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NOVEMBER 2008



O Oc LfD
YJ|U~~~ ^Y@


o u r


% o r I d


Vol. 19 No. 12


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


Grenadian
sociologist
Claude Douglas
argues that the
Caribbean's
attitude to
homosexuality
is changing
and tolerance
has increased significantly. He
blames that partly on America'sCA
cultural invasion of the
Caribbean, page 8.D.i

How does
Caribbean
visual and lit-
erary art
shape cultural...r-
identity? Is Ge g.. ....
there artistic oe h.C a
value in
Jamaican
dancehall? Is
skin bleaching and hair straight-
ening forms of artistic expres-
sion? These and other questions
were explored by critic and
writer Annie Paul at a sympo-
sium in Miami, page 17. ,.
9 ...F......


Former sprint World Champion
Lauryn Williams, of the United .16 Health ..22
States, believes the prolonged.12 Arts/Entertainment .17 Region/Politics .....23
backlash against Jamaica's......9 Tourism/Travel .....15 Sport..............19
successful outing at the recent
Olympic Games is totally
unjust, page 19.


INSIDE
News .............. 2 Local/FYI .......... 11 Business .......... 16 Health ............ 22
Feature ............. 7 Caribbean Foods ...12 Arts/Entertainment .17 Region/Politics ..... 23
Viewpoint .......... 9 Tourism/Travel ..... 15 Sport .............. 19


W e


c o v e









- usw^caribbeantody..c.I


MIAMI Haitian President
Rend Preval has reiterated his
fervent appeal to United
States President George W.
Bush to grant temporary pro-
tected status (TPS) to Haitians
living illegally in the U.S.
Prival's call came at a
time when the French-speak-
ing Caribbean country faces a
massive task to rebuild in the
aftermath of a series of deadly
storms, which killed nearly
800 people and also destroyed
homes, crops and infrastruc-
ture. It also came against the
backdrop of a recent decision
by U.S. immigration officials
to temporarily halt the depor-
tation of Haitians.
Preval cautioned against a
resumption of deportations
because of the economic chal-
lenges faced by Port-au-Prince.
"This is a chance for the
U.S. administration to put in
place for Haitians, the tempo-
rary protected status that has
already been granted to other
countries in the region,"


Pr6val told the Americas
Conference in Coral Gables,
Florida last month.
Pr6val said while he had
personally told Bush about his
deep concerns, he will again
write him on
the matter.

PUSH
Two
Florida
Democratic
congressmen
have been
pushing the Prbval
Bush adminis-
tration to per-
manently cease deportation
of Haitians because of the
hardship being experienced
in the impoverished country.
Kendrick Meek and Alcee L.
Hastings, strong Haitian advo-
cates, have assailed the admin-
istration's policy on Haiti, stat-
ing that Haitians have, for too
long, been victimized by
Washington's "double stan-
dard" immigration policies.


CARIBBEAN TODAY


n e WS


Meek, who last month led a
delegation of U.S. legislators on
a fact-finding mission to Haiti,
said it was unconscionable that
the White House had continued
to deport Haitians while the
country suffers.
"It's gone far beyond rea-
son for the administration not
to give Haiti some relief," he
said.
Meek, who represents
Miami, said Haiti "over-quali-
fies" for TPS, bestowed when
the U.S. government deter-
mines eligible nationals are
temporarily unable to safely
return to their home country
because of ongoing conflicts,
environmental disasters or
other "extraordinary and tem-
porary conditions."
Hastings, who represents
the city of Miramar, outside
Miami, said, in his letter to
Bush, that Haiti can "hardly
sustain the lives of those cur-
rently living within its borders."
0


November 2008


Grenada's P.M. meets Bush


President Preval calls for U.S.


to end deportations to Haiti


WASHINGTON Grenada's
Prime Minister Tillman
Thomas last month held talks
with United States President
George W. Bush, with trade,
security and climate change
foremost among their con-
cerns.
"We are not only neigh-
bors but we share a common
tradition, so we are concerned
about the security of the
region, trade and climate
change," said Thomas after
meeting with the president for
just about half an hour at the
White House.
Thomas, who recently
took over the leadership reins
in Grenada also used the
opportunity to appeal to the
U.S. president, who demits
office in January next year, for
support in the restoration of
his country's centuries-old
Parliament building that was
destroyed by Hurricane Ivan
in 2004.
"I regard that as a very
important institution within
the democratic system and it
seems as if President Bush
sees it as a priority too, so it is


NEW YORK A United
States court has sentenced for-
mer Haitian paramilitary leader
Emmanuel Constant to up to
37 years in prison for his role in
a mortgage fraud scheme in
New York that bilked lenders
out of more than $1 million.
In his sentencing remarks
late last month, Justice
Abraham G. Gerges, of the
State Supreme Court in
Brooklyn, linked Constant to
the American foreclosure cri-
sis and the current global eco-
nomic turmoil.


"This case, while serious
in and of itself, takes on an
added resonance given the
current global financial crisis,"
he said.
"While the defendant and
his confederates cannot be
held accountable for the
nationwide economic melt-
down and the foreclosure cri-
sis, this scheme, and others
like it, have played a role in
the situation."
Constant's lawyer Samuel
Karliner planned to appeal.
0


JUDITH HUDSON

SGentle, quiet, always
ready to help," Clovealy
Irving beamed with pride
as she described her son.
Her words rang true as
Barrington Irving gladly
stopped to take pictures with
anyone who asked. He
indulged the young mother
screaming out from the crowd
that her son wanted to meet
him, and the teacher speaking
on behalf of her mentally-
challenged students who des-
perately wanted to take a pic-
ture with their hero.
It was only a year ago that
the 24-year-old Irving made his-
tory as he circled the globe in a
single-engine aircraft. Not only
was he the youngest person to
achieve that feat, but Irving was
also the only Jamaican-born
African American to do so.
No wonder, therefore, that
on Oct. 16, thousands con-
verged at the Opa-Locka
Airport in South Florida to
celebrate another of Irving's
achievements building a sin-
gle-engine plane in 10 weeks
with the help of 60 students
from Norland and Carol City
high schools. This time Irving's
flight was not around the
world, but around the airport,
showcasing their creation.
The students were select-
ed as a part of Irving's "Build
and Soar" aviation program
designed to encourage inner-


city youth and minority stu-
dents to pursue careers in avi-
ation and aerospace.
"We had an open door
policy," Irving said of the stu-
*--


dents. "We weren't interested
in their past, just what they
wanted to do now and in the
future."

HARD WORK
The students appear will-
ing to go along. Thomas
Nelson, a 15-year-old from
Norland who helped build the
plane, said he always wanted
to be a pilot.
"Hard work will pay off,"
he said. "Barrington is the
greatest person now in avia-
tion, and to get the opportuni-
ty to work with him was great.
I hope that I get to work with
him next year."


Kenneth Mack, 15, also
from Norland, agreed that
hard work paid off.
"It was hard work putting
the plane together," Mack
said. "We stopped and rested,
but we continued until it was
finished."
Irving has no plans to go
around the world, at least not
on another solo flight. Instead,
he dreams of working with at-
risk children. He wants them
to know that they can accom-
plish whatever they desire.
"I want them to look at
me and realize that if I can
achieve my dream, they can
too," he said.
His mission will also take
him to Jamaica where youths
there will be able to share in
his vision.
"My dreams started when
I met a Jamaican pilot named
Gary Robinson," Irving
remembered. "He asked me
if I wanted to be a pilot; if it
weren't for him I would not be
here today."
Miami Commissioner
Barbara J. Jordan, said
Irving's speech and manner-
ism make him seem much
older than in his 20s.
"He is an inspiration just
like the plane said," Jordan
exclaimed.

Judith Hudson is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


a matter we are going to fol-
low up on," he said.

CRISIS
The meeting also touched
on the current global financial
crisis, in particular high food
and fuel costs with Bush
inquiring after the welfare of
ordinary Grenadians.
Overall, Thomas, who is
the current chairman of the
Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS),
characterized the day's delib-
erations as ini rLiing" and
said he looked forward to
strengthening and deepening
of the relationship between
the U.S. and the Caribbean.
It was Thomas's first visit
to Washington since he led
his National Democratic
Congress to victory in general
elections on July 8, defeating
the Keith Mitchell-led New
National Party that had gov-
erned the island since 1995.
In March, the newly elect-
ed leaders of The Bahamas,
Barbados and Belize also met
with the U.S. leader.
0


Haitian strongman jailed

for fraud in New York


Jamaican-born pilot helps Miami


students 'Build and Soar'





November 2008


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


Obama whips McCain, sweeps into U.S. White House


GORDON WILLIAMS
Democrat Barack
Obama, campaigning
on a platform of
change and an end to politics
that has divided his nation,
convincingly swept aside the
challenge of Republican John
McCain to become the 44th
president of the United States
and the first African
American to hold the coun-
try's highest office.
Obama,
the 47-year-old
senator from

a black
African father
and a white
American
mother, fin-
ished the Nov. Obama
4 election with
349 electoral votes to
McCain's 163. He only
required 270 votes for the his-
, -- toric win that


McCain


ended eight
years of
Republican
rule in the
U.S. Obama
also tallied
over 63 million
of the popular
vote to just
under 56 mil-


lion for McCain.
President-elect Obama
will be officially sworn into
the White House on Jan. 20.
Running mate, Delaware
Senator Joe Biden, will be his
vice president.
Riding a wave of high
U.S. voter turnout, especially
among young people and
minorities that included over-
whelming support from
Caribbean Americans, many
who stood several hours in
line to cast their vote, Obama
rolled into the Oval Office
fueled by key promises to
deliver a tax system that will
benefit the middle class, an
improved health care policy,
access to better education for
all, and a reversal of a linger-
ing threat of economic doom
in the nation.
A massive, well-drilled
organization and some three
million money contributors
boosted a campaign that
stressed unity between people
of different political beliefs,
ethnic backgrounds and eco-
nomic status. That translated
into a huge margin of victory.
It also sparked positive emo-
tions that better times were
ahead for America.
"It feels like hope won,"
popular U.S. talk show host
Oprah Winfrey told a televi-
sion reporter.

UNITY
When Obama took the
stage in his home state of


Illinois minutes before mid-
night on Nov. 4, and shortly
after John McCain acknowl-
edged defeat from his state of
Arizona, the president-elect at
once embraced the signifi-
cance of his accomplishment
while pledging to be the presi-
dent for all Americans, not
just his supporters.
"Out of many we are
one," he said in a similar mes-


sage to Jamaica's motto "Out
Of Many One People".
Millions of people in the
Caribbean and around the
world appeared to openly cel-
ebrate Obama's victory.
Hundreds gathered in front of
the White House in
Washington D.C. when it
became clear he had won.
Obama sounded a note of
hope for countries elsewhere


too, including the Caribbean,
indicating that the U.S. under
his leadership would be part
of their struggle for better
global relations.
"To all watching from
beyond our shores," Obama
said, "...our story is singular,
but our destiny is shared."
He zoomed in on his own
nation, and talked about peo-
ple like Atlanta's Ann Nixon


Cooper, who at 106 had lived
through an era when African
Americans were not even
allowed to vote, but who
could now witness one
become president.
"It's been long time com-
ing, but tonight change has
come to America," said
Obama in an acceptance
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


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- usw^caribbeantody..c.I


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


November 2008


Caribbean Americans celebrate

Obama's election victory


JUDITH HUDSON
Caribbean Americans,
eager for change in
their adopted home-
land, have enthusiastically
embraced Barack Obama's
successful bid to become pres-
ident of the United States.
According to several
interviewed by Caribbean
Today on election night, Nov.
4, they voted for a candidate
who will make life better for
them and their relatives, one
who they hope will not forget
them when he settles in the
White House and not sweep
their issues aside but will tack-
le them head-on.
"For the economy to stabi-
lize, we have to first choose a
good kad, r, said Irwine
Clare, the Jamaican-born man-
aging director of Caribbean
Immigrant Services in New
York, who said that he always
believed that Obama was the
better candidate to become
president.
"We have chosen a leader
not only for the United States
but for the world, one who
will now bring everyone to the
table."
Clare said it is still unclear
about Obama's immigration
policy, but he believes that the
Caribbean community will
benefit if it works with other
racial groups.
"Right now, I don't think


we have done enough in
America to get special obliga-
tion," he said. "We must ask
ourselves, 'are we doing
enough to make an impact on
this nation, are we at the level
to demand change'. I don't
think we are."
Clare also added that
whatever happens it is a great
time to be in the U.S.
"Barack is the first
African American president,
and if he can do it, as a child
with immigration background,
that makes me believe that I
can do anything," he said.
"This is history in the mak-
ing."

'ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE'
Patrick Beckford, chair-
man of Jamaica Diaspora
organization in the U.S. north-
east region, agreed.
"Words cannot express
how I feel," Beckford said on
Nov. 4. "Look at what is hap-
pening. I picked my daughter
up today from college and I can
now tell her that anything is
possible, anything can happen."
Beckford said that many
young people voted because
they believe they have a voice
and can be a part of the deci-
sion-making. But he too was
not sure where President
Obama will stand on immigra-
tion.
"He has a Caribbean affairs
advisor," Beckford said, "so I


think we might get some help
from him."
Yet Pauline Walters, a
businesswoman, said that she
voted for Obama because of
his stand on immigration.
"Senator Obama voted in
favor of giving illegal aliens
amnesty," she said.
Walters added that the
Democrat will need time to fix
the economy and other prob-
lems that the U.S. faces, but
the first step was to put him
in the White House instead of
Republican opponent John
McCain.
PrLidL u-elect Obama is
the best person to set us free,"
she said. "He will restore all
that is lost. He is the only
American politician who went
to Germany and got such a
reception. Barack brings new
ideas, while McCain has none."
Sara Williams, a retired
elementary school teacher said
she cried when Obama won.
"We have come a long
way," she said, "from the cot-
ton fields to the White House.
This is what we have dreamed
about, but thought it was
impossible. Now that our
dreams has come through we
need time to take it in, then
we must get ready to work."

Judith Hudson is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


Obama whips McCain, sweeps into U.S. White House


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
speech often punctuated by
chants of "Yes we can!" from
the estimated 200,000-plus
people who gathered in Grant
Park, Chicago.
In a sober but command-
ing tone Obama hardly
acknowledged an often hostile
campaign, in which his oppo-
nent's camp linked him to ter-
rorists and a socialist philoso-
phy and questioned his fitness
to lead the nation, to credit
McCain and ask for his help
to move the U.S. forward.
"This is our moment," he
said, repeating a line from his
campaign trail. "This is our
time."
Long before election
night Obama's message had
indeed started to change the
way American's view politics.
Several senior Republicans,
included former Secretary of
State Colin Powell, a son of
Jamaican parents, openly
endorsed Obama, the first
senator since John F Kennedy
to take the Oval Office. After
the election they remained
confident Obama could carry
out his mandate.
"What he did in this cam-
paign was be all-inclusive,"


Powell told one news organi-
zation, "...to bridge the gap
between generations."
Obama said he was deter-
mined to "heal the divide that
held back our progress."

BUSH'S BURDEN
Outgoing President
George W. Bush led the U.S.
for two terms, which culminat-
ed in the country's worst eco-
nomic crisis possibly in a cen-
tury and his own personal
popularity plunging among
the lowest ever for a sitting
U.S. leader. That appeared to
weigh heavily on McCain's
campaign. Other stumbling
blocks, revealed by several
national polls, included the
Republican Party's consistent
negative campaigning and
McCain's choice of Alaskan
Governor Sarah Palin as his
vice presidential running
mate.
The growing unpopularity
of the U.S. involvement in
two wars did not help the
Republican. Neither did
McCain's a long time senator
and respected ex-military man
- failure to convince the
majority of Americans he
offered the best solution to


the nation's economic woes
and his inconsistent shows of
leadership which the Obama
campaign often described as
erratic. McCain humbly
accepted the voters' decision.
"The American people
have spoken and they have
spoken clearly," he said.
The Arizona senator was
gracious in defeat, congratu-
lating his opponent and prom-
ising to help him rebuild
America. McCain also
acknowledged the "special
significance" of Obama's win.
"Senator Obama has
achieved a great thing for
himself and his country," said
McCain during his concession
speech.
Obama signaled his intent
to hasten the transition from
the Bush administration. He
had reportedly long decided
on key team members, includ-
ing a chief of staff. His job, he
said, required urgent attention.
"Victory alone is not the
change we seek," Obama said,
"It's the chance to make that
change."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.


Obama proved popular to voters in South Florida and the entire U.S.


Fashion from the islands


hit The Bahamas catwalk


GORDON WILLIAMS

NASSAU, The Bahamas -
Fashion creativity in the
Caribbean is fast becoming seri-
ous business for designers from
around the world, and The
Bahamas is stepping boldly
onto the catwalk, hoping to cap-
italize on that growing interest.
The Caribbean chain
staged "Islands of the World
Fashion Week" (IWFW) from
Nov. 5-8 here and, according
to its organizers, the aim is to
transform entrepreneurial
spirit of the region into real
recognition and earnings.
"If you look at a number
of the established designers
around the world, they look at
other cultures in terms of
transporting and importing a
lot of the designs etc. from
other cultures into their fash-
ions and you see it on the cat-
walks in Paris, in London,
wherever," Owen Bethel,
president of Mode Iles, an
affiliate of a financial services
operation which produced
IWFW, explained to
Caribbean Today on the eve
of the four-day extravaganza.
"...And so what I saw
was really to bring to value to
the economies of the
(Caribbean) countries, to the
countries those designs origi-
nate from...That's why I refer
to it as the business of fashion
as opposed to simply the
entertainment of fashion."
To prove its point, IWFW
advertised some 30 garment
and accessories designers from
11 islands, many in the
Caribbean but some from as
far away as Fiji, Indonesia and
Madagascar.
International guest
designers, including Peter
Ingwersen, of Noir Illuminati
II from Denmark, and Nick
Verreos of Nikolaki in the
United States, were also slat-


ed to show.
Despite a disappointing
late start to the first day, the
show unfurled into a steady
flow of tropical-flavored
designs. Haitian David Andre's
line of "Sea, Sex, Sun" starting
the event rolling, followed by
presentations from Darcel De
Vlugt and hometown girl
Christine Demeritte. Yet the
Caribbean will need a greater
push along the runway to
carve out a sizeable niche.
"To be honest with you, I
don't think that the Caribbean


Photograph by Demetrius Francis
Bahamian Apryl Weech leads a group of
models on the catwalk during "Islands of
the World Fashion Week"

has really presented itself sig-
nificantly in the world of fash-
ion," Bethel admitted.
"We have some fantastic
designers, but I think what
has happened.. .is that it has
not gone to the next level of
business, as such, outside in
the international market... As
a region, I don't think we
have gone anywhere near the
force that we have and the
potential that we have."
The world is waiting... at
the end of the runway.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0





CARIBBEAN TODAY


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CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


November 2008


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Guyana's Home
Affairs Minister Clement
Rohee has accused the
United States Embassy of
blowing the crime situation
out of proportion, after a
warning was issued to
American citizens about an
upsurge of crime in the coun-
try.
The report, issued
through the Overseas Security
Advisory Council (OSAC),
said the U.S. was aware of the
recent increase in robberies at
local gas stations, including
those often frequented by
U.S. Embassy personnel in
Georgetown.
"Due to a rise in criminal
activity during the hours of


darkness, the U.S. Embassy is
recommending that its
employees fill
their gas tanks
during day-
light hours
only", the
advisory stat-
ed.
"Private
U.S. citizens in
Guyana may Rohee
wish to heed
this same advice".

'INACCURATE'
However, Rohee late last
month described the U.S.
report as inaccurate, saying
there have not been any
recent attacks on gas stations.
He acknowledged that there


were minor criminal activities,
but said the security forces
were fully prepared to tackle
these problems.
Rohee further noted that
in recent times there have
been no attacks on overseas-
based Guyanese, labeling the
U.S. report as yet another
attempt to "blow out of pro-
portion" the crime situation in
Guyana.
The minister also chided
the department, ui-_'lin--
there were other countries in
the region with a worse crime
situation than Guyana. He
called on the U.S. to consult
with Guyanese authorities
before making wild and irrele-
vant assumptions.
0


CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC -
An American biology student
was released from hospital
here on Oct. 26 following his
dramatic rescue from Petit
Piton St. Lucia's landmark
2,461 foot mountain.
Mark Francis Heinmann,
21, of the New York College,
was among a party of students
who came to St. Lucia for the
"L. m "IL r-at-sea program"
and made the climb up the
Piton. However, officials say
he ran into difficulty on his
way down, slipping 200 feet
down the slope and landing on
a ledge from which he had to
be rescued.
The student suffered
dehydration, bruises to his


body and a pain in his shoul-
der, but appeared to be in
good spirits.
The entire ordeal lasted
more than 12 hours as the
French Coast Guard Rescue
Helicopter, stationed on near-
by Martinique, had to be
mobilized by way of a request
by the United States Embassy
in Barbados.
Several local agencies
were also involved in the res-
cue, including the National
Emergency Management
Organisation (NEMO), the St.
Lucia Fire Service, St. Lucia
Helicopters, the Soufriere
Disaster Committee and the
Royal St. Lucia Police Force.
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Cubans to get U.N. food aid


NEW YORK The United
Nations says close to two mil-
lion Cubans affected by recent
hurricanes Gustav and Ike will
receive vital assistance under
its World Food Program
(WFP) over the next six
months.
Under the newly-
approved emergency opera-
tion, WFP will provide $5.7
million in food rations, includ-
ing rice, beans, vegetable oil,
canned fish and CSB, a blend-
ed food compound of maize
and soy fortified with vitamins
and minerals.
The agency's efforts are in
support of the Cuban govern-
ment as it responds to commu-
nities needing food assistance
in areas that bore the brunt of
hurricane damage in late
August and early September.


"WFP is playing an
important role helping people
who suffered great losses in
the storms," said Sonsoles
Ruedas, WFP representative
in Cuba.
In addition to the rations,
WFP will supply temporary
food storage warehouses and
liquid gas stoves to people
who lost cooking facilities in
the storms.
A series of hurricanes -
Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike -
killed hundreds of people and
caused billions of dollars of
damage to infrastructure
across the Caribbean.
In addition to Cuba, Haiti
and the Turks and Caicos
Islands were among the hard-
est hit.
0


WASHINGTON Caribbean
American Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke has called
on the George W. Bush
administration to increase aid
to Haiti in the wake of
destruction by a recent series
of storms.
Clarke, the daughter of
Jamaican immigrants who rep-
resents the 11th Congressional
District in Brooklyn, told the
Caribbean Media Corporation
before departing for Haiti
recently that more needs to be
done to help the French-
speaking Caribbean country.
"We cannot allow this sit-
uation of poverty, disease, and
vulnerability to the elements
to continue unanswered," said
Clarke, who was part of a
United States Congressional
delegation which went on a
two-day visit to Haiti to


"physically examine the dam-
age on the ground."

MORE AID
Clarke, the representative
for the largest Congressional
district of Caribbean immi-
grants in the U.S., has joined
her Congressional colleagues
in asking Speaker of the U.S.
House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi to provide an
appropriation of at least $300
million in disaster assistance
for Haiti in the Supplemental
Appropriations Bill.
The U.S. Agency for
International Development
(USAID) has nearly doubled
the amount of humanitarian
assistance to Haiti from $10
million, announced on Sept. 8,
to $19.5 million.
0


Home affairs minister dismisses

U.S. report on crime in Guyana


U.S. student rescued

from St. Lucia ordeal


HERO IN THE HOUSE


Photograph by Derrick Scott/JIS
Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding, left, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel
Insulza stand next to a statue of Jamaica's first National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey during the prime minister's recent visit to
Washington D.C. in the United States where Golding paid a courtesy call on Insulza. The statue is on display in the foyer of the OAS
headquarters. The OAS recently passed a resolution to name its cultural hall in honor of Garvey.



irm, Hi I


Caribbean American congresswoman

wants more aid for struggling Haiti


I www.casthelyortho.com





CARIBBEAN TODAY


F nT U R 6


r6ww -arbbentda.com


Caribbean tourism responds positively to climate change


DAWN A. DAVIS
Responding to climate
change is no longer an
option for Caribbean
tourism practitioners and prop-
erty owners.
Global warming is destroy-
ing coral reefs, creating more
frequent and ferocious storms,
and raising sea levels. This
issue is affecting how hoteliers
and attractions are doing busi-
ness, sparking strategies aimed
at keeping small island nations'
bread-and-butter economies
alive.
"Without a doubt, climate
change can bring about a total
reversal of development,"
warned Jamaica's Minister of
Tourism Edmund Barlett at a
recent seminar on Climate
Change and Tourism held at
the Ritz Carlton Resort in
Montego Bay, Jamaica.
According to the United
Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO),
world tourism is responsible
for four percent to six percent
of total global emissions and
could grow by 150 percent
over the next 30 years. The


UNWTO report also found
tourism flows could be affected
in climate-sensitive regions
such as the Mediterranean,
Southeast Asia, and the
Crihlljnii, events that could
cripple the sector.
The urgency of the prob-
lem is underscored by findings
from the Inter-governmental
Panel on Climate Change
warning that global tempera-
tures could rise by 1.8 degree
Celsius to 4.0 degree Celsius
by the end of the 21st century
if greenhouse gas emissions are
not reduced. Added to this is
the fact that tourism is highly
climate-sensitive and, there-
fore, vulnerable to these disas-
trous changes.
"It therefore seems that
making Jamaica and the region
carbon neutral destinations is
an imperative. The C(,rihlbbin i
carbon intensity relative to
GDP is currently the world's
highest," Bartlett said in his
address to stakeholders at the
ministry-sponsored seminar.

GOV'T RESPONSE
Jamaica's Ministry of
Tourism has answered the call


by adopting the Davos
Declaration principles reached
among members of the
UNWTO at its climate change


such as the Office of Disaster
Preparedness and Emergency
Management and the National
MET service was one of the ini-


Photograph by Dawn A. Davis
Resorts like The Palms Negril in Jamaica are doing their part to preserve the
Caribbean's environment.


conference last year. The min-
istry will thus integrate climate
change polices and practices
into its Sustainable Tourism
Master Plan at its mid-term
review.
Partnering with agencies


tiatives the ministry believed
was needed to insi.. IL a more
integrated sense of environmen-
tal awareness". Out of that was
borne a Tourism Emergency
Management Committee to
focus on the sector's response to


disasters.
At the ground level, the
Ministry of Tourism along
with the Tourism Product
Development Company created
programs such as Spruce Up
Jamaica and the Intercoastal
Cleanup Project designed to
harness the interest and actions
of the entire population through
awareness and eco-friendly
practices.
Tourism's collaboration
with the Ministry of Energy is
also a signal of the govern-
ment's commitment to develop
alternate sources of energy
such as ethanol and bio-diesel.
The ministry also outlined the
sector's investigation into car-
bon markets and the potential
of selling carbon offsets for
credits. Carbon off-setting sim-
ply means the greenhouse gas
emissions that is created in one
area, for example from an air-
line flight, can be offset by
reducing emissions in another
area by planting a tree, for
example.
The Jamaican government
is also encouraging the adoption

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)


Recognition battle rages on in Grenada at U.S. invasion milestone


ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada -
The words from former United
States First Lady Nancy Reagan
echoed to a captive audience a
stone's throw away from where
a battle waged between U.S.
marines and Grenadian soldiers
25 years ago.
The man who made the
call to the U.S. former
Governor General Sir Paul
Scoon Prime Minister Tillman
Thomas, as well as veterans of
the war, were part of the audi-
ence at last month's ceremony
rededicating a monument for
19 American soldiers killed in
the war.
"I can hardly believe 25
years have passed since my hus-
band received that early morn-
ing call for help from the gover-
nor (general) of Grenada,"
recalled Reagan in a letter read
by U.S. Ambassador to
Barbados and the Eastern
Caribbean Mary Ourisman.
"Authorizing military force is
an extremely difficult decision
for a president to make, but my
husband didn't hesitate."
The ceremony, a highlight
of the national Thanksgiving
Day, occurred just outside the
Point Salines International air-
port where Cubans and
Grenadians fought side by side
to repel U.S. marines arriving
on helicopter gunships.

UPHEAVALS
The invasion, supported by
the Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS),
Jamaica and Barbados, came at
the peak of political upheavals
brought on by a split in the
People's Revolutionary


Government (PRG) of former
Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.
Bishop, who was placed
under house arrest by the PRG
faction opposed to him, was
later rescued by supporters

were massa-
cred by the fir-
ing squad
which execut-
ed the revolu-
tionary leader
and some of
his Cabinet
colleagues. Bishop
In 1979,
former Prime
Minister Eric Gairy was ousted
in a bloodless coup and the
Marxist-Leninist PRG came to
power, headed by Bishop. Under
his leadership, Grenada aligned
itself with Cuba and other Soviet
bloc countries, which alarmed
the U.S. and other Caribbean
nations. Following the bloody
events of Oct. 19, 1983, the day
Bishop was killed, a dust-to-
dawn curfew was announced by
a Revolutionary Military
Council (RMC) headed by for-
mer Deputy Prime Minister
Bernard Coard.

CONTENTION
The pomp and pageantry
of the rededication ceremony
and the high-ranking officials
present may have sustained the
high profile nature of the
American tribute. However,
recognition of the events of
Oct. 1983 has been an issue of
lingering contention and per-
haps political currency here as
well. A recent government
announcement to work with


Cuba to erect a monument in
honor of the 24 Cuban con-
structions workers who died
during the invasion has angered
sections of the population.
The Cuban monument will
be funded by Havana and is
expected to be erected near the
Point Salines Airport built main-
ly by workers from the Spanish-
speaking Caribbean island.
The rededication of the
American monument, and
plans for a Cuban monument
are bound to fan the flames of
debate over similar tribute to
fallen local soldiers. Cuban
trained medical practitioner
and former leader of the now
defunct Maurice Bishop


Patriotic Movement (MBPM)
Dr. Terrence Marryshow has
been a leading campaigner for
recognition of Oct. 19 and the
soldiers who died.
"On October 25th we
commemorate the lives of
those who invaded us, but our
soldiers who died giving their
lives in defense of the country
for whatever reason.. .what
they did was patriotic.. .they
died defending Grenada's
Independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity," com-
plained Marryshow, who now
leads the Maurice Bishop and
October Martyrs Foundation,
(MBOMF).
Some political pundits


here believe the chances of
state tribute to soldiers of the
People's Revolutionary Army
(PRA), who died defending
Grenada, has increased since
the new Thomas administra-
tion took office following the
July 8 general elections. Many
of the key players of the new
government were members of
the PRG as well as its political
arm, the New Jewel Movement
(NJM). Recently, amid public
debate on the subject, Junior
Culture Minister Arley Gill
announced that some form of
tribute would be paid.


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


- usw^caribbeantody..c.I


F nT U R 6


Caribbean's gay uprising sparks heated debate


RAWLE TITUS
Fngers pointing to the sky
are shaped in the form of
guns. Imaginary triggers
are squeezed as crowds of par-
tygoers react with approval to a
popular song by Jamaican
dancehall icon Buju Banton at
Grenada's top nightclub
Fantazia.
"Boom bye bye in ah
batty boy head, Rude boy nah
promote dem nasty man, dem
ha fi dead", Banton's contro-
versial homophobic lyrics,
blare from the speakers.
This scene could very eas-
ily be anywhere in the
Caribbean or the diaspora.
While the plethora of
homophobic reggae songs
might have contributed to a
sub-genre of its own, it seems
to underline the region's strong
resentment to the gay lifestyle.
But Grenadian sociologist
Claude Douglas argues that the
Caribbean's attitude to homo-
sexuality is changing. Douglas,
a lecturer at St. George's
University, says tolerance has
increased significantly in recent
years and partly blames the
United States cultural invasion
of the Caribbean.
"Yesterday's deviants will
become today and tomorrow's
norms," Douglas told the
Caribbean Media Corporation
(CMC).

CASE IN POINT
Douglas makes his
case in his new book,
"Homosexuality in the
Caribbean Crawling Out of
the CIo,, I which examines
the rise of this alternative
lifestyle in the region. In his
60-page book, Douglas
explores issues ranging from
biological origins and the
"gay tourists phenomenon"


to the campaign to decrimi-
nalize homosexuality in the
region. The university lec-
turer argues that there is not
a tremendous increase in the
number of homosexuals in
the Caribbean, but that
more people are finding the


Mottley


courage to "come out".
His book narrows in on
some of the key factors impact-
ing on this lifestyle, including
religious values and the cam-
paign of the gay rights move-
ment. Although the former
chair of the Social Sciences
Department at the TA.
Marryshow Community College
does not believe people like to
hear his argument, he envisages
in his book that "homosexuality
is becoming an alternative and
acceptable form of human sexu-
ality in the Caribbean".

'PROGRESS'
Despite strong opposition
by the religious community,
the gay rights movement is
reported to be making consid-
erable progress in the
Caribbean. From The
Bahamas in the north to
Guyana in the south, there has
been a persistent struggle for
equal rights. Puerto Rico, an
overseas department of the
U.S., is considered by many to


be the most tolerant
Caribbean country where gays,
lesbians, bisexuals, transgen-
der and transsexual groups
march openly in the annual
gay parade.
Fidel Castro's niece and
sexologist Mariela Castro is
leading a new revolution in
Cuba, a country in which
homosexuality is becoming
increasingly recognized.
To some extent, it appears
that the struggle for homosexu-
al rights is helping to remove
laws considered oppressive. In
1997, legislative changes in
Cuba effectively decriminalized
homosexuality
and have paved
the way for gay
and lesbian
couples to
enjoy the same
civil rights as
heterosexual
couples. The
gay community Claude Douglas
in the United
Kingdom continues to pressure
the Caribbean to change laws
forbidding homosexual prac-
tices. The British homosexual
organization Outrage has been
working closely with Caribbean
groups like Jamaicans for
Lesbians, All-sexuals Gays (J-
flag) and Barbados Gay and
Lesbians Against
Discrimination (BGLAD).
In 2001, the U.K. forced
the repealing of laws in over-
seas dependent territories
such as the Turks and Caicos
Islands, Cayman Islands,
Montserrat and Anguilla.

CHANGE
Among those who agree
that a change in attitude is
needed at the highest levels of
society is former Barbados
Attorney General and present
Opposition Leader Mia


Mottley.
"A government in plural-
istic society must accommo-
date and respect the human
rights and dignity of each indi-
vidual," she said. "To that
extent, a law, which seeks to
discriminate in a society whose
history has been scarred with
the cancer of discrimination,
has in fact, to be reformed."
Meantime, public health
authorities continue to advo-
cate for the decriminalization
of homosexuality as a key
strategy in the fight against
the spread of HIV/AIDS in
the Caribbean.
"There is a rampant
homophobia in the
Caribbean...a lot of it has its
origins in the concept that
HIV/AIDS was a disease of
homosexual males, which of
course is not," declared health
expert Sir George Alleyne,
who believes stigma and
homophobia are obstacles in
the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Among leading regional
politicians calling for the
decriminalization of homosex-
uality to help fight the spread
HIV/AIDS have been St. Kitts
and Nevis Prime Minister Dr.
Denzil Douglas and Guyana's
Health Minister Dr. Leslie
Ramsammy.

OPPOSITION
Despite the progress
made by the gay rights move-
ment in advancing the cause
of the homosexuals in the
region, stiff opposition to such
lifestyles remain, particularly
in Jamaica, which has been
labeled the most homophobic
country in the world. Kingston
continues to report the brutal
murders of a rising number of
homosexuals, including gay
rights activist Brian
Williamson in 1994. Three


Caribbean tourism responds positively to climate change


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)
of environmental management
systems that addresses environ-
mentally efficient construction
and planning. As well, there is a
program of incentives to sup-
port eco-friendly practices such
as concessionary rates to hotels
and other tourism properties for
alternative energy resources
and equipment such as solar
water heaters.

GREEN GLOBE
Hotels and other tourism
sector practitioners across the
region are taking the environ-
mental issues seriously and are
adapting. Properties in the
region are striving to become
Green Globe certified, with
some attaining the honor.
Green Globe participants have
set up systems to help them
reach high environmental per-
formance by, for example, cut-
ting waste, recycling and


becoming more efficient.
Among some of the Green
Globe-certified properties are
Long Bay Hotel in Antigua,
Bougainvillea Resort in
Barbados, Dominica's 3 Rivers
Eco Lodge, Spice Island Beach
Resort in Grenada, and
Jamaica's Sandals Resorts. The
properties strive to teach envi-
ronmental awareness, monitor
water usage, and recycle bed
linens, towels, etc at guests'
request. In fact, there are 57
such properties across the
region according to the
Caribbean Hotel Association-
Caribbean Alliance for
Sustainable Tourism website.
Awareness is growing and
the sector is taking a stand.
Even smaller properties that
cannot afford extravagant
environmental systems are
doing their part. A Jamaica
Tourist Board-sponsored tour
of The Palms Resort on the


island's famous north coast of
Negril revealed a property fit-
ted with low flow water-saving
toilets, energy-saving light
bulbs, and locally-made furni-
ture. Another small property,
Rooms, also featured water-
saving systems, a recycling pro-
gram, and energy-efficient
lighting in addition to fire
extinguishers on each block of
rooms. Sea Wind Resort's
response to the environment is
to offer rooms that virtually
touch the pristine sea.
Dean Fenton, of the
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism
office in New York, explained
that Antigua's newest resort,
the Veranda Resort & Spa, is
Green Globe certified.
"This hotel is a pure
example that the sector and
the government is moving in
the right direction," he said,
adding that "the government is
looking at better ways to


attract these types of resorts
on the island because it helps
the environment as well as
tourism."
Fenton elaborated on a
unique program within the sec-
tor. He explained that the
island's Heritage Beach Resort
has come up with a creative
program to curb waste in that
the resort gives leftover food
to a pig farm in return for
fresh pork.
"There is more awareness
on the island in regards to cli-
mate change and being eco-
friendly. It is catching on,"
Fenton said.
Echoing this sentiment,
Bartlett remarked: "United as a
body, our actions today can be
significant in turning the tide."

Story and photograph by
Dawn A. Davis, a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


years later prisoners killed 16
fellow inmates who were
thought to be gay.
Despite the opposition to
homosexuality in Jamaica and
the rest of the Caribbean,
Claude Douglas, in his book,
maintains that the region,
including the church commu-
nity, has become more accept-
ing of this lifestyle.
Some religious organiza-
tions fronted the protest
action against gay cruises to
Grenada last winter season.
But Leopald Friday, the bish-
op of the Anglican Church in
the Windward Islands, said
although the church remains
opposed to homosexuality, it
would not throw out members
who practiced the lifestyle.

- CMC






Street Address:
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Vol. 19, Number 12 NOV. 2008

PETER AWEBLEY
Publisher

GORDON WILLIAMS
Managing Editor

SABRINA HOPKINS
Graphic Artist


DOROTHY CHIN
Account Executive


SHARON LEE
Account Executive



JACQUELINE RUBIANO
Accounting Manager
Caribbean Media Source
Media Representatives



Opinions expressed by editors and writers
are not necessarily those of thepublisher.

Caribbean Today, an independent
news magazine, is published every month
by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc.
Caribbean Today is not responsible
for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. To
guarantee return, please include a self-
addressed stamped envelope.
Articles appearing in Caribbean
Today may not be reproduced without
written permission of the editor.


November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


V I W P o I N T


Circular firing squad


mm www-.caibeatoa.com I


Love costs more to get more


CLARENCE PAGE
Rush Limbaugh dis-
missed Colin Powell's
endorsement of Barack
Obama as motivated by race.
Who's playing the race card
now?
"Secretary Powell says his
endorsement is not about
race," the radio blab show
host e-mailed to the web site
Politico's Jonathan Martin.
"OK, fine. I am now research-
ing his past endorsements to
see if I can find all the inexpe-
rienced, very liberal, white
candidates he has endorsed.
I'll let you know what I come
up with."
No need, Rush. Instead,
here is a list of recent presi-
dential candidates to whom
Powell has given money:
* Sen. John McCain of
Arizona: $2,300 (the maxi-
mum allowed).
And here's a list of the
very conservative inexperi-
enced people who Powell
wishes McCain had not nomi-
nated to be vice president:
* Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
As Powell put it, if race
were all that he had only in
mind, "I could have done this
six, eight, 10 months ago."
Remember back that far?
That was back when McCain
was still speaking and behav-
ing like a true maverick. Back
then, the far-right folks like
Limbaugh were calling
McCain some sort of a
"RINO" Republican in
name only.

EASY PICKINGS
I'm picking on Limbaugh
for two reasons. One, he's
easy. He sets himself up, bend-
ing over with a big kick-me
sign, so he can play the victim
after he gets kicked.
When Powell was a fea-
tured GOP convention speak-
er in 2000, he was a fine patri-
otic American, in the eyes of
those who see the world as
Rush does. Now that Powell
prefers a guy who happens to
be a Democrat, the retired
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff suddenly is a Benedict
Arnold in blackface, "Benedict
Powell", which is how syndi-
cated cartoonist Gordon
Campbell recently portrayed
him.
In case you snoozed
through history class,
Benedict Arnold was a bril-
liant Revolutionary War gen-
eral who joined the English in
one of the greatest acts of
treason America has ever
known. That's how Campbell
later told an interviewer that
he sees Powell's support of
affirmative action and the
Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade
abortion rights decision. And
that's how a movement once


energized by big ideas turns
small-minded and drowns
itself in a bathtub full of its
own narcissism. Glub, glub.
Which brings us to my
second reason for picking on
Rush. Like Campbell's car-
toon, Limbaugh's race-based
rebuke reveals the narrow-
gauge thinking that has cor-
rupted and fragmented the
once-strong conservative
coalition that Ronald Reagan,
the Republican Party's last
truly transformational leader,
built in the 1980s. Two
decades later, President Bush's
approvals have plunged, along
with those of Congressional
Republicans. The old coali-
tion's latest iconic leader was
former House Majority
Leader Tom DeLay, the con-
servative Texas Republican
still awaiting trial in connec-
tion with campaign finance
allegations.

'CHANGE ELECTION'
Judging by the polls,
McCain never quite grasped
what this "change election" is
about. He had a perfect
opportunity to wage a nation-
al contest for what Powell has
called the ,_IInlllI center" of
America's political life. But,
he passed over his friend and
fellow maverick Sen. Joe
Lieberman, a breakaway inde-
pendent from the Democrats,
to be his running mate.
Fearing a walkout by the reli-
gious right, McCain swung
back to his party's base and
chose Palin, a darling of social
conservatives, but woefully
unprepared for prime time in
national politics.
Instead of ideas, McCain
tried an arsenal of tactics. He
never got around to articulat-
ing a governing philosophy
except to denounce "pork"
and L r mirk, and call him-
self a "maverick." When
denunciations of Obama's
"inexperience" failed, McCain
tried to present himself as a
better agent of "change",
without explaining quite what
he meant.
McCain won Limbaugh's
support and lost Colin
Powell's, not because Powell is
black but because McCain lost
interest in new ideas. He left
the broad middle ground of
America's electorate, the
masses who are looking for
programs, not just platitudes
about "pork" and L.,rmrk% ',
to the neophyte Obama.
Meanwhile, back on the
right, there are reports that a
blamestorm begun within the
McCain campaign. A circular
firing squad of advisors blamed
Palin for the campaign's set-
backs in the polls after her ini-
tial bloom wore off. One insid-

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


LT ove costs, that's a fact,
but it costs more to get
more.
A lot of men want more
though, preferring to spend on
other women.
Still, this practice is not
new, and occurs in many coun-
tries. It was the Japanese who
quantified and dignified the
practice of men having mis-
tresses on the side without
having to hide and do so.
Japanese men had their con-
sorts, women who were like
second wives, but did much
more.
Every Japanese man of
worth, nobility, breeding or
class in ancient times, had his
consort, and there was no
hypocrisy or secret in the mat-
ter. Of course, he had to main-
tain her, and royally too, for
consorts did not come cheap,
and that's why it was mostly
men of means who could
afford them.
The practice in the west
still pervades now, albeit
under a cloak of secrecy and
guile, as men are forced by
society to keep their consorts
under cover. Call them what
you will, consorts, mistresses,
mlt, I, ', the other woman,
concubines, they all come with
a price tag, a cost that is often
hidden.
Whichever way you slice
it, however you approach it,
extra love is going to cost you,
both financially and emotion-
ally, for you will have to share
what resources you have
between her and your wife
and family.

TERMS OF
ENDEARMENT
A concubine or "matey",
is a woman who cohabits with
a man without being legally
married to him; a mistress, a
secondary wife basically, as
defined by the dictionary. Still,
most women do not really rel-
ish the term, and prefer to be
called, girlfriends, wives, or
'my woman'.
But that should be the
least of the man's concerns, as
the cost of the mistress should
take priority. First of all, most


expect and
indeed
demand some
sort of finan-
cial assistance
from their
men. It's
hardly likely
that a profes-
sional woman TONY
with her own ROBINSON
income and
dwelling is
going to be any man's mis-
tress. So right then and there,
she is a drain on the private
purse.
For every action there is
an equal and opposite reac-
tion. So when the man, with a
fixed income, gives her
money, it is from funds that
would normally go to his wife
and family. Something's got to
give. And the bitter irony is,
most men will sacrifice the
house money to give to the
other woman. His wife will
need stuff for the house, or
the kids will require clothes or
school things, and he will cry
how broke he is and beg her
to stop pressuring him. But as
the in.mIy opens her mouth
or makes a phone call, he will
drop whatever he is doing and
run to her with his last dollar.
You'd be surprised how
many men have to buy two
sets of groceries and hide one
in the car trunk for the other
woman. Usually the fancier
one is for her, for they do
have 'high chest', as the term


goes. The wine, the foreign
cheese with the French name,
the fruit cocktail, the Pringles
potato chips, and the Charmin
rolls, all for her. Meanwhile
the wife and household in
general will have to settle for
the generic brand name, sec-
ond-rate stuff and be grateful
for it too.

STYLE
Then the girlfriend has to
live in a certain area and in a
particular style. No way is she
going to be satisfied living in a
small studio apartment or half
a house somewhere south of
the ghetto. Mistresses have
class, or at least aspire for it,
and class demands cash, and
cash invariably flows from the
fool, bypasses the family, and
then to her.
Mistresses do not give,
but take and take and take.
No man is going to have his
mistress looking all frumpy,
ordinary and haggard. If that
were the case, he'd just stay
home with his wife.
Girlfriends have to always
look sharp, wear the finest
clothes and makeup, and
smell of the best perfume. She
always demands and gets the
best. It doesn't take a fashion
guru to spot a mistress among
a crowd of wives. Put them
side-by-side and even an
untrained eye can tell who is
the wife and who is the mis-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


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* Preventive Root Canal Treatment
Orthodontics


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November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


- earIbbeanI tn .ay Wcom


vI~w0


* "It is really
cruel for the
United States to
do this,
especially now
under these
circumstances"
-U.S


Congressman Kendrick Meek
opposing deportation of
Haitians from the U.S. even as
the Caribbean country battles to
recover from recent natural dis-
asters.


* "You are say-
ing that I am a
U.S. citizen. I
am saying I am
not a U.S. citi-
zen" Keith
Mitchell,


Grenada's Opposition leader
and former prime minister
issues a denial last month in a
bid to stop mounting claims.
* "We have some trying times
ahead" Barbados's Central
Bank Governor Marion Williams
last month focusing on the coun-
try's economic downturn.

* "Yesterday's deviants will
become today and tomorrow's
norms" Grenadian sociologist


Claude Douglas predicts
increasing tolerance for gays in
the Caribbean.
* "If urgent action is not taken
on the disaster risk reduction
front, then we're
simply going to
see more
tragedies in the
future" United
Nations Under-
Secretary-General
for Humanitarian


Affairs John Holmes warning
that Haiti was suffering its worst
disaster in over a century and
that aid agencies are far short of
the millions needed to help the
country recover from four dead-
ly hurricanes this year that left
800 people dead and affected
another million.

Compiled from several sources,
including CMC.
0


Circular firing squad


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
er called her a "diva", accord-
ing to CNN. Her supporters,
by contrast, blame McCain's
team for refusing to let her be
herself. In fact, McCain would
have had more success had he
been content to let himself be
himself.
Fingers of blame point
every which way in a losing
campaign. Some conservatives
long welcomed a loss. Only
then, some say, could they
hope to regain the energy and
vitality that comes from being
the "out" party. Looks like
they're about to get their
chance.

2008 Clarence Page.
Distributed by Tribune Media
Services, Inc.
0


Love costs more to get more


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
tress. But for her to maintain
this high fashion standard, she
requires high maintenance,
and she's not doing the main-
taining, plus she doesn't care
where the man gets it from, as
long as he delivers. For that
reason, it's usually not young
men who have mistresses, as
that onerous privilege is
reserved for men a little up in
age and more financially
established than their younger
counterparts.
After all, the older the
man, the more foolish he his,
and a fool and his money
makes nice parties.

DAMAGE
But do these women
know what damage they cre-
ate to the financial and emo-
tional state of families? Or do


they care?
They say that if the man
wants to keep them, then he
has to stand the costs. After a
while, they get bold, and think
that they have a right to the
man, which includes calling
him at home, even if the wife
is there or not. This takes an
enormous emotional toll on
wives, and by extension the
children, for pickney is not
fool, and most know what's
going on.
Many have told me of the
grief and torment that they
felt growing up under the grip
of a mistress.
Mistresses have to be
taken out, and to the finest
places too. What's the point of
being a mistress if you can't live
the good life? Wives on the
other hand are grateful if they
get to see a play, taken to a
fancy dinner, or a weekend get-


away. That's reserved for the
girlfriend, and the same money
that could be used to look after
the house, is instead diverted to
care and maintain her on these
romantic ventures.
And where do you think
the money comes from, some
secret stipend on the man's
salary?' I think not. It comes
from the same paycheck that
the man gets, but he has to
share it up, and divert an
ample portion to the mistress.
It's very rarely that the girl-
friend is refused cash, but mar-
ital discord over money is leg-
endary, and indeed is the basis
for many a divorce. A man
will refuse his wife money, but
never his other woman. I have
never heard of a man and his
"matey" bickering over money
and breaking up.
The cost of getting more
loving can have a devastating


effect on families, as men
have been known to lie
through their teeth about not
having any money to support
the household, while secretly
they have a stash waiting to
give to the mystery lady. Men
have been known to give
small fortunes to them, while
wives have to live from hand
to mouth.
That's why in the past it
was only men of means who
could afford to have mistress-
es, concubines or consorts, but
nowadays even broke old men
want them, resulting in finan-
cial and emotional ruin.
Mistresses cost, and if you
can't afford one, stay home
with your wife, for they may
cost more than you can afford.

seidol@hotmail.com
0


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November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


FYI


PARENT RESOURCE
GUIDE
Parents in Miami-Dade
County, Florida have a power-
ful new tool to help their chil-
dren succeed inside and out-
side the classroom.
The online Miami-Dade
County Public Schools 2008-09
Parent Resource Guide
includes information parents
need to know about their chil-
dren's education from curricu-
lum and testing to family
involvement and advocacy tips.
The guide is available at
www.dadeschools.net.
For more information,
contact the Office of Parent
Involvement at 305-995-1233.

HURRICANE RELIEF
In response to relief
efforts following damages by
Tropical Storm Gustav in
Jamaica recently, a disaster
recovery fund was launched
with a donation of $20 million
by Supreme Ventures, in col-
laboration with the govern-
ment's effort.
Additionally, Jamaica
National Building Society
through its remittance arm,
JN Money Transfer services,
as well as Grace Kennedy
Remittances Services
(GKRS), through Western
Union, have agreed to open
accounts to enable Jamaicans
in the diaspora to contribute
to the fund. The funds are
Hurricane Relief United
Jamaica Account for Grace
Kennedy and, in the case of
Jamaica National, the JN
Recovery Fund Account.
The funds from the
accounts will help to meet the
cost of the emergency works
and relief measures that are
being carried out with particu-
lar emphasis on schools and
hospitals.
The public is being
advised to make donations at
any JN or GKRS (Western


Union) locations in the South
Florida area.
All remittance fees will be
waived for contribution to
those accounts.

COLLECTION DRIVE
Broward County, Florida
is collecting donations to pro-
vide aid for hurricane victims
in Haiti, Cuba, Turks and
Caicos, The Bahamas and
other Caribbean islands
affected by the storms.
County residents are
encouraged to donate:
Canned goods (no items
within six months from expi-
ration)
Bottled water
Men's, women's, chil-
dren's and infants' clothing in
good wearable condition;
Baby items, such as bot-
tles, formula, diapers, wipes,
etc.;
First aid and personal
hygiene items;
Gently-used, clean bed-
ding; and
Flashlights, radios, bat-
teries, etc.
Last month collection
boxes were set up at the fol-
lowing locations:
Broward County
Governmental Center Lobby,
115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort
Lauderdale;
African-American
Research Library and
Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk
Blvd., Fort Lauderdale;
Northwest Regional
Library, 3151 University Dr.,
Coral Springs;
Southwest Regional
Library, 16835 Sheridan St.,
Pembroke Pines; and
West Regional Library,
8601 W. Broward Blvd.,
Plantation.
For more information,
visit www.broward.org or call
954-357-8053.
0


0 CO n i / r FY




IMMIGRATION

IKORNE[R

Question: When I submit a
family petition for my wife
and kids who are overseas,
will the USCIS check all the
information that I declare
when I apply for United
States citizenship, such as date
of birth of my children and
our marriage date?

Answer: Absolutely, says
Irwine Clare, head of the
Caribbean Immigrant Services
in Queens, New York. The
application that you submit
includes biographical informa-
tion, which a USCIS agent
will use to confirm your citi-
zenship, your birth certificate
and marriage or divorce cer-
tificates and children's birth
certificates.
It is the USCIS agi nis job
to check on all the facts you
provide and ensure it is accu-
rate. And this can take some
time since to verify as the U.S.
immigration agency also cross-
references existing files for
consistency, added Clare.
Follow the 1-130 relative
petition instructions and check
the USCIS website for any
updates on instructions or
fees. Make sure your petition
is complete. You will need to
submit evidence of your U.S.
citizenship, and evidence
proving your qualifying rela-
tionship to each person for
whom you are filing.

SPECIAL STANDING
Note, however, that the
law gives special standing to a
U.S. citizen's wife, unmarried
children under 21, and par-
ents. There is no waiting list
for immigration for these rela-
tives. The Department of
State will invite them to apply
for an immigrant visa as soon
as it approves your petition.
In some cases, the petition can
be filed outside the U.S.,
directly at the U.S. consulate.


I ..... 6 6| Si. S


Accuracy, honesty best

policies when applying for

U.S. citizenship


If they entered legally and
are currently in the U.S. (and
meet certain other require-
ments), they may be able to
file applications to adjust to
permanent resident status.
The other stage of the
application will include verifi-
cation of your poverty level to
ensure you can take care of
your family once they arrive
in the U.S. and they will not


be a burden to the country.
Once the application is
approved, you will be notified
when a decision is made.
Normally, when the applica-
tion is approved, the petition
is sent to the U.S. State
Department's National Visa
Center (NVC).

Compiled by Felicia Persaud.
The answers provided here
are for information purposes
only, and do not create an
attorney-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


attorneys-at-law
FELONIES* POSSESSION MISDEMEANORS
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Criminal Law Family Law DUI Immigration Real Estate Divorce Trial
786.897.5008
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Miami Pembroke Pines
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N. MIAMI BEACH. FL 33162 PEMBROKE PINES. FL 33029
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cpedersen@AILC-LAW.com
Hiring an Attorney is a very important decision and should not be based only on newspaper ads.
Before deciding, ask us for information on our experience and qualifications.


Daniel Armstrong, a student of Barry University in South Florida, helps load a van
with items such as clothes, food and toiletries for victims of Hurricane Ike in Haiti
during the school's recent charity drive. Thousands of victims of deadly storms,
which have hit Haiti in recent months, are expected to receive donations of cash and
kind from the drive. Collected supplies were delivered to St. James Catholic Parish,
which will ship them through the Catholic Charities Mission Office.


We also offer:
Pick-Up of cargo from anywhere in the U.S.
Packing, Crating and Marine Insurance

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(305) 885-0558
Fax: (305) 887-6684
7790 NW 46th Street Unit 18 Miami, Florida 33166 email: xjohnston@miamifreight.net


HELP FOR HAITI


November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


~ ?r~4 ~
- 0 CCL -


Refreshing, tasty
peanut punch


Ingredients
* 2 teaspoons of sugar
* 1 teaspoon of essence
* 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
* 2 1/2 teaspoons peanut butter
Method
Blend together the milk with the
peanut_butter, along with sugar,
for about three to four minutes.
Next add the nutmeg and
essence to taste.
Place the punch into the
fridge. Chill and_serve.


A,,,,RiBBUAnn ooc

L- -A *g


S
4
- ~00 0 -


~ A Caribbean Today special feature

Strict diet not the only way to fight gout
DR. ROBERT SHMERLING dissolve well in the blood and
I tissues. When the blood levels
Question: I recently had my are even slightly high, uric acid
first experience with gout. I can get deposited as solid crys-
had blood work done, which tals in the joints (causing
showed high levels of uric acid. arthritis), kidneys (causing kid-
I was given a list of many foods L ney stones), and other tissues.


I should avoid, but the list is so
extensive! I'm not sure what to
eat besides fruits and vegeta-
bles. What do you recommend
to balance my diet? I would
like to avoid taking medication
unless I really need it.
Answer: Personally, I don't
recommend strict dietary mod-
ifications after an initial attack
of gout. Here's why:
Gout is a condition in
which uric acid deposits in
joints, causing inflammation. A
gouty joint is an unhappy joint
- it's painful, swollen and does
not move well.
People with gout almost
always have high blood levels of
uric acid, one of the body's nor-


A diet including fruits, many commonly
found in the Caribbean, may help to pre-
vent attacks of gout.
mal waste products. Most uric
acid is removed from the body
by the kidneys, so people with
kidney disease typically have
high levels of it. But gender,
genetics, body weight, and other
factors go into making a per-
son's level of uric acid what it is.
A unique property of uric
acid is that it cannot always


RISK
Recent research suggests
that a diet high in meat,
seafood, and alcohol increases
the risk of newly diagnosed
gout. In addition, dairy prod-
ucts and coffee may be protec-
tive, lowering the risk of gout.
However, these studies looked
at people who had not had
gout before. They did not
assess the effect of diet on peo-
ple who already had gout.
The list that you got of foods
to avoid was probably a list of
foods that are high in purines,
a building block of protein that
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)


to


*1


There's a 2NM Cracker in the house,


w I iZ


N


4
j^ "






I
I'4.'
^e~ *
w, 0~a ',


with4? -omc of pic


Excelsior


CINNAMV



_Water Crackers


November 2008


'Bahama Mama'
Ingredients
1/2 oz. of
151 rum
1/2 oz. of
dark rum?
4 oz. pineap-
ple juice
1/2 oz. cof-
fee liqueur
1/2 oz.
'Bahama Mama' coconut
liqueur
Method
Stir together all the ingre-
dients_with the ice, then strain
into a chilled tumbler filled
with ice.
Finally, garnish the drink
with a cherry or strawberry.



Papaya pie
~ Ingredients
4 egg whites
A pinch of
cinnamon
4 table-
spoons of
* 4 tablespoons of sugar
* 3 ripe medium papayas
* 2 teaspoons of lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon of lime zest
* 1 dash of orange extract
* 1 sweet medium pre-baked
pie shell
Method
Remove the seeds and
coarsely mash the_papayas.
Add the lime juice, zest,_cin-
namon and the orange extract.
Fold_in the sugar and flour.
Beat the egg whites
together until_they are stiff,
then fold into mixture.
Finally, bake for at least 25
minutes until the top is brown.
Serve warm or cold.



Ackee, callaloo,

rice casserole
Ingredients
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cups of rice
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 teaspoons pepper (white)
1 cup of grated cheddar
cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can ackees in salted water
1 can of callaloo in salted
water
Method
First preheat the oven to
375 degrees E?Cook rice and
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)





CARIBBEAN TODAY


C
-~ ~
- 0 cot


n R iB B e nnro oo

wwwcarbbantda.com


p's
- 0 CCL -


~ A Caribbean Today special feature


Spiny lobster bisque CARNIVAL WINE AND DINE

and Johnny cakes ,


Lobster bisque


Ingredients
* 2 cups of milk
* 3 cups of cream
* 4 tablespoons of butter
* 1/2 cup of tomato puree
* 1 clove of garlic, minced
* 1/2 pound of fresh lobster
* 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup of minced green
onions
* 1 tablespoon of minced
fresh dill
* 2 tablespoons of dry cook-
ing sherry
* 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
hot?-pepper sauce to taste
* 1 teaspoon of salt

Method
First boil or steam the


lobster. Cool?and roughly cut
the lobster into bite-size
pieces and set aside.
In a large?saucepan, melt
the butter. Stir in the green
onions and the?garlic and
saut6 until the onions
are?transparent.
Blend in the flour. Cook,
stirring?constantly to blend in
with the flour?and the butter.
Slowly, add in the milk along
with the?cream, stirring until
the mixture is a?nice and
thick texture.
Finally, add the lobster,
salt, puree,?sherry, tomato,
dill weed and pepper.
0


Creole fish stew, St. Lucia style


Ingredients
* oil for frying
* flour for dusting
* 2 tablespoons spice
seasoning
* 2 tablespoons of malt
vinegar
* 2 whole red bream or large
snapper,?prepared and cut
into one-inch pieces

For sauce
* 2 thyme springs
* 1 tablespoon of butter
* 1 onion finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
* 10 ounces of fresh tomatoes,


peeled and finely chopped
* 1 hot chilli pepper chopped
* oregano springs to garnish
* 2 tablespoons of vegetable
oil
* 2 1/2 cups of fish stock or
water
* 8 ounces of green and red
pepper, finely chopped
* salt to taste

Method
Sprinkle the fish with the
spice seasoning?and vinegar,
turning to coat. Set aside
to?marinate for at least two
hours.
0


Ackee, callaloo, rice casserole


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)
set aside in a greased?casse-
role dish.
In a frying pan, heat the
vegetable oil and saut6 the


chopped onions. Add the
drained ackees and the white
pepper,?then set asid
0


Photographs by Dawn A. Davis
Broward Carnival 2008 was a kaleidoscope of hot colors, costumes, music and food. The food stalls did brisk business. Among
the most popular were the Trinidadian vendors serving up favorites such as "shark 'n bake" fried dough stuffed with richly sea-
soned shark fillet topped with condiments, and "doubles", that's fried dough stuffed with channa, spicy curried chick peas.
Photograph on the left shows Giselle, from the Mascots troupe, enjoying shark 'n bake, while Charlene from Curry Hut restaurant
makes sure the channa just right.


November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


41,NMA/


,",,RiBBUAnn ooE

wwwcarbbantda* cogl


K -~


~ A Caribbean


Roast breadfruit and saltfish
Ingredients
* 1 onion- /
* 1 tomato
* 1/4 cup of oil
* 1 small
cucumber
* 1/4 cup of water i.
* 1 large bread-
fruit
* 1 pound of salt-
fish
* 1 teaspoon of
butter


Method Breadfruit
Place saltfish
into a pot and boil until it is
not too salty.
Strip and clean the salt-


fish into small bite size pieces.
0


Grenada's oil down


Ingredients
* 2 chives
* 1 celery stick
* 1 whole pepper
* 2 sprigs of thyme
* 2 breadfruit (small)
* 250 grams of saltfish
* 1 whole chilli pepper
* 250 grams of salt meat
* 1.5 litres of coconut milk


* 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
Method
Add the fish and meat in cold
water?and soak overnight.
Pour off excess?water then
remove the core from
the?breadfruit. Peel and
0


Corn soup from Cuba


Ingredients
* salt
* 1 cup light cream
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 2 eggs, beaten lightly
* 2 tablespoons parsley
chopped
* 4 cups of fresh corn kernels
* white pepper (freshly
ground)
Note: if you choose to use
frozen?corn kernels, thor-
oughly defrost.
Method
In a blender or a food proces-
sor add?the corn and chicken
stock. Blend?to a puree. Do
this in about two batches.


Fill the saucepan with the
puree. Stir in the cream and
let it simmer on?low heat, stir-
ring from time to time,?for
five minutes.
0


Today special feature


Competition among some the best "jerK" ood chefs in the United States will resume at the seventh annual "Jamaican Jerk
Festival" from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 9 at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida. On tap will be a variety of jerk cuisine, including
delicacies such as jerk ice cream. The event is also scheduled to include cultural presentations, including Byron Lee and the
Dragonaires band. The festival is being presented by Air Jamaica and Publix. For more information, visit www.jerkfestival.com.







C/aribb Ca Tda at o

December marks the start of
Caribbean Today's 20th year in South Florida.


Join us as we reflect on those special years
in our ever growing community
and the great times that we have shared
, with you our readers and


business partners.


Strict diet not the only way to fight gout


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)
is broken down into uric acid.
Most of the foods with the
highest purine content are not
ones that people eat often.
These include thymus, pan-
creas, anchovies, liver, kidneys,
brains, and game meats.
It turns out that following
a strict diet to avoid purines
doesn't usually accomplish
much. There are better ways
to help lower uric acid and
decrease the risk of further
gouty attacks. It's much more
effective to:
Limit alcohol intake
(alcohol is known to trigger
gout attacks)
Lose excess weight


(being overweight increases
the risk of gout)
Avoid foods that seem
to trigger attacks of gout for
you
Ask your doctor if there
are medications you're taking
(especially diuretics) that can
cause uric acid buildup, and
see if you can switch to some-
thing else.
When needed, there are
medications (especially allopuri-
nol) that can effectively lower
uric acid and markedly decrease
the risk of gouty attacks. They
are much better at doing so
than following a strict diet.
0


Call now to Advertise
1-800-605-7516 305-238-2868
Fax 305-252-7843

E-mail: sales@caribbeanToday.com

Advertising deadline:
-- NOVEMBER 28TH. 200 ....



q


JAMAICAN JERK FEST
4 =


m :! I


November 2008


Arm


A,








RI S M / TR ca


Resilient Jamaica bouncing back from Hurricane Gustav


DAWN A. DAVIS

Judging from the north
coast side of the island, it
would seem Gustav did
little damage to Jamaica
recently. Although the prime
tourism areas were not much
affected, the eastern side of
the country felt the brunt of
the hurricane.
But the island is bouncing
back.
"We were back up
and running almost immedi-
ately (after the hurricane),"
Jamaica's Director of Tourism
Basil Smith told Caribbean
Today at the recent World
Tourism Day conference and
seminar hosted by the Jamaica
Tourist Board at the Ritz
Carlton in Montego Bay.
According to Smith, the
country did take a heavy beat-
ing from the rains and wind,
"but fortunately it did not
affect tourism." Noting that
the sector is ready for the win-
ter season, the tourism direc-
tor outlined that the affected
areas have been cleaned up
and trees trimmed in prepara-
tion for what he expects to be
a good season.
Smith explained that
the Bog Walk Gorge in St.
Cjihl rinli an important route
linking the island's capital
Kingston to other tourism


sites, was affected. It
has since been
repaired and re-
opened to vehicular
traffic.

REPAIR BILL
However, the
destruction caused by
Gustav will take a tidy
sum to repair, accord-
ing to Minister of
Tourism Edmund
Bartlett, especially
with Jamaica facing
other financial issues
at this time.
"When we begin
to look carefully at
the damage that has
been done, particular-
ly in the eastern side
of the country, it is
really huge," Bartlett
said.


"We are looking at a price
tag of well over J$28 billion,
that at a time when we have
issues with oil prices, issues
with the sub-prime, issues
with the financial meltdown in
the U.S."
To find the money to
cover the costs, Bartlett
explained, the government
will have to readjust certain
areas of priority to allow for
some level of repairs. He
added that the impact of the
storm could also disrupt


Jamaica still expects a good winter tourism season despite Hurricane Gustav's damage.


remittance flows as well as
tourism traffic, two of the
most important foreign
exchange earners for Jamaica.
The priority, however, is to
restore the roads and bridges
that were destroyed to ensure
smooth traffic into the north
coast, the minister said.
Office of Disaster
Preparedness and Emergency
Management Director
General Ronald Jackson
said that a good chunk of the
money earmarked for repairs
is being used on infrastruc-


10-y-o Vincentian wins Caribbean essay contest


T en-year-old Storm
Halbich, from St.
Vincent and the
Grenadines, has been named
winner of the 2008 Cond6
Nast Traveler "My Caribbean"
essay contest.
The announcement was
made at a recent Caribbean
Tourism Organization (CTO)
Conference in Trinidad by the
magazine's Editor in Chief
Klara Glowczewska, who also
named the two runners-up:
Kemisha Sylvan, of Grenada
and D'Vaughn Powell of
Jamaica.
The contest, now in its
16th year, is open to Caribbean
school children. Grand prize
winner Halbich received a
$2,000 scholarship. The run-
ners-up each received a $500
scholarship. Halbich's winning
essay, which focused on the
theme "If you could share a
secret about your island with
someone visiting for the first
time, what would it be?", will
also be featured in the January
"Gold List" issue of Cond6
Nast Traveler. It read:
I really want to tell you
about our friendly and interest-
ing people who are always
ready to welcome you to our
country. Let me tell you about
Tonty Muggy who mixes up


herbs to cure everyone.
Tourists come from far and
wide to cure ailments by her
side. And what about old man
Earl who takes you on a beach
lime and shows you how to
catch your own fish for lunch,
man you will have so much
fun. Grandma Vee in her
wooden house will invite you
in for fresh passion fruit juice
and a slice of hot banana
bread; you will unbuckle your
belt and beg for more. Let me
carry you by Rasta Wally who
will strum some sweet reggae
music while we sit drinking
coconut water by the seaside.
So come, let me take you
to find the Caribbean you've
been looking for.
This annual contest is
administered through the
school system in each
Caribbean country. It aims to
educate primary and early sec-
ondary school children in the
Caribbean about the impor-
tance of tourism in their
region.
After a multi-step judging
process involving the min-
istries of tourism, the min-
istries of education and the
Caribbean Tourism
Organization, a finalist was
chosen from each island.
This year's finalists, in
alphabetical order by country,


are:
Anguilla: Avern Gumbs
Antigua and Barbuda:
Terrikia Benjamin
Aruba: Ekta Alwani
Bahamas: Adrianne Kelly
Barbados: Abigail Bryan
Belize: Tatiana Habet
Bermuda: Brittney Ferreira
British Virgin Islands: William
McIntyre
Cayman Islands: Rachael
Boyd-Moss
Curacao: Minuska Belioso
Dominica: Breeanne Louis
Grenada: Kemisha Sylvan
Guyana: Cli'h 1, Edghill
Haiti: Marckenley Djovany
Exume
Jamaica: D'Vaughn Powell
Martinique: Valentin Vigee
Montserrat: Dikembe Cabey-
Lee
Nevis: Kelsia Liburd
St. Eustatius: Reinalda
Fleming
St. Kitts: Chioma Henry
St. Lucia: Christian Henry
St. Maarten: Manaar
Mohammed
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines: Storm Halbich
Suriname: Gideon Alidikromo
Trinidad and Tobago: Cergio
Augustine
Turks and Caicos: Clintdrea
Simmons
0


ture, including bridges, roads,
retaining walls and gullies.

RESILIENT
Jackson also confirmed
that the export side of agricul-
tural sector, particularly
banana growers, was negative-
ly affected, although the
domestic market was saved as
recoverable bananas would be
used for local consumption.
He noted that the Hope River
Watershed in St. Andrew was
also affected.


The housing sector, both
informal and formal, were also
touched by Gustav, particular-
ly on Jamaica's east coast. To
address the problems, Jackson
said that the sector is "working
with international develop-
ment partners, the various
missions in Jamaica, and
Jamaicans in the diaspora to
see what we can raise."
Although the ODPEM
director general could not pre-
dict how long it would take to
complete all the necessary
repairs to the infrastructure,
as well the housing sector, he
said a number of areas rela-
tive to housing would be fully
addressed by December, while
infrastructure repairs could
take up to a year or more.
Strategies, he said, would
include looking at placing
affected families in alternative
housing locations as land for
housing is not readily available.
Meanwhile, Jamaica
seems to be getting back on
its feet.
"We are a resilient peo-
ple, a resilient brand," said
Smith. "You can't beat brand
Jamaica, try as you might."

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


Spending plunges in Bermuda


HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC
- Spending by visitors to
Bermuda plummeted by more
than $18 million in the second
quarter of this year, according
to new statistics released early
this month.
The Quarterly Bulletin
of Statistics shows that air
arrivals during the second
quarter fell by 10 percent
compared to the same quarter
last year. The number of visi-
tors stood at 89,642.
The report says that the
"decline can be partly attrib-
uted to the knock-on effects
of soaring oil prices on the
global economy, as some
major carriers have reduced
their service to the island to
combat increased fuel costs."
Air arrivals from the
United States fell 14.5 percent
in the second quarter to
66,379, down from 77,648 visi-
tors in the same period last
year.
"Despite lower numbers,
visitors from the U.S. continue
to account for the largest
percentage of air arrivals to
the island, representing three
quarters of all tourists", the
report stated.
"Conversely, modest
growth was recorded in
arrivals from other major
tourist markets as the number
of visitors from Canada and
the United Kingdom


increased by six percent and
5.9 percent respectively".

SPREADING
The decline in air arrivals
translated into a similar fall in
visitors staying at guest
accommodations, according to
the report. Resort hotels
experienced a decline in occu-
pancy for the fifth consecutive
quarter, dropping by 13 per
cent, or 6,077 fewer bookings
than recorded in the second
quarter of 2007.
Similarly, visitors staying
at small hotels, cottages and
clubs fell by 19 percent to
17,515 compared to 21,631
people in the same quarter
last year. The number of visi-
tors staying at housekeeping
and guesthouses also declined
significantly, dropping by 18.1
percent and 18.6 percent,
respectively.
In contrast, around 6.8
percent more visitors stayed in
private homes.
Expenditure by air arrival
visitors amounted to an esti-
mated $126 million during the
second quarter of this year,
some $18.3 million less than
the second quarter of 2007.
"This 12.7 percent
decrease in spending is a
direct consequence of fewer
air visitors", stated the report.
0


November 2008


CARIBBEAN TODAY





CARIBBEAN TODAY


- usw^caribbeantody..c.I


B u s n e s s


Caribbean exports on track for growth ~ ECLAC


NEW YORK The Economic
Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean
says the region's exports are
on track for more than 20 per-
cent growth this year, despite
the global financial crisis.
In its latest report, the
United Nations agency said
higher commodity prices dur-
ing the first half of the year,
particularly in metal and fuel,
led to a 25.5 percent increase
in the value of exports, com-
pared to a 10 percent increase
for the same period in 2007.
The "Latin America and
the Caribbean in the World
Economy" report, released in
Mexico City late last month,
also noted that the value of
imports to the region will rise
by an estimated 22 percent,
leading to an expected trade
surplus of $51 billion at the
end of 2008.
However, the global eco-
nomic slowdown and the drop


in commodity prices in the
third quarter of this year com-
bined with a falling demand
for Latin American products,
primarily from the United
States and to a lesser extent
the European Union (EU)
and Japan, will lead to lower
growth rates and less favor-
able trade balances in 2009,
ECLAC said.
The report stressed that
the looming recession and cur-
rent credit crisis means that
states in the region will have
to deal with restricted access
to external financing, higher
interest rates, tumbling stock
exchanges and a shift of capi-
tal to safer destinations, as
well as lower remittances and
direct foreign investment in
the coming year.

REFORMS
But it said reforms made
over recent decades had bet-
ter prepared the region for the


tihr~ ii nid global economic
slump and financial meltdown.
It stressed that these
reforms must be maintained,
particularly those contributing
to fiscal responsibility, control
of inflation, freer trade, mar-
ket diversification, debt reduc-
tion and the accumulation of
international reserves.
ECLAC also recommend-
ed that regional governments
undertake a series of meas-
ures to absorb the economic
shocks felt around the world
and reduce the impact felt on
their economies. Its NtI 1 -
tions include reinforcing
supervision of banks and
financial institutions, main-
taining the reforms and invest-
ing income from higher com-
modity prices to promote
competitiveness, human
resource development and
export diversification.
0


Courts Caribbean furniture chain


opens store in New York


Courts, a top Caribbean
furniture, electronics
and appliance chain,
was scheduled to make its
debut in North America late
last month by opening a store
in the New York borough of
Brooklyn.
The chain was set to open
its doors at 2822 Church Ave.,
between Nostrand and Rogers
avenues on Oct. 31, bringing
economic empowerment to the
Big Apple despite the current
economic turmoil in the U.S.


Courts Caribbean said it
is following on a tradition of
connecting families and
friends, and will offer the
service of island delivery to
people in the region.
"Wherever your relatives
live in the Caribbean, the
company will offer you hassle
free shopping of the latest in
furniture, electronics and
appliances, plus guaranteed
free delivery of your purchas-
es," officials said in a recent
press release.


A contingent from Courts
Caribbean was scheduled to
be in New York late last
month for the official media
kick- off and reception.
The Courts store opening
came on the heels of its sum-
mer debut at the largest carni-
val in North America, the West
Indian Labor Day in Brooklyn,
and at Irie Jamboree in
Queens, New York.
0


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JOYCE LAIN KENNEDY

DEAR JOYCE: Although I
have a college degree, I've
been out of the job market for
six years raising my child. My
husband's hours in the auto
business have been cut and I
need a job. To avoid paying
expensive baby sitters, I'd like
to start work in late after-
noons after my husband gets
home. My head's in a glue pot.
Ideas? S.G.
Answer: Your preferred
time frame fits cashier jobs in
supermarkets, box stores,
movie theaters, restaurants
and sports venues, to name a
few. Construct a lead-
generation list of poten-
tial employers who
might be a fit with your
time frame. Start with
phone calls and follow
up in person when you
sense a job opening on
.. the horizon.
Hold a brainstorming
party and offer an amus-
ing, inexpensive prize
for party guests who
offer specific ideas of
where to find the kind
of job you want.
Scout the help-want-
.> ed ads in your daily and
weekly newspapers,
including the free publi-
cations. Major online
job boards sometimes
list local part-time and
night jobs, but you can
check the niche job
board snagajob.com.
You can also choose
the golden-oldie
approach that's helped
ELA countless job seekers
- for decades: the Yellow


Pages Starter Solution. Here it
is, step by step.
Step 1. Sit down with the
thickest yellow pages directo-
ry you can find. Go through
the directory, A to Z, circling
or highlighting each classifica-
tion that appeals to you.
Ask yourself: "Does this
subject interest me?" If the
answer is "no", move on. If the
answer is or "not Nur ,
mark or highlight it. Don't
deliberate be quick to decide.
Go with your visceral feelings.
Step 2. List the headings
you select on the tablet of
paper. Reduce the number of
headings (perhaps hundreds)
to the 30 you like best.
Step 3. For each of the 30
headings, ask yourself: "What
in my education, training or
experience validates my inter-
est in this particular field?"
Step 4. By now you have
trimmed your list of interest-
ing headings to 15 or so. The
next question to ask yourself
is: "In view of my require-
ments, such as lifestyle prefer-
ences, travel potential and
earnings future, which fields
should I consider?"
Step 5. Your list should
now be a manageable size.
Rank your top 10 headings,
putting the most appealing at
the top.
Step 6. Turn back to the
I Ih\\ pJgLN, directory and
find a list of companies that
have the kinds of jobs you
prefer. Work these companies
to qualify them for your lead-
generation list.

2008 Tribune Media
Services, Inc.
0


Fat cats
Average pay of CEOs in countries as
a percentage of average CEO pay rin the US.S:
Germany

U.K.

Canada

Spain -


~r-_rM r/ ."
Japan


'.'.'..** mr.I An...rV.. [ .

raui Trp




Getting free job help

from the 'yellow pages'


I


4P
SeafteiOt


November 2008


I BizFact I


-a I ad-: -9








Critics celebrate Caribbean visual, literary culture in Miami


Critics celebrate Caribbean visual, literary culture in Miami


DAWN A. DAVIS
How does Caribbean
visual and literary art
shape cultural identity?
Is there artistic value in
Jamaican dancehall culture? Is
skin bleaching and hair
straightening forms of artistic
expression? These and other
questions were explored at a
recent symposium hosted by
University of Miami's
Caribbean Literary Studies
Program in association with the
Otto Richter Library's Digital
Media Services.
The event brought togeth-
er noted critic and writer
Annie Paul, based at the
University of the West Indies
(UWI) Mona campus, and aca-
demic visionaries Patricia
Saunders and Sandra Pouchet
Paquet, University of Miami
professors spearheading the
Caribbean focused program at
the Miami-based institution.
RLprLLnLini; artistic voic-
es from across the Atlantic,
Renee Mussai introduced the
audience to Rivington Place, a
public space in London devot-
ed to showcasing culturally
diverse visual art and photog-
raphy.
Acknowledging the
C(rhbbLJan s rich visual heritage,
Saunders announced the launch
of an interactive website

Two days of


(http://www.library.miami.edu/
caribbeanvisual) focused mainly
on the work of Caribbean
artists, both local and interna-
tional. The site, she explained,
will feature the artists talking
about their lives and work as
background to the art. Dubbed
"As Far As the Eye/I Can see",
the site will promote a variety of
work, including photography,
painting, music, film, digital art,
as well as galleries and art
spaces that support and pro-
mote Caribbean visual culture.

STARZ BORN
This collaborative effort
also celebrated the fifth
anniversary of "Anthurium", a
Caribbean studies journal that
publishes the work of
Caribbean writers and scholars
on a range of topics incorporat-
ing Caribbean themes and cul-
tures. Marking this milestone, a
special issue was produced fea-
turing selected writings and
interviews from the program's
Archaeologies of Black
Memory Symposium and
Seminar held last year, which
included presentations on sci-
ence, history, literature, visual
arts, and popular culture.
A perfect backdrop for
Paul, the literary critic, in her
lecture "Starz Are Born:
Entertainment Report (ER) as
an Archive of Jamaican


'Caribefest'


in Miramar, Florida


Veteran reggae singer
Gregory Isaacs will
lead a diverse list of
Caribbean performers
scheduled for two days of
"Caribefest-Community
Showcase" this month in
South Florida.
The multi-cultural event,
slated for Nov.15 and 16 at
the Miramar Cultural Arts
Center, is free and open to
the public.
On the first day of the
showcase, which is staged
annually by Caribr fi,[ Inc. and
the City of Miramar, Isaacs will
be joined by Brazilian singer
Soaria, Haitian band T-Vice,
and the group MaWon. New
York-based r, ,11.,L hn ii rapper
Negro Baby, reggae singer
King Banton and the Latin
group James De La Raza and
El Ritmo Band are billed for
the show, which will also fea-
ture the Virgin Islands Mocko
Jumbies, Trinidadian steel
band and neighborhood dance
groups.
The festival will feature a
varied selection of booths sell-
ing Caribbean foods such as
jerk chicken, curry goat and
fish, plus art and craft items.
On Nov. 16, the focus will
turn to Caribbean jazz, featur-


Isaacs
ing veteran Jamaican musician
and founder of the Ocho Rios
Jazz Festival Sonny Bradshaw.
He will be joined by vocalist
Myrna Hague, saxophonist
Dean Fraser, Grammy nomi-
nated Haitian-born Reginald
Policard on keyboards, as well
as trumpeter Jean Caze.
For further information,
call Alex Davis of CiribK fLi
Inc. at 954-270-4601 or Lolita
Dunn, City of Miramar, at
954-704-1631.
0


Popular Culture", which exam-
ined the great divide between
the Jamaican art world and the
island's masses.
"Visual art in Jamaica is an
interesting case study in itself,"
Paul insisted. "Although politi-
cally an open society, it has pro-
duced one of the most insular
and isolationist art scenes in the
region."
She bemoaned that even
with the creation of Jamaica's
National Gallery and Edna
Manley College of Visual and
Performing Arts, the majority
of Jamaica's populace is still
not included in the country's
art scene. Paul partly blames
the attitudes and assumptions
of the LiihL 'that define and
run the art institutions noting:
"Visual art is constructed as a
signifier of good taste, connois-
seurship, civility and refine-


Annie Paul, right, discusses art with Jamaical
dent Louis Davis.
ment; a veritable bulwark
against the incursions of the
supposedly loud, cultureless,
clueless mob perpetually


threatening
to drown the
hard won
gains of high
art with their
vulgar music
and dance."
But,
the UWI crit-
S,- ic warned
S that this for-
Smal art world
had better
learn to
S speak "the
language of
the Jamaican
.,1 ~ _I if it is
n-born, Florida resi- to reach this
wider public
that has creat-
ed a l;gi1imatL form of expres-
sion through the raw visuals of
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 18)


MIAMI
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November 2008


CARIBBEAN TODAY








ri Te cooeRTS/ EATERTAIn me n


Byron Lee conferred Jamaica's fourth highest national honor


KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
Popular Jamaican band leader
Byron Lee has been conferred
with his country's fourth high-


est national honor, the Order
of Jamaica (OJ).
Lee, who is gravely ill
with cancer, was presented


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Graduate of UWl. Previously practiced in Mandeville,
Residency at JMH.
NEW LOCATION
250 NW 183rd Street, Miami, Flonda 33169
DIPLOMAT OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS

Faris A. Hanna, M.D., EA.C.O.G, P.A.
Offering The Women in South Florida Quality Healthcare
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15 (305) 652-0040
1150 North 35th Avenue, Suite 675
Hollywood, Forida 33021
Diplomate American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology


with the award during a spe-
cial ceremony at the
University Hospital of the
West Indies on Oct. 26.

Critics celebrate ...
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17)
dancehall and music videos.
PATWA
One such official channel
has taken up the call.
Entertainment Report (ER)
began as a five-minute segment
in 1990 on the island's govern-
ment-sponsored television sta-
tion the Jamaica Broadcasting
Company (JBC), now Television
Jamaica (TVJ). The show, host-
ed by Anthony Miller, show-
cased the rebellious and increas-
ingly popular dancehall culture
that would eventually help
shape mainstream identity.
A reclusive, no-nonsense,
hard-hitting interviewer, Miller
highlighted dancehall culture
and its requisite fashion and
accoutrements, with a fresh,
objective eye.
According to Paul, the ER
host only speaks standard
English even while interviewing
Patwa-speaking guests, and has
no problem communicating.
As a result, Miller has per-
sonally bridged the gap and has
earned the respect of a "rene-
gade culture" that has created
stars out of the art movement
called dancehallThe ER creator
can be viewed as a ground-
breaking performance curator,
according to Paul.
The Caribbean on a whole
would be greatly served with
out-of-the-box thinkers such as
Miller. For "in regions like, this
visual art cannot model itself on
narrow, modernist concepts and
tropes without risking extinc-
tion," Paul concluded.

Story and photograph by
Dawn A. Davis, a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


"Byron Lee and the
Dragonaires was an institution
that made such an impact on
the lives of so many people
that Byron's contribution must
be boldly recorded when the
history of Jamaican music is
being written," Prime Minister
Bruce Golding said at the cer-


emony.
Lee founded the band in
1950. One of their most recent
performances was the opening
ceremony of the Cricket
World Cup at Jamaica's
Trelawny Multi-purpose
Stadium in Mar. 2007.
0


'WHAT GOES AROUND


ulamorous saKina samuaa poses on the red carpet at the premiere ofth e sunrason
Films' latest release "What Goes Around" at the Cinema Paradiso in South Florida
recently. Samuda plays a leading role in the tale of love, lust, revenge and remorse.
The movie, which carries a message of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, is direct-
ed by Jamaican-born Steve "Tehut Nine" McAlpin and produced by Johnny Blacks of
Johnny Blacks Entertainment. Additional United States screenings have been sched-
uled for Washington D.C., Atlanta, Philadelphia New York. The film will also be shown
in Jamaica, and Toronto, Canada. McAlpin was also behind the films "Foreign" and
"Bashment: The Fork in the Road".





Call for Bids or Proposals

For a listing of available Broward College (BC)
open procurement solicitations, visit:
www.broward.edu/purchasing/bids
or contact

954-201-7455

BC strongly encourages participation by minority and women-
owned business enterprises (MWBE firms)



Anthony A. McFarlane, MD

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CARIBBEAN TODAY


November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


SPORT


U.S. athlete praises Jamaicans'

performance at Beijing Olympics


MIAMI Former sprint
World Champion Lauryn
Williams, of the United States,
believes the prolonged back-
lash against Jamaica's success-
ful outing at the Olympic
Games in August is totally
unjust.
Williams, the fourth place
finisher behind three
Jamaican athletes in the
women's 100 meters final in
Beijing, said she believes the
sprinters who forced her off
the podium in the event, and
the dominance of Usain Bolt
in the men's category, were
not a result of performance-
enhancing drugs and vowed
not to be drawn into the con-
tinuous insulting debate.
"I think the slurs about
Jamaican sprinters are unfair,"
said Williams, who won the
2005 World Championships 100
meters title in Helsinki, Finland.
"I believe they are clean.
I'm not really worrying about
drug issues," she added.
"Of course, we're working
hard to make sure every coun-
try has the same testing poli-
cies, but the Jamaicans have
worked really hard for what

Chanderpaul

leads Windies

in rankings

DUBAI, United Arab
Emirates, CMC Batting star
Shiv Chanderpaul is the only
West Indies player among the
top 10 in the latest International
Cricket Council (ICC) batting
and bowling rankings for one-
day Internationals (ODI).
Chanderpaul, who is num-
ber one in the current Test
match batting ratings, is listed
at sixth on the ODI list, which
is headed by Mahendra Singh
Dhoni, of India.
The Australian left-han-
der Mike Hussey is number
two, followed by South
African Graeme Smith and
Australian Ricky Ponting,
with Pakistan's Mohammed
Yousuf at number five.
West Indians Chris Gayle
and Ramnaresh Sarwan hold
top 20 spots in the ODI bat-
ting, with Gayle at number 11
and Sarwan 19th.
Australian pacer Nathan
Bracken heads the ODI
bowlers' list, ahead of New
Zealand's Daniel Vettori, and
Australian Mitchell Johnson.
Sri Lanka's magic spinner
Muttiah Muralitharan, who
leads the Test bowling rank-
ings, is number six on the
ODI list that has pacers

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 21)


they achieved. They have been
in the mix for a long time, they
haven't suddenly appeared this
year," said Williams, who
turned 25 last month.

CRITICISM
Jamaica's drug-testing
program has been criticized
and Bolt's rise to stardom in
the 100 meters this year has


LIs
Williams


raised a flurry of reaction
from the track and field fra-
ternity including former U.S.
Olympic sprint star Carl Lewis
- questioning the validity of
the Jamaican sprint domi-
nance. But in spite of the
cloud over the sport in the
past few years, Williams backs
the Jamaicans to be clean and
thinks it is heartbreaking to
know that whenever someone
runs fast it rests on perform-
ance-enhancing substances.
"It's sad that athletics is
constantly dragged back to
that," said Williams.


- CMC
*


GORDON WILLIAMS

Three Caribbean coun-
tries were officially elim-
inated last month, but
the region's traditional top two
teams hung on dearly to hopes
of qualifying for World Cup
2010, soccer's premier event.
Haiti, Cuba and Suriname
all tumbled out of the CON-
CACAF semi-final round of
qualifiers after failing to finish
among the top two in their
respective groups following
crucial games last month.
However, Trinidad and
Tobago and Jamaica both
secured important points to
stay in the race for places in
the final round of qualifiers
which begins next year.
Last month, when teams
in all three groups completed
five games, T&T drew with
rival Guatemala 0-0 on Oct.
11 and beat leaders United
States 2-1 on Oct. 15 to move
into second place in Group 1
with eight points. The U.S.
has 12 points, while
Guatemala has five.
Cuba, currently on three
points, could finish last in the
group once the semi-final
round fixtures are completed
on Nov. 19. On that date the
U.S., which has already quali-
fied, will host Guatemala.
Cuba will visit T&T, which
only needs a point to advance.
If Guatemala wins and
T&T loses, the second place
finisher in the group, which
will join the U.S. in the next
round, will be decided on goal
difference. Guatemala cur-


rently holds the edge with a
plus one diik rL nk L, after scor-
ing six goals and conceding
five, while T&T is even, scor-
ing six and allowing six.

KEEPING PACE
The two teams advancing
from Group 2 will also be
decided on Nov. 19 when
Jamaica hosts Canada, which


Iuller


has been eliminated, and
Mexico travels to Honduras.
Mexico has 10 points and
leads the group, followed
by Honduras on nine and
Jamaica with seven.
The Reggae Boyz scored
two stunning home wins last
month to keep pace with the
group leaders. On Oct. 11
Jamaica beat Mexico 1-0
through a goal by striker
Ricardo Fuller.
"Jamaica played well,"
admitted Mexico's coach Sven
Goran Eriksson after the
game. "...Physically we can't
compete with them."
Four days later, Luton
Shelton's strike nipped
Honduras 1-0. Backed again


by a huge home crowd,
Jamaica competed hard in the
second game as well.
"It's the Jamaican spirit
that came out in the game,"
said Jamaica's assistant coach
Bradley Stewart.
If Jamaica wins and
Honduras loses next month,
Jamaica will join Mexico in
the next round. If Jamaica
loses or draws, the Reggae
Boyz will be eliminated. If
Jamaica wins and Mexico
draws with Honduras, Mexico
will advance as group winner
and the second spot will be
decided on goal difference. If
Mexico loses and Jamaica
wins, Honduras will advance
and goal difference will decide
the remaining place between
Mexico and Jamaica.
Going into the games next
month, Mexico, with nine
goals scored and five against,
holds a plus four goal differ-
ence. Honduras has a plus
three goal difference, scoring
eight and allowing five.
Jamaica has a negative differ-
ence, having conceded six
goals while scoring only three.
Jamaica and T&T are the
only two English-speaking
countries to qualify for the
World Cup finals. The Reggae
Boyz made it to France in
1998, while the Soca Warriors
qualified for the 2006 finals in
Germany. The 2010 finals will
be staged in South Africa.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


Y
~L*


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November 2008




CARIBBEAN TODAY


Meet Them in Miami!

Miami Book Fair International 2008

November 9-16

These celebrated authors
explore the stories and
issues of the Caribbean
in their work, and they're
among the more than 300
writers joining us for our
M 25th anniversary.


Elizabeth Nunez


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Cyril Dabydeen


Lisa Allen-Agostini, Tim Brothers, Willie Chen, Carol Boyce
Davies, Jan J. Dominique, Brenda Flanagan, Cynthia Barrow
Giles, Maude Heurtelou, Fequiere Vilsaint, Josaphat-Robert
Large, Max Manigat, Austin C. Clarke, Harvey Neptune,
Selwyn Ryan and more.


Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami, Florida
Miami Book Fair is a premier program of the
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November 2008





CARIBBEAN TODAY


SPORT


LWW-crbbatoa.co


Jamaica's Johnson returns Euro's pro soccer clubs woo Caribbean players


FLORIDA, United States -
Glen Johnson is hoping his
Nov. 11 clash against Tiwon
Taylor will be the catalyst for
more competitive fights in
boxing's light-heavyweight
division.
Johnson, the Jamaica-
born former International
Boxing Federation champion,
is set to face American Taylor
at the Seminole Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino here, and
intends to make the bout a
tune-up for bigger contests.
"I'm looking forward to
fighting the big boys in the
light-heavyweight division,
they don't want any part of
me," the 39-year-old Johnson
told the Boxing Talk website.
"With a fight like this, I
have to do what I have to do
to stay busy...I'm coming out
bombs away, and I'm trying to
take care of business real
quick."
Johnson, also known as
"The Road Warrior", indicat-
ed that he is looking to fight
any of the pugilists in the top
10 of the world rankings.




Bahamian h

considers re
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC -
Reigning high jump world
champion Donald Thomas is
considering the possibilities of
ending his track and field
career to focus his attention
again on playing basketball.
Bahamian
Thomas, who
only took up
high jumping
in 2006 to get
a break from
basketball
while attend-
ing school in
the United Thomas
States, sur-
prised his more seasoned
competitors to win the world
title at the 2007 World
Championships in Osaka,
Japan.
However, after suffering


Chanderpaul leads

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19)
Jerome Taylor (11th) and
Daren Powell (15th) as the
highest ranked West Indies
bowlers.
Kenya's Peter Ongondo
has reclaimed a top 20 spot
among ODI bowlers following
his team's Tri-series with


"We're looking to do
something in January hopeful-
ly that will work out," he said.
"I think they're talking about
January 3 for another big
fight.
"I want to be the champi-
on of the
light-heavy-
weight divi-
sion. All of
the guys who
have the titles,
I want to fight
them and col-
lect those."
Johnson Johnson
last fought
southpaw Chad Dawson in
April, losing a controversial
unanimous decision to the
American in Tampa, Florida.
"I wouldn't say I've gotten
over it, but I know that I just
have to move on," he said.
Johnson holds a fight
record 47 wins, 12 losses, and
two draws in 61 fights.

CMC





)h jump star

irn to hoops
from an ankle injury which
shortened his indoor season
this year and also hampered
his preparation for the rest of
season, Thomas failed to gen-
erate the same form he showed
the previous year and flopped
at the Beijing Olympics. He is
now thinking about switching
back to playing ball.
"That's something that I
will have to evaluate when I
get back in training and
decide what I will do from
there," Thomas was quoted as
telling The Freeport News.
The 24-year-old Thomas
failed to get beyond the quali-
fying round in Beijing in
August, after clearing a mere
2.20 meters for 12th in his
qualifying height.
0


to boxing ring on Nov. 11


GORDON WILLIAMS

KINGSTON, Jamaica -
Professional soccer clubs in
Europe, particularly in
England, are steadily wooing
more players from the
Caribbean, drawn by their
skills and athletic ability.
According to Jamaican-
born John Barnes, who was
recently appointed coach of
Jamaica's senior national team
and who played professionally
in England for 25 years, where
once they doubted, the clubs
have now become more con-
vinced that Caribbean players
have the necessary commit-
ment to handle the rigors of
some of the world's most com-
petitive leagues.
"(The perception of
Caribbean players has) been
changing since (Trinidad and
Tobago's) Dwight Yorke,"
said Barnes, who played for
clubs such as Watford,
Liverpool and Newcastle in
the top division after moving
to England as a boy.
"I wouldn't say since me,
because I went to England
when I was 13 so I grew up
there and played, whereas
Dwight came over as a foot-
baller. So since Dwight it's
been like 'yes, we can get
Caribbean players'," Barnes
told Caribbean Today.
"...Because once upon a
time, the perspective that they
had of black players generally,
even English black players in
the 70s, was fast, skilful, can't
think too much, put you on


i(

it'


the wing, put you up front, not
positions of responsibility -
defensive midfielder, goal-
keeper, center back. Whereas
now all of those myths have
been dispelled, because the
England team
has black cen-
ter halves,
black goal-
keeper.
"Now,
from the
Caribbean
perspective, it
was like 'yeah,
you can get Barnes
the wingers
over 'cause they're fast, but if
it's cold...' Whereas now, and
of course from a Jamaican
perspective, since Ricardo
Gardner went there, it opened
the doors for a lot of people."

EVERYWHERE
Dozens of Caribbean-
born players are currently
with top British clubs. Yorke,
Gardner, T&T's Kenwynne
Jones and Jamaica's Ricardo
Fuller are among those play-
ing in the top flight English
Premier League (EPL). Many
others play in lower English
leagues and in Scotland.
Several others have been
signed by agents and are
awaiting work permits to join
British clubs. Some have
moved on to other European
clubs while they await word
on the permits.
Barnes has helped expose
Caribbean talent to England
working as a scout as part of a


Windies in rankings

Zimbabwe and Ireland in
Nairobi. He is 20th. New
Zealand's Jacob Oram leads
the all-rounders' list ahead of
England's Andrew Flintoff
and Pakistan's Shoaib Malik
and Shahid Afridi, with Gayle
at number five.
l


program sponsored by
telecommunications company
Digicel. He invited several
under-20 players from the
region to EPL club Sunderland
earlier this year, where reports
indicated they impressed the
club's management.
"Sunderland actually
wanted to bring three of them
back; three of the eight," said
Barnes. "...After two days
(Sunderland's manager) Roy
Keane himself came down,
took the boys into the dressing
room for one of the matches.
He recognized the talent...The
manager heard about the qual-
ity they actually had, heard
about the discipline and the
spirit they showed in playing."
Yet while the door to a
professional soccer career may
be widening in Europe,
Barnes said talent alone will
not help Caribbean players
force their way through it.
"You have to have that
hunger and playing," he said.
"...The commitment that you
need has to be the commit-
ment within yourself, not to
the occasion or the situa-
tion... Because (the clubs
have) always known they
(Caribbean players) have
good ability, but now they are
looking at their spirit and
their desire and their dedica-
tion and their discipline."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


You're invited to tune into

Miami-Dade County's

Ask 3-1-1 radio show

If you're worried about paying your property
taxes, tune into the Ask 3-1-1 radio show to find
out if you qualify for a tax deferment.

The County's local radio show airs on 1490AM
on the first Tuesday of every month from 2:30 -
3 p.m. Listen to WMBM for more details.

The Ask 3-1-1 radio show is just one of the
many ways to stay informed about government
services. For more information on all County
programs and services call 3-1-1 or click on
miamidade.gov.




3-1-1


MIAMIA
-lo=w0


November 2008






CARIBBEAN TODAY


- usw^caribbeantody..c.I


11 6 n t T 91


HIV/AIDS killing 38 per day in Caribbean


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC The head of the
United Nations AIDS Office
in the Caribbean has called
for renewed action to combat
the spread of HIV/AIDS in
the region, which is currently
reporting 38 deaths each day
from the deadly disease.
Addressing the seventh
annual United States Chiefs
of Mission Conference on
HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean
last month, Dr. Karen Sealy
said while there had been
remarkable improvements
in reducing the spread of
HIV/AIDS, there is need to
increase momentum in the
areas of prevention, care,
treatment and education.
"We lose 38 citizens of the
Caribbean to AIDS every sin-
gle day and on a daily basis,
55 Caribbean citizens are
newly infected with HIV
every single day," she told the
conference, while also high-


lighting the need for behav-
iour modification in the
region.

CONCERN
Of particular concern to
the U.N. official are men who
have sex with men and sex
workers, who she listed
among high risk groups where
the virus seems to be on the
rise. Sealy said there was also
an increase in reported cases
among crack cocaine users,
adding p- rhiap the category
that we have not identified is
that of prisoners.
"We know that the spread
of HIV in the Caribbean is in
fact being fuelled by serious
gaps in gender equality with
the removal of homosexuality
from the legislation in Panama
recently.
"All the countries of the
Americas which have homo-
sexuality as a crime are now
located in the Caribbean


region," she said.
In his address, Prime
Minister Patrick Manning
noted that his government had
scored some successes in the
fight against the deadly dis-
ease through the provision of
antiretroviral drugs. But he
acknowledged there was still
much work to be done in
curbing its spread. He told the
delegates that most of those
infected with the virus were
now able to live "a high quali-
ty of life" as a result of the
country's health care program.
He said "one of the true suc-
... was the decline in the
mother-to-child transmission
of the disease, noting that all
pregnant women who attend
government pre natal clinics
and were found to be HIV
positive could access anti-
retroviral drugs free of cost.
0


Colonic irrigation remains controversial


DR. HOWARD LeWINE

Question: A friend of mine
recently told me she was get-
ting colonic irrigation. She is
generally healthy but had
been feeling run down. After
three sessions, she felt much
more energetic and believes
that the treatment removes
toxins from her body. Is this
true? Is colonic irrigation
safe?
Answer. Colonic irrigation,
also called colonic hydrothera-
py, is a variant of enema treat-
ment, which involves flushing
the bowel with water in differ-
ent quantities, temperatures,
and pressures. Through a tube
inserted via the rectum, water
may be introduced alone or
with added enzymes, coffee,
probiotics or herbs. Treatment
sessions usually last about one
hour.
Colonic irrigation may
have been used as early as
ancient times in Egypt, China,
India, and Greece. This prac-
tice gained some popularity in
19th century European spas.
Without scientific evi-
dence to support the claims,
colonic irrigation has been
promoted in modern times to
improve general well being
and ,-,.,LiLd as a treatment
for cancer and other diseases
unrelated to the lower intes-
tine. Proponents of colonic
irrigation claim that it can
improve mental outlook, elim-
inate toxic substances that
cause chronic diseases, and
boost immunity. One theory is
that intestinal flora (bacteria
that normally live in the intes-
tine) and waste products in
our lower intestine somehow


impede the func-
tion of the body's
immune system.
It is proposed but
unproven that
washing away
these flora and
waste products
may have benefi-
cial effects.
Colonic irri-
gation can poten-
tially cause
severe adverse
effects and must
be carefully
administered.
People receiving
frequent treat-
ments may
absorb too much


A colonic irrigation set used for the procedure.


water, leading to
electrolyte imbalances in the
blood. If severe, this can lead
to nausea, vomiting, abnormal
heart rhythms, and, very
rarely, coma. There is a risk of
bowel perforation (breakage
of the bowel wall), which is a
serious problem.
Colonic irrigation should
not be used in people with
diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis,
Crohn's disease, severe or
internal hemorrhoids, or
tumors in the rectum or colon.
Unless directed by your doc-
tor, it should not be used soon
after bowel surgery. Regular
treatments should be avoided
by people with heart disease
or kidney disease.
If you are not doing the
cleansing yourself, be sure
that the equipment used is
sterile and that the practition-
er is experienced.
Colonic irrigation should
not be used as the sole treat-
ment (instead of more proven


therapies) for severe condi-
tions, and it should not delay
consultation with a qualified
health care provider for a
potentially severe symptom or
illness.
In my opinion, the evi-
dence to date does not sup-
port the use of colonic irriga-
tion as a way to promote bet-
ter health and prevent disease.
Although rare, serious compli-
cations can occur.

Dr. Howard LeWine is a
clinical instructor of medicine
at Harvard Medical School
and practicing internist with
Harvard Vanguard Medical
Associates and Brigham and
Women's Hospital in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA. 2008
President and Fellows of
Harvard College. All rights
reserved. Distributed by
Tribune Media Services, Inc.
0


DR. ROBERT SHMERLING

Question: What's the best nat-
ural way to combat the aches
and pains of arthritis?
Answer: That's a tricky
question, for a number of rea-
sons.
First, there are more than
100 types of arthritis. The best
remedy natural or otherwise
- often depends on the type of
arthritis a person has. In addi-
tion, many people with aches
and pains have no arthritis;
conditions such as tendonitis
or bursitis can cause joint
pains that mimic arthritis.
Second, what should be
considered "natural"? Some
people don't consider pre-
scription medications natural
even if they contain sub-
stances found in nature.
Certain thyroid hormone sup-
plements and digitalis are
examples of prescription med-
icines that contain naturally
occurring components.
Finally, there is frequently
no best "natural way" to treat
symptoms of arthritis.
Unfortunately, we have no
convincing evidence that natu-
ral remedies will reliably and
effectively treat symptoms of
the most common types of
arthritis.
That said, here's what I
consider some of the best
complementary remedies for
symptoms of arthritis:
Weight loss For most
forms of arthritis, taking the
load off a weight-bearing joint
(such as the knee) by losing
excess weight can be helpful.
Exercise Physical activ-
ity may provide significant
benefits for many types of
arthritis. Exercise can include
land or water-based physical
activities or other low-impact
exercises that strengthen mus-
cles around arthritic joints,
improve balance, and enhance
physical fitness.
Vitamin D Low blood
levels of Vitamin D are com-
mon, may cause achiness, and
have been linked with an
increased risk of osteoarthritis.
While increasing your vitamin
D intake (through foods or
supplements) is unlikely to
produce a prompt reduction in
arthritis symptoms, it may pre-
vent future arthritis and reduce
bone pain in the long term.
Glucosamine Multiple
studies ,uILI that glu-
cosamine may reduce knee
pain due to osteoarthritis.
There is controversy about
claims of other benefits,
including the possibility that it
can prevent arthritis or heal
established arthritis.
Acupuncture Well-
designed studies t' uLlI that
acupuncture may be effective
for osteoarthritis, fibromyal-
gia, and other chronic pain.


Just how acupuncture
improves symptoms of arthri-
tis is uncertain.
Diet While recommen-
dations abound regarding
which foods to favor and
which to avoid for various
types of arthritis, the link
between diet and arthritis is
strongest for one particular
type of arthritis, gout.
Limiting alcohol and high
purine foods (such as herring,
anchovies, liver, and bacon)
can reduce the frequency of
gout attacks in some people.
Recent studies have linked
various dietary components
(including meat, fish, and high
fructose corn syrup) to an
increased risk of newly diag-
nosed gout. Other foods
(especially low-fat dairy prod-
ucts) seem to reduce the risk
of gout. However, for people
with established gout, the
impact of changing the intake
of these foods is uncertain.
For rheumatoid arthritis,


there is limited evidence that
omega-3 fatty acids may
reduce joint inflammation; in
my own practice, I haven't
seen much benefit.
Keep in mind that as
appealing as natural remedies
may be, they can be just as
dangerous as prescription
medications. After all, toxic
mushrooms are all-natural!
And because the regulation of
herbs, vitamin supplements,
and other non-prescription
"neutraceuticals" is less strin-
gent than for prescription
medicines, it can be difficult to
know exactly what's in an all-
natural remedy. Impurities,
interactions with other medi-
cines, and variable potency
can cause significant problems.

Dr. Robert H. Shmerling is
associate physician at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical
Center, Boston, Massachusetts,
USA, and associate professor
at Harvard Medical School.
He has been a practicing
rheumatologist for over 20
years at Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center.)
2008 President and
Fellows of Harvard College.
All rights reserved. Distributed
by Tribune Media Services, Inc.
0


No 'best' remedy for arthritis


November 2008







Nm 200i n / IP 0 B I T



Lack of interest stalling Caribbean

single market, economy o Gonsalves


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Prime Minister
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says an
apparent lack of interest by
key players, including
Jamaica, is currently fore-
stalling the creation of a
Caribbean community
(CARICOM) Single Market
and Economy (CSME).
Gonsalves leveled the
charge, even as he sought to
justify recent efforts by the
Eastern Caribbean leaders to
forge a closer union with
Trinidad and Tobago.
"What do you do, do you
wait for the slowest in the
integration movement or
those who wish to go further
and deepen the integration
processes?" asked Gonsalves.


Gonsalves


Delivering a special inte-
gration lecture at the University
of West Indies Cave Hill
Campus here late last month,
he went further to I--ue-l that
there was absolutely nothing
wrong with having different lev-
els of integration within CARI-


COM. But he warned that 2015
deadline set by leaders for full
implementation of the CSME
was unlikely to be met, based
on the unwillingness of certain
governments to move forward.
He said the Bruce
Golding administration in
Jamaica also seemed unwilling
at the moment to countenance
the requirement for there to
be "a centralized political
apparatus.
"A host of reasons may
be offered, one of them I
believe is that Jamaica has not
yet exorcised the ghost of the
failed federal venture," sug-
gested Gonsalves.
0


BRIDUGET OWN, Barbados,
CMC Yana-Marisa Edwards,
a Guyanese student, has
emerged as the most outstand-
ing candidate in the region in
this year's Caribbean Secondary
Education Certificate (CSEC).
It is the third straight year
that a student of the Queen's
College in Guyana has taken
the top spot, the Caribbean
Examinations Council (CXC)
said in a statement late last
month.
Edwards achieved Grade I
in 14 subjects agricultural sci-
ence (Double Award), biology,
Caribbean history, chemistry,
electronic document prepara-
tion and management, English
A, English B, French, human
and social biology, information
technology (general), mathe-
matics, physics, social studies,


Spanish and technical drawing
- and a Grade II in music.
She follows Wainella
Isaacs in 2007 and Shivarnie
Persaud in 2006 respectively as
the top student in the region.
Two other Queen's
College students Aaron
Haralsingh and Suraj Mattai -
also received awards.
The award for the "Most
Outstanding Performance in
Humanities" went to Lori-Ann
Vaz of Wolmer's Girls School,
Jamaica. She achieved Grade I
in 11 subjects, including five
humanities subjects Caribbean
history, English B, geography,
social studies and Spanish. She
also achieved Grade I in biolo-
gy, chemistry, English A, infor-
mation technology, mathematics
and physics.


Manning v. Rowley: T&T political party rift widens


PETER RICHARDS

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -
Regardless of what the former
Housing Minister Keith
Rowley does to clear his name,
the die has already been cast.
While Prime Minister
Patrick Manning did not specif-
ically call his name in connec-
tion with the supposedly miss-
ing TT$10 million ($1.6 million)
from a housing project in 2003,
the intention was very clear.
Speaking during the recent
budget debate, Manning told
legislators that the cost of the
residential units in the eastern
part of the country amounted
to TT$133.4 million ($22.2 mil-
lion) "but the contract is for
TT$143.4 million ($23.9 mil-
lion).
"I ascribe no motive to the
member for Diego Martin
West. All I am saying is that
the member was the minister


of housing on whose recom-
mendation that the Cabinet
took a decision for 143 mil-
lion," Manning said, noting
that the issue would be a sub-
ject of an inquiry.
"And therefore, I cannot
get an answer anywhere else.
Perhaps he (Rowley) is in a
position to help me and I am
asking him, where de money
gone."
The reaction was immedi-
ate. Rowley, who in 1996 had
challenged Manning for the
leadership of the ruling
People's National Movement
(PNM), said that Manning's
statement was an "act of des-
peration."

WARNING
In September, in a news-
paper column under the head-
ing "Paying Lip-service To
Ethics, Integrity", Rowley
warned of office holders who


"fall in love with the positions
and become less and less
accountable as they grow big-
ger than the posts into which
they have been placed".
Emile Elias, whose compa-
ny, NH International, was con-
tracted to build the houses, has
all but called Manning a liar
over the affair and has demand-
ed a forensic investigation.
But political observers are
questioning how long could
Rowley remain within the fold
of the ruling party. They point
out that prior to last year's
general elections, Manning
sought and received the back-
ing of the PNM for him to
take action he thought would
ensure the success of the party
in the polls. They said what
Manning did was unprece-
dented in local politics. He
ensured that half of his old
Cabinet colleagues, including
the deputy political leader


Liverpool holds on to Dominca's presidency


ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -
74-year-old Nicholas Liverpool
has taken the oath as president
of Dominica for a second time,
ending public speculation that
he would not stay on as cere-
monial head of the country.
Liverpool's recent re-appoint-
ment came during a brief ceremo-
ny, presided over by Senior
Council Denis Barrow, at the
Office of the President, just out-
side the capital.
In July, Liverpool received
an endorsement from both
houses of the Dominica
Parliament to continue as head
of state after the Oct. 1, 2008
expiration of his initial five-
year term. But there had been
media speculation that
Liverpool would retire to


Liverpool
make way for Sir Brian
Alleyne, the retired acting
chief justice of the Eastern
Caribbean Supreme Court.
Alleyne subsequently said
he was not interested in the
presidency, after retiring as a


member of Parliament for the
western community of Mahaut.
Speaking to the media fol-
lowing the Oct. 2 swearing in,
acting Prime Minister Rayburn
Blackmoore said Liverpool's
agreement to serve for a second
term demonstrates "the honor
of the man." He also described
Liverpool as an outstanding son
of the soil and credited his con-
tribution to national develop-
ment.
Liverpool was previously
awarded Dominica's highest
honor (the Dominica Award of
Honor) and earlier this year
received the Order of the
Caribbean Community -
CARICOM's highest award.
0


Ken Valley, were not part of
the slate of candidates. The
party's campaign song
"Patrick We Stepping Up
With You" included the line
"Patrick is boss".

OPEN CONFLICT
Rowley was among the few
who were initially spared, but
then in April, Manning fired
him over allegations that he
had behaved in a very disorder-
ly manner during a meeting of
Cabinet ministers in the prime
minister's absence.
"If they haven't already
done so, or been asked to,
members of the executive of
the Diego Martin West con-
stituency of the ruling party
are going to have to choose
between their member of
Parliament and their political
leader", wrote veteran jour-
nalist Andy Johnson.
The Sunday Express news-
paper's Political Editor Ria
Taitt said there had never been
an open display of conflict
within the ruling PNM before,
noting that earlier situations
involving then Prime Minister
Eric Williams and other senior
party officials such as ANR


Robinson and Karl Hudson-
Phillips "never attained the
public dimension as the current
dispute".
Political scientist
Professor Selwyn Ryan also
reflected on that internal elec-
tion, noting that "the two men
have little real love, Christian
or otherwise, for each other."
The conflict between the
two men has not been lost on
the general public either.
Various radio and television
talk shows have been flooded
with calls from listeners and
viewers with their comments
in support of either man, while
venting their frustration in let-
ters to newspaper editors.
The Sunday Express
newspaper quoted party
sources as saying that the rift
between the two men could
result in "tremendous damage
to the party", noting that
moves were afoot for some
form of rapprochement. Both
men have, according to the
article, indicated a willingness
to discuss the matter.

- CMC
0


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November 2008


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PAGE 1

PRESOR TED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Vol.19 No.12 NOVEMBER 2008 T el: (305 1-800-605-7516 editor@caribbeantoday.com ct_ads@bellsouth.netJamaica: 654-7282 W e cover your world INSIDEGrenadian sociologist Claude Douglasar gues that the Caribbean’s attitude tohomosexualityis changingand tolerance has increased significantly. He blames that partly on America’scultural invasion of theCaribbean, page 8. How does Caribbeanvisual and lit erary art shape culturalidentity? Is there artistic value in Jamaicandancehall? Is skin bleaching and hair straightening forms of artistic expres-sion? These and other questions were explored by critic and writer Annie Paul at a symposium in Miami, page 17. News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 V iewpoint . . . . . . . . . . 9 Local/FYI . . . . . . . . . .11 Caribbean Foods . . .12 T ourism/T ravel . . . . . 15 Business . . . . . . . . . .16 Arts/Entertainment .17 Spor t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Health . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Region/Politics . . . . .23 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479 ~ Democrat Barack Obama is elected president of the United States, thefirst African American to hold thenation’ s highest office, ending eight years of Republican White House rule under Geor ge W. Bush and offering hope to Caribbean people in the U.S. and the r egion, page 3.Former sprint World Champion Lauryn Williams, of the UnitedStates, believes the pr olonged backlash against Jamaica’s successful outing at the recentOlympic Games is totallyunjust, page 19. CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 1

PAGE 2

NEW YORK – A United States court has sentenced former Haitian paramilitary leaderEmmanuel Constant to up to37 years in prison for his r ole in a mortgage fraud scheme in New York that bilked lenders out of more than $1 million. In his sentencing r emarks late last month, Justice Abraham G. Gerges, of theState Supr eme Cour t in Brooklyn, linked Constant to the American for eclosur e cri sis and the cur r ent global eco nomic turmoil. “This case, while serious in and of itself, takes on an added resonance given the current global financial crisis,”he said. “While the defendant and his confederates cannot beheld accountable for thenationwide economic melt down and the for eclosure crisis, this scheme, and otherslike it, have played a r ole in the situation.” Constant’ s lawyer Samuel Karliner planned to appeal. JUDITH HUDSON Gentle, quiet, always ready to help,” ClovealyIr ving beamed with pride as she described her son. Her words rang true as Barrington Irving gladlystopped to take pictur es with anyone who asked. He indulged the young motherscr eaming out fr om the cr owd that her son wanted to meet him, and the teacher speakingon behalf of her mentallychallenged students who desperately wanted to take a pic-tur e with their her o. It was only a year ago that the 24-year-old Irving made his-tor y as he cir cled the globe in a single-engine aircraft. Not only was he the youngest person toachieve that feat, but Ir ving was also the only Jamaican-born African American to do so. No wonder , ther efor e, that on Oct. 16, thousands converged at the Opa-LockaAirpor t in South Florida to celebrate another of Irving’s achievements – building a sin gle-engine plane in 10 weekswith the help of 60 studentsfr om Norland and Carol City high schools. This time Irving’s flight was not around the world, but around the airport, showcasing their creation. The students were selected as a part of Irving’s “Build and Soar” aviation program designed to encourage inner city youth and minority stu dents to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace. e had an open door policy ,” Ir ving said of the stu dents. “We weren’t interested in their past, just what theywanted to do now and in the future.” HARD WORK The students appear willing to go along. Thomas Nelson, a 15-year-old from Norland who helped build the plane, said he always wantedto be a pilot. “Hard work will pay off,” he said. “Barrington is the greatest person now in aviation, and to get the opportunity to work with him was great.I hope that I get to work with him next year Kenneth Mack, 15, also from Norland, agreed that hard work paid off. “It was hard work putting the plane together ,” Mack said. “We stopped and rested,but we continued until it wasfinished.” Ir ving has no plans to go ar ound the world, at least not on another solo flight. Instead,he dr eams of working with atrisk children. He wants them to know that they can accom plish whatever they desir e. “I want them to look at me and realize that if I canachieve my dr eam, they can too,” he said. His mission will also take him to Jamaica wher e youths there will be able to share in his vision. “My dr eams star ted when I met a Jamaican pilot named Gary Robinson,” Irvingr emember ed. “He asked me if I wanted to be a pilot; if it wer en’ t for him I would not be here today.” Miami Commissioner Barbara J. Jor dan, said Irving’s speech and mannerism make him seem much older than in his 20s. “He is an inspiration just like the plane said,” Jordan exclaimed. Judith Hudson is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. MIAMI – Haitian Pr esident Ren Prval has r eiterated his fer vent appeal to United States President George W. Bush to grant temporary pro-tected status (TPSliving illegally in the U.S. Prval’s call came at a time when the French-speak-ing Caribbean countr y faces a massive task to r ebuild in the aftermath of a series of deadly storms, which killed nearly 800 people and also destroyed homes, crops and infrastructure. It also came against the backdrop of a recent decisionby U.S. immigration of ficials to temporarily halt the deportation of Haitians. Prval cautioned against a resumption of deportations because of the economic challenges faced by Port-au-Prince. “This is a chance for the U.S. administration to put inplace for Haitians, the tempo rary protected status that has already been granted to other countries in the region,” Prval told the Americas Confer ence in Coral Gables, Florida last month. Prval said while he had personally told Bush about his deep concerns, he will againwrite him on the matter. PUSH T wo FloridaDemocratic congressmenhave beenpushing the Bush adminis-tration to per manently cease deportation of Haitians because of the hardship being experienced in the impoverished country.Kendrick Meek and Alcee L. Hastings, strong Haitian advo-cates, have assailed the admin istration’ s policy on Haiti, stating that Haitians have, for toolong, been victimized by Washington’s “double standard” immigration policies. Meek, who last month led a delegation of U.S. legislators ona fact-finding mission to Haiti,said it was unconscionable thatthe White House had continued to deport Haitians while the country suffers. s gone far beyond reason for the administration notto give Haiti some r elief,” he said. Meek, who represents Miami, said Haiti “over-quali-fies” for TPS, bestowed when the U.S. government determines eligible nationals aretemporarily unable to safelyr eturn to their home country because of ongoing conflicts, environmental disasters or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” Hastings, who represents the city of Miramar, outsideMiami, said, in his letter toBush, that Haiti can “har dly sustain the lives of those cur rently living within its borders.” Haitian strongman jailed for fraud in New York W ASHINGTON – Grenada’s Prime Minister T illman Thomas last month held talks with United States President George W. Bush, with trade,security and climate change foremost among their concerns. e are not only neighbors but we shar e a common tradition, so we are concernedabout the security of the region, trade and climate change,” said Thomas after meeting with the president forjust about half an hour at the White House. Thomas, who recently took over the leadership r eins in Gr enada also used the opportunity to appeal to the U.S. president, who demits office in January next year, for support in the restoration of his country’s centuries-old Parliament building that was destr oyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. “I r egard that as a very important institution within the democratic system and it seems as if President Bushsees it as a priority too, so it is a matter we ar e going to follow up on,” he said. CRISIS The meeting also touched on the current global financial crisis, in particular high foodand fuel costs with Bush inquiring after the welfare ofor dinary Grenadians. Overall, Thomas, who is the cur rent chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS characterized the day’s deliberations as “interesting” and said he looked forward to strengthening and deepeningof the r elationship between the U.S. and the Caribbean. It was Thomas’s first visit to Washington since he led his National Democratic Congress to victory in generalelections on July 8, defeating the Keith Mitchell-led New National Par ty that had governed the island since 1995. In Mar ch, the newly elected leaders of The Bahamas, Barbados and Belize also met with the U.S. leader. Grenada’s P.M.meets BushJamaican-born pilot helps Miami students ‘Build and Soar’President Prval calls for U.S. to end deportations to Haiti 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Prval Ir ving CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 2

PAGE 3

GORDON WILLIAMS Democrat Barack Obama, campaigning on a platform of change and an end to politicsthat has divided his nation,convincingly swept aside thechallenge of Republican John McCain to become the 44th president of the United Statesand the first African American to hold the country’s highest office. Obama, the 47-year-oldsenator fr om Illinois bor n to a blackAfrican fatherand a whiteAmerican mother, finished the Nov.4 election with349 electoral votes toMcCain’ s 163. He only r equired 270 votes for the historic win that ended eightyears ofRepublican rule in theU.S. Obamaalso talliedover 63 million of the popular vote to just under 56 million for McCain. Pr esident-elect Obama will be officially sworn into the White House on Jan. 20.Running mate, Delawar e Senator Joe Biden, will be his vice president. Riding a wave of high U.S. voter tur nout, especially among young people and minorities that included over whelming support fromCaribbean Americans, manywho stood several hours inline to cast their vote, Obamar olled into the Oval Office fueled by key promises todeliver a tax system that willbenefit the middle class, animpr oved health car e policy , access to better education for all, and a reversal of a lingering threat of economic doomin the nation. A massive, well-drilled organization and some threemillion money contributorsboosted a campaign thatstr essed unity between people of dif fer ent political beliefs, ethnic backgrounds and economic status. That translatedinto a huge mar gin of victor y . It also sparked positive emotions that better times wereahead for America. “It feels like hope won,” popular U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey told a television r eporter. UNITY When Obama took the stage in his home state of Illinois minutes before midnight on Nov. 4, and shortly after John McCain acknowledged defeat from his state ofArizona, the pr esident-elect at once embraced the signifi cance of his accomplishment while pledging to be the presi-dent for all Americans, not just his supporters. “Out of many we are one,” he said in a similar message to Jamaica’s motto “Out Of Many One People”. Millions of people in the Caribbean and around theworld appear ed to openly celebrate Obama’ s victory. Hundreds gathered in front of the White House in Washington D.C. when itbecame clear he had won.Obama sounded a note of hope for countries elsewhere too, including the Caribbean, indicating that the U.S. under his leadership would be part of their struggle for betterglobal r elations. o all watching from beyond our shores,” Obama said, “our story is singular, but our destiny is shared.” He zoomed in on his own nation, and talked about people like Atlanta’s Ann Nixon Cooper, who at 106 had lived through an era when African Americans were not evenallowed to vote, but whocould now witness onebecome pr esident. s been long time coming, but tonight change hascome to America,” saidObama in an acceptance Obama whips McCain,sweeps into U.S.White House No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Obama McCain Touch base with friends and family with unlimited local calling.So you can talk all you want, anytime you want in your neighborhood! Long distance is only 5 per minute – call in-state and out-of-state with no additional monthly fee. Enjoy 12 popular calling features, including:Caller ID, 3-Way Calling, Call Waiting and more! Comcast has great international rates to more than 200 countries! Go to www.comcast.com/internationalrates/.Double the pleasure this holiday season. Call Today 1-800-546-2179 Barbados $0.49 Jamaica $0.43 Trinidad $0.33 Haiti $0.47 Bahamas $0.23 Get Economy Internet or Digital Voice Local with More for only2495each per month every month* This holiday season, free yourself from dial-up and busy phone lines! Research new recipes, download holiday photos and shop online for gifts faster with up to 768 Kbps of download speed up to 13 times faster than 56K dial-up. Enjoy all these FREE features on comcast.net: McAfee Security Video Mail Rhapsody Radio PlusTM Disney Connection The FanTM Comcast Games Comcast Economy Internet* Comcast Digital Voice Local with MoreTM**Everyday low price is available in participating Comcast systems (and may not be transferred Comcast Cable video residential customers who do not currently subscribe or have not during the past 120 days subscribed to Comcast Internet service or Digital Voice, located in serviceable areas only. Not available to customers with unpaid balances. Comcast Economy Internet Service: Limited to a single outlet. Speed stated for download compares Comcast 768 Kbps to 56 Kbps dial-up. Speed tier is 768 Kbps download speed and 384 Kbps upload speed. Upgraded speed tiers are available at an additional price. Actual speeds will vary and are not guaranteed. Comcast Digital Voice Local with MoreTM: Unlimited package pricing applies to all direct-dialed calls from home. No separate long-distance carrier connection available. Comcast Digital Voice service (including 911/emergency service) may not function after an extended power outage. Certain customer premises’ equipment may not be compatible with Comcast Digital Voice service. Prices shown do not include taxes or the Regulatory Recovery Fee, which is not a tax or government required or other applicable charges (e.g., per-call charges). EMTA required ($3.00/month from Comcast keep your number is not available in all areas. Voice Mail is available on the primary line for an additional $3.95/month. Equipment, installation charges, taxes and telephone fees extra. Services subject to Comcast standard terms, conditions, and applicable Subscriber Agreements. Service is subject to terms and conditions of Comcast’s Standard Subscriber Agreement. For restrictions, minimum requirements and complete details about serviceand prices, call 954-COMCAST (266-2278ved. EDDP 1108. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 3

PAGE 4

GORDON WILLIAMS NASSAU, The Bahamas Fashion creativity in theCaribbean is fast becoming seri ous business for designers from around the world, and The Bahamas is stepping boldly onto the catwalk, hoping to capitalize on that gr owing inter est. The Caribbean chain staged “Islands of the World Fashion Week” (IWFW Nov . 5-8 her e and, accor ding to its organizers, the aim is to transform entrepreneurial spirit of the region into real recognition and earnings. “If you look at a number of the established designers around the world, they look at other cultures in terms of transporting and importing a lot of the designs etc. from other cultures into their fashions and you see it on the catwalks in Paris, in London, wherever,” Owen Bethel, president of Mode Iles, an affiliate of a financial services operation which produced IWFW, explained to Caribbean Today on the eve of the four-day extravaganza. “And so what I saw was really to bring to value tothe economies of the (Caribbean countries those designs originate fromThat’s why I referto it as the business of fashion as opposed to simply the enter tainment of fashion.” T o pr ove its point, IWFW advertised some 30 garment and accessories designers fr om 11 islands, many in the Caribbean but some from as far away as Fiji, Indonesia and Madagascar. International guest designers, including PeterIngwersen, of Noir Illuminati II fr om Denmark, and Nick Verreos of Nikolaki in the United States, wer e also slated to show . Despite a disappointing late start to the first day, the show unfurled into a steady flow of tropical-flavored designs. Haitian David Andre’s line of “Sea, Sex, Sun” starting the event rolling, followed by presentations from Darcel De Vlugt and hometown girl Christine Demeritte. Yet the Caribbean will need a greater push along the runway to carve out a sizeable niche. o be honest with you, I don’t think that the Caribbean has r eally pr esented itself significantly in the world of fashion,” Bethel admitted. e have some fantastic designers, but I think whathas happenedis that it has not gone to the next level of business, as such, outside in the inter national marketAs a r egion, I don’t think we have gone anywher e near the for ce that we have and the potential that we have.” The world is waitingat the end of the runway. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. speech often punctuated by chants of “Yes we can!” fromthe estimated 200,000-pluspeople who gather ed in Grant Park, Chicago. In a sober but commanding tone Obama hardlyacknowledged an often hostile campaign, in which his opponent’s camp linked him to terrorists and a socialist philoso-phy and questioned his fitness to lead the nation, to creditMcCain and ask for his help to move the U.S. forward. “This is our moment,” he said, repeating a line from hiscampaign trail. “This is ourtime.” Long before election night Obama’ s message had indeed star ted to change the way American’s view politics. Several senior Republicans,included for mer Secr etar y of State Colin Powell, a son of Jamaican parents, openly endorsed Obama, the first senator since John F. Kennedy to take the Oval Office. After the election they remained confident Obama could carryout his mandate. “What he did in this cam paign was be all-inclusive,” Powell told one news or ganization, “to bridge the gapbetween generations.” Obama said he was determined to “heal the divide that held back our progress.” BUSH’S BURDEN Outgoing Pr esident George W. Bush led the U.S. for two terms, which culminat-ed in the countr s worst economic crisis possibly in a centur y and his own personal popularity plunging amongthe lowest ever for a sitting U.S. leader. That appeared toweigh heavily on McCain’ s campaign. Other stumbling blocks, revealed by severalnational polls, included the Republican Party’s consistentnegative campaigning andMcCain’ s choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential runningmate. The gr owing unpopularity of the U.S. involvement in two wars did not help theRepublican. Neither did McCain’s a long time senator and respected ex-military man failur e to convince the majority of Americans he offered the best solution to the nation’ s economic woes and his inconsistent shows ofleadership which the Obamacampaign often described aser ratic. McCain humbly accepted the voters’ decision. “The American people have spoken and they havespoken clearly ,” he said. The Arizona senator was gracious in defeat, congratu-lating his opponent and pr omising to help him rebuild America. McCain alsoacknowledged the “special significance” of Obama’s win. “Senator Obama has achieved a gr eat thing for himself and his country,” said McCain during his concessionspeech. Obama signaled his intent to hasten the transition fr om the Bush administration. He had reportedly long decided on key team members, including a chief of staff. His job, hesaid, r equired urgent attention. ictory alone is not the change we seek,” Obama said, s the chance to make that change.” Gordon W illiams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. JUDITH HUDSON Caribbean Americans, eager for change in their adopted home land, have enthusiastically embraced Barack Obama’s successful bid to become pr esident of the United States. According to several interviewed by Caribbean Today on election night, Nov.4, they voted for a candidatewho will make life better for them and their relatives, one who they hope will not forgetthem when he settles in theWhite House and not sweep their issues aside but will tackle them head-on. “For the economy to stabi lize, we have to first choose a good leader,” said Irwine Clare, the Jamaican-born man-aging dir ector of Caribbean Immigrant Services in New York, who said that he always believed that Obama was the better candidate to become president. e have chosen a leader not only for the United Statesbut for the world, one who will now bring everyone to the table.” Clare said it is still unclear about Obama’s immigration policy, but he believes that theCaribbean community will benefit if it works with other racial groups. “Right now, I don’t think we have done enough in America to get special obliga tion,” he said. “We must ask ourselves, ‘are we doingenough to make an impact onthis nation, ar e we at the level to demand change’. I don’t think we ar e.” Clare also added that whatever happens it is a greattime to be in the U.S. “Barack is the first African American pr esident, and if he can do it, as a child with immigration backgr ound, that makes me believe that I can do anything,” he said. “This is histor y in the making.” ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE’ Patrick Beckfor d, chairman of Jamaica Diasporaor ganization in the U.S. northeast region, agreed. ords cannot express how I feel,” Beckford said on Nov. 4. “Look at what is hap-pening. I picked my daughter up today from college and I cannow tell her that anything ispossible, anything can happen.” Beckfor d said that many young people voted because they believe they have a voice and can be a part of the deci-sion-making. But he too was not sur e wher e Pr esident Obama will stand on immigra tion. “He has a Caribbean affairs advisor ,” Beckfor d said, “so I think we might get some help fr om him.” Yet Pauline Walters, a businesswoman, said that shevoted for Obama because ofhis stand on immigration. “Senator Obama voted in favor of giving illegal aliens amnesty,” she said. Walters added that the Democrat will need time to fix the economy and other pr oblems that the U.S. faces, butthe first step was to put him in the White House instead of Republican opponent John McCain. “Pr esident-elect Obama is the best person to set us free,” she said. “He will r estor e all that is lost. He is the only American politician who went to Germany and got such a r eception. Barack brings new ideas, while McCain has none.” Sara Williams, a retired elementary school teacher saidshe cried when Obama won. e have come a long way,” she said, “from the cotton fields to the White House.This is what we have dr eamed about, but thought it was impossible. Now that ourdr eams has come through we need time to take it in, then we must get r eady to work.” J udith Hudson is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Fashion from the islands hit The Bahamas catwalkObama whips McCain,sweeps into U.S.White HouseCaribbean Americans celebrate Obama’s election victory 4 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Obama proved popular to voters in South Florida and the entire U.S. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) Photograph by Demetrius FrancisBahamian Apryl Weech leads a group of models on the ca twalk during “Islands of the World Fashion Week” CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 4

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No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 W ewantyoutofeelathomewhenyouandthat iswhywegoallthewaytorenetheelementsthatgointo deliveringagreattravelexperience. Withotherairlinesgoingskinnyonthedetails,werealwaysbig onthedetailsthatmatterlikefreecheckedbaggagewithtwo piecesforEconomypassengersandthreepiecesforLovebird ExecutiveClasspassengers—andcomplimentarymealsand Champagne. Enjoy IslandStylee ,ouraward-winningin-ightvideo,and SkyWritings magazine,whichfor35yearshasbeenaninsightful celebrationofthebestofJamaicaandtheCaribbean. Butperhapsthethingthatmostsetsusapartisourinstinctfor understandingtheCaribbeantraveller.Weknowourpassengers aremorethanjustaseatnumber,andsowhetheryouare travellingforbusiness,foravacation,orevenifyourchildis withusasanunaccompaniedminor,onethingiscertain: wearethebestairlinetotheCaribbean, andwhenyouwithus, yourewithfamily. Q.How long have you been a 7th Hea ven Rewards Member? I joined the program in June 2002 and in 2006 I earned Chairmans Club status. This gives me so many more benetsI don t have to pay any additional fees for advance purchase or changes to my itinerary; I get to check in at the Lovebird Executive Class counter and to use the Lovebird Executive Lounge in Kingstono r Montego Bay.Q.Why is Air Jamaica your choice for travel? I feel very close to home when I travel with A ir Jamaica. Its that simple. The sta is great and always willing to go the extra mile. When I call reservations I can talk Jamaican and they understand .Q. How have you used your 7th Heaven Reward points? I love free tickets, and I share my free tickets with the people I lo ve. Its always about bringing my family and friends together.Q.Whatsyourfavouritetrip? Flying to Jamaica straight from work on a Friday evening to spend a weekend with my family and friends and then coming back up to Miami on the early ight just in time for work on Monday morning. I even get a nice Jamaican breakfast on board to start the day o right!Q. Sharewithusoneofyourtravelsecrets? I signed up for email alerts from AirJamaica.com. That way, as soon as a special fare or Lovebird eSaver comes out it comes straight to my PDA and I can take advantage of Air Jamaicas great deals. With our 7th Heaven Rewards program your miles never expire if you travel within 36 months. Earn 250 bonus miles with each ticket purchased online at www.AirJamaica.com and earn double miles for each Lovebird Executive Class ticket purchased. You also earn rewards through our partners, including Virgin Atlantic, Hertz Rent a Car, NCB Travel MasterCard and the Barclays International 7th Heaven World MasterCard; the kind of rewards that can serve to make your trip so much more special. And there is a special treat for the month of October. 7th Heaven Rewards members receive a 5,000 miles bonus each time you travel on Flight JM021 from Kingston to Miami. If youre not yet a member sign up now at www.AirJamaica.com and earn 500 bonus miles, and let the rewards begin. 1-800-523-5585 • www.AirJamaica.comTaki Miller7th Heaven Chairmans Club Member Pride10x14.indd 1 10/21/08 10:45:30 AM CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 5

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W ASHINGTON – Caribbean American CongresswomanY vette D. Clarke has called on the George W. Bush administration to incr ease aid to Haiti in the wake of destruction by a recent series of storms. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants who represents the 11th CongressionalDistrict in Br ooklyn, told the Caribbean Media Corporation befor e departing for Haiti recently that more needs to be done to help the French-speaking Caribbean countr y. e cannot allow this situation of poverty, disease, and vulnerability to the elements to continue unanswered,” said Clarke, who was par t of a United States Congressional delegation which went on a two-day visit to Haiti to “physically examine the dam age on the ground.” MORE AID Clarke, the r epr esentative for the lar gest Congr essional district of Caribbean immigrants in the U.S., has joinedher Congr essional colleagues in asking Speaker of the U.S. House of RepresentativesNancy Pelosi to pr ovide an appropriation of at least $300 million in disaster assistancefor Haiti in the Supplemental Appropriations Bill. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID the amount of humanitarian assistance to Haiti from $10 million, announced on Sept. 8, to $19.5 million. GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana’s Home Affairs Minister ClementRohee has accused theUnited States Embassy ofblowing the crime situationout of pr oportion, after a warning was issued to American citizens about an upsurge of crime in the country. The report, issued through the Overseas SecurityAdvisor y Council (OSAC said the U.S. was aware of ther ecent increase in robberies at local gas stations, including those often fr equented by U.S. Embassy personnel in Georgetown. “Due to a rise in criminal activity during the hours of darkness, the U.S. Embassy is recommending that itsemployees filltheir gas tanks during day-light hoursonly”, the advisory stated. “Private U.S. citizens in Guyana may wish to heedthis same advice”. ‘IN ACCURATE’ However, Rohee late last month described the U.S. report as inaccurate, saying there have not been any recent attacks on gas stations. He acknowledged that there wer e minor criminal activities, but said the security forces were fully prepared to tackle these problems. Rohee further noted that in recent times there havebeen no attacks on overseas-based Guyanese, labeling the U.S. r eport as yet another attempt to “blow out of proportion” the crime situation in Guyana. The minister also chided the depar tment, suggesting there were other countries inthe r egion with a worse crime situation than Guyana. He called on the U.S. to consult with Guyanese authorities before making wild and irrelevant assumptions. Caribbean American congresswoman wants more aid for struggling Haiti NEW YORK – The United Nations says close to two million Cubans affected by recenthur ricanes Gustav and Ike will receive vital assistance under its World Food Program(WFPmonths. Under the newlyapproved emergency operation, WFP will provide $5.7 million in food rations, includ-ing rice, beans, vegetable oil, canned fish and CSB, a blend-ed food compound of maizeand soy for tified with vitamins and minerals. The agency’ s ef forts are in support of the Cuban government as it responds to communities needing food assistancein ar eas that bor e the br unt of hurricane damage in late August and early September. “WFP is playing an important role helping people who suffered great losses inthe stor ms,” said Sonsoles Ruedas, WFP representative in Cuba. In addition to the rations, WFP will supply temporaryfood storage war ehouses and liquid gas stoves to peoplewho lost cooking facilities in the storms. A series of hur ricanes – Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike – killed hundreds of people andcaused billions of dollars of damage to infrastructureacr oss the Caribbean. In addition to Cuba, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands were among the hard-est hit. Cubans to get U.N.food aid CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – An American biology student was released from hospital here on Oct. 26 following hisdramatic r escue from Petit Piton – St. Lucia’ s landmark 2,461 foot mountain. Mark Francis Heinmann, 21, of the New York College, was among a party of students who came to St. Lucia for the“semester -at-sea program” and made the climb up thePiton. However , officials say he ran into difficulty on his way down, slipping 200 feet down the slope and landing on a ledge from which he had to be rescued. The student suffered dehydration, br uises to his body and a pain in his shoulder, but appeared to be ingood spirits. The entire ordeal lasted mor e than 12 hours as the Fr ench Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter , stationed on nearby Martinique, had to be mobilizedby way of a request by the United States Embassy in Barbados. Several local agencies were also involved in the res-cue, including the National Emergency Management Or ganisation (NEMO Lucia Fire Service, St. Lucia Helicopters, the Soufriere Disaster Committee and the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. U.S.student rescued from St.Lucia ordeal Home affairs minister dismisses U.S.report on crime in Guyana 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com HERO IN THE HOUSE Photograph by Derrick Scott/JISJamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding,left,and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS Insulza stand next to a statue of Jamaica’s first National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey during the prime minister’s recent visit to Washington D.C.in the United States where Golding paid a courtesy call on Insulza.The statue is on display in the foyer of the OAS headquarters.The OAS recently passed a resolution to name its cultural hall in honor of Garvey. Rohee CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 6

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ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada The wor ds fr om for mer United States First Lady Nancy Reagan echoed to a captive audience a stone’s throw away from wherea battle waged between U.S. marines and Grenadian soldiers25 years ago. The man who made the call to the U.S. formerGover nor General Sir Paul Scoon Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, as well as veterans of the war, were part of the audi-ence at last month’ s ceremony rededicating a monument for19 American soldiers killed inthe war . “I can har dly believe 25 years have passed since my hus band r eceived that early mor n ing call for help from the governor (general enada,” recalled Reagan in a letter read by U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Mary Ourisman. “Authorizing militar y for ce is an extremely difficult decision for a pr esident to make, but my husband didn’t hesitate.” The ceremony, a highlight of the national Thanksgiving Day, occurred just outside thePoint Salines Inter national air por t wher e Cubans and Gr enadians fought side by side to r epel U.S. marines arriving on helicopter gunships. UPHEA V ALS The invasion, supported by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS Jamaica and Barbados, came at the peak of political upheavals brought on by a split in the People’ s Revolutionary Government (PRG Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Bishop, who was placed under house arrest by the PRGfaction opposed to him, was later rescued by supportersmany of whom were massacred by the firing squadwhich execut ed the revolutionar y leader and some ofhis Cabinet colleagues. In 1979, for mer Prime Minister Eric Gair y was ousted in a bloodless coup and the Mar xist-Leninist PRG came to power, headed by Bishop. Under his leadership, Gr enada aligned itself with Cuba and other Soviet bloc countries, which alarmed the U.S. and other Caribbean nations. Following the bloodyevents of Oct. 19, 1983, the dayBishop was killed, a dust-to-dawn cur few was announced by a Revolutionary Military Council (RMC mer Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard. CONTENTION The pomp and pageantr y of the r ededication ceremony and the high-ranking of ficials present may have sustained the high pr ofile natur e of the American tribute. However, recognition of the events of Oct. l983 has been an issue of lingering contention and perhaps political currency here as well. A recent government announcement to work with Cuba to erect a monument in honor of the 24 Cuban con str uctions workers who died during the invasion has angeredsections of the population. The Cuban monument will be funded by Havana and is expected to be erected near the Point Salines Airport built mainly by workers from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean island. The rededication of the American monument, andplans for a Cuban monumentar e bound to fan the flames of debate over similar tribute tofallen local soldiers. Cubantrained medical practitionerand for mer leader of the now defunct Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (MBPM Dr . T er r ence Mar r yshow has been a leading campaigner for recognition of Oct. 19 and thesoldiers who died. “On October 25th we commemorate the lives ofthose who invaded us, but our soldiers who died giving their lives in defense of the countryfor whatever r easonwhat they did was patrioticthey died defending Gr enada’ s Independence, sovereignty and ter ritorial integrity,” complained Marryshow, who nowleads the Maurice Bishop andOctober Mar tyrs Foundation, (MBOMF Some political pundits here believe the chances of state tribute to soldiers of thePeople’ s Revolutionar y Army (PRA Grenada, has increased since the new Thomas administration took office following theJuly 8 general elections. Many of the key players of the new government were members ofthe PRG as well as its political arm, the New Jewel Movement(NJM , amid public debate on the subject, JuniorCultur e Minister Arley Gill announced that some form oftribute would be paid. CMC Recognition battle rages on in Grenada at U.S.invasion milestone DA WN A. DAVIS Responding to climate change is no longer anoption for Caribbean tourism practitioners and proper ty owners. Global war ming is destroying coral reefs, creating more frequent and ferocious storms,and raising sea levels. This issue is af fecting how hoteliers and attractions ar e doing business, sparking strategies aimed at keeping small island nations’ bread-and-butter economies alive. ithout a doubt, climate change can bring about a total r eversal of development,” war ned Jamaica’ s Minister of Tourism Edmund Barlett at a r ecent seminar on Climate Change and T ourism held at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. According to the United Nations World Tourism Or ganization (UNWTO world tourism is r esponsible for four percent to six percent of total global emissions and could grow by 150 percentover the next 30 years. The UNWTO r eport also found tourism flows could be affected in climate-sensitive regions such as the Mediterranean,Southeast Asia, and theCaribbean, events that could cripple the sector . The urgency of the problem is underscored by findings from the Inter-governmentalPanel on Climate Changewar ning that global temperatures could rise by 1.8 degree Celsius to 4.0 degree Celsius by the end of the 21st century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. Added to this isthe fact that tourism is highly climate-sensitive and, therefore, vulnerable to these disastrous changes. “It ther efore seems that making Jamaica and the region carbon neutral destinations is an imperative. The Caribbean’s carbon intensity relative to GDP is currently the world’s highest,” Bartlett said in his address to stakeholders at the ministry-sponsored seminar. GO V’T RESPONSE Jamaica’s Ministry of T ourism has answer ed the call by adopting the Davos Declaration principles reachedamong members of theUNWTO at its climate change conference last year. The ministry will thus integrate climate change polices and practices into its Sustainable Tourism Master Plan at its mid-ter m review. Par tnering with agencies such as the Of fice of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and the National MET service was one of the initiatives the ministry believed was needed to “instigate a more integrated sense of environmental awareness”. Out of that was bor ne a T ourism Emergency Management Committee to focus on the sector s r esponse to disasters. At the ground level, the Ministry of Tourism along with the Tourism ProductDevelopment Company cr eated programs such as Spruce Up Jamaica and the Inter coastal Cleanup Project designed to harness the interest and actions of the entire population throughawar eness and eco-friendly practices. Tourism’s collaboration with the Ministry of Energy is also a signal of the government’s commitment to develop alternate sources of energysuch as ethanol and bio-diesel. The ministry also outlined the sector’s investigation into car-bon markets and the potentialof selling carbon of fsets for credits. Carbon off-setting simply means the gr eenhouse gas emissions that is created in one area, for example from an airline flight, can be offset by reducing emissions in another area by planting a tree, for example. The Jamaican government is also encouraging the adoption Caribbean tourism responds positively to climate change No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com Bishop Photogra ph by Da wn A.DavisResorts like The Palms Negril in Jamaica are doing their part to preserve the Caribbean’s environment. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 8) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 7

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of envir onmental management systems that addr esses environmentally efficient construction and planning. As well, there is a pr ogram of incentives to sup por t eco-friendly practices such as concessionary rates to hotels and other tourism properties foralter native ener gy r esour ces and equipment such as solar water heaters. GREEN GLOBE Hotels and other tourism sector practitioners acr oss the region are taking the environmental issues seriously and areadapting. Pr oper ties in the region are striving to become Green Globe certified, with some attaining the honor. Green Globe participants have set up systems to help them reach high environmental performance by, for example, cut-ting waste, r ecycling and becoming mor e efficient. Among some of the Green Globe-certified properties areLong Bay Hotel in Antigua, Bougainvillea Resort in Barbados, Dominica’s 3 RiversEco Lodge, Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada, and Jamaica’s Sandals Resorts. The properties strive to teach environmental awareness, monitor water usage, and recycle bed linens, towels, etc at guests’ request. In fact, there are 57 such pr oper ties acr oss the r egion accor ding to the Caribbean Hotel Association-Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism website. Awareness is growing and the sector is taking a stand. Even smaller properties that cannot afford extravagant environmental systems are doing their part. A Jamaica Tourist Board-sponsored tour of The Palms Resort on the island’ s famous north coast of Negril revealed a property fitted with low flow water-saving toilets, energy-saving light bulbs, and locally-made furniture. Another small property, Rooms, also featured watersaving systems, a recycling program, and energy-efficient lighting in addition to fireextinguishers on each block of rooms. Sea Wind Resort’s response to the environment is to offer rooms that virtually touch the pristine sea. Dean Fenton, of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism of fice in New York, explained that Antigua’s newest resort, the Veranda Resort & Spa, is Green Globe certified. “This hotel is a pure example that the sector and the government is moving in the right direction,” he said, adding that “the government is looking at better ways to attract these types of r esorts on the island because it helps the environment as well astourism.” Fenton elaborated on a unique program within the sector. He explained that the island’s Heritage Beach Resort has come up with a creative program to curb waste in that the resort gives leftover food to a pig farm in return for fresh pork. “There is more awareness on the island in r egar ds to cli mate change and being ecofriendly. It is catching on,” Fenton said. Echoing this sentiment, Bartlett remarked: “United as a body, our actions today can be significant in turning the tide.” Story and photograph by Dawn A.Davis,a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. RAWLE TITUS Fingers pointing to the sky are shaped in the form of guns. Imaginar y triggers ar e squeezed as crowds of partygoers react with approval to a popular song by Jamaican dancehall icon Buju Banton at Grenada’s top nightclubFantazia. “Boom bye bye in ah batty boy head, Rude boy nah promote dem nasty man, demha fi dead”, Banton’ s controversial homophobic lyrics, blar e from the speakers. This scene could ver y easily be anywhere in the Caribbean or the diaspora. While the plethora of homophobic r eggae songs might have contributed to a sub-genre of its own, it seems to underline the region’s strong resentment to the gay lifestyle. But Grenadian sociologistClaude Douglas ar gues that the Caribbean’s attitude to homosexuality is changing. Douglas, a lecturer at St. George’s University, says tolerance has increased significantly in recent years and partly blames theUnited States cultural invasion of the Caribbean. esterday’s deviants will become today and tomorrow’s norms,” Douglas told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC CASE IN POINT Douglas makes his case in his new book, “Homosexuality in the Caribbean – Crawling Out of the Closet”, which examinesthe rise of this alter native lifestyle in the region. In his60-page book, Douglas explor es issues ranging fr om biological origins and the “gay tourists phenomenon” to the campaign to decriminalize homosexuality in ther egion. The university lecturer argues that there is not a tr emendous increase in the number of homosexuals in the Caribbean, but that more people are finding the courage to “come out”. His book nar rows in on some of the key factors impacting on this lifestyle, including religious values and the campaign of the gay rights movement. Although the formerchair of the Social SciencesDepar tment at the T .A. Mar ryshow Community College does not believe people like to hear his ar gument, he envisages in his book that “homosexuality is becoming an alternative and acceptable form of human sexuality in the Caribbean”. PROGRESS Despite strong opposition by the religious community, the gay rights movement is reported to be making considerable progress in the Caribbean. From The Bahamas in the nor th to Guyana in the south, ther e has been a persistent struggle for equal rights. Puerto Rico, an overseas department of theU.S., is consider ed by many to be the most tolerant Caribbean country where gays,lesbians, bisexuals, transgen der and transsexual groups mar ch openly in the annual gay parade. Fidel Castro’s niece and sexologist Mariela Castro isleading a new r evolution in Cuba, a countr y in which homosexuality is becoming increasingly recognized. T o some extent, it appears that the struggle for homosexual rights is helping to r emove laws consider ed oppressive. In 1997, legislative changes in Cuba ef fectively decriminalized homosexuality and have paved the way for gayand lesbiancouples toenjoy the samecivil rights asheter osexual couples. The gay community in the United Kingdom continues to pressurethe Caribbean to change laws forbidding homosexual prac-tices. The British homosexualor ganization Outrage has been working closely with Caribbeangr oups like Jamaicans for Lesbians, All-sexuals Gays (J-flag) and Barbados Gay andLesbians AgainstDiscrimination (BGLAD In 2001, the U.K. for ced the repealing of laws in overseas dependent territories such as the Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Anguilla. CHANGE Among those who agr ee that a change in attitude is needed at the highest levels of society is former Barbados Attorney General and presentOpposition Leader Mia Mottley. “A government in pluralistic society must accommo date and respect the human rights and dignity of each indi vidual,” she said. “To that extent, a law, which seeks todiscriminate in a society whosehistor y has been scarred with the cancer of discrimination, has in fact, to be reformed.” Meantime, public health authorities continue to advo cate for the decriminalization of homosexuality as a key strategy in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. “Ther e is a rampant homophobia in the Caribbeana lot of it has itsorigins in the concept thatHIV/AIDS was a disease ofhomosexual males, which of course is not,” declared healthexper t Sir George Alleyne, who believes stigma and homophobia are obstacles in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Among leading regional politicians calling for the decriminalization of homosex-uality to help fight the spr ead HIV/AIDS have been St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr . Denzil Douglas and Guyana’ s Health Minister Dr . Leslie Ramsammy. OPPOSITION Despite the pr ogr ess made by the gay rights movement in advancing the causeof the homosexuals in the r egion, stif f opposition to such lifestyles remain, particularly in Jamaica, which has been labeled the most homophobic countr y in the world. Kingston continues to r epor t the brutal murders of a rising number of homosexuals, including gay rights activist BrianW illiamson in 1994. Thr ee years later prisoners killed 16 fellow inmates who werethought to be gay . Despite the opposition to homosexuality in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean,Claude Douglas, in his book, maintains that the region,including the chur ch community , has become more accepting of this lifestyle. Some religious organizations fr onted the pr otest action against gay cruises to Gr enada last winter season. But Leopald Friday , the bishop of the Anglican Church in the W indward Islands, said although the chur ch remains opposed to homosexuality, it would not thr ow out members who practiced the lifestyle. CMC Caribbean tourism responds positively to climate changeCaribbean’s gay uprising sparks heated debate 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 FEATURE FEATURE www.caribbeantoday.com Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157 Mailing Address:P.O.Box 6010 Miami,FL 33116-6010. T elephone: (305 (305ax:(305 Toll-Free Fax:1-866-290-4550 1-800-605-7516 J amaica: 654-7282 E-mail:editor@caribbeantoday.com Send ads to: ct_ads@bellsouth.net V ol. 19, Number 12 NOV.2008 PETER A WEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor SABRINA HOPKINS Gr aphic Ar tist DOR O THY CHIN Account Executive SHARON LEE Account Ex ecutiv e J A CQ UELINE RUBIANO Accounting ManagerCar ib bean Media Source Media RepresentativesOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of thepublisher. Caribbean Today , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing & Services,Inc. Caribbean Today is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos.To guarantee return, please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean T oda y ma y not be reproduced without written permission of the editor. Mottley Claude Douglas (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 8

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CLARENCE P AGE Rush Limbaugh dis missed Colin Powell’ s endorsement of Barack Obama as motivated by race. Who’s playing the race cardnow? “Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not aboutrace,” the radio blab show host e-mailed to the web site Politico’s Jonathan Martin. “OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexpe-rienced, ver y liberal, white candidates he has endorsed.I’ll let you know what I comeup with.” No need, Rush. Instead, here is a list of recent presi-dential candidates to whomPowell has given money: Sen. John McCain ofArizona: $2,300 (the maxi mum allowed). And her s a list of the ver y conservative inexperienced people who Powell wishes McCain had not nomi-nated to be vice pr esident: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. As Powell put it, if race were all that he had only inmind, “I could have done thissix, eight, 10 months ago.” Remember back that far? That was back when McCain was still speaking and behav-ing like a tr ue maverick. Back then, the far-right folks like Limbaugh were calling McCain some sort of a“RINO” Republican in name only. EASY PICKINGS I’m picking on Limbaugh for two r easons. One, he’ s easy. He sets himself up, bend-ing over with a big kick-me sign, so he can play the victimafter he gets kicked. When Powell was a featured GOP convention speaker in 2000, he was a fine patri-otic American, in the eyes ofthose who see the world asRush does. Now that Powell prefers a guy who happens to be a Democrat, the retiredchair man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff suddenly is a Benedict Arnold in blackface, “Benedict Powell”, which is how syndicated cartoonist Gordon Campbell recently portrayedhim. In case you snoozed through history class,Benedict Ar nold was a bril liant Revolutionar y War general who joined the English in one of the greatest acts of treason America has ever known. That’s how Campbell later told an interviewer that he sees Powell’s support ofaf firmative action and the Supr eme Cour s Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision. And that’s how a movement once ener gized by big ideas turns small-minded and drownsitself in a bathtub full of its own narcissism. Glub, glub. Which brings us to my second reason for picking onRush. Like Campbell’ s cartoon, Limbaugh’ s race-based rebuke reveals the narrowgauge thinking that has cor rupted and fragmented the once-strong conservativecoalition that Ronald Reagan, the Republican Party’s lasttr uly transformational leader, built in the 1980s. T wo decades later , President Bush’s approvals have plunged, along with those of Congressional Republicans. The old coalition’s latest iconic leader was former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the con-ser vative Texas Republican still awaiting trial in connec tion with campaign financeallegations. ‘CHANGE ELECTION’ Judging by the polls, McCain never quite graspedwhat this “change election” is about. He had a perfect opportunity to wage a nation-al contest for what Powell hascalled the “sensible center” of America’s political life. But,he passed over his friend andfellow maverick Sen. Joe Lieberman, a breakaway inde-pendent fr om the Democrats, to be his running mate. Fearing a walkout by the reli-gious right, McCain swungback to his par ty’ s base and chose Palin, a darling of social conservatives, but woefullyunpr epared for prime time in national politics. Instead of ideas, McCain tried an arsenal of tactics. He never got around to articulating a governing philosophyexcept to denounce “pork” and “earmarks” and call him-self a “maverick.” When denunciations of Obama’s“inexperience” failed, McCaintried to pr esent himself as a better agent of “change”,without explaining quite whathe meant. McCain won Limbaugh’ s support and lost Colin Powell’ s, not because Powell is black but because McCain lost interest in new ideas. He left the broad middle ground ofAmerica’ s electorate, the masses who are looking for programs, not just platitudesabout “pork” and “ear marks”, to the neophyte Obama. Meanwhile, back on the right, ther e are reports that a blamestor m begun within the McCain campaign. A circular firing squad of advisors blamed Palin for the campaign’s setbacks in the polls after her initial bloom wore off. One insid-Love costs, that’s a fact, but it costs more to get more. A lot of men want more though, preferring to spend onother women. Still, this practice is not new, and occurs in many coun-tries. It was the Japanese whoquantified and dignified the practice of men having mistresses on the side withouthaving to hide and do so. Japanese men had their consor ts, women who were like second wives, but did muchmor e. Every Japanese man of worth, nobility, breeding orclass in ancient times, had his consort, and there was nohypocrisy or secr et in the matter. Of course, he had to main-tain her , and royally too, for consor ts did not come cheap, and that’s why it was mostlymen of means who couldaf ford them. The practice in the west still pervades now, albeitunder a cloak of secr ecy and guile, as men ar e forced by society to keep their consor ts under cover. Call them what you will, consorts, mistresses, “mateys”, the other woman, concubines, they all come witha price tag, a cost that is oftenhidden. Whichever way you slice it, however you appr oach it, extra love is going to cost you, both financially and emotion ally, for you will have to share what resources you havebetween her and your wifeand family . TERMS OF ENDEARMENT A concubine or “matey”, is a woman who cohabits witha man without being legally married to him; a mistress, a secondary wife basically, asdefined by the dictionar y . Still, most women do not really relish the term, and prefer to becalled, girlfriends, wives, or‘my woman’. But that should be the least of the man’s concerns, as the cost of the mistress should take priority. First of all, most expect and indeeddemand some sort of finan-cial assistancefr om their men. It’ s hardly likely that a profes-sional womanwith her ownincome anddwelling is going to be any man’s mis-tr ess. So right then and ther e, she is a drain on the private purse. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So when the man, with afixed income, gives her money, it is from funds that would normally go to his wifeand family . Something’s got to give. And the bitter ir ony is, most men will sacrifice the house money to give to theother woman. His wife will need stuff for the house, orthe kids will r equir e clothes or school things, and he will cry how broke he is and beg her to stop pressuring him. But asthe “matey” opens her mouthor makes a phone call, he will drop whatever he is doing andr un to her with his last dollar . You’d be surprised how many men have to buy twosets of gr oceries and hide one in the car trunk for the other woman. Usually the fancierone is for her , for they do have ‘high chest’, as the term goes. The wine, the foreign cheese with the French name, the fruit cocktail, the Pringles potato chips, and the Charminr olls, all for her. Meanwhile the wife and household ingeneral will have to settle for the generic brand name, second-rate stuff and be gratefulfor it too. STYLE Then the girlfriend has to live in a certain area and in apar ticular style. No way is she going to be satisfied living in a small studio apartment or half a house somewhere south of the ghetto. Mistresses have class, or at least aspire for it,and class demands cash, and cash invariably flows from the fool, bypasses the family, andthen to her . Mistr esses do not give, but take and take and take. No man is going to have hismistr ess looking all fr umpy , ordinary and haggard. If that wer e the case, he’d just stay home with his wife. Girlfriends have to always look sharp, wear the finestclothes and makeup, andsmell of the best per fume. She always demands and gets thebest. It doesn’ t take a fashion guru to spot a mistress among a cr owd of wives. Put them side-by-side and even anuntrained eye can tell who is the wife and who is the misCircular firing squad Love costs more to get more No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 10) TONY ROBINSON CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 9

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tr ess. But for her to maintain this high fashion standar d, she requires high maintenance, and she’s not doing the maintaining, plus she doesn’t care where the man gets it from, aslong as he delivers. For that reason, it’s usually not youngmen who have mistr esses, as that oner ous privilege is r eserved for men a little up in age and more financially established than their younger counterparts. After all, the older the man, the more foolish he his,and a fool and his moneymakes nice par ties. DAMAGE But do these women know what damage they cre-ate to the financial and emo tional state of families? Or do they car e? They say that if the man wants to keep them, then hehas to stand the costs. After awhile, they get bold, and thinkthat they have a right to theman, which includes callinghim at home, even if the wifeis ther e or not. This takes an enor mous emotional toll on wives, and by extension the children, for pickney is notfool, and most know what’ s going on. Many have told me of the grief and tor ment that they felt growing up under the grip of a mistress. Mistresses have to be taken out, and to the finest places too. What’s the point of being a mistress if you can’t live the good life? Wives on the other hand are grateful if they get to see a play, taken to afancy dinner , or a weekend get away . That’s reserved for the girlfriend, and the same moneythat could be used to look afterthe house, is instead diver ted to care and maintain her on these romantic ventures. And where do you think the money comes from, somesecr et stipend on the man’s salar y?’ I think not. It comes fr om the same paycheck that the man gets, but he has to shar e it up, and divert an ample portion to the mistress. It’s very rarely that the girl-friend is r efused cash, but marital discord over money is legendary, and indeed is the basis for many a divorce. A manwill r efuse his wife money, but never his other woman. I have never heard of a man and his“matey” bickering over money and breaking up. The cost of getting more loving can have a devastating ef fect on families, as men have been known to lie through their teeth about nothaving any money to suppor t the household, while secretlythey have a stash waiting to give to the mystery lady. Menhave been known to givesmall for tunes to them, while wives have to live fr om hand to mouth. That’s why in the past it was only men of means who could afford to have mistresses, concubines or consorts, butnowadays even br oke old men want them, resulting in financial and emotional ruin. Mistresses cost, and if youcan’ t afford one, stay home with your wife, for they may cost more than you can afford. seido1@hotmail.com er called her a “diva”, accor ding to CNN . Her supporters, by contrast, blame McCain’ s team for refusing to let her beherself. In fact, McCain would have had more success had hebeen content to let himself behimself. Fingers of blame point ever y which way in a losing campaign. Some conservatives long welcomed a loss. Only then, some say, could they hope to regain the energy andvitality that comes fr om being the “out” par ty . Looks like they’re about to get their chance. 2008 Clarence Page. Distributed by Tribune Media Services,Inc. Circular firing squad 10 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www.caribbeantoday.com “It is really cruel for the United States to do this, especially nowunder these circumstances” – U .S. Congressman Kendrick Meek opposing deportation of Haitians from the U.S.even as the Caribbean country battles to recover from recent natural dis-asters . ou are saying that I am a U.S.citizen.I am saying I am not a U.S.citi-zen” – Keith Mitc hell, Grenada’s Opposition leader and former prime ministerissues a denial last month in a bid to stop mounting claims. e have some trying times ahead” Barbados’ s Central Bank Governor Marion Williams last month focusing on the country’s economic downturn. esterdas deviants will become today and tomorrosnorms” Grenadian sociologist Claude Douglas predicts increasing tolerance for gays in the Caribbean. “If urgent action is not taken on the disaster risk r eduction front, then wre simply going to see moretragedies in the futur United Nations Under-Secretary-Generalfor Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes warning that Haiti was suffering its worst disaster in over a century andthat aid agencies are far short ofthe millions needed to help thecountry reco ver from four deadly hurricanes this year that left800 people dead and affectedanother million. Compiled from several sources, including CMC. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 9) (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 9) Love costs more to get more CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 10

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P ARENT RESOURCE GUIDE Par ents in Miami-Dade County , Florida have a powerful new tool to help their children succeed inside and outside the classroom. The online Miami-Dade County Public Schools 2008-09 Parent Resource Guideincludes infor mation parents need to know about their chil dr en’s education from curriculum and testing to family involvement and advocacy tips. The guide is available at www.dadeschools.net. For more information, contact the Office of ParentInvolvement at 305-995-1233 . HURRICANE RELIEF In response to relief efforts following damages by Tropical Storm Gustav in Jamaica recently, a disaster recovery fund was launchedwith a donation of $20 million by Supreme Ventures, in collaboration with the government’s effort. Additionally, Jamaica National Building Society through its remittance arm, JN Money Transfer services,as well as Grace KennedyRemittances Ser vices (GKRSestern Union, have agreed to open accounts to enable Jamaicans in the diaspora to contribute to the fund. The funds are Hurricane Relief United Jamaica Account for GraceKennedy and, in the case ofJamaica National, the JN Recovery Fund Account. The funds from the accounts will help to meet the cost of the emergency worksand r elief measur es that ar e being car ried out with particular emphasis on schools and hospitals. The public is being advised to make donations at any JN or GKRS (Western Union) locations in the South Florida area. All remittance fees will be waived for contribution tothose accounts. COLLECTION DRIVE Broward County, Florida is collecting donations to provide aid for hurricane victims in Haiti, Cuba, Turks andCaicos, The Bahamas and other Caribbean islands af fected by the storms. County r esidents are encouraged to donate: Canned goods (no items within six months fr om expiration) Bottled water Men’ s, women’s, children’s and infants’ clothing ingood wearable condition; Baby items, such as bot tles, formula, diapers, wipes,etc.; First aid and personal hygiene items; Gently-used, clean bedding; and Flashlights, radios, bat teries, etc. Last month collection boxes were set up at the following locations: Broward County Gover nmental Center Lobby, 115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; African-American Resear ch Librar y and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Dr.,Coral Springs; Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St., Pembroke Pines; and W est Regional Librar y, 8601 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation. For more information, visit www .broward.org or call 954-357-8053 . FYIAccuracy,honesty best policies when applying for U.S.citizenship No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 LOCAL LOCAL / / FYI FYI www .caribbeantoday.com HELP FOR HAITI Daniel Armstrong,a student of Barry University in South Florida,helps load a van with items such as c lothes, food and toiletries for victims of Hurricane Ike in Haiti during the school’s recent charity drive.Thousands of victims of deadly storms, which ha ve hit Haiti in recent months, are expected to receive donations of cash and kind from the drive. Collected supplies were delivered to St.James Catholic Parish, which will ship them through the Catholic Charities Mission Office. Question:When I submit a family petition for my wife and kids who are overseas,will the USCIS check all the information that I declarewhen I a pply for United States citizenship ,such as date of birth of my children andour marriage date? Answer: Absolutely, says Irwine Clare, head of the Caribbean Immigrant Servicesin Queens, New Y ork. The application that you submit includes biographical informa-tion, which a USCIS agent will use to confirm your citizenship, your birth certificate and marriage or divorce cer-tificates and childr en’s birth certificates. It is the USCIS agent’ s job to check on all the facts you pr ovide and ensure it is accurate. And this can take some time since to verify as the U.S. immigration agency also crossreferences existing files forconsistency , added Clare. Follow the I-130 relative petition instr uctions and check the USCIS website for any updates on instructions or fees. Make sure your petitionis complete. Y ou will need to submit evidence of your U.S. citizenship, and evidence proving your qualifying rela-tionship to each person forwhom you ar e filing. SPECIAL STANDING Note, however, that the law gives special standing to a U.S. citizen’s wife, unmarried children under 21, and parents. There is no waiting list for immigration for these relatives. The Department ofState will invite them to applyfor an immigrant visa as soon as it approves your petition.In some cases, the petition canbe filed outside the U.S., directly at the U.S. consulate. If they entered legally and are currently in the U.S. (and meet certain other require-ments), they may be able to file applications to adjust to per manent resident status. The other stage of the application will include verifi cation of your poverty level to ensur e you can take care of your family once they arrivein the U.S. and they will not be a burden to the country. Once the application is approved, you will be notifiedwhen a decision is made. Normally, when the applica-tion is appr oved, the petition is sent to the U.S. State Department’s National VisaCenter (NVC Compiled by Felicia Persaud. The answers provided here are for information purposesonly ,and do not create an attorney-client relationship; nor are they a substitute for “legal advice”,which can only be given by a competentattorney after reviewing all the facts of the case. CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 11

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DR. ROBERT SHMERLING Question:I recently had my first e xperience with gout.I had blood work done,which showed high levels of uric acid. I was given a list of many foods I should avoid,but the list is so extensive! I’m not sure what to eat besides fruits and vegetables .What do you recommend to balance m y diet? I w ould like to avoid taking medication unless I r eally need it. Answ er: Personally , I don’t recommend strict dietary mod-ifications after an initial attack of gout. Here’s why: Gout is a condition in which uric acid deposits injoints, causing inflammation. Agouty joint is an unhappy jointit’ s painful, swollen and does not move well. People with gout almost always have high blood levels of uric acid, one of the body’s normal waste products. Most uric acid is r emoved from the body by the kidneys, so people withkidney disease typically have high levels of it. But gender,genetics, body weight, and other factors go into making a person’s level of uric acid what it is. A unique property of uric acid is that it cannot always dissolve well in the blood and tissues. When the blood levels ar e even slightly high, uric acid can get deposited as solid crystals in the joints (causing arthritis), kidneys (causing kid-ney stones), and other tissues. RISK Recent r esearch suggests that a diet high in meat, seafood, and alcohol increasesthe risk of newly diagnosedgout. In addition, dair y products and coffee may be protec-tive, lowering the risk of gout.However , these studies looked at people who had not had gout before. They did not assess the effect of diet on peo-ple who alr eady had gout. The list that you got of foods to avoid was probably a list of foods that ar e high in purines, a building block of pr otein that 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 Ingr edients 2 teaspoons of sugar 1 teaspoon of essence 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg 2 1/2 teaspoons peanut butter Method Blend together the milk with the peanut_butter , along with sugar, for about three to four_minutes. Next add the nutmeg and essence to taste. Place the punch into the fridge. Chill and_serve. Refreshing,tasty peanut punch Ingr edients 1/2 oz. of 151 rum 1/2 oz. of dark rum? 4 oz. pineapple juice 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur 1/2 oz. coconutliqueur Method Stir together all the ingredients_with the ice, then straininto a chilled_tumbler filledwith ice. Finally, garnish the drink with a cherry_or strawberry. ‘Bahama Mama’ Ingredients 4 egg whites A pinch ofcinnamon 4 table-spoons offlour 4 tablespoons of sugar 3 ripe medium papayas 2 teaspoons of lime juice 1/2 teaspoon of lime zest 1 dash of orange extract 1 sweet medium pre-baked pie shell Method Remove the seeds and coarsely mash the_papayas. Add the lime juice, zest,_cin-namon and the orange extract.Fold_in the sugar and flour . Beat the egg whites together until_they ar e stif f, then fold into mixture. Finally, bake for at least 25 minutes until the top is brown. Ser ve war m or cold. Papaya pie Ingr edients 1 beaten egg 1/2 cup of milk 1 teaspoon paprika 2 cups of rice 1/2 cup of chopped onion 2 teaspoons pepper (white 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 can ackees in salted water 1 can of callaloo in salted water Method First pr eheat the oven to 375 degr ees F .?Cook rice and Ackee,callaloo, rice casseroleStrict diet not the only way to fight gout CARIBBEAN CARIBBEAN FOODS FOODS www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature A diet including fruits,many commonly found in the Caribbean,may help to prevent attacks of gout. ‘Bahama Mama’ (CONTINUED ON PAGE 13) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 12

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No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 Ingredients 2 cups of milk 3 cups of cr eam 4 tablespoons of butter 1/2 cup of tomato puree 1 clove of garlic, minced 1/2 pound of fresh lobster 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour 1/4 cup of minced green onions 1 tablespoon of minced fr esh dill 2 tablespoons of dry cooking sherry 1/4 teaspoon of pepper hot?-pepper sauce to taste 1 teaspoon of salt Method First boil or steam the lobster. Cool?and roughly cut the lobster into bite-size pieces and set aside. In a large?saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the greenonions and the?garlic andsaut until the onionsar e?transparent. Blend in the flour. Cook, stirring?constantly to blend in with the flour?and the butter.Slowly , add in the milk along with the?cream, stirring until the mixture is a?nice and thick texture. Finally, add the lobster, salt, puree,?sherry, tomatoe,dill weed and pepper . Ingr edients oil for frying flour for dusting 2 tablespoons spice seasoning 2 tablespoons of malt vinegar 2 whole red bream or large snapper,?prepared and cutinto one-inch pieces F or sauce 2 thyme springs 1 tablespoon of butter 1 onion finely chopped 2 garlic cloves cr ushed 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 10 ounces of fresh tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped 1 hot chilli pepper chopped oregano springs to garnish 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 2 1/2 cups of fish stock or water 8 ounces of green and red pepper, finely chopped salt to taste Method Sprinkle the fish with the spice seasoning?and vinegar , turning to coat. Set aside to?marinate for at least twohours. set aside in a greased?casserole dish. In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil and saut the chopped onions. Add the drained ackees and the white pepper,?then set asid Spiny lobster bisque and Johnny cakesCreole fish stew , St. Lucia styleAckee,callaloo,rice casserole CARIBBEAN CARIBBEAN FOODS FOODS www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature Lobster bisque (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12) CARNIVAL WINE AND DINE Photogra phs by Dawn A.DavisBro ward Carnival 2008 was a kaleidoscope of hot colors,costumes,music and food.The food stalls did brisk business.Among the most popular were the Trinidadian vendors serving up favorites such as “shark ‘n bake”fried dough stuffed with richly seasoned shark fillet topped with condiments,and “doubles”,thas fried dough stuffed with channa,spicy curried chick peas. Photogra ph on the left sho ws Giselle, from the Mascots troupe, enjo ying shark ‘n bake,while Charlene from Curry Hut restaurant makes sure the channa just right. CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:28 AM Page 13

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14 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 Ingredients 1 onion 1 tomato 1/4 cup of oil 1 small cucumber 1/4 cup of water 1 large breadfruit 1 pound of saltfish 1 teaspoon of butter Method Place saltfish into a pot and boil until it is not too salty. Strip and clean the saltfish into small bite size pieces. Roast breadfruit and saltfish Ingr edients 2 chives 1 celery stick 1 whole pepper 2 sprigs of thyme 2 br eadfr uit (small 250 grams of saltfish 1 whole chilli pepper 250 grams of salt meat 1.5 litr es of coconut milk 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional Method Add the fish and meat in cold water?and soak overnight.Pour of f excess?water then remove the core from the?breadfruit. Peel and Grenada’s oil down Ingredients salt 1 cup light cr eam 2 cups chicken stock 2 eggs, beaten lightly 2 tablespoons parsley chopped 4 cups of fr esh corn kernels white pepper (freshly ground) Note: if you choose to use fr ozen?cor n ker nels, thoroughly defrost. Method In a blender or a food processor add?the corn and chickenstock. Blend?to a pur ee. Do this in about two batches. Fill the saucepan with the puree. Stir in the cream and let it simmer on?low heat, stirring from time to time,?forfive minutes. is br oken down into uric acid. Most of the foods with the highest purine content are notones that people eat often.These include thymus, pan creas, anchovies, liver, kidneys, brains, and game meats. It turns out that following a strict diet to avoid purinesdoesn’ t usually accomplish much. There are better waysto help lower uric acid and decrease the risk of further gouty attacks. It’ s much more effective to: Limit alcohol intake (alcohol is known to trigger gout attacks) Lose excess weight (being over weight increases the risk of gout) Avoid foods that seem to trigger attacks of gout for you Ask your doctor if ther e are medications you’re taking (especially diureticscause uric acid buildup, and see if you can switch to some-thing else. When needed, ther e are medications (especially allopuri nol) that can ef fectively lower uric acid and markedly decrease the risk of gouty attacks. They are much better at doing sothan following a strict diet. Corn soup from CubaStrict diet not the only way to fight gout CARIBBEAN CARIBBEAN FOODS FOODS www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 12) Breadfruit JAMAICAN JERK FEST Competition among some the best “jerk”food chefs in the United States will resume at the seventh annual “Jamaican Jerk Festival”from 10 a.m.to 10 p.m.Nov.9 at Markham Park in Sunrise,Florida.On tap will be a variety of jerk cuisine,includingdelicacies such as jerk ice cream. The event is also scheduled to include cultural presentations,including Byron Lee and the Dragonaires band.The festival is being presented by Air Jamaica and Publix.For more information,visit www.jerkfestival.com. CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 14

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HAMIL TON, Ber muda, CMC Spending by visitors to Bermuda plummeted by morethan $18 million in the second quarter of this year, according to new statistics released earlythis month. The Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics shows that airar rivals during the second quarter fell by 10 percent compar ed to the same quar ter last year. The number of visi-tors stood at 89,642. The report says that the “decline can be par tly attrib uted to the knock-on ef fects of soaring oil prices on the global economy , as some major carriers have reduced their ser vice to the island to combat increased fuel costs.” Air ar rivals fr om the United States fell 14.5 percent in the second quar ter to 66,379, down fr om 77,648 visi tors in the same period last year. “Despite lower numbers, visitors fr om the U.S. continue to account for the largest per centage of air ar rivals to the island, r epresenting three quarters of all tourists”, the report stated. “Conversely , modest growth was recorded in ar rivals fr om other major tourist markets as the number of visitors from Canada and the United Kingdom incr eased by six per cent and 5.9 percent respectively”. SPREADING The decline in air arrivals translated into a similar fall invisitors staying at guest accommodations, according to the report. Resort hotelsexperienced a decline in occu pancy for the fifth consecutive quar ter , dr opping by 13 per cent, or 6,077 fewer bookings than recorded in the second quarter of 2007. Similarly , visitors staying at small hotels, cottages and clubs fell by 19 percent to17,515 compar ed to 21,631 people in the same quarter last year . The number of visi tors staying at housekeeping and guesthouses also declined significantly, dropping by 18.1per cent and 18.6 per cent, r espectively . In contrast, around 6.8 percent more visitors stayed inprivate homes. Expenditur e by air arrival visitors amounted to an esti-mated $126 million during thesecond quar ter of this year, some $18.3 million less than the second quarter of 2007. “This 12.7 per cent decrease in spending is a dir ect consequence of fewer air visitors”, stated the report. DA WN A. DAVIS Judging fr om the north coast side of the island, itwould seem Gustav did little damage to Jamaica recently. Although the prime tourism areas were not much affected, the eastern side of the country felt the brunt ofthe hur ricane. But the island is bouncing back. e were back up and running almost immediately (after the hurricane Jamaica’s Director of TourismBasil Smith told Caribbean Today at the recent World Tourism Day conference andseminar hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board at the Ritz Carlton in Montego Bay. Accor ding to Smith, the country did take a heavy beating from the rains and wind,“but for tunately it did not af fect tourism.” Noting that the sector is ready for the winter season, the tourism dir ec tor outlined that the affected areas have been cleaned up and trees trimmed in prepara-tion for what he expects to bea good season. Smith explained that the Bog Walk Gorge in St. Catherine, an important route linking the island’s capitalKingston to other tourism sites, was af fected. It has since been repaired and re-opened to vehicular traffic. REPAIR BILL However , the destr uction caused by Gustav will take a tidy sum to repair, accord-ing to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, especiallywith Jamaica facingother financial issuesat this time. “When we begin to look car efully at the damage that has been done, particularly in the eastern side of the country, it isr eally huge,” Bartlett said. e are looking at a price tag of well over J$28 billion, that at a time when we haveissues with oil prices, issueswith the sub-prime, issueswith the financial meltdown inthe U.S.” To find the money to cover the costs, Bartlettexplained, the gover nment will have to readjust certain areas of priority to allow for some level of repairs. Headded that the impact of the storm could also disrupt remittance flows as well as tourism traffic, two of themost impor tant foreign exchange earners for Jamaica.The priority , however, is to restore the roads and bridges that wer e destroyed to ensure smooth traf fic into the nor th coast, the minister said. Office of Disaster Preparedness and EmergencyManagement Dir ector General Ronald Jackson said that a good chunk of the money earmarked for repairs is being used on infrastructure, including bridges, roads, retaining walls and gullies. RESILIENT Jackson also confir med that the export side of agricultural sector , particularly banana gr owers, was negative ly affected, although the domestic market was saved as recoverable bananas would beused for local consumption.He noted that the Hope River Watershed in St. Andrew was also affected. The housing sector , both infor mal and formal, were also touched by Gustav, particularly on Jamaica’s east coast. To address the problems, Jacksonsaid that the sector is “working with international develop-ment par tners, the various missions in Jamaica, and Jamaicans in the diaspora tosee what we can raise.” Although the ODPEM director general could not pre-dict how long it would take tocomplete all the necessar y r epairs to the infrastructure, as well the housing sector , he said a number of areas relative to housing would be fully addressed by December, while infrastructure repairs could take up to a year or more. Strategies, he said, would include looking at placingaf fected families in alternative housing locations as land for housing is not readily available. Meanwhile, Jamaica seems to be getting back on its feet. e are a resilient people, a r esilient brand,” said Smith. “You can’t beat brand Jamaica, try as you might.” Dawn A.Davis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Spending plunges in Bermuda10-y-o V incentian wins Caribbean essay contestResilient Jamaica bouncing back from Hurricane Gustav No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www .caribbeantoday.com Jamaica still expects a good winter tourism season despite Hurricane Gustas damage. Ten-year-old Storm Halbich, from St.V incent and the Grenadines, has been named winner of the 2008 Cond Nast Traveler “My Caribbean” essay contest. The announcement was made at a r ecent Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO Conference in Trinidad by themagazine’ s Editor in Chief Klara Glowczewska, who also named the two r unners-up: Kemisha Sylvan, of Grenada and D’Vaughn Powell ofJamaica. The contest, now in its 16th year, is open to Caribbean school children. Grand prizewinner Halbich r eceived a $2,000 scholarship. The runners-up each r eceived a $500 scholarship. Halbich’s winning essay, which focused on the theme “If you could share asecr et about your island with someone visiting for the first time, what would it be?”, willalso be featur ed in the Januar y “Gold List” issue of Cond Nast Traveler . It r ead: I really want to tell you about our friendly and interest ing people who are alwa ys ready to welcome you to our country.Let me tell you about Tonty Muggy who mixes up herbs to cure everyone . Tourists come from far and wide to cure ailments b y her side . And what about old man Earl who takes you on a beach lime and shows you how tocatc h your o wn fish for lunc h, man you will have so much fun.Grandma Vee in herwooden house will invite youin for fresh passion fruit juiceand a slice of hot bananabread; you will unbuc kle your belt and beg for more.Let me carry you by Rasta Wally whowill strum some s weet reggae music while we sit drinking coconut water b y the seaside . So come,let me take you to find the Caribbean you’ve been looking for. This annual contest is administered through theschool system in eachCaribbean countr y . It aims to educate primary and early secondar y school childr en in the Caribbean about the impor-tance of tourism in their region. After a multi-step judging process involving the ministries of tourism, the ministries of education and the Caribbean Tourism Or ganization, a finalist was chosen fr om each island. This year’s finalists, in alphabetical or der by countr y , ar e: Anguilla: Avern Gumbs Antigua and Barbuda:T er rikia Benjamin Aruba: Ekta Alwani Bahamas: Adrianne KellyBarbados: Abigail Br yan Belize: Tatiana Habet Bermuda: Brittney Ferreira British Virgin Islands: William McIntyre Cayman Islands: RachaelBoyd-MossCuracao: Minuska Belioso Dominica: Breeanne LouisGr enada: Kemisha Sylvan Guyana: Chelsea Edghill Haiti: Mar ckenley Djovany Exume Jamaica: D’Vaughn Powell Martinique: Valentin VigeeMontser rat: Dikembe CabeyLee Nevis: Kelsia LiburdSt. Eustatius: ReinaldaFlemingSt. Kitts: Chioma Henr y St. Lucia: Christian Henry St. Maar ten: Manaar Mohammed St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Storm Halbich Suriname: Gideon Alidikromo Trinidad and Tobago: CergioAugustine T urks and Caicos: Clintdr ea Simmons CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 15

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JOYCE LAIN KENNEDY DEAR JO YCE: Although I have a college degree,I’ve been out of the job market for six years raising my child.My husband’s hours in the auto business have been cut and I need a job.To avoid paying expensive baby sitters,d like to start work in late after-noons after m y husband gets home . My head’ s in a glue pot. Ideas? S.G. Answer: Your preferred time frame fits cashier jobs in supermarkets, box stores,movie theaters, r estaurants and sports venues, to name a few. Construct a lead-generation list of poten tial employers whomight be a fit with your time frame. Start withphone calls and followup in person when yousense a job opening onthe horizon. Hold a brainstorming party and offer an amus-ing, inexpensive prizefor par ty guests who offer specific ideas ofwher e to find the kind of job you want. Scout the help-want ed ads in your daily andweekly newspapers, including the free publi-cations. Major online job boards sometimes list local part-time andnight jobs, but you cancheck the niche job board snagajob.com. You can also choose the golden-oldie appr oach that’ s helped countless job seekers for decades: the Yellow Pages Starter Solution. Here it is, step by step. Step 1. Sit down with the thickest yellow pages directory you can find. Go through the directory, A to Z, circlingor highlighting each classifica tion that appeals to you. Ask yourself: “Does this subject interest me?” If the answer is “no”, move on. If the answer is “yes” or “not sure”,mark or highlight it. Don’ t deliberate be quick to decide. Go with your visceral feelings. Step 2. List the headings you select on the tablet ofpaper . Reduce the number of headings (perhaps hundredsto the 30 you like best. Step 3. For each of the 30 headings, ask yourself: “Whatin my education, training or experience validates my inter-est in this par ticular field?” Step 4. By now you have trimmed your list of inter est ing headings to 15 or so. The next question to ask yourself is: “In view of my require-ments, such as lifestyle pr efer ences, travel potential and earnings future, which fieldsshould I consider?” Step 5. Your list should now be a manageable size.Rank your top 10 headings,putting the most appealing atthe top. Step 6. Turn back to the “yellow pages” dir ectory and find a list of companies that have the kinds of jobs youpr efer . W ork these companies to qualify them for your leadgeneration list. 2008 T ribune Media Services,Inc. NEW YORK – The Economic Commission for LatinAmerica and the Caribbean says the region’s exports are on track for more than 20 percent growth this year, despitethe global financial crisis. In its latest report, the United Nations agency saidhigher commodity prices dur ing the first half of the year, particularly in metal and fuel, led to a 25.5 percent increase in the value of exports, compared to a 10 percent increasefor the same period in 2007. The “Latin America and the Caribbean in the W orld Economy” r eport, released in Mexico City late last month, also noted that the value of imports to the region will rise by an estimated 22 percent,leading to an expected tradesurplus of $51 billion at theend of 2008. However , the global economic slowdown and the drop in commodity prices in the thir d quarter of this year combined with a falling demand for Latin American products, primarily from the UnitedStates and to a lesser extent the European Union (EUand Japan, will lead to lowergr owth rates and less favorable trade balances in 2009,ECLAC said. The report stressed that the looming recession and current credit crisis means that states in the region will have to deal with restricted accessto exter nal financing, higher inter est rates, tumbling stock exchanges and a shift of capi tal to safer destinations, as well as lower remittances and direct foreign investment in the coming year. REFORMS But it said r eforms made over r ecent decades had better prepared the region for the threatened global economic slump and financial meltdown. It str essed that these reforms must be maintained, particularly those contributing to fiscal responsibility, control of inflation, freer trade, market diversification, debt reduc-tion and the accumulation ofinter national reserves. ECLAC also recommended that regional governments undertake a series of measures to absorb the economic shocks felt around the world and reduce the impact felt ontheir economies. Its sugges tions include r einforcing super vision of banks and financial institutions, maintaining the reforms and investing income from higher commodity prices to promotecompetitiveness, human resource development andexpor t diversification. Courts, a top Caribbean furniture, electronicsand appliance chain, was scheduled to make itsdebut in Nor th America late last month by opening a store in the New Y ork bor ough of Br ooklyn. The chain was set to open its doors at 2822 Church Ave.,between Nostrand and Rogersavenues on Oct. 31, bringingeconomic empower ment to the Big Apple despite the current economic turmoil in the U.S. Courts Caribbean said it is following on a tradition ofconnecting families and friends, and will offer the service of island delivery topeople in the r egion. “Wherever your relatives live in the Caribbean, the company will offer you hassle free shopping of the latest infur niture, electronics and appliances, plus guaranteed free delivery of your purchases,” officials said in a recentpr ess r elease. A contingent from Courts Caribbean was scheduled to be in New York late last month for the official media kickoff and reception. The Cour ts stor e opening came on the heels of its summer debut at the largest carnival in North America, the West Indian Labor Day in Brooklyn,and at Irie Jambor ee in Queens, New Y ork. Getting free job help from the ‘yellow pages’Caribbean exports on track for growth ~ ECLAC Courts Caribbean furniture chain opens store in New Y ork 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 BUSINESS BUSINESS www.caribbeantoday.com CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 16

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Veteran reggae singer Gr egor y Isaacs will lead a diverse list of Caribbean performers scheduled for two days of“Caribefest-CommunityShowcase” this month inSouth Florida. The multi-cultural event, slated for Nov.15 and 16 at the Miramar Cultural Ar ts Center , is fr ee and open to the public. On the first day of the showcase, which is stagedannually by Caribefest Inc. andthe City of Miramar , Isaacs will be joined by Brazilian singer Soaria, Haitian band T-Vice, and the group MaWon. NewY ork-based r eggaeton rapper Negr o Baby, reggae singer King Banton and the Latingr oup James De La Raza and El Ritmo Band are billed for the show , which will also fea ture the Virgin Islands Mocko Jumbies, Trinidadian steelband and neighbor hood dance groups. The festival will feature a varied selection of booths sell-ing Caribbean foods such as jerk chicken, curry goat andfish, plus ar t and craft items. On Nov . 16, the focus will turn to Caribbean jazz, featuring veteran Jamaican musician and founder of the Ocho RiosJazz Festival Sonny Bradshaw . He will be joined by vocalistMyr na Hague, saxophonist Dean Fraser, Grammy nominated Haitian-born ReginaldPolicar d on keyboards, as well as trumpeter Jean Caze. For further information, call Alex Davis of Caribefest Inc. at 954-270-4601 or Lolita Dunn, City of Miramar , at 954-704-1631 . DA WN A. DAVIS How does Caribbean visual and literar y art shape cultural identity? Is there artistic value in Jamaican dancehall culture? Isskin bleaching and hairstraightening for ms of artistic expr ession? These and other questions wer e explored at a r ecent symposium hosted by University of Miami’s Caribbean Literar y Studies Pr ogram in association with the Otto Richter Librar s Digital Media Services. The event br ought togeth er noted critic and writer Annie Paul, based at theUniversity of the W est Indies (UWI demic visionaries Patricia Saunders and Sandra Pouchet Paquet, University of Miami professors spearheading the Caribbean focused pr ogram at the Miami-based institution. Representing artistic voices from across the Atlantic,Renee Mussai intr oduced the audience to Rivington Place, a public space in London devoted to showcasing culturally diverse visual art and photography. Acknowledging the Caribbean’s rich visual heritage, Saunders announced the launch of an interactive website ( http://www.library.miami.edu/ caribbeanvisual ) focused mainly on the work of Caribbean artists, both local and international. The site, she explained, will feature the artists talking about their lives and work as background to the art. Dubbed “As Far As the Eye/I Can see”, the site will promote a variety of work, including photography, painting, music, film, digital art,as well as galleries and ar t spaces that suppor t and promote Caribbean visual cultur e. ST ARZ BORN This collaborative effort also celebrated the fifth anniversary of “Anthurium”, a Caribbean studies journal that publishes the work of Caribbean writers and scholars on a range of topics incorporat-ing Caribbean themes and cul tur es. Marking this milestone, a special issue was produced featuring selected writings and interviews from the program’s Ar chaeologies of Black Memor y Symposium and Seminar held last year , which included pr esentations on sci ence, histor y , literatur e, visual arts, and popular culture. A per fect backdr op for Paul, the literar y critic, in her lecture “Starz Are Born: Entertainment Report (ER an Ar chive of Jamaican Popular Culture”, which examined the great divide betweenthe Jamaican ar t world and the island’s masses. isual art in Jamaica is an interesting case study in itself,” Paul insisted. “Although politically an open society, it has produced one of the most insular and isolationist art scenes in the region.” She bemoaned that even with the cr eation of Jamaica’s National Galler y and Edna Manley College of V isual and Per forming Arts, the majority of Jamaica’ s populace is still not included in the country’s ar t scene. Paul partly blames the attitudes and assumptions of the “elites” that define and run the art institutions noting: isual art is constructed as a signifier of good taste, connoisseurship, civility and r efinement; a veritable bulwark against the incursions of thesupposedly loud, cultur eless, clueless mob perpetually threatening to drown thehar d won gains of high art with theirvulgar music and dance.” But, the UWI critic warned that this formal art worldhad better lear n to speak “the language of the Jamaican street” if it is to r each this wider public that has created a legitimate form of expression thr ough the raw visuals of Two days of ‘Caribefest’ in Miramar ,FloridaCritics celebrate Caribbean visual,literary culture in Miami No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www .caribbeantoday.com Ship early forthe www.AirJamaica.com/Cargo Air Jamaica Cargo encourages you to send your cargo home early to avoid the last minute holiday rush. Mr . Gus Bro wn W A I T A B I T T r e l a w n y JamaicaMIAMI 1701 NW 66th Avenue, Building 709 Miami, FL 33126 • Tel: 305-526-5985 Mon Fri 7:00AM – 9:00PM Sat 7:00AM – 7:00PM Sun 9:00AM – 2:00PM FT. LAUDERDALE 3519 SW 2nd Avenue, Bay #1 Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33315 • Tel: 954-359-8088 Mon Fri 8:00AM – 8:00PM Sat & Sun 8:00AM – 12:00PM CargoShipEarly Gen6x9.indd 1 11/4/08 5:30:50 PM Isaacs Annie Paul,right,discusses art with Jamaican-born,Florida resident Louis Davis. (CONTINUED ON P AGE 18) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 17

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KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Popular Jamaican band leader Byron Lee has been conferredwith his countr s fourth highest national honor, the Order of Jamaica (OJ Lee, who is gravely ill with cancer , was presented with the award during a special ceremony at theUniversity Hospital of theW est Indies on Oct. 26. “Byron Lee and the Dragonaires was an institutionthat made such an impact onthe lives of so many peoplethat Byr on’s contribution must be boldly r ecorded when the history of Jamaican music is being written,” Prime Minister Bruce Golding said at the ceremony. Lee founded the band in 1950. One of their most recentper formances was the opening cer emony of the Cricket W orld Cup at Jamaica’s Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium in Mar. 2007. Byron Lee conferred Jamaica’s fourth highest national honor 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www.caribbeantoday.com ‘WHAT GOES AROUND Glamorous Sakina Samuda poses on the red carpet at the premiere of the Sunrason F ilms’ la test release “Wha t Goes Around”at the Cinema Paradiso in South Florida recently . Samuda plays a leading role in the tale of love,lust,revenge and remorse. The movie,which carries a message of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention,is directed by Jamaican-born Steve ehut Nine” McAlpin and produced by Johnn y Blacks of Johnny Blacks Entertainment.Additional United States screenings have been scheduled for Washington D.C.,Atlanta,Philadelphia New York.The film will also be shown in Jamaica,and Toronto,Canada.McAlpin was also behind the films oreign”and “Bashment:The Fork in the Road”. Critics celebrate ... dancehall and music videos. PATWA One such of ficial channel has taken up the call. Entertainment Report (ERbegan as a five-minute segmentin 1990 on the island’ s government-sponsored television station the Jamaica Broadcasting Company (JBCelevision Jamaica (TVJ, hosted by Anthony Miller, showcased the rebellious and increasingly popular dancehall cultur e that would eventually help shape mainstream identity. A reclusive, no-nonsense, har d-hitting interviewer, Miller highlighted dancehall culture and its r equisite fashion and accoutrements, with a fresh, objective eye. Accor ding to Paul, the ER host only speaks standar d English even while inter viewing Patwa-speaking guests, and hasno pr oblem communicating. As a result, Miller has personally bridged the gap and hasear ned the r espect of a “r ene gade cultur e” that has cr eated stars out of the ar t movement called dancehallThe ER creator can be viewed as a groundbr eaking per for mance curator , accor ding to Paul. The Caribbean on a whole would be greatly served with out-of-the-box thinkers such as Miller . For “in r egions like, this visual ar t cannot model itself on narrow, modernist concepts and tropes without risking extinction,” Paul concluded. Story and photograph by Dawn A.Davis,a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 17) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 18

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GORDON WILLIAMS Thr ee Caribbean countries were officially eliminated last month, but the region’s traditional top twoteams hung on dearly to hopesof qualifying for W orld Cup 2010, soccer s premier event. Haiti, Cuba and Suriname all tumbled out of the CONCACAF semi-final round ofqualifiers after failing to finishamong the top two in their respective groups followingcr ucial games last month. However, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica bothsecur ed important points to stay in the race for places in the final round of qualifiers which begins next year. Last month, when teams in all three groups completedfive games, T&T dr ew with rival Guatemala 0-0 on Oct. 11 and beat leaders UnitedStates 2-1 on Oct. 15 to moveinto second place in Gr oup 1 with eight points. The U.S.has 12 points, whileGuatemala has five. Cuba, currently on three points, could finish last in the group once the semi-final round fixtures are completed on Nov. 19. On that date the U.S., which has already quali-fied, will host Guatemala. Cuba will visit T&T, which only needs a point to advance. If Guatemala wins and T&T loses, the second place finisher in the group, whichwill join the U.S. in the next round, will be decided on goal dif fer ence. Guatemala cur rently holds the edge with a plus one difference, after scor-ing six goals and conceding five, while T&T is even, scoring six and allowing six. KEEPING PACE The two teams advancing fr om Group 2 will also be decided on Nov. 19 whenJamaica hosts Canada, which has been eliminated, and Mexico travels to Honduras.Mexico has 10 points andleads the gr oup, followed by Honduras on nine and Jamaica with seven. The Reggae Boyz scored two stunning home wins lastmonth to keep pace with thegr oup leaders. On Oct. 11 Jamaica beat Mexico 1-0 thr ough a goal by striker Ricar do Fuller . “Jamaica played well,” admitted Mexico’s coach SvenGoran Eriksson after the game. “Physically we can’tcompete with them.” Four days later, Luton Shelton’s strike nippedHonduras 1-0. Backed again by a huge home crowd, Jamaica competed hard in thesecond game as well. s the Jamaican spirit that came out in the game,” said Jamaica’s assistant coach Bradley Stewart. If Jamaica wins and Honduras loses next month,Jamaica will join Mexico in the next round. If Jamaicaloses or draws, the ReggaeBoyz will be eliminated. IfJamaica wins and Mexicodraws with Honduras, Mexicowill advance as gr oup winner and the second spot will be decided on goal difference. If Mexico loses and Jamaica wins, Honduras will advance and goal difference will decide the remaining place betweenMexico and Jamaica. Going into the games next month, Mexico, with nine goals scored and five against,holds a plus four goal dif ference. Honduras has a plus thr ee goal dif ference, scoring eight and allowing five. Jamaica has a negative dif fer ence, having conceded six goals while scoring only three. Jamaica and T&T are the only two English-speakingcountries to qualify for theW orld Cup finals. The Reggae Boyz made it to France in1998, while the Soca W ar riors qualified for the 2006 finals in Germany. The 2010 finals willbe staged in South Africa. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. MIAMI Former sprint W orld Champion Lauryn W illiams, of the United States, believes the prolonged backlash against Jamaica’s success-ful outing at the OlympicGames in August is totallyunjust. Williams, the fourth place finisher behind thr ee Jamaican athletes in thewomen’ s 100 meters final in Beijing, said she believes the sprinters who forced her offthe podium in the event, andthe dominance of Usain Bolt in the men’s category, were not a result of performance-enhancing dr ugs and vowed not to be drawn into the con tinuous insulting debate. “I think the slurs about Jamaican sprinters are unfair said Williams, who won the 2005 World Championships 100meters title in Helsinki, Finland. “I believe they are clean. I’m not really worrying about drug issues,” she added. “Of course, we’re working har d to make sur e every countr y has the same testing poli cies, but the Jamaicans have worked really hard for what they achieved. They have been in the mix for a long time, theyhaven’ t suddenly appeared this year,” said Williams, who turned 25 last month. CRITICISM Jamaica’s drug-testing program has been criticizedand Bolt’ s rise to stardom in the 100 meters this year has raised a flurry of reaction from the track and field fraternity – including former U.S.Olympic sprint star Carl Lewis– questioning the validity of the Jamaican sprint domi-nance. But in spite of thecloud over the spor t in the past few years, Williams backs the Jamaicans to be clean and thinks it is heartbreaking toknow that whenever someone runs fast it rests on perform-ance-enhancing substances. s sad that athletics is constantly dragged back to that,” said Williams. CMC T&T,Jamaica only Caribbean teams remaining in World Cup soccer huntU.S.athlete praises Jamaicans’ performance at Beijing Olympics No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 SPORT SPORT www .caribbeantoday.com Fuller Williams Chanderpaul leads Windies in rankings DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Batting starShiv Chanderpaul is the only West Indies player among thetop 10 in the latest Inter national Cricket Council (ICCand bowling rankings for oneday Internationals (ODI Chanderpaul, who is num ber one in the current Test match batting ratings, is listedat sixth on the ODI list, whichis headed by Mahendra SinghDhoni, of India. The Australian left-han der Mike Hussey is number two, followed by SouthAfrican Graeme Smith andAustralian Ricky Ponting,with Pakistan’ s Mohammed Yousuf at number five. West Indians Chris Gayle and Ramnar esh Sarwan hold top 20 spots in the ODI bat ting, with Gayle at number 11 and Sarwan 19th. Australian pacer Nathan Bracken heads the ODIbowlers’ list, ahead of NewZealand’ s Daniel Vettori, and Australian Mitchell Johnson. Sri Lanka’s magic spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who leads the Test bowling rankings, is number six on theODI list that has pacers (CONTINUED ON PAGE 21) CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 19

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20 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami, Floridawww.miamibookfair.com305-237-3258Meet Them in Miami!Lisa Allen-Agostini, Tim Brothers, Willie Chen, Carol Boyce Davies, Jan J. Dominique, Brenda Flanagan, Cynthia Barrow Giles, Maude Heurtelou, Fequiere Vilsaint, Josaphat-Robert Large, Max Manigat, Austin C. Clarke, Harvey Neptune, Selwyn Ryan and more. Miami Book Fair International 2008November 9-16 Miami Book Fair is a premier program of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College. A Celebration of Cities of Refuge WithDerek Walcott&RussellBanks,SarahMkhonza, IrakliKakabadze,WoleSoyinka and Helge LundeFriday, Nov. 14For those who dare question authority, writing is a perilous act in many places of the world. And so some of the world’s most famously endangered writers created an organization Cities of Refuge North America dedicated to saving persecuted scribes around the globe by cultivating safe havens for them in North America. The organization, established in 2003 by acclaimed novelists Russell Banks, Salman Rushdie and Wole Soyinka, has thus far relocated nine threatened writers to American cities. Derek Walcott received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. A native of St. Lucia, he is the author of 13 books of poetry, including the recent Selected Poems, which spans 50 years of work. Walcott is also the author of seven collections of plays and a book of essays. He is the founder of the Trinidad Theater Workshop and the Boston Playwright’s Theatre. He is on the executive board of Cities of Refuge North America. Elizabeth Nunez Cyril Dabydeen Geoffrey PhilpThese celebrated authors explore the stories and issues of the Caribbean in their work, and they’re among the more than 300 writers joining us for our 25th anniversary. Brian Meeks Memoir Media SponsorsCORPORATE SPONSORS Anthology Biography WPBT The Miami Book Fair International is made possible through the generous support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Miami Dade College Foundation, the Miami Downtown Development Authority, and the Book Fair’s Friends of the Fair With the support ofGusman Center for the Performing Arts 174 E. Flagler St., Downtown Miami CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 20

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NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC Reigning high jump worldchampion Donald Thomas isconsidering the possibilities ofending his track and field career to focus his attentionagain on playing basketball. Bahamian Thomas, whoonly took uphigh jumpingin 2006 to get a break frombasketball while attend-ing school inthe United States, surprised his more seasoned competitors to win the world title at the 2007 WorldChampionships in Osaka,Japan. However, after suffering from an ankle injury which shortened his indoor seasonthis year and also hamper ed his preparation for the rest of season, Thomas failed to generate the same form he showedthe pr evious year and flopped at the Beijing Olympics. He isnow thinking about switchingback to playing ball. “That’ s something that I will have to evaluate when I get back in training anddecide what I will do fr om there,” Thomas was quoted as telling The F r eeport Ne ws . The 24-year -old Thomas failed to get beyond the qualifying round in Beijing inAugust, after clearing a mer e 2.20 meters for 12th in his qualifying height. GORDON WILLIAMS KINGSTON, Jamaica Professional soccer clubs in Europe, particularly inEngland, ar e steadily wooing mor e players from the Caribbean, drawn by their skills and athletic ability. Accor ding to Jamaicanborn John Barnes, who was recently appointed coach ofJamaica’ s senior national team and who played professionallyin England for 25 years, wher e once they doubted, the clubs have now become more con-vinced that Caribbean playershave the necessar y commitment to handle the rigors of some of the world’s most com-petitive leagues. “(The per ception of Caribbean players has) been changing since (Trinidad and Tobago’s) Dwight Yorke,” said Barnes, who played for clubs such as Watford,Liverpool and Newcastle inthe top division after movingto England as a boy . . “I wouldn’ t say since me, because I went to England when I was 13 so I grew upther e and played, whereas Dwight came over as a footballer . So since Dwight it’ s been like ‘yes, we can get Caribbean players’,” Barnestold Caribbean Today . “Because once upon a time, the perspective that they had of black players generally,even English black players in the 70s, was fast, skilful, can’tthink too much, put you on the wing, put you up front, not positions of r esponsibility – defensive midfielder , goalkeeper , center back. Whereas now all of those myths have been dispelled, because theEngland team has black center halves, black goal keeper . “Now , from the Caribbeanperspective, itwas like ‘yeah,you can getthe wingersover ‘cause they’r e fast, but if it’ s cold’ Whereas now, and of course fr om a Jamaican perspective, since Ricardo Gardner went there, it openedthe doors for a lot of people.” EVERYWHERE Dozens of Caribbeanbor n players are currently with top British clubs. Yorke, Gardner, T&T’s Kenwynne Jones and Jamaica’s RicardoFuller ar e among those play ing in the top flight English Premier League (EPLothers play in lower Englishleagues and in Scotland.Several others have beensigned by agents and ar e awaiting work permits to join British clubs. Some havemoved on to other Eur opean clubs while they await word on the permits. Barnes has helped expose Caribbean talent to Englandworking as a scout as par t of a program sponsored by telecommunications companyDigicel. He invited severalunder -20 players from the region to EPL club Sunderland earlier this year, where reports indicated they impressed the club’s management. “Sunderland actually wanted to bring thr ee of them back; thr ee of the eight,” said Bar nes. “After two days (Sunderland’s manager) Roy Keane himself came down, took the boys into the dressing room for one of the matches. He recognized the talentThe manager heard about the qual-ity they actually had, hear d about the discipline and thespirit they showed in playing.” Yet while the door to a professional soccer career may be widening in Europe, Barnes said talent alone willnot help Caribbean players force their way through it. ou have to have that hunger and playing,” he said.“The commitment that you need has to be the commit-ment within yourself, not tothe occasion or the situa tionBecause (the clubs have) always known they(Caribbean playersgood ability , but now they ar e looking at their spirit and their desire and their dedica-tion and their discipline.” Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. Bahamian high jump star considers return to hoops FLORIDA, United States – Glen Johnson is hoping hisNov . 11 clash against Tiwon Taylor will be the catalyst for more competitive fights in boxing’s light-heavyweightdivision. Johnson, the Jamaicaborn former InternationalBoxing Federation champion, is set to face American Taylor at the Seminole Har d Rock Hotel & Casino here, and intends to make the bout a tune-up for bigger contests. “I’m looking forward to fighting the big boys in the light-heavyweight division,they don’ t want any part of me,” the 39-year -old Johnson told the Boxing Talk website. ith a fight like this, I have to do what I have to do to stay busyI’m coming out bombs away, and I’m trying to take care of business real quick.” Johnson, also known as “The Road Warrior”, indicat-ed that he is looking to fightany of the pugilists in the top10 of the world rankings. e’re looking to do something in Januar y hopefully that will work out,” he said. “I think they’re talking about January 3 for another bigfight. “I want to be the champion of the light-heavy-weight divi sion. All ofthe guys whohave the titles, I want to fight them and col-lect those.” Johnson last foughtsouthpaw Chad Dawson in April, losing a contr oversial unanimous decision to the American in Tampa, Florida. “I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten over it, but I know that I justhave to move on,” he said. Johnson holds a fight r ecord 47 wins, 12 losses, and two draws in 61 fights. CMC Jamaica’s Johnson returns to boxing ring on Nov.11Euro’s pro soccer clubs woo Caribbean players No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 21 SPORT SPORT www .caribbeantoday.com Barnes Johnson Thomas Jerome Taylor (11th Dar en Powell (15th highest ranked West Indies bowlers. Kenya’s Peter Ongondo has reclaimed a top 20 spotamong ODI bowlers following his team’ s T ri-series with Zimbabwe and Ireland in Nairobi. He is 20th. NewZealand’ s Jacob Oram leads the all-rounders’ list ahead of England’s Andrew Flintoff and Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, with Gayle at number five. 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DR. ROBERT SHMERLING Question:What’s the best natural way to combat the achesand pains of arthritis? Answer: That’s a tricky question, for a number of r easons. First, there are more than 100 types of ar thritis. The best remedy natural or otherwiseoften depends on the type of arthritis a person has. In addi-tion, many people with achesand pains have no ar thritis; conditions such as tendonitisor bursitis can cause joint pains that mimic arthritis. Second, what should be considered “natural”? Some people don’t consider pre-scription medications natural even if they contain sub-stances found in natur e. Cer tain thyroid hormone supplements and digitalis ar e examples of prescription medicines that contain naturally occurring components. Finally, there is frequently no best “natural way” to tr eat symptoms of ar thritis. Unfortunately, we have no convincing evidence that natural remedies will reliably andef fectively tr eat symptoms of the most common types of arthritis. That said, here’s what I consider some of the bestcomplementar y remedies for symptoms of arthritis: Weight loss For most forms of arthritis, taking theload of f a weight-bearing joint (such as the kneeexcess weight can be helpful. Exercise Physical activity may pr ovide significant benefits for many types of arthritis. Exercise can includeland or water -based physical activities or other low-impact exer cises that str engthen muscles ar ound ar thritic joints, improve balance, and enhance physical fitness. V itamin D Low blood levels of Vitamin D are com-mon, may cause achiness, andhave been linked with an increased risk of osteoarthritis.While incr easing your vitamin D intake (thr ough foods or supplements) is unlikely to produce a prompt reduction inar thritis symptoms, it may pr e vent future arthritis and reduce bone pain in the long ter m. Glucosamine Multiple studies suggest that glucosamine may reduce kneepain due to osteoar thritis. Ther e is controversy about claims of other benefits,including the possibility that it can prevent arthritis or heal established ar thritis. Acupuncture Welldesigned studies suggest that acupunctur e may be ef fective for osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain. Just how acupuncture improves symptoms of arthri-tis is uncer tain. Diet While r ecommendations abound regarding which foods to favor andwhich to avoid for various types of arthritis, the link between diet and arthritis is strongest for one particulartype of ar thritis, gout. Limiting alcohol and highpurine foods (such as her ring, anchovies, liver, and bacon) can r educe the fr equency of gout attacks in some people. Recent studies have linked various dietary components(including meat, fish, and highfr uctose corn syrup) to an incr eased risk of newly diagnosed gout. Other foods (especially low-fat dairy products) seem to reduce the risk of gout. However, for peoplewith established gout, theimpact of changing the intake of these foods is uncertain. For rheumatoid arthritis, there is limited evidence that omega-3 fatty acids mayr educe joint inflammation; in my own practice, I haven’t seen much benefit. Keep in mind that as appealing as natural remediesmay be, they can be just as dangerous as prescriptionmedications. After all, toxicmushr ooms are all-natural! And because the r egulation of herbs, vitamin supplements, and other non-prescription“neutraceuticals” is less strin gent than for prescription medicines, it can be dif ficult to know exactly what’s in an allnatural remedy. Impurities, interactions with other medi-cines, and variable potencycan cause significant pr oblems. Dr . Robert H.Shmerling is associate physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,Boston,Massachusetts, USA,and associate professor at Harvard Medical School.He has been a practicing rheumatologist for over 20 years at Beth Israel DeaconessMedical Center .) 2008 President and F ellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.Distributed b y T rib une Media Ser vices,Inc. POR T OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The head of the United Nations AIDS Officein the Caribbean has called for renewed action to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region, which is currently reporting 38 deaths each dayfr om the deadly disease. Addr essing the seventh annual United States Chiefs of Mission Conference onHIV/AIDS in the Caribbean last month, Dr. Karen Sealy said while there had been remarkable improvements in r educing the spread of HIV/AIDS, there is need to incr ease momentum in the areas of prevention, care, treatment and education. e lose 38 citizens of the Caribbean to AIDS every sin-gle day and on a daily basis, 55 Caribbean citizens are newly infected with HIV every single day,” she told the confer ence, while also highlighting the need for behav iour modification in the region. CONCERN Of particular concern to the U.N. official are men whohave sex with men and sexworkers, who she listedamong high risk gr oups where the virus seems to be on the rise. Sealy said there was also an increase in reported casesamong crack cocaine users, adding “perhaps the categorythat we have not identified isthat of prisoners. e know that the spread of HIV in the Caribbean is in fact being fuelled by seriousgaps in gender equality with the removal of homosexuality from the legislation in Panamar ecently. “All the countries of the Americas which have homo sexuality as a crime are now located in the Caribbean r egion,” she said. In his addr ess, Prime Minister Patrick Manning noted that his government had scored some successes in the fight against the deadly disease through the provision of antiretroviral drugs. But heacknowledged ther e was still much work to be done in curbing its spread. He told thedelegates that most of those infected with the virus were now able to live “a high quality of life” as a result of the country’s health care program.He said “one of the tr ue successes” was the decline in the mother -to-child transmission of the disease, noting that all pregnant women who attend government pre natal clinics and were found to be HIVpositive could access anti retroviral drugs free of cost. DR. HOW ARD L e WINE Question:A friend of mine recently told me she was getting colonic irrigation.She isgenerally healthy but had been feeling run down.After three sessions,she felt muchmor e energetic and believes that the treatment removes to xins from her body .Is this true? Is colonic irrigation safe? Answer: Colonic irrigation, also called colonic hydr othera py, is a variant of enema treatment, which involves flushing the bowel with water in different quantities, temperatures,and pr essures. Through a tube inser ted via the r ectum, water may be introduced alone or with added enzymes, coffee,pr obiotics or herbs. T r eatment sessions usually last about one hour. Colonic irrigation may have been used as early as ancient times in Egypt, China,India, and Gr eece. This prac tice gained some popularity in 19th century European spas. W ithout scientific evi dence to support the claims, colonic ir rigation has been promoted in modern times toimpr ove general well being and suggested as a treatment for cancer and other diseases unrelated to the lower intestine. Proponents of colonicir rigation claim that it can impr ove mental outlook, eliminate toxic substances that cause chronic diseases, and boost immunity . One theory is that intestinal flora (bacteria that nor mally live in the intestine) and waste products in our lower intestine somehow impede the function of the body’ s immune system. It is proposed but unproven thatwashing awaythese flora and waste productsmay have benefi cial effects. Colonic ir ri gation can poten tially cause severe adverseef fects and must be carefully administered. People receiving frequent treat-ments mayabsorb too much water, leading to electrolyte imbalances in theblood. If sever e, this can lead to nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, and, very rarely, coma. There is a risk of bowel perforation (breakage of the bowel wall), which is aserious pr oblem. Colonic irrigation should not be used in people withdiver ticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, severe or inter nal hemor r hoids, or tumors in the rectum or colon. Unless directed by your doctor, it should not be used soonafter bowel sur ger y . Regular treatments should be avoided by people with hear t disease or kidney disease. If you are not doing the cleansing yourself, be sur e that the equipment used is sterile and that the practition er is experienced. Colonic irrigation should not be used as the sole treatment (instead of more proven therapies) for severe conditions, and it should not delayconsultation with a qualified health care provider for a potentially severe symptom orillness. In my opinion, the evidence to date does not sup por t the use of colonic ir riga tion as a way to promote better health and prevent disease.Although rar e, serious compli cations can occur. Dr.Howard LeWine is a clinical instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical Schooland practicing internist with Harvard Vanguard MedicalAssociates and Brigham andW omen’ s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts,USA. 2008 President and F ellows of Harvard College.All rights reser ved. Distrib uted by Tribune Media Services,Inc. No ‘best’ remedy for arthritisHIV/AIDS killing 38 per day in Caribbean Colonic irrigation remains controversial 22 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2008 HEALTH HEALTH www.caribbeantoday.com A colonic irrigation set used for the procedure. 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PETER RICHARDS POR T OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Regardless of what the former Housing Minister Keith Rowley does to clear his name, the die has already been cast. While Prime Minister Patrick Manning did not specif ically call his name in connection with the supposedly miss ing TT$10 million ($1.6 million fr om a housing project in 2003, the intention was very clear. Speaking during the recent budget debate, Manning told legislators that the cost of the r esidential units in the easter n part of the country amounted to TT$133.4 million ($22.2 million) “but the contract is for TT$143.4 million ($23.9 million). “I ascribe no motive to the member for Diego Martin West. All I am saying is that the member was the minister of housing on whose recommendation that the Cabinet took a decision for 143 million,” Manning said, noting that the issue would be a subject of an inquir y. “And therefore, I cannot get an answer anywhere else. Per haps he (Rowley position to help me and I am asking him, wher e de money gone.” The reaction was immediate. Rowley , who in 1996 had challenged Manning for the leadership of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNMs statement was an “act of desperation.” WARNING In September, in a newspaper column under the head ing “Paying Lip-service To Ethics, Integrity”, Rowley warned of office holders who “fall in love with the positions and become less and less accountable as they grow bigger than the posts into which they have been placed”. Emile Elias, whose compa ny, NH International, was contracted to build the houses, has all but called Manning a liar over the affair and has demanded a for ensic investigation. But political obser vers ar e questioning how long could Rowley r emain within the fold of the r uling party. They point out that prior to last year’s general elections, Manning sought and received the back-ing of the PNM for him to take action he thought would ensur e the success of the par ty in the polls. They said what Manning did was unprecedented in local politics. He ensured that half of his oldCabinet colleagues, includingthe deputy political leader Ken Valley, were not part of the slate of candidates. The party’s campaign song “Patrick W e Stepping Up With You” included the line “Patrick is boss”. OPEN CONFLICT Rowley was among the few who were initially spared, but then in April, Manning fir ed him over allegations that he had behaved in a very disorderly manner during a meeting of Cabinet ministers in the prime minister’s absence. “If they haven’t already done so, or been asked to,members of the executive of the Diego Martin West constituency of the r uling par ty are going to have to choosebetween their member of Parliament and their political leader”, wrote veteran jour-nalist Andy Johnson. The Sunday Express newspaper’s Political Editor Ria Taitt said there had never been an open display of conflict within the r uling PNM befor e, noting that earlier situations involving then Prime Minister Eric W illiams and other senior party officials such as ANR Robinson and Karl HudsonPhillips “never attained the public dimension as the current dispute”. Political scientist Pr ofessor Selwyn Ryan also reflected on that internal election, noting that “the two men have little r eal love, Christian or otherwise, for each other The conflict between the two men has not been lost on the general public either. V arious radio and television talk shows have been flooded with calls from listeners and viewers with their comments in support of either man, while venting their frustration in letters to newspaper editors. The Sunday Expr ess newspaper quoted party sources as saying that the rift between the two men could result in “tremendous damageto the par ty”, noting that moves were afoot for some form of rapprochement. Both men have, according to the article, indicated a willingness to discuss the matter . CMC BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Yana-Marisa Edwards,a Guyanese student, hasemer ged as the most outstanding candidate in the r egion in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC It is the third straight year that a student of the Queen’sCollege in Guyana has taken the top spot, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXCsaid in a statement late lastmonth. Edwards achieved Grade I in 14 subjects agricultural sci ence (Double Award), biology, Caribbean history, chemistry,electr onic document preparation and management, EnglishA, English B, Fr ench, human and social biology , information technology (generalmatics, physics, social studies, Spanish and technical drawing – and a Grade II in music. She follows W ainella Isaacs in 2007 and Shivar nie Persaud in 2006 r espectively as the top student in the region. Two other Queen’s College students AaronHaralsingh and Suraj Mattai -also r eceived awards. The award for the “Most Outstanding Per formance in Humanities” went to Lori-AnnV az of Wolmer’s Girls School, Jamaica. She achieved Grade I in 11 subjects, including fivehumanities subjects – Caribbean history, English B, geography,social studies and Spanish. She also achieved Grade I in biolo-gy , chemistry, English A, information technology , mathematics and physics. Guyanese tops Caribbean exams ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – 74-year-old Nicholas Liverpoolhas taken the oath as pr esident of Dominica for a second time,ending public speculation that he would not stay on as cere-monial head of the countr y . Liverpool’s recent re-appointment came during a brief cer emo ny , presided over by Senior Council Denis Barrow, at the Office of the President, just out-side the capital. In July , Liverpool received an endorsement from both houses of the Dominica Parliament to continue as headof state after the Oct. 1, 2008expiration of his initial fiveyear ter m. But there had been media speculation that Liverpool would retire to make way for Sir Brian Alleyne, the retired acting chief justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Alleyne subsequently said he was not inter ested in the presidency, after retiring as a member of Parliament for the western community of Mahaut. Speaking to the media fol lowing the Oct. 2 swearing in, acting Prime Minister Rayburn Blackmoore said Liverpool’sagr eement to ser ve for a second term demonstrates “the honor of the man.” He also describedLiverpool as an outstanding son of the soil and credited his contribution to national develop-ment. Liverpool was pr eviously awarded Dominica’s highest honor (the Dominica A war d of Honor) and earlier this year received the Order of theCaribbean Community – CARICOM’ s highest award. Liverpool holds on to Dominca’s presidencyManning v.Rowley: T&T political party rift widens BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says anappar ent lack of interest by key players, includingJamaica, is cur rently forestalling the creation of a Caribbean community(CARICOMand Economy (CSME Gonsalves leveled the charge, even as he sought tojustify r ecent efforts by the Eastern Caribbean leaders to forge a closer union with Trinidad and Tobago. “What do you do, do you wait for the slowest in theintegration movement orthose who wish to go fur ther and deepen the integration processes?” asked Gonsalves. Delivering a special integration lecture at the Universityof W est Indies Cave Hill Campus here late last month,he went fur ther to suggest that ther e was absolutely nothing wr ong with having different levels of integration within CARICOM. But he warned that 2015 deadline set by leaders for fullimplementation of the CSMEwas unlikely to be met, basedon the unwillingness of cer tain gover nments to move forward. He said the Br uce Golding administration in Jamaica also seemed unwillingat the moment to countenance the requirement for there tobe “a centralized politicalapparatus. “A host of r easons may be offered, one of them Ibelieve is that Jamaica has not yet exorcised the ghost of thefailed federal ventur e,” suggested Gonsalves. Lack of interest stalling Caribbean single market,economy ~ Gonsalves No vember 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 23 REGION REGION / / POLITICS POLITICS www .caribbeantoday.com Liverpool Gonsalves CTNov08.qxd 11/9/08 1:29 AM Page 23

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