Sister City Health Mission to Jamaica's second city for the past 13 years. The pres-
entation took place during a function last month at Atlanta City Hall.



Douglas gets 'Global Award'


Dr. Denzil L. Douglas,
prime minister of St.
Kitts and Nevis, has
been selected to receive the
"Global Award" at the 15th
Annual Trumpet Awards.
The ceremony is sched-
uled for Jan. 22 at the Bellagio
Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
and air on TV One network
television stations across the


Douglas


United States.
Douglas was selected to
receive the 2007 Trumpet
Awards' Global Award due to
his outstanding achievements
as an individual and his
accomplishments contributing
toward the betterment of
global society. He is only the
third individual from the
Caribbean to receive the
award in the 15-year history
of the honor. Also among
those to be honored are enter-
tainers Toni Braxton, CeCe
Wynans and Dionne Warwick;


athlete Michael Jordan; and
actor/director Clint Eastwood.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Most recently, Douglas has
successfully spearheaded the
St. Kitts and Nevis sustainable
development plan for the tran-
sition from an economy driven
by the agribusiness of sugar-
cane production its primary
industry for more than 300
years to a service-oriented
market economy driven by the
hospitality and tourism indus-
tries. Under his direction, the
twin island nation is gaining
worldwide recognition by join-
ing the ranks of host nations
for the ICC (International
Cricket Council) Cricket
World Cup 2007, hosting
of the 2005 F-CCA (Florida-
Caribbean Cruise Association)
Conference and Trade Show,
and also the increasing popu-
larity of the annual St. Kitts
Music Festival.
Douglas has additionally
taken a leadership role in the
fight against HIV/AIDS on an
international scale, and has
been recognized for these
humanitarian efforts by U.S.
President George W. Bush,
former President Bill Clinton,
and Mayor of New York
Michael Bloomberg.
Douglas was sworn in as
the second prime minister of
St. Kitts and Nevis following
his party's election victory in
1995. He was re-elected in
2000 and again in 2004.
0


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Seaga unearths region's


folk identity at N.Y. lecture


n e w s


Jamaica's RP.M. lauds aluminum


company during visit to the U.S.


Former Jamaica Prime
Minister Edward Seaga
last month appeared at
his first public engagement in
New York in many years as
special guest speaker at the
third annual CIN TV Lecture
Series held at the Schomburg
Center for Research In Black
Culture in Harlem.
Seaga discussed "The
Folk Roots of Jamaican
Cultural Identity", touting
the arts as the most widely
recognized area of folk talent
in the Caribbean island.
"Jamaica's contemporary
music is a product of the raw
talent that enables untrained,
unlettered composers to pro-
duce an impressive range of
rhythms, lyrics and melodies
that have excellence and inter-
national recognition," he said.
Hip hop music, which is
dominant in North America,
owes its origin to impromptu
interjections of rhythmic


rhymes in pop songs popular
in Jamaica, he added.
Seaga also focused atten-
tion on the strategic role that
mothers play in the matriarchal
Jamaican culture and said
many women are symbols of
achievement in Jamaican folk
culture and are the backbone
of political support, determined
players in civic organizations,
achievers in scholarship and a
great reliance at any work
place. The former prime minis-
ter also explained that the pre-
occupation with skin shades is
a legacy of slavery and colo-
nialism.
"The phenomenon of
lightening skin color by 'mar-
rying up' or bleaching, terms
like 'pretty' hair, stem from a
system of slavery and colonial-
ism that saw everything asso-
ciated with the master and
therefore, everything
European as better," he said.
0


R me Minister Portia
impson Miller has com-
mended Alcoa Aluminum
Company for its commitment in
investing in Jamaica.
"Jamaica is indeed proud
to have the world's premier
aluminum company as a part-
ner and investor," Simpson
Miller said while delivering
the keynote address at the
Alcoa Women's Network
Second Global Leadership
Conference for Alcoa's senior
management women last
month in Virginia.
Simpson Miller said
Alcoa's commitment to Jamaica
has spanned 47 years and
explained that it was in1959
that Alcoa first established
roots in the economic cultural
and social life of Jamaica. That
relationship has grown from
strength to strength and Alcoa
has remained steadfast in its
commitment.


"As a good corporate cit-
izen, Alcoa has demonstrated
community outreach with a


Simpson Miller
concern for social develop-
ment," the prime minister
said.

ECONOMIC DRIVER
Alcoa, she added, was well
recognized as an important


driver of the Jamaican econo-
my before the Caribbean
island achieved Independence
from Great Britain in
1962 and, to date, Alcoa
is still making its contri-
bution to the Jamaican
economy.
Simpson Miller also
appealed to the Alcoa
Women's Network to
take a special interest in
the Jamaican process and
to share their expertise
in building networks,
links and strategies that
will assist Jamaica move
forward on a global
A. Sco stage.
stage.
Professor Gordon
Shirley, Jamaica's ambassador
to the U.S., and Cabinet
Secretary Dr. Carlton Davis
were among the special guests
who attended the conference.
0


West Indians in Connecticut honor outstanding Jamaicans


Two Jamaicans, musician
Byron Lee and surgeon
Dr. Lenworth Jacobs,
have been honored by the city
of Hartford, Connecticut and
the West Indian Foundation.
Lee and Jacobs were hon-
ored last month at the 28th
Annual West Indian Foundation
Scholarship and Awards Gala,
held at the Connecticut
Convention Center in Hartford.
In a citation that was
read to him by Councilwoman
Veronica Airy-Wilson of
the Hartford City Council
on behalf of Connecticut


Governor Jodi
Rell, Lee was com-
mended for his
outstanding contri-
bution in promot-
ing Caribbean and
Jamaican music for
over 50 years. The
governor declared
Oct. 14 as "Byron
Lee Day" in
Connecticut.
Byron Lee, left
TRAILBLAZER lifetime achieve
Jamaica's from Hartford
Consul General to Councilman K
New York, Dr. Basil K. Bryan,


R, receives his
cement award
City
en Kennedy.


Jamaica's Consul General to
New York Dr. Basil Bryan,
right, presents Dr. Lenworth
Jacobs with his award.


in presenting Dr. Jacobs with


CARICOM partners U.S. in security for CWC 2007


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)
of critical trade, including for
example, liquid natural gas
here in Trinidad and Tobago
which makes this country the
bi-n--lI exporter of LNG to
the United States.
"We are very much part
of the same neighborhood and
we are very deeply committed
to making sure that we are all
secure," he added.

BURDEN
He said although the
U.S. was not participating in
CWC with an official team,
Americans would represent
one of the largest groups of
spectators.
"Of course, that does
place a burden on the region,
in terms of security, particular-
ly in a time when we are fight-
ing a war against an enemy
who does not see anything
such as an innocent
bystander...That puts every-


body at risk," he said.
"That's why we are partic-
ularly delighted to sign this
MOI regarding the Advanced
Passenger Information system
and to provide other support
to the region in its prepara-
tion, not only for the cricket
event, but for the long-term
challenges we face ahead."
The U.S. security secre-
tary said the Caribbean faces
an emerging national security
issue with respect to the possi-
bility of terrorism.
"We know there is an
international ideology that
uses terrorist means to pro-
mote its aims," Chertoff said.
"There is no reason to
believe that any part of the
world is off limits and that
includes this area as well.
"The way in which we can
combat that ideology is by
sharing information, by shar-
ing techniques, by exchanging
data that we have and that is


part of what we are doing with
the agreement that we
signed..."

HERE TO STAY
"This is not a problem
that is going to go away in a
short period of time,"
Chertoff added.
"When bombs went off in
Bali, or they went off in
London, or when the aircraft
impacted on the World Trade
Center, there was no selection
among the victims.
"People from all over the
world suffered and I dare say
people from this part of the
world suffered as well.
"All voices demand of us
that we stand together in the
face of this threat and that we
do it in a way that allows us to
continue our freedoms and
our way of life but it also
affords citizens the security,"
Chertoff declared.
0


his special award, noted that
he was a trailblazer and pio-
neer in the medical field, spe-
cializing in emergency medi-
cine. He said Dr. Jacobs was
instrumental in the design and
implementation of the Life
Star Emergency Program
and in the development of a
national model for healthcare
response to terrorism activi-
ties.
Dr. Jacobs is the chairman
of the combined adult pediatric
trauma program of the Hartford
Hospital and Connecticut
Children's Medical Center. He
is the son of Dr. Ben Jacobs of
the National Family Planning
Board in Jamaica.
The West Indian Foundation


presented three scholarship
awards. The Migrant Farm
Worker Memorial Scholarship
was presented to Lovelyn Bogle;
the Marcus Garvey Scholarship
to Kathtrina Chin; and the
West Indian Scholarship Club
Memorial Scholarship to Andrew
Mitchell.
It is estimated that over
70,000 Caribbean nationals
reside in Connecticut, with
Jamaicans rL prLL I Iling the
largest number.

- Information obtained from
the Jamaica Information
Service.
0


QUESTION: I already filed my applica-
tion for extension of my 1-94, 45 days
before it expired. What happens if
the United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) does
not give me its decision on the date
of the expiration of my 1-94? Is it true
that it is all right for me to stay as
long as I have a pending application
for my extension?

ANSWER: If the USCIS fails to respond
before the date on your 1-94 expires, it
is best to leave the country. If you don't
leave, under the U.S. immigration laws
you will be considered as having over-
stayed your visa and hence become an
"undocumented immigrant". This means
that you will then have to find a quali-
fied U.S. citizen like a spouse, parent,
sibling or employer who can sponsor
you for a "Green Card" or permanent
residence and adjust your status in the


U.S. If you leave the U.S. after your visa
has expired you could be barred, under
the laws, from returning for up to 10
years. Worst, you could be subject to
deportation if you stay on with an
expired visa.
To find out the status of your appli-
cation ahead of the expiration date, con-
tact the USCIS office that received your
application. You should be prepared to
provide the USCIS staff with specific
information about your application.
If you or someone you know has
immigration questions, then log on to
www.immigrationkorner.com and
submit them. Personal answers will not
be provided. Answers are for information
purposes only and does not create attor-
ney-client relationship, nor is it a substi-
tute for "legal advice", which can only
be given by a competent attorney after
reviewing all the facts of the case.
0


'Immigration Korner'


November 2006








FEATURE


aribo,.w Caribbean cricket standard has

CarIb o"ut dropped ~ Courtney Walsh A


Courtney Walsh is the most
successful bowler in West
Indies cricket history and was
once the greatest wicket-taker
in the Test game. He is still
involved in the Caribbean s'
favorite sport and is currently
helping to promote next year's
Cricket World Cup in the
region, visiting the United
States as part of that effort.
Caribbean Today's Managing
Editor Gordon Williams
spoke to Walsh recently. The
following is an edited version
of that interview.

GORDON WILLIAMS:
Overall, West Indies cricket is
not in the best shape right
now. What do you think is
happening with the develop-
ment of the team, especially
with Cricket World Cup 2007
approaching and the impor-
tance of the West Indies put-
ting on a good performance?
How prepared will the team
be come 2007?

COURTNEY WALSH: I
think they will be pretty well
prepared. They are probably
not well prepared now.
There's a little bit of finetun-
ing to be done. But my main
concern is the focus, the disci-
pline and the pride that we


need to see in the team. I
think that's what a lot of peo-
ple expect to see and would
like to see regenerated, where
the passion of playing for the
West Indies is there and the
will to want to win and want
to do well and also just to, sort
of, not just be playing for
yourself, but for the people,
the region.
I think that can be done.
It's not gonna be easy when
you lose a lot of players. But
what is more concerning to
me is we seem to be running
hot and cold and we just need
to see that more consistency
in the performance, heading
in the right direction.

G.W.: In times gone by, players
were being paid far less money
than now. Isn't that supposed
to be a major incentive?

C.W.: It should be, and one
hopes that it is. Having not
been there (in recent times)
it's hard to say, but I'm sure
that being paid more would
make you want to play better
because you want to play
longer and perform a lot bet-
ter. So that should be the case.
But one just hopes that what
is going on now probably
lacks a little bit of profession-


alism because the guys are not
accustomed to playing pro
league cricket in England.
That might be an aspect. So
sometimes you have to look at
that, but one is hoping that, as
I said, you want to see a con-
sistent level of improvement
and you know that you're
going the right direction.

G.W.: Are you satisfied with
the progress of the team, espe-
cially under the Australian
coaches now?

C.W.: The consistency is still
not there. When he (head
coach Bennett King) came in
he said he wanted some time.
I'm not too sure. I haven't
been that close to it (the
team) so it's difficult for me to
sort of be a judge of it. But
what I would like to see, as
I've said, is a little bit more
level of consistency and if he's
not bringing that to the park
then you've got to question
that one.
I'm sure that this team,
they must be trying their best.
Sometimes I've got to ask the
question: are the players put-
ting out their best or are they
committed to the cause? So
there are a lot of questions that
we on the outside don't really


know what the answers are.
I know you are looking at
me and saying how come I am
on the outside. Yes, I am on
the outside and a lot of people
think I'm supposed to be
nearer than most, but when I
go there I just try to pass on
help in whatever way I can.
I am not really involved in
terms of the day-to-day run-
ning and what they're doing
and how the guys get ready
and who needs to be talking.
But from what I see on the
outside, they need a little
more cricket talk on the mid-
dle from former players
who've been there, done that,
pass on the experience and
help to guide them as well.

G.W.: When you just came to
cricket at the highest level,
West Indies cricket, there
was a big competition for
places...Do you think that is
no longer in existence in the
West Indies? Do you think it
is too easy now to make the
West Indies team?

C.W.: I think it is, in terms of
the level as well. Not just too
easy to make the West Indies
team, I think the standard of
cricket in the Caribbean has
dropped, in terms of from our


Walsh
domestic first class to even
club cricket. So that is an area
we need to focus on, build
back with the school cricket,
the club cricket, the regional
cricket and that will build
strong West Indies cricket.
But some people think that if
one territory and one country
is strong, the cricket is strong.
That is not so. If all territories
are strong and everybody is
competing, when Jamaica
plays Barbados it's going to
be a mini-Test, that's what we
want to see.. .If everybody is
strong, then West Indies
cricket is gonna be strong.

G.W.: You are not so far
away from playing cricket
itself...not far away from what
is happening. The seeming
confusion to people looking
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)


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November 2006


CARIBBEAN TODAY






CARIBBEAN TODAY


rwww~.carbba-tda.co.-


F nT U R 6


Frustration, hope linger for cricket in the U.S.


GORDON WILLIAMS
onrmer West Indies crick-
eters are lamenting the
continued frustration of
establishing cricket as a major
sport in the United States, even
as the game's single bi.n-,slt
event Cricket World Cup -
heads to the Caribbean next
year.
According to them, the
U.S., with its money, facilities
and huge population of expatri-
ates from cricket-playing nations
all over the world, plus its histo-
ry of having first staged the
game nearly three centuries ago,
should have been much further
along in developing cricket.
"It hasn't progressed as
much as I'd like to see, really,"
Lawrence Rowe, among the
most talented batsmen ever to
come out of the West Indies
and a current U.S. resident,
told Caribbean Today recently
while visiting his home country
Jamaica as honorary coach of a
U.S. select team.
"It very much, I think, is in
disarray right now."
Many ex-players believe
that the failed U.S. bid to secure
CWC games next year has been
a major setback. However,
others point to the disjointed
organization of the sport long
before that, which has been
blamed for the USA Cricket


Association's (USACA) sus-
pension by the game's interna-
tional ruling body International
Cricket Council (ICC) last year
for being "dysfunctional".
The ban was subsequently
lifted, and although many issues
remain unresolved, the former


Rowe


players insist that if the game pros-
pers in the U.S. all will benefit.
"I've always said if we
could get (cricket) developed
there (in the U.S.), one, it
would be financially beneficial
for all of the players and admin-
istrators as well," ex-fast bowler
Courtney Walsh told Caribbean
Today.

EXCELLENT SPOT
Thousands, including many
from the C(.rihlbin, enjoy
cricket in the U.S., a game
records show was first played in


the country in the early 18th
century. However, most of the
players are expatriates, meaning
the game has not attracted U.S.
citizens used to traditional
sports such as basketball, base-
ball and American football.
According to Rowe, many areas
in the U.S., "especially South
Florida," offer excellent condi-
tions for cricket. However, the
man who scored a double cen-
tury and a century on his Test
debut admitted that the U.S.
missing out on CWC matches
next year was a huge blow to
the sport.


"I think it was a big set-
back," he said. "It was unfortu-
nate that we couldn't even
have gotten a few practice
games and even one of the
early round matches.
"I think it would have been


good for the Caribbean and
West Indies cricket if we could
have gotten that and it would
also help to develop our cricket
in the States a lot. The governing
body there (in South Florida)
did a lot to get a new stadium
going there. Cricket is not a pop-
ular sport in the States and I
think if they had gotten the
World Cup games a lot more
money would be put into it and
a lot more interest would have
been there," Rowe added.

HOPE
Meanwhile, all hope is not
lost for the game in the U.S.,
despite reports last month that at
least one USACA director had
resigned and others were review-
ing their position. According to
Cricinfo.com, a cricket web site,
the association said it is about to
explore a iin. partnership with
an international marketing com-
pany" to promote the game in
the U.S.
Walsh, the all-time West
Indies leading wicket taker in
Test cricket, said that although
he has never been asked, he
would be willing to help the
game in the U.S.
"Anything to do with
cricket, and to promote the
game, once I am available and
everything is O.K., I'll be inter-
ested," he said.
Already he is pleased that


Caribbean cricket standard has dropped ~ Courtney Walsh


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)
on from the outside with the
administration of West Indies
cricket, just how much do you
think that has impacted on the
way the game is being played
now in the region?

C.W.: Well, as you said, I am
not really into it, (but) I have
not been far from it either. In
terms of how it has impacted,
when you look at the setup
of the West Indies Cricket
Board, you've got to look and
see how many former players
have gotten involved and, how
many former players are there
with them, and how many
former players want to be
involved, and also what direc-
tion they want to be at the
board level.
I'm hoping that everyone
who is there has good inten-
tions to move West Indies
cricket forward. But we need
to devise a plan and a strategy
to do that.
It's not gonna happen
overnight, but at the same
time you don't want it to be
taking 25 years. You want to
see something more with
progress so you can say 'well
yes, we're on the right track,
the hard work is coming, the
dedication is coming, we're
heading in the right direction,
so give us two, three years


time'. We might not return to
world championship, but we
might return to being a very
competitive team that every-
body has to have a fear about.

G.W.: You are involved with
the Stanford 20/20 (cricket
competition). Apparently the
first year was very successful.
You see a man with a whole
lot of money coming to the
Caribbean and putting on a
tournament which seems to
have been a big hit going
across (to the public). How
much do you think a man like
(American Allen) Stanford, a
man from the outside, even
though he is willing to put up
his money, should be involved
in West Indies cricket at this
point?

C.W.: I think if he (Stanford)
wears his heart on his sleeve
and he is committed to trying
to help West Indies cricket,
which he's said time and time
again, he's got to be involved
in some way, shape or form.
The 20/20 success came from
good planning and I think the
team he had around him, with
some of the former players,
has helped.
I think he genuinely wants
to help, but obviously at the
end of the day he is a busi-
nessman at the same time and
he's gonna be looking to see


how best it could help or
enhance his business. The
(20/20) plan that went out is
to get cricket back in the
Caribbean, get the kids and
the families coming back to
the game, get the guys (play-
ers) financial gains from that,
to let them be paid properly,
and I think that everything
that we set out on our agenda,
from our first mnKli Iin we've
met all those criteria.
So to me it was a tremen-
dous success. As you said,
there was a bit of friction
between himself (Stanford)
and the (West Indies Cricket)
Board, (but) the sooner that
can be solved the better it will
be, I think, in the interest of
West Indies cricket.

G.W.: When you are watching
them (players), what goes
through your mind in terms
of one, the talent level that
there is out there, and two,
the application and commit-
ment that they are giving it?

C.W.: You look at the talent
and you see it and you assess
them and see where their
strengths and weaknesses
(are) and you try to talk to
them about it. But also you
try and play a mind game.
You talk to them to try and
get them to think ahead of the
time and to think more posi-


tive and to be confident in
what they're gonna do. And if
you see a fault you mention it
to them. And also whatever
the strength is, because your
weaknesses could be your
strength and your strength
could be your weakness.
So you've got to work on
both at the same time. That's
the sort of advice I try to give
them.

G.W.: How do you perceive
the response that you get?

C.W.: Most of the responses
I've gotten have been tremen-
dous in terms of the guys I
speak to. They will listen to
you. Obviously, there might
be one or two who might not
catch on or might not think
that it makes sense to that
individual. But most of the
guys that I've spoken to I
think have taken it all on
board. They've given it their
best shot. They've tried to do
the best they can do and that
is encouraging for me.
I've never really come
across any of the players who
probably don't take it on
board. However, I've heard
that some guys do not like to
be spoken to and they think
that they know it all and in
cricket you never know it all.
You're never too old to learn.


recent adjustments in the way
cricket is played could enhance
its appeal in the U.S. The 20/20
cricket, a shortened version of
the game, is one example Walsh
believes can attract Americans.
"When you look at the
20/20, I think that is probably
the ideal game to start in the
States," he explained. "...Within
three to four hours (spectators)
could be in and out (of the stadi-
um) and have a wonderful, spec-
tacular day of cricket and every-
body would leave there being
happy because you would have
a result. And I think that's what
the Americans want. They want
a result at the end of it all."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2006 you
may e-mail him at
editor@caribbeantoday. com.





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Vol. 17, Number 11 OCT. 2006

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November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


GORDON WILLIAMS
Caribbean time, that
unique system where
the pace of the region's
progress lines up right behind
the urgent haircut or manicure
for some of its leaders, is at
work again.
How else does one
explain that with just about
two months remaining before
the United States' new pass-
port regime comes into effect,
whereby American travelers
to the region will require a
passport to re-enter the U.S. -
not just a driver's license or
birth certificate the
Caribbean is only now being
seen as scrambling around try-
ing to get another delay in the
law's implementation?
Oh, they are saying that
the law will severely damage
the region's tourism industry
because Americans, noted for
their spontaneity in travel, will
no longer visit. The theory is
they just can't be bothered to
apply for a passport.
O.K., so it is reasonable to
say that the American, faced
with added hassle just to go
on a vacation, will simply find
somewhere else to go in the
U.S. Las Vegas, Colorado,
maybe Orlando or the Big
Apple. They just ask for cash
in those places, not passports.
But that means loss of rev-
enue for the Caribbean big
revenue, because most of the
region's visitors are from
North America.

PANIC
That is where the panic
appears to setting in. Theories
for the stand by the U.S. -
claimed to be aimed at tight-
ening border security -
abound, including the belief
that the region is being pun-
ished for cuddling too close to
rival Venezuela (read Hugo
Chavez). But the U.S. is
always correct if it says it
needs to protect its borders.
Every nation has that right.
If the Caribbean is claim-
ing that the same rules are not
being applied to other nations
where Americans visit, like
Mexico, the region may have
a point, but not a very strong
one. The U.S. can do whatev-
er it pleases to protect itself.

WHISPER
What is most disturbing,
however, is the fact that the
Caribbean's uproar over the
law is only now rising above a
whisper. Sure, some entities,
including resorts and travel
agencies, have offered to
assist Americans in applying


for passports. But somehow,
long after the law was passed,
and even with extension to its
implementation, you never
got the feeling that the collec-
tive Caribbean was putting
real political muscle behind its
objection.
Fragmented screams of
oppression are never going to
prod the mighty U.S. into
rolling back any rule. And
that is what the region has
served up until now. It's like
chicken soup without the
chicken and dumplings... and
vegetables.

OUTSIDE SUPPORT
Sure the region is
now sending missions to
Washington, hoping to break
the will of the U.S. Now
the region is banking on
some American entities
with tourism interests in the
Caribbean namely airlines -
to back up their push to knock
over the passport law. All of a
sudden, a region which vocif-
erously opposed the apartheid
regime in South Africa years
ago and adamantly refused to
throw Castro under the bus,
despite U.S. pressure, is gen-
erating nothing more than a
collective whimper in the face
of what it says could be the
most telling blow against its
bi-_-,LI money earner.
I just don't get it.
To make matters worse,
the ICC Cricket World Cup
begins in the Caribbean in
March. American citizens,
albeit mainly transplants from
cricket-loving nations around
the world, will want to get up
and go to the region to
watch games or simply suck
up the tournament's vibes.
Thousands of them will get
the sudden urge to rush to the
Caribbean, which is hosting
the event for the first time.
Shouldn't the region have
known that this passport rule
would affect that too, especial-
ly when a reported $150 mil-
lion has already been invested
in infrastructure to host the
games?
But no, they have waited.
They waited to pass Sunset
Laws needed to stage CWC
2007. And they are still wait-
ing. Until the January day of
decision is almost upon them.
I guess it's all being done on
Caribbean time. After all, the
leaders do have to make time
for that haircut and manicure.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


VIEW U p o I N T


What time is it?


Caribbean time!


We all know that
a cur is the lowest
type of dog, a
mongrel, the ones
you see hanging
around junk
yards, fish shops,
picking up guts
and scraps,
accepting any
food that is
thrown at them.
It's a bad
thing to be a cur,
lacking in pedi-
gree, but we are
all made up dif-
ferently in this
life.
Still, there
are women who
love to say that
all men are dogs.
But guess what,
we be dogs all. We bitch all
the time anyway. The irony is,
a dog is supposed to be man's
best friend, as usually he is
loyal, faithful, obedient and
filled with unconditional love.
But aha, heel boy, for women
do not want those qualities in
men, at least not in the long
term. Oh, they'll say that's
what they want, but when
they do get it, they find the
man boring, and they nitpick
for any flaw that they can find.
"Yu say your man keep on
leaving the toilet seat up, that's
all? I wish that was the only
fault my womanizing, drink-
ing, gambling brute of a man
had."

SUFFERATION
I have witnessed some
male friends of mine suffer at
the hands of women who just
upped and walked out on
them. One was a teacher, quite,
decent, church going man,
good provider, loyal to his wife,
home every night early, devot-
ed father. Everything a woman
would want in a man, or so
they say, ala Mr. Right, knight
on shining horse and all that.
But hold on to your dog
sled, after 10 years of mar-
riage she wanted out, saying
she wanted more out of life,


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decent, humble, sensitive, gen-
tlemen too. But those quali-
ties invariably contribute to
their downfall.

MONKEY BUSINESS?
Another friend of mine
went to Florida to link with
his girlfriend who was in a
so-called business marriage.
Upon arriving, he discovered
that he could only see her a
few times a week for conjugal
rights, as the other nights were
reserved for her 'business
husband'.
Now every dog is sup-
posed to have his day, but my
friend had none. He kept
whining to me about his
plight, so I told him to stop
bitching. He didn't and she
eventually threw him out after
cutting up all his suits.
On the male side, the
canine breed runs wild. The
puppy dog is the little young
boy who wants to act all
grown up. To compensate for
his youth, or missing his
mommy, he hangs around the
older dog, hoping that she can
teach him a few things. Of
course there's nothing that he
can teach her, as you know
what they say, you can't teach
an old dog new tricks, plus in
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


and that he
was too pre-
dictable.
Predictably
she left him
with the
three kids, to
go and 'find
herself'. Dog
or no dog? TONY
But few dogs ROBINSON
abandon
their pups.
Another woman tricked
my good friend into marriage,
getting pregnant and not
telling him until she was
almost seven months. Decent
chap that he was, he walked
down the aisle with her. A
year later, after d6 ,_-'iniI' him,
she walked all over him then
walked to the airport and
beyond. But not before she
cleaned everything. She
cleaned out all the bank
accounts, cashed in the insur-
ance policies and took out
loans with his name as guaran-
tee. Life's a bitch, or was he
married to one?
Now you're going to say
that sort of thing happens to
women all the time. Well, it
just might, but somehow we
hardly hear of it when the role
is reversed. Also it always
seems to happen to such


Canines, curs and bitches


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November 2006


,





CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


VIE W P 0 I n T


* "When we agreed to host "I have con- r-
CWC in 2007, there was no fidence that
9/11" CARICOM's head for we can sit at
regional security, Trinidad and the table
Tobago's Prime Minister with the
Patrick Manning, last month Americans,
explaining that security restric- speak to
tions in the world have them, and
changed since the Caribbean they will
decided to host the ICC understand" St. Lucia's
Cricket World Cup. Tourism Minister Philip J.
Pierre expressing optimism


the Caribbean will be able to
convince Washington to opt
for a diplomatic solution to its
decision to enforce a regula-
tion calling on Americans vis-
iting to region to have a valid
passport upon their re-entry
into the United States.

* "There are some very promi-
nent members of his party
now seeking to distance their
dirty hands from the setting
sun, hoping for a cleansing
from the new circle. They
know the law coming, so they
looking for a new savior.
But they not getting away" -
Trinidad and Tobago's Director
of Public Prosecutions
Geoffrey Henderson last
month expressing concern over
a statement made by Prime


Minister Patrick Manning that
two members of the newly
formed Congress of the People
(COP) party may be arrested
soon on cor-
ruption
charges

* "Playing at
home we are
always very
dangerous" -
former West
Indies cricket
great Wes
Hall discussing the team's
chances at next year's Cricket
World Cup to be hosted by the
Caribbean.

* "We all just wanted to win
so badly" West Indies fast
bowler Jerome Taylor after his


hat-trick of
wickets helped
the Caribbean
team beat
Australia in
an ICC
( lhllll, l11%
Trophy match
last month.


* "It was like the icing on the
cake of my career" Former
world light middleweight and
middleweight champion
Julian Jackson, of the US.
Virgin Islands, following his
induction into the World
Boxing Hall of Fame last
month.

Compiled from CMC and
other sources.
0


Canines, curs and bitches


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
many cases you don't want to
know the amount of tricks
that these old dogs know


either.
Then there is the watch
dog. This applies to most men,
as like it or not, all men are
ruled by the visual and see


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women in a sexual light.
They visualize, and that's why
women pander to this whim
and desire in men and dress
provocatively. Men are
attracted first by their eyes.
You know how often a man
will see a woman and drive
around the block just to get a
second look? He does not
know or care about her intel-
lect or education, all he knows
is that she looks fabulous and
he must have her. When a
pretty woman unloads her
problems on a man his canine
hearing is selective.
"I tell you John, my husband
and I just not making it, he's
driving me crazy, plus my job
is going nowhere, I just don't
know what to do..."
What do you think that
the man hears and is thinking?
"Not making it with husband,
not making it, not making
it... Lord she look great, look
on those breasts, I'd love to see
her naked, get her into
bed... not making it with hus-
band."
See, he's just another dog.

BIG DOG
Then you have the big dog.
Now with the big dog, it's not


a matter of size, at least not in
the endowment department.
For that he compensates.
Being the alpha male, his
greatness is his stature, and he
wields this power like a king's
scepter his job, his status in
life, his car, his house, all sym-
bols of his wealth. He carries
these around with him and
flashes them at every opportu-
nity in the eyes of women. He
can't wait for them to ask, "So
what do you do, where do you
work, where do you live, what
do you drive?" After that she
can just sit back and listen to
him talk for hours.
"Well, I'm a big CEO."
Spell that C...U...R.
Women who resist this flash
have told me that some of
these big dogs have told them,
"A woman like you I can't
bother with, as it's too much
work to get you into bed."
Those big dogs are so
used to flashing their bones
and silly women snap them
up, that when they meet a
woman of substance, they
back away. Too much work
indeed.
The lap dog is the worst
though, or so it would seem.
This is the man who is so hell
bent on pleasing his woman
that he does anything and
everything to be in her good
books and her bed. He would
lose his dignity, just not to be
in the doghouse. Everything
is, "Yes dear, no dear, any-
thing you say dear, I'm coming
dear....may I go on top
tonight dear?"
Oh dear, his life, gone to
the dogs. These men exist, but
we hardly hear about them, as
they live in the shadows and
are forever in the doghouse.
Then we have the faithful
dogs. These are the guys who
truly love their women, devot-
ed, loving, dedicated like the
guys I mentioned earlier. They


usually get shafted though.
Tough tits for them and, after
a while, no tits at all, as in so
many cases the women walk
out on them.
It must be an aberration
of nature, a quirk in our social
fabric why good guys finish
last.
Have you ever noticed
how it's the thugs and gangstas
who get the best women,
while the decent guys get left
or get bun? That's because
women are drawn to power,
and decency is often seen as
weakness. I have never heard
of a woman leaving one of
these guys for a decent man
yet, it's always the other way
around. That's why good guys
will always lose and curs and
canines will always run wild.
In contrast, you have the
dog heart men, who have not
even one ounce of moral fiber,
no conscience, no scruples, no
integrity, not one shred of
decency. Now he's the catch,
he's who women are drawn to,
even for a fling, as they crave
the excitement of running wild
with the pack.
The only thing worse is
the stray dog, and even him
some women will feel sorry
for and take in.
So you see, we be all
dogs, canines, curs and bitch-
es, whether we like it or not,
and we all exhibit doggish
qualities at one time or anoth-
er. As they say: "It's a dog eat
dog world, every dog has his
day, dog nyam yu supper,
you're in the doghouse, life's a
bitch and then you die."
But still, you haven't got
to live with one. Quit bitching,
quit do i--ini --wag your own
tail.
Later.

seidol@hotmail.com
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November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Assault lifestyle diseases in Caribbean Alleyne


Assault lifestyle diseases in Caribbean f Alleyne


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Caribbean govern-
ments must fight non-commu-
nicable diseases (NCDs) with
the same vigor they are com-
bating the HIV/AIDS pan-
demic says one of the region's
top health experts.
University of the West
Indies (UWI) Vice Chancellor
Sir George Alleyne last
month told the three-day 20th
Council on Human and Social
Development (COHSOD)
meeting that this is necessary
as a Caribbean citizen is \ -
eral times more likely to die"
from NCDs than a North
American resident.
"There is nothing genetic
about this," said Sir George, a
former director of the Pan
American Health Organization,
who now heads the Caribbean
Commission on Health and
Development a body tasked
with the responsibility of pro-
viding guidelines for action to


increase
investment in
health in the
countries of
the 15-mem-
ber Caribbean
community
(CARICOM).
PRE- Alleyne
VENTABLE
In his presentation on
"Priorities for Health and
Development in the Caribbean",
Sir George noted that in the last
20 years, heart diseases, diabetes,
stroke, hypertension, injuries,
and now HIVAIDS continue to
be the leading causes of deaths
in the region.
"All of these are prevent-
able," the UWI academic
added.
He said given the preva-
lence and knowledge of NCDs
in the Caribbean, "heads of
governments must show similar
enthusiasm and urgency (on


WARR ON BREAST CANCER

















-Photograph by Derrick A. Scott
Totlin Taylor-Newby, left, executive director and founder of Women At Real Risk
(WARR), pins a pink breast cancer ribbon on the lapel of Jamaica's Ambassador to
the United States Gordon Shirley as he arrives at the Seventh Annual Breast Cancer
Awareness Fund-raising Gala last month at the Washington Court Hotel in
Washington, D.C. Looking on is Claudia Hudson, president and co-founder of
WARR. October marked "Breast Cancer Awareness Month". WARR has made out-
standing contributions in the fight against breast cancer, including the staging of a
teen program initiative at the Marymount High School in St. Mary, Jamaica, where
some 200 students underwent self-breast examination, and with the staging of
the "Women of the Diaspora" seminar, which included women of African American
and Caribbean descendants.


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tackling NCDs) that they have
approached the HIV/AIDS"
pandemic affecting the region."
He also said the incidence
of obesity among males and
females has skyrocketed
throughout the region in the
last 30 years and is "as high as
70 percent" in some states.
On the issue of hyperten-
sion, it is estimated that as
much as 25 percent of the
population of all regional
countries suffer from the ail-
ment, possibly affecting eco-
nomic progress region-wide,
Sir George ui-',_lLd




Anguilla to set

up health fund
THE VALLEY, Anguilla -
Anguilla is to establish a National
Health Fund (NHF) by the start
of 2007.
Health Minister Evans
McNeil Rogers said last month
that advancement in new med-
ical techniques and technologies
and an aging population were
among the main reasons for
establishing the NHF, which is
being set up as part of the
government's Health Sector
Development program.
"All government funding
for health will be funneled
through the fund which will be
run as an independent body
with consumer representation,"
he said. "At the same time, we
are allowing the fund to raise
more money through an addi-
tional contribution from salaries
and wages, in the same way that
the Social Security Board now
collects funds for pensions and
other benefits."
The NHF will cover health
care services both on and off the
island and payments for expen-
sive specialist care overseas -
provided the patient is properly
referred by the NHF would be
limited to only five percent of
the costs of that care, with the
fund picking up the remainder.
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November, recognized
as "Lung Cancer
Awareness Month", is
being used to launch a new
national anti-smoking public
service campaign in the United
States.
"Code Blue for Lung
Cancer" a partnership
between the American
Legacy Foundation and the
National Association of
Broadcasters, is attempting
to spread the life-saving mes-
sage that early detection,
quitting smoking and the
search for a cure can help
make lung cancer history.
"Code Blue" is a compre-
hensive national effort to raise


awareness about preventing
lung cancer and increase sur-
vival rates for those struggling
with it. The campaign includes
a 30-minute documentary that
explores the devastating
impact of lung cancer on four
families and discusses how to
reduce lung cancer deaths,
primarily through early diag-
nosis and by quitting smoking.
The campaign, in both
English and Spanish, also
includes radio and television
public service announcements,
a guidebook for local broad-
casters, and an accompanying
online component at
www.americanlegacy.org/codeblue.
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November 2006








Y-. 6;


CARIBBEAN TODAY


FOOD


November 2006


I w.c .od *o


- A Caribbean Today advertising feature


Miami serves up int'l wine fair


More than 1,000 bever-
ages will be available
for public taste at the
two day Miami International
Wine Fair this month.
The fifth edition of the
annual event, scheduled for Nov.








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world, including Argentina,
Spain, Italy, California, France
and Portugal, will be available.
A connoisseur's dream come
true will be offered through the
fair's "Collector's Club", an
exclusive section of rare wines.
This year's fair will also include
a program of educational semi-
nars as well as the first ever
"South Florida Wine& Food
Pairing Competition".
This year's ticket sales will
benefit the disaster relief efforts
of the American Red Cross of
Greater Miami & The Keys.
For ticket information, call
1-877-577-WINE or visit
www.miamiwinefair.com
0


'Floribbean' shrimp

INGREDIENTS
* 1 pound peeled/deveined
large shrimp
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 4 drops liquid smoke
flavoring
* 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 tablespoon lime juice
* 1 tablespoon garlic butter

METHOD
Combine all ingredients
(except shrimp and garlic but-
ter) in medium bowl. Pat
shrimp dry and stir into mix-
ture; let stand 10 minutes to
marinate. Wash hands.
Preheat large saut6 pan
on medium high two to three
minutes. Place butter in pan;
swirl to coat. (Pan should siz-
zle.) Add shrimp; cook four to
five minutes, stirring frequent-
ly until shrimp turn pink and
opaque. Serve over rice.

Island rice

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup water
* 1 (six-ounce) can pineapple


juice
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
* 16 ounces sugar snap peas
* 1/8 teaspoon allspice
(optional)
* 2 cups instant rice
* black pepper to taste

METHOD
Combine all ,
ingredients (except
rice) in medium
saucepan. Cover
and bring to boil on
high. Stir rice into
boiling mixture.
Cover and remove
from heat; let stand
for five minutes or
until water is
absorbed. Serve.

Sugar snap peas

INGREDIENTS
* 16 ounces frozen sugar snap
peas
* 1 tablespoon garlic butter
* 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

METHOD
Place peas in microwave-
safe bowl. Cover and


microwave on high. Drain
peas and return to bowl. Stir
in butter and seasoned salt.
Cover and microwave two
more minutes or until peas are
tender. Stir and serve.

Meal time 30 minutes.


Serves four. Tip: Capture the
great flavor of the shrimp.
Give the cooked sugar snap
peas a one-minute saut6 in the
same pan.

Recipe and photo reprinted
from Publix's Apron's Simple
Meals.
0


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'Floribbean' shrimp is nice, with

island rice and sugar snap peas


I






November 2006


ZN~. ..

ceo o


CARIBBEAN TODAY


FOOD


- a~*, C, -


I www .caibeatoa.comI


A Caribbean Today advertising feature


Top-of-the-class Caribbean chefs serve up tempting delights


ELEANOR M. WILSON
As we devour Caribbean
foods with relish, let's
stop to honor those
who prepare them so well. The
five chefs we've profiled (all
Caribbean) are outstanding for
their dedication, innovation
and expansive use of the local
bounty.

Norma Shirley, Jamaica
As a bride, Norma could-
n't even boil an egg. Today,
her name appears on three
successful restaurants:
Norma's on the Terrace at
Devon House in Kingston;
Sea Splash (Negril); and at the
Port Antonio Marina.
When her husband, Dr.
Michael Shirley, introduced
Norma to travel and gourmet
dining, the elaborate presenta-
tions awakened her sense of
style, leading to a career prep-
ping plates for photo shoots in
New York. But Norma wanted
to infuse her favorite Jamaican
foods onto those plates, and
eventually opened her own
restaurant in Massachusetts.
In the 1980s, Norma
returned home as a well-
established chef. Her cuisine
represents her world travels,
but remains Jamaican based,
as in tender smoked pork
chops marinated in ginger and


Red Stripe beer, glazed with
guava and topped with
caramelized tropical fruits.
Awards and television
appearances for this "Julia
Childs of the Caribbean" are
numerous, but Norma hasn't
deserted the kitchen. That
wide Jamaican smile still goes
into every dish!

Patrick Levine, Grenada
When Hurricane Ivan
destroyed his cozy cottage on
Lagoon Road in St. George's,
our genial host/cook/waiter/
cashier opened again just up
the street. Patrick's unique
approach to dining makes this
12-table eatery a 'must' stop
in Grenada. He began cook-
ing with his adopted mother at
Mama's Restaurant, opened
his own place nine years
ago, and quickly became a
Grenada legend. His new
building, seating 120, is due
to open in Feb. 2007.
"Come hungry," says our
chef. "You'll get 20 different
local dishes, plus soup and
dessert, for just US$20.00,
excluding drinks."
There's no menu. Patrick
just cooks a giant home-style
feast and often serves it him-
self. Our table bore several lit-
tle dishes of callaloo soup,
lobster salad, codfish fritters,
fried jacks, cou-cou, fish


Open-air dining Caribbean style.


steaks, lambie in creole sauce,
stir-fried rabbit, spinach rice,
curried mutton, Tania cakes
with shrimps, oildown cooked
in coconut cream, carrot cake
and more! His stewed-beans-
in-curry dish (see sidebar) was
my surprising introduction to
non-spicy curry.

Cecilia Joseph, St. Lucia.
The chef at Stonefield Villa
Resort in St. Lucia is the great-
granddaughter of a Carib, but
there the similarity ends.
"Cecilia is very quiet and


humble, the exact opposite of
her fierce ancestors," exclaims
General Manager Aly Brown.
"Her team simply follows her
lead to create magic in our
quaint creole kitchen here at
Mango Tree."
This unassuming chef
always liked cooking with her
grandmother, and as the oldest
daughter, took over the kitchen
for her mother. Such early
exposure brought out a talent
with local herbs and spices.
Guests rave over her fresh
caught fish, either drizzled in


*" creole sauce or
**I turned into broth
.* seasoned with bay
r~ leaf and oregano.
Or try her bullion
I with unmatured
breadfruit, callaloo
leaves and hand-
grated coconut.
How do you
top that off? With
stewed guava over
coconut ice cream,
o of course.

Gwendolyn Smith,
Anguilla
.. Koalkeel
Restaurant, a his-
toric former home,
features a cen-
turies-old rock
oven.
Given a day's
notice, chef Smith fires up that
oven to prepare the house
specialty, rock oven chicken.
Your entree will appear table-
side, served in an exquisite sil-
ver chafer, surrounded by
fresh vegetables and thyme-
roasted potatoes. Several
hours before, the chef placed
that chicken in the oven (over
grapewood logs for special fla-
voring), checking often to
make sure the roof remained
white hot, while preparing
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)


Eating favorite Caribbean foods while enduring diabetes


According to the
American Diabetes
Association, 2.8 mil-
lion African Americans over
the age of 20 currently have
diabetes. That's 10 African
Americans for every six white
Americans with diabetes.
"There are several rea-
sons for this disparity,"
explains nutritionist and
author Constance Brown-
Riggs.
One is genetic: African
Americans are more suscepti-
ble to diabetes than whites.
They also have a higher rate
of obesity, which also increas-
es the risk of diabetes.
The other reason is
cultural. Typically African
Americans have less access
to diabetes information than
whites, and the food plan
required to lower diabetic risk
and control diabetes is atypical
for many African Americans.

REMEDY
While the genetic causes
are uncontrollable, the cultur-
al risk factors can be reme-
died. As a nationally recog-
nized nutritionist, registered


dietitian, and certified dia-
betes educator with over 25
years of experience, Brown-
Riggs decided she wanted to

I .. .


Eating can be fun and healthy.
help this group get and
stay healthy. As part of
her plan, she has written
"Eating Soulfully and
Healthfully with Du1 I,1L
(www.eatingsoulfully.com), a
guide that provides nutrition
information and carbohy-


drate-counts for foods that
will appeal to African
Americans who suffer from
diabetes.


Diabetes educators agree
that the first step to preven-
tion and management of dia-
betes is access to helpful infor-
mation. It is especially impor-
tant for African Americans to
understand the dangers of dia-
betes since they have a higher


risk for complications like kid-
ney failure, visual impairment,
or amputation. Lack of educa-
tion is the first problem that
Brown-Riggs tackles in her
book, explaining diabetes and
outlining how it can be man-
aged.

FOOD
The hardest part of dia-
betes management, however,
is food.
"The basic dietary recom-
mendations for those with dia-
betes are culturally insensi-
tive," observes Brown-Riggs.
"People with diabetes are gen-
erally given vague instructions
like 'stay away from sugar,' or
'just eat smaller portions'
which only make everything
more frustrating. And," she
explains, "instructions for
food management typically
don't take into account cultur-
al or ethnic food preferences."
She hopes her book
offers one step toward solving
this problem. In "Eating
Soulfully", Brown-Riggs has
devised several ways for peo-
ple with diabetes to be mind-
ful of their eating habits while


"Brown-Riggs has devised
several ways for people with
diabetes to be mindful of
their eating habits while still
enjoying foods popular in
the American South and the
Caribbean."

still enjoying foods popular in
the American South and the
Caribbean. Her "Soul Food
Pyramid", for those with dia-
betes, organizes food by car-
bohydrates, since the carbohy-
drates break down into glu-
cose, and it is the glucose that
is out of balance in people
with diabetes.
The 96-pages of charts
include all the necessary nutri-
tional information, from por-
tion size and calories to fat
and carbohydrate grams, even
carb choices and exchanges
depending on what plan works
best for each individual.
Alongside information on
turkey burgers and omelets,
there is also information on
dishes like blackened catfish

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)








~'a*-Y-. 4


CARIBBEAN TODAY


FOOD


November 2006


I ww.caibeatoa.comI


A Caribbean Today advertising feature


Top-of-the-class Caribbean chefs serve up tempting delights


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
accompanying savory gravy.
Smith was hired when
Koalkeel
opened in
1989,
expanding
her abilities
under such
renowned
executive
chefs as Guy
Guenego
and George
Reid. A
nasty hurri-
cane
destroyed
the property
in 2001. It
reopened in
2004 with
Gwendolyn
as executive
chef.
That
ancient oven
is only part
of her
domain. Her
Anguillian The rock oven at Koal
roots account
for the menu's local flavor,
aided by the restaurant's own


herb and spice garden (see
sidebar).


keel is over 200 years old and still cooking.
Verral Marshall, St. Kitts
Often voted one of the
top restaurants on St. Kitts,


the elegant ambiance at
Marshall's almost equals the
food. At softly lit tables sur-


rounding an indoor pool,
most diners begin with exotic
drinks, specialties of the


friendly Kittitian bartender.
Now you're ready for the next
step...your exceptional meal.
The many positive com-
ments Marshall received from
dinner guests at his home
encouraged this Jamaican to
follow his passion for good
food in a stylish setting. After
graduation from Casa Monte
Hotel School in Jamaica, vari-
ous positions eventually land-
ed him at Marshall's in St.
Kitts.


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
and stewed tomatoes and
okra. This should help African
Americans to prepare and
enjoy traditional ethnic fare
while maintaining normal glu-
cose levels and healthy food
intake.
While offering resources
and tips, Brown-Riggs also
encourages everyone with dia-
betes to shed pounds, improve
food choices, and exercise.
The book includes:


That gift for entertaining
remained a part of his ulti-
mate dream, to please his
guests and make sure they
have a wonderful dining expe-
rience. A few bites of his
tortellini caprice will convince
you he has reached his goal.

Eleanor M. Wilson is a
freelance writer for
Caribbean Today.
0


* A diabetes soul food pyra-
mid and explanation;
* A listing of traditional
foods from the South and
Caribbean;
* Fast food and brand-name
nutrient information and
label-reading advice;
* A two-week soul food menu
plan and sample food diary;
* A glossary of food terms;
and
* Tips for upscale dining.
0


Eating favorite Caribbean foods

while enduring diabetes


Publix Joins You in Celebrating Barbados' Independence Day-11.30.06


Publix.

www.publix.com




CARIBBEAN TODAY


4


y.


Ilfrel


-0 a i.


opIE IdI II


Digicel
Expect More. Get More.


1'


1II


III


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Miami




Book




Fair


2006


oem


Write Out Loud Cafe
Monday-Thursday evenings: Art Center/South Florida,
800 Lincoln Road Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday
during Street Fair Northeast Second Avenue and Third Street
Miami's hottest talent-musical and literary-read and
perform. Don't miss the words of John Camacho, Elisa Albo,
Norma Watkins. Emma Trelles, Nick Gamett, Nina Romano,
Leejay Kline, CM. Clark, Ryan G. Van Cleave, Terry Godbey,
Terry Witek, Yousi Mazpule, Jonathan Rose and other writers.
And the music of Mango with John Camacho. Peter Betan,
Inner Court. Matthew Sabatella and the Gambling Ramblers,
Mark Zolezzi, and others.

Creative Writing Classes
Creating Fictional Art With Robert Olen Butler
Thursday, November 16, 3-7 p.m., $40
Writing and Getting Published in the Young Adult Jungle with
David Henry Sternry
Friday, November 17, 12-4 p.m., $40
The Agent/Author Relationship in Todays Literary Marketplace
with Sandra Dijkstra
Friday, November 17, 5-7 p.m., $40
For complete information, or to register.
www.flcenterlitarts.com or 305-237-3940.

Stay Current
The Fair supports public discourse and the free exchange of
ideas. Look in the Fairgoers Guide for the day and time of
these panel discussions, and make your opinions count.
* Family Secrets, Family Truths: American
Immigrant Stories
* Living the Golden Years
* Globalization Diaspora and Caribbean Popular Culture
* El Codigo Da Vinci: La Controversia Continua (In Spanish)
* Imaginando el future de Cuba (In Spanishi
* Un pais de inmigrantes (In Spanish)
* Nonviolence: A discussion with Mark Kurdansky,
Tom Hayden, and Chris Hedges


Caribbean Issues,



Caribbean Authors


Saturday, Nov. 18
10 a.m., Room 3313-14
Fiction from Jamaica's Calabash Writers:
Colin Channer, Marion James, Geoffrey Philp
11 a.m., Room 3313-14
Christopher John Farley on The Rise of Bob Marley
Noon, Room 3313-14
Panel on Globalization, Diaspora and Caribbean
Popular Culture moderated by Christine Ho with
Mike Alleyne, Jane Bryce, and Keith Nurse
1:30 p.m., Room 3313-14
Caribbean Voices: Lawrence Scott,
Pamela Mordecai and Donna Weir-Soley
2 p.m., Room 3315
Elizabeth Nunez and Rafael de Acha on interpreting
the classics for a contemporary audience
3:00 p.m., Room 3313-14
Caribbean Voices: Lorna Goodison, Deborah Jack,
Dawad Phillip and Ramabai Espinet


4:30 p.m., Room 3313-14
Caribbean Voices: Kamau Brathwaite,
Shara McCallum, and Mervyn Taylor

Sunday, Nov. 19
1 p.m., Room 3315
Phyllis Baker on African American Spirituality
2 p.m., Room 3315
Haitian Topics: Timothy Brothers and
Margaret Armand
2 p.m., Room 7106-07
Marie-Elena John on Unburnable
3:30 p.m., Room 3315
Haitian Topics: Myrian Nader and
Anthony Greorges-Pierre


M o d ci B ah w leJ c ame c u0 7


International Village
First Avenue and Third Street
Inauguration: Thursday, Nov. 16
Explore six countries without leaving the Fairl Savor
the literature, art and culinary delights of Spain,
Haiti, Israel and the Dominican Republic, as well as
Miami's sister cities Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; and
Quingdao, China.


Children's Alley
Friday-Sunday during Street Fair, Plaza behind Bldg. 1,
10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Find out what Curious George is so curious about,
celebrate Arthur's birthday, get caught in Charlotte's
Web and play Sudokul Or listen to stories and songs
by authors and performers from all over the U.S on the
Target Children's Stage.


TARGET.


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Wiih Major Funding Support From:
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City of Miami Office of Film, Art, Culture and Enlta ment, Miami Dada Transit; City of Mianm City of Miami Sach, and Miami-Dado County.
Special hanks to lte Friends of MDram Book Fair lternatonal for their generous suport
Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami, Florida
For more information: www.miamibookfair.com or 305.237.3258
Miami Book Fair is a premier program of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College


Memoir

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CARIBBEAN TODAY


Caribbean looks to home-stay tourism for big profits


Caribbean looks to home-stay tourism for big profits


DAWN A. DAVIS
Major players in the
Caribbean hotel sec-
tor, such as Sandals,
SuperClubs, and Almond
Resorts, have traditionally
benefited from the lion's share
of tourism dollars.
With more outlay for
advertising and strategic part-
nerships with major airlines
and institutions, these "big
guys" have overshadowed
small inns and bed and break-
fast concerns.
However, with growing
interests among travelers to
experience \illgL tourism"
outside the walls of the all-
inclusives, tourism executives
are scrambling to create to
accommodate this growing
movement.
Considered one of the
fastest growing industries in
the world, Caribbean tourism


is expected to grow close to
five percent in 2006, with
employment numbers close to
2.6 million. And with over $50
billion projected in tourism
dollars for the region, the
community tourism market
could earn its share, if proper-
ly positioned.

'OUTSIDE THE BOX'
Addressing participants at
the fifth annual Caribbean
Media Exchange conference
in St. Lucia last month,
Chairman and Managing
Director of Almond Resorts
Ralph Taylor urged the indus-
try to think outside the box.
"This (ICC Cricket World
Cup 2007) presents the perfect
opportunity, to allow us to
open the doors of tourism to
our people, so that they can
share firsthand, in the experi-
ence, and the rewards," Taylor
said. "The thousands of peo-


ple who will be visiting our
shores, should be staying in
homes, that we have identi-


Unique Jamaica's Chairman Millicent
Lynch makes a presentation of
Jamaica's diverse tourism products.

fied, are capable of hosting
tourists."
The hotelier added that


the Caribbean should be
working towards critical
tourism linkages that would
encourage visitors, to stay
in homes, even after the
World Cup.

JAMAICA'S TAKE
"Jamaica is definitely
poised for this market,"
Millicent Lynch, chairman
of Unique Jamaica, told
Caribbean Today.
Unique Jamaica is a
consortium of more than 60
private sector companies
involved in the tourism
industry. Noting that Unique
Jamaica offers authentic,
interactive experiences for
travelers, Lynch discussed the
island's home-stay program
that is an integral part of the
themed "explore it, taste it,
feel it" experience.
"It's bringing a family
home. We are not asking


homeowners to do anything
they would not have done
for their homes," Lynch
explained. "There is no big
income requirement, we just
ask that they keep their home
as nice as possible and open it
up to any visitor just as they
would welcome family or
friends from abroad."
Visitors to the island will
be able to stay in private
homes throughout the island
offering up to four rooms at
rates ranging from $35 to $65
per night, depending on the
nature of the accommodation.
No room tax will be charged.
Homes are inspected and
homeowners are trained
through the Tourism Product
Development Company
(TPDCo), the training arm of
the industry.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 18)


New stadium offers Jamaica's latest visitor attraction


GORDON WILLIAMS

Montego Bay stages reggae
festivals. Negril offers miles of
white sand beaches. Ocho Rios
serves up Dunn's River Falls
and Kingston is, well, Kingston,
the capital and heartbeat of the


nation.
But by the end of next
month Jamaica will complete
yet another major attraction,
and this time sports and enter-
tainment will be the key draw-
ing cards.
The Trelawny Multi-


Purpose Stadium, near
Falmouth to the west of the
island, is rounding into comple-
tion, well in time to host the
opening ceremony for ICC
Cricket World Cup 2007 and
four warm-up matches in the
game's bi .Is, tournament
starting in March.
The new stadium recently
hosted its first competitive
match between Jamaica and a
select team from the United
States and, although rain inter-
rupted play forcing a premature
end, from most indications the
picturesque grounds bowled
over fans, players, ex-players


and writers invited to witness
the national airline's inaugural
"Air Jamaica Cup".

CHARMED
The stadium, built through
a government-to-government
agreement between Jamaica
and China, is expected to hold
25,000 fans. When CWC 2007 is
over it will be the home to
other sporting events, plus
stage shows and other forms of
entertainment. Yet even with
many rough edges still exposed,
it has already charmed visitors.
"Beautiful, beautiful," for-
mer Jamaica batsman Wayne


Lewis gushed after visiting the
stadium in late September to
watch the game. "...Once
everything is in order it's gonna
be a beautiful place to play
cricket. Magnificent facilities.
It's really looking good. I'm
very impressed."
Lewis was not alone. Most
fans sitting in the southern
stands, one of two huge areas
where the seating is colored
black, green and gold and
arranged to resemble the
Jamaican flag, were in awe of
the breathtaking view of the
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 18)


One of two main stands at the new Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in Jamaica, which
will host the opening ceremony and some warm-up matches for Cricket World Cup
2007, shows off its seat color pattern of the Jamaica flag.


Bahamas lures more Canadians


NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC -
The Bahamas has launched a
multi-million dollar campaign
aimed at getting more Canadian
tourists to visit the chain of
islands in the wake of a decision
by the United States to have its
nationals acquire passports for
travel to the Caribbean.
Tourism officials say they
expect the campaign, that was
launched last month, would
result in a 10 percent to 20 per
cent increase in tourist arrivals
from Canada.
Caribbean countries are
worried that the decision by
Washington to implement the
Western Hemisphere Travel
initiative (WHTI) could deci-
mate their tourism sector. In
September, the U.S. Congress
approved a further postpone-
ment of the WHTI, which
requires U.S citizens to have
passports when traveling to the


C.rilbban, Bermuda, Canada
and Mexico. An exact date has
not been announced, but the
U.S. Congress has agreed to
relax the Jan. 2007 implemen-
tation date to occur as late as
June 2009.
While the postponement
defers the passport require-
ment for travel by land and
sea, it has remained silent on
air travel.
Tourism officials here said
they were also examining other
measures and strategies to
increase the number of cruise
ship passengers, who do not
have to meet the new passport
requirement for another 20
months.
Last year, five million visi-
tors came to The Bahamas,
with official figures indicating
that 3.5 million of those visitors
came by sea.
0


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


lwww. 66-, U S T O


Air J looks to catch Cricket World Cup fever


GORDON WILLIAMS
T he Car ibb.n s leading
airline is looking to reap
a huge windfall linked to
the expected surge in travel
sprouting from Cricket World
Cup (CWC) to be staged in
the region next year.
According to Paul
Pennicook, Air Jamaica's
recently appointed senior
vice president for sales and
marketing, the "Love Bird"
will be luring the affections of
cricket followers worldwide in
an attempt to cash in on the
game's bi_.-_.-LI single showcase
event which begins in March.
"We certainly want to
make sure that we take as
highest a load factor as possi-
ble on the routes that we cur-
rently fly," Pennicook told
Caribbean Today last month.
Jamaica's national airline is
already part of a group of carri-
ers from the Caribbean which
has been contracted to trans-
port teams participating in the
event, officials, cricket watch-
ers, media and sponsors across
the region.

HUB
But the airline wants to add
special flights, which will allow


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17)
beach to the north and
Trelawny's capital town of
Falmouth to the west. They
also basked in the cool breeze
from the sea, which consistently
washed over the grounds.
Even cricket purists, some
who originally questioned the
decision to build the new facility
so far from the nation's capital,
are on their way to being con-
vinced that the multi-million
dollar stadium should turn out
to be a worthwhile investment.
"About a year ago I was
quite concerned about it," said
senior cricket writer Tony
Becca. "...Generally I am quite
satisfied where it is at now."
Several observers at the
ground drew favorable compar-
isons to other cricket stadiums
around the world. Becca said


fans to use Jamaica as a sort of
hub.
"What we are looking at,
ilil r, f, r is to encourage peo-
ple, or to invite people, to sleep
in Jamaica and go to cricket
matches in the eastern
Caribbean or down in the other
islands," Pennicook explained.
"In which case we would
put flights on, say early in the
morning departure, go down to
the eastern C.ribblan watch a
match for the day, and come
back up at night."
Other oppor-
tunities are
looming for
the airline as
well during
Cricket World
Cup 2007.
With hundreds
Pennicook of thousands
of fans expect-
ed from
huge cricket-loving nations
worldwide, such as Australia,
England, India, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and New Zealand, Air
Jamaica said it is looking to
function as the carrier which
takes fans from overseas cities
and transports them to the
region.
"In other words, carriers
would come from deep in Asia,


would take their people to say
London, and then we would
take them from London to
Jamaica," Pennicook explained.

IMPROVEMENT
Yet before all that unfolds
next year, Pennicook admits
that the bi.,._-L, challenge in his
new portfolio will be to get Air
Jamaica operating reliably, mean-
ing improving on time departures
and avoiding flight cancellations
which have plagued the airline.
"Yes we've had some good
patches where we have done
very well, you know, on time
performance, but we've had a
sort of up and down experience
the last few months, which,
that sort of thing impacts our
passengers," said Pennicook,
who worked as the island's
director of tourism before
moving to Air Jamaica.
"...I'm not satisfied that
we're at the point where we
can have absolute reliability,
very, very, very few cancella-
tions and all of that. And that
is my biI,_-_-l challenge, to keep
the airline full."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


the Trelawny stadium reminded
him of the Port Elizabeth in
South Africa, a Test cricket
venue. Lewis came closer to the
Caribb. an, saying that Arnos
Vale in St. Vincent and the
Folly Oval in Portland, Jamaica
offered the best reminders.
The players were pleased
as well, downplaying concerns
that the wind from the sea
would affect the quality of their
game, whether batting, fielding
or bowling.
"It's a very good view and
the breeze is not a problem,"
said West Indies fast bowler
Jermaine Lawson, who repre-
sented Jamaica versus the U.S.
"...It's very nice, good facilities
here. So I think it's definitely a
stadium to look forward to... It
was wonderful being out there."
Lawson's national coach


seemed to agree.
"It is conducive to good
cricket," said Junior Bennett.
"The scenery is extremely good
and, just talking to the players,
they also said that the vision of
the ground is good."
Yet after the West Indies
plays India on Mar. 9 in the
final CWC warm-up game in
Jamaica, the focus of the new
stadium will switch to other
events. Gone, at least for a
while, will be the sound of bat
on ball and loud appeals to
umpires. But the exciting rush
of cheering spectators is expect-
ed to continue, and visitors will
find Greenfield, Trelawny a
hard place to ignore.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


James P. PGagd, PJL 3
Immigradon Law OffMces7
Professionals and specialty workers
Managers for U.S, Subsidiaries
Nannys & Home Care Workers
Family Petitions
Importers/Exporters & Investors
Artists, Athletes & Entertainers
Businessmen, Scientists. Educators
Labor Certification & Residence: Employees & Families
aivers and petitions at U.S. consulates abroad
Criminal Immigration Matters
Deportation- Asylum, Cancellation of Removal
Citizenship 305.444.7775
fl|, jgagel@jgagel.com www.visas-america.cc
150 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1270 Coral Gables, FL 33134


* Caribbean Airlines unveils
new logo
Caribbean Airlines, the new entity
replacing the financially-strapped
BWIA, unveiled a new logo last
month, showing a vibrant humming
bird in full flight.
"The livery and logo of Caribbean
Airlines center around the humming-
bird. The hummingbird is found only in
the New World and early references to
Trinidad are as the land of the hum-
mingbird, BWIA Chief Executive Officer
Peter Davies said in a statement.

* British developer to build
resort in Grenada
A British developer has announced
the commencement of a multi-million
dollar resort and marina project in
Grenada.
Peter de Savary, a well known
international businessman, plans to
build a 120-room five-star hotel, a
small beach, a world class marina
offering berthing for 350 vessels, as
well as other residential units.

* Faith tourism for The
Bahamas
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is
partnering with former Fox News cor-
respondent and CNN news anchor
Andria Hall to promote faith tourism
in those Caribbean islands Nov. 30
through Dec. 3.


* No U.S. retaliation for
passport initiative
Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, secretary
general of the Caribbean Tourism
Organization (CTO), has scoffed at
suggestions that the amended United
States Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative (WHTI) was aimed at pun-
ishing Caribbean countries for their
close ties with Venezuela.
Passed last month by the
Congress, the WHTI requires all
Americans returning to the U.S. by air
to have passports effective Jan. 8,
2007.

* Club Med to open in
December
Club Med La Caravelle is scheduled to
open in Guadeloupe on Dec. 16 fol-
lowing the completion of renovations,
which reportedly cost $29 million.

* Health tourism symposium
May 13-14
The "Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa
Symposium", produced by Positive
Tourism Network, will be held from
May 13-14, 2007 at the Hilton
Kingston Hotel in Jamaica.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


Caribbean looks to home-stay tourism


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17)
Security will also be taken
into consideration and home-
owners will be requited to go
through security screening.
According to Gerrard McDaniel,
director of corporate communi-
cations in Jamaica's Ministry of
Tourism, "there are no blacklist-
ed areas except possible (crime)
hotspots."
McDaniel explained that
for the protection of guests,
homeowners are required to
have public liability insurance.
Jamaica's government has
negotiated with Victoria
Mutual Insurance Company
to offer the insurance at J$500
per year per room. And, with
a maximum of four rooms per
home, the most a homeowner
will layout for liability insur-
ance will be J$2,000. The
insurance company won the
bid by offering the rate based
on signing on 500 such poli-
cies. To date, more than 400
homeowners have signed on
to the Home-Stay program.
McDaniel expects the number
of homes to reach 500 by Mar.
2007.
Lynch explained that
Unique Jamaica would do the
booking. The tourism execu-
tive added that the program is
ahead of schedule, with
Home-Stay accommodations
scheduled to be in operation
before the World Cup season,
which begins in March.
However, she was quick to


add that the program was not
developed specifically for the
World Cup, but was created as
part of the unique Jamaica
experience.
"This would create a dif-
ferent type of tourism,"
explained Taylor to a packed
audience, "one which would
generate a greater level of
acceptance of the industry by
our people."
He warned that there are
many other avenues of link-
ages that remain unexplored -
avenues that have not been
fully exploited to involve the
wider public in this massive
industry.
In response, Lynch, also
marketing executive at
Jamaica's Caymanas Track
Limited, remarked that
through Unique Jamaica, visi-
tors could access the island's
diverse elements, such as
nature and culinary tours. The
group recently introduced a
"Jerk Trail" that allows visi-
tors to taste a variety of
jerked cuisine on "jerk stops"
throughout the island and
meet descendants of The
Maroons who developed the
novel pit-in-the-ground jerk
process.

Photograph and story by
Dawn A. Davis, a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


TOURISM BRIEFS


New stadium offers Jamaica's latest visitor attraction


November 2006


.............. .......... ........ -
U R I S M / T R n V IE t





CARIBBEAN TODAY


........... .....


Fort Lauderdale exhibit explores


roots of Haitian contemporary art


Belize revives African culture

on 'Garifuna Settlement Day'


Amonth-long exhibition
exploring contempo-
rary Haitian art,
through the works of one of
that Caribbean country's best
known creative forces, is cur-
rently on display in South
Florida.
Through Dec. 3, the
Broward Main Library in Fort
Lauderdale will display paint-
ings, sculptures and jewelry
as part of "Roots: The Idea
of Modernity in Haitian
Contemporary Art: The Works
of Philippe Dodard". Some 60
artworks will be presented.

THE ARTIST
Dodard was born in 1954,
in Port-au-Prince. He studied
at the Poto-Mitan Art School
with TIGA (Jean-Claude
Garoute), Patrick Vilaire and
Frido Casimir.
In 1973, he entered the
Academy of Fine Arts, then


One of 60 pieces of Philippe Dodard's
artwork currently on display in Florida.
worked as layout artist and
founded a studio of audiovisual
graphic arts. Five years later, he
received a scholarship to the
International School in
Bordeaux, France, enabling him
to specialize in pedagogic


graphic design. Two years later
he received a scholarship from
the Rotary International
Foundation and left on tour
with the Group Study Exchange
of Haiti to give conferences on
Haitian culture.
His artwork has evolved
to include large sculptures,
fine iron works and fine jewel-
ry design.
The exhibition, on display
at Gallery 6 and open from 9
a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, is
being presented by Broward
County Libraries Division,
A.C.T.I.O.N. Foundation,
Galerie Marassa and Galerie
d'Art Nader.
For more information,
call 954-357-7478 or 954-678-
2975.
The Broward Main
Library is located at 100 S.
Andrews Ave.
0


Anguilla jazz fest set for Nov. 9-12


An exciting collection of
jazz greats, including
Grammy-winning
Latin legend Eddie Palmieri,
are set to perform at the
fourth Anguilla Tranquility
Jazz Festival Nov. 9-12.
The 35 square mile British
territory will host the festival,
billed as the only straight-
ahead jazz festival in the
Caribbean region, which
kicks off with a concert by
songstress Nnenna Freelon
at the CuisinArt Resort. The
next day, the LA Caf6 will
host a triple bill featuring
Palmieri, saxophonist Pharaoh
Sanders and pianist Robert
Glasper.
On Nov. 11, the action
returns to LA Caf6 with the


McCoy
Tyner
Trio and
saxo-
phonist
Javon
Jackson.
The
festival
culmi-
nates on
Nov.12
Palmieri with the
"Jazz on
the Buh Ii series at Johnno's
Beach Stop in Sandy Ground
where The W.E.S. Group will
perform.
To learn more about the
Tranquility Jazz Festival, visit
www.anguillajazz.org or call
the Anguilla Tourist Board at


1-877-4 ANGUILLA.


^ 1 f( arifuna
| TSettlement Day",
a celebration to
mark freedom and preserva-
tion of African culture in
Belize, will be
held on Nov. 19.
A national
holiday, the
day, remembers
the liberation /
of African
slaves upon
their arrival in
Belize from St.
Vincent in
1832. The cele-
bration illus-
trates the devo-
tion and enthu-
siasm of the
Garifuna peo- Drums and dance
ple in keeping
their culture
alive through music, dance
and food.
Beating drums, brightly
colored dresses and dashikis
and soulful, rhythmic dancing,
highlight the celebration and
the mark Garifuna people
have left on the cultural land-
scape of Belize.
Festivities center on the
reenactment of the landing of


the firsts boats of the Garifuna
to Belize's shores, which are
performed in towns through-
out the country, but most
prominently in Dangriga, the


mark Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize

hub of Garifuna life.
Settlement Day is deeply
seeded in its religious and cul-
tural significance, but wel-
comes participation from
tourists and locals from any of
Belize's diverse ethnic groups.
For more information on
Belize, visit www.travelbelize org
or call 1-800-624-0686.
0


ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS


* 'Assistant Thief' in Florida
Several performances of Patrick
Brown's comedy play "Assistant
Thief", starring Oliver Samuels and
Glen Campbell, will be staged in
South Florida this month.
The schedule is as follows:
Nov. 4, 8 p.m., William T. Dwyer
High School in Palm Beach Gardens;
Nov. 10, 8 p.m., North Miami Beach
Performing Arts Center; Nov. 11, at
8 p.m., Richmond Heights Middle
School; and Nov. 12,7 p.m., Coral
Springs Center for the Arts.
For more information, call
305-891-1242.

* Miami Book Fair
International Nov. 12-19
The 23rd Annual Miami Book Fair
International will host an assembly
of Caribbean and African American
authors between Nov. 12 and Nov.
19 at the Miami Dade College


Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second
Ave. in Miami, Florida.

* A Lil Bit Of Jazz
The Caribbean Cultural Coalition, Inc.
will present "A Lil Bit Of Jazz" con-
cert at 7 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Coral
Springs Center for the Arts in Florida.
Featured artistes include
Bemol Jean Telfort, Ginou and
Dadou Pasquet, with special guests
The Magnum Band.

* Flashpoint Film Fest for
Negril
The Flashpoint Film Festival, a
forum for new Caribbean films, will
run from Dec.1-3 at The Caves in
Negril, Jamaica.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


ALA
BOt:NTY KILI-I'k


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


- u scrbes..


BETHEL HOUSE TO
RE-OPEN
After 11 years of efforts, and a
$145,000 grant from The Miami-
Dade Task Force on Urban
Economic Rehabilitation, the
Bethel House African-Bahamian
Museum, the homestead of one of
Florida's earliest Bahamian set-
tlers, will re-open its doors to the
public at 10 a.m. Dec. 18.
Bethel House is located at


18201 S.W. 103 Court, Perrine.
The Bethel House has been
revived as a cultural center for
residents of Perrine and the sur-
rounding areas. It will also func-
tion as an economic entity that
will display exhibits and archival
collection on African-Bahamian
lifestyle.
Admission is free although
donations are accepted. To learn
more about the museum and


-IC-ma- "am




JYes, send me 1 year (12 issues) of Caribbean Today
for: 0 $35(US) First Class I $20(US) Bulk Rate
J Payment Enclosed
Name: I
Address:
City: State Zip:
Country: Telephone:___

Please make check or Money Order payable to
Caribbean Today, and mail to:
9020 S.W. 152nd Street Miami, Florida 33157
or call: (305) 238-2868


Caribbean F-day
L --------------


r I


upcoming events there, call
Helen Gage of Mz Goose Inc. at
305-251-2458.

ALUMNI SOCCER
The All Jamaica High School
Alumni Soccer Tournament '06,
hosted by Calabar and Queens
High School Alumni, will be
held from 9.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3
at Tree Tops Park in Davie,
Florida.
To register a team, or get
more information, call Mackie at
954-583-1567 or Chris at 954-274-
8541.

PARENT RESOURCE
GUIDE
The Miami-Dade County
Public Schools and The
Education Fund have co-pub-
lished a free Parent Resource
Guide 21"11 .-2, ii' for the public.
The 88-page guide, spon-
sored by global financial services
provider ING, gives parents
information they need to know
about their child's school, cur-
riculum and student require-
ments.
The guide is printed in three
languages -English, Spanish and
Haitian creole. Each school in
the system will receive additional
copies for use in parent-teacher
meetings.
The guide may also be viewed
online at www.educationfundorg
(under "Our Publications") and
www.dadeschools.net (under
lR ',urr s ').
The 211 "1-2,'11 Guide pro-
vides a wealth of information
including revised curriculum
requirements, test schedules,
immunization requirements, stu-
dent services, legal rights and
parental involvement.


MIAMI MIRAMAR-BROWARD
Wachovia Financial Center Huntington Square
200 S..urh RIL iyr.u Boulevard, Suite 2680 3350 S.W. 148th Avenue, Suite 110
Miami, Florida 33131 Miramar, FL 3302 7
Tel: 786-777-0184 Fax: 786-777-0174 Tel: 954*874* 1736 Fax: 954*430*9342
info@delancyhill.com www.delancyhill.com
The hiring of a lawyer isan irrw rtm do c ci should b e be basd solely upon iisc nts. Before you decide, pkcas ask us to sad yeo lre u'rn n informaon au ourr qualifications and experience.


HURRICANE RELIEF
Elderly residents of
Broward County, Florida, home
to hundreds of Caribbean immi-
grants, will get hurricane help
from the county.
A $5,655,000 grant that will


provide assistance to residents 60
years and older that were affect-
ed by the 2005 hurricanes.
The grant money will be
administered by the Broward
County Elderly and Veteran
Services Division, and will be
used for rental subsidies to assist
elderly residents for housing
expenses incurred as their resi-
dences were damaged, in-home
services such as minor repairs
and clean up, as well as roof
replacement.
The grant funds will be
available to any Broward County
resident 60 years or older who is
not receiving services from
another source and was impacted
by a hurricane in 2005.
Assistance will be provided
through an application process.
For more information, call the
Elderly and Veteran Services
Division at 954-537-2936.

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 offering a toll free
service and has expanded its
service availability/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 pass-
port and other international trav-
el information is available at
travel.state.gov

'GREEN CARD' FILING
The United States Cili, nshlip
and Immigration Services (USCIS)
has announced that aliens must
mail applications to renew or
replace permanent resident cards,
commonly known as "Green


C .rd, ', directly to the Los Angeles
Lockbox.
The Lockbox is a processing
facility used by USCIS to accel-
erate the collection of applica-
tions 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 perform-
ing fee receipting and jp' .,,silin g
from one central location, rather
than at the local district office,
service center, or application
support center (ASC).
Aliens filing a Form 1-90,
regardless of their state of resi-
dence, must mail those applica-
tions 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 deliveries
(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 sup-
porting documentation when
submitting the Form 1-90 to the
Los Angeles Lockbox.
Applicants will receive a
notice for a biometrics process-
ing appointment at an ASC and
will submit their initial evidence
during that appointment.
Applicants will receive their
biometrics appointment in the
mail.

CRISIS HOTLINE
Multi-lingual counselors are
available to respond persons suf-
fering from stress or needing
help with housing, food, child
care, caring for teens or other
similar problems.
Call 211 from a regular tele-
phone or 954-537-0211 from a
cellular.
The free service is being
offered as part of Broward
County's helplines.
0


South Florida community builds a fishing village


Donations received at Food For The Poor's 2006 Fine Wines and Hidden Treasures,
held recently in Palm Beach, Florida, have helped to build a fishing village in the
community of Bull Bay, Jamaica. "The Palm Beach community demonstrated how
generosity and compassion can turn despair into opportunity and bring hope to fam-
ilies eager to earn a living," said Robin G. Mahfood, president of Food For The Poor.


S multi-cultural congregation, meeting at:
7200 Davie Road Extension, Hollywood, FL 33024
SUNDAYS: 10:00 a.m. with Sunday School at 9:00a.m. Joyful worship,
warm fellowship and anointed preaching await you.
Visit us next Sunday-for an experience of blessing! 10:00 a.m.
^ IFor more information call the Church Office: 954.96388.0834
Rev. Hervin Green Proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord! Rev Clinton Chisholm
Pastor www.metropolitanbaptistonllne.com Associate Pastor


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Florida hosts 'Matchmaker'


business confab, trade fair


Miami-Dade offers small


business development loans


Florida's signature event
which provides a forum
for minority women and
businesses, state purchasing
officers and private industry
to share ideas and develop
business partnerships will be
held this month in Orlando.
Governor Jeb Bush and
the state's Department of
Management Services (DMS),
Office of Supplier Diversity
(OSD), will host the annual
"Matchmaker Conference and
Trade Fair" Nov. 15-17 at the
Orange County Convention
Center.
The conference is an out-
growth of Gov. Bush's "One
Florida" initiative, in which
he challenged Florida's state
agencies to increase minority
businesses spending and
expand outreach and services
to minority businesses
statewide.
In 1999, when the initia-
tive was introduced, total cer-
tified minority spending
among government agencies
was approximately $150 mil-
lion. Since then, government
agencies have increased
minority spending by 263.5
percent or $397 million. For
fiscal year 2004 to 2005, the
state spent $693 million dol-
lars with minority businesses
statewide.
"There is no doubt,
minority businesses statewide
have benefited from the gov-
ernor's emphasis on minority
contracting," said DMS


STEVEN M. ROSENTHAL
& MICHAEL ROSENBERG

In an effort to promote bet-
ter information return
compliance, the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) is con-
sidering automating the penal-
ty setting process for informa-
tion returns relating to foreign
operations and transactions.
As United States taxpay-
ers expand their businesses
into foreign locales and more
foreign persons and entities
conduct business in the U.S.,
the information contained in
such returns is becoming more
necessary and more often uti-
lized by the IRS.
Consequently, ensuring
that penalties for either failing
to file such returns or for fil-
ing such returns late are
enforced is vital to increasing
compliance with respect to
international transactions.
The forms that the IRS is


Secretary Tom Lewis, Jr.
"Matchmaker is just one of
the many ways we help minor-
ity vendors connect with gov-
ernment spenders. Governor
Bush had a vision, and it has
come full circle."
The business conference
is designed to cre-
ate an atmosphere
that allows small
and minority busi-
nesses to interact
directly with state
procurement offi-
cials and large cor- ji
portions to build /i hi
working and lasting V r
relationships.
The agenda is
packed with events
that offer attendees
numerous opportu-
nities to enhance
their business skills. |
Nationally known Bush
speakers and pre-
senters, as well as top state
leadership, have been invited
to attend.
"Matchmaker is a one
stop shop for minority busi-
nesses, state purchasing offi-
cers and private industry to
share ideas and develop busi-
ness partnerships," said OSD
Director, Windell Paige. "We
are thrilled that our previous
sponsors and participants are
excited to return and we look
forward to fostering new part-
nerships."
This year's event features
more than 200 companies that


focusing on are Form 5471,
"Information Return of U.S.
Persons With Respect to
Certain Foreign Corporations",


and Form 5472, "Information
Return of a 25% Foreign-
Owned U.S. Corporation or a
Foreign Corporation Engaged
in a U.S. Trade or Business".
Each of these forms is an infor-
mational document that, when
applicable, must be attached to,
and filed by the due date of,
the taxpayer's related income
tax return.


will seek to purchase goods
and services from Jigibk, cer-
tified minority vendors.
Through this event, the
OSD is working to enhance
vendor involvement with pur-
chasing personnel, not only
through traditional series of


professional development
workshops and plenary ses-
sions, but with opportunities
such as the professional devel-
opment breakfast, awards
banquet, and nightly network-
ing receptions.
Corporate sponsorship
and registration opportunities
are still available.
For more information,
visit www.flmatchmaker.com
or contact the Department of
Management Services, Office
of Supplier Diversity at 850-
487-0915.
0


Furthermore, a duplicate
of each required form must be
filed with the IRS Philadelphia
Submission Processing Site in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

COSTLY
Failure to file either
return (as required) on a time-
ly basis, or not at all, can be
quite costly. The penalty for
not filing, or for filing late, a
required Form 5471 or 5472 is
$10,000. Furthermore, such
penalty may be imposed even
if the return is timely filed in
the event such return is
viewed by the IRS as substan-
tially incomplete.
However, the IRS has
determined that it is missing
opportunities to assess such
penalties based on a recent
analysis of validly filed Forms
5471 and 5472 for the tax year
2002 performed by the
Treasury Inspector General
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 22)


The Miami-Dade
Department of Business
Development will
launch a new program
that guarantees loans to
Community Small Business
Enterprise (CSBE) and Small
Business Enterprise (SBE)
firms this month.
The program relieves
some of the financial burdens
these companies encounter
as small business contractors/
vendors when awarded county
contracts and guarantees loans
for CSBE and SBE firms per-
forming on county contracts,
through a partnership with
Continental National Bank of
Miami.


ome 50 of the Caribbean's
leading chief executive
officers under age 40 are
scheduled to convene in
Jamaica in January for a
regional summit to generate
new ideas.
The event, which will also
feature a presentation to the
best business person among
the group, will be held Jan. 23
and 24 at the Courtleigh
Auditorium in New Kingston.
Participants will have
an opportunity to quiz the
region's top business leaders
about the realities companies
face and the strategic direc-
tions they see for the future.
Discussions are expected to


The intent is to bridge the
gap between submission of
requisition and receipt of pay-
ment.
The loans are in the form
of a line of credit, whereby
invoices for contract related
expenses may be paid within
48-hours. Loans may range
from a minimum of $25,000 to
a maximum of $250,000 per
participant.
Eligible CSBE/SBEs must
have a county contract award
and be in good standing with
the county.
For more information,
call Laurie Johnson at 305-
375-3121.
0


cover core business issues,
including growth, innovation,
talent management, informa-
tion technology, global mar-
kets and leadership.
The "2007 Young
Entrepreneur of the Year
Award" will also be presented.
The award is given annually to
an individuals) under age 40,
who started their own business
or are involved in the "hands
on" running of the company
as an active member of senior
management and can be direct-
ly linked to the recent perform-
ance of the company.
0


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.] Young Caribbean CEOs


to meet in January


Foreign information returns may


be subject to automated penalties


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Free small business seminars

in Miami during November


Free public seminars on
focusing on maximizing
opportunities for entre-
preneurs and small business
owners to succeed in Miami-
Dade County, and contribute
to its economic growth by pro-
viding business services, will
be held throughout November
in South Florida.
During the month, the
county's Enterprise Community
Center will present its "Emerging
and Expanding Business
Seminars Series" by offering
one on one counseling and busi-
ness information to aspiring
entrepreneurs.


The seminars, to be held
held at 3050 Biscayne Blvd.,
Suite 201, in Miami, are being
divided in two parts consisting
of the "Emerging BuItnII,
and the "Expanding BuInI,,
series.
The Miami-Dade ECC is a
division of the Miami-Dade
Empowerment Trust. The ECC
also offers a small business
resource library and daily one
on one business counseling.
For more information
about the seminars, and to
register, call 305-579-2730.
0


WICB appoints new commercial manager


ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
Barbadian Paul Skinner has
been appointed to the new post
of commercial manager of the
West Indies Cricket Board
(WICB).
Skinner now has responsi-
bility for managing the WICB's
Commercial and Business
Development Department.
"The new role will focus
highly on growing current busi-
ness and exploring new revenue
streams for the WICB", the
board stated late last month.
"In addition, the relation-
ships developed with sponsors
in his previous role as sponsor-
ship and events manager will


* 30th Miami trade confab
The effect of recent initiatives such
as the Caribbean Single Market will
be among the issues assessed at
the 30th Miami Conference on trade
and investments scheduled for
Dec. 4-6.
Will the Caribbean be able to
effectively integrate and create a
truly single market space that
allows for increased regional and
foreign direct investment? Is
CAFTA-DR delivering on its promise
or is there significant work to be
done to make Central American
economies competitive? Regional
leaders will discuss those subjects
during the three-day event.

* Europe to provide trade aid
to Caribbean
The European Union last month said
it would begin preparing a strategy
to deliver more than Euro 2 billion
($2.5 billion) in aid to Caribbean and
other developing countries.
The E.U. said that the funds
would help put in place new trade
policies to boost their growth and
help them integrate into global mar-
kets.

* OECS develops investment
ties with Puerto Rico
The St. Lucia-based Organisation of


be further
strengthened
in the pursuit
of expansion
and progress
of the busi-
ness", the
WICB stated.
Skinner Skinner has a
degree in elec-
trical engineering and an MBA
from the University of Windsor
in Ontario, Canada. He worked
for 12 years with Shell Antilles
and Guianas Ltd. and was
responsible for the Shell Select
Convenience store network in
the Caribbean.


Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
says it has developed an alliance
with Puerto Rico aimed at develop-
ing trade, tourism and investment
sectors.
It said the sub-regional group-
ing has established a tourism and
investment office in Puerto Rico that
would be used as a base for stimu-
lating trade between the two
regions.

* CARICOM gets support for
trade talks
The Caribbean community (CARI-
COM) has received support for its
repeated calls for the resumption of
the stalled Doha Round of global
trade negotiations.
Director General of the World
Trade Organization (WTO), Pascal
Lamy, told a United Nations Second
Committee special panel discussion
on "Negotiating Doha" that the WTO
would be reduced to nothing more
than a trade litigation forum if the
Doha Round of trade talks were to
fail. He urged Europe and North
America to engage in some "politi-
cal heavy lifting" to prevent the fail-
ure of the important talks.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


B u s I n e s s


Golden Krust expands into Maryland





















Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States Professor Gordon Shirley, center holding bow, cuts the ribbon marking the official
opening of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill 108th store in the mall at Prince George's Plaza, Maryland, last month. Sharing
in the ceremony is Golden Krust President and Chief Executive Officer Lowell Hawthorne, to Shirley's immediate left, and Garfield
Gordon the new franchisee. Also joining in the celebration are members of the Golden Krust family members and well wishers.
Ambassador Shirley said "the growth of Golden Krust into a successful franchisee is not only impressive, but is also a testa-
ment to the enterprising sprit of the Jamaican people." He said Golden Krust is the largest Jamaican-owned chain restaurant
throughout the United States.
Hawthorne said Golden Krust is expanding its chain of restaurants into Maryland and there are plans to establish an addition-
al 10 stores in the state over the next five years.
"The trend of the restaurant business is growing in that area and Golden Krust is now moving towards capitalizing on this
market and to bring Jamaican cuisine to both the Caribbean and American community," Hawthorne said.
Golden Krust, he added, will bring to Maryland a concept that is a Caribbean theme with a strong Jamaican emphasis -
authentic jerk chicken and variety of patties.
Two months ago Golden Krust opened four stores in Atlanta, Georgia.


P.M. projecting investments,

healthy economy for St. Kitts


BASSETERRE, St. Kitts,
CMC Prime Minister Dr.
Denzil Douglas is projecting
the St. Kitts and Nevis econo-
my could benefit from invest-
ments totaling more than one
billion east Caribbean dollars
($370.3 million) over the com-
ing months.
Douglas said among the
projects is the construction of
hotels, marinas, golf courses,


villas, condominiums and
thorough-bred horse and dog
racing tracks.
He told local private and
public sector officials that the
federation had been able to
attract several high profile
investors, including the Ritz
Carlton hotel group, to do
business on the island.
"These developments will
result in well over one billion in


investment in our economy
over the medium-term,"
Douglas said. "There is clearly
no doubt that the growth
potential of our economy is
strong and that we need to
continue to create an environ-
ment that is conducive to
strong and sustained economic
growth."
0


Foreign information returns may

be subject to automated penalties


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21)
for Tax Administration
(TIGTA).
According to such study,
approximately three percent
of the forms 5471 and 5472
filed for 2002 were filed late
(7,929 out of 245,419; such
numbers were based on a
sample analysis).
However, not a single tax-
payer filing a late Form 5471
or 5472 was assessed the
$10,000 penalty. Based on
these results, the TIGTA has
determined that the IRS is
potentially missing out on the
opportunity to assess approxi-
mately $79.2 million in penal-
ties annually, assuming the tax-
payers in question did not have
reasonable cause for filing late.


Such missed opportunities
are the result of the IRS's
reliance on examiners to man-
ually identify the delinquency
and to then to appropriately
assess the penalty, a result that
could be eliminated through
an automated process.

STUDY
As a result, the TIGTA
has recommended to the IRS
that a study be performed by
the IRS to determine whether
an automated penalty setting
process should be put in place
with respect to Forms 5471
and 5472. The IRS has
agreed that such a study
should be performed in order
to determine the benefits that
may be derived by implement-
ing an automated penalty set-


ting process in comparison to
any related costs.
Consequently, it may
become even more important
in the future that any taxpayer
who may be required to file
either a Form 5471 or 5472 do
so on a timely and accurate
basis. As the penalties for
failing to file a Form 5471 or
5472 are not insignificant, tak-
ing the time to make sure
these returns are timely filed
will likely become of utmost
importance.

Michael Rosenberg is a
shareholder and Steven M.
Rosenthal is an associate
with the Coral Gables law
firm of Packman, Neuwahl
0


BUSINESS BRIEFS


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


........S P 0 R T


Jamaica's Powell, Simpson


top regional athletic awards


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico,
CMC Jamaican sprinters
Asafa Powell and Sherone
Simpson have been selected
the best Central American
and Caribbean Athletes of the
Year, after both had superb
seasons in 2006.
Stephen Francis, their train-
er at the Jamaica-based MVP
Track Club, was also named the
North America, Central
America and Caribbean Track
and Field Coaches Association
(NACACTFCA) Coach of the
Year.
Unbeaten in 16 finals, the
23-year-old Powell equaled his
100-meter world record twice
(9.77) and became the first
Jamaican to claim a share of
the IAAF Golden League
jackpot. He also added the
Commonwealth Games and
the World Athletics Final
titles to his extensive pedigree,
as well as improving his 200-
meter personal best to 19.90
seconds in a tremendous sea-
son. Powell is being awarded
with the CAC Athlete of the


Year honor for the second
consecutive season.

EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE
Simpson was also impres-
sive in the sprints, posting the
year's fastest times in both 100


meters (10.82) and 200 meters
(22.00). The 22-year-old
clocked seven of the 11 sub-11
second times and won the
World Cup in Athens, as well
as the World Athletics Final,


both over 100 meters.
In March she won the
Commonwealth title over 200
meters, defeating he team-
mate and Olympic champion
Veronica Campbell.
Simpson also dominated
four of the six
IAAF Golden
League meetings
and anchored the
Americas squad to
the 4x100-meter
sprint relay win at
the World Cup.
-- Powell and
S Simpson are also up
for two major world
awards from the
IAAF. They have
both earned nomi-
nations the 2006
World Athlete
of the Year
award, plus the
"Performance of the Year"
prize that will be declared at
the 2006 IAAF World
Athletics Gala in Monaco
on Nov. 12.
0


New format for Caribbean cricket


ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
The West Indies Cricket
Board (WICB) has announced
a new format for regional
cricket with the 2006-2007
four-day Carib Beer Series
and KFC Cup limited overs
tournaments to run concur-
rently.
Starting on Jan. 4, 2007,
venues will use a six-day win-
dow to host the four-day
Carib Beer Cup matches and


then the KFC Cup limited
overs game two days later.
In the opening matches in
the Carib Beer series on Jan.
4, title-holders Trinidad and
Tobago will be away to
Barbados at Kensington Oval,
the Leeward Islands entertain
Jamaica in St. Kitts, and the
Windward Islands will be at
home to reigning KFC Cup
champions Guyana in
Grenada. At the completion


of those Carib Beer Cup
matches, teams will stay on for
the KFC Cup matches two
days later on Jan. 9.
The pattern will continue
through subsequent weeks
until the KFC Cup Final Four
series in St. Vincent on Feb.
14, 15, and 17.
The five-day Carib Cup
final is slated for Feb. 22-26 at
Guaracara Park in Trinidad.
0


ZURICH, Switzerland -
Jamaica has replaced Trinidad
and Tobago as the top team in
the Caribbean Football Union
(CFU), according to rankings
released by soccer's world
governing body FIFA last
month.
The Reggae Boyz, despite
being knocked out of the
Digicel Caribbean Cup at the
first group stage, jumped 20
places in the rankings to 57th,
resulting in a CFU leap from
number three to number one.
The Jamaicans were
defeated 2-1 by St Vincent
and the Grenadines (SVG) in
Digicel Cup group play in
September, but benefited
from otherwise good results
during the latest period under
ranking review, defeating
other top 100 teams Canada
(2-1) and Haiti (2-0), while


winning three of four games.
T&T's Soca Warriors, led
by veteran Dwight Yorke,
played in last summer's World
Cup finals for the first time in
the country's history. The


country fell 24 places to 80th
in the world rankings to be
the number three CFU team.
Cuba climbed to number two
in the Caribbean after climb-
ing one place up the world
rankings to 68th.
St Lucia, which was fourth
in the last CFU rankings,
dropped out the top five to
ninth after falling one place
on FIFA's list to 116.
The other CFU teams to
drop in FIFA's ratings are The
Bahamas (eight places to
146th), The Netherlands
Antilles (one spot to 172nd)
and Cayman Islands (one
place to 178th).
The St. Lucians were
overtaken by Haiti, SVG,
Barbados, Guyana and
Antigua and Barbuda respec-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 24)


LOS ANGELES, California,
CMC Former world light
middleweight and mid-
dleweight champion Julian
Jackson, of the United States
Virgin Islands, joined some big
names of the past as inductees
into the World Boxing Hall of
Fame (WBHF) last month.
Standing alongside
such greats as the legendary
Panamanian Roberto Duran,
Jackson was one of the star
inductees at the WBHF's 27th
Annual Banquet of Champions
with over 900 attendees at the
Los Angeles Airport Marriott
Hotel.
Duran was the bi._.-_lI
name among the 13 inductees
that included other ex-champi-
ons Matthew Saad Muhammad
and Eddie Perkins, and
announcer Barry Tompkins.
Jackson starred in the mid-
dleweight division with his
pure knockout power during
the late 1980s and early 1990s
and was a three-time champi-
on, embracing the 154-pound
light middleweight and 160-
pound middleweight divisions.
He racked up an impressive
ring record of 55 wins (49
knockouts) against six losses,
and is widely regarded as one
of the hardest punchers in
world junior middleweight and
middleweight boxing history.

TITLE RUN
He won his first world title
in Nov. 1987 by knocking out
South Korean In Chul Baek in
three rounds in Las Vegas to
capture the World Boxing
Association (WBA) light mid-


dleweight title that had been
vacated by Jamaican Mike
McCallum.
Jackson had lost his first try
at that 154-pound WBA belt
when McCallum, already in the
WBHF, beat him in two rounds
in Florida in Aug. 1986. After
defeating Baek for the title,
Jackson
successfully
mi o defended
the belt
three times
with
impressive
knockout
Jackson wins -
against
Brazilian Francisco DeJesus and
Americans Buster Drayton and
Terry Norris before moving up
to the middleweight division.
In his first title opportunity
at the 160-pound middleweight
level, Jackson whipped Britain's
Herol Graham in four rounds
to capture the World Boxing
Council (WBC) title in Nov.
1990. He defended that title
four times before losing it to
American Gerald McClellan
As a 34-year-old, he
regained the belt by beating
Italian Agostino Cardamone
in Mar. 1995, but lost it to
American Quincy Taylor in his
first defense five months later.
Jackson retired in 1998 after
losing to American Anthony
Jones. Now age 45, Jackson is
the national coach of the USVI
and gets his WBHF induction in
his third year of eligibility.
0


Former world champion

Berbick killed in Jamaica


PORTLAND, Jamaica, CMC
- Jamaica's former world
heavyweight boxing champion
Trevor Berbick was found
dead close to his home in
Norwich late last month. He
was 51 years old.
Berbick was discovered
with multiple wounds, appar-
ently inflicted by a machete.
He won the World Boxing
Council (WBC) heavyweight
title in Mar. 1986 by defeating
American Pinklon Thomas,
but lost the belt eight months
later in a second-round knock-
out to Mike Tyson.
After representing
Jamaica at the 1976 Olympic
Games in Canada, Berbick
remained in that country to
pursue a professional career in
the sport and within three
years he became Canada's
heavyweight champion.
In Dec. 1981, in The


Bahamas, Berbick defeated
Muhammad Ali on points, in
what was the last professional
fight for the legendary
American, widely regarded
as the greatest heavyweight
boxer of all time.
0


USVI's Jackson enters

Boxing Hall of Fame


Soca Warriors fall from top of

Caribbean soccer rankings


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


* T&T Soca Warriors quit
threat to retire
Trinidad and Tobago's Soca
Warriors, who participated at the
World Cup finals in Germany in
June, have withdrawn their threat
to retire from international soccer
over disputed bonus payments.
After consultation with
lawyers, the players' committee -
with Dwight Yorke, Brent Sancho,
Stern John and Dennis Lawrence
at the helm said last month that
there is a suitable arbitration
process under the FIFA statutes to
resolve the issue.

* Windies hosts Sri Lanka
'A'
Sri Lanka's 'A' team will embark
on a seven-match cricket tour of
the West Indies starting late this
month.
The Sri Lankan reserves will
play West Indies 'A' in two four-


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23)
tively. Haiti, SVG and
Barbados made the bi,-L,, I
moves in the entire world
rankings. The Haitians


day matches in Guyana and St.
Kitts before facing the home team
in five one-day matches in
Jamaica.

* U.S. Wellness team for
Reggae Marathon
United States-based team The
Wellness Community's Strides For
Hope will be among the more
than 400 participants to contest
the sixth staging of Reggae
Marathon/Half Marathon in Negril,
Jamaica on Dec. 2.
Participants are also expect-
ed from Europe, Africa, Asia and
the Caribbean. The course runs
along the seven-mile white sand
beach strip in Negril.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


jumped 35 places to 83rd,
SVG 44 to 85th and Barbados
52 to 100th.
0


CFU rankings (world ranking in brackets)


1. Jamaica (57)
2. Cuba (68)
3. Trinidad and Tobago (80)
4. Haiti (83)
5. St. Vincent & the
Grenadines (85)
6. Barbados (100)
7. Guyana (106)
8. Antigua and Barbuda (109)
9. St. Lucia (116)
10. St. Kitts and Nevis (118)
11. Suriname (122)
11. Bermuda (122)
13. Bahamas (146)


14. Grenada (157)
15. Dominican Republic (160)
16. Turks and Caicos (168)
17. British Virgin Islands (171)
18. Netherlands Antilles (172)
19. Cayman Islands (178)
20. Dominica (120)
21. Puerto Rico (191)
22. Anguilla (196)
23. Aruba (198)
23. United States Virgin Islands
(198)
23. Montserrat (198)
0


SPORT


Jamaican wins MLS Golden Boot award


NEW YORK CITY, New
York, CMC Jamaican-born
forward Jeff Cunningham has
secured the Budweiser
Golden Boot award as top
scorer in the 2006 United
States Major League Soccer
(MLS) regular season.
Cunningham, a former
U.S. international who plays
for Real Salt Lake alongside
another Jamaican Andy
Williams, scored 16 goals dur-
ing this year's campaign, two
more than the Chivas USA
forward Ante Razov and the
D.C. United midfielder
Christian Gomez, who each
had 14 goals.
The 30-year-old


Cunningham, who migrated to
the U.S. from Montego Bay in
Jamaica as a 14-year-old, added
11 assists to his goal tally.
This marks the third time
that a Caribbean-born player
has won the Golden Boot
award, following back-to-back
awards for Trinidad and
Tobago's Stern John in 1998
and 1999.
Now in his ninth MLS
season, Cunningham has 90
career goals and is fourth on
the MLS all-time scoring list
behind Jason Kreis (108),
Jaime Moreno (105) and
Razov (98). Cunningham, who
has nine caps for the U.S.,
spent most of his MLS years


Cunningham
with Columbus Crew and one
season with the Colorado
Rapids before being traded to
Real Salt Lake. He earned
MLS "Player of the Week"
honors four times during the
2006 season and was "Player
of the Month" in August.
0


Barbados bracing for Jamaica

onslaught in under-16 netball


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC Defending champions
Barbados is bracing for a stern
challenge to their Caribbean
Netball Association's under-16
title, when the tournament
gets underway this month.
Though confident of
mounting a strong title-defense
after choosing a strong 12-
member team, Barbados is
wary of threats to the title it
won last year in St. Kitts and
is eyeing five-time champions
Jamaica in particular.
"All things being equal,
the girls have been training
hard, we have put them
through some very severe
tests here because we are real-
ly aware that Jamaica really
wants to get back the under-
16 championship," Annette
Beckett, the Barbados Netball
Association president, told
CMC Sports.

CHALLENGE
Barbados claimed the title


in the last tourney after beating
perennial champions Jamaica
26-24 in a thrilling encounter,
the marquee event at in the
championship. Beckett said
Barbados expected its major
challenge to come from its
northern neighbors again.
Yet despite the challenge
from Jamaica, Beckett said
she expected Barbados to suc-
cessfully defend its title.
"We are expecting the
under-16 team for 2006 to per-
form as good as or better than
the one did in 2005," Beckett
said.
The championships will be
staged at the Jean Pierre
Complex from Nov. 23 to Dec.
3. Nine teams are confirmed.
Ex-champions Jamaica and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
(SVG) will join Barbados,
Antigua and Barbuda,
Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts,
St. Lucia, and hosts Trinidad
and Tobago.
0


The Jamaica Football
Federation (JFF) last
month announced that
it is close to signing Bora
Milutinovic as the next coach
of Jamaica's Reggae Boyz soc-
cer team.
The JFF has been sourcing
sponsorship to pay the salary
of Serbia-born Milutinovic,
one of the world's best-known
soccer coaches, and both par-
ties have declared they are
close to an agreement.
Jamaica's Finance
Minister Dr. Omar Davies
said his government was com-
mitting $500,000 annually for
the next four years toward
Milutinovic's salary. Davies
said that allocation was being
shared between the govern-
ment and an undisclosed pri-
vate sector interest.
Currently based in Mexico,


Milutinovic is one of
the world's most trav-
eled international
coaches and he is the
only man to have led
as many as five differ-
ent teams at the
World Cup finals -
China in 2002, the
1986 hosts Mexico,
Costa Rica (1990),
hosts United States
(1994), and Nigeria
(1998).
Milutinovic has a Milutinovic
reputation as a coach
who will make surprise team
selections. Former United
States national team player
Alexi Lalas, who played for
Milutinovic, told Caribbean
Today that the coach will also
favor smart, young players.
In France 1998, under the
guidance of Brazilian coach


Rene Simoes, Jamaica created
history when it became the
first English-speaking
Caribbean team to appear in
a World Cup finals, but the
Reggae Boyz have struggled
to reach those lofty heights
since then.
0


Caribbean to crown new soccer kings


Anew champion of
regional soccer will be
crowned early next
year following Jamaica's elimi-
nation from the preliminary
round of the Digicel
Caribbean Cup last month.
Jamaica, playing at home,
finished third in its group,
behind Haiti and St. Vincent
and the Grenadines.The
second qualifying round of
matches will begin this month
with 12 teams split into three


groups of four. The top two
teams from each group will
automatically join hosts
Trinidad and Tobago in the
finals of the tournament in
January. The third placed
team in each group will play
off, with the winner earning
the last spot in the finals.
Play in Group G, based in
Barbados, will feature the hosts,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
Bermuda and The Bahamas.
The opening group games are


scheduled for Nov. 19.
Games in Group H will
be hosted by Guyana, which
will be joined by the
Dominican Republic,
Guadeloupe, and Antigua and
Barbuda. The first matches
will kick off on Nov. 24.
On Nov. 8, play begins in
Group I, featuring hosts
Martinique, Cuba, Suriname
and Haiti.
0


SPORT BRIEFS


Milutinovic set to coach

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz


Soca Warriors fall from atop

Caribbean soccer rankings


November 2006





CARIBBEAN TODAY


REGION n


LWW-crbbatoa.co


E.U. envoy urges Caribbean not to miss trade pact deadline


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC As the Caribbean
negotiates a new economic
deal with the European Union
(E.U.), Europe's point man
in the region has warned that
the Caribbean community
(CARICOM) stands to pay
a hefty price if a new deal
cannot be struck in time.
Ambassador Amos
Tincani, head of the European
Commission Delegation to
Barbados and the Eastern
Caribbean, said the region must
get its trade position together
by the Jan. 2008 deadline to
negotiate a new Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA)
with the E.U.
"We should not flaunt the
deadline, but equally we have
no magic alternatives to offer


and it is politically unrealistic
to think that (World Trade
Organization)
members would
agree to extend
the current
waiver, and cer-
tainly not with-
out a hefty
price," he told
cultural workers
and trade nego- Tincani
tiators gathered
here to make recommenda-
tions for promoting creative
industries.

CHANGE
The E.U. envoy told
participants at the Caribbean
Regional Negotiating
Machinery (CRNM)-organ-
ized seminar last month that


the EPA would fundamentally
change the E.U.-Caribbean
relationship from one that
offers trade preferences to one
that builds lasting regional and
international markets for the
Caribbean.
"The world is moving on
and preferences are eroding -
eroding permanently. It does
the region no favors to cling
to the past," he told his audi-
ence which is tasked with
determining how the region's
cultural industries will be inte-
grated into the Caribbean's
external trade negotiations.
Tincani said the
Caribbean is stressing weak-
ness in regional economies
and the need for flexible trade
tools while Europe is showing
", iin flexibility" to reflect


Jamaican named 'African Living Legend'


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Caribbean community
(CARICOM) Secretary
General Edwin Carrington
has praised Jamaican diplomat
Dudley Thompson who has
been recognized as an
"African Living Legend".
Ambassador Thompson
was given the honor by the
African Press in Ghana, along
with Nelson Mandela, United
Nations Secretary General
Koffi Annan, Nobel Laureate
Professor Wole Soyinka, and
three other African nationals.
"The fact that this is your
second such recognition by
Africans is a powerful testi-


mony that you have sincerely
dedicated most of your life to
the Pan-African movement.
You have not only served your
home the Caribbean very well
but have extended your hand
further afield to cross borders
and continents to embrace our
African brothers and sisters
while seeking to reinforce the
ties that have bound us,"
Carrington said in a congratu-
latory message.
He said for Thompson to
have received the recognition
along with persons such as
Mandela, Annan and Soyinka
"is a tremendous honor, not
only for yourself and Jamaica


but for the entire Caribbean."
Born in 1917,
Thompson
received the
Order of
Jamaica and the
Order of
Balboa from
Panama. He
served in
Thompson Britain's Royal
Air Force dur-
ing World War II and interact-
ed with such Pan-African
greats as Kwame Nkrumah of
Ghana, George Padmore of
Trinidad and Tobago and
Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya.
0


IDB approves $18M loan to develop

Haiti's agriculture, livestock sectors


WASHINGTON, CMC The
Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) has approved a
$17.8 million loan to Haiti to
further develop the agricultural
and livestock sectors.
The IDB said that the funds
would be used to strengthen exten-
sion and research centers, reduce
losses caused by key crop and live-
stock pests and diseases and gener-
ate business opportunities.
The funds will also be used
for a program to increase pro-
ductivity in rural supply chains
with proven growth potential.

FALL
The IDB said that agricul-
tural output has fallen dramati-
cally in Haiti over the past two
decades, increasing poverty levels
in the countryside, where the
majority of Haitians reside.
"Nevertheless, a variety of
agriculture and livestock-based
activities show promising
prospects to add value and gen-
erate more income and jobs in
rural areas," it added.


Building on studies of Haiti's
emerging rural supply chains,
the IBD said the new program
would strengthen the Ministry of
Agriculture, Natural Resources
and Rural Development
(MARNDR) by investing in
existing research and extension
centers and promoting public-
private cooperation.
"Knowledgeable members of
producer associations will be
included in steering committees
to ensure the relevance and
accountability of the research and
extension programs," it added.

PEST CONTROL
A second component of the
program will bolster Haiti's
capacity to detect and control
key pests and diseases affecting
plants and animals in the priori-
ty supply chains; improve quar-
antine controls at airports, ports
and border crossings; run quali-
ty control, compliance and certi-
fication systems; and carry out
specific phyto-zoo-sanitary cam-
paigns.


The program will help the
MARNDR boost its capacity to
make public investments in rural
supply chains by providing
financing to train staff in strategic
management, human resources
and operations management and
information management.
As part of the program, a
$500,000 grant from the
Japanese Poverty Reduction
Fund (JPRF) will help link rural
producer groups and entrepre-
neurs to market opportunities,
including services to develop
business plans and to identify
financing sources, the IDB said.
It said that investments
made under the program would
complement other rural develop-
ment projects financed by the
IDB and various international
agencies and donors in Haiti.
The new loan is for 40 years,
with a 10-year grace period. It
has an annual interest rate of one
per cent during the first decade
and two per cent thereafter.
0


the regional realities in negoti-
ations for a replacement to
the Lome and Cotonou trade


* Caribbean, U.S. sign
anti-drugs pact
The United States has signed an
agreement with several Caribbean,
South American and European
countries aimed at dealing with the
illegal drug trafficking trade.
Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago,
Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia,
Brazil, the Netherlands, France,
Britain signed the "Paramaribo
Declaration" last month at the end
of a two-day conference.

* Caribbean, U.S. sign anti-
drugs pact
The United States has signed an
agreement with several Caribbean,
South American and European
countries aimed at dealing with the
illegal drug trafficking trade.
Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago,
Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia,


and aid pacts with new recip-
rocal trade arrangements.
0


Brazil, the Netherlands, France,
Britain signed the "Paramaribo
Declaration" last month at the end
of a two-day conference.

* BVI to introduce new work
permit card
Authorities in the British Virgin
Islands are introducing a new work
permit card in an attempt to wipe
out what they say is widespread
forgery of the current document.
Noting that the measures were
long overdue, Minister of Labor
Eileene Parsons said the BVI Labor
Department has contracted a
Barbadian firm to produce the new
card which will be introduced Jan. 3.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) No. 6000000039
Information Technology Services
The Procurement Department of the South Florida Water Management District, B-I Building, 3301 Gun
Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406, will receive sealed proposals up to 2:30 p.m. opening time
on December 15, 2006 to develop a pool of qualified Contractors that can provide the District with
Information Technology Consulting Services.
An OPTIONAL PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE will be held on November 27, 2006, @ 1:30 p.m.
in the District's building B-1, Auditorium, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach Florida for all
interested respondents.
All proposals must conform to the instructions in the RFP. Interested respondents may obtain a copy of the
complete RFP (1) at the above address; (2) by downloading the solicitation from our website at
www.sfwmd.gos; (3) by calling (561) 682-2715; or (4) by calling the 24-hour BID HOTLINE (800) 472-
5290. The public is invited to attend the proposal opening. Further information on the status of this
solicitation can be obtained on our web site www.sfwmd.gov.
Official public meetings regarding oral presentations for this RFP are scheduled for the period of January
25, 2007 thru March 5, 2007.
Oral presentations are subject to cancellation in the event that the District's final ranking is based solely on
the written proposal evaluation. All meetings will be publicly noticed when dates are confirmed. All public
meetings will be held at the District's headquarters site, building B-1. A copy of the agenda may be
obtained by writing the South Florida Water Management District, Procurement Department, P.O. Box
24680, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33416-4680. Persons with disabilities or handicaps who need assistance
may contact the District Clerk, (561) 682-6297, at least two business days in advance of the meeting to
make appropriate arrangements.
Should one or more members of the evaluation committee need to attend any of the meetings by means of
communication media technology (CMT), the meetings will be teleconferenced at the dates, times,
locations and conference rooms referenced above. For more information, please contact Donna Lavery,
Lead Procurement Specialist, at (561) 682-6420, or Penny Burger, Contract Specialist, at (561) 682-2536.




Attention Construction Contractors
Architectural and
Engineering Consultants
Po tial Vendors
Other Prokasional Service Consultants

Learn how to do business with Miami-Dade County.
Visit http://business.miamidade.gov for information on:
Vendor Registration and Enrollment Solicitations Online
Pre-qualification Certification A list of all contracting
opportunities
Internet access is available at Miami-Dade Libraries.
Or, call the 3-1-1 Answer Center.
Architectural and engineering as well as construction project
announcements are published in the Daily Business Review.

5 c, ri E ,, tl-.t c Every 2 ,y


REGION BRIEFS


November 2006









- u scrbes..


*


CARIBBEAN TODAY


i 0 c n AI


Jamaica offers incentives for U.S. passport holders


Jamaica is encouraging
Americans to get their pass-
ports through a series of
value added and educational pro-
grams created in response to the
new U.S. passport regulations.
Two programs announced
by the Jamaica Tourist Board
(JTB) and the Jamaica Hotel
and Tourist Association (JHTA)
offer incentives for travelers
who obtain new passports, and
provide opportunities that make
it convenient for potential trav-
elers to sign up for their pass-
ports.
Visitors who travel to
Jamaica after Jan. 8, 2007 with
new passports and have Jamaica
as the first port of entry
stamped in their new passport,
will receive special credits dur-
ing their stay that equal the
standard amount spent on
applying for a U.S. passport.
These incentives may include
hotel services, such as spa treat-
ments, golf greens fees, attrac-
tion tour fees, room upgrades,
extra nights, gift shop and photo
shop purchases, and more.
Participating hotels will


offer the vari-
ous incentives
through Dec.
2007. Services
and amenities
provided by
hotels will
equal the U.S.
dollar amount Assamba
spent on each
new passport: $97 per adult and
$82 per child for new passports.
Details for participating hotels
will vary.
For more information go to
www. visitjamaica. com/rewards

COFFEE BREAKS
On Nov. 15, the JTB is
expected to launch a series of
"Jamaica Morning Coffee
Breaks" at major commuter ter-
minals in New York, Chicago and
Washington, D.C. Consumers can
apply for their passports on-site
or collect the necessary forms.
Free Jamaican Blue
Mountain coffee will be offered,
as well as information on
Jamaica travel and new passport
requirements.
Commuters will need to


have all necessary documents if
they want to apply at the events.
This program will continue in
additional major U.S. markets
through mid-winter 2007.

HONEYMOONERS
The JTB is also encourag-
ing couples and families to
include getting their passports
on their "must do" list as they
plan honeymoons and family
vacations.
"Jamaica realizes how
important it is to educate
Americans about the new pass-
port regulations, and to encour-
age travelers to apply for their
passports as soon as possible,"
said Minister Of Tourism,
Entertainment and Culture.
"These initiatives are
designed to make the applica-
tion process easier, as well as to
provide an incentive to make
Jamaica the first stop upon
receiving a passport."
For more information about
the passport requirements and
Jamaica's passport initiatives, go
to www.visitjamaica.com
0


For Caribbean nationals living
in the United States who are
planning an early 2007 retire-
ment, now is the time to contact
Social Security.
Here's why: the Social
Security office generally encour-
ages people to notify it about
three months before the month
in which they plan to retire.
For those planning to retire
in 2007 who want their monthly
payments to start in January or
February, they can do it now and
get the process completed
before the start of the busy holi-
day season.

ONLINE
For those who are Internet
savvy, Social Security makes
the process even easier and
more convenient through
options available at its website
www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire.


Author and illustrator
Camille A. Alston has
published a children's
book entitled "Beautiful as a
Butterfly" which speaks to
young readers and addresses
their concerns about self-
esteem.
The easy-to-
understand prose
helps children
grasp the some-
what complicated
issue of self-
esteem. Alston,
who also illustrat-
ed the book, saw a
need for this type
of book after
working directly ,,.
with children from
a variety of circumstances.
"In today's society, youth,
and adults alike, are constant-
ly presented with many chal-
lenges including issues of
low self-esteem and lack of
self-worth. 'Beautiful as a
Butterfly' presents parents
with an important opportunity
to discuss ways to help their
children develop a healthy
sense of confidence," Alston


November 2006


Applications can be made online
for a person's retirement or his or
her spouse's benefits. Before the
online process begins, applicants
will be informed that he or she
will sign the application form
electronically, once they click on
the "sign now" button at the end
of the application. That means
the applicant accepts responsibili-
ty for the accuracy of the infor-
mation submit to Social Security.
Social Security will need to
have proper verification to
make a decision on claims, such
as proof of age, earnings, mar-
riage and sufficient medical evi-
dence for disability claims.
For those who do not have
access to the Internet and are
ready to apply for retirement
benefits, visit a local Social
Security office or call 1-800-772-
1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
0


in a recent press release.
Teachers are also encour-
aged to use this book as a tool
to teach students about this
vital aspect of growth.
In the book, Sweet Pea's
daddy tells her how beautiful
she is, but she
doesn't
believe him,
until she dis-
covers what
makes her
beautiful. She
asks her moth-
er and other
important
people in her
life for their
opinions and
she finds out
that everybody thinks she is
beautiful for a different reason.
Alston was born and
raised in Plainfield, New
Jersey and graduated from
Morgan State University in
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
with a degree in fine arts.

- BlackNews.com
0


LOCAL BRIEFS


* Attorney re-elected AJA
president
Attorney Allan Alberga was last
month re-elected president of the
Atlanta Jamaican Association for a
third consecutive term.
Among those elected to serve
on the AJA's board, which will
assume office in Jan. 2007, are:
Vice President Trevor Smith,
Secretary Sylvia Ricketts, Assistant
Secretary Hope McDonald,


Treasurer Joy Boothe, and
Sargent-at-Arms Winston Henry.

* Remittances on the rise
According to Dame Billie Miller,
Barbados's minister of foreign
affairs and foreign trade, remit-
tances from Caribbean nationals
abroad, including the United
States, grew from $400 million in
the early 1990s to about $4 billion
in 2002.


* Flu shots for seniors
Free flu and pneumonia vaccina-
tions are available to persons age
65 and older through the Senior
Immunization Project, a partner-
ship of the Health Foundation of
South Florida and Health Choice
Network.
Vaccines are free for unin-
sured seniors. Insured seniors may
participate by bringing their insur-
ance cards.


For more information, call
305-599-1015 Ext.8008.

* Taste of Florida-Caribbean
The Greater Caribbean American
Chamber of Commerce (GCACC)
will host its inaugural "Taste of
Florida-Caribbean" expo and food
tasting event from noon to 5 p.m.
Nov. 5 at Volunteer Park, 12050
Sunrise Blvd in Plantation, Florida.
The event will include a fun-filled
family day of food tasting,


Caribbean steel pan music, fun,
games and entertainment for all
ages. Attendees can expect to
taste different cuisines from vari-
ous Caribbean restaurants, cater-
ers and suppliers.


Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


Seniors encouraged to apply

for Social Security benefits


'Beautiful' teaches sweet

lessons in self-esteem


CHEERING FOR A CURE


Supporters of the fight against breast cancer cheer at a gathering for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the
Cure held last month at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida. More than 14,000, including close to 600 breast cancer survivors, partici-
pated, the highest number since the first race in 1996. The foundation is dedicated to eradicating breast cancer as a life-threat-
ening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. October was "Breast Cancer Awareness Month".


I





CARIBBEAN TODAY


P.M. Arthur keeps Barbados guessing over date for general elections |


LWW-crbbatoa.co


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC With both major polit-
ical parties stepping up activi-
ties across the country, Prime
Minister Owen Arthur is
keeping Barbadians guessing
on when the next general
elections will be called.
Addressing a political
mass meeting in the southern
town of Oistins late last
month, Arthur told supporters
that his ruling Barbados
Labour Party (BLP) could
be seeking a fourth successive
term anytime from as early
as before year end, until after
mid-2008 when the poll is
constitutionally due.
"There is no need to spec-
ulate about the date of an
election in Barbados," he told
cheering supporters.
"Whether an election is
called in January next year or
this year and you hear when
I say this year or sometime
in 2007 or 2008 it will not mat-


ter, it will not make any differ-
ence because the result of the
election will be the same -
four love."

SPECULATION
Speculation about an early


Artiur


poll grew recently following
the publication of a poll which
showed that the ruling party
had increased its popularity
over the last year, coupled with


the party's decision to follow in
the footsteps of the 0 pposi-
tion Democratic Labour Party
(DLP) to hold mass meetings
across the country.
Arthur, however, told his
audience that the
"Conversation with the
Nation" series of meetings
were decided on because
his government realized that it
could not depend on the mass
media to take its message to
the country and not because of
an impending election as the
opposition ui,,L ILd
"Tonight I have come to
refocus the serious purpose
behind these meetings, I have
not come out to electioneer.
The time will come when I
will ask for your support but I
feel the need for a general
conversation with our peo-
ple," the prime minister
added.
0


Jamaica government survives vote

of no confidence over 'Trafigura Affair'


KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
Prime Minister Portia Simpson
Miller broke her long silence
on the controversial campaign
finance scandal involving her
ruling People's National Party
(PNP) government as it sur-
vived a vote of no confidence
brought against it by the main
Opposition Jamaica Labour
Party (JLP).
Both the PNP and the JLP
voted along party lines last
month for a 33 to 23 defeat of
the motion that had been tabled
by Opposition Leader Bruce
Golding last in light of the on
going controversy surrounding
the campaign contribution fund
involving the PNP and the Dutch
oil company Trafigura Beheer.
The controversy has
already led to the resignation
of Information Minister Colin
Campbell, who also stepped
down as the PNP's general sec-
retary after Trafigura Beheer
denied the PNP's account of
how J$31 million ($467,000)
got into an account bearing
Campbell's name.
Campbell had claimed that
the money was a gift from
Trafigura towards the PNP's
election campaign, but the JLP


Golding
called for the resignation of the
entire government.

GOV'T DENIAL
In her presentation,
Simpson Miller emphatically
denied any impropriety in the
"Trafigura Affair" saying the
motion was a bid by the
Opposition to score points
ahead of the impending general
election. She said that in his
bid to score political points,
Golding breached banking
laws, adding "this is not the
sort of conduct that can be
regarded as a qualification for
leadership of our country."
The prime minister said
that on the issue of campaign


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BCC strongly encourages participation by minority and women-
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financing, it was now a matter
to be dealt with by a parlia-
mentary committee that would
also allow for public participa-
tion in its deliberations.
Golding, describing the
"Trafigura Affair" as "the moth-
er of all scandals," brushed aside
a call by the prime minister
for a Joint Select Committee of
Parliament to discuss a bill on
party funding and registration
tabled by Independent legislator
Abe Dabdoub.
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November 2006





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CARIBBEAN TODAY


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November 2006

PAGE 1

PRESOR TED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMITNO. 7315 Vol.17 No.12 NOVEMBER 2006 T el: (305 1-800-605-7516 caribtoday@earthlink.net ct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica: 654-7782 We cover your world INSIDEFormer West Indies bowl-ing gr eat Courtney Walshbelieves the standard of the region’s cricket has dr opped in recent years, but could rebound to the glory days in time for next year’s Cricket World Cup, page 7. As we devourCaribbeanfoods withr elish, let’ s honor those who pr e par e them so well. T op-of-the-class chefs fr om the region, known for their dedication, innovation and expansive use of the local bounty, are in our spotlight this month, page 13. Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell, right, and Sher one Simpson have been selectedthe best Central American andCaribbean Athletes of theY ear, after both had superb seasons in 2006, page 23. News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Tourism/Travel . . . . . . . . .17 Arts/Entertainment . . . . . .19 FYI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 ~ The United States’ population jumped to a r ecord mark of 300 million last month, with tr ends indicating that the influx of Caribbean immigrants in sear ch of the “American Dr eam” is keeping apace the rising count, page 2. THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7782 CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 1

PAGE 2

Bilateral r elations between the United States and the Caribbean will be str engthened with the appointment of an envoy to the Caribbeancommunity (CARICOM U.S. spokesman said late last month. Ambassador to Guyana David Robinson, who has been accredit-ed as the firstU.S. plenipo tentiar y r epr esentative to CARICOM,said theappointmentsignaledW ashington’ s desir e to maintain good r elations with the group of 15 nations in the r egional gr ouping. “As r ecent and continuing meetings between CARICOM,its member states and high lev els of my gover nment, including the secr etary of state, the U.S. trade r epresentative and most recently Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff demonstrate, we recognize the importance of cooperation and friendship in the r egion,” Robinson said. Robinson pr esented his credentials to CARICOM Secr etary General Edwin Car rington during a brief ceremony at CARICOM’ s Geor getown-based secr etariat. The Americandiplomat saidboth par ties wer e awar e “of the oppor tunities andchallengesthat shape ther egion’s hemispheric r ela tionship, fr omST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC Antigua and Barbuda has conferred one of its highest awards on former West Indies cricket captain Sir Vivian Richards, proclaiming him as a “National Hero” as the island celebrated its 25th anniversary of political Independence from Britain on Nov. 1. Sir Vivian, who never lost a series at thehelm of theW est Indies cricket team,is the secondperson afterthe late V er e Cor nwall Bird, the island’s first prime minister, to receive the award. Sir Vivian was honoredfor his contribution to thedevelopment of spor ts. United States businessman Allen Stanford was conferredwith a knighthood. The knighthood for Stanford, who has Antigua and Barbuda citizenship, had been mired in controversy with Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer describing the nomi-nation by the Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP as “most unfortunate.” Stanford is the island’s single largest investor with a num-ber of companies includingCaribbean Star and Caribbean Sun airlines. He was honored for his contribution to the development of the island. GORDON WILLIAMS The United States’ population jumped to a record mark of 300 million last month, with tr ends indicating that the influx of Caribbean immigrants in search of the “American Dream” is keeping apace theincr easing count. Accor ding to the U.S. Census Bur eau, the new mark was r eached on Oct. 17, based on the average populationgain of r oughly 2.8 million a year . W ith over a thir d of the estimated one per cent annual gr owth rate coming from immigration, the Caribbean has likely figured prominentlyamong the statistics again. Inthe last of ficial U.S. census in 2000, the number of for eignborn residents in the U.S. was estimated at 28.4 million, some 10.4 per cent of the total population. Just over half that figure – 14.5 million – came from Latin America and 9.8 million from Central America,including Mexico. Immigrants fr om the Caribbean registered 2.8million andthe tr end is not likely to subside soon. “The (reasons are the)same as asalways, eco nomics,” said Ir wine Clare, managing director of the New York-based Caribbean Immigrant Services Inc.,“especially when countrieslike Jamaica and others in the Caribbean cannot provide economic opportunities for itspopulation. They will seek opportunities elsewhere.” The of ficial census, which is done ever y 10 years, showed the foreign-born population was scattered primarily over six states: New York,Florida, Califor nia, Texas, New Jersey and Illinois. The growth in the U.S. population through immigration from the Caribbean hasbeen steady for close to thr ee decades. For example, only 0.7 million immigrants fr om the region were registered in the U.S. in 1970. MO VING ON However , the census indicates that not all of the foreign-born population – including those from the Caribbean– may be staying in the U.S.for long periods. The statistics show that although more U.S.strengthens Caribbean ties, appoints diplomat to CARICOMAntigua’s Sir Viv is ‘National Hero’; U.S.mogul knightedStand and be counted: Caribbean immigrants still pouring into the U.S. 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 Clare NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Carrington Robinson Stanford (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5) CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 2

PAGE 3

November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 3

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4 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 4

PAGE 5

Dr . Denzil L. Douglas, prime minister of St.Kitts and Nevis, has been selected to r eceive the “Global A ward” at the 15th Annual T rumpet Awards. The cer emony is scheduled for Jan. 22 at the BellagioHotel in Las V egas, Nevada and air on TV One networktelevision stations acr oss the United States. Douglas was selected to receive the 2007 Trumpet Awards’ Global Award due tohis outstanding achievementsas an individual and hisaccomplishments contributing toward the betterment of global society. He is only the third individual from the Caribbean to receive the award in the 15-year history of the honor. Also among those to be honored are entertainers Toni Braxton, CeCe Wynans and Dionne Warwick; athlete Michael Jordan; and actor/director Clint Eastwood. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Most recently, Douglas has successfully spearheaded theSt. Kitts and Nevis sustainable development plan for the transition from an economy driven by the agribusiness of sugarcane production – its primary industry for more than 300 years – to a service-orientedmarket economy driven by the hospitality and tourism industries. Under his direction, thetwin island nation is gaining worldwide recognition by join-ing the ranks of host nations for the ICC (InternationalCricket Council) Cricket World Cup 2007, hosting of the 2005 F-CCA (FloridaCaribbean Cruise Association) Conference and Trade Show, and also the increasing popu-larity of the annual St. KittsMusic Festival. Douglas has additionally taken a leadership role in thefight against HIV/AIDS on an international scale, and has been recognized for these humanitarian efforts by U.S. President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg. Douglas was sworn in as the second prime minister ofSt. Kitts and Nevis following his party’s election victory in 1995. He was re-elected in 2000 and again in 2004. immigrants are coming to the U.S., they ar e spending far less time in the countr y. That could mean that althoughmor e Caribbean immigrants sense better oppor tunities are available in the U.S., oncethey have achieved a cer tain level of accomplishment theyar e willing to return to the r egion. ou find that people came her e at a younger age,” Clar e explained. “Many who came in the 1970s, came intheir 20s and 30s. So oncethey r each a point where they have sent their childr en to college, r etired from their jobs, they r ealize that the opportunity to live in the Caribbean isbetter than it is to live in theStatesespecially if they ar e U.S. citizens.” According to the 2000 census, “the proportion of the foreign-born population resid-ing in the United States for 20 years or more dropped from 50.4 percent in 1970 to 32.2 percent in 2000. “The proportions residing in the United States less thanfive years, five to nine years,10 to 14 years and 15 to 19 years, were all higher in 2000than in 1970”, it added. WIN-WIN However , the census appears to indicate that thelar ge influx of immigrants fr om the Caribbean in the 1960s and 1970s had a specifichistorical patter n, and the length of time those immi grants r esided in the U.S. may have been dir ectly related to the mass migration of Cubans during that period followingthe communist takeover of theisland. But other countries from the region are not beingleft out. They can see benefitsthat go both ways. “The good thing with the whole migration pattern is that it provides for economic infusion with the whole remittance business,” said Clare. “The brain drain in today’s real world is a positive for the region. The people who come here are taking care of theirfamilies in the U.S. and athome in the r egion. The migration patter n now is a win-win situation.” Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’s managing editor. economic promise of trade and tourism; to the culturaland family ties that come with migration; and to the difficult work of confronting organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorism.” NO CONFLICT Robinson said his appointment as ambassador to CARI-COM would not be in conflictwith other U.S. ambassadors throughout the Caribbean. “I am accredited bilaterally only to Guyana, but I am the United States representative to the secretariat, toCARICOM itself. So I will be working closely with the secretary general and his staff, but will certainly not be trying to dictate ter ms to my colleagues in other Caribbeancountries,” Robinson added. Carrington noted that the over the years CARICOMand the U.S. have enjoyed a friendly and fruitful relationship, which has been under-pinned by many factors, including the shared common democratic values and tradi-tions. “This year has been especially active for relationsbetween CARICOM and the United States,” Carrington said, adding that CARICOM foreign ministers were pleased to have met with U.S. Secretary ofState Condoleezza Rice in TheBahamas in Mar ch. ou will also recall that in April of this year , CARICOM trade minis ters met withthe thenUnited States representative, Mr. Rob Portman, tobuild onCARICOM-U.S. trade relations. More recently, in September in New York, our foreign ministers held further discussions with the secretary of state, in the margins of theUnited Nations General Assembly,” Carrington added. He said meaningful dialogue is taking place between the U.S. and Caribbean coun-tries on issues beyond tradeand economic issues. POR T OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – T rinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning says security restrictions in theworld have changed since theCaribbean decided to host theICC Cricket W orld Cup 2007 (CWC “When we agreed to host CWC in 2007, there was no9/11,” saidManning, thehead for theCaribbeancommunity’ s (CARICOM regional security. “Therewas no issueinvolving ter r orism in the U.K. and the ef fects on air travel.” He said because of those developments, CARICOMdecided to seek assistancefr om other countries, including the United States, to ensur e that CWC would have proper security arrangements. Manning was speaking last month on the memoran-dum of intent (MOIsigned by U.S. HomelandSecurity Secr etary Michael Chertoff and CARICOM heads. It was also disclosed that the U.S. gover nment will be entitled to receive infor-mation aboutpeople travel ing to and from theCaribbeanand evenwithin ther egion under an agreement signed between CARICOM and the U.S. It provides forthe sharing of airline passen ger data. “Generally , we look at the security situation as it r elates to drugs in particular, taking into consideration that we are located between the produc-ing countries of the south andthe consuming countries ofthe nor th,” Manning said. IMPORTANT Cher toff said the aim is to keep out ter rorists and serious transnational criminals fr om the Caribbean, a region that he says is impor tant to the U.S. “I think the Caribbean is very important...we are part ofthis community because of the coastline that borders on theGulf and the Caribbean,” hesaid. Accor ding to Chertoff, “we have a vibrant travel industry that moves people back and forth...We have a lot Douglas gets ‘Global Award’U.S.strengthens Caribbean ties,appoints diplomat to CARICOMCARICOM partners U.S.in security for CWC 2007Stand and be counted: Caribbean immigrants still pouring into the U.S. November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com HONORING SISTERHOOD Photograph by Derrick A.ScottMayor Shirley Franklin,right,presents the Phoenix Award,the United States City of Atlanta’s highest honor,to Metty Scarlett-Jones,chairman of the Montego Bay branch of the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Committee.The award is in recognition of the committee’s outstanding contribution in supporting the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister City Health Mission to Jamaica’s second city for the past 13 years.The pres-enta tion took place during a function last month at Atlanta City Hall. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 2) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) Douglas Manning Chertoff Rice CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 5

PAGE 6

Two Jamaicans, musician Byron Lee and surgeon Dr. Lenworth Jacobs, have been honored by the city of Hartford, Connecticut and the West Indian Foundation. Lee and Jacobs were honored last month at the 28th Annual West Indian Foundation Scholarship and Awards Gala,held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. In a citation that was read to him by Councilwoman Veronica Airy-Wilson of the Hartford City Council on behalf of Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell, Lee was com-mended for his outstanding contribution in promot-ing Caribbean andJamaican music forover 50 years. The governor declared Oct. 14 as “ByronLee Day” inConnecticut. TRAILBLAZER Jamaica’s Consul General to New York, Dr. Basil K. Bryan, in presenting Dr. Jacobs with his special award, noted that he was a trailblazer and pioneer in the medical field, specializing in emergency medicine. He said Dr. Jacobs was instrumental in the design andimplementation of the Life Star Emergency Program and in the development of a national model for healthcare response to terrorism activi-ties. Dr. Jacobs is the chairman of the combined adult pediatric trauma program of the HartfordHospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. He is the son of Dr. Ben Jacobs ofthe National Family Planning Board in Jamaica. The West Indian Foundation presented three scholarship awards. The Migrant Farm Worker Memorial Scholarship was presented to Lovelyn Bogle; the Marcus Garvey Scholarshipto Kathtrina Chin; and the West Indian Scholarship Club Memorial Scholarship to AndrewMitchell. It is estimated that over 70,000 Caribbean nationals reside in Connecticut, with Jamaicans representing the largest number. Information obtained from the Jamaica Information Service. Former Jamaica Prime Minister Edward Seagalast month appear ed at his first public engagement in New Y ork in many years as special guest speaker at the third annual CIN TV Lecture Series held at the SchomburgCenter for Resear ch In Black Cultur e in Harlem. Seaga discussed “The Folk Roots of JamaicanCultural Identity”, touting the ar ts as the most widely r ecognized area of folk talent in the Caribbean island. “Jamaica’s contemporary music is a product of the rawtalent that enables untrained,unletter ed composers to produce an impressive range of rhythms, lyrics and melodies that have excellence and international recognition,” he said. Hip hop music, which is dominant in Nor th America, owes its origin to impromptu interjections of rhythmic r hymes in pop songs popular in Jamaica, he added. Seaga also focused attention on the strategic role thatmothers play in the matriar chal Jamaican cultur e and said many women are symbols of achievement in Jamaican folk culture and are the backboneof political suppor t, determined players in civic or ganizations, achievers in scholarship and a great reliance at any work place. The former prime minis-ter also explained that the pr eoccupation with skin shades is a legacy of slaver y and colonialism. “The phenomenon of lightening skin color by ‘mar-r ying up’ or bleaching, terms like ‘pr etty’ hair, stem from a system of slavery and colonialism that saw everything asso-ciated with the master andther efore, everything Eur opean as better,” he said. Prime Minister Por tia Simpson Miller has commended Alcoa Aluminum Company for its commitment ininvesting in Jamaica. “Jamaica is indeed pr oud to have the world’s premier aluminum company as a partner and investor,” SimpsonMiller said while deliveringthe keynote addr ess at the Alcoa Women’s Network Second Global Leadership Conference for Alcoa’s seniormanagement women lastmonth in V irginia. Simpson Miller said Alcoa’s commitment to Jamaicahas spanned 47 years andexplained that it was in1959that Alcoa first establishedr oots in the economic cultural and social life of Jamaica. That relationship has grown from strength to strength and Alcoahas r emained steadfast in its commitment. “As a good corporate cit izen, Alcoa has demonstrated community outreach with a concern for social development,” the prime ministersaid. ECONOMIC DRIVER Alcoa, she added, was well recognized as an important driver of the Jamaican econo my befor e the Caribbean island achieved Independence from Great Britain in1962 and, to date, Alcoais still making its contri bution to the Jamaican economy. Simpson Miller also appealed to the AlcoaW omen’s Network to take a special inter est in the Jamaican pr ocess and to share their expertise in building networks,links and strategies thatwill assist Jamaica movefor ward on a global stage. Professor Gordon Shirley, Jamaica’s ambassadorto the U.S., and CabinetSecr etary Dr. Carlton Davis were among the special guests who attended the conference. CARICOM partners U.S.in security for CWC 2007West Indians in Connecticut honor outstanding JamaicansSeaga unearths region’s folk identity at N.Y.lectureJamaica’s P.M.lauds aluminum company during visit to the U.S. 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 Photograph by Derrick A.ScottSimpson Miller NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com ‘Immigration Korner’QUESTION: I already filed my application for extension of my I-94,45 days before it expired.What happens if the United States Citizenship andImmigration Ser vices (USCIS not give me its decision on the date of the e xpiration of my I-94? Is it true that it is all right for me to stay as long as I have a pending applicationfor my e xtension? ANSWER: If the USCIS fails to respond before the date on your I-94 expires,it is best to leave the country.If you don’t lea ve,under the U.S.immigration laws you will be considered as having overstayed your visa and hence become an“undocumented immigrant”. This means that you will then have to find a qualified U.S. citizen like a spouse,parent, sibling or employer who can sponsor you for a “Green Card”or permanent residence and adjust your status in the U.S.If you leave the U.S.after your visa has expired you could be barred,under the laws,from returning for up to 10 years. Worst,you could be subject to deporta tion if you stay on with an expired visa. T o find out the status of your application ahead of the expiration date,contact the USCIS office tha t received your a pplica tion.You should be prepared to provide the USCIS staff with specific informa tion about your application. If you or someone you know has immigration questions,then log on to www .immigrationkorner.com and submit them.Personal answers will not be provided.Answers are for informationpurposes only and does not crea te attorney-client relationship,nor is it a substitute for “legal advice”,which can only be given by a competent attorney after reviewing all the facts of the case. of critical trade, including for example, liquid natural gas here in Trinidad and Tobago which makes this country the biggest exporter of LNG tothe United States. e are very much part of the same neighborhood and we are very deeply committed to making sure that we are all secure,” he added. BURDEN He said although the U.S. was not participating in CWC with an official team, Americans would represent one of the largest groups ofspectators. “Of course, that does place a burden on the region, in terms of security, particularly in a time when we are fight-ing a war against an enemywho does not see anythingsuch as an innocentbystander ...That puts everybody at risk,” he said. “That’ s why we ar e particularly delighted to sign this MOI r egar ding the Advanced Passenger Infor mation system and to pr ovide other support to the r egion in its preparation, not only for the cricket event, but for the long-ter m challenges we face ahead.” The U.S. security secr etar y said the Caribbean faces an emer ging national security issue with r espect to the possibility of ter rorism. e know there is an inter national ideology that uses ter rorist means to promote its aims,” Cher toff said. “Ther e is no reason to believe that any par t of the world is of f limits and that includes this ar ea as well. “The way in which we can combat that ideology is by sharing infor mation, by sharing techniques, by exchanging data that we have and that is par t of what we ar e doing with the agr eement that we signed” HERE T O STAY “This is not a pr oblem that is going to go away in a shor t period of time,” Cher toff added. “When bombs went of f in Bali, or they went of f in London, or when the air craft impacted on the W orld Trade Center , there was no selection among the victims. “People fr om all over the world suf fered and I dare say people fr om this part of the world suf fered as well. “All voices demand of us that we stand together in theface of this thr eat and that we do it in a way that allows us to continue our fr eedoms and our way of life but it alsoaf fords citizens the security Cher toff declared. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5) Byron Lee, left,receives his lifetime achievement a ward from Hartford City Councilman Ken Kenned y. Jamaica’ s Consul General to New Y ork Dr.Basil Bryan, right, presents Dr .Lenworth Jacobs with his a ward. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 6

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Courtney Walsh is the most successful bo wler in West Indies cric ket history and was once the greatest wicket-taker in the Test game.He is stillinvolved in the Carib bean’s favorite sport and is currently helping to promote next year Cricket World Cup in the region,visiting the UnitedStates as part of that effort. Caribbean Today’s Managing Editor Gordon Williams spoke to Walsh recently.The following is an edited version of that interview. GORDON WILLIAMS: Overall,West Indies cricket is not in the best shape right now.What do you think is happening with the develop-ment of the team, especially with Crick et World Cup 2007 approaching and the importance of the West Indies put-ting on a good performance?Ho w prepared will the team be come 2007? COUR TNEY WALSH: I think they will be pr etty well pr epared. They are probably not well pr epared now. Ther s a little bit of finetuning to be done. But my mainconcer n is the focus, the discipline and the pride that we need to see in the team. I think that’ s what a lot of people expect to see and would like to see regenerated, wherethe passion of playing for theW est Indies is there and the will to want to win and want to do well and also just to, sor t of, not just be playing for yourself, but for the people, the region. I think that can be done. It’ s not gonna be easy when you lose a lot of players. But what is more concerning to me is we seem to be runninghot and cold and we just needto see that mor e consistency in the performance, heading in the right direction. G.W.:In times gone by,players w ere being paid far less money than no w.Isn’t that supposed to be a major incentive? C.W.: It should be, and one hopes that it is. Having not been there (in recent times it’s hard to say, but I’m surethat being paid mor e would make you want to play betterbecause you want to playlonger and per form a lot better . So that should be the case. But one just hopes that whatis going on now pr obably lacks a little bit of pr ofessionalism because the guys ar e not accustomed to playing pr o league cricket in England. That might be an aspect. Sosometimes you have to look atthat, but one is hoping that, asI said, you want to see a con sistent level of impr ovement and you know that you’re going the right direction. G .W.:Are you satisfied with the progr ess of the team,especially under the Australian coaches now? C .W.: The consistency is still not ther e. When he (head coach Bennett King) came in he said he wanted some time. I’m not too sure. I haven’tbeen that close to it (theteam) so it’ s difficult for me to sor t of be a judge of it. But what I would like to see, as I’ve said, is a little bit more level of consistency and if he’snot bringing that to the parkthen you’ve got to questionthat one. I’m sur e that this team, they must be tr ying their best. Sometimes I’ve got to ask thequestion: ar e the players putting out their best or ar e they committed to the cause? Sother e are a lot of questions that we on the outside don’ t really know what the answers ar e. I know you ar e looking at me and saying how come I am on the outside. Yes, I am onthe outside and a lot of peoplethink I’m supposed to benear er than most, but when I go ther e I just try to pass on help in whatever way I can. I am not really involved in terms of the day-to-day run-ning and what they’r e doing and how the guys get r eady and who needs to be talking. But from what I see on theoutside, they need a littlemor e cricket talk on the middle fr om former players who’ve been there, done that, pass on the experience andhelp to guide them as well. G .W.:When you just came to crick et at the highest level, West Indies cricket,there was a big competition for placesDo you think that isno longer in e xistence in the West Indies? Do you think it is too easy now to make theW est Indies team? C .W.: I think it is, in ter ms of the level as well. Not just tooeasy to make the W est Indies team, I think the standar d of cricket in the Caribbean hasdr opped, in terms of from our domestic first class to even club cricket. So that is an ar ea we need to focus on, build back with the school cricket, the club cricket, the regionalcricket and that will buildstr ong West Indies cricket. But some people think that if one territory and one country is strong, the cricket is strong. That is not so. If all territories are strong and everybody iscompeting, when Jamaicaplays Barbados it’ s going to be a mini-Test, that’s what we want to seeIf everybody is strong, then West Indies cricket is gonna be strong. G.W.:You are not so far away from playing cricket itselfnot far away from what is happening.The seemingconfusion – to people looking Caribbean cricket standard has dropped ~ Courtney Walsh November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 FEATURE FEATURE www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON P AGE 8) Walsh CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 7

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on from the outside – with the administration of West Indies cricket,just how much do youthink that has impacted on the way the game is being played now in the region? C.W. : Well, as you said, I am not really into it, (but not been far from it either. In terms of how it has impacted,when you look at the setup of the West Indies Cricket Board, you’ve got to look and see how many former playershave gotten involved and, how many former players are therewith them, and how many former players want to be involved, and also what direc-tion they want to be at the board level. I’m hoping that everyone who is there has good intentions to move West Indies cricket forward. But we needto devise a plan and a strategyto do that. It’s not gonna happen overnight, but at the same time you don’t want it to be taking 25 years. You want to see something more with progress so you can say ‘well yes, we’re on the right track, the hard work is coming, the dedication is coming, we’re heading in the right direction, so give us two, three years time’. We might not return to world championship, but we might return to being a very competitive team that every-body has to have a fear about. G.W.:You are involved with the Stanford 20/20 (cricket competition).Apparently the first year was very successful. You see a man with a whole lot of money coming to theCaribbean and putting on atournament which seems to have been a big hit going across (to the publicHow much do you think a man like (American AllenStanford,a man from the outside,eventhough he is willing to put up his money,should be involved in West Indies cricket at thispoint? C.W.: I think if he (Stanford wears his heart on his sleeve and he is committed to trying to help West Indies cricket, which he’s said time and time again, he’s got to be involved in some way, shape or form. The 20/20 success came fromgood planning and I think the team he had around him, with some of the former players,has helped. I think he genuinely wants to help, but obviously at the end of the day he is a busi-nessman at the same time and he’s gonna be looking to see how best it could help or enhance his business. The(20/20to get cricket back in theCaribbean, get the kids andthe families coming back to the game, get the guys (players) financial gains from that, to let them be paid properly, and I think that everythingthat we set out on our agenda, from our first meeting, we’vemet all those criteria. So to me it was a tremendous success. As you said, there was a bit of friction between himself (Stanford and the (West Indies Cricket) Board, (butcan be solved the better it will be, I think, in the interest of West Indies cricket. G.W.:When you are watching them (players),what goes through your mind in terms of one,the talent level that there is out there,and two, the application and commitment that they are giving it? C.W.: You look at the talent and you see it and you assess them and see where their strengths and weaknesses (arethem about it. But also you try and play a mind game. You talk to them to try andget them to think ahead of the time and to think more positive and to be confident in what they’re gonna do. And ifyou see a fault you mention itto them. And also whatever the strength is, because yourweaknesses could be your strength and your strengthcould be your weakness. So you’ve got to work on both at the same time. That’s the sort of advice I try to givethem. G.W.:How do you perceive the response that you get? C.W.: Most of the responses I’ve gotten have been tremendous in terms of the guys Ispeak to. They will listen to you. Obviously, there mightbe one or two who might notcatch on or might not thinkthat it makes sense to thatindividual. But most of theguys that I’ve spoken to Ithink have taken it all on board. They’ve given it theirbest shot. They’ve tried to dothe best they can do and thatis encouraging for me. I’ve never really come across any of the players who probably don’t take it on board. However, I’ve heardthat some guys do not like tobe spoken to and they think that they know it all and in cricket you never know it all. You’re never too old to learn. GORDON WILLIAMS For mer West Indies cricketers ar e lamenting the continued frustration of establishing cricket as a majorspor t in the United States, even as the game’ s single biggest event – Cricket World Cup – heads to the Caribbean nextyear . Accor ding to them, the U.S., with its money , facilities and huge population of expatriates from cricket-playing nationsall over the world, plus its histo r y of having first staged the game nearly three centuries ago,should have been much fur ther along in developing cricket. “It hasn’t progressed as much as I’d like to see, r eally Lawrence Rowe, among the most talented batsmen ever to come out of the West Indiesand a cur rent U.S. resident, told Caribbean Today recently while visiting his home countr y Jamaica as honorar y coach of a U.S. select team. “It very much, I think, is in disarray right now Many ex-players believe that the failed U.S. bid to secure CWC games next year has been a major setback. However, others point to the disjointed organization of the sport long before that, which has beenblamed for the USA Cricket Association’ s (USACA pension by the game’s international ruling body InternationalCricket Council (ICCfor being “dysfunctional”. The ban was subsequently lifted, and although many issues r emain unresolved, the former players insist that if the game pr ospers in the U.S. all will benefit. “I’ve always said if we could get (cricketther e (in the U.S. would be financially beneficial for all of the players and administrators as well,” ex-fast bowler Courtney Walsh told Caribbean Today. EXCELLENT SPOT Thousands, including many from the Caribbean, enjoycricket in the U.S., a game records show was first played in the countr y in the early 18th century. However, most of the players are expatriates, meaningthe game has not attracted U.S.citizens used to traditional sports such as basketball, baseball and American football. Accor ding to Rowe, many areas in the U.S., “especially South Florida,” offer excellent condi-tions for cricket. However , the man who scor ed a double century and a century on his Test debut admitted that the U.S.missing out on CWC matches next year was a huge blow to the sport. “I think it was a big setback,” he said. “It was unfortunate that we couldn’t even have gotten a few practicegames and even one of the early round matches. “I think it would have been good for the Caribbean and West Indies cricket if we couldhave gotten that and it wouldalso help to develop our cricketin the States a lot. The gover ning body there (in South Floridadid a lot to get a new stadium going ther e. Cricket is not a popular sport in the States and I think if they had gotten theW orld Cup games a lot more money would be put into it and a lot more interest would have been there,” Rowe added. HOPE Meanwhile, all hope is not lost for the game in the U.S.,despite r eports last month that at least one USACA director had resigned and others were review-ing their position. Accor ding to Cricinfo.com , a cricket web site, the association said it is about to explor e a “new partnership with an international marketing company” to promote the game inthe U.S. W alsh, the all-time West Indies leading wicket taker in Test cricket, said that although he has never been asked, he would be willing to help thegame in the U.S. “Anything to do with cricket, and to promote thegame, once I am available and everything is O.K., I’ll be inter-ested,” he said. Already he is pleased that r ecent adjustments in the way cricket is played could enhance its appeal in the U.S. The 20/20cricket, a shor tened version of the game, is one example W alsh believes can attract Americans. “When you look at the 20/20, I think that is pr obably the ideal game to start in the States,” he explained. “Withinthr ee to four hours (spectators could be in and out (of the stadi um) and have a wonderful, spectacular day of cricket and every-body would leave ther e being happy because you would have a result. And I think that’s whatthe Americans want. They wanta r esult at the end of it all.” Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’s managing editor. Beginning Nov.1,2006 youmay e-mail him at editor@caribbeantoday .com. Caribbean cricket standard has dropped ~ Courtney Walsh Frustration,hope linger for cricket in the U.S. 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 Walsh Rowe FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL33157 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010 Miami,FL33116-6010. Telephone: (305 (305305 1-800-605-7516 Jamaica: 654-7728 E-mail: caribtoday@earthlink.net Send ads to: ct_ads@bellsouth.net Vol.17,Number 11 OCT.2006 PETER AWEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor DAMIAN P. GREGORY Deputy Managing Editor SABRINA FENNELL Graphic Artist DOROTHYCHIN Account Executive SUNDA YSELLERS Account Executive AMANDA ECHEVERRI Accounting ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media Representatives T OM JONAS 353 St. Nicolas Street, Suite 200 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y2P1 Tel: (514514 E-mail: tom@cmsworldmedia.com Jamaica Bureau MARIE GREGORY (876 P.O. Box 127, Constant Spring Kingston 8, JamaicaOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of the publisher. Caribbean Today , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing Services, Inc. Subscription rates are: US$20 per year (Bulk. Caribbean Today is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Toguarantee return, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean Today may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7) CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 8

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We all know that a cur is the lowesttype of dog, amongr el, the ones you see hanging around junk yards, fish shops,picking up gutsand scraps,accepting anyfood that is thrown at them. It’s a bad thing to be a cur,lacking in pedi gr ee, but we ar e all made up dif fer ently in this life. Still, ther e ar e women who love to say thatall men ar e dogs. But guess what,we be dogs all. W e bitch all the time anyway . The ir ony is, a dog is supposed to be man’ s best friend, as usually he isloyal, faithful, obedient andfilled with unconditional love.But aha, heel boy , for women do not want those qualities inmen, at least not in the long term. Oh, they’ll say that’swhat they want, but whenthey do get it, they find theman boring, and they nitpickfor any flaw that they can find. u say your man keep on leaving the toilet seat up,that’sall? I wish that was the only fault my womanizing,drinking,gambling brute of a man had. SUFFERATION I have witnessed some male friends of mine suffer atthe hands of women who justupped and walked out on them. One was a teacher, quite, decent, church going man, good provider, loyal to his wife, home every night early, devoted father. Everything a womanwould want in a man, or so they say, ala Mr. Right, knighton shining horse and all that. But hold on to your dog sled, after 10 years of mar-riage she wanted out, saying she wanted more out of life, and that he was too pr edictable. Predictablyshe left himwith the three kids, togo and ‘find herself’. Dogor no dog?But few dogsabandontheir pups. Another woman tricked my good friend into marriage, getting pregnant and nottelling him until she wasalmost seven months. Decentchap that he was, he walked down the aisle with her. A year later, after dogging him,she walked all over him then walked to the airport and beyond. But not before she cleaned everything. Shecleaned out all the bank accounts, cashed in the insur-ance policies and took out loans with his name as guarantee. Life’s a bitch, or was he married to one? Now you’re going to say that sort of thing happens to women all the time. Well, itjust might, but somehow we hardly hear of it when the role is reversed. Also it alwaysseems to happen to such decent, humble, sensitive, gentlemen too. But those quali ties invariably contribute to their downfall. MONKEY BUSINESS? Another friend of mine went to Florida to link withhis girlfriend who was in a so-called business marriage. Upon arriving, he discoveredthat he could only see her afew times a week for conjugal rights, as the other nights were reserved for her ‘business husband’. Now every dog is supposed to have his day, but myfriend had none. He keptwhining to me about hisplight, so I told him to stop bitching. He didn’t and she eventually threw him out aftercutting up all his suits. On the male side, the canine breed runs wild. Thepuppy dog is the little youngboy who wants to act all grown up. To compensate forhis youth, or missing his mommy, he hangs around theolder dog, hoping that she canteach him a few things. Of course there’s nothing that he can teach her, as you know what they say, you can’t teachan old dog new tricks, plus in What time is it? Caribbean time!Canines,curs and bitches November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www.caribbeantoday.com TONY ROBINSON (CONTINUED ON P AGE 10) GORDON WILLIAMS Caribbean time, that unique system wher e the pace of the region’s progress lines up right behind the urgent haircut or manicurefor some of its leaders, is atwork again. How else does one explain that with just about two months remaining before the United States’ new passport regime comes into effect, whereby American travelersto the r egion will require a passpor t to re-enter the U.S. – not just a driver s license or birth certificate – the Caribbean is only now being seen as scrambling around try-ing to get another delay in the law’s implementation? Oh, they ar e saying that the law will sever ely damage the r egion’ s tourism industry because Americans, noted fortheir spontaneity in travel, will no longer visit. The theory is they just can’t be bothered to apply for a passport. O.K., so it is r easonable to say that the American, faced with added hassle just to go on a vacation, will simply find somewher e else to go in the U.S. Las Vegas, Colorado, maybe Orlando or the BigApple. They just ask for cash in those places, not passports. But that means loss of r ev enue for the Caribbean big revenue, because most of ther egion’s visitors are from Nor th America. PANIC That is where the panic appears to setting in. Theories for the stand by the U.S. – claimed to be aimed at tightening border security -abound, including the belief that the region is being pun-ished for cuddling too close torival V enezuela (read Hugo Chavez). But the U.S. is always correct if it says it needs to protect its borders. Every nation has that right. If the Caribbean is claiming that the same rules are not being applied to other nations where Americans visit, like Mexico, the region may have a point, but not a very strongone. The U.S. can do whatev er it pleases to protect itself. WHISPER What is most disturbing, however , is the fact that the Caribbean’s uproar over thelaw is only now rising above awhisper . Sur e, some entities, including resorts and travelagencies, have of fer ed to assist Americans in applying for passpor ts. But somehow, long after the law was passed, and even with extension to itsimplementation, you never got the feeling that the collec-tive Caribbean was putting r eal political muscle behind its objection. Fragmented scr eams of oppression are never going to prod the mighty U.S. into rolling back any rule. And that is what the region has served up until now. It’s likechicken soup without thechicken and dumplingsandvegetables. OUTSIDE SUPPORT Sure the region is now sending missions toW ashington, hoping to break the will of the U.S. Now the r egion is banking on some American entities with tourism inter ests in the Caribbean – namely airlines -to back up their push to knock over the passport law. All of a sudden, a region which vociferously opposed the apartheid regime in South Africa years ago and adamantly refused to throw Castro under the bus, despite U.S. pressure, is generating nothing more than a collective whimper in the faceof what it says could be themost telling blow against its biggest money ear ner. I just don’t get it. To make matters worse, the ICC Cricket World Cupbegins in the Caribbean inMar ch. American citizens, albeit mainly transplants from cricket-loving nations aroundthe world, will want to get up and go to the region – to watch games or simply suck up the tour nament’s vibes. Thousands of them will getthe sudden ur ge to rush to the Caribbean, which is hosting the event for the first time.Shouldn’ t the region have known that this passport rulewould af fect that too, especially when a reported $150 million has already been invested in infrastructure to host the games? But no, they have waited. They waited to pass SunsetLaws needed to stage CWC2007. And they ar e still waiting. Until the January day of decision is almost upon them.I guess it’ s all being done on Caribbean time. After all, the leaders do have to make time for that haircut and manicure. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 9

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many cases you don’t want to know the amount of tricksthat these old dogs know either. Then ther e is the watch dog. This applies to most men, as like it or not, all men are ruled by the visual and see women in a sexual light. They visualize, and that’ s why women pander to this whim and desire in men and dress provocatively. Men areattracted first by their eyes. You know how often a manwill see a woman and drive around the block just to get asecond look? He does not know or care about her intel-lect or education, all he knowsis that she looks fabulous and he must have her. When a pretty woman unloads her problems on a man his caninehearing is selective. “I tell you John,my husband and I just not making it,he’s driving me crazy,plus my job is going nowhere,I just don’t know what to do” What do you think that the man hears and is thinking? “Not making it with husband, not making it,not making itLord she look great,look on those breasts,d love to see her naked,get her into bednot making it with husband. See, he’s just another dog. BIG DOG Then you have the big dog. Now with the big dog, it’s not a matter of size, at least not in the endowment depar tment. For that he compensates. Being the alpha male, his greatness is his stature, and he wields this power like a king’s scepter his job, his status in life, his car, his house, all symbols of his wealth. He carries these around with him and flashes them at every opportu-nity in the eyes of women. He can’t wait for them to ask, “So what do you do, where do you work, where do you live, whatdo you drive?” After that shecan just sit back and listen tohim talk for hours. ell,I’m a big CEO. Spell that CUR. Women who resist this flashhave told me that some ofthese big dogs have told them, “A woman like you I can’t bother with, as it’s too muchwork to get you into bed.” Those big dogs are so used to flashing their bonesand silly women snap themup, that when they meet awoman of substance, they back away. Too much workindeed. The lap dog is the worst though, or so it would seem.This is the man who is so hellbent on pleasing his womanthat he does anything and everything to be in her goodbooks and her bed. He would lose his dignity, just not to be in the doghouse. Everything is, “Yes dear, no dear, anything you say dear, I’m comingdear.may I go on toptonight dear?” Oh dear, his life, gone to the dogs. These men exist, but we hardly hear about them, asthey live in the shadows and are forever in the doghouse. Then we have the faithful dogs. These are the guys who truly love their women, devot-ed, loving, dedicated like the guys I mentioned earlier. They usually get shafted though. T ough tits for them and, after a while, no tits at all, as in so many cases the women walkout on them. It must be an aberration of nature, a quirk in our social fabric why good guys finishlast. Have you ever noticed how it’s the thugs and gangstaswho get the best women,while the decent guys get left or get bun? That’s because women are drawn to power,and decency is often seen as weakness. I have never heardof a woman leaving one ofthese guys for a decent man yet, it’s always the other way around. That’s why good guyswill always lose and curs and canines will always run wild. In contrast, you have the dog heart men, who have not even one ounce of moral fiber, no conscience, no scruples, no integrity, not one shred of decency. Now he’s the catch, he’s who women are drawn to,even for a fling, as they crave the excitement of running wildwith the pack. The only thing worse is the stray dog, and even him some women will feel sorryfor and take in. So you see, we be all dogs, canines, curs and bitch-es, whether we like it or not,and we all exhibit doggish qualities at one time or another. As they say: “It’s a dog eat dog world, every dog has his day, dog nyam yu supper, you’re in the doghouse, life’s abitch and then you die.” But still, you haven’t got to live with one. Quit bitching,quit dogging, wag your owntail. Later. seido1@hotmail.com Canines,curs and bitches 10 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com “When we agreed to host CWC in 2007,there was no9/11” – C ARICOM’s head for regional security ,Trinidad and T obago’ s Prime Minister P atrick Manning,last month explaining that security restric tions in the world havec hanged since the Carib bean decided to host the ICCCric ket World Cup. “I have confidence thatw e can sit at the ta ble with theAmericans , speak tothem, and the y will understand” St. Lucia’ s T ourism Minister Philip J. Pierre expressing optimism the Carib bean will be able to convince Washington to opt for a diplomatic solution to itsdecision to enforce a regula tion calling on Americans visiting to region to have a valid passport upon their re-entry into the United States. “There are some very prominent members of his party now seeking to distance theirdirty hands from the setting sun,hoping for a cleansingfrom the ne w circle.They kno w the law coming,so they looking for a ne w savior. But they not getting awa Trinidad and Tobago’s Director of Public ProsecutionsGeoffrey Henderson last month expressing concern o ver a statement made by Prime Minister P atrick Manning that two members of the newly formed Congress of the People(COP y be arrested soon on cor ruption charges. “Playing at home w e are alwa ys very dangerous” former West Indies cricketgreat Wes Hall discussing the team’ s c hances at next years Cricket World Cup to be hosted by the Caribbean. e all just wanted to win so badly” W est Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor after his hat-tric k of wickets helped the Caribbeanteam beatA ustralia in an ICC Champions Trophy matchlast month. “It was like the icing on the cake of my career” Former world light middleweight and middleweight championJ ulian Jackson,of the U.S. V irgin Islands,following his induction into the World Boxing Hall of Fame last month. Compiled from CMC and other sources . (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 10

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THE VALLEY, Anguilla Anguilla is to establish a NationalHealth Fund (NHF t of 2007. Health Minister Evans McNeil Rogers said last month that advancement in new medical techniques and technologiesand an aging population wer e among the main r easons for establishing the NHF, which is being set up as part of the government’s Health SectorDevelopment pr ogram. “All gover nment funding for health will be funneled through the fund which will be run as an independent bodywith consumer r epresentation,” he said. “At the same time, we are allowing the fund to raise more money through an additional contribution from salaries and wages, in the same way that the Social Security Boar d now collects funds for pensions and other benefits.” The NHF will cover health care services both on and off the island and payments for expensive specialist care overseas -pr ovided the patient is pr operly referred by the NHF would be limited to only five percent of the costs of that care, with the fund picking up the remainder. Anguilla to set up health fund November, recognized as “Lung CancerA wareness Month”, is being used to launch a new national anti-smoking public service campaign in the UnitedStates. “Code Blue for Lung Cancer” a partnershipbetween the AmericanLegacy Foundation and theNational Association ofBr oadcasters, is attempting to spr ead the life-saving message that early detection, quitting smoking and the search for a cure can helpmake lung cancer histor y. “Code Blue” is a compr ehensive national effort to raise awar eness about preventing lung cancer and increase survival rates for those strugglingwith it. The campaign includesa 30-minute documentar y that explor es the devastating impact of lung cancer on four families and discusses how to reduce lung cancer deaths,primarily thr ough early diagnosis and by quitting smoking. The campaign, in both English and Spanish, alsoincludes radio and television public service announcements,a guidebook for local br oadcasters, and an accompanying online component at www.americanlegacy.org/codeblue . GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC Caribbean gover nments must fight non-commu nicable diseases (NCDs the same vigor they are combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic says one of the region’stop health exper ts. University of the W est Indies (UWIice Chancellor Sir George Alleyne last month told the three-day 20thCouncil on Human and SocialDevelopment (COHSOD meeting that this is necessary as a Caribbean citizen is “several times more likely to die”fr om NCDs than a North American r esident. “Ther e is nothing genetic about this,” said Sir George, a former director of the Pan American Health Organization,who now heads the CaribbeanCommission on Health andDevelopment a body tasked with the responsibility of pro-viding guidelines for action to increase investment inhealth in thecountries of the 15-mem-ber Caribbeancommunity(CARICOM PREVENTABLE In his presentation on “Priorities for Health andDevelopment in the Caribbean”, Sir George noted that in the last 20 years, heart diseases, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, injuries,and now HIV AIDS continue to be the leading causes of deaths in the r egion. “All of these are preventable,” the UWI academicadded. He said given the pr evalence and knowledge of NCDs in the Caribbean, “heads of governments must show similar enthusiasm and urgency (on tackling NCDs) that they have appr oached the HIV/AIDS” pandemic af fecting the region.” He also said the incidence of obesity among males and females has skyrocketed throughout the region in thelast 30 years and is “as high as70 per cent” in some states. On the issue of hypertension, it is estimated that as much as 25 percent of thepopulation of all r egional countries suf fer from the ailment, possibly affecting economic progress region-wide, Sir George suggested. ‘Code Blue’ launches anti-cancer campaign Assault lifestyle diseases in Caribbean ~ Alleyne November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 HEALTH HEALTH www.caribbeantoday.com WARR ON BREAST CANCER Photogra ph by Derrick A.ScottT otlin Taylor-Newby,left,executive director and founder of Women At Real Risk (W ARR), pins a pink breast cancer ribbon on the lapel of Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United Sta tes Gordon Shirley as he arrives a t the Seventh Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fund-raising Gala last month a t the Washington Court Hotel in W ashington, D.C.Looking on is Claudia Hudson,president and co-founder of W ARR. October marked “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”.WARR has made outstanding contributions in the fight a gainst breast cancer ,including the staging of a teen program initia tive a t the Marymount High School in St.Mary,Jamaica,where some 200 students underwent self-breast examina tion, and with the staging of the omen of the Diaspora”seminar,which included women of African American and Caribbean descendants. Alleyne CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 11

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~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature Mor e than 1,000 beverages will be available for public taste at the two day Miami International Wine Fair this month. The fifth edition of the annual event, scheduled for Nov . 11 and 12, moves to the Miami Beach Convention Center . Wines from all over the world, including Argentina, Spain, Italy, California, Franceand Por tugal, will be available. A connoisseur s dream come true will be offered through the fair’s “Collector’s Club”, an exclusive section of rare wines. This year’s fair will also includea pr ogram of educational seminars as well as the first ever “South Florida Wine& FoodPairing Competition”. This year’s ticket sales will benefit the disaster relief efforts of the American Red Cross of Greater Miami & The Keys. For ticket information, call 1-877-577-WINE or visit www.miamiwinefair.com Miami serves up int’l wine fair 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com ‘Floribbean’ shrimp is nice,with island rice and sugar snap peas ‘Floribbean’ shrimpINGREDIENTS 1 pound peeled/deveined large shrimp 2 tablespoons honey 4 drops liquid smoke flavoring 1 teaspoon lemon pepper 1/8 teaspoon cur ry powder 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon garlic butter METHOD Combine all ingr edients (except shrimp and garlic butter) in medium bowl. Pat shrimp dry and stir into mixture; let stand 10 minutes to marinate. Wash hands. Preheat large saut pan on medium high two to threeminutes. Place butter in pan;swirl to coat. (Pan should siz zle.) Add shrimp; cook four to five minutes, stirring frequently until shrimp turn pink and opaque. Serve over rice. Island riceINGREDIENTS 1 cup water 1 (six-ounce juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cur ry powder 16 ounces sugar snap peas 1/8 teaspoon allspice (optional 2 cups instant rice black pepper to taste METHOD Combine all ingredients (exceptrice) in mediumsaucepan. Coverand bring to boil onhigh. Stir rice into boiling mixture.Cover and r emove fr om heat; let stand for five minutes or until water is absorbed. Serve. Sugar snap peasINGREDIENTS 16 ounces frozen sugar snap peas 1 tablespoon garlic butter 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt METHOD Place peas in microwavesafe bowl. Cover and microwave on high. Drain peas and r eturn to bowl. Stir in butter and seasoned salt. Cover and microwave two more minutes or until peas are tender. Stir and serve. Meal time – 30 minutes. Serves four. Tip: Capture the great flavor of the shrimp.Give the cooked sugar snappeas a one-minute saut in thesame pan. Recipe and photo reprinted from Publix’s Apron’s Simple Meals. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 12

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Eating favorite Caribbean foods while enduring diabetes According to the American Diabetes Association, 2.8 million African Americans over the age of 20 currently have diabetes. That’s 10 African Americans for every six whiteAmericans with diabetes. “There are several reasons for this disparityexplains nutritionist and author Constance Brown-Riggs. One is genetic: African Americans are more suscepti-ble to diabetes than whites.They also have a higher rate of obesity, which also increas-es the risk of diabetes. The other reason is cultural. Typically AfricanAmericans have less access to diabetes information thanwhites, and the food plan required to lower diabetic risk and control diabetes is atypicalfor many African Americans. REMEDY While the genetic causes are uncontrollable, the cultural risk factors can be remedied. As a nationally recognized nutritionist, registered dietitian, and cer tified dia betes educator with over 25 years of experience, Br ownRiggs decided she wanted to help this group get and stay healthy.As part of her plan, she has written“Eating Soulfully andHealthfully with Diabetes” (www.eatingsoulfully.com), a guide that provides nutrition information and carbohydrate-counts for foods that will appeal to AfricanAmericans who suf fer fr om diabetes. Diabetes educators agree that the first step to prevention and management of diabetes is access to helpful information. It is especially impor-tant for African Americans to understand the dangers of dia-betes since they have a higher risk for complications like kid ney failur e, visual impair ment, or amputation. Lack of educa tion is the first pr oblem that Br own-Riggs tackles in her book, explaining diabetes andoutlining how it can be man aged. FOOD The har dest par t of diabetes management, however , is food. “The basic dietary recommendations for those with diabetes are culturally insensitive,” observes Brown-Riggs. “People with diabetes are generally given vague instructions like ‘stay away from sugar,’ or ‘just eat smaller portions’ which only make everything more frustrating. And,” she explains, “instructions forfood management typically don’t take into account cultural or ethnic food preferences.” She hopes her book offers one step toward solving this problem. In “Eating Soulfully”, Brown-Riggs has devised several ways for people with diabetes to be mind-ful of their eating habits while still enjoying foods popular in the American South and theCaribbean. Her “Soul Food Pyramid”, for those with diabetes, organizes food by carbohydrates, since the carbohydrates break down into glu-cose, and it is the glucose thatis out of balance in peoplewith diabetes. The 96-pages of charts include all the necessary nutritional information, from por-tion size and calories to fatand carbohydrate grams, evencarb choices and exchangesdepending on what plan worksbest for each individual. Alongside information on turkey burgers and omelets, there is also information ondishes like blackened catfish ELEANOR M. WILSON As we devour Caribbean foods with relish, let’sstop to honor those who prepare them so well. Thefive chefs we’ve pr ofiled (all Caribbean) ar e outstanding for their dedication, innovation and expansive use of the local bounty. Norma Shirle y,Jamaica As a bride, Nor ma couldt even boil an egg. Today, her name appears on three successful restaurants:Nor ma’s on the Terrace at Devon House in Kingston; Sea Splash (Negril Port Antonio Marina. When her husband, Dr. Michael Shirley , introduced Nor ma to travel and gourmet dining, the elaborate presentations awakened her sense of style, leading to a career prep-ping plates for photo shoots in New York. But Norma wantedto infuse her favorite Jamaicanfoods onto those plates, andeventually opened her own restaurant in Massachusetts. In the 1980s, Norma returned home as a well-established chef. Her cuisine represents her world travels, but remains Jamaican based,as in tender smoked porkchops marinated in ginger and Red Stripe beer, glazed with guava and topped withcaramelized tr opical fruits. A wards and television appearances for this “Julia Childs of the Caribbean” are numerous, but Norma hasn’tdeser ted the kitchen. That wide Jamaican smile still goes into every dish! Patrick Levine,Grenada When Hurricane Ivan destroyed his cozy cottage onLagoon Road in St. Geor ge’s, our genial host/cook/waiter/ cashier opened again just up the street. Patrick’s unique approach to dining makes this 12-table eatery a ‘must’ stopin Gr enada. He began cooking with his adopted mother at Mama’s Restaurant, openedhis own place nine years ago, and quickly became aGr enada legend. His new building, seating 120, is due to open in Feb. 2007. “Come hungry,” says our chef. “You’ll get 20 differentlocal dishes, plus soup and dessert, for just US$20.00,excluding drinks.” There’s no menu. Patrick just cooks a giant home-style feast and often serves it himself. Our table bore several lit-tle dishes of callaloo soup,lobster salad, codfish fritters,fried jacks, cou-cou, fish steaks, lambie in cr eole sauce, stir -fried rabbit, spinach rice, cur ried mutton, Tania cakes with shrimps, oildown cookedin coconut cr eam, carrot cake and mor e! His stewed-beansin-cur ry dish (see sidebar my surprising intr oduction to non-spicy cur ry. Cecilia J oseph,St.Lucia. The chef at Stonefield V illa Resor t in St. Lucia is the greatgranddaughter of a Carib, butther e the similarity ends. “Cecilia is ver y quiet and humble, the exact opposite of her fier ce ancestors,” exclaims General Manager Aly Br own. “Her team simply follows herlead to cr eate magic in our quaint cr eole kitchen here at Mango T ree.” This unassuming chef always liked cooking with hergrandmother , and as the oldest daughter , took over the kitchen for her mother . Such early exposur e brought out a talent with local herbs and spices. Guests rave over her fr esh caught fish, either drizzled in creole sauce or turned into brothseasoned with bayleaf and or egano. Or try her bullion with unmatured breadfruit, callalooleaves and hand-grated coconut. How do you top that of f? With stewed guava over coconut ice cream,of course. Gw endolyn Smith, Anguilla Koalkeel Restaurant, a historic former home,featur es a centuries-old r ock oven. Given a day’s notice, chef Smith fires up thatoven to pr epare the house specialty, rock oven chicken. Your entree will appear tableside, served in an exquisite silver chafer, surrounded by fresh vegetables and thymeroasted potatoes. Several hours before, the chef placedthat chicken in the oven (over grapewood logs for special fla-voring), checking often to make sure the roof remained white hot, while preparing Top-of-the-class Caribbean chefs serve up tempting delights ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 FOOD FOOD www .caribbeantoday.com Open-air dining Caribbean style. Photograph by Meals MatterEating can be fun and healthy. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14) “Brown-Riggs has devised several ways for people withdiabetes to be mindful oftheir eating habits while stillenjoying foods popular inthe American South and the Caribbean. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 13

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accompanying savory gravy. Smith was hired when Koalkeelopened in1989,expandingher abilitiesunder suchr enowned executivechefs as GuyGuenegoand Geor ge Reid. Anasty hur ri canedestr oyed the pr operty in 2001. Itr eopened in 2004 withGwendolynas executivechef. That ancient ovenis only par t of herdomain. HerAnguillianr oots account for the menu’ s local flavor, aided by the r estaurant’s own herb and spice garden (see sidebar). Verral Marshall,St.Kitts Often voted one of the top restaurants on St. Kitts, the elegant ambiance at Marshall’ s almost equals the food. At softly lit tables sur rounding an indoor pool, most diners begin with exoticdrinks, specialties of the friendly Kittitian bartender. Now you’r e ready for the next stepyour exceptional meal. The many positive comments Marshall received fromdinner guests at his homeencouraged this Jamaican tofollow his passion for goodfood in a stylish setting. After graduation from Casa Monte Hotel School in Jamaica, various positions eventually land-ed him at Marshall’ s in St. Kitts. That gift for entertaining r emained a part of his ultimate dr eam, to please his guests and make sure they have a wonderful dining expe-rience. A few bites of histor tellini caprice will convince you he has r eached his goal. Eleanor M.Wilson is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Top-of-the-class Caribbean chefs serve up tempting delights and stewed tomatoes and okra. This should help African Americans to prepare and enjoy traditional ethnic fare while maintaining normal glu-cose levels and healthy foodintake. While offering resources and tips, Brown-Riggs also encourages everyone with diabetes to shed pounds, improve food choices, and exercise. The book includes: A diabetes soul food pyramid and explanation; A listing of traditional foods from the South andCaribbean; Fast food and brand-name nutrient information and label-reading advice; A two-week soul food menu plan and sample food diary; A glossary of food terms; and Tips for upscale dining. Eating favorite Caribbean foods while enduring diabetes 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 13) (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13) The rock oven at Koalkeel is over 200 years old and still cooking. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 14

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GORDON WILLIAMS Montego Bay stages reggae festivals. Negril offers miles ofwhite sand beaches. Ocho Riosser ves up Dunn’s River Falls and Kingston is, well, Kingston, the capital and heartbeat of the nation. But by the end of next month Jamaica will completeyet another major attraction, and this time sports and entertainment will be the key drawing cards. The Trelawny MultiPurpose Stadium, near Falmouth to the west of the island, is rounding into comple-tion, well in time to host the opening ceremony for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and four warm-up matches in the game’s biggest tournament starting in March. The new stadium recently hosted its first competitivematch between Jamaica and a select team from the United States and, although rain interrupted play forcing a premature end, from most indications the picturesque grounds bowledover fans, players, ex-players and writers invited to witness the national airline’s inaugural“Air Jamaica Cup”. CHARMED The stadium, built through a government-to-government agreement between Jamaicaand China, is expected to hold25,000 fans. When CWC 2007 isover it will be the home to other sporting events, plus stage shows and other forms of entertainment. Yet even with many rough edges still exposed, it has already charmed visitors. “Beautiful, beautiful,” former Jamaica batsman Wayne Lewis gushed after visiting the stadium in late September towatch the game. “Once everything is in order it’s gonnabe a beautiful place to playcricket. Magnificent facilities. It’s really looking good. I’m very impressed.” Lewis was not alone. Most fans sitting in the southern stands, one of two huge areas where the seating is colored black, green and gold and arranged to resemble the Jamaican flag, were in awe of the breathtaking view of the New stadium offers Jamaica’s latest visitor attraction NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC The Bahamas has launched amulti-million dollar campaignaimed at getting mor e Canadian tourists to visit the chain of islands in the wake of a decision by the United States to have its nationals acquire passports fortravel to the Caribbean. Tourism officials say they expect the campaign, that waslaunched last month, would result in a 10 percent to 20 per cent increase in tourist arrivals from Canada. Caribbean countries are worried that the decision by Washington to implement the Western Hemisphere Travel initiative (WHTI mate their tourism sector. In September, the U.S. Congress approved a further postpone-ment of the WHTI, which requires U.S citizens to have passports when traveling to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico. An exact date hasnot been announced, but theU.S. Congr ess has agreed to relax the Jan. 2007 implementation date to occur as late as June 2009. While the postponement defers the passport require-ment for travel by land and sea, it has remained silent onair travel. Tourism officials here said they were also examining other measures and strategies to increase the number of cruiseship passengers, who do not have to meet the new passport requirement for another 20months. Last year, five million visitors came to The Bahamas, with official figures indicating that 3.5 million of those visitorscame by sea. DAWN A. DAVIS Major players in the Caribbean hotel sec-tor , such as Sandals, SuperClubs, and Almond Resorts, have traditionally benefited from the lion’s shareof tourism dollars. W ith more outlay for adver tising and strategic partnerships with major airlines and institutions, these “bigguys” have overshadowedsmall inns and bed and br eakfast concer ns. However , with growing interests among travelers to experience “village tourism”outside the walls of the all-inclusives, tourism executivesar e scrambling to create to accommodate this growing movement. Considered one of the fastest growing industries inthe world, Caribbean tourism is expected to grow close to five percent in 2006, withemployment numbers close to2.6 million. And with over $50billion pr ojected in tourism dollars for the r egion, the community tourism market could earn its share, if proper-ly positioned. ‘OUTSIDE THE BO Addressing participants at the fifth annual Caribbean Media Exchange conferencein St. Lucia last month,Chair man and Managing Director of Almond Resorts Ralph Taylor urged the industry to think outside the box. “This (ICC Cricket W orld Cup 2007) pr esents the perfect opportunity, to allow us to open the doors of tourism toour people, so that they can share firsthand, in the experi-ence, and the r ewards,” Taylor said. “The thousands of peo ple who will be visiting our shores, should be staying in homes, that we have identified, are capable of hosting tourists.” The hotelier added that the Caribbean should be working towards criticaltourism linkages that wouldencourage visitors, to stay in homes, even after theW orld Cup. JAMAICA’S TAKE “Jamaica is definitely poised for this market,”Millicent L ynch, chairman of Unique Jamaica, told Caribbean Today. Unique Jamaica is a consor tium of more than 60 private sector companies involved in the tourism industry. Noting that Unique Jamaica offers authentic,interactive experiences fortravelers, L ynch discussed the island’s home-stay program that is an integral part of the themed “explore it, taste it,feel it” experience. s bringing a family home. W e are not asking homeowners to do anything they would not have done for their homes,” Lynchexplained. “Ther e is no big income r equirement, we just ask that they keep their home as nice as possible and open itup to any visitor just as theywould welcome family orfriends fr om abroad.” V isitors to the island will be able to stay in private homes throughout the island offering up to four rooms atrates ranging fr om $35 to $65 per night, depending on the nature of the accommodation. No room tax will be charged. Homes are inspected andhomeowners ar e trained thr ough the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo the industry. Bahamas lures more CanadiansCaribbean looks to home-stay tourism for big profits November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON PAGE 18) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 18) Unique Jamaica’s Chairman Millicent Lynch makes a presentation of Jamaica’s diverse tourism products. One of two main stands at the new Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in Jamaica,which will host the opening ceremony and some warm-up matches for Cricket World Cup 2007,shows off its seat color pattern of the Jamaica flag. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 17

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Security will also be taken into consideration and home owners will be r equited to go thr ough security screening. Accor ding to Gerrard McDaniel, dir ector of corporate communications in Jamaica’ s Ministry of T ourism, “there are no blacklisted ar eas except possible (crime hotspots.” McDaniel explained that for the pr otection of guests, homeowners ar e required to have public liability insurance.Jamaica’ s government has negotiated with V ictoria Mutual Insurance Companyto of fer the insurance at J$500 per year per r oom. And, with a maximum of four rooms per home, the most a homeowner will layout for liability insur-ance will be J$2,000. Theinsurance company won the bid by offering the rate based on signing on 500 such policies. To date, more than 400homeowners have signed on to the Home-Stay program.McDaniel expects the number of homes to reach 500 by Mar.2007. Lynch explained that Unique Jamaica would do the booking. The tourism executive added that the program isahead of schedule, withHome-Stay accommodations scheduled to be in operation before the World Cup season, which begins in March. However, she was quick to add that the program was not developed specifically for the World Cup, but was created as part of the unique Jamaicaexperience. “This would create a different type of tourism,” explained Taylor to a packedaudience, “one which would generate a greater level of acceptance of the industry byour people.” He warned that there are many other avenues of linkages that remain unexplored -avenues that have not beenfully exploited to involve thewider public in this massive industry. In response, Lynch, also marketing executive at Jamaica’s Caymanas Track Limited, remarked that through Unique Jamaica, visitors could access the island’sdiverse elements, such as nature and culinary tours. The group recently introduced a “Jerk Trail” that allows visi-tors to taste a variety ofjerked cuisine on “jerk stops” throughout the island andmeet descendants of The Maroons who developed the novel pit-in-the-ground jerk process. Photograph and story by Dawn A.Davis,a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. GORDON WILLIAMS The Caribbean’s leading airline is looking to reapa huge windfall linked to the expected sur ge in travel spr outing from Cricket World Cup (CWC the region next year. According to Paul Pennicook, Air Jamaica’sr ecently appointed senior vice pr esident for sales and marketing, the “Love Bird” will be luring the affections ofcricket followers worldwide inan attempt to cash in on thegame’ s biggest single showcase event which begins in Mar ch. e certainly want to make sure that we take as highest a load factor as possi-ble on the r outes that we currently fly,” Pennicook told Caribbean Today last month. Jamaica’ s national airline is already part of a group of carriers from the Caribbean which has been contracted to trans-por t teams participating in the event, officials, cricket watchers, media and sponsors across the region. HUB But the airline wants to add special flights, which will allow fans to use Jamaica as a sor t of hub. “What we are looking at, therefore, is to encourage peo-ple, or to invite people, to sleepin Jamaica and go to cricketmatches in the easter n Caribbean or down in the other islands,” Pennicook explained. “In which case we would put flights on, say early in themor ning departure, go down to the easter n Caribbean, watch a match for the day, and come back up at night.” Other opportunities ar e looming for the airline aswell during Cricket WorldCup 2007.W ith hundreds of thousands of fans expected from huge cricket-loving nationsworldwide, such as Australia,England, India, Pakistan, SriLanka and New Zealand, AirJamaica said it is looking to function as the carrier which takes fans from overseas cities and transports them to the region. “In other words, carriers would come from deep in Asia, would take their people to say London, and then we would take them from London toJamaica,” Pennicook explained. IMPRO VEMENT Y et before all that unfolds next year , Pennicook admits that the biggest challenge in his new portfolio will be to get Air Jamaica operating reliably, mean-ing impr oving on time departures and avoiding flight cancellations which have plagued the airline. es we’ve had some good patches where we have donever y well, you know, on time per formance, but we’ve had a sort of up and down experience the last few months, which, that sort of thing impacts ourpassengers,” said Pennicook,who worked as the island’ s dir ector of tourism before moving to Air Jamaica. “I’m not satisfied that we’re at the point where wecan have absolute r eliability, ver y, very, very few cancellations and all of that. And that is my biggest challenge, to keepthe airline full.” Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. beach to the north and Trelawny’s capital town ofFalmouth to the west. Theyalso basked in the cool br eeze fr om the sea, which consistently washed over the grounds. Even cricket purists, some who originally questioned thedecision to build the new facilityso far fr om the nation’s capital, are on their way to being con-vinced that the multi-milliondollar stadium should tur n out to be a wor thwhile investment. “About a year ago I was quite concerned about it,” said senior cricket writer TonyBecca. “Generally I am quitesatisfied wher e it is at now Several obser vers at the ground drew favorable compar-isons to other cricket stadiumsar ound the world. Becca said the Trelawny stadium reminded him of the Port Elizabeth in South Africa, a Test cricket venue. Lewis came closer to the Caribbean, saying that Arnos Vale in St. Vincent and the Folly Oval in Portland, Jamaica offered the best reminders. The players wer e pleased as well, downplaying concerns that the wind from the sea would affect the quality of theirgame, whether batting, fieldingor bowling. s a very good view and the breeze is not a problem,” said West Indies fast bowlerJer maine Lawson, who represented Jamaica versus the U.S. s very nice, good facilities here. So I think it’s definitely a stadium to look forward toIt was wonderful being out there.” Lawson’s national coach seemed to agree. “It is conducive to good cricket,” said Junior Bennett. “The scenery is extremely goodand, just talking to the players,they also said that the vision of the ground is good.” Yet after the West Indies plays India on Mar . 9 in the final CWC warm-up game in Jamaica, the focus of the new stadium will switch to otherevents. Gone, at least for awhile, will be the sound of baton ball and loud appeals to umpires. But the exciting rush of cheering spectators is expect-ed to continue, and visitors will find Greenfield, Trelawny a hard place to ignore. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. Caribbean looks to home-stay tourismAir J looks to catch Cricket World Cup feverNew stadium offers Jamaica’ s latest visitor attraction 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 P ennicook TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www .caribbeantoday.com TOURISM BRIEFS Caribbean Airlines unveils new logo Caribbean Airlines,the new entity replacing the financially-strappedBWIA, unveiled a new logo last month, showing a vibrant humming bird in full flight. “The livery and logo of Caribbean Airlines center around the humming-bird. The hummingbird is found only in the New World and early references to T rinidad are as the land of the hummingbird,“ BWIA Chief Executive Officer Peter Davies said in a statement. British developer to build resort in Grenada A British developer has announced the commencement of a multi-milliondollar resort and marina project inGrenada. P eter de Savary,a well known international businessman,plans to build a 120-room five-star hotel,a small beach,a world class marina offering berthing for 350 vessels,aswell as other residential units. Faith tourism for The Bahamas The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is partnering with former Fox News cor-respondent and CNN news anchorAndria Hall to promote faith tourismin those Caribbean islands Nov.30 through Dec.3. No U.S.retaliation for passport initiative Vincent Vanderpool Wallace,secretary general of the Caribbean TourismOrganiza tion (CTOhas scoffed at suggestions tha t the amended United States Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTIt pun-ishing Caribbean countries for theirc lose ties with Venezuela. P assed last month by the Congress, the WHTI requires all Americans returning to the U.S.by air to have passports effective Jan.8, 2007. Club Med to open in December Club Med La Caravelle is scheduled to open in Guadeloupe on Dec.16 follo wing the completion of renovations, which reportedly cost $29 million. Health tourism symposium May 13-14 The “Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Symposium”, produced by Positive Tourism Network,will be held from May 13-14,2007 at the Hilton Kingston Hotel in Jamaica. Compiled from CMC and other sources. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17) (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17) CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 18

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arifuna Settlement Day”,a celebration to mark fr eedom and preservation of African culture in Belize, will beheld on Nov.19 . A national holiday , the day, remembers the liberationof Africanslaves upontheir ar rival in Belize fr om St. V incent in 1832. The cele bration illus trates the devo tion and enthu siasm of theGarifuna peo ple in keepingtheir cultur e alive thr ough music, dance and food. Beating dr ums, brightly color ed dr esses and dashikis and soulful, r hythmic dancing, highlight the celebration andthe mark Garifuna peoplehave left on the cultural land scape of Belize. Festivities center on the r eenactment of the landing of the firsts boats of the Garifuna to Belize’s shores, which are performed in towns through-out the countr y, but most pr ominently in Dangriga, the hub of Garifuna life. Settlement Day is deeply seeded in its religious and cultural significance, but welcomes participation from tourists and locals from any of Belize’s diverse ethnic groups.For more information on Belize, visit www.travelbelize.org or call 1-800-624-0686. Belize revives African culture on ‘Garifuna Settlement Day’ An exciting collection of jazz greats, includingGrammy-winning Latin legend Eddie Palmieri, are set to perform at the fourth Anguilla TranquilityJazz Festival Nov.9-12. The 35 square mile British territory will host the festival,billed as the only straight-ahead jazz festival in the Caribbean region, which kicks off with a concert by songstress Nnenna Freelon at the CuisinArt Resort. The next day, the LA Caf willhost a triple bill featuringPalmieri, saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders and pianist Robert Glasper. On Nov.11 , the action returns to LA Caf with the McCoy Tyner Trio and saxo-phonistJavonJackson. The festival culmi-nates on Nov.12 with the “Jazz on the Beach” series at Johnno’s Beach Stop in Sandy Ground where The W.E.S. Group will perform. To learn more about the Tranquility Jazz Festival, visit www.anguillajazz.org or call the Anguilla Tourist Board at 1-877-4 ANGUILLA. Amonth-long exhibition exploring contemporary Haitian art, thr ough the works of one of that Caribbean countr s best known cr eative forces, is currently on display in South Florida. Through Dec. 3, the Br oward Main Library in Fort Lauder dale will display paintings, sculptures and jewelry as part of “Roots: The Idea of Modernity in HaitianContemporar y Art:The Works of Philippe Dodar d”. Some 60 artworks will be presented. THE ARTIST Dodar d was born in 1954, in Por t-au-Prince. He studied at the Poto-Mitan Art School with TIGA (Jean-Claude Garoute), Patrick Vilaire and Frido Casimir. In 1973, he enter ed the Academy of Fine Ar ts, then worked as layout ar tist and founded a studio of audiovisualgraphic ar ts. Five years later , he r eceived a scholarship to the Inter national School in Bor deaux, France, enabling him to specialize in pedagogic graphic design. Two years later he r eceived a scholarship from the Rotar y International Foundation and left on tour with the Group Study Exchange of Haiti to give conferences onHaitian cultur e. His ar twork has evolved to include lar ge sculptures, fine iron works and fine jewelry design. The exhibition, on display at Galler y 6 and open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day , is being presented by Broward County Libraries Division, A.C.T.I.O.N. Foundation,Galerie Marassa and Galeried’Ar t Nader. For more information, call 954-357-7478 or 954-6782975. The Broward Main Librar y is located at 100 S. Andrews Ave. Anguilla jazz fest set for Nov.9-12Fort Lauderdale exhibit explores roots of Haitian contemporary art November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www.caribbeantoday.com One of 60 pieces of Philippe Dodard’ s artwork currently on display in Florida. Drums and dance mark Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize P almieri ENTER TAINMENT BRIEFSAssistant Thief’ in Florida Several performances of P atrick Brown’s comedy play “Assistant Thiefstarring Oliver Samuels and Glen Campbell,will be staged in South Florida this month. The schedule is as follows: Nov.4,8 p.m. ,William T.Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens; Nov.10,8 p.m. ,North Miami Beach Performing Arts Center; Nov.11,at 8 p.m. ,Richmond Heights Middle School; and Nov.12,7 p.m., Coral Springs Center for the Arts. For more information,call 305-891-1242 . Miami Book Fair International Nov.12-19 The 23rd Annual Miami Book Fair International will host an assemblyof Caribbean and African American authors between Nov.12 and Nov. 19 at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus,300 N.E.Second Ave.in Miami,Florida. A Lil Bit Of Jazz The Caribbean Cultural Coalition,Inc. will present “A Lil Bit Of Jazz”concert at 7 p.m.Nov.26 at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Florida. Featured artistes include Bemol Jean Telfort,Ginou and Dadou Pasquet,with special guests The Magnum Band. Flashpoint Film Fest for Negril The Flashpoint Film Festival,a forum for new Caribbean films,will run from Dec.1-3 at The Caves in Negril,Jamaica. Compiled from CMC and other sources. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:56 AM Page 19

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BETHEL HOUSE TO RE-OPEN After 11 years of ef forts, and a $145,000 grant fr om The MiamiDade T ask Force on Urban Economic Rehabilitation, the Bethel House African-BahamianMuseum, the homestead of one of Florida’s earliest Bahamian settlers, will re-open its doors to thepublic at 10 a.m.Dec.18 . Bethel House is located at 18201 S.W. 103 Court, Perrine. The Bethel House has been revived as a cultural center for residents of Perrine and the surrounding areas. It will also func-tion as an economic entity thatwill display exhibits and ar chival collection on African-Bahamian lifestyle. Admission is fr ee although donations are accepted. To learn more about the museum and upcoming events there, call Helen Gage of Mz Goose Inc. at 305-251-2458 . ALUMNI SOCCER The All Jamaica High School Alumni Soccer T ournament , hosted by Calabar and Queens High School Alumni, will beheld fr om 9.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3 at Tree Tops Park in Davie, Florida. To register a team, or get more information, call Mackie at 954-583-1567 or Chris at 954-2748541 . P ARENT RESOURCE GUIDE The Miami-Dade County Public Schools and TheEducation Fund have co-pub lished a fr ee Parent Resource Guide 2006-2007 for the public. The 88-page guide, spon sor ed by global financial services pr ovider ING, gives par ents infor mation they need to know about their child’ s school, curriculum and student r equirements. The guide is printed in thr ee languages -English, Spanish and Haitian creole.Each school inthe system will r eceive additional copies for use in parent-teachermeetings. The guide may also be viewed online at www .educationfund.org (under “Our Publications” www.dadeschools.net (under “Resources”). The 2006-2007 Guide pr ovides a wealth of information including revised curriculum requirements, test schedules,immunization r equirements, student services, legal rights and parental involvement. HURRICANE RELIEF Elderly r esidents of Br oward County, Florida, home to hundr eds of Caribbean immigrants, will get hur ricane help fr om the county. A $5,655,000 grant that will provide assistance to residents 60 years and older that were affected by the 2005 hurricanes. The grant money will be administered by the Broward County Elderly and Veteran Services Division, and will be used for rental subsidies to assistelderly r esidents for housing expenses incurred as their residences were damaged, in-home services such as minor repairs and clean up, as well as roof replacement. The grant funds will be available to any Broward County resident 60 years or older who is not receiving services from another source and was impacted by a hurricane in 2005. Assistance will be provided through an application process. For more information, call the Elderly and Veteran ServicesDivision at 954-537-2936. PASSPORTS The National Passport Information Center (NPIC United States Department of State’s single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport information, is offering a toll free service and has expanded its service availability/options. Persons with questions or need status checks on pending passport applications can call 1877-487-2778 . Customer service representatives are available from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, excludingFederal 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 international trav-el infor mation is available at travel.state.gov ‘GREEN CARD’FILING The United States Citizenship and Immigration Ser vices (USCIS has announced that aliens must mail applications to r enew or replace permanent resident cards, commonly known as “Gr een Cards”, directly to the Los Angeles Lockbox. The Lockbox is a processing facility used by USCIS to accelerate the collection of applica-tions and petitions. Theannounced change allows the agency to impr ove the pr ocessing of For m I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent ResidentCar d) by electronically capturing data and images and by perform-ing fee r eceipting and depositing fr om one central location, rather than at the local district of fice, ser vice center , or application support center (ASC Aliens filing a Form I-90, r egardless of their state of residence, must mail those applications with an application fee of$185 and a biometrics fee of $70to one of the following addr esses: For U.S. Postal Service (USPS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, P.O. Box54870 Los Angeles, CA 90054-0870; Or for non-USPS deliveries (e.g. private couriers U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Ser vices, Attention: I-90, 16420 Valley View Ave., LaMirada, CA 90638 Applicants should not include initial evidence and sup-por ting documentation when submitting the Form I-90 to theLos Angeles Lockbox. Applicants will receive a notice for a biometrics process-ing appointment at an ASC andwill submit their initial evidenceduring that appointment. Applicants will receive their biometrics appointment in themail. CRISIS HOTLINE Multi-lingual counselors are available to respond persons suffering from stress or needing help with housing, food, child care, caring for teens or other similar problems. Call 211 from a regular telephone or 954-537-0211 from a cellular. The free service is being offered as part of Broward County’s helplines. 20 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 FYI FYI www .caribbeantoday.com South Florida community builds a fishing village Dona tions received at Food For The Poor’s 2006 Fine Wines and Hidden Treasures, held recently in Palm Beach,Florida,have helped to build a fishing village in the community of Bull Bay,Jamaica.“The Palm Beach community demonstrated how generosity and compassion can turn despair into opportunity and bring hope to families ea ger to earn a living,said Robin G.Mahfood,president of Food For The Poor. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 20

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The Miami-Dade Department of BusinessDevelopment will launch a new pr ogram that guarantees loans to Community Small BusinessEnterprise (CSBEBusiness Enterprise (SBE firms this month. The pr ogram relieves some of the financial bur dens these companies encounter as small business contractors/ vendors when awarded countycontracts and guarantees loansfor CSBE and SBE fir ms performing on county contracts, through a partnership withContinental National Bank ofMiami. The intent is to bridge the gap between submission ofr equisition and receipt of payment. The loans are in the form of a line of credit, wherebyinvoices for contract r elated expenses may be paid within 48-hours. Loans may range from a minimum of $25,000 toa maximum of $250,000 per participant. Eligible CSBE/SBEs must have a county contract awar d and be in good standing with the county. For more information, call Laurie Johnson at 305375-3121 . Some 50 of the Caribbean’ s leading chief executive officers under age 40 are scheduled to convene in Jamaica in January for a regional summit to generatenew ideas. The event, which will also feature a presentation to thebest business person among the group, will be held Jan. 23 and 24 at the CourtleighAuditorium in New Kingston. Participants will have an opportunity to quiz the region’s top business leaders about the realities companies face and the strategic directions they see for the future. Discussions are expected to cover core business issues, including growth, innovation, talent management, information technology, global mar-kets and leadership. The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award” will also be presented. The award is given annually toan individual(s who started their own business or are involved in the “hands on” running of the company as an active member of senior management and can be directly linked to the recent performance of the company. Florida’s signature event which pr ovides a forum for minority women and businesses, state pur chasing officers and private industry to share ideas and develop business partnerships will beheld this month in Orlando. Gover nor Jeb Bush and the state’s Department of Management Services (DMS Office of Supplier Diversity(OSD“Matchmaker Confer ence and Trade Fair” Nov.15-17 at the Orange County Convention Center. The conference is an outgr owth of Gov. Bush’s “One Florida” initiative, in which he challenged Florida’s state agencies to increase minoritybusinesses spending andexpand outr each and services to minority businesses statewide. In 1999, when the initiative was introduced, total cer-tified minority spending among government agencieswas appr oximately $150 million. Since then, gover nment agencies have incr eased minority spending by 263.5per cent or $397 million. For fiscal year 2004 to 2005, thestate spent $693 million dol lars with minority businessesstatewide. “Ther e is no doubt, minority businesses statewidehave benefited fr om the gover nor’s emphasis on minority contracting,” said DMS Secr etary Tom Lewis, Jr. “Matchmaker is just one of the many ways we help minority vendors connect with gov-er nment spenders. Governor Bush had a vision, and it has come full cir cle.” The business conference is designed to create an atmospherethat allows smalland minority busi nesses to interact directly with state procurement offi-cials and lar ge corporations to build working and lasting relationships. The agenda is packed with eventsthat of fer attendees numer ous opportunities to enhance their business skills.Nationally knownspeakers and pr esenters, as well as top state leadership, have been invitedto attend. “Matchmaker is a one stop shop for minority businesses, state purchasing officers and private industry to share ideas and develop business partnerships,” said OSD Director, Windell Paige. “We are thrilled that our previous sponsors and participants are excited to return and we look forward to fostering new part-nerships.” This year’s event features mor e than 200 companies that will seek to pur chase goods and services from eligible, certified minority vendors. Through this event, the OSD is working to enhancevendor involvement with pur chasing personnel, not only through traditional series of pr ofessional development workshops and plenary sessions, but with opportunities such as the professional development breakfast, awards banquet, and nightly networking receptions. Corporate sponsorship and registration opportunities are still available. For more information, visit www.flmatchmaker.com or contact the Department of Management Services, Officeof Supplier Diversity at 850487-0915 . STEVEN M. ROSENTHAL & MICHAELROSENBERG In an effort to promote better information return compliance, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS sidering automating the penalty setting process for information returns relating to foreignoperations and transactions. As United States taxpayers expand their businesses into foreign locales and more foreign persons and entitiesconduct business in the U.S., the information contained in such returns is becoming more necessary and more often uti-lized by the IRS. Consequently, ensuring that penalties for either failing to file such returns or for filing such returns late are enforced is vital to increasing compliance with respect to international transactions. The forms that the IRS is focusing on are Form 5471, “Information Return of U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations”, and Form 5472, “Information Return of a 25% Foreign-Owned U.S. Corporation or a Foreign Corporation Engaged in a U.S. Trade or Business”. Each of these forms is an infor-mational document that, whenapplicable, must be attached to,and filed by the due date of,the taxpayer s related income tax r eturn. Furthermore, a duplicate of each required form must befiled with the IRS Philadelphia Submission Processing Site inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. COSTLY Failure to file either return (as requiredly basis, or not at all, can be quite costly.The penalty fornot filing, or for filing late, a required Form 5471 or 5472 is $10,000.Furthermore, suchpenalty may be imposed even if the return is timely filed in the event such return is viewed by the IRS as substan-tially incomplete. However, the IRS has determined that it is missing opportunities to assess such penalties based on a recent analysis of validly filed Forms5471 and 5472 for the tax year2002 per formed by the T reasury Inspector General Miami-Dade offers small business development loansY oung Caribbean CEOs to meet in Januar y Florida hosts ‘Matchmaker’ business confab,trade fairForeign information returns may be subject to automated penalties November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 21 www.caribbeantoday.com BUSINESS BUSINESS Bush (CONTINUED ON PAGE 22) CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 21

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Fr ee public seminars on focusing on maximizing opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businessowners to succeed in Miami-Dade County , and contribute to its economic growth by providing business services, will be held throughout Novemberin South Florida. During the month, the county’s Enterprise Community Center will present its “Emergingand Expanding BusinessSeminars Series” by of fering one on one counseling and busi ness infor mation to aspiring entrepreneurs. The seminars, to be held held at 3050 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 201, in Miami, are being divided in two parts consisting of the “Emerging Business”and the “Expanding Business”series. The Miami-Dade ECC is a division of the Miami-Dade Empowerment Trust. The ECC also offers a small businessr esource library and daily one on one business counseling. For more information about the seminars, and to register, call 305-579-2730 . for Tax Administration (TIGTA). According to such study, approximately three percent of the forms 5471 and 5472 filed for 2002 were filed late(7,929 out of 245,419; such numbers were based on asample analysis). However, not a single taxpayer filing a late Form 5471or 5472 was assessed the $10,000 penalty.Based on these results, the TIGTA has determined that the IRS ispotentially missing out on the opportunity to assess approximately $79.2 million in penalties annually, assuming the tax-payers in question did not have reasonable cause for filing late. Such missed opportunities are the result of the IRS’s reliance on examiners to man-ually identify the delinquency and to then to appropriately assess the penalty, a result that could be eliminated through an automated process. STUDY As a result, the TIGTA has recommended to the IRS that a study be performed by the IRS to determine whetheran automated penalty setting process should be put in place with respect to Forms 5471 and 5472.The IRS has agreed that such a studyshould be per formed in order to deter mine the benefits that may be derived by implement ing an automated penalty set ting process in comparison to any related costs. Consequently, it may become even more important in the future that any taxpayer who may be required to file either a Form 5471 or 5472 doso on a timely and accurate basis.As the penalties for failing to file a Form 5471 or 5472 are not insignificant, taking the time to make sure these returns are timely filedwill likely become of utmost importance. Michael Rosenberg is a shareholder and Steven M.Rosenthal is an associatewith the Coral Gables lawfirm of P ackman,Neuwahl BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas is projecting the St. Kitts and Nevis economy could benefit from investments totaling more than onebillion east Caribbean dollars ($370.3 millioning months. Douglas said among the projects is the construction ofhotels, marinas, golf courses, villas, condominiums and thorough-bred horse and dogracing tracks. He told local private and public sector officials that thefederation had been able to attract several high profileinvestors, including the Ritz Carlton hotel group, to dobusiness on the island. “These developments will result in well over one billion in investment in our economy over the medium-term,” Douglas said. “There is clearly no doubt that the growthpotential of our economy is strong and that we need to continue to create an environ-ment that is conducive to strong and sustained economic growth.” Free small business seminars in Miami during November ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Barbadian Paul Skinner hasbeen appointed to the new post of commercial manager of the West Indies Cricket Board(WICB Skinner now has responsibility for managing the WICB’s Commercial and Business Development Department. “The new role will focus highly on growing current business and exploring new revenue streams for the WICB”, the board stated late last month. “In addition, the relationships developed with sponsors in his previous role as sponsor-ship and events manager will be further str engthened in the pursuit of expansion and progress of the busi-ness”, theWICB stated. Skinner has a degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of Windsorin Ontario, Canada. He workedfor 12 years with Shell Antillesand Guianas Ltd. and was responsible for the Shell Select Convenience store network inthe Caribbean. WICB appoints new commercial managerForeign information returns may be subject to automated penaltiesP .M.projecting investments, healthy economy for St. Kitts 22 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 BUSINESS BUSINESS www .caribbeantoday.com Golden Krust expands into Maryland Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Professor Gordon Shirley,center holding bow,cuts the ribbon marking the official opening of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill 108th store in the mall at Prince George’s Plaza,Maryland,last month.Sharing in the ceremony is Golden Krust President and Chief Executive Officer Lowell Hawthorne,to Shirley’s immediate left,and Garfield Gordon the new franchisee.Also joining in the celebration are members of the Golden Krust family members and well wishers. Ambassador Shirley said “the growth of Golden Krust into a successful franchisee is not only impressive,but is also a testament to the enterprising sprit of the Jamaican people.”He said Golden Krust is the largest Jamaican-owned chain restaurantthroughout the United Sta tes. Hawthorne said Golden Krust is expanding its chain of restaurants into Maryland and there are plans to establish an additional 10 stores in the sta te over the next five years. “The trend of the restaurant business is growing in that area and Golden Krust is now moving towards capitalizing on this market and to bring Jamaican cuisine to both the Caribbean and American community,Hawthorne said. Golden Krust,he added,will bring to Maryland a concept that is a Caribbean theme with a strong Jamaican emphasis authentic jerk chicken and variety of patties. Two months ago Golden Krust opened four stores in Atlanta,Georgia. Skinner BUSINESS BRIEFS 30th Miami trade confab The effect of recent initia tives such as the Caribbean Single Market will be among the issues assessed atthe 30th Miami Conference on tradeand investments scheduled for Dec. 4-6. Will the Caribbean be able to effectively integrate and create a truly single market space that allows for increased regional and foreign direct investment?Is CAFTA-DR delivering on its promise or is there significant work to be done to make Central American economies competitive? Regional leaders will discuss those subjects during the three-day event. Europe to provide trade aid to Caribbean The European Union last month said it would begin preparing a strategyto deliver more than Euro 2 billion($2.5 billionother developing countries. The E.U.said that the funds would help put in place new trade policies to boost their growth and help them integrate into global mar-kets. OECS develops investment ties with Puerto Rico The St.Lucia-based Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS says it has developed an alliance with Puerto Rico aimed at developing trade,tourism and investmentsectors. It said the sub-regional group ing has established a tourism and investment office in Puerto Rico that would be used as a base for stimu-la ting trade between the two regions. CARICOM gets support for trade talks The Caribbean community (CARICOM) has received support for itsrepea ted calls for the resumption of the stalled Doha Round of global trade negotia tions. Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTOPascal Lamy,told a United Nations Second Committee special panel discussionon “Negotiating Doha”that the WTO would be reduced to nothing more than a trade litigation forum if the Doha Round of trade talks were to fail.He urged Europe and North America to engage in some “political heavy lifting”to prevent the fail-ure of the important talks. 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PORTLAND, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica’s former worldheavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick was founddead close to his home in Norwich late last month. Hewas 51 years old. Berbick was discovered with multiple wounds, appar-ently inflicted by a machete. He won the World Boxing Council (WBCtitle in Mar . 1986 by defeating American Pinklon Thomas, but lost the belt eight months later in a second-round knockout to Mike Tyson. After r epresenting Jamaica at the 1976 OlympicGames in Canada, Berbick remained in that country to pursue a professional career in the sport and within three years he became Canada’sheavyweight champion. In Dec. 1981, in The Bahamas, Berbick defeated Muhammad Ali on points, in what was the last professional fight for the legendar y American, widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Former world champion Berbick killed in Jamaica ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB a new format for regionalcricket with the 2006-2007 four-day Carib Beer Seriesand KFC Cup limited overs tournaments to run concurrently. Starting on Jan. 4, 2007, venues will use a six-day window to host the four-dayCarib Beer Cup matches and then the KFC Cup limited overs game two days later. In the opening matches in the Carib Beer series on Jan. 4, title-holders Trinidad and Tobago will be away toBarbados at Kensington Oval, the Leeward Islands entertainJamaica in St. Kitts, and the Windward Islands will be at home to reigning KFC Cupchampions Guyana in Grenada. At the completion of those Carib Beer Cup matches, teams will stay on forthe KFC Cup matches twodays later on Jan. 9. The pattern will continue through subsequent weeksuntil the KFC Cup Final Four series in St. Vincent on Feb.14, 15, and 17. The five-day Carib Cup final is slated for Feb. 22-26 at Guaracara Park in Trinidad. New format for Caribbean cricket ZURICH, Switzerland Jamaica has replaced Trinidad and Tobago as the top team inthe Caribbean Football Union (CFU released by soccer’s world governing body FIFA lastmonth. The Reggae Boyz, despite being knocked out of theDigicel Caribbean Cup at the first group stage, jumped 20places in the rankings to 57th, resulting in a CFU leap from number three to number one. The Jamaicans were defeated 2-1 by St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG Digicel Cup group play in September, but benefited from otherwise good resultsduring the latest period under ranking review, defeatingother top 100 teams Canada(2-12-0 winning three of four games. T&T’s Soca Warriors, led by veteran Dwight Yorke, played in last summer’s WorldCup finals for the first time in the country’s history. The country fell 24 places to 80th in the world rankings to be the number three CFU team.Cuba climbed to number two in the Caribbean after climb-ing one place up the worldrankings to 68th. St Lucia, which was fourth in the last CFU rankings, dropped out the top five toninth after falling one place on FIFAs list to 116. The other CFU teams to drop in FIFAs ratings are TheBahamas (eight places to146th), The NetherlandsAntilles (one spot to 172ndand Cayman Islands (oneplace to 178th). The St. Lucians were overtaken by Haiti, SVG,Barbados, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda respecSoca Warriors fall from top of Caribbean soccer rankings LOS ANGELES, California, CMC For mer world light middleweight and middleweight champion JulianJackson, of the United States Virgin Islands, joined some bignames of the past as inductees into the World Boxing Hall ofFame (WBHF Standing alongside such gr eats as the legendary Panamanian Rober to Duran, Jackson was one of the star inductees at the WBHF’s 27thAnnual Banquet of Championswith over 900 attendees at theLos Angeles Airpor t Marriott Hotel. Duran was the biggest name among the 13 inductees that included other ex-champi-ons Matthew Saad Muhammadand Eddie Perkins, andannouncer Bar ry Tompkins. Jackson starred in the middleweight division with his pure knockout power duringthe late 1980s and early 1990s and was a three-time champion, embracing the 154-poundlight middleweight and 160-pound middleweight divisions. He racked up an impressive ring record of 55 wins (49 knockouts) against six losses, and is widely regarded as one of the hardest punchers in world junior middleweight and middleweight boxing history. TITLE RUN He won his first world title in Nov. 1987 by knocking outSouth Kor ean In Chul Baek in three rounds in Las Vegas to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA dleweight title that had been vacated by Jamaican MikeMcCallum. Jackson had lost his first tr y at that 154-pound WBA belt when McCallum, already in the WBHF, beat him in two roundsin Florida in Aug. 1986. Afterdefeating Baek for the title, Jacksonsuccessfullydefended the belt three timeswithimpr essive knockout wins -against Brazilian Francisco DeJesus andAmericans Buster Drayton and Terry Norris before moving upto the middleweight division. In his first title oppor tunity at the 160-pound middleweight level, Jackson whipped Britain’s Herol Graham in four roundsto captur e the World Boxing Council (WBC.1990. He defended that title four times before losing it to American Gerald McClellan in May 1994. As a 34-year-old, he regained the belt by beating Italian Agostino Cardamone in Mar. 1995, but lost it to American Quincy Taylor in his first defense five months later. Jackson retired in 1998 after losing to American AnthonyJones. Now age 45, Jackson isthe national coach of the USVIand gets his WBHF induction in his third year of eligibility. SAN JUAN, Puer to Rico, CMC Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and SheroneSimpson have been selectedthe best Central Americanand Caribbean Athletes of the Year, after both had superbseasons in 2006. Stephen Francis, their trainer at the Jamaica-based MVPT rack Club, was also named the Nor th America, Central America and Caribbean Track and Field Coaches Association(NACACTFCAY ear. Unbeaten in 16 finals, the 23-year-old Powell equaled his 100-meter world record twice(9.77Jamaican to claim a shar e of the IAAF Golden League jackpot. He also added theCommonwealth Games and the World Athletics Final titles to his extensive pedigree,as well as impr oving his 200meter personal best to 19.90 seconds in a tremendous season. Powell is being awardedwith the CAC Athlete of the Y ear honor for the second consecutive season. EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE Simpson was also impr essive in the sprints, posting the year’s fastest times in both 100 meters (10.82 (22.00 -old clocked seven of the 11 sub-11 second times and won the World Cup in Athens, as well as the World Athletics Final, both over 100 meters. In March she won the Commonwealth title over 200 meters, defeating he team-mate and Olympic championV eronica Campbell. Simpson also dominated four of the sixIAAF GoldenLeague meetingsand anchor ed the Americas squad to the 4x100-meter sprint relay win at the World Cup. Powell and Simpson ar e also up for two major world awards from the IAAF. They haveboth ear ned nominations the 2006 World Athlete of the Year award, plus the “Performance of the Year”prize that will be declar ed at the 2006 IAAF W orld Athletics Gala in Monaco on Nov.12. USVI’s Jackson enters Boxing Hall of FameJamaica’s Powell,Simpson top regional athletic awards November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 23 SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com Simpson Powell Jackson Berbick Yorke (CONTINUED ON PAGE 24) CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 23

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC Defending championsBarbados is bracing for a ster n challenge to their Caribbean Netball Association’s under-16 title, when the tournament gets underway this month. Though confident of mounting a str ong title-defense after choosing a strong 12member team, Barbados is wary of threats to the title itwon last year in St. Kitts and is eyeing five-time championsJamaica in par ticular. “All things being equal, the girls have been training hard, we have put themthr ough some very severe tests her e because we are really aware that Jamaica really wants to get back the under-16 championship,” AnnetteBeckett, the Barbados NetballAssociation pr esident, told CMC Sports . CHALLENGE Barbados claimed the title in the last tourney after beating perennial champions Jamaica26-24 in a thrilling encounter , the mar quee event at in the championship. Beckett said Barbados expected its major challenge to come from itsnor thern neighbors again. Y et despite the challenge from Jamaica, Beckett said she expected Barbados to suc-cessfully defend its title. e are expecting the under -16 team for 2006 to perfor m as good as or better than the one did in 2005,” Beckett said. The championships will be staged at the Jean Pier re Complex fr om Nov. 23 to Dec. 3. Nine teams are confirmed. Ex-champions Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines(SVGAntigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and hosts Trinidad and Tobago. The Jamaica Football Federation (JFFmonth announced that it is close to signing BoraMilutinovic as the next coachof Jamaica’ s Reggae Boyz soccer team. The JFF has been sour cing sponsorship to pay the salar y of Serbia-bor n Milutinovic, one of the world’ s best-known soccer coaches, and both par ties have declar ed they are close to an agr eement. Jamaica’ s Finance Minister Dr . Omar Davies said his gover nment was committing $500,000 annually forthe next four years towar d Milutinovic’ s salary. Davies said that allocation was beingshar ed between the government and an undisclosed pri vate sector inter est. Cur rently based in Mexico, Milutinovic is one of the world’s most traveled internationalcoaches and he is theonly man to have led as many as five differ-ent teams at the World Cup finals –China in 2002, the1986 hosts Mexico,Costa Rica (1990hosts United States(1994(1998 Milutinovic has a reputation as a coachwho will make surprise team selections. Former UnitedStates national team playerAlexi Lalas, who played forMilutinovic, told Caribbean Today that the coach will also favor smart, young players. In France 1998, under the guidance of Brazilian coach Rene Simoes, Jamaica cr eated histor y when it became the first English-speakingCaribbean team to appear in a W orld Cup finals, but the Reggae Boyz have str uggled to r each those lofty heights since then. Anew champion of r egional soccer will be cr owned early next year following Jamaica’ s elimination fr om the preliminary r ound of the Digicel Caribbean Cup last month. Jamaica, playing at home, finished thir d in its group, behind Haiti and St. V incent and the Gr enadines.The second qualifying r ound of matches will begin this month with 12 teams split into thr ee groups of four. The top two teams from each group willautomatically join hosts Trinidad and Tobago in the finals of the tournament in January. The third placed team in each group will play off, with the winner earningthe last spot in the finals. Play in Group G, based in Barbados, will feature the hosts, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda and The Bahamas. The opening group games are scheduled for Nov. 19. Games in Group H will be hosted by Guyana, whichwill be joined by theDominican Republic,Guadeloupe, and Antigua andBarbuda. The first matches will kick off on Nov. 24. On Nov. 8, play begins in Group I, featuring hosts Martinique, Cuba, Surinameand Haiti. Barbados bracing for Jamaica onslaught in under-16 netball tively. Haiti, SVG and Barbados made the biggest moves in the entire worldrankings. The Haitians jumped 35 places to 83rd, SVG 44 to 85th and Barbados52 to 100th. Soca Warriors fall from atop Caribbean soccer rankingsMilutinovic set to coach Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz NEW YORK CITY, New York, CMC – Jamaican-born forward Jeff Cunningham hassecur ed the Budweiser Golden Boot awar d as top scorer in the 2006 United States Major League Soccer (MLS Cunningham, a for mer U.S. inter national who plays for Real Salt Lake alongside another Jamaican Andy Williams, scored 16 goals during this year’s campaign, twomor e than the Chivas USA for ward Ante Razov and the D.C. United midfielder Christian Gomez, who eachhad 14 goals. The 30-year -old Cunningham, who migrated to the U.S. from Montego Bay in Jamaica as a 14-year-old, added11 assists to his goal tally . This marks the thir d time that a Caribbean-born player has won the Golden Boot award, following back-to-backawar ds for Trinidad and T obago’s Stern John in 1998 and 1999. Now in his ninth MLS season, Cunningham has 90 career goals and is fourth onthe MLS all-time scoring listbehind Jason Kr eis (108 Jaime Moreno (105 Razov (98has nine caps for the U.S.,spent most of his MLS years with Columbus Crew and one season with the ColoradoRapids befor e being traded to Real Salt Lake. He earned MLS “Player of the Week”honors four times during the2006 season and was “Playerof the Month” in August. Jamaican wins MLS Golden Boot awardCaribbean to crown new soccer kings 24 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 Cunningham Milutinovic SPORT SPORT www .caribbeantoday.com SPORT BRIEFS T&T Soca Warriors quit threat to retire Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca W arriors,who participated at the W orld Cup finals in Germany in June,have withdrawn their threat to retire from international soccerover disputed bonus payments. After consultation with lawyers,the players’ committee with Dwight Yorke,Brent Sancho, Stern John and Dennis Lawrence at the helm – said last month that there is a suitable arbitration process under the FIFA statutes toresolve the issue. Windies hosts Sri Lanka Sri Lanka’s ’ team will embark on a seven-match cricket tour of the West Indies starting late thismonth. The Sri Lankan reserves will play West Indies ’ in two fourday matches in Guyana and St. Kitts before facing the home teamin five one-day ma tches in Jamaica. U.S.Wellness team for Reggae Marathon United Sta tes-based team The W ellness Community’s Strides For Hope will be among the more than 400 participants to contestthe sixth sta ging of Reggae Mara thon/Half Marathon in Negril, Jamaica on Dec. 2 . P articipants are also expected from Europe,Africa,Asia and the Caribbean.The course runsalong the seven-mile white sandbeach strip in Negril. Compiled from CMC and other sources. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 23) CFU rankings (world ranking in brackets 1. Jamaica (57 2.Cuba (68 3.Trinidad and Tobago (80 4.Haiti (83 5.St.Vincent & the Grenadines (85 6.Barbados (100 7.Guyana (106 8.Antigua and Barbuda (109 9.St.Lucia (116 10.St.Kitts and Nevis (118 11.Suriname (122 11.Bermuda (122 13.Bahamas (146 14. Grenada (157 15.Dominican Republic (160 16.Turks and Caicos (168 17.British Virgin Islands (171 18.Netherlands Antilles (172 19.Cayman Islands (178 20.Dominica (120 21.Puerto Rico (191 22.Anguilla (196 23.Aruba (198 23.United States Virgin Islands (198 23.Montserrat (198 CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 24

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC Caribbean community (CARICOM General Edwin Carringtonhas praised Jamaican diplomatDudley Thompson who has been recognized as an“African Living Legend”. Ambassador Thompson was given the honor by the African Press in Ghana, alongwith Nelson Mandela, United Nations Secretary General Koffi Annan, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, and three other African nationals. “The fact that this is your second such recognition by Africans is a powerful testimony that you have sincer ely dedicated most of your life to the Pan-African movement. You have not only served your home the Caribbean very wellbut have extended your hand further afield to cross bordersand continents to embrace our African brothers and sisters while seeking to reinforce theties that have bound us,” Carrington said in a congratulatory message. He said for Thompson to have received the recognitionalong with persons such asMandela, Annan and Soyinka “is a tremendous honor, notonly for yourself and Jamaica but for the entir e Caribbean.” Born in 1917, Thompson received the Order ofJamaica and the Order of Balboa fromPanama. He served in Britain’s Royal Air Force during World War II and interact-ed with such Pan-African greats as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, George Padmore of Trinidad and Tobago andJomo Kenyatta of Kenya. Jamaican named African Living Legend’ W ASHINGTON, CMC The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB oved a $17.8 million loan to Haiti to further develop the agricultural and livestock sectors. The IDB said that the funds would be used to strengthen extension and research centers, reduce losses caused by key crop and livestock pests and diseases and generate business opportunities. The funds will also be used for a program to increase productivity in rural supply chains with proven growth potential. FALL The IDB said that agricultural output has fallen dramati-cally in Haiti over the past two decades, increasing poverty levels in the countryside, where the majority of Haitians reside. “Nevertheless, a variety of agriculture and livestock-based activities show promising prospects to add value and generate more income and jobs in rural areas,” it added. Building on studies of Haiti’ s emerging rural supply chains, the IBD said the new pr ogram would strengthen the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR existing research and extension centers and promoting publicprivate cooperation. “Knowledgeable members of producer associations will be included in steering committees to ensure the relevance and accountability of the research and extension programs,” it added. PEST CONTROL A second component of the program will bolster Haiti’s capacity to detect and control key pests and diseases affecting plants and animals in the priority supply chains; improve quarantine controls at airports, ports and border crossings; run quality control, compliance and certification systems; and carry out specific phyto-zoo-sanitary campaigns. The pr ogram will help the MARNDR boost its capacity tomake public investments in r ural supply chains by providing financing to train staff in strategic management, human resources and operations management and information management. As part of the program, a $500,000 grant from the Japanese Poverty Reduction Fund (JPRF producer groups and entrepreneurs to market opportunities, including services to develop business plans and to identify financing sources, the IDB said. It said that investments made under the program would complement other rural development projects financed by the IDB and various internationalagencies and donors in Haiti. The new loan is for 40 years, with a 10-year grace period. It has an annual interest rate of one per cent during the first decade and two per cent thereafter. IDB appro ves $18M loan to develop Haiti’ s agriculture,livestock sectors BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC As the Caribbeannegotiates a new economicdeal with the Eur opean Union (E.U. ope’s point man in the region has warned that the Caribbean community(CARICOMa hefty price if a new deal cannot be str uck in time. Ambassador Amos Tincani, head of the EuropeanCommission Delegation toBarbados and the Easter n Caribbean, said the r egion must get its trade position together by the Jan. 2008 deadline tonegotiate a new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)with the E.U. e should not flaunt the deadline, but equally we have no magic alternatives to offer and it is politically unrealistic to think that (World TradeOr ganization) members would agr ee to extend the current waiver, and certainly not with-out a heftyprice,” he toldcultural workers and trade negotiators gatheredher e to make recommendations for pr omoting creative industries. CHANGE The E.U. envoy told par ticipants at the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNMized seminar last month that the EPA would fundamentally change the E.U.-Caribbeanr elationship from one that of fers trade preferences to one that builds lasting r egional and international markets for the Caribbean. “The world is moving on and pr eferences are eroding er oding permanently. It does the region no favors to cling to the past,” he told his audi-ence which is tasked withdeter mining how the region’s cultural industries will be inte grated into the Caribbean’ s external trade negotiations. Tincani said the Caribbean is stressing weak-ness in r egional economies and the need for flexible trade tools while Europe is showing “some flexibility” to reflect the regional realities in negotiations for a replacement tothe Lome and Cotonou trade and aid pacts with new reciprocal trade arrangements. E.U.envoy urges Caribbean not to miss trade pact deadline November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 25 T incani Thompson REGION REGION www.caribbeantoday.com REGION BRIEFS Caribbean,U.S.sign anti-drugs pact The United States has signed an a greement with several Caribbean, South American and European countries aimed a t dealing with the illegal drug trafficking trade. Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana,Venezuela,Colombia, Brazil, the Netherlands,France, Britain signed the aramaribo Dec laration”last month at the end of a two-day conference. Caribbean,U.S.sign antidrugs pact The United Sta tes has signed an agreement with several Caribbean, South American and European countries aimed at dealing with the illegal drug trafficking trade. Suriname,Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana,Venezuela,Colombia, Brazil,the Netherlands,France, Britain signed the aramaribo Dec laration”last month at the end of a two-day conference. BVI to introduce new work permit card Authorities in the British Virgin Islands are introducing a new workpermit card in an a ttempt to wipe out wha t they say is widespread forgery of the current document. Noting tha t the measures were long overdue, Minister of Labor Eileene Parsons said the BVI Labor Department has contracted aBarbadian firm to produce the newcard which will be introduced Jan.3 . Compiled from CMC and other sources. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 25

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For Caribbean nationals living in the United States who are planning an early 2007 retire-ment, now is the time to contact Social Security. Here’s why: the Social Security office generally encour-ages people to notify it about three months before the month in which they plan to retire. For those planning to retire in 2007 who want their monthlypayments to star t in January or Febr uary, they can do it now and get the pr ocess completed befor e the start of the busy holiday season. ONLINE For those who are Internet savvy, Social Security makes the process even easier and more convenient through options available at its website www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire .Applications can be made online for a person’s retirement or his or her spouse’s benefits. Before the online process begins, applicants will be informed that he or she will sign the application form electronically, once they click onthe “sign now” button at the endof the application. That means the applicant accepts responsibility for the accuracy of the infor-mation submit to Social Security .Social Security will need to have pr oper verification to make a decision on claims, such as pr oof of age, earnings, marriage and suf ficient medical evidence for disability claims. For those who do not have access to the Internet and are ready to apply for retirementbenefits, visit a local Social Security office or call 1-800-7721213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778 . Jamaica is encouraging Americans to get their passpor ts through a series of value added and educational pr ograms created in response to the new U.S. passport regulations. T wo programs announced by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB and Tourist Association (JHTA) offer incentives for travelerswho obtain new passpor ts, and provide opportunities that make it convenient for potential trav-elers to sign up for their pass ports. Visitors who travel to Jamaica after Jan. 8, 2007 with new passports and have Jamaica as the first port of entry stamped in their new passpor t, will r eceive special credits during their stay that equal the standar d amount spent on applying for a U.S. passpor t. These incentives may include hotel services, such as spa treatments, golf gr eens fees, attraction tour fees, r oom upgrades, extra nights, gift shop and photoshop pur chases, and more. Par ticipating hotels will offer the various incentives through Dec.2007. Ser vices and amenities provided byhotels willequal the U.S.dollar amountspent on each new passpor t: $97 per adult and $82 per child for new passpor ts. Details for par ticipating hotels will vary. For more information go to www .visitjamaica.com/rewards COFFEE BREAKS On Nov . 15, the JTB is expected to launch a series of “Jamaica Mor ning Coffee Br eaks” at major commuter terminals in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Consumers canapply for their passpor ts on-site or collect the necessary forms. Fr ee Jamaican Blue Mountain cof fee will be of fered, as well as information onJamaica travel and new passpor t requirements. Commuters will need to have all necessary documents if they want to apply at the events. This program will continue inadditional major U.S. markets through mid-winter 2007. HONEYMOONERS The JTB is also encouraging couples and families toinclude getting their passpor ts on their “must do” list as they plan honeymoons and family vacations. “Jamaica realizes how important it is to educate Americans about the new pass por t regulations, and to encourage travelers to apply for their passpor ts as soon as possible,” said Minister Of Tourism, Enter tainment and Culture. “These initiatives ar e designed to make the application process easier, as well as topr ovide an incentive to make Jamaica the first stop uponr eceiving a passport.” For mor e infor mation about the passport requirements andJamaica’ s passport initiatives, go to www.visitjamaica.com Seniors encouraged to apply for Social Security benefits Author and illustrator Camille A. Alston has published a children’s book entitled “Beautiful as a Butterfly” which speaks to young readers and addresses their concerns about self-esteem. The easy-tounderstand prose helps children grasp the some-what complicatedissue of self-esteem. Alston, who also illustrat-ed the book, saw aneed for this typeof book after working directly with children from a variety of circumstances. “In today’s society, youth, and adults alike, are constantly presented with many chal-lenges including issues of low self-esteem and lack of self-worth. ‘Beautiful as a Butterfly’ presents parents with an important opportunityto discuss ways to help their children develop a healthysense of confidence,” Alston in a recent press release. Teachers are also encouraged to use this book as a toolto teach students about this vital aspect of growth. In the book, Sweet Pea’s daddy tells her how beautiful she is, but she doesn’tbelieve him, until she dis-covers whatmakes herbeautiful. She asks her moth-er and other importantpeople in herlife for theiropinions andshe finds out that everybody thinks she is beautiful for a different reason. Alston was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA with a degree in fine arts. BlackNews.com ‘Beautiful’ teaches sweet lessons in self-esteemJamaica offers incentives for U.S.passport holders Supporters of the fight against breast cancer cheer at a gathering for the Susan G.Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure held last month at Bayfront Park in Miami,Florida.More than 14,000,including close to 600 breast cancer survivors,participated,the highest number since the first race in 1996.The foundation is dedicated to eradicating breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research,education,screening and treatment.October was “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. CHEERING FOR A CURE 26 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2006 Assamba LOCAL LOCAL www .caribbeantoday.com LOC AL BRIEFS Attorney re-elected AJA president Attorney Allan Alberga was last month re-elected president of the Atlanta Jamaican Association for athird consecutive term. Among those elected to serve on the AJAs board,which will assume office in Jan.2007,are: Vice President Trevor Smith, Secretary Sylvia Ricketts,Assistant Secretary Hope McDonald, Treasurer Joy Boothe,and Sargent-at-Arms Winston Henry. Remittances on the rise According to Dame Billie Miller, Barbados’s minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade,remittances from Caribbean nationals abroad,including the United States,grew from $400 million inthe early 1990s to about $4 billionin 2002. Flu shots for seniors Free flu and pneumonia vaccinations are available to persons age65 and older through the Senior Immunization Project,a partnership of the Health Foundation ofSouth Florida and Health ChoiceNetwork. Vaccines are free for uninsured seniors.Insured seniors may participate by bringing their insur-ance cards. For more information,call 305-599-1015 Ext.8008 . Taste of Florida-Caribbean The Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce (GCACC will host its inaugural aste of Florida-Caribbean”expo and foodtasting event from noon to 5 p.m. Nov.5 at Volunteer Park,12050 Sunrise Blvd in Plantation,Florida. The event will include a fun-filledfamily day of food tasting, Caribbean steel pan music,fun, games and entertainment for all ages.Attendees can expect to taste different cuisines from various Caribbean restaurants,cater-ers and suppliers. Compiled from CMC and other sources. CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 26

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC W ith both major political par ties stepping up activities acr oss the country, Prime Minister Owen Ar thur is keeping Barbadians guessing on when the next general elections will be called. Addressing a political mass meeting in the southerntown of Oistins late last month, Arthur told supporters that his ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP be seeking a fourth successive term anytime from as early as before year end, until aftermid-2008 when the poll is constitutionally due. “There is no need to speculate about the date of anelection in Barbados,” he toldcheering suppor ters. “Whether an election is called in January next year orthis year and you hear whenI say this year or sometimein 2007 or 2008 it will not mat ter , it will not make any difference because the r esult of the election will be the same four love.” SPECULA TION Speculation about an early poll grew recently following the publication of a poll whichshowed that the r uling par ty had increased its popularityover the last year , coupled with the par ty’s decision to follow in the footsteps of the O pposi tion Democratic Labour Par ty (DLP acr oss the country. Ar thur, however, told his audience that the “Conversation with theNation” series of meetings were decided on because his government realized that itcould not depend on the massmedia to take its message to the country and not because ofan impending election as theopposition suggested. onight I have come to refocus the serious purposebehind these meetings, I have not come out to electioneer.The time will come when I will ask for your support but Ifeel the need for a general conversation with our peo-ple,” the prime ministeradded. P.M.Arthur keeps Barbados guessing over date for general elections KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC Prime Minister Por tia Simpson Miller broke her long silence on the controversial campaignfinance scandal involving her ruling People’s National Party(PNP nment as it survived a vote of no confidence brought against it by the main Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP Both the PNP and the JLP voted along par ty lines last month for a 33 to 23 defeat ofthe motion that had been tabled by Opposition Leader BruceGolding last in light of the ongoing contr oversy surrounding the campaign contribution fundinvolving the PNP and the Dutch oil company Trafigura Beheer. The contr oversy has alr eady led to the resignation of Information Minister Colin Campbell, who also stepped down as the PNP’s general secretary after Trafigura Beheer denied the PNP’s account ofhow J$31 million ($467,000got into an account bearing Campbell’s name. Campbell had claimed that the money was a gift from Trafigura towards the PNP’selection campaign, but the JLP called for the r esignation of the entire government. GOV’T DENIAL In her presentation, Simpson Miller emphatically denied any impropriety in the rafigura Affair” saying themotion was a bid by the Opposition to score pointsahead of the impending generalelection. She said that in his bid to score political points, Golding breached banking laws, adding “this is not the sor t of conduct that can be regarded as a qualification for leadership of our country The prime minister said that on the issue of campaign financing, it was now a matter to be dealt with by a parlia mentary committee that would also allow for public participa-tion in its deliberations. Golding, describing the rafigura Affair” as “the mother of all scandals,” brushed aside a call by the prime minister for a Joint Select Committee ofParliament to discuss a bill onpar ty funding and registration tabled by Independent legislatorAbe Dabdoub. Jamaica government survives vote of no confidence over rafigura Affair’ November 2006CARIBBEAN TODAY 27 www.caribbeantoday.com POLITICS POLITICS Arthur Golding CTNov2006Ver2.qxd 11/10/06 8:57 AM Page 27

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