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O MARCH 2008



0 1 0


c o v e r y o u


, o r I d


- N)F


Vol. 19 No. 4


PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MIAMI, FL
PERMIT NO. 7315
Tel: (305) 238-2868
1-800-605-7516
editor@caribbeantoday.com
ct ads@bellsouth.net
Jamaica: 654-7282


Caribbean and
-other nation-
als arriving at
some major
United States
airports must
now have all
10 fingers
electronically
printed as part of a new ........... .........
Homeland Security program to
nab criminals and bolster air-
port security, page 2.


Caribbean leaders have hailed
the contributions of outgoing
Cuban President Fidel Ruiz
Castro. The 81-year-old leader
said that he would not return
as commander-in-chief follow-
ing a session of the National
Assembly last month, page 7.


Shalrie
Joseph and
at least a
dozen players
with strong
Caribbean
roots are
gearing up
for another
season in Major League
Soccer, the game's highest
professional level in the
United States, which kicks off
its 2008 season this later this
month, page 19.


INSIDE
N ew s ........................................2 H health ....................................11 B usiness................................16 Sport ......................................19
Feature .................... 7 Food.....................................12 Arts/Entertainment ..............17 Region ................................20
Viewpoint ................................ 9 Tourism/Travel ......................13 FYI ..........................................18 Politics ..................................22


W e


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-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


Caribbean nationals face tougher

fingerprint rule at U.S. airports


March 2008


Caribbean calls for elimination

of violence against women


MIAMI Caribbean and other
nationals arriving at some
major United States airports
must now have all 10 fingers
electronically printed as part
of a new Homeland Security
program to nab criminals and
bolster airport security.
Officials say the new
measure is now being adopted
at the Miami International
and Orlando airports in
Florida and a number of U.S.
cities, including Atlanta,
Boston, Massachusetts
Washington and Chicago.
They said that within a
year, the same procedure will
be required of Caribbean and
other foreign visitors passing
through the Fort Lauderdale-
Hollywood and Palm Beach
International airports in
Florida.
"We're going to do this
nationwide," said Jennifer
Connors, chief officer of the
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection agency, based in


Miami.
The procedure is manda-
tory for those aged 14 to 79,
but is not required for U.S.
citizens, she said.

SCANS
Effective last month, as
foreign visitors go through
passport
control
at the
identified
airports,
they
must
place
both
hands -
separate-
ly on electronic scanners
similar to those banks use for
identity verification. Officials
said the scanners allow cus-
toms agents to verify that a
visitor's identity matches the
information on his or her
passport. They also alert vari-
ous federal agencies if a visi-


tor is wanted on any domestic
or international criminal
charges.
Previously, visitors were
required to have prints taken of
only their right and left index
fingers, but security officials
said that procedure had gaps
allowing criminals to escape
undetected, Connors said.
Even so, she said the lim-
ited fingerprinting process
prompted federal agencies to
nab about 6,000 suspects last
year at Miami International
Airport.
Frequently, there were
people who committed a
crime in the U.S., left the
country and changed their
identities. They were inter-
cepted when they returned,
Connors said.
"It happens every single
day; we pick up people with
outstanding warrants," she
said.
0


U.S. legislator vows clampdown

of Caribbean offshore tax havens


WASHINGTON A United
States lawmaker has vowed to
further clamp down on
Caribbean offshore tax shel-
ters, claiming that they cost
the U.S. Treasury over $100
billion annu-
ally.
Michigan
Democratic .
Senator Carl


Levin said
that an inves-
tigative panel
he heads
would stay
focused on Levin
the matter,
hoping that it will get more
attention in the current U.S.
presidential campaign.
"We're after offshore tax
havens and their use in tax
avoidance, where they serve
no economic purpose except
to avoid taxes," said Levin,
who chairs the Senate
Permanent Subcommittee on


I


Investigations.
Last year, Levin, Senator
Norm Coleman and
Democratic Presidential hope-
ful Barack Obama introduced
a bill in the US Senate aimed
at cracking down on tax eva-
sion schemes in offshore shel-
ters in the Cayman Islands
and other Caribbean islands.
"There's a lot of money
involved," Levin said.
"We've got people paying
taxes in this country who are
middle-income, working fami-
lies and, at the same time,
people avoiding paying taxes
who are making millions of
dollars a year.
"The public knows about
it. They're unhappy with it,"
he said.

EFFECTS
Fearing the adverse effects
on their respective economies,
Caribbean community (CARI-
COM) leaders during the


Summit on the Caribbean last
June, raised the issue with
U.S. lawmakers on Capitol
Hill. CARICOM leaders were
assured that the proposed
clamp down would come to
naught.
"We were given the assur-
ance that the bill that is cur-
rently written, the experts
have all agreed that it is inad-
equate for what is required
and that the positions in rela-
tion to the Caribbean, which
are deleterious to the
Caribbean interest, would not,
in their judgment, see the light
of day," St. Vincent and the
Grenadines' Prime Minister
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the then
CARICOM chairman, told
reporters in Washington.
Gonsalves viewed the
development as "very posi-
tive" for the region.
0


Raul Castro is new president of Cuba


HAVANA, Cuba, CMC -
Raul Castro is now the presi-
dent of communist Cuba,
replacing his brother Fidel
who held power for nearly
half-century.
The 614-member National
Assembly elected Raul, 76, as
the new president after a
meeting in the capital Havana
on Feb. 24.
Raul has been responsible
for the day-to-day control of


the govern-
ment since
July 2006,
when his
brother
underwent
intestinal sur-
gery.
Fidel, 81,
last month Castro
announced
his retirement
after 49 years at the helm of


the communist Caribbean
country. Fidel came to power
in 1959 after overthrowing the
Fulgencio Batista regime in a
blood revolution.

* Call for lifting of U.S.
embargo against Cuba, see
page 4.
* Caribbean leaders hail
Fidel Castro's contributions,
see page 7.
0


UNITED NATIONS A
senior Antigua and Barbuda
government minister has
called for the elimination of
violence against women, say-
ing it is inconsistent with the
Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).
Antigua and Barbuda's
Minister of Labour, Public
Administration and
Empowerment Jacqui Quinn-
Leandro joined Haiti in outlin-
ing their positions at the 52nd
session of the United Nations'
Commission on the Status of
Women last month.
Speaking on behalf of the
"Group of 77" developing
countries and China, Quinn-
Leandro said human develop-
ment and growth "that are
sustainable" must involve the
participation and contribution
of all people.
"A few of the challenges
to mainstreaming gender
equality and women's empow-
erment include the feminiza-
tion of poverty, lack of access
to resources, few women on
financial and economic boards
and the inadequate financing
of programs that affected the
lives of women," she said.
On the work of the com-
mission, she said that, by col-
lectively reviewing challenges
related to financing gender
empowerment and by sharing
best practices on the mecha-
nisms and processes involved
in that effort, the commission
could make an "important
contribution to the design of
policies and programs aimed
at bridging the gap between
policy and practice."

IMPACT
She said studies have con-


TORONTO A senior St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
diplomat says he is concerned
at what appears to be an inor-
dinate large number of nation-
als seeking refugee status in
Canada.
Consul General Steve
Phillips told the Caribbean
Media Corporation (CMC)
that false refugee claims by
Vincentians were "possibly"
the greatest threat to an oth-
erwise g d" foreign rela-
tionship with Canada.
"Many of our people
seeking to regularize their sta-
tus in Canada are blindly led
by unscrupulous immigration
consultants and immigration
lawyers into making such
unfounded claims," said
Phillips last month.


firmed the "positive impact of
investment" on the lives of
women on national productiv-
ity and development.
Quinn-Leandro said "gen-
der-responsive budgeting" is a
particularly important mecha-
nism in the planning and eval-
uation of financing for gender
equality and women's empow-
erment, stating
that it has
been identified
as a "crucial
tool" for
achieving the
MDGs.
"Such
budgeting
should not Quinn-Leandro
only focus on
expenditures,
but also provide systematic
planning regarding govern-
ment allocation of financial
resources through the imple-
mentation of national pro-
grams.
"With all that, some
developing countries, facing
huge obstacles, such as debt
burdens and trade imbalances,
are unable to allocate suffi-
cient resources to programs
dedicated to women's empow-
erment," Quinn-Leandro
added.
President of the U.N.
Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC), Leo Merores, said
violence against women is part
of "a systematic discrimination,
a heinous violation of women's
human rights and a major
obstacle to development."
Merores said he intends
to use the reformed council to
promote gender equality and
women's empowerment.


"These often result in
subsequent deportation orders
against the applicants," he
said, stating that the consulate
general continues to "strongly
discourage and vigorously
pursues other avenues that
will educate and dishearten
our nationals against making
such claims."

DOUBLED
According to the latest
figures released by the
Canadian Immigration and
Refugee Board (IRB),
refugee claims from the
Commonwealth Caribbean
have doubled since 2000.
"This is attributable large-
ly to economic distress in these

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


Worry over large number of Vincentians

seeking refugee status in Canada


i





CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e uws


r6ww -arbbentda.com


Two Haitians convicted on charges of holding teen as slave


MIAMI A United States
federal jury has convicted a
Haitian mother and her daugh-
ter on charges of forcing a
teenage Haitian girl to work as
a slave.
The 12-member mixed
jury dJlibiraLd for nearly six
hours before bringing a guilty
verdict against Maude Paulin,
52, a former Miami-Dade mid-
dle school teacher, and her
mother, Evelyn Theodore, 74,
of conspiring to enslave the
girl, forcing her to work and
harboring an illegal immigrant.


They face up to 10 years in
prison.
Paulin's Haitian-born ex-
husband, Saintfort Paulin, 60,
who faces a year in jail, was
found guilty of harboring an
illegal immigrant, while anoth-
er Haitian, Claire Telasco, 43,
was acquitted of all charges.
The three remain free on
bail until their May 20 sentenc-
ing.
MAID
During the five-day trial,
Simone Celestin, now 22, testi-


fied that she was brought to the
U.S. from Haiti when she was
14 to be a maid in the Paulins'
home in southwest Miami. She
said she was forced to sleep on
the floor and work 15 hours a
day cleaning the house instead
of going to school.
Celestin also testified she
worked without pay on the
weekends for Telasco, a charge
for which the jury did not find
sufficient evidence to convict.
Attorneys for the four
defendants, who are also U.S.
citizens, had argued that


Celestin made up the slavery
story to secure legal immigra-
tion status as a victim of
human trafficking. They insist-
ed the family rescued Celestin
from a Haitian orphanage
and tried to enroll her in
school, only to be turned
away because she was too
far behind.
"I'm disappointed. I
thought the g, ,\ rnm1ni 111 case
was weak," said, Leonard Fenn,
one of the defense lawyers.
But U.S. attorney Alex
Acosta said he hoped the ver-


dict would bring a nLs,,tirL
of justice and relief to the
teenage victim enslaved by
the defendants.
"No human being should
be subjected to involuntary
servitude, much less a child,"
he added.
Human rights groups esti-
mate that 300,000 children in
Haiti, mostly girls, work as
domestic servants in circum-
stances similar or worse than
those described by Celestin.
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U.S. legislator calls for investigation into death of

Haitian nurse aboard American Airlines flight


NEW YORK A Haitian-born
legislator is calling for a "full and
complete" investigation into the
death of a Haitian nurse on an
American Airlines flight from
Haiti to New York late last
month.
Councilman Dr. Mathieu
Eugene, the first and only Haitian
to hold elective office in New York
City, told the Caribbean Media
Corporation (CMC) that it is
"absolutely necessary" for all con-
cerned to "conduct a complete
investigation to get to the bottom
of the matter.
"This is necessary because
we are hearing different sto-
ries," said Eugene, a medical
practitioner.
American Airlines con-
firmed the death of the nurse,


Carine Desir,
44, but dis-
missed allega-
tions by rela-
tives that it
was due to
faulty medical
equipment
aboard the Eugene
plane.
"American
Airlines, after investigation, has
determined that oxygen was
administered on the aircraft, and
it was working, and the defibrilla-
tor was applied as well,"
spokesman Charley Wilson said.
He said there were 12 oxy-
gen tanks on the plane, and that
the crew had checked them
before the flight took off,
adding that at least two were


used on Desir.
The U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) requires
commercial flights to carry no
fewer than two oxygen dis-
pensers.

'COMPLICATIONS'
Desir, who lived in the
Lefferts Gardens section of
Brooklyn, collapsed an hour
into the flight and died despite
efforts by the flight attendants
and medical personnel to save
her.
The relatives said that the
two oxygen tanks were empty.
However, New York City med-
ical examiner's office said Desir
died of natural causes.
0


Grenadian murder suspect yet to be extradited


MIAMI Weeks after
New York police arrested a
Grenadian man in connection
with the murder of a
Trinidadian college student in
South Florida, the suspect, up
to press time, remained in a
New York jail because a
request for his extradition was
yet to be filed with the Florida
governor's office.
Florida prosecutor Abbe
Rifkin said the delay in bring-
ing Kendrick Williams, 32,
back to Miami to stand trial
for the murder of Stepha
Henry, 22, was "not unreason-
able."
But, she added, efforts to
gain custody of Williams have
been stymied because "the


case against
the suspect is
sealed and the
only judge
who could
unseal it was
out of town
for part of the
last month." Henry
But Sylvia
Henry, moth-
er of the deceased, said she
wanted to have the extradition
done "as soon as possible.
"But I know there are
legal proceedings and we have
to wait."

SEALED
Rifkin said prosecutors
asked Miami-Dade Circuit


Judge Stanford Blake to seal
the case against Williams so
details of the investigation
would be kept secret. She said
only Blake could then unseal
the case file, so that it could
be copied and forwarded with
an extradition request to the
Governor's office in
Tallahassee.
Rifkin said if a review
by the governor's staff deter-
mines the case is legally suffi-
cient, the request will be
forwarded to New York
Governor Eliot Spitzer for
another review.
Williams, who is fighting
extradition, was arrested Jan.
15 in Brooklyn.
0


March 2008


U.S. groups call for lifting


of sanctions against Cuba


WASHINGTON Several
pressure groups and lobbyists
in the United States have
renewed their calls for the lift-
ing of the U.S. economic
embargo on Cuba.
Their calls came last
month in the wake of the
announcement by Cuban
President Fidel Castro that he
would not be seeking re-elec-
tion.
"The United States has
just spent almost 50 years try-
ing to stop an event that has
just taken place," said Sarah
Stephens, who heads the
Washington-based Center for
Democracy in the Americas,
which takes members of
Congress on visits to the island.
"Fidel Castro's retirement
and his peaceful replacement
with new leadership in Cuba is
the clearest possible demon-
stration that U.S. policy has
failed," she added.
Vicki Huddleston, a visit-
ing fellow at the Brookings
Institution and former head of
the U.S. diplomatic mission in
Havana from 1999 to 2002,
described Castro's resignation
as "one of the most anti-cli-
mactic moments in Cuba's last
50 years.
"While the political
demise of Fidel Castro will
diminish his influence over his
brother, Raiil Castro, who, at
76, has been running Cuba for
the last 18 months, it will not
change the course of Cuba's
Revolution," she said.
"The Bush administration


is likely to stick to its current
isolationist policy, reducing
further the ability of the
United States to effectively
press for change in Cuba by
empowering the Cuban peo-
ple," Huddleston added.

ENGAGEMENT
Mavis Anderson, of the
Latin America Working
Group, which advocates lifting


"Fidel Castro's retirement
and his peaceful replace-
ment with new leadership in
Cuba is the clearest possible
demonstration that U.S. poli-
cy has failed"

Cuba sanctions, said the
administration and the U.S.
Congress should "begin an
immediate process of engage-
ment, dialogue and policy
change.
"Opening up unrestricted
travel to Cuba would be a
good beginning," she said.
"It is America, not Cuba,
that has been isolated by our
policy."
Jake Colvin, the director
of USA*Engage, a business
group that lobbies for lifting
sanctions, said the resignation
brought "a new urgency for
President (George W.) Bush
to show that America is open
to a different relationship with
Cuba."
0


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
islands resulting from the
decline in tourist arrivals and
the collapse in agricultural
commodity prices since 2000,"
it said noting that claims
from St. Vincent and the
Grenadines had reached 235.
siItL then, it has ranked
first as source country in the
Caribbean every year," it said,
adding that in 2003, a total of
404 claims, the largest number
to date, had been made.
Comparatively, the IRB
said refugee claims began to
rise in St. Lucia in 2002, with
235 claims. The figure jumped
to 292, making the country
the second ranked in the sub-
regional Organization of
Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS).
The IRB said numbers
from Grenada and Dominica
were lower, "although the vol-
ume of claims from Grenada
remained high, even after the
imposition of a visa require-


ment in Dec. 2001.
"This \u LtI that they
may use a visa-free passport
to enter Canada initially; and
then claim, using their
Caribbean passports," it said.

'DISTINCTIVE'
The IRB said the move-
ment of asylum claimants
from OECS countries is "dis-
tinctive", pointing out that it
comprises young, unaccompa-
nied women between the ages
of 18 and 35 years.
In addition, the IRB said
while still very small, more
children have been claiming as
"principals" every year, espe-
cially from St. Vincent and the
Grenadines and St. Lucia.
"This \u LtI that they
are coming to establish a
'beach-head' after which the
rest of their families will
attempt to come to Canada,"
it said.
0


Court rules against alleged N.Y. bomb plotters


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC A High Court judge
has dismissed an application
by three men seeking to pre-
vent their extradition to the
United States where they have
been charged with conspiracy
to blow up buildings and
pipelines at the John F
Kennedy International
Airport in New York.
However, defense lawyers
for Trinidadian Kareem
Ibrahim 62, and Guyanese
nationals, Abdel Nur 57, and
Abdul Kadir 55, said they
would appeal the ruling by
Justice Nolan Bereaux handed
down during a 45-minute pres-
entation last month.
Last August, Chief
Magistrate Sherman
McNicolls ordered that the
three men be extradited, but
they were granted leave by
Justice Charmaine Pemberton
to challenge the extradition.
During an earlier court
hearing, Justice Bereaux
ordered that Ibrahim be


"medically examined" and be
evaluated by a psychologist
employed by the government
to determine if he is fit to
plead and travel on an air-
craft. Ibrahim is suffering
from acute arthritis and claus-
trophobia, but the court was
told that medical examina-
tions performed on him
showed "he is fit and ready to
travel once he is given med-
ication half and hour before
travelling.
"This is to ensure that he
does not suffer from claustro-
phobia," the judge said.

BOMB PLOT
The three men here have
been charged along with
another Guyanese, Russell
DeFreitas, who is also an
American citizen, with plot-
ting to blow up the airport.
They are also facing
charges of conspiring to
destroy aircraft both U.S. and
foreign as well as conducting
illegal surveillance, photo-


graphing, videotaping and col-
lecting information with intent
to setting the terminal build-
ing on fire.
The case against
DeFreitas, who has been in
U.S. custody since June last
year, is yet to begin.
In delivering his ruling,
Justice Bereaux said it would
not be "unjust and oppres-
*I\ L for the three men to be
sent to the U.S. to face the
charges. He said also the court
had received diplomatic assur-
ances from the U.S. embassy
that the men would be given a
federal and not a military trial
and that there is no risk the
men would face proceedings
before a military commission
as had been argued by the
defense lawyers.
The judge also dismissed
the argument that the men
would not receive a fair trial
in the U.S. because of exten-
sive media coverage.
0


Worry over large number of Vincentians

seeking refugee status in Canada






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CARIBBEAN TODAY









-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


CARIBBEAN TODAY


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Lauderhill lures international cricket tourney Suspended Jamaican commish
GORDON WILLIAMS weekend, May 23-25. et, 20/20 has generated excite- pleads no ilty t un charge
The May tournament will ment worldwide, most recent- plea not guIlty to gun charge


LAUDERHILL, Florida -
Cricket, the traditional sport
often viewed as the only true
thread binding the Caribbean,
is making a big push in the
United States to attract not
just immigrants from countries
that adore the game, but
American-born fans and busi-
nesses as well.
And the promoters of the
venture here are using an
exciting though less-than-tra-
ditional form of the game to
do so.
Cricket Council USA
(CCU), a Florida-based
organization led by Pakistani-
born businessman Mahammad
A. Qureshi, late last month
officially launched the "MAQ
T20" tournament, which is set
to bowl off Memorial Day


be the first ot several planned
by CCU over the next few
years, which are expected to
feature players from interna-
tional cricket-
playing nations
such as the
West Indies,
Pakistan and
India, as well
as American
teams. Other
dates include
Independence Qureshi
Day weekend,
July 4-6; Indo-Pak
Independence Day, Aug. 16;
and Thanksgiving weekend,
Nov. 27-30.
Teams will compete in the
game's fast-paced 20/20 for-
mat, where each team bats a
maximum 20 overs. Although
a relatively new form of crick-


ly at the successful Stantord
20/20 tournament staged in
the Caribbean.

AIM
The hope of "MAQ T20",
organizers claim, is that the
shortened version of cricket
will attract not only Caribbean
immigrants to the new $71
million Central Broward
Regional Park here, but also
Americans, especially young-
sters.
"This is a big event, we
have covered, for the future
of cricket," Qureshi told
Caribbean Today at the "MAQ
T20" launch.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


Narco-trafficking rampant in Caribbean ~ U.S. report


NELSON KING

WASHINGTON The
United States Department
of State has released a damn-
ing report on narco-trafficking
in the Caribbean.
In its "International
Narcotics Control Strategy
Report 2008", issued late last
month, the department identi-
fied Jamaica as a "major drug
transit country and the
Caribbean's largest producer
of marijuana and marijuana
derivative products".
It added that the seven
Eastern Caribbean countries


- Antigua and Barbuda,
Barbados, Dominica,
Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis,
St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and
the Grenadines are "vul-
nerable" to drug trafficking
from South America to mar-
kets in the U.S. and Europe.
In addition, the depart-
ment said Haiti is a "major
transit country for cocaine
and marijuana from South
America and the Caribbean,
respectively".
In Suriname, the report
said the government's inability
to control its borders, inade-
quate resources, limited law


enforcement training, lack of
a law enforcement presence in
the interior of the country,
and lack of aircraft or patrol
boats allow traffickers to
move drug shipments via land,
sea, river, and air "with little
rLN'.M nIL. .
The report said in 2007,
cooperation between Jamaica
and U.S. government law
enforcement agencies
remained strong, resulting in
drug seizures, arrest of drug-
traffickers, and disruption of
drug organizations in Jamaica.
0


FLORIDA A Jamaica-born
suspended commissioner in a
southern Florida city pleaded
not guilty during arraignment
late last month on a charge of
pulling a handgun on a fellow
supermarket shopper last
November.
Fitzroy Salesman, who
was a commissioner for
Miramar, located between
Miami and Fort Lauderdale,
said he hopes a jury will acquit
him and people will eventually
forgive him once they learn
why he pulled the gun.
"I was fearful for my life,"
Salesman, 51, told Broward
Circuit Judge Martin Bidwill
during an arraignment at
which he pleaded not guilty to
aggravated assault with a
firearm.

SLUR
Outside the courtroom,
Salesman said fellow shopper
Lazavius Hudson, 18, used a
racial slur and threatened to
beat him up during a con-
frontation at a Winn-Dixie
supermarket. He said he
feared for his life because
Miramar has a gang problem,
and he pulled his .45 caliber
Springfield semiautomatic
handgun in self-defense.
"I just didn't want to
become a statistic," said
Salesman, a commissioner
since 2001.
"No one knows how I felt
that day when I was threat-


ened," he added.
A court date has been set
for April 17 for the judge to
choose a trial date.
Eric Schwartzreich,
Salesman's attorney, said his
client is innocent, but dis-
closed that he's been negotiat-
ing with the Broward state
attorney to either drop or
reduce the felony charge.
"The scary thing is that he
(could face) three years in
prison for defending himself,"
Schwartzreich said.
Florida Governor Charlie
Crist suspended Salesman
from office on Dec. 21.

REPLACEMENT
A special election to fill
the remaining year on his
term is scheduled for Mar. 11.
Twelve candidates are vying
for the seat.
The gun incident sur-
prised supporters and commu-
nity leaders because it was
Salesman's second run-in with
the law within two years. In
June 2005, then Governor Jeb
Bush, younger brother of
United States President
George Bush, suspended
Salesman after he was charged
with driving under the influ-
ence and eluding a police offi-
cer. Crist reinstated Salesman
in Mar. 2007 after a jury
acquitted him.
0


'Concubine' scores big in South Florida stage run


GORDON WILLIAMS

CORAL SPRINGS, Florida -
Caribbean theater, straight
from "yard", returned to
South Florida late last month
with the staging of Aston
Cooke's latest production
"Concubine".
The play serves up a
mixed bag of entertainment,
including straight comedy plus
a serious reflection on person-
al relationships, even stirring
debate over the "touchy" sub-
ject of common-law unions in
Jamaica.
The colorful language and
personalities typical of the
region often ignites passion in
Jamaican audiences in the
United States hungry for a
link to home. And the large
crowd that showed up on Mar.
2 at South Florida's Coral
Springs Center for the Arts
was evidence that that has not
changed.
While Concubine's plot -
a love triangle that explodes
with humor and raw emotion -
may have been thinly dis-


guised, the energy of the five-
member cast was not.
Dahlia Harris plays
1.I, \ ', a former dancehall


"Shelly", left, otters advice to Patsy" in
the play "Concubine".

diva-turned-housewife (well,
house mistress). She learns
that her common-law "hus-
band" of 15 years, "Winston
Anderson" (Chris McFarlane),
is finally ready to get married.
"It's about time," she tells
her best friend "IhllI\ (Terri
Salmon).
But Winston is not marry-


ing Patsy as her background
would not help him move up
in Jamaican society. He wants
to marry "Lisa" (Marsha
Campbell) a manager at his
job. Patsy believes Winston's
choice is influenced by his
mother who dislikes Patsy.

FIREBRAND
Yet while the emotionally-
wrecked Patsy sinks rapidly
into depression of a life as a
"kept" woman, in steps Shelly.
This loud, firebrand is a con-
cerned rabble-rouser. She
offers Patsy advice on getting
her deserved due from the
common-law union while
threatening to damage anyone
- Lisa and Winston who
hurts her friend. Also in the
mix is "Desi" (Jerry
Benzwick), Winston's best
friend, an awkward voice of
reason with a hearty appetite
who gets caught in the middle
of personal squabbles between
the embattled characters.
The audience is enamored
with Salmon's enthusiasm.
Even though her acting as
"Sexy ",hiL 11 or "Sketsy


,h1L II\ often flies over the
top, she possibly steals the
show with a charged, physical
performance.

SHINES
Harris is a hard sell as a
former dancehall queen, but
she shines in the emotional
scenes, where her vulnerabili-
ty is convincing and later, her
wrath is even more so.
Campbell as the prissy,
scheming man stealer, mistak-
en as "a lady" by Winston, is a
bit overcooked in her role as
Lisa. But the young actress
does not lack enthusiasm.
McFarlane is solid as Winston,
who unfortunately (for men)
carries the tag of a typical
Jamaican "dawg" too well.

LESSONS
Concubine offers some
lessons in the end as every one
gets just reward. Patsy finds
courage to stand on her own.
Shelly ditches rumors that she
is a It >,I woman. Winston
withers to a miserable shell
over his losses emotional
and financial while Lisa seals


her well-laid plan after 15 days
of marriage.
A tidy, entertaining pack-
age, Concubine moved quickly
over the two hours and 40 min-
utes at Coral Springs. The
audience loved it. They
laughed and clapped through-
out. Some mostly women -
even cursed. The loudest roars
come as Patsy retaliates. When
Winston limply asks her to
take him back, the audience
responds with a loud "No!"
Yet it is difficult to under-
stand why the play wasn't re-
tooled even slightly to
ensure wider American appeal.
That's a shame, really, as there
is so much more to offer and
so much more to gain.
Concubine, a promotion
of Riddims Marketing Inc.,
staged one performance on
Mar. 1 and has another lined
up for Mar. 15 at the Coral
Reef High School in south
Miami-Dade County.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


March 2008






CARIBBEAN TODAY


FEATURE


Marley magic makes


Caribct perfect fit for Glover


lover


C ribbean people know
American actor Danny Glover
from his popular roles in
movies such as "The Color
Purple" and "Lethal Weapon".
Last month he visited Jamaica
to promote a film focusing on
i ..,,..- legend Bob Marley. On
Feb. 5, during a stopover in
Montego Bay, Glover spoke
with Caribbean Today's
Managing Editor Gordon
Williams about Marley's influ-
ence. The following is an edited
version of that conversation:

GORDON WILLIAMS: Mr.
Glover, what brings you to
Jamaica this trip?
DANNY GLOVER: I'm here
to celebrate Bob Marley's birth-
day in Kingston. We have a film
that we co-produced and co-
financed with the Marley family
called "Africa Unite", which is
going to screen tomorrow in
Kingston. I'm here for that cele-
bration tomorrow, the 6th (of
February).

G.W.: You said "we". Who is
"we"?
D.G.: The co-producers of the
film are my company
Louverture Films, my co-pro-
ducer Joslyn Barnes and the
Marley family, including Rita
Marley and all the Marley
boys.

G.W.: Why would a project on
Bob Marley interest you and
your company?
D.G.: It's pretty obvious (he
laughs). It's kind of a rhetorical
question. This is one of the
great icons in the world. More
than 25 years after (Bob
Marley's) passing...he is still
revered.
He is one of the great
voices of protest in the world.
It was such an honor when I
first saw Bob Marley on his
first tour in the United States
at a place called the Boarding
House in San Francisco in the
fall of 1975, that's (over 30)
years ago and the impact that
he had, certainly his music had
on my life. The impact that he
had on so many lives is just
evident by the stature his voice
and his songs are given.
There was a conference, a
symposium convened in


Ethiopia in 2005 celebrating
his 60th birthday, sponsored by
the Bob and Rita Marley
Foundation and UNICEF, of
which I am a goodwill ambas-
sador, as well as the African
Union and the film ("Africa
Unite") was an outgrowth of
that. So when I say the co-pro-
ducers I can't leave out the sig-
nificant contribution that
UNICEF, the United Nations
Children Relief Fund, has on
this production as well.
So it is something that I
feel privileged to do. (He
chuckles.) In 1975 when I saw
him, more than 33 years ago, I
could not anticipate the capaci-
ty to be involved in such a
project, nor in a career that
was just beginning in terms of
the West's view of him, a
career just beginning that any-
one would realize he would
reach the iconic stage that he's
reached.

G.W.: Someone recently talked
about Bob Marley's music and
the length of time it took
before it caught on in the
African American society.
D.G.: Well, I remember seeing
him in an audience for the first
time where there were, proba-
bly, my wife and myself and
maybe two or three other
African Americans there in the
audience...


Marley


G.W.: What has changed now,
why his music is now being
more universally accepted,
especially in the African
American community?
D.G.: I think the African
American community, perhaps
you can think about the kind
of cultural schisms that exist
between, you know, the
Caribbean and African
Americans. There are other
musical forms so dominant
within the African American
music community. You're look-
ing at rap now, rhythm and
blues, and when Marley came
along in 1975 we were coming
out of a period when a lot of
the music had been protest
music.
A lot of music in the '60s
was generated by groups,


white groups, that were specifi-
cally protest music. The music
in the early '60s was certainly
the music of Curtis Mayfield
and the Impressions, and the
music of others. Marvin Gaye
"What's Going On?" My view
is to say that what's going on in
1975 is this guy (Marley)
comes up with a new musical
form. Sometimes it's just the
whole idea of accepting a
musical form in itself, you
know, a music form that is
strictly not unique to rhythms
that the African American
community is familiar with.
Remember Bob Marley
began singing West Indian ver-
sions of popular American
songs.. .The fact is that he
found his own voice and creat-
ed this extraordinary form
(protest reggae music) and
mastered this form... I marvel
at the fact that he took this
speech of (late Ethiopian)
Emperor (Haile) Selassie and
extend it into a song ("War").
It's one of the great
songs.. .Absolutely phenome-
nal in his charisma and the
magnetism of the man, almost
to the point where it eventual-
ly catapulted to the space that
he's in now.
(Marley) is one of the few
iconic figures that you could
talk about. You could begin to
hear a beat, wherever it is, and
it's Bob Marley...He is proba-
bly one of the most recogniza-
ble musical figures in the
world...I've heard Bob Marley
music everywhere, coming out
of a small villages in Kenya...

G.W.: Do you think he has
transcended entertainment and
music and has gone on to a dif-
ferent level in terms of his
recognition?
D.G.: Well, I think he was
committed to the African
world. I think that is some-
thing else he would have real-
ized in the music when he says
"Africa Unite" or he says

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)


Caribbean leaders hail Castro


Caribbean and hemi-
spheric leaders have
hailed the contributions
of outgoing Cuban President
Fidel Ruiz Castro.
The 81-year-old leader,
who has not made a public
appearance since undergoing
an operation for an undis-
closed intestinal ailment
almost 19 months ago, said
last month that he would not
return as commander-in-chief
following a session of the
National Assembly on Feb.
24.
Despite giving up the
presidency, Castro indicated in
his message that he would try
to remain an influence behind
the scenes by continuing to
write regular columns in the
official newspapers.

'TOWERING FORCE'
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Prime Minister
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves
described Castro as "a tower-
ing figure politically in the
20th century, even into the
21st century." Gonsalves, who
has on numerous occasions
expressed his admiration for
the ailing communist leader,
said that in his opinion Cuba
had developed tremendously
under Castro's leadership. He
told reporters that Castro,
having spent 49 years in
power has had "an extremely
good innings."
His Grenadian counter-
part, Dr. Keith Mitchell, said
Castro's decision to step down
did not surprise him and
showed his love for country
was greater than any other
love.
"It is not surprising based
on what I know of Fidel and
his passion for Cuba and his
passion for the Cuban peo-
ple...I know he would put the
Cuban people first," Mitchell
said, describing it as a logical
discussion.
The Trinidad and Tobago
government also paid tribute
to Castro saying it did not
believe that his decision to
step down would impact on
the existing relations between


Castro
the two Caribbean countries.
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said Port of Spain has
enjoyed diplomatic relations
with Havana since 1972 that
covered a wide range of areas
involving economic and social
development. In addition, it
said Cuba has provided valu-
able assistance to the people
of T&T country via scholar-
ships, manpower support in
the area of medical services
and technical assistance and
the field of agriculture.

ASSISTANCE
In Jamaica, both the gov-
ernment and the Opposition
have hailed Castro's assistance
to the island. Foreign Affairs
and Trade Minister Dr.
Kenneth Baugh said Castro
has been one of the most
influential personalities
among world leaders and
when the chapters of history
are written it would be impos-
sible to omit his name and
contributions.
"To friend and foe, he has
been a towering figure in
stature and status. He has
remained steadfast and consis-
tent in his ideas and philoso-
phy, despite overwhelming
opposition," Dr. Baugh said.
"Whereas he is consid-
ered a controversial in respect
of his political ideology and
economic policies he has had
enormous impact in the area
of social services, on equality
and working for the common
food especially for oppressed
peoples of the world."

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)


"Holistic Care For
an Optimum Lifestyle"
Now Accepting New PatientsIl
Telephone: (305) 253-4340
We've Relocated To West Kendall
(nar Signaure Gardens)
12955 SW 132nd Street Building 3B, Suite 104 Miami, Florida 33186


March 2008


ak '-*






CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


F nT U R 6


Guyana's government in fight to reclaim Buxton from violence


NIGEL WILLIAMS


enforcement agencies and
other communities where the


GEORGETOWN, Guyana residents are predominantly
Located approximately 11 miles descendants of East Indians.
off the capital of Guyana, lies a There have been numer-
small Afro-Guyanese commu- ous violent clashes between
nity called Buxton a village gunmen and lawmen in the
with a rich history of hard work community over the years, but
and dedication, but also notori- in recent times the security
ous for providing shelter to a forces seemed to have stepped
group of gunmen who call back from the confrontations.
iliL, ii \ ,l ; freedom fighters for This approach allowed the
oppressed descendants of gunmen to build up their arse-
African slaves living here. nal and with their ill-gotten
Buxton, for the past sev- wealth they have won the
eral years, has been held hearts and minds of several of
hostage by criminals who have the villagers.
reportedly used it as a base to Now, the Bharrat Jagdeo
attack members of the law administration is on a drive to

Marley magic makes perfect
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7) different or that you could


"Buffalo Soldiers" or "No
Woman No Cry". There's a
voice there. You just can't deny
this amazing voice, the
response to a struggle and
songs for justice, songs for
protest.. .The symposium was
organized in a way which it
uses his music as themes on
issues reflected in what's hap-
pening in Africa today...
So his music...has that
kind of power that you don't
often find in an artiste. It's rare
that you find in an artiste. It's
that good. And in his body of
work, unfortunately for us, is a
body of work that's only limit-
ed by the time he was with us,
you know. I saw him in San
Francisco in 1975 and he was
gone by 1981...

G.W: When you decided to
work on this project, was there
anything about the man him-
self, that you learned, that was
somewhat surprising to you,


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)
Baugh said that the gov-
ernment and people of Cuba
were friends of Jamaica and
the wider Caribbean.
"We are committed to
deepening bilateral and
regional ties in economic
cooperation and trade which
we currently enjoy with
Cuba," he said.
Prime Minister Bruce
Golding also paid tribute to
the Cuban leader during a sit-
ting of Parliament. He said
the announcement brings into
focus the political revolution
that has endured and made
reference to the change in
attitude of the ruling Jamaica
Labour Party (JLP) to the
Castro government.
"It has constantly


reflect back on while working
on this project?
D.G.: Well, I don't know. I
knew enough about Bob
Marley and his music. I knew
quite a bit of his background,
that he had spent some time in
Wilmington, Delaware. I don't
know if there was anything
new.
I think sometimes you have
the opportunity to be able to
have people re-imagine the
vision. Empower people by
someone else's voice, you know.
It's weird to have someone who
has such a body of work it's
almost amusingly clinical in its
diagnosis and its response to the
suffering, the pain, the struggle
of people of African descent
and their power. I mean, "get
up, stand up, stand up for your
rights"...You know, for I think
for us to get an opportunity to
engage in such a project was
really special, really important
for us.


Caribbean leaders hail Castro


demanded the attention of the
world.. .during the period of
the great ideological divide we
(Jamaica Labour Party) were
fierce opponents of the politi-
cal values as were espoused
then and we expressed that
opposition in very forceful
terms. Jamaica and Cuba
enjoys a relationship that is
mutually respectful," he said.
Opposition Leader Portia
Simpson Miller referred to
Castro as a giant on the
world's political stage.
"During the very difficult
days when there were countries
that were afraid to be associat-
ed with Cuban and Castro, the
People's National Party govern-
ment, Michael Manley and PJ.
Patterson stood firm," Simpson
Miller said.


win back the support of the
community and wrest the vil-
lage from the hands of organ-
ized criminals.
The recent massacre of 11
people in the small East
Indian-dominated community
of Lusignan has led the admin-
istration and security forces to
focus on Buxton, where it is
believed the gunmen who car-
ried out the attack are
ensconced. A massive opera-
tion has been launched to
clear dense vegetation aback
of the village to expose the
criminals, but this new move
by the security forces has only
deepened the already strained


fit for Glover
G.W.: In the movie "I Am
Legend" a lot of it surrounded
the music of Bob Marley, sev-
eral of his tracks. Did you see
the movie?
D.G.: I haven't seen the movie.

G.W.: In terms of the appeal
and how far it has stretched,
now it has gone into main-
stream movies, the influence of
Bob Marley...
D.G.: I think the influence of
Bob Marley goes beyond
mainstream movies. Maybe
mainstream movies are linked
to the table in terms of this.
The influence of Bob Marley is
so profound in so many differ-
ent ways. I mean, what was so
evident was that here's a man
who was invited to play in the
liberation celebration of
Zimbabwe, you know. It's
amazing. How amazing is that
stuff?
0


Meantime, Secretary
General of the Organisation
of American States (OAS)
Jos6 Miguel Insulza says
Castro's decision not to seek
another term was "no small
matter given the Cuban
leaders importance in his
country and in the Latin
American region for almost
five decades." He said that
Cuba is a member of the OAS
even though its privileges
have been suspended.
Insulza also expressed the
hope that "the country would
see changes that enable the
sister nation's full re incorpo-
ration into our organization.
"It should fall to Cubans
lth miliLS, through free and
peaceful dialogue and without
external interference, to find
the most appropriate path to
the well being of the people."

- CMC
0


relations between the adminis-
tration and villagers many of
whose farms will be destroyed
in the exercise.

'LONG STRUGGLE'
"It will be a long lIru,_--_-l
the people here do not trust
the police and the government
so they would not get their
cooperation," Deon Hamer, a
45-year-old resident of Buxton
commented.
Hamer says Buxton repre-
sented the last revolutionary
group of organized Afro-
Guyanese, living in this South
American nation where the
ethnic majority descended
from East Indians.
"Black (Afro-Guyanese)
people do not control any-
thing in this country... the
Indians have the political and
economic powers and that
makes us slaves all over
again," Hamer remarked.
Leaders of Buxton have
complained that since the rul-
ing people's Progressive
Party/Civic (PPP/C), which
draws majority of its support
from East Indians, took office
in 1992 there has been a
steady decline in the develop-
ment of the village, which
they say has been starved of
basic infrastructure.
"You cannot ignore peo-
ple and be the government for
one group. You have to be the
government for all peoples,"
Robin Phillips, a teacher of
Buxton said.
Phillips said that following
the 2001 general elections,
which was won by the PPP/C,
a number of Buxtonians ral-
lied around the main
Opposition, People's National
Congress Reform (PNC/R),
which draws majority of its
support from Afro-Guyanese.
"Their (the government)
actions may have caused some
form of discrimination and
partisan leadership which led
to the state this village is in
right now," Phillips added.

PROTESTS
The 2001 elections were
marred by violent street
protests and Buxton again was
in the forefront of fiery
demonstrations along the East
Coast. The next year an influ-
ential leader of the village,
Shaka Blair, was shot dead in
his home by members of a
police squad. Police had said
that they went to the man's
home in search of arms and
ammunition and he shot at
them first. Blair's death did
not go down well with the
community and it ushered in
that period of unrest and ten-
sions between the authorities
and villagers.
"When Shaka was killed
that was the beginning, we
Buxtonians were not happy
about it and since then we


have been standing firm,"
Kevin Jones a middle-aged
resident told CMC.
Blair's death had come
mere months after the Feb. 23,
2002 jailbreak during which five
dangerous prisoners made an
escape from the country's main
correctional facility at Camp
Street, Georgetown. The
escapees later found comfort
and refuge in the village of
Buxton, and within months they
were supplied with arms and
ammunition and went on a
deadly rampage spanning two
years. Over two dozens police-
men were killed during this peri-
od and hundreds of civilians.
From that period to now,
Buxton remained one of the
most organized black commu

- CMC





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Vol. 19, Number 3 FEB. 2008

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CORRECTION
The wrong cartoon was used to accompany Tony Robinson's
column on page 9 of Caribbean Today's Feb. 2008 issue. We
apologize for the error.


March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Looking to post-Fidel Cuba


CLARENCE PAGE
Fidel Castro is stepping
down? As Dorothy
Parker said upon hearing
of the death of President
Calvin Coolidge, how can you
tell?
The Bearded One lost
most of his relevancy for us
"yanquis" long ago. He once
loomed large in the lives of us
baby boomers as we crouched
under our desks in "duck-and-
cover" drills, terrified of his
nuclear-tipped Russian mis-
siles. "Only 90 miles from our
shores," our elders constantly
reminded us.
To today's youths, Castro
is so last century. Even in
Miami and Havana the
response to Castro's retirement
is reported to be remarkably
ho-hum. More business-as-
usual than dancing-in-the-
streets.
The Castro we used to
know and care about has not
been in charge for quite some
time. His younger brother, Raul
Castro, 76, has been acting pres-
ident since Fidel, who is five
years older, fell ill in July 2006.
The Soviet Union is no
longer around to prop up his
island's economy with $2 bil-
lion a year. Even Castro's
stature as Latin America's
leading leftist is getting nudged
aside by one of his bi.Lsl fans,
President Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela. Chavez wants to be
Castro, but with oil, as he
enlarges his influence across
Cuba and the rest of Latin
America.

RAUL'S ROLE
Although Raul has his
own record for ruthlessness, he
also has begun to sow the
seeds of a post-Fidel Cuba. He
has become a promising "prag-
matic institutionalist", in the
view of author Julia E. Sweig,
director for Latin America
Studies for the Council on
Foreign Relations. For practi-
cal reasons, he has inched his
country toward a more com-
petitive economic system, like
China, whose "communism"
increasingly looks more like
state-controlled capitalism.


Raul also has encouraged
public meetings to air com-
plaints and hinted at something
else that Fidel dreads: the use of
I I. L 1111 Il\ to increase produc-
tivity. Perhaps America's leaders
can say of Raul, as British
Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher said of Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev, "We can do
business together."
Those who visit Havana,
as I did a few years ago, find a
tirelessly enterprising and
entrepreneurial people who
are eager to free their appetite
for enterprise from state-spon-
sored constraints. Generations
of Cubans born since Fidel's
revolution already have begun
to lay groundwork of a post-
Fidel Cuba in a vigorous dol-
lar-based entrepreneurial econ-
omy that parallels the govern-
ment's anemic peso economy.

EXCUSE
Besides a great potential
vacation spot, Cuba offers
something that America's farm-
ers, manufacturers and service
providers need: customers.
After a half-century, America's
embargo against Cuba has out-
lived any usefulness it might
have had. Instead, it provides
the regime with a handy excuse
for its own economic failures.
That's why a right-left, labor-
corporate coalition of congress-
men and others has called for
ending it.
The next president must
decide whether he or she will
continue to pander to the hard-
line embargo supporters or
open diplomatic and economic
doors to a post-Fidel Cuba that
approaches capitalism with no
more fear than the tiny bit that
Fidel manages to generate
among Americans today.
Both senators Hillary
Clinton and Barack Obama
expressed a willingness in their
Austin debate to fully engage
Cuba diplomatically. Only
Obama said he would meet
with the next Cuban leader
without preconditions,
although he backed away from
his support for lifting the trade
embargo, which he advocated
as a Senate candidate in 2003.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


I E W P o I N


To have and

to hold

L ast month quite a few
ladies took umbrage to
the fact that I focused on
the female clock and what hap-
pens to women when the toc tics
on.
Well, sorry to say, I can't
really do anything about halting
or even slowing the passage of
time. What I can do though, is
let people
know what
they can do,
to not only
have their
partner, but
hold them as
well.
Ladies, i
you have to TONY
give off the ROBINSON
right signals,
just like how
animals give
off pheromones or musk, you
have to let the man know that
you want to attract him. It starts
and ends with the clothes, for
first he sees them, then he wants
to tear them off.
The fact is, women are con-
ditioned by society, almost all
societies and cultures, not to
verbalize their intentions to
men. Men can easily say to
women, "Boy, I'd love to be
with you," or, "Hey, I'd really
like to make love to you." But a
woman dare not utter those
words. Instead she has to drop
subtle hints, bat the eyelids, give
that knowing smile and display
other subtle signals to tell the
man she's available.

POWER
When girls reach a certain
age, they become aware of their
sexuality and also the power
that they have over men. Still,
they are bound by the social
shackles that stipulate that they
cannot just shout to a man what
their desires are. That's where
the have and hold signals come
in. When she sees the guy that
she really likes and decides that
he's the one, then the gears kick
in. First he starts to get more
attention than she ever gives to
any other boy. He gets more
phone calls, he's sent little mes-


T


sages, she jumps at his every
invitation, and when they go
out, her eyes hang on to his
every word.
She is primed, she is ready,
and her mind, body and soul are
saying, have me, hold me.
When a woman is amongst
a group of men and they all are
putting the moves on her,
observe her actions closely. The
woman will single out this one
man and lock her radar on him.
It will be so subtle that he won't
see it at first, but other women
in the group will spot it faster
than any man. That's why


mm www-.caibeatoa.com I


females can quickly and easily
spot when another woman is out
to get their men. The poor
man, not blessed with that abili-
ty to detect those signals, never
picked it up, and wouldn't have
for a long time either.

CLOTHES CALL
Clothes are a very impor-
tant indicator when a woman is
signaling 'have me' flags to a
man. When a woman goes out
on a date with a man, only she
knows how it's going to turn out
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


v 1 6w 0


* "Part of what has held back
this region for so long is that
there are too many of us who
carry, not a chip on our shoul-
der, but a whole light pole" -
Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce
Golding taking a shot at
Caribbean people who oppose
the Economic Partnership
Agreement (EPA), a soon-to-
be-signed trade pact between the
region and Europe.


* "Fidel Castro's
resignation i,
another sign Ibhal
change is under at
in Cuba"- h-/i, ait
James Sta I ,i%.
commander of the
United States
Southern Command, the
Pentagon's headquarters for mili-
tary operations in Latin America
and the Caribbean.

* "In every country so far, the
cost of living has gone up. So
although there has been change
at the political level, there has


been no change in the quality
of life of the people" -
Grenada's Economic
Development and Planning
Minister Anthony Boatswain
declaring "the situation has got-
ten worse" in Caribbean coun-
tries which changed administra-
tions in recent months.

* "We never expected such
thing" Commissioner Henry
Greene, head of Guyana's
police force, admitting that the
officers in Bartica were not as
alert as they should have been
during the slaying of 12 people


last month. Three
officers at the out-
post in the small
mining dilage
were killed and
two others serious-
ly injured.


H


* "These barbarous acts which
violate the dignity of life and
common decency, and under-
mine confidence in the rule of
law" Albert Ramdin, assistant
secretary general of the
Organization of American
States, offered his views on the
killings at Bartica.


* "If you signal in any way or
indicate in any way your appre-
ciation and your respect for your
leader, I don't see what's wrong
with that" Grenada's Foreign
Affairs Minister Elvin Nimrod
responding to criti-
cism after he
kneeled in front of
Prime Minister
Keith Mitchell last
month.

Compiled from CMC and
other sources.
0


To have and to hold


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
at the end of the evening. The
poor guy can only wish and hope
If on that date the guy shows
up to take her to dinner/dancing
and she appears in thick jeans
with 10,000 buttons, a wooly long
sleeved sweater, also with 1,000
buttons, clasps and strings like
straight jacket, construction boots
with more eye holes and laces
than fishnet and her hair tied
back, then yu dun know seh that
she ain't saying come have and
hold me.
But if she emerges in a
slinky sheer soft shiny sexy mini
skirt with a split that goes up to
her waist, a backless blouse that
would make Jennifer Lopez
blush, open toed shoes that
would be a foot fetish's dream,
perfume that would drive even a


bishop into a sexual frenzy, hair
cascading to her waist, then you
know that she's saying to the
man, "have me, hold me, and
I'll have and hold you, forever."

MIXED SIGNALS
Now unfortunately, some
women do not play fair, do not
abide by the rules of engage-
ment and possess weapons of
mass deception, sending out
mixed signals. They believe in
tormenting poor men who have
no idea what those signals are.
The guy sees it as a green light,
makes the wrong move and gets
a slap in the face or a sexual
harassment lawsuit. But I'm
talking about women who really
mean to have and hold men.
They have it down to a fine art.
Unfortunately most


Caribbean men, after a few
close dances with a woman,
swear blind that she wants to go
to bed with them. But the 'have
me hold me' dance is distinctly
different.

SIGNALS
You've got to know the sig-


nals. If you can't read those
signs then you are really female
illiterate.
Ah women, filled with so
called frailties, but blessed with
more subtleties than a geisha.
The game is not new, but
the rules are changing just a lit-
tle bit, so you have to keep up


or get swept away, totally oblivi-
ous to what fate will befall you,
as you're had and held.

seidol@hotmail. corn
0


Looking to post-Fidel Cuba


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
Republican frontrunner
Sen. John McCain, who has
accused Cubans of participat-
ing in the torture of some of his
fellow prisoners in Hanoi dur-
ing the Vietnam War, has said
Raul is \\~. r, 'in many ways
than Fidel. Yet since McCain
also took the lead on improv-
ing relations with Vietnam, it


would not be that big a leap for
him to do the same with Cuba.
We can only hope.
If the embargo has any
value at all, it should be used
to push for human rights on
the island. For example, the
Committee to Protect
Journalists, of which I am a
board member, ranks Cuba
second only behind China in


jailing the most journalists 22
in Cuba, 29 in China, whose
population is more than 100
times larger. That's a side of
China that no country should
imitate, including China.

2008 Clarence Page.
Distributed by Tribune Media
Services.
0


0 0@O * "p 0@ 000


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March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


D1 aus nIT i


Do adults need to remove tonsils?


DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My
41-year-old son has bad ton-
sils. His tonsils swell and have
white patches on them. He
runs a temperature for several
days. He's talked with several
ear, nose and throat doctors
but they don't want to take
the tonsils out. I realize adults
may take longer to heal than
children, but is it more dan-
gerous? Why are doctors so
hesitant to remove tonsils in
an adult?

ANSWER: When other treat-
ments don't help, neither chil-
dren nor adults should have to
put up with repeated bouts of
tonsillitis inflammation of
the tonsils caused by infection.
From the information you
provided, it sounds like your
son would be a candidate to
have his tonsils removed.
In children, we typically
don't consider removing the
tonsils unless a child tests posi-
tive for strep throat four times
a year or more. In adults,
removing tonsils is considered
with fewer episodes of infec-
tion. The most common rea-
sons to remove tonsils in
adults include recurrent infec-
tion, malodorous tonsil stones
and snoring. Nothing makes
tonsil removal more danger-


Tonsils
ous or difficult for patients
your son's age. But you are
correct that he would need to
plan ample time for recovery.
Adults tend to perceive the
pain far more acutely than
children. I tell adult patients to
expect 10 to 14 days of serious
downtime, with much of that
time on narcotic-strength pain
medication.
For both children and
adults, tonsillectomies are per-
formed less often than in the
past. Tonsils used to be
blamed for many different
conditions, including skin
problems, arthritis and other
health problems. Tonsil


removal was often the
treatment. Today we know
that tonsils are beneficial
because they filter harmful
bacteria and viruses that
could cause serious health
problems.
Most often, patients with
tonsillitis don't need tonsil
removal. When tonsillitis is
caused by a viral infection,
the first-line treatment is
self-care drinking warm
liquids, resting, gargling
with salt water and taking
over-the-counter pain
medication for fever.
Antibiotics are prescribed
when tonsillitis is caused by
a bacterial infection.
I ,I'_',,.LI that your son
talk with his primary care doc-
tor about his condition and
ask for a recommendation for
an ear, nose and throat physi-
cian who could work with him
on an effective treatment plan
that might include tonsillecto-
my.

- Dr. Ray Gustafson, otorhi-
nolaryngology, Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, Minnesota.
Distributed by Tribune Media
Services, Inc.
0


r6ww -arbbentda.com


policy to fig
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada,
CMC Government has
approved a new HIV/AIDS
policy as part of its commitment
to halting and reversing the
HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015.
Tabled during last month's
sitting of the House of
Representatives, the policy
provides a clearer direction to
a multi-sectored national
response by outlining the role
of every sector which con-
tributes to the prevention, care,
treatment and support or per-
sons living with or affected by


jht HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS.
Founded on the principles
of inclusion, sustainability,
accountability and respect for
human rights, some of the
objectives of the policy are: to
improve the coordination of
HIV/AIDS prevention and
control activities at all levels;
promote HIV/AIDS related
research and surveillance activ-
ities; and safeguard the human
rights of people living with and
affected by the disease.
0


Caribbean gets bird flu warning


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC The introduction of bird
flu to the Caribbean could have
a devastating impact on region-
al economies, an official from
the Ministry of Agriculture
here said last month.
Fredrick Ford, the perma-
nent secretary in the ministry,
was addressing participants
from across the Caribbean and
Latin America at a UNICEF
sponsored workshop aimed at
strengthening the capacity of
persons working on the pre-


paredness and response to
avian flu and other emergen-
cies.
"Avian influenza poses a
significant threat to food secu-
rity and, in our region, we can-
not afford to allow this disease
to take shape in our poultry
industry," Ford said.
"We must therefore be vig-
ilant in preventing the spread
of the disease in Barbados and
the region as a whole."
0


Is niacin really effective in lowering cholesterol?


DR. HARVEY SIMON

Question: Is niacin really
effective in lowering choles-
terol? If so, what's the daily
dosage, and what meds does it
interact with?

Answer: Niacin is indeed
effective. On average, it can
lower LDL ("bad") choles-
terol levels by 10 percent to 25
percent. The stations and other
lipid-lowering drugs can do
even better, but niacin out-
shines them all for lowering
triglyceride levels (down 20 to
50 percent) and raising HDL
( g< Jd") cholesterol levels
(by 15 percent to 35 percent).
Niacin is the granddaddy


of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
It was the first medication to
lower cholesterol levels
(1955), the first to reduce
heart attacks (1984) and the
first to lower long-term mor-
tality rates (1986). But since
1987, when the first station
drug lovastatin (Mevacor) -
was marketed in the United
States, niacin has fallen into
disuse. The reason is that
niacin is harder to take and
may produce unpleasant side
effects.
The many niacin prepara-
tions fall into two categories,
crystalline and controlled
release. Crystalline niacin is
quickly absorbed and rapidly
metabolized, so it's usually


Meat, poultry, and fish contribuAte
about half of the niacin people eat.
Mushroom arwe ato a rich source of
niacin, as are whole grain iand enriched
bread and cereal..
taken two to three times a day,
ideally at the end of a meal
(but not with hot foods or
beverages). Typical doses
range from 250 milligrams
twice a day to 500 milligrams
three times a day. Many peo-
ple experience unpleasant


itching, flushing and
headaches, particularly as the
dose is slowly increased. This
side effect can be minimized
by taking an 81-milligram
aspirin tablet 30 to 60 minutes
before taking niacin.
Controlled-release prepa-
rations are much less likely to
produce flushing and itching;
however, they are somewhat
more likely to produce liver
inflammation, raise blood
sugar levels in diabetics, and
trigger gout by raising uric
acid levels. Other potential
side effects of any niacin
preparation include fatigue,
blurred vision, nausea, peptic
ulcers and erectile dysfunction.
Niacin is a natural sub-


stance in fact, it's Vitamin
B3. Like other vitamins, it's
required to keep the metabo-
lism working right. But the
recommended daily allowance
for B3 is only 18 milligrams a
day far less than the amount
needed to improve cholesterol
levels.

Dr. Harvey B. Simon is an
associate professor of medi-
cine at Harvard Medical
School and a member of the
Health Sciences Technology
Faculty at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
0


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March 2008


Minn








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


CARIBBEAN TODAY


fOOD


Ewww.carbbanody*g m4


Back off burger, here's delicious hot patty


Practical, popular herbs for the home kitchen


You've seen them in the
Caribbean stores. Even
frozen at your favorite
supermarket. A simple flour
loaf with meat, poultry or veg-
etable inside.
Americans call them
"turnovers", Caribbean peo-
ple know them as patties.
Beef patty, chicken patty,
veggie patty. As long as it is a
hot patty, it is still one of the
favorite all time snacks for
Caribbean people rich, poor
or anywhere in between, any-
where in the world.
So this month Caribbean
Today will tell you how to
make this inexpensive treat -
beef patty, Jamaican style.

INGREDIENTS
For pastry
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons turmeric
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup shortening

For the filling
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 1 onion, minced
* 2 scallions, trimmed and
minced
* 1/2 garlic cloves, crushed
* 2 fresh chilies, seeded and
minced
* 1/2 pound ground beef
* 4 tomatoes, peeled and
chopped


* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon ground
coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon ground fenu-
greek
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/8 teaspoon ground
cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground car-
damom
* salt
* freshly ground blackpepper
* 2 egg yolks

METHOD
Make the pastry: Sift the flour,
turmeric and salt into a bowl.
Cut in the shortening and rub
in until the mixture resembles
coarse meal. Add three table-
spoons of ice water to form a
firm dough. Cover the dough
with plastic wrap and refriger-
ate for two hours or longer.

Prepare the filling: Heat the
oil in a skillet, add onion and
saut6 over medium heat for
five minutes, until soft and
golden. Stir in the scallions,
garlic and chilies and cook for
three minutes.
Add beef and cook, stir-
ring frequently, for 10 min-
utes. Stir in the tomatoes,
turmeric, cumin, coriander,
fenugree, ginger, cinnamon
and cardamom and season to


Patties


taste with salt and freshly
ground pepper.
Pour in 1/4 cup water,
reduce the heat to low and
cook for 20 minutes, stirring
frequently. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400
degrees F
Roll out the pastry and
cut into 12 rounds, approxi-
mately seven inches in diame-
ter, using a saucer as a guide.
Put two tablespoons of
the filling on one side of each
pastry round then fold over to
form a crescent. Crimp the
edges with a fork to seal them.
Arrange on an ungreased bak-
ing sheet and brush the top of
each patty with a little beaten
egg yolk.
Bake in the center of the
oven for 25 to 30 minutes until
golden brown.
Transfer to a large serving
platter and serve the beef pat-
ties at once.
0


Caribbean people like to
flavor their food and
there are plenty spices
from the region to help them.
This month Caribbean
Today offers the following listing
of herbs, which also add to taste
of food being prepared at home.

Basil With dozens of varia-
tions, including sweet, cinna-
mon, lemon, spicy and choco-
late, this classic herb broadens
the culinary stage for experi-
mentation. For best flavor, add
at the end of the cooking cycle.

Rosemary Technically an
evergreen shrub, the rosemary
plant becomes tenacious once
established in the garden and is
equally remarkable in food
combinations. Although paired
most often with fish, pork and
lamb, rosemary's fresh flavor
also complements cookies, jams
and jellies.

Mint Among the most popu-
lar and versatile of herbs, mint
appears in everything from
desserts and summer drinks to
meats and vegetable dishes. Its
flavors include peppermint,
spearmint, pineapple mint, gin-
ger mint and more.

Thyme In Spain and Italy,
sheep were purportedly grazed
on thyme because of its ability


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P U B L I X


Feeling well Living better *


to gently flavor the meat.
Today the widely used herb fla-
vors marinades, meat, soups,
stews and casseroles.

Dill Typically used as a pick-
ling herb for cucumbers or as an
accent for fish dishes, dill is also
a tasty addition to omelets and
scrambled eggs. Mashed or
roasted potatoes also emerge as











Mixed herbs
unlikely but delicious considera-
tions.

Sage The name comes from
the Latin "salver", which
means to cure. In colonial
America, sage was perhaps the
most important of all herbs,
grown for its medicinal powers
and used in the kitchen to fla-
vor pork and other fatty meats.

Reprinted from
www.publix. com/greenwise
0


PUBLIX








AirT 0 U RIs M/TRnAVE l u r l renaday


Air Jamaica increases seats from N.Y. to Barbados, Grenada


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC Air Jamaica has
announced it is increasing the
seat capacity on flights to
Barbados and Grenada from the
John F Kennedy International
Airport in New
York.
Paul
Pennicook, the
airline's vice
president of
marketing and
sales, said the
move would
take effect on Pennicock
April 1. He
said that the carrier would
continue to serve the New
York-Barbados route with
daily non-stop flights, upgrad-
ing the existing A-320 Airbus
aircraft to the larger A-321,
which carries an additional 38


seats. The A-321 has a seat
capacity of 188 compared to
150 on the A-320.
"Barbados will continue
to have the most convenient
schedule to the island from
the northeast United States -
we'll be first on the beach and
last off the beach," he said
late last month.

NO SHARING
Pennicook explained that
the fully dedicated Barbados
flights from New York and
Jamaica will not be shared
with any other Eastern
Caribbean nation. He said fur-
ther that the new schedule
also opens up daily non-stop
flights between Barbados and
Kingston, which is an impor-
tant and profitable intra-
Caribbean business route for


Air Jamaica


Air Jamaica.
"These changes are in
keeping with our mandate for
a leaner, viable airline," the
airline executive said.


When the changes take
effect Air Jamaica would
serve Grenada with four
weekly non-stop flights from
New York, before continuing


non-stop to Kingston.
"We are excited about
bringing more seats into both
Barbados and Grenada," said
Pennicook, who assured that
connections to and from
Miami via Kingston, which is
an important service for
Grenada, would continue to
be "smooth and seamless."
Pennicook reassured pas-
sengers that while the Jamaican
national carrier restructures, it
remains committed to serving
the Eastern Caribbean.
"The new schedule into
Barbados and Grenada pres-
ents an exciting marketing
opportunity for the airline and
the destinations to command a
greater share of traditional
tourist and diaspora busi-
ness," he said.
0


Europe moves to waive visa

rules for CARICOM countries


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC The European
Commission (E.C.) has taken
the first step towards waiving
short term visas for nationals
from four Caribbean commu-
nity (CARICOM) countries.
It said that the recom-
mendations to authorize the
E.C. to open negotiations with
the governments of Antigua
and Barbuda, The Bahamas,
Barbados and St. Kitts and
Nevis were to be submitted to
the European Council.
Mauritius and the
Seychelles are also to benefit
from the initiative.
"The commission intends
to open the negotiations on


the visa waiver with the six
countries as soon as the nego-
tiating directives will be
approved by the council, thus
providing for the full imple-
mentation of the existing legal
framework," said Vice-
President Franco Frattini,
commissioner responsible for
justice, freedom and security.
An E.C. statement said
the new regulation makes the
implementation of the exemp-
tions from the visa require-
ment for nationals of these
countries, to be concluded
between the E.C. and each of
the countries in question.
"To this end, the
Commission prepared the rec-


ommendations to be submit-
ted to the council in order to
authorize the commission to
negotiate on behalf of the
European Community such
bilateral visa waiver agree-
ments with each of the six
countries concerned".
The statement said the
finalization of these recom-
mendations had been delayed
due to the decision of some of
the countries to introduce a
special visa regime for the
nationals of several member
states on a temporary basis
for the period of the Cricket
World Cup 2007 that took
place in the Caribbean.


Dominicans condemn 'terror island' article


ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -
An article posted on the website
of the United States-based lobby
group Council on Hemispheric
Affairs, that describes Dominica
as "the next terror island" has
sparked widespread condemna-
tion here, as well as the
Dominican community overseas.
The article compares
Dominica's close relations with
Cuba and Venezuela with that
of Grenada, which was invaded
by the U.S. military more than
20 years ago.
Tourism Minister Ian
Douglas dismissed the article,
saying it was meant to distract
the Dominican public from its
development agenda.
"When we established
diplomatic relations with China
they had a problem with it, now
those same people are back
with their scare mongering tac-
tics, that's what happens when a
government try to bring about
true and meaningful develop-
ment," he said.


"Today, another Caribbean
nation, Dominica, has been
forging links with leftist Cuba
and Venezuela. Authorities on
that small Caribbean island had
better watch out, or they may
be presiding over this genera-
tion's 'Terror Island', but this
time the name of the island is
Dominica", the article stated.

CONFRONTATION
It also stated "In the event
that John McCain is elected
president, the stage could be set
for confrontation with the
Dominica leadership."
Dominican-born
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) economist, Thompson
Fontaine said on Feb. 28 he
was not taking lightly the con-
tent of the publication released
on Feb. 26.
"When you have such an
inflammatory article going out
and to compare with Grenada
in 1984 is preposterous and
absurd," he said on state radio


from Washington.
Dr. Fontaine said that as a
Dominican he was concerned
about the damage the article
could cause and questioned,
"Why is this guy trying to set up
the United States against
Dominica?"
Another prominent
Dominican based in Washington
said the Dominican community
was concerned about the article
written by Nicholas Clause.
"It concerns us that our
island home and the word ter-
ror is linked, this is a very
frightening proposal," said Dr.
Emmanuel Finn.
Dominica's ambassador to
Costa Rica Dr. Damien Dublin
has described the developments
as irresponsible.
"I think it's a very irrespon-
sible an inflammatory article
the person who wrote it does
not respect a country's right to
self-determination," he said.
0


HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC
- Air arrivals hit a seven-year
high as Bermuda enjoyed a
record tourism year in 2007
with more than 660,000 visitors
coming to the island, Premier
Ewart Brown has said.
Brown, who is also trans-
port and tourism minister, told
a news conference last month
that he was confident the
tourism sector would continue
to grow with the arrival of new
low-cost air flights and the pos-
sibility of achieving approved
destination status in China.
"Simply put, 2007 was a
very solid year for Bermuda
tourism, as the numbers will
show," Brown said. "In fact, I
am thrilled to tell you that at
year end, overall arrivals for
2007 set another record as the
highest amount of total visitors
to the island on record. Now
that's something worthy of cel-
ebrating."
Brown said a total of
663,767 visitors came here last
year, an increase of 3.4 percent
from the 641,717 visitors who
arrived here last year.
"Total air arrivals reached
a seven-year high with 305,548
visitors arriving in 2007, up 2.2
percent from the 298,973 visi-
tors in 2006," he added.

RISE
An airport exit survey
showed that visitor expenditure
had risen by around $50 million,
Brown said. Hotel occupancy
was also up, although there
were 245 fewer beds in 2007
due to hotel closures, which was
why hotel occupancy tax was $1
million lower in the 2007 finan-
cial year than in 2006.
Brown announced low-
cost carrier Zoom Airlines
would resume its twice-weekly
service soon.
"The airline will offer one
flight each week from Toronto,


ideally scheduled for Canadian
visitors spending a long week-
end in Bermuda and thereby
challenging Air Canada's long-
standing monopoly on that
route," he said.
"The second flight each
week will be linked through to
Fort Lauderdale, offering
Bermudians an ideal schedule
for trips to Florida."
He said arrivals from
London had grown by 20 per-
cent since Zoom's arrival on
the route last
June, while
British
Airways,
which has
flown to the
island for 70
years, and
enjoyed a
monopoly on
Brown the London-
Bermuda
route, had not seen a change in
its passenger numbers.
The premier said he was
still trying to lure C('IniiL visi-
tors to the island by making
Bermuda an approved destina-
tion. Last October, Brown vis-
ited Beijing to attend the
World Tourism Summit and
met several key government
representatives as well as
C('hiini media outlets.
Officials say C('Iihin nationals
could only visit Bermuda after
the island is placed on an
approved destination list
approved by their government.
They said that such desig-
nation could take up to three
years, but Brown said he
believed his visit put Bermuda
in good stead.
"Our new goal is to obtain
approved destination status by
the end of this calendar year,"
he said.
0


Bermuda shows record

year for tourist arrivals


March 2008


CARIBBEAN TODAY






CARIBBEAN TODAY


-us..aribbeantodayxom


SP R I G


~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature


Getting to know the who's who of the transportation industry


This is a guide to the players in
the transportation industry;
offering a reference for the
various parties that impact on
your services.

There are four main forms of
transit that are utilized ves-
sel, motor carrier, plane and
railroad.
Some movements utilize
more than one form and are
called intermodal. An exam-
ple would be a shipment that
originates in Managua and is
shipped by vessel out of
Honduras to Miami and then
by truck to Orlando.
The public can utilize the
services of a common carrier,
which can be governed by the
Carriage of Goods by Sea
Act, the Harter Act, the Bill
of Lading Act, and the
Shipping Act. Carriers
involved in foreign commerce
are under the control of the
Federal Maritime Commission
(FMC), with which they
should file a tariff.
If a carrier seeks to give a
better rate, it can only do so
by way of a service contract,
which must be filed with the
FMC. These are typically
given as volume discounts
with a penalty for not shipping
a certain volume.

BILL OF LADING
The bill of lading is the


main document that governs
the relationship between the
parties. Review the front and
back of the bill of lading. In
analyzing a case, insist on hav-
ing a copy of both sides of the
bill of lading.
On cases under the
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act,
you are dealing with a one-year


tion to a bus.
A deviation by an ocean
carrier can override a limita-
tion of liability. If you are han-
dling a claim, check to see if
this limitation applies or not,
especially if you are contem-
plating taking a claim against
a carrier on a contingency fee
basis.


I I I I.-


1'
Wi
6~
v'~I

p
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Cargo movement is big business with many players involved.


statute of limitation. Some
domestic ocean carriers have
incorporated this through a
clause paramount. There are
limitations of liability that have
been upheld with regard to
ocean shipments such as the
$500 per package limitation,
including applying this limita-


..... .....-...


Many ocean carriers oper-
ate through steamship agen-
cies. They handle the book-
ing, billing and supplies for
steamship companies. They
can also handle the stevedor-
ing and at times temporary
warehousing of the cargo.
They should not be sued as
carriers. Through a Himalaya
Clause in a bill of lading, they
can assert some of the same
limitations of liability as the
ocean carrier.
Ocean transportation bro-
kers book cargo on behalf of
ocean carriers. They are not
required to post a bond nor
are they required to be
licensed. Motor carriers are
generally governed by the
Carmack Amendment. Look
out for the statute of limita-
tions as it is two years and one


day from the declination and
you must file a claim within
nine months. If you do not,
you could be prevented from
pursuing your claim in court.
Keep some proof of delivery
of the claim.
Some attorneys have gone
so far as to hire a process
server to serve a claim on a
motor carrier. Motor carriers
often operate through
owner/operators who do the
actual hauling. On intermodal
shipments, some motor carri-
ers do not issue bills of lading,
but instead rely on the inter-
modal bill of lading issued by
an ocean carrier. Trailer inter-
change agreements should be
looked at carefully as to the
motor carrier's responsibilities
toward the ocean carrier.
There are often indemnity
provisions and insurance
requirements which must be
satisfied. Trucker bills of lad-
ing should be carefully
reviewed in order to make
sure that you are protected.
Railroads are also gov-
erned by the Carmack
Amendment as well. Be aware
of the same strict time limita-
tions that apply to motor car-
riers.

DOMESTIC
Domestic carriers are reg-
ulated at least in part by the
Surface Transportation Board
(STB), which replaced the
Interstate Commerce
Commission. Sometimes the
term ICC, Interstate
Commerce Commission, is still
used, but it is incorrect. The
STB is within the Department
of Transportation. It is not as
large as its predecessor. Motor
carriers must register with the
Federal Carrier Safety
Administration and are also
subject to its regulations.
Intermodal shipments are
generally governed by the


rules and limitations of the
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
and to some extent by the
Harter Act. On an intermodal
bill of lading, there might be
only one bill of lading issued
by the ocean carrier and
under some law will extend
the limitations of liability for
the ocean carrier to other par-
ties in the transportation chain
which could further protect
the motor carrier.
Foreign aviation is gov-
erned by the Warsaw
Convention and the Montreal
Protocol. Two years for filing
suit and notice requirements
are included. There are limita-
tions of liability for damages
under the Warsaw
Convention, $9.07 per pound,
except under extreme condi-
tions such as deliberate acts or
recklessness. The shipping
contract in an air shipment is
the air waybill. The front and
the back of the air waybill
should be examined in order
to be sure of the terms and
conditions.
There are other entities
involved in the chain of trans-
portation besides carriers.
These include ocean trans-
portation intermediaries,
which are ocean freight for-
warders and non-vessel oper-
ating common carriers. Ocean
freight forwarders are like a
travel agent for cargo. They
book space, arrange the trans-
portation and can collect a
commission from the ocean
carrier. They are governed by
the FMC and are not consid-
ered carriers. They can how-
ever assert limitations of lia-
bility.
An ocean freight for-
warder is not a carrier,
although it can be sued for
negligence such as a wrongful
selection of a carrier. A
freight forwarder must post a
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)


SPackage limitation of liability under COGSA


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Dwy and R~eftiig~ed Contakwit- Madchtiey & Rco'in~ Stoxck


MIAMI (30) 592-6000
US General AgenW: Seakeigh Agencies USA, hic
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JACKSONVILLE PORT EVERGLADES BARBADOS JAMAICA ARUBA
CURACAO VENEZUELA TRINIDAD GUYANA SURINAME
ST. LUCIA GRENADA ST. VINCENT HAITI CAYMAN ISLANDS


The $500 per package limita-
tion under the Carriage of
Goods by Sea Act (COGSA)
is an area of the law that has
been frequently litigated.
Disputes in these types of con-
tainer cases (which arise after
the shipper's goods are dam-
aged or goods are missing in
some way during transit) typi-
cally involve the carrier on
one side arguing that the con-
tainer is the relevant package
and the shipper on the other
side arguing that the individ-
ual packaged goods within the
container are the relevant
packages.
In the recent case of Marisa v.


M/V CMA CGM La Tour, Slip
Copy, 2006 WL 2521269
(S.D.N.Y), the bill of lading
described the cargo as being
one container, "said to contain
74 items household g >d,.
The court held that in this situ-
ation, the container was not
one package for purposes of
limitation of liability under
COGSA. Here the plaintiff
shipper, who was an individual
moving household goods from
Britain to the United States,
had individually wrapped and
boxed the goods in smaller
parcels which then were placed
into the container. The descrip-
tion of the goods on the bill of


lading created an ambiguity
which the court resolved in
favor of the shipper.
The carrier should be
aware that this type of dispute
can arise and that the limita-
tion of liability is not always
applicable. Additionally, both
the carrier and the shipper
should ensure that the lan-
guage on the bill of lading is
not ambiguous so that both
parties have an understanding
of the liabilities and risks that
they are assuming.

- D. Raab
0


March 2008


vif upit



-Al
199


................ ........ -
i p p i n G





CARIBBEAN TODAY


51I ppEI


in G


~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature


Security concerns at ports, harbors require awareness to avoid delays


DANIEL RABB

A recent case illustrating that
increased security concerns at
ports and harbors require
awareness to avoid delays is
International Longshoremen's
Association v. Miami-Dade
County, 926 So.2d 433, 24 IER
Cases 593, 31 Fla. L. Weekly
D989 (Fl. App. 2006).
In this case, port workers
union brought action against
the county because the union
members' security clearance
cards were seized by the port
in order to verify each card's
security. Without the security
cards, the union members
could not access the port's
cargo area where they
worked.
The court went on to rule
that neither the union nor the


individual members had a
constitutionally protected
interest in the security clear-
ance and thus they were not
entitled to a due process hear-
ing before the seizure of their
cards. Additionally, the court
noted that the union members
were not denied the right to
engage in their chosen profes-
sion, but rather were merely
temporarily restrained from
performing their jobs.

OVERSIGHT INCREASE
With the continuance of
perceived threats in the new
world situation comes an
increase in the amount of
oversight.
Less than five years ago,
the United States Congress
passed the Maritime
Transportation Security Act of


Security is a top issue at ports.


2002 (PL. 107-295). Currently,
Congress is still debating
whether the safeguards in
place now are enough.


Many of the
current precau-
tions involve
operations by
the U.S. Coast
Guard (as seen
in the
International
Longshoremen's
Association v.
Miami-Dade
County case
above), The
Bureau of
Customs and
Border
Protection, and
the
Transportation
Security
Administration.
In order to navigate
through the brave new world
of maritime transportation


security, one must be familiar
with a veritable plethora of
acronyms: MTSA (Maritime
Transportation Security Act),
ISPS (International Port
Security Program), TWIC
(Transportation Worker
Identification Credential),
NMSAC (National Maritime
Security Advisory
Committee), and AWW
(America's Waterway Watch).
For further information,
you can check out the govern-
ment's website dealing with
maritime transportation secu-
rity, entitled "Homeport",
and which is available at
http://homeport.uscg.mil/.

Alyssa Pell assisted with this
article.
0


Getting to know the who's who of the transportation industry


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14)
bond with the FMC and be
licensed. This would protect a
shipper against wrongdoing
such as stealing the money
paid to ship the cargo. Many
freight forwarders sell insur-
ance to their clients through
open cargo policies and issue
insurance certificates. Some
ocean carriers also provide
insurance.
The non-vessel operating
common carriers operate as
common carriers, but do not
actually operate a vessel. They
issue bills of lading, charge
freight, and can be sued as a
common carrier. They can
also assert limitations of liabil-
ity like an ocean carrier as
well as liens on cargo. A non-
vessel operating common car-
rier must post a bond with the
FMC and be licensed.

FREIGHT FORWARDERS
Freight forwarders are
also involved in the trans-
portation of cargo by air.
Some of them issue airway
bills and can be sued as carri-
ers. They can assert limita-
tions of liability.
There are freight for-
warders and freight brokers
on domestic shipments. The
inland freight forwarder can
be sued as a carrier. The
inland transportation broker is
generally just that, a trans-
portation broker. It books
freight with inland carriers
including motor carriers,
although depending on its rep-
resentations there are some-
times efforts to turn a broker
into a carrier. Transportation
brokers and freight forwarders
must register with the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety


Administration.
Another important entity
in the transportation industry
is the customs broker. They
clear cargo for various
importers. They are not carri-
ers. They handle the paper-
work and usually have a
power of attorney to clear
cargo. Customs broker licens-
es can be issued on an individ-
ual or corporate basis.
The agency that governs
the importation of cargo is the
United States Customs and
Border Patrol. It operates in
conjunction with the Treasury
Department and the
Department of Homeland
Security. Among its responsi-
bilities is the collection of
duties and to make sure that
unlawful items are not
brought into the U.S. Protests
can be handled administra-
tively with this agency, which
does have the power to seize
merchandise and assess penal-
ties.
Warehousemen also play
a critical role in the chain of
transportation. Some are cus-
toms bonded warehouses,
meaning the cargo has not yet
entered the U.S. The Uniform
Commercial Code has a whole
section related to warehouses.
They too can assert limitations
of liability on the back of their
warehouse receipts. They can
assert liens against cargo for
unpaid freight and the
Uniform Commercial Code
provides the methods for sell-
ing cargo on which a lien is
asserted. Get a signed release
when you deposit cargo with a
warehouse.
An important term in
relation to customs bonded
warehouses is general order or


GO. This is the warehouse
where the seized cargo goes
before it is sold.
Another term of interest
is logistics company. These
can be freight forwarders,
truckers, customs brokers and
possibly all of the above.
Importers who bring
goods into the country and
exporters who send goods out
of the country are also an
important part of the cargo
industry. Likewise shippers
and consignees who typically
correspond to buyers and sell-
ers are a basic part of the
transportation industry. You
will see a spot on the bill of
lading for shippers and con-
signees as well as notifying
parties. Sometimes the notify-
ing party is the actual con-
signee and/or purchaser.
Most of the various


administrative agencies gov-
erning transportation fall
within the Department of
Transportation. Check to see
which agency governs your sit-
uation.
At the foreign end of
commerce are port authorities
regulated by the government.
In many instances the carrier's
duty is only to deliver to the
port authority and/or customs.
Cargo lost or damaged in
a government-controlled port,
where proper notice of the
arrival is given to the cargo
interest, is a defense for the
carrier.
The carrier may have
agents in other countries who
assist in the handling of cargo.
There are also customs brokers
in other countries who are
agents of the cargo interests.
Insurance companies play


a role as many claims are
brought by insurance carriers
as subrogation claims, while
many parties that are sued are
insured. A subrogated insurer
should have a subrogation or
loan receipt from its insured.
Carriers must make sure that
they are paying the right party
when paying a claim so that
you do not wind up paying
two claims.

The above was edited for
space by Caribbean Today
from an article submitted by
Daniel W. Raab, an attorney
located in Miami, Florida
who has practiced in the
transportation field of law for
over 25 years. His law clerk
Alyssa Pell assisted with the
article.
0


v-a nn


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I r


March 2008


s p R i n


LW-WW-caribbeantoday.com


7





CARIBBEAN TODAY


JOSE H. CARABALLO

O ne of the biIL_,,Il rea-
sons homeowners refi-
nance their mortgage
is to obtain a lower interest
rate and lower their monthly
payments. By refinancing, the
borrower pays off their exist-
ing mortgage and replaces it
with a new one with better or
more appropriate terms.
Refinancing typically
occurs when mortgage inter-
est rates drop or when the
current mortgage no longer
fits the borrowers situation -
as is the case with many
homeowners that are current-
ly in adjustable rate mort-
gages with higher payments
now than when they first
started.
Also borrowers with
recently improved credit
scores (from paying off credit
card debt, making mortgage
payments on time, etc.) are
often candidates for better
interest rates as well. If you
haven't checked your credit
score in a while, it's a good
time to call a mortgage con-
sultant.

WHY?
The question most asked
is, "But why should I go back
into a 30-year loan?"
There are two schools of
thought on this subject, and
the mortgage consultant
should work hand-in-hand
with the borrower's financial
planner to determine what
works best for their mutual
client.
First look at what bene-
fits can come out of refinanc-
ing into a fixed rate from an
adjustable rate. Security from
rate adjustments, possibly
lower payment, ability to
sleep at night, etc. Another
option is to take the route of
the "same payment" refi-
nance, and actually pay off
the loan faster and save
money on interest fees in the
long-run. If refinancing results
in a lower monthly payment,
the borrower can still contin-
ue making the same payment
they made in the original
loan, and the extra money will
be applied to the principal
balance.
For example: Let's say
you have 25 years remaining
in your current loan, and you
refinance back to a 30-year
loan with a slightly lower
interest rate, resulting in a


payment reduction of $200
per month. (Note: This is just
an example. The actual
amount could vary.) You
could then take that extra
$200 per month and apply it
toward the principal on the
new loan. At this rate, the
loan will be paid off in 22
years and four months, which
is two years and eight months
less than the original loan.
On the other hand, if the
borrower's financial planner is
a proponent of best-selling
author and investment guru
Douglas Andrew's philoso-
phies (see "Missed Ifortunii ),
he or she may Iin-L,,,I invest-
ing the extra money in a side-
fund that could earn a better
rate of return and grow to the
amount of the mortgage (and
beyond) in even less time.
This method provides excel-
lent liquidity and safety, but
having more access to this
money may or may not be a
good thing for some.
Regardless of the reason
for the refinance, the mort-
gage consultant will need to
know what the existing loan
scenario entails, review the
homeowner's long-term goals,
and be able to explain how
each loan option compares
and contrasts with the various
loan programs available.


Jose H. Caraballo is presi-
dent-elect of the Mortgage
Bankers Association of
Greater Miami and a branch
manager of the Source One
Mortgage office in Coral
Gables. He can be reached at
305-968-1257 or at carabal-
lo12345@comcast.net


MIAMI A wealth manager
that supervises the assets for a
growing number of offshore
insurance companies has been
appointed manager of the
Caribbean Catastrophe Risk
Insurance Facility (CCRIF).
Garry Wilkins, CCRIF
board member, said here last
month that London & Capital
was chosen following "an
extensive selection process."
He said the company "suc-
cessfully demonstrated a full
understanding of our invest-


B Guyana unveils $556M budget


Guyana unveils $556M budget


Refinancing your


mortgage for rate,


payment reductions


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Guyana's Finance
Minister Dr. Ashnie Singh
unveiled a G$119.3 billion
($556.5 million) budget while
projecting 4.8 percent econom-
ic growth and a 6.8 percent rise
in inflation blamed on
imp. -r id pressure."
The 4.8 percent growth, he
said, is expected "to be broad-
based and to reflect expansion
in both traditional and new
and emerging sectors.
"The budget reaffirms
g' L\ L r n11L ni\ commitment to
take appropriate actions in
response to immediate chal-
lenges, both external and
domestic, and it balances this
with its commitment to contin-
ue to take tough decisions that
will create a better Guyana for
the longer term," Singh said in
his speech.
He said the 2008 estimates
promise progress in six broad
areas, which include avoiding
short-term actions that can
undermine the potential for
long-term growth and acceler-
ate the ongoing infrastructural
program.
Singh promised that
"investments in the most
important social services will
be maintained (and) assistance
to the most vulnerable in soci-
ety and those most impacted
by changes in the national and
international economic situa-
tion will be increased."
He told the National
Assembly that reforms will be
accelerated on the justice and
security sectors to manage the
current and emerging chal-
lenges, (while) "institutional
reforms aimed at further trans-
forming the business environ-
ment to stimulate greater
investment, job creation and
sustained economic growth will
be advanced."

CONTINUATION
The 2008 financial plan "is
the continuation of the ongo-
ing task of transforming the
economy, developing the coun-
try, and improving the lives of
Guyanese."
In the agricultural sector,


sugar production is projected
at 290,000 tonnes, an increase
of 8.8 percent, which reflects
increased acreage under culti-
vation, increased productivity,
and the start of operation of
the new multi-billion dollar
Skeldon factory, Singh said.
He said rice output is tar-
geted at 321,000 tonnes, repre-
senting 7.6 percent growth
from last year.
Forestry is expected to
recover this year with a pro-
jected growth rate of three
percent bh,, J on anticipated
increases in the production of
both logs and higher value
products," Singh said.
He said the fishing sector
is budgeted to increase by
three percent, "while livestock
and other agriculture are both
projected to grow at 2.5 per-
cent." The mining and quarry-
ing sectors are forecast to grow
by 5.8 percent.
"The bauxite industry is
expected to continue its robust
performance with output
increasing by 17.1 percent to
2,626,000 tonnes."
Gold declarations are,
however, projected to decrease
by 2.7 percent to 231,750
ounces reflecting some moder-
ation to a more steady growth
path," the finance minister
said.
Singh said the 2008 fiscal
plan is projecting an eight per-
cent increase for the transport
and communication sector,
"reflecting continued strong
activity in both the domestic
transportation and the
telecommunication sub-sec-


tors."

IMPETUS
According to Minister
Singh, "the hosting of CAR-
IFESTA X in August is also
expected to provide additional
impetus to the levels of eco-
nomic activity in several sec-
tors during 2008."
The Skeldon Sugar
Modernization plan; the
resumption of offshore petro-
leum exploration following the
U.N. Arbitral Tribunal Award;
private sector investment in
the alternative energy sector,
specifically hydropower and
biofuels; and the construction
of the hydropower project at
Amalia are anticipated to spur
job creation, Singh said in his
budget speech.
In the wake of an upsurge
in crime, the government has
set aside G$13.7 billion ($68.5
million) for the security sector.
Singh reiterated that two
helicopters and other equip-
ment and gear will be procured
for the joint services, while $13
million "will be expended to
expand and equip Community
Policing Groups (CPGs)in
order to support crime fighting
efforts."
He said G$660 million
($132 million) will be spent to
develop an integrated crime
and violence information sys-
tem to monitor trends in crime
and violence.
Accordingly, an additional
$1.5 million has been allocated
for the construction, comple-
tion, and rehabilitation of
more than 30 police stations
countrywide, while $485,000 is
allocated for the construction
of a juvenile holding center
and for the upgrade of several
prisons.
Singh also outlined plans
for new and emerging sectors,
with $20.9 million to be spent
to launch an Agricultural
Export Diversification
Program "which will result in
the promotion and consolida-
tion of agribusiness."
0


innovative solutions that
made us confident in the com-
pany's ability to meet the
needs of the CCRIF's antici-
pated liabilities going for-
ward."
Wilkins said London &
Capital, which manages assets
in excess of $3.4 billion, as at
Sept. 30, 2007, will manage an
initial mandate of $35 million
for the CCRIF, growing to
over $100 million in the next
three years.
He said London &


ment needs, and came up with Capital ,. uirWd the mandate


by creating a bespoke invest-
ment portfolio."

LIQUIDITY
The CCRIF, the world's
first regional disaster insur-
ance facility, was established
at the urging of Caribbean
Community (CARICOM)
heads of government, using
funds pledged by the interna-
tional donor community. It
provides the 16-member gov-
ernments with immediate liq-
uidity if struck by a cata-
strophic earthquake or hurri-


cane.
William Dalziel, executive
director of London & Capital,
which is administered by
Citibank in the United States,
said the company has "a
proven track record managing
absolute return strategies,
with a focus on capital preser-
vation, risk management and
low volatility.
"The selection process for
the CCRIF mandate was rig-
orous," he said.
0


Singh


Caribbean insurance facility gets new manager


March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


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


'Jazz in the Gardens' set for Miami, Mar. 15-16


Talented Haitian-born
singer and musician
Wyclef Jean will be
among the headliners at the


third annual "Jazz in the
GrdL n, 'festival to be staged


Mar. 15 and 16 at the Dolphin
Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Other artistes confirmed
for the two-day event include
George Benson, Chaka Khan,
the O'Jays, Stanley Clarke,
George Duke and Nancy
Wilson.
"Jazz in the Gardens has
really become an internation-
ally recognized event," Miami
Gardens Mayor Shirley
Gibson was quoted as saying
in a press release issued
recently by the organizers.
"It's exciting to know
people from all over the
world look forward to coming
to Miami Gardens. It's incred-
ible how music has the power
to transcend language and
culture, as it serves to unite


Chaka Khan


people. With this year's line-
up of jazz greats we will con-
tinue to make Miami Gardens
a proud community and a
more visible destination."
0


ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS


* Renowned reggae producer
dies
Joe Gibbs, one of Jamaica's most
prolific record producers, who pro-
pelled many reggae artistes to
international fame, is dead.
Gibbs, who was born Joel A.
Gibson in Montego Bay, came to
fame in the 1970s when he worked
closely with the "Crown Prince of
Reggae" the late Dennis Brown as
well Beres Hammond and the drum
and bass duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie
Shakespeare. In the 1980s Gibbs
had a big international hit with J.C.
Lodge's "Someone Loves You Honey"
and produced artistes such as
Mighty Diamonds, Gregory Issacs,
Dean Fraser and Barrington Levy.

* West Indian jazz
Jamaican-born jazz pianist Monty
Alexander is among the main acts
scheduled to perform at a tribute
concert, billed "Lords of the West
Indies", over two days, Mar. 7 and
8, at the Lincoln Center, Broadway


and 60th Street in Manhattan, New
York.
The event will present mento,
the Jamaican folk music and calyp-
so, the Trinidadian popular music.
Other musicians scheduled to per-
form include Pluto Shervington,
Dean Fraser, Desi Jones, Hassan
Shakur, Herlin Riley, Carlton James,
David "Happy" Williams, Etienne
Charles, Charles Dougherty, Clifton
Anderson, Joseph Bennett and
Albert Morgan.
For more information, call
212-258-9807.

'Reggae Symphony' for Fort
Lauderdale
John Holt and Freddie McGregor,
two of reggae's leading voices, will
highlight "Reggae Symphony" on
April 20 at the Broward Center for
the Performance Arts in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
They will be backed by Lloyd
Parkes and We The People band.
For more information, call 800-


811-1231 or visit www.broward-
center.org.

* Concert to support athletes
Team Jamaica Bickle, the New
York-based organization formed 14
years ago to assist athletes from
the Caribbean nation participate at
the Penn Relays, will host a reggae
music concert on April 20 at the
Brooklyn College Performing Arts
Center.
The concert, with its theme
"Team Jamaica on the Road to
Beijing" is slated to start at 7 p.m.
According to TJB founder Irwine
Clare, a donation in honor of the
late Olympian, Jamaica's Herb
McKenley, will be made to aid ath-
letes preparing for the Olympics in
Beijing, China.
Corporate and civic entities
willing to offer support can call
718-523-2861.

Compiled from various sources.
0


Tobago to host two top shows

~ Whitney Houston, Shakira,

Rod Stewart on the bill


Host of top American
and Cribhaiin-b.-iJ
acts will headline two
musical festivals in Tobago
next month.
The two-day Pan Jazz "in
deYard" 2008 and the three-
day Plymouth Jazz Festival
will combine for five consecu-
tive days of entertainment.
The second annual pan
jazz "in de Yard" will be pre-


Hiousion


Rod Stewart will join other
international and local artistes.
Smokey Robinson will be on
stage on day one, along with
Peabo Bryson, James Ingram
and Diana Ross.
The second day will show-
case Latin star, Shakira, along
with En Vogue and roots reg-


Stewart


sented April 23 and 24 at the
Royal Bank of Trinidad and
Tobago Redemption Sound
Setters yard by Pantrinbago, a
cultural organization dedicated
to the promotion and develop-
ment of steel pan, which was
invented in Trinidad.
The line-up of performers
includes Liam Teague, Robbie
Greenidge, Anise Hadeed,
Tony (Pan Jumbie) Williams,
Clive Zander, the Kariwak
Players, Ken (Professor)
Philmore and Duvonne Stewart.
The fourth annual Plymouth
Jazz Festival in Tobago will be
held April 25-27 at the Fort
James/Plymouth Recreational
Field. International acts such as
Whitney Houston, Shakira and


Shakira


gae band Steel Pulse. R&B
diva, Houston and adult con-
temporary icon Stewart will
close the festival on day three.
For ticket prices and more
information on the festival,
visit www.tobagojazzfest.com.
0


Soca star facing assault charge


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC Soca entertainer
Machel Montano is to appear
in court in May and June to
answer a charge of assault,
Director of Public Prosecution
Carla Brown-Antoine has
announced.
Montano, 32, will appear
in court on May 26 and 29 and
again on June 2 along with
entertainers Joel "Zan"
Fezeck and songwriter/pro-
ducer Kernel Roberts, the son
of late Calypsonian Lord
Kitchener.
The three were charged,
along with another soca enter-
tainer Rodney "Benjai" Le
Blanc, with assaulting at least
two patrons at a Port of Spain
night club on April 26, 2007.
They appeared before a
Port of Spain Magistrate last
month when the new court
dates were set.


When the matters resume
in May it will be before
Magistrate Akiel Khan. The
prosecution is expected to call
10 witnesses.
Montano, who has main-
tained his innocence, is being
represented by senior counsel
Dana Seetahal.
0


CELEBRATING


WOMEN

The celebration of women will be
the focus of an exhibition of works
by Haitian artist Marie Therese
Dupoux which will be on display
Mar. 1-31 at the African American
Research Library and Museum in
Fort Lauderdale. The exhibition,
titled "Vessels of Memory: The Art
of Marie Therese Dupoux", will
recognize "Women's History
Month" and highlight the contribu-
tions and accomplishments of
women in the arts. The Florida
Africana Studies Consortium will
present the exhibition under the
patronage of Ralph Latortue, con-
sul general of Haiti in Miami.


I


March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


IMMIGRATION

V KORNER
QUESTION: I was sponsored
by my mother in 1997 and
included in the petition were my
husband and my two sons. I
received the biographic docu-
ments in Sept 2002, one month
after my sons' 21st birthday.
They were not included in the
biographic and it was only then
that I understood that I could
have informed the INS
(Immigration and
Naturalization Service) some 60
days earlier of their impending
birthday. I am now awaiting for
an interview with the consulate
now and am wondering whether
my sons can still accompany us
to the United States?

ANSWER: John Stahl, for-
merly of the Emerald Isle
Immigration Center, says
that under the Child Status
Protection Act of 2002, your
sons may be still eligible to
apply for a "green card" as
your dependant even though
they have now reached the
age of 21. The Child Status
Protection Act, passed on
Aug. 6, 2002, applies to cer-
tain petitions filed and
approved before 8/6/02 if the
child aged out (turned 21) on
or after 8/6/02. Provided that
the CSPA applies in this case,
the next step is to calculate
your sons' age under the law.
Their ages may be deter-
mined by taking their age on
the date that a visa first
became available (either the
date on which the priority
date for the petition became
current or the date that the
petition was approved,
whichever came later) and
subtracting that age from the
time it took to process the
petition (the time from
petition filing to petition


What U.S. age law allows

when filing for children


approval). They will remain
that age throughout the rest
of the process. It seems that
since they recently turned 21,
by subtracting the processing
time they would be eligible.

QUESTION: I had a multiple
visa and on one of my visits I
met a man and we got mar-


ried and have been married
for three years. During that
time he was supposed to have
filed to adjust my status and
for my work papers he did not
and my documents have
expired and I have no ability
to work legally and support
myself. He is currently seek-
ing a divorce. How can I file
to adjust without being
deported? I left behind a
successful business that is no
longer there. I also brought
my children up on a visitor's
visa, which has since expired.
Please help!

ANSWER: Essentially, you


can file for classification as an
abused spouse, says attorney
Dr. Dolly Hassan, of the
Liberty Center for
Immigrants in Queens, N.Y.
But that is if you were abused
by your husband. If there was
no abuse, then unfortunately,
there is very little you could
do, added the attorney.
Hassan also
warned that
most other
kinds of appli-
cations would
necessitate
you leaving
the country
for consular
processing at
which time the
10-bar to re-
entering the
U. S. would
apply.
However,
should the
U.S. Congress
approve the
current U.S.
Senate bill to
legalize the
many undocu-
mented who
have been living in the coun-
try out of status for five years
or more, then you and your
kids will be able to benefit
from that law. But bear in
mind it's still a proposal and
not law as yet.

Compiled by Felicia Persaud.
Answers provided here are for
information purposes only,
and do not create an attor-
ney-client relationship; nor
are they a substitute for
"legal advice" which can
only be given by a competent
attorney after reviewing all
the facts of the case.
0


TEA PARTY
Jamaica's Prime Minister

Golding, and
his wife Lorna,
are the sched-
uled guests of
honor for the
second annual
Community
Service
Awards Golding smile
Ceremony and
Tea Party pre-
sented by Jamaica's consul
general in Miami from 3 p.m.
to 5:30 p.m. Mar. 30 at the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 33300
S.W. 27th Ave. in Coconut
Grove, Miami, Florida.
For more information, call
the consul general at 305-374-
8431 ext. 223 or 224.

MISS FLORIDA
CARIBBEAN
Females of Caribbean ori-
gin, ages nine to 25, single,
residing in Florida for over six
months and who have never
been married or given birth to
a child, are being invited to
enter in the 2008 "Miss
Florida Caribbean" pageant.
Selected delegates will
undergo eight weeks training
in a self-development work-
shop, which includes groom-
ing, stage presentation, speech
and physical conditioning.
"Miss Florida Caribbean" 2008
will make appearances events
such as fundraisers, carnivals,
talk shows and festivals.
The pageant finals will be
staged on Nov. 9 at the Hilton
Fort Lauderdale Airport
Hotel.
For more information, call
954-882-2729.

JOURNALISTS MEET
The National Association
of Caribbean American
Journalists will hold its first
national meeting Mar. 28-30 in


South Florida.
For more information,
e-mail nacaj@yahoo.com.

NEW JNA BOARD
A new eight-member
board of directors of the
Jamaican Nationals
Association of Washington,
D.C. was formally inducted
into office recently.
The new executive body
will be led by Dr. Jacqui
Payne, president; Ian Harvey,
vice president; Claudette
Henry, executive secretary;
Joyell Arscott, recording sec-
retary; Denakay Brown, treas-
urer; Enid Russell, assistant
treasurer; Franklyn Burke,
parliamentarian; Rosie Parke,
public relations officer; and
Moreen Wallace immediate
past-president.

CANCER WATCH
March has been designat-
ed National Colorectal
Cancer Awareness Month.
The theme is "Let's Make
Colon Cancer Preventable!
Beatable! Treatable! For All
Communities".
The United States-based
Prevent Cancer Foundation
has organized The Super
Colon tour, which will is
scheduled to make 22 stops in
the U.S. during March.
However, the foundation
addresses colon cancer year
round and there is a special
section on its web site at:
www.preventcancer.org/col-
orectal where people can
order education materials on
the importance of colon can-
cer screening to share and
read answers from experts on
topics as varied as who's at
risk and who should be
screened for colon cancer, the
role of diet and weight and
what "virtual" colonoscopy
means.
0


Donovan D. Taylor, M.D.

Board Certified Family
Physician
children adults, gynecology
weight management
Donovan Taylor, M.D.
Please call for an appointment
(305) 655-0702
Graduate of UWI. Previously practiced in Mandeville,
R, i,, hluv' atJMH.
NEW LOCATION
250 NW 183rd Street, Miami, Florida 33169
DirPlMATE OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS



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For a listing of available Broward Community College (BCC)
open procurement solicitations visit:
www.broward.edu/purchasing/bids
or contact
954-201-7455
BCC strongly encourages participation by minority and women-
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Publisher Consistently credible
For information, please call
305-238-2868, or fax 305-252-7843


March 2008


r FY I





CARIBBEAN TODAY


SPORT


LWW-crbbatoa.co


Caribbean players hunt places in U.S. Major League Soccer


GORDON WILLIAMS

It will be a decade for both
Tyrone Marshall and Andy
Williams, a year longer for
Ezra Hendrickson. Established
stars like Shalrie Joseph are in
the prime of their careers,
while teenager Anthony
Wallace is just about ready to
bust out.
Those four and at least a
dozen others with strong
Caribbean roots are gearing up
for another season in Major
League Soccer (MLS), the
game's highest professional
level in the United States,
which kicks off its 2008 season
this month.
While observers for years
remained concerned about
soccer's ability to take its place
among established American
pro sports such as baseball,
football and basketball, the
injection of former England
captain David Beckham into
the MLS last season gave the
league a huge recognition
boost, which means the lads
from the region could find


Boyz, Warriors face off Mar. 26
The only two English-speaking
Caribbean's countries to play in soc-
cer's World Cup finals will face off in
a friendly international match in
Kingston on Mar. 26.
The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica will
host Trinidad and Tobago's Soca
Warriors as both teams continue
preparations for their World Cup
qualifiers beginning in a few months.

Harbour View tackles
D.C. United
Jamaica's champion football team
Harbour View will tackle United States
club D.C. United this month in the
CONCACAF Club Championships.
Harbour View will host the
American side on Mar. 11, while the
return leg is scheduled for Mar. 18
in Washington D.C.

T&T beats Jamaica for Stanford
20/20 title
Trinidad and Tobago are the new
Stanford Twenty20 Cup cricket
champions.
The two-island republic, lifted
by clever left-arm chinaman bowling
from Dave Mohammed, were
crowned winners in the final last
month after easily beating Jamaica.

U-15 int'l cricket in the
Caribbean
Eight teams will contest a CLICO-
sponsored international under-15
cricket tournament in the Caribbean
in April, organizers announced last
month.
The tournament, from April 19
to May 4, will be run by All Sports
Promotions, and will have eight
teams competing: West Indies,
Pakistan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ireland,
Holland, Bangladesh and the


Ill I %n S more exposed to
the U.S. sporting spotlight.
Several are well placed to take
advantage, not just by helping
their clubs succeed, but also
trying to earn the attention of
national coaches around the
region with World Cup 2010


Joseph


qualifiers already underway.
Jamaican-born Marshall,
at 33 a veteran of the Reggae
Boyz set-up, should, for a sec-
ond season, be a stalwart in
defense for Toronto F.C. after
representing the Los Angeles
Galaxy and the now defunct


International Cricket Council (ICC)
Americas team, comprised of play-
ers from Bermuda, Canada, Cayman
Islands and The Bahamas.

Guyana's Harris moves up in
boxing weight class
World-rated Guyanese boxer
"Vicious" Vivian Harris has decided
to move up in weight class, follow-
ing his unsuccessful world title bid
against Britain's Junior Witter.
Harris, a former world champi-
on, was knocked out by the champi-
on Witter during a World Boxing
Council (WBC) light welterweight
title fight last September. He will
now fight at the 147-pound welter-
weight level.

Caribbean players return to
Miami F.C.
Caribbean players Stephane
Guillaume and Sean Fraser are
scheduled to return for their third
season with Miami F.C. in the 2008
United Soccer Leagues (USL)
Division One.
Miami F.C. has announced that
Haiti's Guillaume and the Jamaican
Fraser "will continue to be under
contract with the team and will
return".

Haiti World Cup soccer star
dies
Emmanuel Sanon, one of Haiti's
most celebrated soccer players, died
last month from pancreatic cancer,
family members said. The 56-year
old had been a resident in Florida
for some time.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


Miami Fusion in past MLS sea-
sons.
Williams, a midfielder who
was born in Canada, but has
represented Jamaica, including
at World Cup in 1998, is set to
start his third year with Real
Salt Lake (RSL) after playing
with five other MLS teams.
Entering his 10th year in the
league, the man known as
"Bomber" for his powerful
shots, is still confident he has a
lot to offer.
"Playing-wise I don't feel
old," he said recently while
attending a RSL training camp
in Florida.
To prove his point,
Williams has set several indi-
vidual and team goals, the
same desire he has kept over
his career.
"Every year I try, first and
foremost, to be in the starting
11," he explained. "If that
doesn't happen I try to con-
tribute in every game; lead the
team in assists, make the play-
off and win a championship."

VETERANS
Other veterans with a
Caribbean connection include
36-year-old defender
Hendrickson, from St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, who is
listed on Columbus Crew's ros-
ter after 11 seasons of MLS
experience. Striker Jeff
Cunningham, 31, a top goal
scorer who was born in
Jamaica, but who has played
for the U.S. national team, is
Marshall's teammate at
Toronto EC. He has played 10
years in the MLS.
Grenadian Shalrie Joseph
and Jamaican Shavar Thomas
have already ticked off five
years in the MLS. Joseph, 29,
is an outstanding midfielder
for New England Revolution,
a finalist last season. Thomas,
a 27-year-old defender, is
entering his second year at
Chivas USA after an excellent


2007 season.
Trinidad and Tobago's
Avery John, 32, and Gavin
Glinton, 29, of the Turks and
Caicos Islands have already
earned four years MLS experi-
ence. John is listed as Joseph's
teammate, while Glinton is the
lone Caribbean representative
so far on the roster of the San
Jose Earthquakes.

YOUNG BUCKS
Meanwhile several
younger players with ties to
the region will be hoping to


Hendrickson


make a significant mark in
MLS 2008. Jamaican-born
Omar Cummings (Colorado
Rapids), Collin Samuel of
T&T (Toronto EC.), T&T's
Scott Sealy (Kansas City
Wizards), Bermuda's Khano
Smith (New England
Revolution), Atiba Harris
of St. Kitts and Nevis
(Chivas USA) and T&T's


Osei Telesford (Ch(jii,p Fire)
are all listed with three years
or less in the league.
Yet a few young players


Richards


will enter the new season
with established reputations.
Jamaican Dane Richards, 24,
had an outstanding 2007 sea-
son with the New York Red
Bull and narrowly missed
being named rookie of the
year. The speedy midfielder
will be hoping to build on that
in 2008.
New York-born, Florida
resident Anthony Wallace, a
19-year-old whose parents are
from Jamaica, starts his second
season with F.C. Dallas after
leaving college early to enter
the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. He
has represented the U.S. at
youth level.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
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March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


U.S. warns citizens about security in Guyana


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC- The United States has
issued a warning to its citizens
about the security situation in
Guyana in light of the mas-
sacres that left 23 people,
including five children, dead
recently.
A U.S. State Department
notice made reference to the
killings at the small mining
town of Bartica on Feb. 17
and the East Coast Demerara
village of Lusignan on Jan. 26.
Guyana police have linked
both incidents to a group head-
ed by the country's most want-
ed man, Rondel "Fine Man"


Rawlins and have offered a
G$50 million ($250,000)
reward for his capture.
The US State Department
said that security in the
Caribbean Community (CARI-
COM) country had deteriorat-
ed rapidly over the past two
months and that "due to the
seemingly random nature of
these crimes, the disparate
locations in which they
occurred, and the fact that the
perpetrators have not all yet
been apprehended, additional
attacks in other parts of the
country cannot be ruled out.
"The U.S. Embassy urges


U.S. citizens traveling in
Guyana to maintain a high
level of vigilance, consider
security issues when planning
activities throughout Guyana,
minimize movement when
possible while avoiding large
crowds, and not to travel at
night".
Washington said that the
local authorities were con-
ducting investigations into the
incidents and may institute
further actions or precautions,
including roadblocks or other
measures.
0


Canada grants millions for road work in Haiti


WASHINGTON The impov-
erished Caribbean nation of
Haiti is to benefit from a
CAD $75 million grant from
Canada for a road reconstruc-
tion program.
The program would be
financed and implemented by the
Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB), the bank said in a
statement issued last month.
The IDB said Canada's
Minister for International
Cooperation Beverly J. Oda,
and Michael M. Fortier, the
minister for public works and
government services, made the
grant announcement in
Montreal.


"All
Canadians can
be proud of
our accom-
plishments in
Haiti," said
Oda, who
announced
additional Oda
grants totaling
nearly
CAD$50 million for other proj-
ects involving education,
healthcare for mothers and dis-
aster prevention.
"Canada is helping to pro-
vide Haitians the services they
need immediately and creating
the conditions for long-term


success and prosperity," she
added.
The CAD$75 million grant
will expand a program to
improve and maintain 146 kilo-
meters of primary roads and
250 kilometers of rural roads in
Haiti's southern peninsula, the
statement said.
Canada's contribution will
finance the reconstruction of a
92-kilometer road between the
cities of Les Cayes and
JMr6mie.
The IDB said it would con-
tribute $100 million over a four-
year period to the program.
0


TORTOLA, British Virgin
Islands, CMC An American
citizen has been extradited to
the British Virgin Islands
(BVI) on charges that he mur-
dered his wife during a vaca-
tion here nearly 10 years ago.
The prosecution is alleg-
ing that David Swain, 52, of
Rhode Island, was vacationing
here on Mar. 12, 1999 with his
35-year-old wife Shelly Arden
Tyre when she was killed dur-


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC Prime Minister Patrick
Manning is calling for a
Caribbean law enforcement
unit to tackle the growing
problem of crime in the
region, fueled by the drug
trade.
Speaking at a University
of the West Indies, Mona din-
ner in Jamaica last month,
Manning said such a unit
would have to be fully staffed
and equipped and given the
proper legal framework within
which to operate.
He said the need for the
regional security unit has been


ing a diving expedition.
The prosecution is expect-
ed to rely on scientific evi-
dence to prove the case
against Swain, who appeared
in a Magistrate's Court last
month to answer the charge of
murder. He has since been
remanded to the island's lone
prison at Balsam Ghut and the
preliminary inquiry is sched-
uled to begin on April 17.
0


already discussed in certain
quarters because of the seri-
ousness of the crime problem,
which has seen several mur-
ders in Jamaica, Trinidad and
Guyana, in particular in
recent years.
Manning said T&T was
focused on stemming the ille-
gal drug trade through several
initiatives, including "24-hour
surveillance of our largely
unprotected coastline, newer
levels of interdiction capabili-
ty through patrol boats and
attack helicopters."
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i ... ,1
' ii '





CARIBBEAN TODAY


U.S. bac


to adjust
NEW YORK A United States
diplomat says Washington fully
supports efforts by the
Caribbean countries to adjust
themselves to the realities of
the 21st century.
Speaking at the launch of
Caribbean Heritage Week,
Roland Bullen, deputy chief
of mission at the United States
Embassy in the Dominican
Republic, said both the
Caribbean and the U.S. share
"a resonant commitment to
democracy, the rule of law and
the promotion of private sector-
led, market-driven economies."
He said the Caribbean has,
"by and large, maintained an
enviable record of stability,
electoral democracy and peace-
ful co-existence with their
neighbors."
But Bullen, a former U.S.
ambassador to Guyana, said
while the Caribbean and the U.S.
have had a "long and vitally ben-
eficial relationship over many
decades, the strategic importance
of these countries to the US has
declined in recent years.
"Drugs and the trade from


Relief comil
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC -
Relief may finally be underway
for consumers across Caribbean
community (CARICOM) states
who have faced escalating costs
of basic commodities sold on
supermarket shelves across the
region.
St. Lucia's Trade and
Commerce Minister Guy
Mayers said that an initiative to
reduce the price of basic com-
modities will be brought to
Caricom's Trade Ministers body,
the Council for Trade and
Economic Development
(COTED) early this month.
Mayers told reporters here
that the Stephenson King cabi-
net had approved several items
to be included in a food basket
of price controlled goods.
"We have agreed to a list


;ks Caribbean

to global env
drugs threaten
the integrity
and political
stability of po
these proud
and vulnerable
democracies,
while economic
shifts erode the Bullen
fragile founda-
tions of pros-
perity they have built up," he
said.

'FRUSTRATIONS'
In light of the contempo-
rary challenges, Bullen said the
United States is "a convenient
focus of regional frustrations"
in the Caribbean. He said, in
some parts of the Caribbean,
"globalization is viewed as a
U.S.-imposed problem and not
as an inevitable, technologically
driven development.
"Beyond the vocal criti-
cism, there is deep-rooted suspi-
cion of the United States,"
which, he said, has affected "an
array of potentially beneficial
proposals, such as open skies,
telecommunication reform and


ng for Caribbean
of 44 items to be included in the
national food basket, and this
represents the first step in our
efforts to obtain a reduction in
the price of basic food items,"
the minister said.

LAW
He said that the next step is
for the legislative process to
take place.
"The attorney general's
office now has to do the propri-
etary work so that we can bring
those items under the price con-
trol regime," Mayers said.
The issue was scheduled for
discussion at a special COTED
meeting in The Bahamas on
Mar. 5, followed by a Heads of
Government meeting on Mar. 7.
Mayers said that arrange-
ments for the reduction or


R Gor I


efforts


o n


ironment
bilateral investment treaties."
The U.S. diplomat said
there was not sufficient evi-
dence to link American demand
for the increased drug trade as
well as a rising crime situation
as a result of the deportation of
criminals back to the region.
"Frankly, I think it's an
excuse for not being more
proactive in solving the prob-
lem of crime," he said, noting
that Washington had recently
implemented a "more positive
agenda for the region.
"If we look at the extent of
our countries' common interest,
it is almost impossible to con-
ceive of anything but a close,
mutually beneficial and friendly
relationship.
"The U.S. recognizes that
our Caribbean friends and close
neighbors are faced with the
prospect of unsettling changes
by the forces of globalization.
"Today's challenges are not
yesterday's. Recognition of the
need for change and the local
ownership of that process (is)
fundamental," Bullen said.



consumers
removal of tariffs on the recom-
mended food items will be con-
cluded at the meetings, paving
the way for local cost reductions.
"Once the meetings have
taken place in The Bahamas
during the first week in March,
we will then be ready to have
this implemented," Mayers said.
Some of the items in the
food basket include baby food,
juices, toothpaste, chicken
backs and wings, as well as
other items used by the most
vulnerable section of the com-
munity. Mayers noted that
meetings were now being
arranged with the private sector
to address levels of the price
mark-up that will be allowed
under the price control regime.
0


Guyana, Cuba agree on work program for assistance


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Cuba will provide
assistance to Guyana in a
number of areas including
agriculture, education and
sports during the year, accord-
ing to an agreement signed
between both countries.
A Government
Information Agency (GINA)
statement said that the agree-
ment was reached during the
24th Session of the Guyana/
Cuba Joint Commission on
Economic and Technical Co-
operation that ended here
late last month.
It said the discussions
were centered on co-opera-


tion in the health, agriculture,
transport and marine affairs,
culture and sports, education
and trade.
GINA said that the two
countries have agrLLd on a
biennial work program for the
:21 is 2r i period with focus
on strengthening the existing
co-operation programmes and
developing areas of mutual
interest."
John Isaacs, permanent
secretary in the Ministry
Foreign Trade and
International Co-operation,
who led Guyana's delegation,
said he was happy with the
achievements reached during


the discussions and that
Guyana would benefit from
assistance in several areas
including agriculture and edu-
cation and sports coaches.
Orlando Requijo Gual,
Cuba's vice-minister in the
Ministry of Foreign
Investment and International
Collaboration, said the two
countries have enjoyed good
relations for over 30 years as
part of the south-south co-
operation. Guyana and Cuba
established diplomatic rela-
tions in 1972.
0


T&T, Barbados hold 'fruitful'

talks on regional integration


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC Prime Minister Patrick
Manning has held "fruitful"
discussions with his new
Barbados counterpart David
Thompson on a number of
issues regarding the deepening
of the regional integration
process.
Thompson, who took over
the office of prime minister in
January, was given a 21-gun
salute and a red carpet recep-
tion on his
arrival here
last month
by private jet
at the head
of a five-
member del-
egation.
The two
leaders said
they had
agreed dur-
ing their two
hour-meeting
on the need
for a special The leaders, David Th
caucus of Manning of Trinidad an
Caribbean
community
(CARICOM) leaders in light
of the change of governments
in at least six Caribbean coun-
tries.
Manning said that in
response to the suggestions
from Thompson, he had
undertaken to canvass the
idea of a "caucus of CARI-
COM heads as soon as possi-
ble in the context of so many
new leaders being on the
CARICOM scene and the
need for us to discuss off the
record and without tech-
nocrats present, so that there
can be a meeting of minds."
While neither Manning
nor Thompson, who is among
the new batch of regional
leaders coming to power over
the past year gave any indica-
tion as to where the caucus
would be held, Manning said
that it would allow for them to
"identify exactly where every-
one is in relation to the inte-
gration movement.
"For our part (T&T) as
you know is very committed
to it (regional integration) and
we have been seeking to
advance a sub integration
movement in the southern
Caribbean and it is high on
our agenda," Manning said.
"We are convinced territo-
ries the size of the Caribbean
islands will do best to integrate
and get together so that we
will have more mass."

SUPPORT
Thompson, whose
Democratic Labour Party
(DLP) came to power follow-
ing the Jan. 15 general elec-
tions, pledged his full support


for the CARICOM Single
Market and Economy
(CSME), for which he has
lead responsibility within the
quasi-CARICOM cabinet.
Thompson said he wanted to
"re-assure the entire CARI-
COM region that Barbados is
as committed now as it ever
was from the time the late
Errol Barrow signed the first
CARIFTA (Caribbean Free
Trade Area) Treaty and then


ompson left, of Barbados, and Patrick
ind Tobago.

consequent on that participat-
ed in the first CARICOM
summit...and to continuing the
important role we have played
in having lead responsibility
for CSME.
"We will place our nation-
al resources and efforts
strongly behind the program
to see the CSME come to its
full fruition," he said, adding
that it was also important for
political leaders to have "an
opportunity to sit down off
the record and to dialogue
about the way forward for the
regional integration move-
ment to make sure we are all
on the same platform.
"Many of us may have
dialogue on specific issues
down through the years, but I
think now that changes have
taken place and the region
now has five new leaders so
we need to sit down and
reflect where we are going,"
he added.
The two leaders also dis-
cussed regional transportation
issues, particularly the con-
cerns raised by some regional
states about the operation of
LIAT, whose major sharehold-
ers are Barbados, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines and
Antigua and Barbuda.
"We believe in the
Caribbean that transport is
critical and in relation to air
transport we looked at LIAT
and we are not unaware of
some of the comments that
are being made by some
Caribbean governments,"
Manning said.
0


March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


PO I T I C S


Ex- minister charged with fraud in Jamaica


KINGSTON, Jamaica -
Jamaica police late last month
charged former junior Energy
Minister Kern Spencer and two
other persons with fraud in con-
nection with the controversial
Cuban light bulb project.
Spencer, 33, who was held
in custody until his court
appearance, has been charged
along with his former personal
assistant Coleen Wright and
businessman Rodney Chin.
Police laid the charges
against the trio after Spencer
was questioned by members
of the Organized Crime
Investigation Division for a
third time last month. Earlier in
the month Spencer requested a
leave of absence from
Parliament and also took leave
from any leadership position
within the main Opposition
People's National Party (PNP).
The nine charges against
Spencer followed weeks of
investigations into allegations of
misappropriation of funds
under the project initiated dur-
ing the last PNP administration
of then Prime Minister Portia
Simpson Miller. The irregulari-
ties in the distribution of the
light bulbs donated by the
Cuban government came to


public attention last October
when the Energy Minister Clive
Mullings called for a probe into
the project under which four
million florescent light bulbs
were to be distributed free of
cost to consumers.
But reports indicated that
more than J$270 million
(US$3.79 million) had been
spent on the project.

BREACHES
An investi-
gation carried
out by the
auditor general
found that the
"basic rudi-
ments of good
public sector Spencer
management
were not observed" during the
distribution of the bulbs. The
report stated that there were
several breaches to the govern-
ment's procurement and distri-
bution regulations and also
identified the absence of any
budgetary control.
The auditor general, in the
report, said several of the con-
tractors were handpicked and
engaged directly by the former
junior minister, including the
mother of one of his children


and the grandmother of another
child. As a result of the find-
ings, the auditor general called
for a criminal investigation into
the matter.
Copies of the 124-page
report were sent to the police
commissioner, Director of
Public Prosecutions, the com-
missioner for the Prevention of
Corruption, and the attorney
general, but Spencer main-
tained his innocence.
But there have been mount-
ing calls for Spencer's resigna-
tion, including one from Richard
"Dickie" Crawford, a member
of an appraisal committee that
was established to assess the
PNP's defeat in last September's
general elections. Crawford
warned that the PNP could suf-
fer further fallout from the nega-
tive publicity surrounding
Spencer and the investigation.
Spencer was first jailed, but
released late last month on J$10
million bail, the same amount as
Chin. Wright is on J$5 million
bail. All three are scheduled to
return to court on Mar. 26.

Compiled from CMC and other
reports.
0


Barrow is Belize's first black P.M.


Dean Oliver Barrow, 56, the
leader of the ruling United
Democratic Party (UDP), is
the first black prime minister
of Belize.
Barrow has described his
party's victory in the Feb. 7
general elections as a
"tremendous Belizean awak-
ening," adding "it doesn't
come as a big surprise.
"To the people of this
country who are giving us
what appears to be a massive
mandate, I must make the
point that I am very conscious
that while the UDP clearly
has a share in this victory, it's
nothing more than a share,"
he said shortly after the UDP
defeated the People's United
Party (PUP).
The UDP won 25 of the
31 seats contested in the elec-
tions.
Barrow, born Mar. 2,
1951, was sworn in as the


country's fourth prime minis-
ter on Feb. 8.
He has four children, the
oldest of whom is rapper
Jamal "hIi ni, Barrow, who is
serving a prison sentence in
the United States.

SERVICE
An attorney by profes-
sion, he served as deputy
prime minister
and minister
of foreign
affairs from
1993 to 1998
and was then
leader of the
Opposition
from 1998 to
2008. Barrow
Barrow,
who began his legal career in
1973 working with his uncle
Dean Lindo, is considered one
of Belize's most successful
attorneys, appearing in a num-


ber of high profile cases.
In the 1989 general elec-
tions, Barrow defeated
Thomas Greenwood, but his
party lost the elections.
Barrow continued as deputy
UDP leader to Manuel
Esquivel.
In the 1993 general elec-
tions, Barrow was again suc-
cessful, defeating Juliet
Soberanis, and retained his
previous Cabinet posts with
the addition of national secu-
rity. His detractors called him
"Minister of Everything".
In the 1998 elections that
the UDP lost to the PUP,
Barrow was one of only three
successful UDP parliamentari-
ans.
He replaced Esquivel as
both UDP leader and leader
of the Opposition.

- CMC
0


Court backs speaker over suspension of Opposition


ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -
A high court judge has ruled
in favor of the Speaker of the
Dominica Parliament Alix
Boyd-Knights for suspending
eight Opposition legislators
last year.
Members of the main
Opposition United Workers
Party (UWP) had taken the
speaker to court in January
2007 claiming that their rights


were being infringed and
protested her decision to
make amendments to ques-
tions on the Order Paper.
In his ruling Justice
Davidson Baptiste said that
Speaker Boyd- Knights had
acted within her rights when
she suspended the legislators.
"I feel vindicated more
than anything else," an elated
Boyd-Knights said, adding that


she was prepared to bury the
hatchet and extend an olive
branch to the Opposition.
But UWP Earl Williams
said that he was dissatisfied
with the ruling.
"I have a lot of respect
for judge Baptiste but just to
say at this time I respectfully
disagree with his judgement,"
Williams, a lawyer, said.
0


St. Lucia observes 29 years


of Independence from Britain


CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC -
St. Lucians last month
observed 29 years of political
Independence from Britain
with the traditional military
parade and other activities,
and the government indicating
that the island had made
tremendous socio economic
strides.
"From the attainment of
Independence we have devel-
oped into a proud and confi-
dent people, who have made
great strides in our economic
development and a social
transformation that has bro-
ken down the barriers of class
where social mobility is deter-
mined by one's educational
qualifications, ability and
talent," Prime Minister
Stephenson King said in an
address on Feb. 22 marking
the occasion.
"We should be proud of
the harmonious relations that
exist between all races, reli-
gious denominations and eco-
nomic classes that make up
our country," he added.
King, who took over the
leadership of the country in
September last year following
the death of then Prime
Minister Sir John Compton,
said the island had established
a reputation for being a pro-
gressive and vibrant country
which had earned the respect
of the wider world at large.
But he called on St. Lucians


to recognize that they were
living in "a dynamic and
changing world" and the
"independence" they sought
29 years ago no longer carried
the same currency.

OPTIMISM
However, despite the dire
waning caused by the volatili-
ty in the oil market, the out-
look was optimistic, King said,
"for we have
registered a
reversal of the
trends that
have marked
other coun-
tries in the
region."
He spoke of
King the drop in
crime, adding
it was also his government's
determination to bring the
murder rate down further to
levels that existed in 1996.
Hundreds of persons
gathered at the Mindoo
Phillip Park, east of the capital
for the military parade that
was followed by the National
Schools Rally. A number of
local and foreign dignitaries
attended the celebrations,
including the Secretary
General of the Organization
of American States (OAS)
Jose Miguel Insulza.
0


ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada,
CMC The governing New
National Party (NNP) has
rejected accusations that it
ordered police to spy on a
closed-door meeting of the
main Opposition National
Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Opposition party
accused the NNP of master-
minding the operation after
party officials nabbed a
policeman secretly recording
an executive meeting late last
month.
"The police have their
responsibility to safeguard the
peace tranquility of our coun-
try and therefore they have
the right to use means at time
that may not necessarily be to
the liking of certain individu-
als or groups," the NNP's
Public Relations Officer Terry
Forrester said.
"The police must there-
fore act always in the best
interest of the nation and its
citizens. The NNP has noth-
ing whatsoever to do with the
action of the police. The


police are an independent
organ of the state and they
act independently," Forrester
added.
The policeman claimed
he was sent to carry out an
assignment given to him by a
senior member of the special
branch of the Royal Grenada
Police Force (RGPF). Police
Commissioner Winston James
has since announced that an
investigation had been
launched after the officer
complained that he was beat-
en and his personal property
confiscated.
NDC acknowledged that
members of the executive
exercised their right to carry
out a III/LI_'' irrL 'I but
denied that the officer was
assaulted.
General elections are
widely expected sometime
this year.
0


Ruling party denies urging


police to spy on Opposition


March 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Modest U.S. reaction in wake of Castro's resignation


MIAMI Cuban Americans
in South Florida reacted mod-
estly to news that Fidel Castro
has stepped down as Cuba's
official leader.
Small groups of Cuban
Americans in the Miami area
staged modest celebrations
last month, but they and many
exiled leaders said they still
yearned for democracy on the
Spanish-
speaking
Caribbean
island and a
fundamental
transforma-
tion of its eco-
nomic system.
"We have
to realize that Diaz-Balart
until he is
dead, there is
not going to be that much of a
change," said Miami
Congressman Mario Diaz-
Balart, speaking from the
city's Little Havana.
"Just because he has
given up a title, doesn't mean
he has given up power," he
added.
Raul Matinez, another
Cuban American in Little
Havana, concurred.
"Just because he resigned
doesn't mean things will
change," he said. "Maybe
when Fidel dies, his commu-
nist vision will die with him."

CHANGE SIGNS
Admiral James Stavridis,



Caribbeai

with new !
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada,
CMC A senior Grenada
government minister says
Caribbean countries that have
changed administrations in
recent months have not bene-
fited from the change and
"the situation has gotten
, "In every country so far,
the cost of living has gone up,"
said Economic Development
and Planning Minister
Anthony Boatswain. "So
although there has been change
at the political level, there has
been no change in the quality
of life of the people."
Boatswain, speaking last
month at the endorsement a
rally for Fitzroy Bedeau, the
former police commissioner,
who is the candidate of the
ruling New National Party
(NNP) for the St. John's con-
stituency, dismissed the so-
called "winds of change"
blowing across the Caribbean
resulting in the change of gov-
ernments in at least six region-
al states.
"What has been happen-


commander of the U.S.
Southern Command, the
Pentagon's headquarters for
military operations in Latin
America and the Caribbean,
said his staff was monitoring
events in Cuba and its waters,
but reported no unusual activ-
ity.
"Fidel Castro's resignation
is another sign that change is
underway in Cuba," Stavridis
said.
"Ultimately, of course, the
Cuban people will chart the
course for their country, hope-
fully finding their way to full
democracy with free and fair
elections."
Barry Bena, a U.S. Coast
Guard spokesman, said there
was no increase in traffic
between Cuba and South
Florida in the Florida Straits.
"It's business as usual, no
change in operations," he said.
However, last month a
small group of Cuban
Americans gathered in the
heart of Little Havana, wav-
ing flags, honking car horns
and chanting slogans.
"I want my Cuba free, I
want to die in my country,"
shouted Miguel Beruvides, 75.
Rafael Rodriguez, an
alarm company technician in
Miami, expressed skepticism
that any real change in Cuba
was on the horizon.
"That's old news, every-
one expected it," he said
about Castro's resignation.


Meantime, the four major
presidential candidates wel-
comed the news of Castro's
resignation, but said it was far
from the real change that
Cuba needed. New York
Democratic Senator Hillary

Cuba's new
leaders "face
a stark choice:
continue with
the failed
policies of the
past that have
stifled demo-
cratic free- Obama
doms and
stunted economic growth, or
take a historic step to bring
Cuba into the community of
democratic nations.
"The people of Cuba
want to seize this opportunity
for real change, and so must
we," she added.
Illinois Democratic
Senator Barack Obama called
Castro's resignation "sadly
insufficient in bringing free-
dom to Cuba."
Arizona Senator John
McCain, the Republicans'
presidential frontrunner,
called Castro's resignation an
event "nearly a half century
overdue."
And former Arkansas
Governor Mike Huckabee
called for "free and fair elec-
tions."
0


i countries not better off

jov'ts ~ Grenada minister


ing, we have been having an
unfortunate hostile wind
blowing throughout the
Caribbean," he said. "A hos-
tile wind resulting in higher
prices, a hostile wind resulting
in even some undesirables get-
ting into governments.
"I can tell you what we
want in Grenada and the
Caribbean is not a wind of
change, but a
change in the
wind that has
been blowing
in the
region...that is
what we want.
We want a
gentler and Boatswain
friendlier Boatswain
wind, we want
a change in the economic and
global environment so at least
we could bring better life to
our people.
"Changing the political
system alone cannot guaran-
tee us an improvement in the
quality of life of our people,"
he added.
Boatswain told supporters


that many persons were now
regretting having changed
their governments and urged
Grenadians not to "do that
same mistake in the not too
distant future."

GLOBAL
Prime Minister Keith
Mitchell has hinted that he
would call the general elec-
tions in November, but politi-
cal parties here say it is likely
that the polls would be called
at an earlier date.
Boatswain said that the
forces "causing the problems
with our economy have little
or nothing to do with the
political iLk m and blamed
the global environment for the
situation.
"There is very little we
can do to change that environ-
ment," he said. "There is very
little we can do to change the
price of oil. There is very little
we can do to change the price
of basic food commodities."
0


KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent,
CMC Prime Minister Dr.
Ralph Gonsalves has reiterat-
ed his decision not to step
down from office amid allega-
tions that he raped a 36-year-
old police woman.
"Allegations did not put me
in office, real flesh and blood
people, stuffed with dignity put
me in office," Gonsalves said as
his ruling Unity Labour Party
(ULP) launched its own radio
station late last month.
"This period has been a
challenging one but leadership
which cannot countenance
challenges and meet them
firmly, resolutely, and beat
back these challenges is a lead-
ership which does not deserve
to be leading a great party like
this one," Gonsalves said, reit-
erating his commitment to con-
tinue serving as prime minister.

DENIAL
Gonsalves, 61, has "cate-
gorically" denied the charges
leveled against him by the
police officer and Director of
Public Prosecution (DPP)
Colin Williams last month


dropped the charges on the
grounds that they would not
stand up in a court of law.
But lawyers for the police
woman filed two private crimi-
nal complaints of indecent
assault and unlawful sexual
intercourse without consent
against Gonsalves.
High Court judge, Justice
Gertel Thom, will on Mar. 11
rule on whether or not the
DPP decision to take over and
discontinue the rape charges
against the prime minister
would be reviewed.
Gonsalves said that the new
radio station, "Star FM", would
be used to improve the socio-
economic well being of citizens.
Former government
Minister Sir Vincent Beache is
chairman of the new radio
entity that Housing Minister
Senator Julian Francis, who is
also the ULP general secretary,
said would put "fear in the
belly of the Opposition."
The ULP enjoys a 12 to
three majority in Parliament.
General elections are due in
2010.
0


New gov't of national unity


takes office in Montserrat


BRADES, Montserrat, CMC -
A new government of national
unity took office in this British
Overseas Territory on Feb. 22,
less than 24 hours after Chief
Minister Dr. Lowell Lewis
asked Governor Peter
Waterworth to revoke the
appointments of two of his
ministers.
Former Chief Minister
Reuben Meade and Charles
Kirnon, members of the
Movement for Change and
Prosperity (MCAP), were
sworn in at a brief ceremony.
They replaced Margaret Dyer-
Howe and Idabelle Meade,
members of the New People's
Liberation Movement
(NPLM).
Meade replaces Dyer-
Howe as the minister of agricul-
ture, lands, housing and the
environment, while Kirnon
assumes the communications
and works portfolios. NPLM
Leader John Osborne remains
as education and health minis-
ter.

STRUGGLES
Lewis, the only member
of his Montserrat Democratic
Party (MDP) to hold a seat in
Parliament, said the move
became necessary because of
leadership struggles within his
Cabinet that came to a head
during a recent meeting to dis-
cuss the allocation of
resources for the upcoming


budget presentation.
The chief minister said
because Osborne, a former
chief minister, refused to be
part of any plot to remove
him as leader, he was open to
keeping him in the Cabinet.
The new coalition govern-
ment, with support of the four
MCAP parliamentarians, has
a six to three majority in the
Legislative Council, the
island's Parliament. The other
MCAP legislators are party
Leader Roslyn Cassell-Sealy
and Easton Farrell.
"For the first time we
have something that I wanted
to do from the beginning,
which is to have a government
of national unity because my
team now includes the three
parties that contested the last
general elections," said Lewis.
Cassell-Sealy said her
party's decision was taken in
the best interest of the vol-
cano-affected island.
Meantime, the future of
the NPLM hangs in the bal-
ance with indications that
Osborne, who has dominated
the party's leadership, would
be bowing out of active politics
at the end of the current five-
year term. But he has agreed
to continue serving as a minis-
ter until the end of March and
has pledged to support the
government as a backbencher.
0


Gonsalves vows to stay

on as St. Vincent's RM.


March 2008




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March 2008

PAGE 1

PRESOR TED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Vol.19 No.4 MARCH 2008 Tel: (305 1-800-605-7516 editor@caribbeantoday.comct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica: 654-7282 W e cover your world INSIDECaribbean and other nation als arriving at some majorUnited States airports mustnow have all10 fingers electronically printed as par t of a new Homeland Security program to nab criminals and bolster air por t security, page 2. Caribbean leaders have hailed the contributions of outgoing Cuban President Fidel Ruiz Castro. The 81-year-old leader said that he would not return as commander-in-chief following a session of the NationalAssembly last month, page 7. Shalrie Joseph andat least adozen players with strongCaribbean roots aregearing upfor another season in Major League Soccer, the game’s highest professional level in the United States, which kicks offits 2008 season this later thismonth, page 19. News ........................................ 2 Featur e .................................... 7 Viewpoint................................9 Health .................................... 11 Food ........................................ 12 Tourism/Travel......................13 Business ................................ 16 Ar ts/Enter tainment ..............17 FYI..........................................18 Spor t ...................................... 19 Region .................................... 20 Politics..................................22 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7282 American actor Danny Glover , left, was so impressed by the work of Caribbean-born music legend Bob Marley, he helped make “Africa Unite”, a movie about the reggae icon. In this issue Glover tells Caribbean Today about Marley’s influence, page 7. MARLEY MA GIC‘I w as fearful for my life’ Fitzroy Salesman, a Jamaica-born suspended Miramar city commissioner, pleaded not guilty in a Florida court during ar raignment on a char ge he pulled a handgun on a fellow super market shopper , page 6. CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 1

PAGE 2

UNITED NA TIONS – A senior Antigua and Barbudagover nment minister has called for the elimination of violence against women, say-ing it is inconsistent with theMillennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs Antigua and Barbuda’ s Minister of Labour, Public Administration and Empowerment Jacqui QuinnLeandro joined Haiti in outlin-ing their positions at the 52ndsession of the United Nations’Commission on the Status ofW omen last month. Speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developingcountries and China, QuinnLeandro said human development and growth “that aresustainable” must involve the participation and contributionof all people. “A few of the challenges to mainstr eaming gender equality and women’ s empow erment include the feminization of poverty, lack of access to resources, few women onfinancial and economic boar ds and the inadequate financing of programs that affected thelives of women,” she said. On the work of the com mission, she said that, by collectively reviewing challenges related to financing gender empowerment and by sharing best practices on the mecha-nisms and pr ocesses involved in that effort, the commission could make an “importantcontribution to the design of policies and programs aimedat bridging the gap betweenpolicy and practice.” IMPACT She said studies have con fir med the “positive impact of investment” on the lives ofwomen on national pr oductivity and development. Quinn-Leandro said “gender-responsive budgeting” is a particularly important mecha-nism in the planning and eval uation of financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment, statingthat it hasbeen identifiedas a “cr ucial tool” forachieving theMDGs. “Such budgetingshould notonly focus on expenditures, but also provide systematic planning regarding govern-ment allocation of financialr esources through the implementation of national pr ograms. ith all that, some developing countries, facinghuge obstacles, such as debtbur dens and trade imbalances, ar e unable to allocate suf fi cient resources to programs dedicated to women’s empow-er ment,” Quinn-Leandr o added. President of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC violence against women is partof “a systematic discrimination, a heinous violation of women’shuman rights and a majorobstacle to development.” Merores said he intends to use the r efor med council to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. TORONTO – A senior St. V incent and the Grenadines diplomat says he is concerned at what appears to be an inor-dinate lar ge number of nation als seeking r efugee status in Canada. Consul General Steve Phillips told the Caribbean Media Cor poration (CMC that false r efugee claims by Vincentians were “possibly” the gr eatest threat to an other wise “good” foreign relationship with Canada. “Many of our people seeking to regularize their status in Canada are blindly led by unscrupulous immigrationconsultants and immigrationlawyers into making suchunfounded claims,” said Phillips last month. “These often r esult in subsequent depor tation orders against the applicants,” he said, stating that the consulategeneral continues to “str ongly discourage and vigor ously pursues other avenues thatwill educate and dishear ten our nationals against making such claims.” DOUBLED Accor ding to the latest figur es released by the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB refugee claims from the Commonwealth Caribbean have doubled since 2000. “This is attributable lar ge ly to economic distress in these MIAMI Caribbean and other nationals arriving at some major United States airportsmust now have all 10 fingers electronically printed as partof a new Homeland Securitypr ogram to nab criminals and bolster airpor t security. Officials say the new measure is now being adopted at the Miami International and Orlando airports inFlorida and a number of U.S.cities, including Atlanta,Boston, MassachusettsW ashington and Chicago. They said that within a year, the same procedure will be required of Caribbean and other foreign visitors passing through the Fort LauderdaleHollywood and Palm Beach International airports inFlorida. e’re going to do this nationwide,” said Jennifer Connors, chief officer of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, based in Miami. The procedure is mandatory for those aged 14 to 79, but is not required for U.S.citizens, she said. SC ANS Ef fective last month, as foreign visitors go through passport controlat theidentified airports,theymustplacebothhands separately on electronic scanners similar to those banks use for identity verification. Officialssaid the scanners allow cus toms agents to verify that a visitor’s identity matches the information on his or her passport. They also alert various federal agencies if a visitor is wanted on any domestic or international criminal charges. Previously, visitors were required to have prints taken ofonly their right and left indexfingers, but security of ficials said that pr ocedure had gaps allowing criminals to escape undetected, Connors said. Even so, she said the limited fingerprinting process prompted federal agencies tonab about 6,000 suspects lastyear at Miami Inter national Airpor t. Fr equently, there were people who committed a crime in the U.S., left the country and changed their identities. They were intercepted when they returned, Connors said. “It happens ever y single day; we pick up people with outstanding warrants,” shesaid. WASHINGTON A United States lawmaker has vowed tofur ther clamp down on Caribbean of fshor e tax shel ters, claiming that they cost the U.S. T r easur y over $100 billion annually. Michigan DemocraticSenator CarlLevin said that an inves-tigative panelhe headswould stayfocused on the matter, hoping that it will get moreattention in the cur rent U.S. pr esidential campaign. e’r e after of fshore tax havens and their use in tax avoidance, wher e they ser ve no economic purpose exceptto avoid taxes,” said Levin, who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Last year , Levin, Senator Nor m Coleman and Democratic Pr esidential hope ful Barack Obama intr oduced a bill in the US Senate aimed at cracking down on tax evasion schemes in offshore shelters in the Cayman Islandsand other Caribbean islands. “There’s a lot of money involved,” Levin said. e’ve got people paying taxes in this countr y who are middle-income, working fami lies and, at the same time,people avoiding paying taxes who are making millions of dollars a year. “The public knows about it. They’r e unhappy with it,” he said. EFFECTS Fearing the adverse ef fects on their respective economies, Caribbean community (CARI-COM) leaders during the Summit on the Caribbean last June, raised the issue withU.S. lawmakers on CapitolHill. CARICOM leaders wer e assur ed that the pr oposed clamp down would come tonaught. e were given the assurance that the bill that is currently written, the experts have all agreed that it is inadequate for what is required and that the positions in rela-tion to the Caribbean, whichar e deleterious to the Caribbean inter est, would not, in their judgment, see the light of day,” St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime MinisterDr . Ralph Gonsalves, the then CARICOM chair man, told r epor ters in W ashington. Gonsalves viewed the development as “ver y posi tive” for the r egion. HAVANA, Cuba, CMC – Raul Castr o is now the president of communist Cuba, replacing his brother Fidelwho held power for nearly half-century. The 614-member National Assembly elected Raul, 76, as the new president after a meeting in the capital Havana on Feb. 24. Raul has been responsible for the day-to-day contr ol of the government sinceJuly 2006,when hisbr other underwent intestinal surgery. Fidel, 81, last month announced his retirement after 49 years at the helm of the communist Caribbean countr y. Fidel came to power in 1959 after overthrowing the Fulgencio Batista regime in ablood r evolution. Call for lifting of U.S. embargo against Cuba,see page 4. Caribbean leader s hail Fidel Castro’s contributions, see page 7. Caribbean calls for elimination of violence against womenWorry over large number of Vincentians seeking refugee status in CanadaCaribbean nationals face tougher fingerprint rule at U.S.airportsU.S.legislator vows clampdown of Caribbean offshore tax havensRaul Castro is new president of Cuba 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Castro Levin Quinn-Leandro (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 2

PAGE 3

March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 MIAMI – A United States federal jury has convicted aHaitian mother and her daugh ter on char ges of forcing a teenage Haitian girl to work asa slave. The 12-member mixed jury deliberated for nearly six hours before bringing a guiltyver dict against Maude Paulin, 52, a for mer Miami-Dade middle school teacher , and her mother, Evelyn Theodore, 74, of conspiring to enslave the girl, forcing her to work andharboring an illegal immigrant. They face up to 10 years in prison. Paulin’ s Haitian-born exhusband, Saintfor t Paulin, 60, who faces a year in jail, wasfound guilty of harboring an illegal immigrant, while another Haitian, Claire Telasco, 43, was acquitted of all charges. The thr ee remain free on bail until their May 20 sentenc ing. MAID During the five-day trial, Simone Celestin, now 22, testified that she was brought to the U.S. from Haiti when she was14 to be a maid in the Paulins’home in southwest Miami. She said she was forced to sleep onthe floor and work 15 hours aday cleaning the house insteadof going to school. Celestin also testified she worked without pay on theweekends for T elasco, a charge for which the jur y did not find sufficient evidence to convict. Attorneys for the four defendants, who are also U.S. citizens, had argued that Celestin made up the slavery story to secure legal immigra-tion status as a victim ofhuman traf ficking. They insisted the family rescued Celestin from a Haitian orphanage and tried to enroll her in school, only to be turned away because she was too far behind. “I’m disappointed. I thought the gover nment’s case was weak,” said, Leonard Fenn, one of the defense lawyers. But U.S. attorney Alex Acosta said he hoped the verdict would bring a “measure of justice and relief to theteenage victim enslaved by the defendants. “No human being should be subjected to involuntary servitude, much less a child,”he added. Human rights groups estimate that 300,000 childr en in Haiti, mostly girls, work asdomestic ser vants in circumstances similar or worse than those described by Celestin. Two Haitians convicted on charges of holding teen as slave NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 3

PAGE 4

WASHINGTON Several pr essure groups and lobbyists in the United States have renewed their calls for the lift-ing of the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba. Their calls came last month in the wake of theannouncement by CubanPr esident Fidel Castro that he would not be seeking r e-election. “The United States has just spent almost 50 years try-ing to stop an event that hasjust taken place,” said SarahStephens, who heads theW ashington-based Center for Democracy in the Americas,which takes members of Congress on visits to the island. “Fidel Castro’s retirement and his peaceful replacementwith new leadership in Cuba is the clearest possible demon-stration that U.S. policy hasfailed,” she added. Vicki Huddleston, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and former head of the U.S. diplomatic mission inHavana fr om 1999 to 2002, described Castro’s resignation as “one of the most anti-cli-mactic moments in Cuba’ s last 50 years. “While the political demise of Fidel Castro will diminish his influence over his brother, Ral Castro, who, at76, has been r unning Cuba for the last 18 months, it will not change the course of Cuba’sRevolution,” she said. “The Bush administration is likely to stick to its current isolationist policy , reducing further the ability of the United States to effectively press for change in Cuba by empowering the Cuban peo-ple,” Huddleston added. ENGA GEMENT Mavis Anderson, of the Latin America W orking Group, which advocates lifting Cuba sanctions, said the administration and the U.S. Congress should “begin an immediate process of engage-ment, dialogue and policychange. “Opening up unrestricted travel to Cuba would be a good beginning,” she said. “It is America, not Cuba, that has been isolated by our policy Jake Colvin, the dir ector of USA*Engage, a business group that lobbies for lifting sanctions, said the resignation brought “a new urgency for President (George W.) Bushto show that America is open to a different relationship withCuba.” U.S.groups call for lifting of sanctions against Cuba islands r esulting from the decline in tourist ar rivals and the collapse in agricultural commodity prices since 2000,”it said noting that claims from St. Vincent and theGr enadines had r eached 235. “Since then, it has ranked first as source country in the Caribbean every year,” it said,adding that in 2003, a total of404 claims, the lar gest number to date, had been made. Comparatively , the IRB said refugee claims began to rise in St. Lucia in 2002, with235 claims. The figur e jumped to 292, making the country the second ranked in the sub-r egional Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS The IRB said numbers from Grenada and Dominica were lower, “although the volume of claims from Grenada r emained high, even after the imposition of a visa r equir ement in Dec. 2001. “This suggests that they may use a visa-fr ee passport to enter Canada initially; andthen claim, using their Caribbean passports,” it said. ‘DISTINCTIVE’ The IRB said the move ment of asylum claimants from OECS countries is “dis-tinctive”, pointing out that itcomprises young, unaccompa nied women between the ages of 18 and 35 years. In addition, the IRB said while still very small, morechildr en have been claiming as “principals” ever y year , espe cially from St. Vincent and the Gr enadines and St. Lucia. “This suggests that they are coming to establish a ‘beach-head’ after which the rest of their families will attempt to come to Canada,” it said. PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC A High Cour t judge has dismissed an application by thr ee men seeking to pr e vent their extradition to the United States where they have been charged with conspiracyto blow up buildings and pipelines at the John F. Kennedy InternationalAirpor t in New York. However, defense lawyers for T rinidadian Kar eem Ibrahim 62, and Guyanese nationals, Abdel Nur 57, andAbdul Kadir 55, said theywould appeal the r uling by Justice Nolan Bereaux handed down during a 45-minute pres-entation last month. Last August, Chief Magistrate Sher man McNicolls ordered that the three men be extradited, but they were granted leave by Justice Charmaine Pemberton to challenge the extradition. During an earlier court hearing, Justice Bereaux or der ed that Ibrahim be “medically examined” and be evaluated by a psychologist employed by the governmentto deter mine if he is fit to plead and travel on an aircraft. Ibrahim is suffering from acute arthritis and claus-tr ophobia, but the cour t was told that medical examinations performed on himshowed “he is fit and r eady to travel once he is given medication half and hour befor e travelling. “This is to ensure that he does not suffer from claustro-phobia,” the judge said. BOMB PLOT The thr ee men here have been char ged along with another Guyanese, Russell DeFreitas, who is also an American citizen, with plotting to blow up the airport. They are also facing charges of conspiring to destroy aircraft both U.S. and foreign as well as conducting illegal sur veillance, photo graphing, videotaping and collecting infor mation with intent to setting the terminal building on fir e. The case against DeFreitas, who has been inU.S. custody since June lastyear , is yet to begin. In delivering his ruling, Justice Bereaux said it wouldnot be “unjust and oppr essive” for the three men to be sent to the U.S. to face the charges. He said also the court had received diplomatic assurances from the U.S. embassythat the men would be given a federal and not a military trial and that there is no risk themen would face pr oceedings befor e a military commission as had been ar gued by the defense lawyers. The judge also dismissed the argument that the men would not receive a fair trial in the U.S. because of extensive media coverage. MIAMI W eeks after New York police arrested a Grenadian man in connectionwith the mur der of a Trinidadian college student in South Florida, the suspect, upto pr ess time, r emained in a New Y ork jail because a r equest for his extradition was yet to be filed with the Florida gover nor’s office. Florida prosecutor Abbe Rifkin said the delay in bringing Kendrick Williams, 32,back to Miami to stand trial for the murder of Stepha Henry, 22, was “not unreason-able.” But, she added, ef for ts to gain custody of Williams have been stymied because “the case against the suspect issealed and theonly judgewho couldunseal it wasout of townfor par t of the last month.” But Sylvia Henr y, mother of the deceased, said shewanted to have the extraditiondone “as soon as possible. “But I know there are legal proceedings and we haveto wait.” SEALED Rifkin said prosecutors asked Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Stanfor d Blake to seal the case against Williams so details of the investigationwould be kept secr et. She said only Blake could then unseal the case file, so that it couldbe copied and for war ded with an extradition r equest to the Gover nor s of fice in T allahassee. Rifkin said if a r eview by the governor’s staff determines the case is legally sufficient, the request will be forwarded to New York Governor Eliot Spitzer for another review. W illiams, who is fighting extradition, was ar r ested Jan. 15 in Brooklyn. NEW YORK A Haitian-born legislator is calling for a “full andcomplete” investigation into the death of a Haitian nurse on an American Airlines flight from Haiti to New York late lastmonth. Councilman Dr. Mathieu Eugene, the first and only Haitianto hold elective of fice in New York City, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC that it is “absolutely necessary” for all concer ned to “conduct a complete investigation to get to the bottom of the matter. “This is necessar y because we ar e hearing different stories,” said Eugene, a medical practitioner. American Airlines confir med the death of the nurse, Carine Desir, 44, but dis missed allega-tions by r elatives that it was due tofaulty medicalequipment aboard theplane. “American Airlines, after investigation, has determined that oxygen was administer ed on the aircraft, and it was working, and the defibrilla tor was applied as well,”spokesman Charley W ilson said. He said ther e were 12 oxygen tanks on the plane, and that the crew had checked them before the flight took off,adding that at least two wer e used on Desir. The U.S. Federal A viation Administration (FAA) requirescommer cial flights to carry no fewer than two oxygen dispensers. COMPLICATIONS Desir, who lived in the Lef ferts Gardens section of Brooklyn, collapsed an hourinto the flight and died despite efforts by the flight attendants and medical personnel to save her . The relatives said that the two oxygen tanks wer e empty. However , New York City medical examiner’s office said Desir died of natural causes. Worry over large number of Vincentians seeking refugee status in CanadaCourt rules against alleged N.Y.bomb plottersGrenadian murder suspect yet to be extraditedU.S.legislator calls for investigation into death of Haitian nurse aboard American Airlines flight 4 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 Eugene NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 2) “Fidel Castro’ s retirement and his peaceful replacement with new leadership inCuba is the c learest possible demonstration that U.S.policy has failed” Henry CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 4

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FLORIDA – A Jamaica-bor n suspended commissioner in a southern Florida city pleaded not guilty during arraignment late last month on a charge ofpulling a handgun on a fellow supermarket shopper last November. Fitzr oy Salesman, who was a commissioner for Miramar, located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, said he hopes a jury will acquithim and people will eventually forgive him once they learnwhy he pulled the gun. “I was fear ful for my life,” Salesman, 51, told Broward Cir cuit Judge Martin Bidwill during an arraignment at which he pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault with a firearm. SLUR Outside the cour troom, Salesman said fellow shopper Lazavius Hudson, 18, used a racial slur and thr eatened to beat him up during a con frontation at a Winn-Dixie supermarket. He said hefear ed for his life because Miramar has a gang problem, and he pulled his .45 caliberSpringfield semiautomatichandgun in self-defense. “I just didn’t want to become a statistic,” saidSalesman, a commissionersince 2001. “No one knows how I felt that day when I was threatened,” he added. A cour t date has been set for April 17 for the judge to choose a trial date. Eric Schwartzreich, Salesman’s attorney, said his client is innocent, but disclosed that he’s been negotiat-ing with the Br oward state attor ney to either drop or reduce the felony charge. “The scary thing is that he (could faceprison for defending himself,” Schwartzreich said. Florida Governor Charlie Crist suspended Salesman from office on Dec. 21. REPLACEMENT A special election to fill the remaining year on his term is scheduled for Mar. 11.T welve candidates are vying for the seat. The gun incident sur prised supporters and community leaders because it was Salesman’ s second r un-in with the law within two years. In June 2005, then Governor Jeb Bush, younger brother ofUnited States Pr esident George Bush, suspended Salesman after he was char ged with driving under the influence and eluding a police officer. Crist reinstated Salesmanin Mar . 2007 after a jur y acquitted him. GORDON WILLIAMS LAUDERHILL, Florida – Cricket, the traditional spor t often viewed as the only tr ue thr ead binding the Caribbean, is making a big push in the United States to attract not just immigrants from countries that adore the game, butAmerican-bor n fans and businesses as well. And the pr omoters of the venture here are using an exciting though less-than-traditional form of the game todo so. Cricket Council USA (CCU organization led by Pakistanibor n businessman Mahammad A. Qureshi, late last month officially launched the “MAQ T20” tournament, which is set to bowl off Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25. The May tour nament will be the first of several plannedby CCU over the next few years, which are expected to feature players from interna-tional cricket-playing nationssuch as the W est Indies, Pakistan and India, as well as American teams. Otherdates include Independence Day weekend,July 4-6; Indo-Pak Independence Day , Aug. 16; and Thanksgiving weekend, Nov . 27-30. Teams will compete in the game’s fast-paced 20/20 for-mat, wher e each team bats a maximum 20 overs. Althougha r elatively new form of cricket, 20/20 has generated excite ment worldwide, most r ecently at the successful Stanford 20/20 tournament staged inthe Caribbean. AIM The hope of “MAQ T20”, or ganizers claim, is that the shor tened version of cricket will attract not only Caribbean immigrants to the new $71 million Central Broward Regional Park here, but alsoAmericans, especially young sters. “This is a big event, we have covered, for the future of cricket,” Qur eshi told Caribbean Today at the “MAQ T20” launch. Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’s managing editor. NELSON KING WASHINGTON – The United States Department of State has released a damning report on narco-trafficking in the Caribbean. In its “International Nar cotics Control Strategy Repor t 2008”, issued late last month, the depar tment identi fied Jamaica as a “major drug transit country and the Caribbean’ s lar gest pr oducer of marijuana and marijuana derivative pr oducts”. It added that the seven Eastern Caribbean countries Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Gr enada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. V incent and the Grenadines are “vulnerable” to drug trafficking fr om South America to mar kets in the U.S. and Eur ope. In addition, the department said Haiti is a “major transit country for cocaine and marijuana fr om South America and the Caribbean, respectively”. In Suriname, the report said the government’s inability to contr ol its bor ders, inadequate resources, limited law enforcement training, lack of a law enforcement presence in the interior of the countr y, and lack of air craft or patr ol boats allow traffickers to move drug shipments via land, sea, river , and air “with little r esistance”. The report said in 2007, cooperation between Jamaica and U.S. government law enfor cement agencies r emained str ong, resulting in drug seizures, arrest of drugtraffickers, and disruption of drug organizations in Jamaica. GORDON WILLIAMS CORAL SPRINGS, Florida Caribbean theater, straightfr om “yar d”, r etur ned to South Florida late last month with the staging of Aston Cooke’s latest production“Concubine”. The play ser ves up a mixed bag of entertainment,including straight comedy plus a serious reflection on person-al r elationships, even stir ring debate over the “touchy” sub ject of common-law unions in Jamaica. The color ful language and personalities typical of the region often ignites passion inJamaican audiences in theUnited States hungr y for a link to home. And the lar ge crowd that showed up on Mar. 2 at South Florida’s Coral Springs Center for the Arts was evidence that that has notchanged. While Concubine’s plot – a love triangle that explodes with humor and raw emotion may have been thinly disguised, the ener gy of the fivemember cast was not. Dahlia Harris plays “Patsy”, a former dancehall diva-tur ned-housewife (well, house mistr ess). She learns that her common-law “husband” of 15 years, “Winston Anderson” (Chris McFarlane is finally r eady to get mar ried. s about time,” she tells her best friend “Shelly” (T er ri Salmon). But Winston is not marrying Patsy as her backgr ound would not help him move up in Jamaican society. He wants to marry “Lisa” (MarshaCampbell) a manager at his job. Patsy believes Winston’schoice is influenced by his mother who dislikes Patsy. FIREBRAND Yet while the emotionallywr ecked Patsy sinks rapidly into depression of a life as a “kept” woman, in steps Shelly . This loud, fir ebrand is a con cerned rabble-rouser. She offers Patsy advice on gettingher deser ved due fr om the common-law union while threatening to damage anyone– Lisa and W inston – who hurts her friend. Also in the mix is “Desi” (JerryBenzwick), W inston’s best friend, an awkwar d voice of reason with a hearty appetitewho gets caught in the middle of personal squabbles between the embattled characters. The audience is enamored with Salmon’ s enthusiasm. Even though her acting as “Sexy Shelly” or “Sketsy Shelly” often flies over the top, she possibly steals the show with a charged, physical performance. SHINES Harris is a hard sell as a former dancehall queen, butshe shines in the emotionalscenes, wher e her vulnerability is convincing and later, herwrath is even mor e so. Campbell as the prissy, scheming man stealer , mistak en as “a lady” by W inston, is a bit overcooked in her role as Lisa. But the young actressdoes not lack enthusiasm. McFarlane is solid as Winston, who unfortunately (for mencar ries the tag of a typical Jamaican “dawg” too well. LESSONS Concubine of fers some lessons in the end as every one gets just reward. Patsy finds courage to stand on her own. Shelly ditches r umors that she is a “loose” woman. Winston withers to a miserable shell over his losses – emotionaland financial while Lisa seals her well-laid plan after 15 days of marriage. A tidy, entertaining package, Concubine moved quicklyover the two hours and 40 min utes at Coral Springs. Theaudience loved it. They laughed and clapped through-out. Some – mostly women -even cursed. The loudest r oars come as Patsy retaliates. WhenW inston limply asks her to take him back, the audience r esponds with a loud “No!” Y et it is dif ficult to under stand why the play wasn’t retooled – even slightly toensur e wider American appeal. That’s a shame, really, as there is so much more to offer andso much mor e to gain. Concubine, a promotion of Riddims Marketing Inc.,staged one per formance on Mar . 1 and has another lined up for Mar. 15 at the CoralReef High School in south Miami-Dade County. Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’ s manag ing editor . Suspended Jamaican commish pleads not guilty to gun chargeLauderhill lures international cricket tourneyNarco-trafficking rampant in Caribbean ~ U.S.report ‘Concubine’ scores big in South Florida stage run 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Qureshi “Shelly”, left, offers advice to a tsy”in the play “Concubine”. CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 6

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Caribbean and hemispheric leaders havehailed the contributions of outgoing Cuban Pr esident Fidel Ruiz Castro. The 81-year-old leader, who has not made a public appearance since undergoing an operation for an undis-closed intestinal ailmentalmost 19 months ago, said last month that he would not r eturn as commander-in-chief following a session of the National Assembly on Feb.24. Despite giving up the presidency, Castro indicated inhis message that he would tr y to remain an influence behind the scenes by continuing to write regular columns in the official newspapers. OWERING FORCE’ St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves described Castro as “a towering figure politically in the20th centur y, even into the 21st century.” Gonsalves, who has on numerous occasions expressed his admiration for the ailing communist leader, said that in his opinion Cuba had developed tremendously under Castro’s leadership. He told reporters that Castro,having spent 49 years inpower has had “an extr emely good innings.” His Gr enadian counter par t, Dr . Keith Mitchell, said Castr s decision to step down did not surprise him and showed his love for countrywas gr eater than any other love. “It is not surprising based on what I know of Fidel andhis passion for Cuba and his passion for the Cuban peo-pleI know he would put theCuban people first,” Mitchellsaid, describing it as a logicaldiscussion. The Trinidad and Tobago government also paid tributeto Castr o saying it did not believe that his decision tostep down would impact onthe existing r elations between the two Caribbean countries. The Ministr y of Foreign Af fairs said Port of Spain has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Havana since 1972 that covered a wide range of areasinvolving economic and socialdevelopment. In addition, it said Cuba has provided valu-able assistance to the people of T&T country via scholarships, manpower support inthe ar ea of medical services and technical assistance and the field of agriculture. ASSISTANCE In Jamaica, both the government and the Opposition have hailed Castro’s assistance to the island. Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Dr. Kenneth Baugh said Castrohas been one of the mostinfluential personalitiesamong world leaders andwhen the chapters of histor y ar e written it would be impos sible to omit his name and contributions. o friend and foe, he has been a towering figure in stature and status. He has remained steadfast and consistent in his ideas and philosophy, despite overwhelming opposition,” Dr. Baugh said. “Whereas he is consider ed a controversial in respect of his political ideology andeconomic policies he has had enormous impact in the area of social services, on equalityand working for the common food especially for oppressedpeoples of the world.” Caribbean people know American actor Danny Gloverfrom his popular roles in movies such as “The Color Purple”and “Lethal Weapon”.Last month he visited J amaica to promote a film focusing on reggae legend Bob Marley .On Feb.5,during a stopover in Montego Bay,Glover spokewith Caribbean Today’s Managing Editor Gordon Williams about Marley’s influence . The following is an edited version of that conversation: GORDON WILLIAMS: Mr . Glo v er , what brings you to J amaica this trip? DANNY GLOVER: I’m here to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday in Kingston. W e have a film that we co-pr oduced and cofinanced with the Marley familycalled “Africa Unite”, which is going to screen tomorrow inKingston. I’m her e for that cele bration tomor r ow, the 6th (of February). G.W.:You said e”.Who is e”? D.G.: The co-producers of the film are my company Louverture Films, my co-producer Joslyn Bar nes and the Marley family , including Rita Marley and all the Marley boys. G .W .:Why would a project on Bob Marley interest you and your company? D.G.: It’s pretty obvious (he laughs). It’ s kind of a r hetorical question. This is one of the great icons in the world. More than 25 years after (Bob Marley’s) passinghe is still r evered. He is one of the great voices of protest in the world. It was such an honor when Ifirst saw Bob Marley on his first tour in the United States at a place called the Boar ding House in San Francisco in the fall of 1975, that’s (over 30years ago and the impact that he had, certainly his music hadon my life. The impact that hehad on so many lives is just evident by the stature his voice and his songs are given. There was a conference, a symposium convened in Ethiopia in 2005 celebrating his 60th birthday, sponsored bythe Bob and Rita Marley Foundation and UNICEF, of which I am a goodwill ambas-sador , as well as the African Union and the film (“Africa Unite”) was an outgrowth of that. So when I say the co-pro-ducers I can’ t leave out the significant contribution that UNICEF, the United NationsChildr en Relief Fund, has on this pr oduction as well. So it is something that I feel privileged to do. (He chuckles.) In 1975 when I sawhim, mor e than 33 years ago, I could not anticipate the capacity to be involved in such a project, nor in a career thatwas just beginning in ter ms of the West’s view of him, a career just beginning that anyone would realize he wouldr each the iconic stage that he’s reached. G.W.:Someone recently talked about Bob Marles music and the length of time it took before it caught on in the African American society. D.G.: Well, I remember seeing him in an audience for the first time wher e there were, probably, my wife and myself and maybe two or three other African Americans there in theaudience G .W .: What has changed no w , why his music is no w being mor e univ ersally accepted, especially in the African American community? D .G .: I think the African American community , per haps you can think about the kind of cultural schisms that exist between, you know, the Caribbean and African Americans. Ther e ar e other musical forms so dominant within the African American music community. You’re looking at rap now, rhythm and blues, and when Marley came along in 1975 we were comingout of a period when a lot of the music had been protestmusic. A lot of music in the s was generated by groups, white groups, that were specifically protest music. The musicin the early s was cer tainly the music of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, and themusic of others. Mar vin Gaye “What’ s Going On?” My view is to say that what’s going on in 1975 is this guy (Marleycomes up with a new musical form. Sometimes it’s just thewhole idea of accepting amusical for m in itself, you know , a music form that is strictly not unique to rhythmsthat the African American community is familiar with. Remember Bob Marley began singing West Indian ver-sions of popular AmericansongsThe fact is that hefound his own voice and cr eated this extraordinary form (protest reggae music mastered this formI marvelat the fact that he took thisspeech of (late Ethiopian Emperor (Haile extend it into a song (“War”). It’s one of the great songsAbsolutely phenome-nal in his charisma and the magnetism of the man, almost to the point where it eventually catapulted to the space that he’ s in now. (Marley iconic figures that you could talk about. You could begin to hear a beat, wherever it is, and it’s Bob MarleyHe is probably one of the most recognizable musical figures in the worldI’ve heard Bob Marley music everywhere, coming out of a small villages in Kenya G.W.:Do you think he has transcended entertainment and music and has gone on to a different level in terms of his recognition? D.G.: Well, I think he was committed to the African world. I think that is some thing else he would have r eal ized in the music when he says “Africa Unite” or he says Caribbean leaders hail CastroMarley magic makes perfect fit for Glover March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com Marley Glover Castro (CONTINUED ON PAGE 8) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 8) CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 7

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NIGEL WILLIAMS GEORGETOWN, Guyana Located appr oximately 11 miles off the capital of Guyana, lies a small Afro-Guyanese commu-nity called Buxton a village with a rich history of hard work and dedication, but also notorious for providing shelter to agr oup of gunmen who call themselves freedom fighters for oppr essed descendants of African slaves living here. Buxton, for the past several years, has been held hostage by criminals who haver eportedly used it as a base to attack members of the law enfor cement agencies and other communities wher e the residents are predominantly descendants of East Indians. There have been numerous violent clashes betweengunmen and lawmen in thecommunity over the years, butin r ecent times the security forces seemed to have stepped back from the confrontations. This approach allowed the gunmen to build up their arse-nal and with their ill-gottenwealth they have won thehear ts and minds of several of the villagers. Now, the Bharrat Jagdeo administration is on a drive to win back the suppor t of the community and wr est the village from the hands of organized criminals. The recent massacre of 11 people in the small EastIndian-dominated communityof Lusignan has led the admin istration and security for ces to focus on Buxton, where it is believed the gunmen who carried out the attack are ensconced. A massive opera-tion has been launched toclear dense vegetation abackof the village to expose thecriminals, but this new move by the security forces has onlydeepened the alr eady strained r elations between the administration and villagers many of whose farms will be destroyed in the exercise. ‘LONG STRUGGLE’ “It will be a long struggle, the people her e do not trust the police and the gover nment so they would not get their cooperation,” Deon Hamer, a 45-year-old resident of Buxtoncommented. Hamer says Buxton represented the last r evolutionary gr oup of organized AfroGuyanese, living in this South American nation where theethnic majority descended from East Indians. “Black (Afro-Guyanese people do not control anything in this countrytheIndians have the political andeconomic powers and thatmakes us slaves all over again,” Hamer remarked. Leaders of Buxton have complained that since the ruling people’s ProgressivePar ty/Civic (PPP/C draws majority of its suppor t from East Indians, took office in 1992 there has been asteady decline in the develop ment of the village, which they say has been starved of basic infrastructure. ou cannot ignore people and be the government forone gr oup. Y ou have to be the government for all peoples,” Robin Phillips, a teacher ofBuxton said. Phillips said that following the 2001 general elections,which was won by the PPP/C, a number of Buxtonians rallied around the mainOpposition, People’ s National Congress Reform (PNC/R which draws majority of itssuppor t from Afro-Guyanese. “Their (the government actions may have caused some form of discrimination andpar tisan leadership which led to the state this village is in right now ,” Phillips added. PROTESTS The 2001 elections were mar r ed by violent str eet pr otests and Buxton again was in the forefront of fierydemonstrations along the East Coast. The next year an influ-ential leader of the village,Shaka Blair , was shot dead in his home by members of a police squad. Police had saidthat they went to the man’ s home in search of arms and ammunition and he shot atthem first. Blair s death did not go down well with the community and it usher ed in that period of unrest and tensions between the authorities and villagers. “When Shaka was killed that was the beginning, we Buxtonians were not happyabout it and since then we have been standing fir m,” Kevin Jones a middle-aged resident told CMC. Blair’s death had come mere months after the Feb. 23, 2002 jailbreak during which five dangerous prisoners made anescape fr om the country’s main cor rectional facility at Camp Street, Georgetown. The escapees later found comfort and refuge in the village ofBuxton, and within months they were supplied with arms andammunition and went on adeadly rampage spanning twoyears. Over two dozens police men were killed during this period and hundr eds of civilians. From that period to now, Buxton remained one of the most organized black commu CMC Baugh said that the gov ernment and people of Cuba were friends of Jamaica andthe wider Caribbean. e are committed to deepening bilateral andr egional ties in economic cooperation and trade which we currently enjoy withCuba,” he said. Prime Minister Bruce Golding also paid tribute tothe Cuban leader during a sit ting of Parliament. He saidthe announcement brings intofocus the political r evolution that has endur ed and made reference to the change in attitude of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP Castro government. “It has constantly demanded the attention of the worldduring the period of the great ideological divide we (Jamaica Labour Party fierce opponents of the political values as were espousedthen and we expr essed that opposition in ver y for ceful ter ms. Jamaica and Cuba enjoys a r elationship that is mutually r espectful,” he said. Opposition Leader Por tia Simpson Miller referred to Castro as a giant on the world’s political stage. “During the very difficult days when there were countries that were afraid to be associat-ed with Cuban and Castr o, the People’ s National Party government, Michael Manley and P.J. Patterson stood firm,” SimpsonMiller said. Meantime, Secr etar y General of the Organisation of American States (OASJos Miguel Insulza says Castro’s decision not to seek another term was “no smallmatter given the Cubanleader s impor tance in his countr y and in the Latin American r egion for almost five decades.” He said thatCuba is a member of the OAS even though its privileges have been suspended. Insulza also expressed the hope that “the country wouldsee changes that enable the sister nation’s full re incorpo-ration into our or ganization. “It should fall to Cubans themselves, through free andpeaceful dialogue and without external interference, to find the most appropriate path tothe well being of the people.” CMC “Buffalo Soldiers” or “No W oman No Cry”. There’s a voice there. You just can’t denythis amazing voice, the response to a struggle andsongs for justice, songs for protestThe symposium was or ganized in a way which it uses his music as themes on issues r eflected in what’ s hap pening in Africa today So his musichas that kind of power that you don’t often find in an artiste. It’s rarethat you find in an ar tiste. It’ s that good. And in his body of work, unfortunately for us, is a body of work that’s only limited by the time he was with us, you know . I saw him in San Francisco in 1975 and he was gone by 1981 G .W : When y ou decided to w ork on this project,was there anything about the man himself,that you learned,that wassome what sur prising to y ou, differ ent or that you could reflect back on while working on this project?D .G.: W ell, I don’t know. I knew enough about Bob Marley and his music. I knew quite a bit of his background,that he had spent some time inW ilmington, Delaware. I don’t know if ther e was anything new. I think sometimes you have the oppor tunity to be able to have people r e-imagine the vision. Empower people by someone else’s voice, you know. It’ s weir d to have someone who has such a body of work it’ s almost amusingly clinical in its diagnosis and its response to the suffering, the pain, the struggle of people of African descent and their power. I mean, “getup, stand up, stand up for your rights”You know, for I think for us to get an oppor tunity to engage in such a pr oject was really special, really important for us. G .W.:In the movie “I Am Legend” a lot of it surrounded the music of Bob Marley,sev-eral of his tracks .Did you see the movie? D .G.: I haven’ t seen the movie. G.W.:In terms of the appeal and ho w far it has stretched, no w it has gone into main stream movies,the influence of Bob Marle D .G .: I think the influence of Bob Marley goes beyond mainstream movies. Maybe mainstream movies are linked to the table in ter ms of this. The influence of Bob Marley is so profound in so many different ways. I mean, what was so evident was that here’s a man who was invited to play in the liberation celebration of Zimbabwe, you know. It’samazing. How amazing is that stuf f? Guyana’s government in fight to reclaim Buxton from violence 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 FEATURE FEATURE www.caribbeantoday.com Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010 Miami, FL33116-6010. T elephone: (305 (305305 Toll-Free Fax: 1-866-290-4550 1-800-605-7516 Jamaica: 654-7282 E-mail: editor@caribbeantoday.com Send ads to: ct_ads@bellsouth.net Vol.19,Number 3 FEB.2008 PETER AWEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor SABRINA HOPKINS Graphic Artist DOROTHY CHIN Account Executive SUNDAYSELLERS Account Executive JULISSARAMOS Accounting ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media Representatives TOM JONAS 353 St. Nicolas Street, Suite 200 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y2P1 T el: (514514 E-mail: tom@cmsworldmedia.com Jamaica Bureau MARIE GREGOR Y (876 P.O. Box 127, Constant Spring Kingston 8, JamaicaOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of the publisher. Caribbean T oday , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc. Caribbean T oday is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. T o guarantee return, please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean T oday may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor. CORRECTION The wrong cartoon was used to accompany Tony Robinson’s column on page 9 of Caribbean T oda s Feb.2008 issue. W e apologize for the error. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7) (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 7) Marley magic makes perfect fit for GloverCaribbean leaders hail Castro CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 8

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CLARENCE P AGE Fidel Castro is stepping down? As DorothyParker said upon hearing of the death of PresidentCalvin Coolidge, how can youtell? The Bearded One lost most of his relevancy for us “yanquis” long ago. He once loomed lar ge in the lives of us baby boomers as we crouchedunder our desks in “duck-and-cover” drills, ter rified of his nuclear-tipped Russian missiles. “Only 90 miles from ourshor es,” our elders constantly reminded us. T o today’s youths, Castro is so last centur y. Even in Miami and Havana the response to Castro’s retirement is reported to be remarkably ho-hum. More business-as-usual than dancing-in-thestreets. The Castro we used to know and care about has not been in charge for quite some time. His younger brother, RaulCastr o, 76, has been acting president since Fidel, who is five years older, fell ill in July 2006. The Soviet Union is no longer ar ound to prop up his island’ s economy with $2 billion a year. Even Castro’s stature as Latin America’s leading leftist is getting nudged aside by one of his biggest fans, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Chavez wants to be Castr o, but with oil, as he enlar ges his influence acr oss Cuba and the rest of Latin America. RA UL ’S ROLE Although Raul has his own record for ruthlessness, healso has begun to sow theseeds of a post-Fidel Cuba. He has become a promising “prag-matic institutionalist”, in theview of author Julia E. Sweig,dir ector for Latin America Studies for the Council on Foreign Relations. For practical reasons, he has inched hiscountr y towar d a mor e com petitive economic system, like China, whose “communism” increasingly looks more like state-contr olled capitalism. Raul also has encouraged public meetings to air com-plaints and hinted at something else that Fidel dreads: the use of “incentives” to increase productivity. Perhaps America’s leaderscan say of Raul, as British Prime Minister MargaretThatcher said of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, “We can dobusiness together Those who visit Havana, as I did a few years ago, find a tirelessly enterprising and entrepreneurial people who are eager to free their appetite for enterprise fr om state-sponsored constraints. Generations of Cubans born since Fidel’s r evolution already have begun to lay groundwork of a postFidel Cuba in a vigorous dollar -based entrepreneurial economy that parallels the government’s anemic peso economy. EXCUSE Besides a gr eat potential vacation spot, Cuba of fers something that America’s farmers, manufacturers and service providers need: customers.After a half-centur y , America’s embargo against Cuba has outlived any usefulness it might have had. Instead, it providesthe r egime with a handy excuse for its own economic failures. That’s why a right-left, laborcorporate coalition of congress-men and others has called for ending it. The next president must decide whether he or she will continue to pander to the hardline embargo supporters oropen diplomatic and economicdoors to a post-Fidel Cuba that approaches capitalism with no more fear than the tiny bit thatFidel manages to generate among Americans today. Both senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama expressed a willingness in theirAustin debate to fully engage Cuba diplomatically. Only Obama said he would meet with the next Cuban leader without preconditions, although he backed away from his support for lifting the trade embar go, which he advocated as a Senate candidate in 2003. Last month quite a few ladies took umbrage tothe fact that I focused on the female clock and what happens to women when the toc tics on. W ell, sorry to say, I can’t really do anything about haltingor even slowing the passage of time. What I can do though, is let people know whatthey can do, to not onlyhave their partner, but hold them as well. Ladies, you have to give of f the right signals,just like how animals give of f pheromones or musk, you have to let the man know that you want to attract him. It starts and ends with the clothes, for first he sees them, then he wants to tear them off. The fact is, women are conditioned by society, almost all societies and cultures, not toverbalize their intentions to men. Men can easily say to women, “Boy, I’d love to be with you,” or, “Hey, I’d really like to make love to you.” But a woman dare not utter those words. Instead she has to drop subtle hints, bat the eyelids, give that knowing smile and display other subtle signals to tell the man she’s available. POWER When girls reach a certain age, they become aware of theirsexuality and also the powerthat they have over men. Still, they are bound by the socialshackles that stipulate that theycannot just shout to a man what their desires are. That’s where the have and hold signals come in. When she sees the guy that she really likes and decides that he’s the one, then the gears kick in. First he starts to get moreattention than she ever gives to any other boy. He gets more phone calls, he’s sent little messages, she jumps at his ever y invitation, and when they go out, her eyes hang on to his every word. She is primed, she is ready, and her mind, body and soul ar e saying, have me, hold me. When a woman is amongst a gr oup of men and they all are putting the moves on her, obser ve her actions closely. The woman will single out this one man and lock her radar on him.It will be so subtle that he won’ t see it at first, but other women in the group will spot it faster than any man. That’s why females can quickly and easily spot when another woman is out to get their men. The poor man, not blessed with that abili-ty to detect those signals, neverpicked it up, and wouldn’ t have for a long time either. CLO THES CALL Clothes are a very important indicator when a woman issignaling ‘have me’ flags to aman. When a woman goes outon a date with a man, only she knows how it’s going to turn out Looking to post-Fidel CubaTo have and to hold March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com TONY ROBINSON (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 10) CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 9

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at the end of the evening. The poor guy can only wish and hope If on that date the guy shows up to take her to dinner/dancing and she appears in thick jeans with 10,000 buttons, a wooly long sleeved sweater, also with 1,000 buttons, clasps and strings like straight jacket, constr uction boots with more eye holes and laces than fishnet and her hair tiedback, then yu dun know seh that she ain’t saying come have and hold me. But if she emerges in a slinky sheer soft shiny sexy mini skir t with a split that goes up to her waist, a backless blouse that would make Jennifer Lopezblush, open toed shoes that would be a foot fetish’ s dream, perfume that would drive even a bishop into a sexual fr enzy, hair cascading to her waist, then you know that she’ s saying to the man, “have me, hold me, andI’ll have and hold you, for ever MIXED SIGNALS Now unfortunately, some women do not play fair , do not abide by the r ules of engagement and possess weapons ofmass deception, sending out mixed signals. They believe in tor menting poor men who have no idea what those signals are. The guy sees it as a green light, makes the wrong move and getsa slap in the face or a sexual harassment lawsuit. But I’m talking about women who really mean to have and hold men. They have it down to a fine art. Unfortunately most Caribbean men, after a few close dances with a woman, swear blind that she wants to go to bed with them. But the ‘have me hold me’ dance is distinctlydif fer ent. SIGNALS Y ou’ve got to know the signals. If you can’ t read those signs then you ar e really female illiterate. Ah women, filled with so called frailties, but blessed withmor e subtleties than a geisha. The game is not new, but the rules are changing just a little bit, so you have to keep up or get swept away , totally oblivious to what fate will befall you, as you’r e had and held. seido1@hotmail.com 10 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www.caribbeantoday.com art of what has held back this r egion for so long is that there are too many of us who carry,not a chip on our shoulder,but a whole light pole” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding taking a shot at Caribbean people who opposethe Economic P artnership Agreement (EPA),a soon-to-be-signed trade pact between the region and Europe. “Fidel Castro’ s resignation is another sign that change is underwayin Cuba” Admiral James Stavridis,commander of theUnited StatesSouthern Command, the P entagon’s headquarters for military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. “In every country so far,the cost of living has gone up .So although there has been changeat the political le vel,there has been no change in the quality of life of the people” Grenada’s EconomicDevelopment and Planning Minister Anthony Boatswain declaring “the situation has gotten worse”in Caribbean coun-tries whic h changed administrations in recent months . e never expected such thing” Commissioner Henry Greene,head of Guyana’s police force,admitting that theofficers in Bartica were not as alert as they should have been during the sla ying of 12 people last month. Three officers at the outpost in the smallmining villagewere killed and two others serious-ly injured. “These barbarous acts which violate the dignity of life and common decency,and under-mine confidence in the rule of la Albert Ramdin,assistant secretary general of theOrganization of American States,offered his views on thekillings at Bartica. “If y ou signal in any way or indicate in any way your appreciation and your respect for your leader,I don’t see what’s wrongwith that” – Grenada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Elvin Nimrod responding to criti-cism after hekneeled in front ofPrime Minister Keith Mitchell lastmonth. Compiled from CMC and other sources . To have and to holdLooking to post-Fidel Cuba (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) Republican fr ontrunner Sen. John McCain, who has accused Cubans of participating in the torture of some of his fellow prisoners in Hanoi during the Vietnam War, has saidRaul is “worse” in many ways than Fidel. Yet since McCain also took the lead on improving relations with Vietnam, it would not be that big a leap for him to do the same with Cuba. We can only hope. If the embar go has any value at all, it should be used to push for human rights onthe island. For example, theCommittee to Pr otect Journalists, of which I am a board member, ranks Cubasecond only behind China in jailing the most journalists 22 in Cuba, 29 in China, whose population is more than 100times lar ger . That’ s a side of China that no country should imitate, including China. 2008 Clarence P ag e . Distributed by Tribune Media Services. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 10

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ST . GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC Gover nment has approved a new HIV/AIDS policy as part of its commitment to halting and reversing theHIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015. Tabled during last month’s sitting of the House of Representatives, the policy provides a clearer direction toa multi-sector ed national r esponse by outlining the role of every sector which contributes to the prevention, care,tr eatment and support or persons living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Founded on the principles of inclusion, sustainability, accountability and respect forhuman rights, some of the objectives of the policy are: to improve the coordination of HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities at all levels; promote HIV/AIDS relatedr esearch and surveillance activities; and safeguar d the human rights of people living with and affected by the disease. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC The introduction of birdflu to the Caribbean could have a devastating impact on regional economies, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture here said last month. Fredrick Ford, the permanent secretary in the ministry,was addr essing participants from across the Caribbean andLatin America at a UNICEF sponsored workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of persons working on the prepar edness and response to avian flu and other emergen-cies. vian influenza poses a significant threat to food security and, in our region, we cannot afford to allow this disease to take shape in our poultry industry,” Ford said. e must therefore be vigilant in preventing the spreadof the disease in Barbados and the region as a whole.” DEAR MAYO CLINIC:My 41-y ear-old son has bad tonsils .His tonsils swell and have white patches on them.He runs a temperature for several days.He’s talked with several ear,nose and throat doctors but they don’t want to take the tonsils out.I realize adultsma y take longer to heal than children,but is it more dangerous? Why ar e doctors so hesitant to remove tonsils in an adult? ANSWER: When other treatments don’ t help, neither childr en nor adults should have to put up with r epeated bouts of tonsillitis inflammation of the tonsils caused by infection. From the information you provided, it sounds like yourson would be a candidate to have his tonsils removed. In childr en, we typically don’ t consider removing the tonsils unless a child tests posi tive for strep throat four times a year or more. In adults, removing tonsils is consideredwith fewer episodes of infec tion. The most common reasons to remove tonsils in adults include recurrent infec-tion, malodor ous tonsil stones and snoring. Nothing makes tonsil removal more dangerous or dif ficult for patients your son’s age. But you are correct that he would need to plan ample time for recovery. Adults tend to perceive thepain far mor e acutely than children. I tell adult patients toexpect 10 to 14 days of seriousdowntime, with much of that time on narcotic-strength pain medication. For both children and adults, tonsillectomies are per-for med less often than in the past. Tonsils used to be blamed for many differentconditions, including skin problems, arthritis and other health problems. Tonsil removal was often the tr eatment. Today we know that tonsils ar e beneficial because they filter harmful bacteria and viruses thatcould cause serious health problems. Most often, patients with tonsillitis don’t need tonsilr emoval. When tonsillitis is caused by a viral infection, the first-line tr eatment is self-care drinking warm liquids, resting, garglingwith salt water and taking over-the-counter painmedication for fever . Antibiotics ar e prescribed when tonsillitis is caused bya bacterial infection. I suggest that your son talk with his primary care doc-tor about his condition and ask for a recommendation for an ear, nose and throat physi-cian who could work with himon an ef fective treatment plan that might include tonsillecto my. Dr.Ray Gustafson,otorhinolar yng ology , Mayo Clinic , Rochester,Minnesota. Distributed by Tribune Media Services,Inc. DR. HARVEYSIMON Question: Is niacin r eally effective in lowering cholesterol? If so,what’s the daily dosage,and what meds does itinteract with? Answer: Niacin is indeed effective. On average, it can lower LDL (“bad”ter ol levels by 10 percent to 25 per cent. The statins and other lipid-lowering drugs can do even better, but niacin out-shines them all for loweringtriglyceride levels (down 20 to 50 percent) and raising HDL (“good” (by 15 percent to 35 percent Niacin is the granddaddy of cholester ol-lowering drugs. It was the first medication to lower cholester ol levels (1955 heart attacks (1984 first to lower long-term mor-tality rates (19861987, when the first statin drug lovastatin (Mevacorwas marketed in the UnitedStates, niacin has fallen intodisuse. The r eason is that niacin is har der to take and may produce unpleasant side effects. The many niacin pr epara tions fall into two categories, crystalline and controlled release. Crystalline niacin isquickly absorbed and rapidly metabolized, so it’s usually taken two to three times a day, ideally at the end of a meal(but not with hot foods or beverages). Typical doses range from 250 milligramstwice a day to 500 milligrams three times a day. Many peo-ple experience unpleasant itching, flushing and headaches, particularly as thedose is slowly incr eased. This side effect can be minimized by taking an 81-milligram aspirin tablet 30 to 60 minutesbefor e taking niacin. Controlled-release preparations are much less likely to produce flushing and itching; however, they are somewhatmor e likely to produce liver inflammation, raise bloodsugar levels in diabetics, andtrigger gout by raising uricacid levels. Other potential side effects of any niacin preparation include fatigue, blurred vision, nausea, peptic ulcers and erectile dysfunction. Niacin is a natural substance in fact, it’ s Vitamin B3. Like other vitamins, it’s r equir ed to keep the metabolism working right. But the recommended daily allowancefor B3 is only 18 milligrams aday far less than the amount needed to improve cholesterollevels. Dr.Harvey B.Simon is an associate professor of medi cine at Har vard Medical School and a member of the Health Sciences TechnologyF aculty at Massac husetts Institute of Technology. Grenada approves new policy to fight HIV/AIDSCaribbean gets bird flu warningDo adults need to remove tonsils?Is niacin really effective in lowering cholesterol? March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 HEALTH HEALTH www .caribbeantoday.com T onsils CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 11

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You’ve seen them in the Caribbean stores. Even frozen at your favorite supermarket. A simple flour loaf with meat, poultry or veg-etable inside. Americans call them “tur novers”, Caribbean people know them as patties. Beef patty , chicken patty, veggie patty. As long as it is a hot patty, it is still one of thefavorite all time snacks forCaribbean people rich, poor or anywhere in between, anywhere in the world. So this month Caribbean T oday will tell you how to make this inexpensive tr eat beef patty, Jamaican style. INGREDIENTS For pastry 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons turmeric 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shor tening For the filling 2 tablespoons salt 1 onion, minced 2 scallions, trimmed and minced 1/2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 fr esh chilies, seeded and minced 1/2 pound ground beef 4 tomatoes, peeled andchopped 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom salt freshly ground blackpepper 2 egg yolks METHOD Make the pastry: Sift the flour, tur meric and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening and rub in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add three tablespoons of ice water to form a firm dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refriger-ate for two hours or longer . Pr epare the filling: Heat the oil in a skillet, add onion and saut over medium heat for five minutes, until soft andgolden. Stir in the scallions,garlic and chilies and cook for three minutes. Add beef and cook, stir ring frequently, for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugree, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour in 1/4 cup water, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool. Pr eheat oven to 400 degr ees F . Roll out the pastry and cut into 12 rounds, approximately seven inches in diameter, using a saucer as a guide. Put two tablespoons of the filling on one side of eachpastr y round then fold over to form a crescent. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal them. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and brush the top ofeach patty with a little beatenegg yolk. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. T ransfer to a large serving platter and serve the beef pat-ties at once. Caribbean people like to flavor their food andther e are plenty spices from the region to help them. This month Caribbean T oday offers the following listing of herbs, which also add to taste of food being pr epared at home. Basil – With dozens of variations, including sweet, cinnamon, lemon, spicy and choco-late, this classic herb br oadens the culinary stage for experimentation. For best flavor, addat the end of the cooking cycle. Rosemary – Technically an evergreen shrub, the rosemary plant becomes tenacious once established in the garden and is equally remarkable in food combinations. Although pairedmost often with fish, pork andlamb, r osemary’s fresh flavor also complements cookies, jamsand jellies. Mint – Among the most popu lar and versatile of herbs, mint appears in everything from desserts and summer drinks tomeats and vegetable dishes. Its flavors include peppermint, spear mint, pineapple mint, ginger mint and mor e. Thyme – In Spain and Italy , sheep were purportedly grazedon thyme because of its ability to gently flavor the meat. Today the widely used herb fla-vors marinades, meat, soups,stews and casser oles. Dill – Typically used as a pickling herb for cucumbers or as anaccent for fish dishes, dill is alsoa tasty addition to omelets andscrambled eggs. Mashed or roasted potatoes also emerge as unlikely but delicious considerations. Sage – The name comes from the Latin “salver”, which means to cure. In colonial America, sage was perhaps themost impor tant of all herbs, grown for its medicinal powers and used in the kitchen to flavor pork and other fatty meats. Re printed from www.publix.com/greenwise Back off burger,here’s delicious hot pattyPractical,popular herbs for the home kitchen 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com Mixed herbs Patties CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 12

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HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC Air arrivals hit a seven-yearhigh as Ber muda enjoyed a r ecord tourism year in 2007 with more than 660,000 visitors coming to the island, Pr emier Ewar t Brown has said. Brown, who is also transpor t and tourism minister , told a news conference last monththat he was confident the tourism sector would continue to grow with the arrival of new low-cost air flights and the pos-sibility of achieving appr oved destination status in China. “Simply put, 2007 was a ver y solid year for Ber muda tourism, as the numbers will show,” Brown said. “In fact, Iam thrilled to tell you that at year end, overall arrivals for 2007 set another record as thehighest amount of total visitors to the island on record. Nowthat’ s something wor thy of cel ebrating.” Brown said a total of 663,767 visitors came her e last year , an incr ease of 3.4 percent from the 641,717 visitors who ar rived her e last year . otal air ar rivals reached a seven-year high with 305,548 visitors ar riving in 2007, up 2.2 per cent from the 298,973 visitors in 2006,” he added. RISE An airport exit survey showed that visitor expenditur e had risen by ar ound $50 million, Brown said. Hotel occupancy was also up, although ther e were 245 fewer beds in 2007 due to hotel closures, which waswhy hotel occupancy tax was $1million lower in the 2007 finan cial year than in 2006. Br own announced lowcost car rier Zoom Airlines would resume its twice-weekly service soon. “The airline will of fer one flight each week from Toronto, ideally scheduled for Canadian visitors spending a long weekend in Ber muda and ther eby challenging Air Canada’ s longstanding monopoly on that r oute,” he said. “The second flight each week will be linked through toFor t Lauder dale, of fering Bermudians an ideal schedule for trips to Florida.” He said ar rivals fr om London had grown by 20 percent since Zoom’s arrival on the r oute last June, while BritishAir ways, which has flown to theisland for 70years, andenjoyed amonopoly onthe London-Ber muda r oute, had not seen a change in its passenger numbers. The pr emier said he was still tr ying to lur e Chinese visitors to the island by making Ber muda an appr oved destina tion. Last October , Br own visited Beijing to attend the W orld T ourism Summit and met several key gover nment representatives as well as Chinese media outlets.Of ficials say Chinese nationals could only visit Bermuda after the island is placed on anappr oved destination list approved by their government. They said that such desig nation could take up to three years, but Brown said hebelieved his visit put Ber muda in good stead. “Our new goal is to obtain appr oved destination status by the end of this calendar year he said. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC The European Commission (E.C. the first step towards waivingshor t ter m visas for nationals fr om four Caribbean commu nity (CARICOM It said that the recommendations to authorize theE.C. to open negotiations with the governments of Antiguaand Barbuda, The Bahamas,Barbados and St. Kitts andNevis wer e to be submitted to the Eur opean Council. Mauritius and the Seychelles are also to benefitfr om the initiative. “The commission intends to open the negotiations on the visa waiver with the six countries as soon as the negotiating dir ectives will be approved by the council, thus pr oviding for the full imple mentation of the existing legal framework,” said VicePresident Franco Frattini,commissioner r esponsible for justice, freedom and security. An E.C. statement said the new regulation makes the implementation of the exemp-tions fr om the visa requirement for nationals of thesecountries, to be concludedbetween the E.C. and each ofthe countries in question. o this end, the Commission pr epar ed the r ec ommendations to be submit ted to the council in order to authorize the commission to negotiate on behalf of theEur opean Community such bilateral visa waiver agr ee ments with each of the six countries concerned”. The statement said the finalization of these recom-mendations had been delayeddue to the decision of some of the countries to introduce aspecial visa r egime for the nationals of several member states on a temporary basisfor the period of the CricketW orld Cup 2007 that took place in the Caribbean. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC Air Jamaica hasannounced it is incr easing the seat capacity on flights to Barbados and Grenada from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Paul Pennicook, the airline’s vicepr esident of marketing andsales, said themove would take effect onApril 1. He said that the carrier wouldcontinue to ser ve the New Y ork-Barbados routewith daily non-stop flights, upgrading the existing A-320 Airbus aircraft to the larger A-321, which carries an additional 38 seats. The A-321 has a seat capacity of 188 compar ed to 150 on the A-320. “Barbados will continue to have the most convenient schedule to the island from the northeast United States – we’llbe first on the beach and last off the beach,” he saidlate last month. NO SHARING Pennicook explained that the fully dedicated Barbados flights from New York and Jamaica will not be shared withany other Eastern Caribbean nation. He said fur-ther that the new schedulealso opens up daily non-stopflights between Barbados andKingston, which is an impor tant and profitableintraCaribbean business route for Air Jamaica. “These changes ar e in keeping with our mandate for a leaner, viable airline,” theairline executive said. When the changes take ef fect Air Jamaica would serve Grenada with four weeklynon-stop flights from New York, before continuing non-stop to Kingston. e are excited about bringing mor e seats into both Barbados andGrenada,” said Pennicook, who assured that connections to and fromMiami via Kingston, which is an important service for Grenada, would continue tobe “smooth and seamless.” Pennicook reassured passengers that while the Jamaican national carrier restructures, it remains committed to serving the Eastern Caribbean. “The new schedule into Barbados and Grenada pres-ents an exciting marketingoppor tunity for the airline and the destinations to command a greater share of traditionaltourist and diaspora busi ness,” he said. Bermuda shows record year for tourist arrivalsEurope moves to waive visa rules for CARICOM countries ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC An article posted on the websiteof the United States-based lobby group Council on Hemispheric Affairs, that describes Dominica as “the next terror island” has sparked widespread condemnation here, as well as theDominican community overseas. The article compares Dominica’ s close relations with Cuba and V enezuela with that of Gr enada, which was invaded by the U.S. militar y mor e than 20 years ago. T ourism Minister Ian Douglas dismissed the ar ticle, saying it was meant to distractthe Dominican public fr om its development agenda. “When we established diplomatic r elations with China they had a pr oblem with it, now those same people ar e back with their scare mongering tactics, that’s what happens when a government try to bring about true and meaningful development,” he said. oday, another Caribbean nation, Dominica, has been forging links with leftist Cuba and Venezuela. Authorities onthat small Caribbean island hadbetter watch out, or they may be presiding over this generation’s ‘Terror Island’, but thistime the name of the island is Dominica”, the article stated. CONFRONT ATION It also stated “In the event that John McCain is electedpr esident, the stage could be set for confr ontation with the Dominica leadership.” Dominican-bor n Inter national Monetary Fund (IMF Fontaine said on Feb. 28 he was not taking lightly the con tent of the publication r eleased on Feb. 26. “When you have such an inflammatory article going out and to compare with Grenada in 1984 is preposterous and absur d,” he said on state radio from Washington. Dr. Fontaine said that as a Dominican he was concerned about the damage the articlecould cause and questioned, “Why is this guy trying to set upthe United States againstDominica?” Another prominent Dominican based in Washington said the Dominican community was concer ned about the article written by Nicholas Clause. “It concer ns us that our island home and the wor d ter r or is linked, this is a ver y frightening pr oposal,” said Dr . Emmanuel Finn. Dominica’ s ambassador to Costa Rica Dr. Damien Dublin has described the developmentsas ir responsible. “I think it’ s a ver y irresponsible an inflammator y ar ticle the person who wrote it does not respect a country’s right to self-determination,” he said. Dominicans condemn ‘terror island’ articleAir Jamaica increases seats from N.Y.to Barbados,Grenada March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www .caribbeantoday.com Air Jamaica Pennicock Bro wn CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 13

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The $500 per package limitation under the Car riage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA is an area of the law that has been frequently litigated.Disputes in these types of con tainer cases (which arise after the shipper’s goods are damaged or goods are missing in some way during transit) typically involve the carrier onone side ar guing that the container is the relevant package and the shipper on the other side arguing that the individual packaged goods within the container are the relevantpackages. In the r ecent case of Marisa v . M/V CMA CGM La Tour, Slip Copy , 2006 WL 2521269 (S.D.N.Y.), the bill of lading described the cargo as being one container, “said to contain74 items household goods”. The court held that in this situ-ation, the container was notone package for purposes oflimitation of liability under COGSA. Here the plaintiffshipper , who was an individual moving household goods fromBritain to the United States,had individually wrapped and boxed the goods in smaller parcels which then were placed into the container. The description of the goods on the bill of lading created an ambiguity which the cour t r esolved in favor of the shipper. The carrier should be aware that this type of disputecan arise and that the limita tion of liability is not always applicable. Additionally, both the carrier and the shipper should ensure that the lan-guage on the bill of lading isnot ambiguous so that both parties have an understandingof the liabilities and risks that they are assuming. D.Raab This is a guide to the players in the transportation industry;offering a reference for thevarious parties that impact onyour services . There are four main forms of transit that are utilized vessel, motor carrier, plane and railroad. Some movements utilize mor e than one form and are called inter modal. An example would be a shipment that originates in Managua and isshipped by vessel out ofHonduras to Miami and then by truck to Orlando. The public can utilize the ser vices of a common carrier, which can be gover ned by the Car riage of Goods by Sea Act, the Harter Act, the Bill of Lading Act, and the Shipping Act. Carriers involved in foreign commerce are under the control of theFederal Maritime Commission (FMC should file a tariff. If a car rier seeks to give a better rate, it can only do so by way of a service contract,which must be filed with the FMC. These are typically given as volume discounts with a penalty for not shipping a certain volume. BILL OF LADING The bill of lading is the main document that governs the relationship between the parties. Review the front andback of the bill of lading. Inanalyzing a case, insist on hav ing a copy of both sides of the bill of lading. On cases under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, you are dealing with a one-year statute of limitation. Some domestic ocean carriers have incorporated this through a clause paramount. There are limitations of liability that have been upheld with regard to ocean shipments such as the $500 per package limitation, including applying this limitation to a bus. A deviation by an ocean carrier can override a limitation of liability. If you are han-dling a claim, check to see ifthis limitation applies or not, especially if you are contemplating taking a claim against a carrier on a contingency feebasis. Many ocean carriers operate through steamship agencies. They handle the booking, billing and supplies for steamship companies. They can also handle the stevedoring and at times temporary war ehousing of the car go. They should not be sued as car riers. Through a Himalaya Clause in a bill of lading, they can assert some of the samelimitations of liability as the ocean carrier. Ocean transportation brokers book cargo on behalf of ocean carriers. They are not required to post a bond nor are they required to be licensed. Motor car riers ar e generally gover ned by the Car mack Amendment. Look out for the statute of limitations as it is two years and one day from the declination and you must file a claim withinnine months. If you do not, you could be prevented frompursuing your claim in cour t. Keep some pr oof of delivery of the claim. Some attorneys have gone so far as to hire a process server to serve a claim on a motor carrier. Motor carriersoften operate thr ough owner/operators who do the actual hauling. On inter modal shipments, some motor car riers do not issue bills of lading, but instead rely on the intermodal bill of lading issued by an ocean car rier. Trailer interchange agr eements should be looked at car efully as to the motor car rier’s responsibilities toward the ocean carrier. There are often indemnity provisions and insurance requirements which must be satisfied. Trucker bills of lading should be carefully reviewed in order to make sure that you are protected. Railr oads ar e also governed by the Carmack Amendment as well. Be aware of the same strict time limitations that apply to motor carriers. DOMESTIC Domestic carriers are regulated at least in par t by the Surface Transportation Board (STB eplaced the Interstate Commer ce Commission. Sometimes the term ICC, Interstate Commerce Commission, is still used, but it is incorrect. The STB is within the Department of Transportation. It is not as large as its predecessor. Motor carriers must register with the Federal Car rier Safety Administration and ar e also subject to its r egulations. Intermodal shipments are generally governed by the rules and limitations of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Actand to some extent by the Harter Act. On an intermodalbill of lading, ther e might be only one bill of lading issued by the ocean carrier and under some law will extendthe limitations of liability for the ocean carrier to other parties in the transportation chainwhich could fur ther protect the motor car rier. For eign aviation is gover ned by the Warsaw Convention and the Montreal Protocol. Two years for filing suit and notice requirements ar e included. There are limitations of liability for damages under the W arsaw Convention, $9.07 per pound, except under extreme condi-tions such as deliberate acts or recklessness. The shippingcontract in an air shipment is the air waybill. The front andthe back of the air waybill should be examined in order to be sure of the terms andconditions. There are other entities involved in the chain of transportation besides carriers. These include ocean transportation intermediaries, which ar e ocean fr eight for warders and non-vessel operating common carriers. Ocean fr eight for war ders ar e like a travel agent for cargo. They book space, ar range the transpor tation and can collect a commission from the ocean carrier. They are governed by the FMC and are not considered carriers. They can however assert limitations of liability. An ocean freight forwarder is not a carrier, although it can be sued fornegligence such as a wr ongful selection of a car rier . A freight forwarder must post a Getting to know the who’s who of the transportation industry 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 SPRING SPRING SHIPPING SHIPPING www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature Package limitation of liability under COGSA Cargo movement is big business with man y players involved. (CONTINUED ON P AGE 15) CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 14

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DANIEL RABB A r ecent case illustrating that incr eased security concerns at por ts and harbors require awareness to avoid delays is International Longshoremen’s Association v. Miami-Dade County, 926 So.2d 433, 24 IER Cases 593, 31 Fla. L. Weekly D989 (Fl. App. 2006 In this case, por t workers union br ought action against the county because the union members’ security clearance cards were seized by the port in order to verify each card’ssecurity . Without the security cards, the union memberscould not access the por s car go area where they worked. The court went on to rule that neither the union nor the individual members had a constitutionally pr otected interest in the security clearance and thus they were not entitled to a due process hearing before the seizure of their cards. Additionally, the courtnoted that the union memberswer e not denied the right to engage in their chosen profession, but rather were merely temporarily restrained from performing their jobs. OVERSIGHT INCREASE W ith the continuance of per ceived threats in the new world situation comes an increase in the amount ofoversight. Less than five years ago, the United States Congresspassed the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-295). Currently, Congress is still debatingwhether the safeguar ds in place now are enough. Many of the cur rent precautions involveoperations bythe U.S. Coast Guard (as seenin theInter national Longshor emen’s Association v. Miami-DadeCounty caseabove), TheBur eau of Customs andBor der Pr otection, and the TransportationSecurity Administration. In order to navigate thr ough the brave new world of maritime transportation security , one must be familiar with a veritable plethora of acronyms: MTSA (Maritime Transportation Security Act), ISPS (International Port Security Program), TWIC (Transportation WorkerIdentification Cr edential), NMSAC (National Maritime Security Advisory Committee), and AWW (America’s Waterway Watch). For further information, you can check out the gover nment’s website dealing withmaritime transpor tation security , entitled “Homeport”, and which is available at http://homeport.uscg.mil/. Alyssa Pell assisted with this article. Security concerns at ports,harbors require awareness to avoid delays March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 SPRING SPRING SHIPPING SHIPPING www .caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature Security is a top issue at ports. Getting to know the who’s who of the transportation industry bond with the FMC and be licensed. This would pr otect a shipper against wrongdoing such as stealing the money paid to ship the cargo. Many freight forwarders sell insurance to their clients through open car go policies and issue insurance certificates. Some ocean carriers also provide insurance. The non-vessel operating common car riers operate as common car riers, but do not actually operate a vessel. They issue bills of lading, charge freight, and can be sued as a common carrier. They can also assert limitations of liability like an ocean car rier as well as liens on cargo. A nonvessel operating common car-rier must post a bond with theFMC and be licensed. FREIGHT FOR WARDERS Freight forwarders are also involved in the transportation of cargo by air.Some of them issue air way bills and can be sued as carriers. They can assert limitations of liability . There are freight forwar ders and fr eight br okers on domestic shipments. The inland fr eight for warder can be sued as a carrier. The inland transportation broker is generally just that, a trans-por tation broker. It books fr eight with inland carriers including motor carriers, although depending on its representations there are sometimes ef forts to turn a broker into a carrier. Transportation brokers and freight forwarders must r egister with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Another important entity in the transpor tation industry is the customs broker. They clear cargo for various importers. They are not carriers. They handle the paperwork and usually have a power of attorney to clear cargo. Customs broker licenses can be issued on an individ-ual or corporate basis. The agency that gover ns the impor tation of cargo is the United States Customs and Border Patrol. It operates in conjunction with the Treasury Department and theDepar tment of Homeland Security. Among its responsibilities is the collection ofduties and to make sur e that unlawful items are not br ought into the U.S. Pr otests can be handled administra tively with this agency, which does have the power to seize merchandise and assess penalties. Warehousemen also play a critical role in the chain of transportation. Some are customs bonded warehouses, meaning the car go has not yet enter ed the U.S. The Unifor m Commer cial Code has a whole section related to warehouses. They too can assert limitations of liability on the back of their warehouse receipts. They can asser t liens against car go for unpaid fr eight and the Unifor m Commercial Code provides the methods for selling cargo on which a lien is asser ted. Get a signed release when you deposit car go with a warehouse. An impor tant ter m in r elation to customs bonded warehouses is general order or GO. This is the warehouse where the seized cargo goesbefor e it is sold. Another term of interest is logistics company. These can be freight forwarders, truckers, customs brokers and possibly all of the above. Importers who bring goods into the country and exporters who send goods outof the countr y ar e also an impor tant par t of the cargo industr y. Likewise shippers and consignees who typically correspond to buyers and sellers are a basic part of the transportation industry. Youwill see a spot on the bill of lading for shippers and con-signees as well as notifyingpar ties. Sometimes the notify ing party is the actual consignee and/or pur chaser . Most of the various administrative agencies governing transportation fallwithin the Depar tment of Transportation. Check to see which agency governs your sit-uation. At the foreign end of commerce are port authorities regulated by the government. In many instances the carrier’sduty is only to deliver to the por t authority and/or customs. Car go lost or damaged in a gover nment-controlled port, where proper notice of the arrival is given to the cargo interest, is a defense for the carrier. The car rier may have agents in other countries who assist in the handling of cargo.Ther e ar e also customs br okers in other countries who are agents of the car go inter ests. Insurance companies play a role as many claims are brought by insurance carriersas subr ogation claims, while many parties that are sued are insured. A subrogated insurer should have a subrogation or loan receipt from its insured. Carriers must make sure that they are paying the right partywhen paying a claim so thatyou do not wind up paying two claims. T he above was edited for space by Caribbean Today from an article submitted by Daniel W.Raab,an attorney located in Miami,Floridaw ho has practiced in the transportation field of law for over 25 years.His law clerkAlyssa P ell assisted with the article. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 14) CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 15

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JOSE H. CARABALLO One of the biggest reasons homeowners refinance their mortgage is to obtain a lower interest rate and lower their monthly payments. By refinancing, the borrower pays off their existing mortgage and replaces itwith a new one with better or more appropriate terms. Refinancing typically occurs when mortgage interest rates drop or when thecur rent mortgage no longer fits the borrowers situation as is the case with many homeowners that ar e currently in adjustable rate mor tgages with higher payments now than when they first started. Also borrowers with r ecently impr oved cr edit scores (from paying off credit car d debt, making mor tgage payments on time, etc.) are often candidates for better interest rates as well. If you haven’t checked your credit scor e in a while, it’ s a good time to call a mortgage consultant. WHY ? The question most asked is, “But why should I go backinto a 30-year loan?” Ther e are two schools of thought on this subject, and the mortgage consultantshould work hand-in-hand with the borrower’s financial planner to determine whatworks best for their mutualclient. First look at what bene fits can come out of refinancing into a fixed rate fr om an adjustable rate. Security from rate adjustments, possibly lower payment, ability to sleep at night, etc. Anotheroption is to take the r oute of the “same payment” refinance, and actually pay of f the loan faster and save money on interest fees in the long-run. If refinancing results in a lower monthly payment,the bor r ower can still contin ue making the same payment they made in the originalloan, and the extra money willbe applied to the principalbalance. For example: Let’s say you have 25 years remaining in your current loan, and you refinance back to a 30-yearloan with a slightly lowerinter est rate, r esulting in a payment r eduction of $200 per month. (Note: This is justan example. The actual amount could var y.) You could then take that extra$200 per month and apply it towar d the principal on the new loan. At this rate, theloan will be paid of f in 22 years and four months, whichis two years and eight months less than the original loan. On the other hand, if the borrower’s financial planner is a proponent of best-selling author and investment guru Douglas Andrew’s philosophies (see “Missed Fortune” he or she may suggest invest-ing the extra money in a sidefund that could earn a better rate of return and grow to the amount of the mortgage (and beyond) in even less time. This method provides excellent liquidity and safety, but having more access to this money may or may not be agood thing for some. Regardless of the reason for the r efinance, the mortgage consultant will need to know what the existing loan scenario entails, review the homeowner’s long-term goals, and be able to explain how each loan option comparesand contrasts with the various loan programs available. Jose H.Caraballo is president-elect of the Mortg ag e Bankers Association ofGreater Miami and a branc h manager of the Source One Mortgage office in Coral Gables.He can be reached at 305-968-1257 or at caraballo12345@comcast.net GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana’ s Finance Minister Dr . Ashnie Singh unveiled a G$119.3 billion($556.5 million projecting 4.8 percent economic growth and a 6.8 percent risein inflation blamed on “imported pressure.” The 4.8 per cent growth, he said, is expected “to be broad-based and to r eflect expansion in both traditional and new and emer ging sectors. “The budget reaffirms government’s commitment to take appropriate actions in response to immediate chal-lenges, both exter nal and domestic, and it balances thiswith its commitment to contin ue to take tough decisions that will create a better Guyana for the longer term,” Singh said inhis speech. He said the 2008 estimates promise progress in six broadar eas, which include avoiding shor t-term actions that can undermine the potential for long-ter m growth and accelerate the ongoing infrastr uctural program. Singh promised that “investments in the mostimpor tant social ser vices will be maintained (and to the most vulnerable in soci-ety and those most impactedby changes in the national andinter national economic situation will be increased.” He told the National Assembly that reforms will beaccelerated on the justice andsecurity sectors to manage the current and emerging chal-lenges, (while reforms aimed at further transforming the business environ-ment to stimulate gr eater investment, job creation and sustained economic growth willbe advanced.” CONTINUATION The 2008 financial plan “is the continuation of the ongo ing task of transforming the economy , developing the coun try, and improving the lives of Guyanese.” In the agricultural sector , sugar pr oduction is projected at 290,000 tonnes, an increase of 8.8 per cent, which r eflects increased acreage under cultivation, increased productivity,and the star t of operation of the new multi-billion dollarSkeldon factor y, Singh said. He said rice output is tar geted at 321,000 tonnes, r epresenting 7.6 percent growth from last year. Forestry is expected to r ecover this year with a pr ojected growth rate of three percent “based on anticipated increases in the production of both logs and higher valuepr oducts,” Singh said. He said the fishing sector is budgeted to increase bythr ee per cent, “while livestock and other agriculture are both projected to grow at 2.5 percent.” The mining and quarrying sectors are forecast to grow by 5.8 percent. “The bauxite industr y is expected to continue its robust performance with outputincr easing by 17.1 percent to 2,626,000 tonnes.” Gold declarations ar e, however, projected to decreaseby 2.7 per cent to 231,750 ounces reflecting some moderation to a mor e steady gr owth path,” the finance minister said. Singh said the 2008 fiscal plan is pr ojecting an eight per cent incr ease for the transport and communication sector, eflecting continued str ong activity in both the domestic transpor tation and the telecommunication sub-sec tors.” IMPETUS Accor ding to Minister Singh, “the hosting of CARIFESTA X in August is also expected to provide additional impetus to the levels of economic activity in several sec-tors during 2008.” The Skeldon Sugar Moder nization plan; the resumption of offshore petroleum exploration following the U.N. Arbitral Tribunal Award;private sector investment in the alternative energy sector, specifically hydropower andbiofuels; and the constr uction of the hydropower project atAmalia ar e anticipated to spur job cr eation, Singh said in his budget speech. In the wake of an upsurge in crime, the government hasset aside G$13.7 billion ($68.5 million) for the security sector. Singh r eiterated that two helicopters and other equip ment and gear will be procured for the joint ser vices, while $13 million “will be expended toexpand and equip Community Policing Groups (CPGs order to support crime fightingef for ts.” He said G$660 million ($132 milliondevelop an integrated crime and violence information sys-tem to monitor tr ends in crime and violence. Accordingly, an additional $1.5 million has been allocatedfor the constr uction, comple tion, and rehabilitation of more than 30 police stations countrywide, while $485,000 is allocated for the constructionof a juvenile holding centerand for the upgrade of severalprisons. Singh also outlined plans for new and emer ging sectors, with $20.9 million to be spent to launch an Agricultural Export DiversificationPr ogram “which will r esult in the promotion and consolidation of agribusiness.” Refinancing your mortgage for rate, payment reductionsGuyana unveils $556M budget 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 BUSINESS BUSINESS www.caribbeantoday.com MIAMI – A wealth manager that supervises the assets for a growing number of offshoreinsurance companies has beenappointed manager of the Caribbean Catastrophe RiskInsurance Facility (CCRIF Gar ry Wilkins, CCRIF board member, said here last month that London & Capital was chosen following “an extensive selection process.” He said the company “successfully demonstrated a full understanding of our investment needs, and came up with innovative solutions that made us confident in the company’s ability to meet theneeds of the CCRIF’ s antici pated liabilities going for ward.” W ilkins said London & Capital, which manages assets in excess of $3.4 billion, as at Sept. 30, 2007, will manage an initial mandate of $35 million for the CCRIF, growing to over $100 million in the next three years. He said London & Capital “secur ed the mandate by cr eating a bespoke invest ment portfolio.” LIQUIDITY The CCRIF , the world’s first regional disaster insur-ance facility , was established at the ur ging of Caribbean Community (CARICOM heads of government, using funds pledged by the international donor community. It provides the 16-member governments with immediate liquidity if struck by a catastr ophic ear thquake or hur ricane. William Dalziel, executive director of London & Capital,which is administer ed by Citibank in the United States, said the company has “apr oven track r ecord managing absolute r eturn strategies, with a focus on capital preservation, risk management and low volatility. “The selection process for the CCRIF mandate was rigorous,” he said. Caribbean insurance facility gets new manager Singh CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 16

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Talented Haitian-bor n singer and musician Wyclef Jean will be among the headliners at the third annual “Jazz in the Gardens” festival to be staged Mar. 15 and 16 at the Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida. Other artistes confirmed for the two-day event include George Benson, Chaka Khan,the O’Jays, Stanley Clarke,Geor ge Duke and Nancy W ilson. “Jazz in the Gar dens has really become an internationally recognized event,” Miami Gardens Mayor ShirleyGibson was quoted as saying in a press release issued recently by the organizers. s exciting to know people fr om all over the world look forward to coming to Miami Gardens. It’s incred-ible how music has the powerto transcend language and culture, as it serves to unite people. W ith this year’s lineup of jazz greats we will continue to make Miami Gardens a proud community and a more visible destination.” Ahost of top American and Caribbean-basedacts will headline two musical festivals in T obago next month. The two-day Pan Jazz “in deYard” 2008 and the three-day Plymouth Jazz Festival will combine for five consecutive days of enter tainment. The second annual pan jazz “in de Yard” will be presented April 23 and 24 at the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago Redemption Sound Setters yard by Pantrinbago, a cultural organization dedicated to the pr omotion and develop ment of steel pan, which was invented in T rinidad. The line-up of performers includes Liam T eague, Robbie Gr eenidge, Anise Hadeed, T ony (Pan Jumbie illiams, Clive Zander, the Kariwak Players, Ken (Professor Philmor e and Duvonne Stewar t. The four th annual Plymouth Jazz Festival in T obago will be held April 25-27 at the Fort James/Plymouth Recreational Field. Inter national acts such as Whitney Houston, Shakira and Rod Stewart will join other international and local artistes.Smokey Robinson will be onstage on day one, along with Peabo Bryson, James Ingram and Diana Ross. The second day will showcase Latin star , Shakira, along with En V ogue and roots reggae band Steel Pulse. R&B diva, Houston and adult con temporar y icon Stewart will close the festival on day thr ee. For ticket prices and mor e infor mation on the festival, visit www .tobagojazzfest.com . POR T OF SP AIN, T rinidad, CMC Soca entertainer Machel Montano is to appear in courtin May and June toanswer a char ge of assault, Dir ector of Public Prosecution Carla Brown-Antoine hasannounced. Montano, 32, will appear in cour t on May 26 and 29 and again on June2 along with entertainers Joel “Zan” Fezeck and songwriter/pro-ducer Ker nel Rober ts, the son of lateCalypsonian Lord Kitchener . The thr ee wer e charged, along with another soca entertainer Rodney “Benjai” LeBlanc, with assaulting at least two patrons at a Port of Spain night club on April 26, 2007. They appeared before a Port of Spain Magistrate last month when the new cour t dates wer e set. When the matters resume in May it will be beforeMagistrate Akiel Khan. Thepr osecution is expected to call 10 witnesses. Montano, who has maintained his innocence, is being represented by senior counsel Dana Seetahal. Tobago to host two top shows~ Whitney Houston,Shakira, Rod Stewart on the bill Soca star facing assault charge‘Jazz in the Gardens’ set for Miami,Mar.15-16 March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www .caribbeantoday.com ENTERTAINMENTBRIEFS Renowned reggae producer dies Joe Gibbs,one of Jamaica’s most prolific record producers,who pro-pelled man y reggae artistes to international fame,is dead. Gibbs,who was born Joel A. Gibson in Montego Bay , came to fame in the 1970s when he worked c losely with the “Cro wn Prince of Reggae”the late Dennis Brown as well Beres Hammond and the drum and bass duo Sly Dunbar and RobbieShakespeare. In the 1980s Gibbs had a big international hit with J.C. Lodge’s “Someone Loves You Honey”and produced artistes such as Mighty Diamonds,Gregory Issacs, Dean Fraser and Barrington Levy. W est Indian jazz Jamaican-born jazz pianist Monty Alexander is among the main acts scheduled to perform at a tribute concert,billed “Lords of the West Indies”,over two days, Mar.7 and 8 ,at the Lincoln Center,Broadway and 60th Street in Manhattan,New York. The event will present mento, the Jamaican folk music and calyp so,the Trinidadian popular music. Other musicians scheduled to perform include Pluto Shervington,Dean F raser,Desi Jones,Hassan Shakur,Herlin Riley,Carlton James, Da vid “Happy”Williams,Etienne Charles,Charles Dougherty,Clifton Anderson, Joseph Bennett and Albert Morgan. For more information,call 212-258-9807 . ‘Reggae Symphony’ for Fort Lauderdale John Holt and F reddie McGregor, two of reggae’ s leading voices,will highlight “Reggae Symphonon April 20 at the Broward Center for the Performance Arts in Fort Lauderdale,Florida. They will be backed by Lloyd P arkes and W e The People band. For more information,call 800811-1231 or visit www.browardcenter.org . Concert to support athletes Team Jamaica Bickle,the New York-based organization formed 14 years ago to assist athletes fromthe Caribbean na tion participate at the Penn Relays,will host a reggae music concert on April 20 a t the Brooklyn College Performing Arts Center . The concert, with its theme eam Jamaica on the Road to Beijing”is slated to start at 7 p.m. According to TJB founder Irwine Clare,a donation in honor of the late Olympian,Jamaica’s HerbMcKenley ,will be made to aid athletes preparing for the Olympics in Beijing,China. Corporate and civic entities willing to offer support can call 718-523-2861 . Compiled from v arious sources. CELEBRATING WOMEN The celebration of women will be the focus of an exhibition of works by Haitian artist Marie ThereseDupoux which will be on display Mar . 1-31 a t the African American Research Library and Museum in Fort Lauderdale.The exhibition, titled “Vessels of Memory:The Art of Marie Therese Dupoux”,will recognize omen’s History Month” and highlight the contribu tions and accomplishments of women in the arts.The FloridaAfricana Studies Consortium willpresent the exhibition under thepa trona ge of Ralph La tortue, consul general of Haiti in Miami. Wyclef Jean Chaka Khan Montano Stewart Shakira Houston CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 17

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TEAPARTY Jamaica’s Prime Minister Br uce Golding, and his wife Lorna, are the sched-uled guests ofhonor for thesecond annualCommunity Service Awards Ceremony and Tea Party pre-sented by Jamaica’ s consul general in Miami fr om 3 p .m. to 5:30 p.m.Mar.30 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 33300 S.W . 27th Ave. in Coconut Gr ove, Miami, Florida. For more information, call the consul general at 305-3748431 ext. 223 or 224 . MISS FLORIDA CARIBBEAN Females of Caribbean origin, ages nine to 25, single,r esiding in Florida for over six months and who have never been married or given birth toa child, ar e being invited to enter in the 2008 “Miss Florida Caribbean” pageant. Selected delegates will undergo eight weeks training in a self-development workshop, which includes grooming, stage presentation, speechand physical conditioning.“Miss Florida Caribbean” 2008will make appearances eventssuch as fundraisers, car nivals, talk shows and festivals. The pageant finals will be staged on Nov. 9 at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel. For more information, call 954-882-2729 . JOURNALISTS MEET The National Association of Caribbean American Journalists will hold its firstnational meeting Mar.28-30 in South Florida. For more information, e-mail nacaj@yahoo.com . NEW JNA BOARD A new eight-member boar d of directors of the Jamaican Nationals Association of Washington, D.C. was formally inductedinto of fice recently. The new executive body will be led by Dr. Jacqui Payne, president; Ian Harvey, vice president; Claudette Henry, executive secretary;Joyell Arscott, r ecording secretary; Denakay Brown, treasurer; Enid Russell, assistant treasurer; Franklyn Burke, parliamentarian; Rosie Parke,public r elations officer; and Moreen Wallace immediate past-president. CANCER W A TCH March has been designated National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The theme is “Let’s MakeColon Cancer Pr eventable! Beatable! Treatable! For All Communities”. The United States-based Prevent Cancer Foundation has organized The Super Colon tour, which will isscheduled to make 22 stops in the U.S. during March.However , the foundation addr esses colon cancer year round and there is a special section on its web site at: www.preventcancer.org/colorectal where people can order education materials on the importance of colon cancer screening to share and read answers from experts on topics as varied as who’s at risk and who should bescr eened for colon cancer, the r ole of diet and weight and what “vir tual” colonoscopy means. QUESTION:I was sponsored by my mother in 1997 andincluded in the petition w ere my husband and my two sons.I received the biographic documents in Sept.2002,one monthafter m y sons’ 21st birthday. They were not included in the biographic and it was only thenthat I understood that I couldha ve informed the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) some 60 days earlier of their impending birthday.I am now awaiting for an interview with the consulate now and am wondering whetherm y sons can still accompany us to the United States? ANSWER: John Stahl, formerly of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, says that under the Child Status Protection Act of 2002, yoursons may be still eligible to apply for a “green card” asyour dependant even thoughthey have now r eached the age of 21. The Child Status Protection Act, passed on Aug. 6, 2002, applies to cer-tain petitions filed andappr oved befor e 8/6/02 if the child aged out (turned 21 or after 8/6/02. Provided thatthe CSP A applies in this case, the next step is to calculate your sons’ age under the law . Their ages may be determined by taking their age onthe date that a visa firstbecame available (either thedate on which the prioritydate for the petition becamecur r ent or the date that the petition was approved, whichever came later) and subtracting that age from the time it took to process the petition (the time from petition filing to petition approval). They will remain that age throughout the rest of the process. It seems thatsince they r ecently turned 21, by subtracting the pr ocessing time they would be eligible. QUESTION:I had a multiple visa and on one of my visits I met a man and we got married and have been married for three years.During that time he was supposed to have filed to adjust my status andfor m y w ork pa pers he did not and m y documents have expired and I have no ability to work legally and supportm yself. He is curr ently seek ing a div orce.How can I file to adjust without being deported? I left behind asucessful business that is nolonger ther e . I also brought my children up on a visitor’s visa,which has since expired.Please help! ANSWER: Essentially, you can file for classification as an abused spouse, says attorney Dr. Dolly Hassan, of theLiber ty Center for Immigrants in Queens, N.Y . But that is if you were abused by your husband. If there was no abuse, then unfortunately, there is very little you could do, added the attorney. Hassan alsowar ned that most other kinds of appli-cations wouldnecessitateyou leaving the countryfor consularpr ocessing at which time the10-bar to r eentering the U. S. would apply. However, should the U.S. Congressappr ove the cur r ent U.S. Senate bill to legalize themany undocu mented who have been living in the country out of status for five years or more, then you and yourkids will be able to benefitfr om that law . But bear in mind it’ s still a proposal and not law as yet. Compiled b y F elicia P er saud. Answer s provided here are for information purposes only,and do not create an attor ney-client relationship;nor are they a substitute for “legal advice”which can only be given by a competentattorney after reviewing allthe f acts of the case . What U.S.age law allows when filing for children 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 FYI FYI www.caribbeantoday.com Golding smile CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 18

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GORDON WILLIAMS It will be a decade for both Tyrone Marshall and Andy Williams, a year longer for Ezra Hendrickson. Established stars like Shalrie Joseph are in the prime of their careers, while teenager Anthony W allace is just about ready to bust out. Those four and at least a dozen others with strong Caribbean roots are gearing up for another season in Major League Soccer (MLSgame’ s highest professional level in the United States,which kicks of f its 2008 season this month. While obser vers for years remained concerned about soccer’s ability to take its place among established American pro sports such as baseball,football and basketball, the injection of former England captain David Beckham intothe MLS last season gave the league a huge recognition boost, which means the lads from the region could find themselves more exposed to the U.S. spor ting spotlight. Several ar e well placed to take advantage, not just by helpingtheir clubs succeed, but also trying to earn the attention of national coaches around the region with World Cup 2010 qualifiers already underway. Jamaican-born Marshall, at 33 a veteran of the ReggaeBoyz set-up, should, for a sec ond season, be a stalwart in defense for Toronto F.C. afterr epresenting the Los Angeles Galaxy and the now defunct Miami Fusion in past MLS seasons. W illiams, a midfielder who was bor n in Canada, but has represented Jamaica, including at World Cup in 1998, is set to start his third year with RealSalt Lake (RSLwith five other MLS teams.Entering his 10th year in theleague, the man known as “Bomber” for his powerfulshots, is still confident he has a lot to offer. “Playing-wise I don’t feel old,” he said recently whileattending a RSL training campin Florida. T o prove his point, W illiams has set several individual and team goals, the same desire he has kept over his career. “Every year I try, first and foremost, to be in the starting11,” he explained. “If thatdoesn’ t happen I try to contribute in ever y game; lead the team in assists, make the playoff and win a championship.” VETERANS Other veterans with a Caribbean connection include 36-year-old defender Hendrickson, from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who is listed on Columbus Crew’s roster after 11 seasons of MLSexperience. Striker Jef f Cunningham, 31, a top goal scorer who was born inJamaica, but who has playedfor the U.S. national team, is Marshall’s teammate at Toronto F.C. He has played 10 years in the MLS. Grenadian Shalrie Joseph and Jamaican Shavar Thomas have already ticked off fiveyears in the MLS. Joseph, 29,is an outstanding midfielderfor New England Revolution,a finalist last season. Thomas, a 27-year-old defender, isentering his second year atChivas USA after an excellent 2007 season. T rinidad and Tobago’s A very John, 32, and Gavin Glinton, 29, of the T urks and Caicos Islands have already earned four years MLS experience. John is listed as Joseph’steammate, while Glinton is the lone Caribbean representativeso far on the r oster of the San Jos Ear thquakes. Y OUNG B UCKS Meanwhile several younger players with ties to the region will be hoping to make a significant mark in MLS 2008. Jamaican-bor n Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids), Collin Samuel of T&T (Toronto F.C.), T&T’s Scott Sealy (Kansas City W izards), Bermuda’s Khano Smith (New England Revolution), Atiba Harris of St. Kitts and Nevis (Chivas USA s Osei Telesford (Chicago Fire ar e all listed with three years or less in the league. Y et a few young players will enter the new season with established reputations. Jamaican Dane Richards, 24, had an outstanding 2007 season with the New York Red Bull and narrowly missedbeing named r ookie of the year . The speedy midfielder will be hoping to build on thatin 2008. New Y ork-born, Florida resident Anthony Wallace, a 19-year-old whose parents arefr om Jamaica, star ts his second season with F.C. Dallas after leaving college early to enterthe 2007 MLS SuperDraft. He has represented the U.S. atyouth level. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. Caribbean players hunt places in U.S.Major League Soccer March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 SPORT SPORT www .caribbeantoday.com SPORT BRIEFSBoyz,Warriors face off Mar.26 The only two English-speaking Caribbean’ s countries to play in soc cer’s World Cup finals will face off in a friendly international match inKingston on Mar . 26 . The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica will host Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors as both teams continue preparations for their World Cup qualifiers beginning in a few months. Harbour View tackles D.C.United Jamaica’ s champion football team Harbour View will tackle United States c lub D.C. United this month in the CONCACAF Club Championships. Harbour View will host the American side on Mar.11 ,while the return leg is scheduled for Mar . 18 in Washington D.C. T&T beats Jamaica for Stanford 20/20 title T rinidad and Tobago are the new Stanford Twenty20 Cup cricket champions. The two-island republic,lifted by c lever left-arm chinaman bo wling from Da ve Mohammed, were crowned winners in the final last month after easily beating Jamaica. U-15 int’l cricket in the Caribbean Eight teams will contest a CLICOsponsored interna tional under-15 cricket tournament in the Caribbean in April,organizers announced last month. The tournament,from April 19 to May 4 ,will be run by All Sports Promotions,and will have eight teams competing:West Indies, Pakistan,Kenya,Zimbabwe,Ireland, Holland,Bangladesh and the Interna tional Cricket Council (ICC Americas team,comprised of players from Bermuda,Canada,CaymanIslands and The Bahamas. Guy ana’ s Harris moves up in boxing weight class World-rated Guyanese boxer “Vicious”Vivian Harris has decidedto move up in weight c lass, follo w ing his unsuccessful world title bid against Britain’s Junior Witter. Harris,a former world champion,was knocked out by the champi-on Witter during a World Boxing Council (WBC title fight last September.He will now fight at the 147-pound welter-weight level. Caribbean players return to Miami F.C. Caribbean players Stephane Guillaume and Sean Fraser arescheduled to return for their thirdseason with Miami F .C.in the 2008 United Soccer Leagues (USL Division One. Miami F .C. has announced tha t Haiti’s Guillaume and the Jamaican Fraser “will continue to be undercontract with the team and willreturn”. Haiti World Cup soccer star dies Emmanuel Sanon,one of Haiti’s most celebra ted soccer players,died last month from pancrea tic cancer, family members said.The 56-year old had been a resident in Florida for some time. Compiled from CMC and other sources. Joseph Hendrickson Richards CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 19

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TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, CMC An Americancitizen has been extradited tothe British V irgin Islands (BVI dered his wife during a vacation here nearly 10 years ago. The prosecution is alleging that David Swain, 52, ofRhode Island, was vacationing here on Mar. 12, 1999 with his 35-year -old wife Shelly Arden Tyre when she was killed during a diving expedition. The prosecution is expected to r ely on scientific evidence to pr ove the case against Swain, who appeared in a Magistrate’s Court last month to answer the charge of murder. He has since been remanded to the island’s loneprison at Balsam Ghut and the preliminary inquiry is scheduled to begin on April 17. GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMCThe United States has issued a warning to its citizensabout the security situation in Guyana in light of the massacres that left 23 people, including five children, deadr ecently. A U.S. State Depar tment notice made r eference to the killings at the small mining town of Bartica on Feb. 17and the East Coast Demeraravillage of Lusignan on Jan. 26. Guyana police have linked both incidents to a gr oup headed by the countr s most wanted man, Rondel “Fine Man” Rawlins and have offered a G$50 million ($250,000 reward for his capture. The US State Department said that security in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country had deteriorat-ed rapidly over the past twomonths and that “due to theseemingly random natur e of these crimes, the disparate locations in which they occurred, and the fact that theperpetrators have not all yetbeen appr ehended, additional attacks in other par ts of the countr y cannot be ruled out. “The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens traveling in Guyana to maintain a highlevel of vigilance, considersecurity issues when planning activities throughout Guyana,minimize movement when possible while avoiding largecr owds, and not to travel at night”. W ashington said that the local authorities were conducting investigations into theincidents and may institute further actions or precautions,including r oadblocks or other measur es. WASHINGTON – The impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti is to benefit from a CAD$75 million grant from Canada for a road reconstruction program. The program would be financed and implemented by theInter -American Development Bank (IDB statement issued last month. The IDB said Canada’s Minister for International Cooperation Beverly J. Oda, and Michael M. Fortier, the minister for public works and government services, made thegrant announcement in Montreal. “All Canadians can be proud of our accomplishments in Haiti,” saidOda, whoannouncedadditionalgrants totalingnearly CAD$50 million for other projects involving education, healthcare for mothers and disaster prevention. “Canada is helping to provide Haitians the services they need immediately and creating the conditions for long-term success and prosperity,” she added. The CAD$75 million grant will expand a program to improve and maintain 146 kilometers of primary roads and 250 kilometers of rural roads in Haiti’s southern peninsula, thestatement said. Canada’s contribution will finance the reconstruction of a 92-kilometer road between the cities of Les Cayes and Jrmie. The IDB said it would contribute $100 million over a fouryear period to the program. American man facing murder charges in BVI POR T OF SP AIN, Trinidad, CMC Prime Minister Patrick Manning is calling for a Caribbean law enforcement unit to tackle the growingpr oblem of crime in the r egion, fueled by the drug trade. Speaking at a University of the West Indies, Mona din-ner in Jamaica last month,Manning said such a unit would have to be fully staffedand equipped and given the proper legal framework withinwhich to operate. He said the need for the regional security unit has been alr eady discussed in cer tain quarters because of the seriousness of the crime problem, which has seen several murders in Jamaica, Trinidad andGuyana, in par ticular in r ecent years. Manning said T&T was focused on stemming the ille gal drug trade through severalinitiatives, including -hour surveillance of our largely unprotected coastline, newerlevels of inter diction capabili ty through patrol boats and attack helicopters.” Manning wants Caribbean law enforcement unitU.S.warns citizens about security in GuyanaCanada grants millions for road work in Haiti 20 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 REGION REGION www.caribbeantoday.com Oda CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 20

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC Prime Minister PatrickManning has held “fr uitful” discussions with his new Barbados counterpart DavidThompson on a number of issues regarding the deepening of the regional integration process. Thompson, who took over the of fice of prime minister in January, was given a 21-gun salute and a red carpet reception on his arrival herelast monthby private jetat the headof a five-member del egation. The two leaders saidthey hadagr eed during their twohour -meeting on the needfor a specialcaucus ofCaribbeancommunity(CARICOM of the change of governments in at least six Caribbean coun-tries. Manning said that in response to the suggestionsfr om Thompson, he had undertaken to canvass the idea of a “caucus of CARI-COM heads as soon as possi ble in the context of so many new leaders being on theCARICOM scene and the need for us to discuss off the record and without tech-nocrats pr esent, so that ther e can be a meeting of minds.” While neither Manning nor Thompson, who is amongthe new batch of r egional leaders coming to power over the past year gave any indica-tion as to wher e the caucus would be held, Manning said that it would allow for them to“identify exactly wher e ever y one is in relation to the integration movement. “For our par t (T&T you know is very committed to it (regional integrationwe have been seeking toadvance a sub integrationmovement in the souther n Caribbean and it is high onour agenda,” Manning said. e are convinced territories the size of the Caribbeanislands will do best to integrateand get together so that we will have more mass.” SUPPORT Thompson, whose Democratic Labour Par ty (DLP ing the Jan. 15 general elec tions, pledged his full support for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy(CSMElead r esponsibility within the quasi-CARICOM cabinet. Thompson said he wanted to “re-assure the entire CARICOM region that Barbados is as committed now as it everwas fr om the time the late Er rol Barrow signed the first CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Area) Treaty and then consequent on that par ticipat ed in the first CARICOM summit...and to continuing the important role we have played in having lead responsibilityfor CSME. e will place our nation al resources and efforts strongly behind the programto see the CSME come to its full fruition,” he said, addingthat it was also impor tant for political leaders to have “an opportunity to sit down off the record and to dialogueabout the way for war d for the regional integration movement to make sure we are all on the same platform. “Many of us may have dialogued on specific issues down through the years, but Ithink now that changes have taken place and the regionnow has five new leaders sowe need to sit down and reflect where we are going,”he added. The two leaders also dis cussed regional transportation issues, particularly the con-cer ns raised by some regional states about the operation of LIA T , whose major shareholders ar e Barbados, St. V incent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda. e believe in the Caribbean that transpor t is critical and in r elation to air transport we looked at LIAT and we are not unaware of some of the comments that are being made by someCaribbean gover nments,” Manning said. NEW YORK A United States diplomat says W ashington fully supports efforts by theCaribbean countries to adjust themselves to the realities of the 21st century. Speaking at the launch of Caribbean Heritage Week,Roland Bullen, deputy chief of mission at the United States Embassy in the DominicanRepublic, said both the Caribbean and the U.S. shar e “a resonant commitment to democracy , the rule of law and the promotion of private sectorled, market-driven economies.” He said the Caribbean has, “by and lar ge, maintained an enviable r ecord of stability, electoral democracy and peace ful co-existence with their neighbors.” But Bullen, a former U.S. ambassador to Guyana, said while the Caribbean and the U.S. have had a “long and vitally ben-eficial r elationship over many decades, the strategic importance of these countries to the US has declined in recent years. “Drugs and the trade from drugs threaten the integrityand political stability of these proud and vulnerable democracies, while economicshifts er ode the fragile foundations of pr osperity they have built up,” hesaid. ‘FR USTRATIONS’ In light of the contemporar y challenges, Bullen said the United States is “a convenientfocus of r egional frustrations” in the Caribbean. He said, in some par ts of the Caribbean, “globalization is viewed as a U.S.-imposed pr oblem and not as an inevitable, technologically driven development. “Beyond the vocal criticism, there is deep-rooted suspi-cion of the United States,” which, he said, has affected “an array of potentially beneficial proposals, such as open skies, telecommunication reform and bilateral investment treaties.” The U.S. diplomat said there was not sufficient evidence to link American demand for the increased drug trade as well as a rising crime situation as a r esult of the deportation of criminals back to the region. “Frankly , I think it’s an excuse for not being more pr oactive in solving the problem of crime,” he said, notingthat W ashington had recently implemented a “more positive agenda for the r egion. “If we look at the extent of our countries’ common inter est, it is almost impossible to con-ceive of anything but a close, mutually beneficial and friendlyr elationship. “The U.S. recognizes that our Caribbean friends and close neighbors are faced with the prospect of unsettling changes by the forces of globalization. oday’s challenges are not yester day’s. Recognition of the need for change and the local ownership of that process (is fundamental,” Bullen said. T&T,Barbados hold ‘fruitful’ talks on regional integrationU.S.backs Caribbean efforts to adjust to global environment CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC Relief may finally be underway for consumers across Caribbean community (CARICOM who have faced escalating costsof basic commodities sold on supermarket shelves across ther egion. St. Lucia’ s T rade and Commer ce Minister Guy Mayers said that an initiative to reduce the price of basic commodities will be brought to Caricom’ s T rade Ministers body , the Council for T rade and Economic Development (COTED Mayers told r epor ters her e that the Stephenson King cabi net had appr oved several items to be included in a food basket of price controlled goods. e have agr eed to a list of 44 items to be included in the national food basket, and this represents the first step in our efforts to obtain a reduction in the price of basic food items,”the minister said. LA W He said that the next step is for the legislative pr ocess to take place. “The attorney general’s office now has to do the proprietar y work so that we can bring those items under the price con tr ol r egime,” Mayers said. The issue was scheduled for discussion at a special COTED meeting in The Bahamas onMar . 5, followed by a Heads of Government meeting on Mar. 7. Mayers said that arrangements for the r eduction or removal of tariffs on the recommended food items will be concluded at the meetings, paving the way for local cost reductions. “Once the meetings have taken place in The Bahamas during the first week in March,we will then be r eady to have this implemented,” Mayers said. Some of the items in the food basket include baby food,juices, toothpaste, chicken backs and wings, as well as other items used by the most vulnerable section of the com munity . Mayers noted that meetings were now being ar ranged with the private sector to addr ess levels of the price mark-up that will be allowed under the price control regime. GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Cuba will provideassistance to Guyana in anumber of ar eas including agricultur e, education and sports during the year, accord-ing to an agr eement signed between both countries. A Government Infor mation Agency (GINA statement said that the agr eement was reached during the24th Session of the Guyana/ Cuba Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation that ended here late last month. It said the discussions were centered on co-operation in the health, agriculture, transport and marine affairs,cultur e and sports, education and trade. GINA said that the two countries have “agreed on abiennial work pr ogram for the 2008/2009 period with focus on strengthening the existingco-operation pr ogrammes and developing ar eas of mutual interest.” John Isaacs, permanent secretary in the Ministry Foreign Trade and International Co-operation, who led Guyana’ s delegation, said he was happy with the achievements reached during the discussions and that Guyana would benefit fromassistance in several ar eas including agricultur e and edu cation and spor ts coaches. Orlando Requijo Gual, Cuba’ s vice-minister in the Ministry of Foreign Investment and InternationalCollaboration, said the twocountries have enjoyed good relations for over 30 years as part of the south-south cooperation. Guyana and Cuba established diplomatic rela-tions in 1972. Relief coming for Caribbean consumersGuyana,Cuba agree on work program for assistance March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 21 REGION REGION www .caribbeantoday.com Bullen The leaders, David Thompson left,of Barbados,and Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago. CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 21

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CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – St. Lucians last month observed 29 years of political Independence from Britain with the traditional militaryparade and other activities,and the gover nment indicating that the island had made tremendous socio economicstrides. “From the attainment of Independence we have developed into a proud and confi-dent people, who have madegr eat strides in our economic development and a socialtransfor mation that has broken down the barriers of class wher e social mobility is determined by one’s educationalqualifications, ability and talent,” Prime MinisterStephenson King said in anaddr ess on Feb. 22 marking the occasion. e should be proud of the harmonious relations thatexist between all races, r eligious denominations and eco nomic classes that make up our country,” he added. King, who took over the leadership of the country inSeptember last year followingthe death of then PrimeMinister Sir John Compton,said the island had establisheda r eputation for being a pr o gr essive and vibrant countr y which had earned the respect of the wider world at large.But he called on St. Lucians to recognize that they were living in “a dynamic andchanging world” and the“independence” they sought 29 years ago no longer carriedthe same cur rency. OPTIMISM However, despite the dire waning caused by the volatility in the oil market, the out-look was optimistic, King said, “for we have registered ar eversal of the tr ends that have marked other coun-tries in the region.” He spoke of the drop incrime, adding it was also his gover nment’s determination to bring the murder rate down further tolevels that existed in 1996. Hundr eds of persons gather ed at the Mindoo Phillip Park, east of the capital for the military parade thatwas followed by the National Schools Rally. A number oflocal and for eign dignitaries attended the celebrations, including the Secretary General of the Organizationof American States (OASJose Miguel Insulza. ST . GEORGE’S, Gr enada, CMC The governing New National Par ty (NNP rejected accusations that it ordered police to spy on aclosed-door meeting of themain Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC The Opposition party accused the NNP of master minding the operation after par ty of ficials nabbed a policeman secretly recording an executive meeting late lastmonth. “The police have their r esponsibility to safeguard the peace tranquility of our coun-tr y and ther efore they have the right to use means at time that may not necessarily be tothe liking of cer tain individuals or gr oups,” the NNP’s Public Relations Officer Terry Forrester said. “The police must therefore act always in the best interest of the nation and its citizens. The NNP has nothing whatsoever to do with the action of the police. The police ar e an independent organ of the state and they act independently ,” For r ester added. The policeman claimed he was sent to car ry out an assignment given to him by asenior member of the special branch of the Royal GrenadaPolice For ce (RGPF Commissioner Winston James has since announced that aninvestigation had been launched after the officer complained that he was beat-en and his personal pr oper ty confiscated. NDC acknowledged that members of the executive exercised their right to carry out a “citizens’ arrest” butdenied that the of ficer was assaulted. General elections are widely expected sometime this year. KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica police late last month charged former junior Energy Minister Kern Spencer and twoother persons with fraud in con nection with the controversial Cuban light bulb project. Spencer, 33, who was held in custody until his courtappearance, has been char ged along with his former personal assistant Coleen Wright andbusinessman Rodney Chin. Police laid the charges against the trio after Spencer was questioned by members of the Organized Crime Investigation Division for a third time last month. Earlier in the month Spencer r equested a leave of absence fromParliament and also took leave fr om any leadership position within the main Opposition People’ s National Party (PNP The nine charges against Spencer followed weeks ofinvestigations into allegations of misappropriation of funds under the project initiated dur-ing the last PNP administration of then Prime Minister Por tia Simpson Miller. The irregularities in the distribution of thelight bulbs donated by the Cuban government came to public attention last October when the Ener gy Minister Clive Mullings called for a probe into the project under which fourmillion flor escent light bulbs were to be distributed free of cost to consumers. But reports indicated that more than J$270 million(US$3.79 million spent on the project. BREA CHES An investigation carried out by theauditor general found that the “basic rudiments of good public sector management wer e not observed” during the distribution of the bulbs. The r eport stated that there were several breaches to the government’s procurement and distri-bution r egulations and also identified the absence of any budgetary control. The auditor general, in the r eport, said several of the contractors were handpicked and engaged directly by the former junior minister, including the mother of one of his children and the grandmother of another child. As a r esult of the findings, the auditor general called for a criminal investigation intothe matter . Copies of the 124-page report were sent to the police commissioner, Director of Public Prosecutions, the com-missioner for the Pr evention of Corruption, and the attorney general, but Spencer main-tained his innocence. But there have been mounting calls for Spencer’s resignation, including one from Richard “Dickie” Crawford, a member of an appraisal committee that was established to assess the PNP’ s defeat in last September’s general elections. Crawford warned that the PNP could suffer fur ther fallout from the negative publicity surrounding Spencer and the investigation. Spencer was first jailed, but released late last month on J$10million bail, the same amount as Chin. Wright is on J$5 million bail. All three are scheduled to return to court on Mar. 26. Compiled from CMC and other reports. St.Lucia observes 29 years of Independence from Britain Ruling party denies urging police to spy on OppositionExminister charged with fraud in Jamaica Dean Oliver Bar r ow, 56, the leader of the ruling United Democratic Party (UDPthe first black prime ministerof Belize. Barrow has described his party’s victory in the Feb. 7general elections as a“tr emendous Belizean awak ening,” adding “it doesn’ t come as a big surprise. o the people of this country who are giving us what appears to be a massivemandate, I must make the point that I am very consciousthat while the UDP clearlyhas a shar e in this victor y , it’ s nothing more than a share,” he said shortly after the UDPdefeated the People’ s United Party (PUP The UDP won 25 of the 31 seats contested in the elec tions. Barrow, born Mar. 2, 1951, was swor n in as the countr s fourth prime minister on Feb. 8. He has four children, the oldest of whom is rapperJamal “Shyne” Bar r ow , who is serving a prison sentence in the United States. SER VICE An attor ney by profession, he served as deputy prime ministerand ministerof for eign af fairs fr om 1993 to 1998 and was thenleader of theOpposition from 1998 to2008. Barrow, who began his legal car eer in 1973 working with his uncle Dean Lindo, is considered one of Belize’s most successfulattor neys, appearing in a num ber of high pr ofile cases. In the 1989 general elections, Barrow defeated Thomas Greenwood, but hispar ty lost the elections. Barrow continued as deputyUDP leader to ManuelEsquivel. In the 1993 general elec tions, Bar row was again successful, defeating Juliet Soberanis, and r etained his previous Cabinet posts with the addition of national secu rity . His detractors called him “Minister of Everything”. In the 1998 elections that the UDP lost to the PUP , Barrow was one of only three successful UDP parliamentari-ans. He replaced Esquivel as both UDP leader and leaderof the Opposition. CMC ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – A high cour t judge hasruled in favor of the Speaker of the Dominica Parliament AlixBoyd-Knights for suspendingeight Opposition legislators last year. Members of the main Opposition United Workers Party (UWP speaker to court in January 2007 claiming that their rights wer e being infringed and pr otested her decision to make amendments to ques tions on the Or der Paper . In hisruling Justice Davidson Baptiste said thatSpeaker BoydKnights hadacted within her rights when she suspended the legislators. “I feel vindicated more than anything else,” an elated Boyd-Knights said, adding that she was pr epar ed to bur y the hatchet and extend an olive branch to the Opposition. But UWP Earl W illiams said that he was dissatisfiedwith the r uling. “I have a lot of respect for judge Baptiste but just to say at this time I respectfully disagree with his judgement,” Williams, a lawyer, said. Barrow is Belize’s first black P.M.Court backs speaker over suspension of Opposition 22 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2008 POLITICS POLITICS www.caribbeantoday.com Spencer Barro w King CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 22

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KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has reiterat-ed his decision not to step down from office amid allegations that he raped a 36-year-old police woman. “Allegations did not put me in office, real flesh and bloodpeople, stuf fed with dignity put me in of fice,” Gonsalves said as his ruling Unity Labour Party (ULPstation late last month. “This period has been a challenging one but leadership which cannot countenance challenges and meet them firmly, resolutely, and beat back these challenges is a leadership which does not deserve to be leading a great party like this one,” Gonsalves said, reiterating his commitment to continue serving as prime minister. DENIAL Gonsalves, 61, has “cate gorically” denied the charges leveled against him by the police of ficer and Dir ector of Public Pr osecution (DPP Colin Williams last month dropped the charges on the grounds that they would not stand up in a court of law. But lawyers for the police woman filed two private crimi-nal complaints of indecentassault and unlawful sexual intercourse without consent against Gonsalves. High Cour t judge, Justice Ger tel Thom, will on Mar. 11 rule on whether or not the DPP decision to take over and discontinue the rape chargesagainst the prime minister would be r eviewed. Gonsalves said that the new radio station, “Star FM”, would be used to improve the socioeconomic well being of citizens. Former government Minister Sir Vincent Beache is chairman of the new radioentity that Housing Minister Senator Julian Francis, who is also the ULP general secretary,said would put “fear in thebelly of the Opposition.” The ULP enjoys a 12 to three majority in Parliament.General elections ar e due in 2010. MIAMI – Cuban Americans in South Florida reacted modestly to news that Fidel Castro has stepped down as Cuba’sof ficial leader. Small gr oups of Cuban Americans in the Miami area staged modest celebrationslast month, but they and manyexiled leaders said they still yearned for democracy on theSpanish-speakingCaribbeanisland and afundamentaltransfor ma tion of its economic system. e have to realize thatuntil he isdead, ther e is not going to be that much of achange,” said Miami Congressman Mario DiazBalart, speaking from the city’s Little Havana. “Just because he has given up a title, doesn’t mean he has given up power,” headded. Raul Matinez, another Cuban American in LittleHavana, concur red. “Just because he resigned doesn’ t mean things will change,” he said. “Maybe when Fidel dies, his commu-nist vision will die with him.” CHANGE SIGNS Admiral James Stavridis, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, the Pentagon’s headquarters for military operations in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean,said his staf f was monitoring events in Cuba and its waters, but reported no unusual activity. ”Fidel Castro’s resignation is another sign that change is underway in Cuba,” Stavridissaid. “Ultimately , of course, the Cuban people will char t the course for their country, hopefully finding their way to full democracy with free and fairelections.” Barry Bena, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, said therewas no incr ease in traffic between Cuba and SouthFlorida in the Florida Straits. s business as usual, no change in operations,” he said. However, last month a small group of Cuban Americans gathered in the heart of Little Havana, waving flags, honking car hornsand chanting slogans. “I want my Cuba free, I want to die in my countryshouted Miguel Ber uvides, 75. Rafael Rodriguez, an alar m company technician in Miami, expressed skepticism that any real change in Cuba was on the horizon. “That’ s old news, ever y one expected it,” he said about Castro’s resignation. Meantime, the four major presidential candidates welcomed the news of Castro’s resignation, but said it was farfr om the real change that Cuba needed. New Y ork Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton said Cuba’s newleaders “facea stark choice:continue withthe failedpolicies of thepast that have stifled demo-cratic fr ee doms and stunted economic growth, ortake a historic step to bringCuba into the community ofdemocratic nations. “The people of Cuba want to seize this oppor tunity for real change, and so must we,” she added. Illinois Democratic Senator Barack Obama called Castro’s resignation “sadly insufficient in bringing free-dom to Cuba.” Arizona Senator John McCain, the Republicans’ presidential frontrunner,called Castr s resignation an event “nearly a half century over due.” And former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee called for “free and fair elec-tions.” Gonsalves vows to stay on as St.Vincent’s P.M. BRADES, Montserrat, CMC A new government of national unity took office in this British Overseas Territory on Feb. 22, less than 24 hours after Chief Minister Dr. Lowell Lewis asked Governor Peter Waterworth to revoke theappointments of two of hisministers. Former Chief Minister Reuben Meade and CharlesKir non, members of the Movement for Change and Pr osperity (MCAP sworn in at a brief ceremony. They r eplaced Mar gar et Dyer Howe and Idabelle Meade, members of the New People’ s Liberation Movement (NPLM Meade r eplaces Dyer Howe as the minister of agricul ture, lands, housing and the environment, while Kirnon assumes the communications and works por tfolios. NPLM Leader John Osbor ne r emains as education and health minister. STRUGGLES Lewis, the only member of his Montser rat Democratic Party (MDPParliament, said the move became necessary because of leadership struggles within his Cabinet that came to a head during a recent meeting to discuss the allocation of resources for the upcoming budget presentation. The chief minister said because Osborne, a former chief minister, refused to be part of any plot to remove him as leader, he was open to keeping him in the Cabinet. The new coalition government, with support of the fourMCAP parliamentarians, has a six to three majority in the Legislative Council, theisland’ s Parliament. The other MCAP legislators ar e par ty Leader Roslyn Cassell-Sealy and Easton Farrell. “For the first time we have something that I wanted to do fr om the beginning, which is to have a government of national unity because myteam now includes the thr ee par ties that contested the last general elections,” said Lewis. Cassell-Sealy said her par ty’ s decision was taken in the best inter est of the vol cano-af fected island. Meantime, the future of the NPLM hangs in the bal-ance with indications that Osborne, who has dominated the party’s leadership, wouldbe bowing out of active politics at the end of the current fiveyear term. But he has agreed to continue serving as a minister until the end of March and has pledged to support the government as a backbencher. New gov’t of national unity takes office in MontserratModest U.S.reaction in wake of Castro’s resignation ST . GEORGE’S, Gr enada, CMC – A senior Grenada government minister saysCaribbean countries that havechanged administrations inr ecent months have not bene fited from the change and “the situation has gottenworse” in some cases. “In ever y countr y so far , the cost of living has gone up,” said Economic Developmentand Planning MinisterAnthony Boatswain. “Soalthough ther e has been change at the political level, ther e has been no change in the quality of life of the people.” Boatswain, speaking last month at the endorsement a rally for Fitzroy Bedeau, thefor mer policecommissioner, who is the candidate of the ruling New National Party (NNPthe St. John’s constituency, dismissed the socalled “winds of change” blowing across the Caribbean resulting in the change of governments in at least six regional states. “What has been happening, we have been having an unfortunate hostile wind blowing throughout theCaribbean,” he said. “A hos tile wind resulting in higher prices, a hostile wind r esulting in even some undesirables getting into governments. “I can tell you what we want in Gr enada and the Caribbean is not a wind of change, but achange in thewind that hasbeen blowingin the region...that iswhat we want.W e want a gentler and friendlierwind, we wanta change in the economic and global environment so at leastwe could bring better life toour people. “Changing the political system alone cannot guarantee us an improvement in thequality of life of our people,” he added. Boatswain told supporters that many persons wer e now regretting having changed their governments and urgedGr enadians not to “do that same mistake in the not too distant futur e.” GLOBAL Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has hinted that he would call the general elections in November, but political parties here say it is likelythat the polls would be calledat an earlier date. Boatswain said that the forces “causing the problemswith our economy have littleor nothing to do with thepolitical system” and blamed the global environment for thesituation. “Ther e is ver y little we can do to change that environment,” he said. “There is verylittle we can do to change theprice of oil. Ther e is ver y little we can do to change the price of basic food commodities.” Caribbean countries not better off with new go v’ts ~ Grenada minister March 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 23 POLITICS POLITICS www .caribbeantoday.com Obama Diaz-Balart Boa ts wain CTMar2008.qxd 3/6/08 6:03 PM Page 23

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