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SN NOVEMBER 2009




00


W e c o v e r y o u


, o r I d


] PRESORTED
STANDARD
, U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MIAMI, FL
PERMIT NO. 7315
0 \ Tel: (305) 238-2868
1-800-605-7516
-editor@caribbeantoday.com
ct ads@bellsouth.net
Vol. 20 No. 12 Jamaica: 655-1479


Haiti's Senate
voted pointed to office a year -
remove
Michele
Pierre-Louis
as prime mCaribbean countryn-
ister for failingpersons
to improve thedriver's license in the
lives of citi-nited tates wi come under
zens since she m
was appointed to office a year --
ago. The president reacted
swiftly by naming a replace-e" .
ment as the Caribbean countrythe Caribbean and elsewhere
soughtto put in place a new .
government, page 4. Starting next year, persons

whoDespiteseeking a driver's license in the
being ill for ted c,,United States will come under
his court i o lnmore scrutiny to prove their legal
appearance status. One elected official
Americn an believes the move will drive
financier Sir undocumented immigrants from
Allen the Caribbean and elsewhere
Stanford,
who is further underground in the U.S.,
accused by page 2.
United
States authorities of bilking
tens of thousands of investors
in an alleged $7 billion Ponzi
scheme involving his Antigua-
based bank, has declined a
speedy trial, page 6.

Caribbean
American
singer
Maxwell is
among the top
performers
2009 Soul o
Train Awards. "Ci a ,
Maxwell,Cv
born of a
Haitian mother and a Puertot rtr
Rican father in Brooklyn, NewFidp e8V *
York, leads the pack with four
nominations, page 12.


News ....................
Viewpoint ................
Eye on Barbados ..........
Arts/Entertainment ........


INSIDE
..2 Food ...................... 13 Local/FYI .................. 18 Sport ..................... 22
..9 Antigua and Barbuda Miami Book Fair Classified .............. 23
.11 Focus ..................... 16 International ............... 19
.12 Health .................... 17 Business .................. 21
CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479


I


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-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


November 2009


New driver's license requirements may send

undocumented immigrants underground' ~ state rep


GORDON WILLIAMS

FLORIDA The scrutiny on
those wishing to acquire a dri-
ver's license in the United
States will become more
intense beginning next year,
and will likely to compound
the pressure on undocument-
ed immigrants, including peo-
ple from the Caribbean,
according to at least one elect-
ed official.
Jamaican-born Florida
State Representative Hazelle
Rogers (D-Fort Lauderdale)
believes that the new federal


requirement, known as the
Real ID Act of 2005, which
comes into effect on Jan. 1,
2010, may push undocument-
ed residents in the U.S. even
further out of the legal system.
"You'll have people going
underground and you'll have
more folks driving without
license," Rogers told
Caribbean Today last month.
"You'll have more people
driving without insurance."
The federal mandate will
demand additional documen-
tation for persons seeking new
licenses or renewing expired


ones from Department of
Vehicles (DMV) offices across
the U.S. Applicants will be
required to
produce docu-
ments such as
passport, birth
certificate,
marriage or
divorce papers
to prove
change of
name, perma- Rogers
nent resident
card, Social
Security Card and proof of
legal residence. Applicants


will no longer be able to
renew their license online, but
will have to visit the DMV
personally with the required
documents.
All U.S. states will be
required to comply with the
federal mandate within seven
years.
The initiative is seen as
part of the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security's
(DHS) efforts to boost nation-
al security and also create a
path ensuring all residents in

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


Judge declares mistrial in Travolta extortion case


NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC -
A Supreme Court judge ruled
a mistrial in the case of a for-
mer Bahamian lawmaker and
an ambulance driver accused
of trying to extort $25 million
from American movie star
John Travolta.
Justice Anita Allen made
her decision last month after it
was announced at a political
convention that one of the
accused had been acquitted.
The disclosure at the political
gathering came as jurors were


behind closed doors pondering
the verdict to be handed down.
The judge declared a mis-
trial because it was suspected
an unauthorized "communica-
tion" came from deliberating
jurors.
"...There was an
announcement at a particular
political party," she told
jurors. "It leaves the impres-
sion that there may have been
a communication in the jury
room. I am going to discharge
you from returning your ver-


dict."
Former Senator Pleasant
Bridgewater and ambulance
driver Tarino Lightbourne,
who were accused of hatching
an extortion scheme after the
January death of Travolta's 16-
year-old son Jett, will be
retried, Allen said without
identifying a new trial date.
Jett Travolta suffered a
seizure on Jan. 2 at the fami-
ly's vacation home on Grand
Bahamas, where the family
was spending a New Year's


Jett Travolta


holiday.
Lightbourne and
Bridgewater allegedly tried to
get John Travolta to pay them
$25 million to not make public
a medical document, declining
to have Jett transported to a
nearby hospital. Travolta
refused the demand for money.
Lightbourne and
Bridgewater had pleaded not
guilty.
0


GETTING

READY
The office of State Representative
Hazelle Rogers last month issued
a press release outlining what you
will need to bring to the DMV to
establish identity, proof of legal
residence and date of birth.

For U.S. citizens:
* Valid, unexpired U.S. passport
* Original or certified copy of a
birth certificate
* Consular report of birth abroad
* Certificate of naturalization
issued by the DHS
* Certificate of citizenship
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)




CARIBBEAN TODAY


... ... ...... i........ .. ..... .. ... i iiii

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


.. ... .....iiii i ,,!,i ..
d i~


November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


SnEwS


Haiti's Senate 'fires' prime minister,

president swiftly names replacement


PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti,
CMC President Ren6 Pr6val
has named his Planning and
Cooperation Minister Jean
Max Bellervie to replace out-
going Prime Minister Michele
Pierre-Louis as the Caribbean
community (CARICOM)
country sought to put in place
a new government.
The Haitian Senate dur-
ing the early hours of Oct. 30
morning voted to remove
Pierre-Louis, 61, on the
grounds that she had failed to
improve the lives of citizens
since she was appointed to
office a year ago. Most of the
legislators opposing her came
from President Pr6val's
Lespwa Movement party.
Pierre-Louis did not attend
the Senate hearing.
"Eighteen senators voted
against the prime minister,
which means the president has
to replace her," said Senate
Leader Kely Bastien.
That same day Sen. Nenel
Cassy told reporters that
Bastien had received the letter
in which President Pr6val des-
ignated Bellerive to become
the new prime minister.


"Now it is official,"he
added.
Bellerive must now be
approved by both chambers of
Parliament the Senate and
Chamber of Deputies after
his credentials for the job are
scrutinized.

U.N. APPEAL
The swift nomination by
Pr6val followed an appeal by
the United Nations peace-
keeping mission in Haiti that a
successor to Pierre-Louis be
named quickly to avoid politi-
cal and economic instability in
the CARICOM
The Senate ousted Pierre-
Louis by a simple majority of
18 of its 29 members.
Opponents of the move called
it unconstitutional and said
lawmakers had no power to
remove the head of govern-
ment without explicit instruc-
tions from Pr6val.
The outgoing prime min-
ister had rejected accusations
that she failed to use effective-
ly millions of dollars made
available through an oil dis-
count agreement with
Venezuela to repair buildings


and roads damaged in storms
last year.

WARNING
Director of the CARI-
COM Representation Office
in Haiti, Ambassador Earl
Huntley, said it was "unfortu-
nate" that Pierre-Louis had
been ousted, warning that it
could also affect the country's
participation in the CARI-
COM Single Market and
Economy (CSME).
"This is rather unfortu-
nate because it throws back
our whole work program. The
government of Haiti and the
Prime Minister had committed
Haiti to starting free trade in
goods under the CSME on
January 1, 2010," Huntley told
the Caribbean Media
Corporation (CMC) in a tele-
phone interview.
He said CARICOM was
working with Haiti to put the
necessary legislation in place
that would have allowed the
country to adopt the Common
External Tariff (CET) in place
of the national tariff.
"The change of govern-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)


Thursday, November 12, 2009
9Am 12PM


North Broward Medical Center
Conference Center
Deefield Beach, Florida


Attendance is free.
Due to limited space, registration is required.
To register, visit us at:
www.BrowardHealth.org/SDexpo
Call: 305.762.6151 or 305.971.9446


Caribbean backs U.N. resolution

to lift U.S. embargo against Cuba
UNITED NATIONS The er to the principles of multilat-
Caribbean community eralism, international law, sov-
(CARICOM) has voted in ereignty and free trade that
favor of a United Nations the body traditionally champi-
General Assembly resolution oned," he added.
calling on the United States to The embargo has been in
lift the economic and trade place for almost half a centu-
embargo against Cuba. ry. It was instituted in 1962.
"The unilateral imposition The General Assembly
of extraterritorial laws on passed the non-binding resolu-
third states is contrary to both tion with 187 votes in favor,
the letter and spirit of the three against and two
United Nations Charter," abstained. Only the U.S.,
said St. Kitts and Nevis's Israel and Palau voted against
Ambassador to the U.N. the measure. Micronesia and
Delano Bart, speaking on the Marshall Islands
behalf of the regional group- abstained.
ing late last month.
"The embargo runs count-

GETTING READY


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
* Court or marriage/divorce docu-
ments that provide proof of a
change in name that differs from
your primary identity document

For non-citizens:
* Valid, unexpired Permanent
Resident Card -1-551 for
Lawful Permanent Residents
* Valid passport for non-immi-
grants except for asylum appli-
cants and refugees
* Other government issued docu-
ment showing full name
* DHS document showing proof of
lawful presence
* If your name has changed by
marriage/divorce, evidence that
a name change has been
applied for with the DHS.

Both citizens and non-citizens
will need:
* Social Security Card, other doc-


ument with Social Security
Number on it, or evidence that
you are not eligible for one
* Two documents that show your
principal residence

After the 2014 and 2017 dates,
federal agencies will not longer
accept a driver's license or identi-
fication card unless it is Real ID
compliant. Therefore, persons will
not be allowed to board commer-
cial flights or enter federal facili-
ties without a Real ID compliant
document.
For more information on the
Real ID Act and rules, visit:
* http://www.flhsmv.gov/realid/
* http://www.gathergoget.com/
* http://www.dhs.gov/files/pro-
grams/ge_ 1200062053842.shtm
*http://www.aamva.org/GovAffa
irs/IssueWatch/REALID/
0


New driver's


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)
the U.S. are properly docu-
mented. But Rogers believes
the stepped-up requirements
will compound the problems
already facing those struggling
with undocumented status.
"They are having chal-
lenges right now," the state
representative said.
So too are legal U.S. resi-
dents, added Rogers, who
declared she is "not in agree-
ment with" the federal man-
date, especially as it applies to
her home state of Florida.
"It is unfortunate when
you have a population of sen-
iors that might not be able to
find a birth certificate," she
explained. "So now the hard-
ship of now spending dollars
and doing research to find
such a document. And you
have people that have never
travelled outside the United
States so would not have a
valid passport. So those folks
will be impacted also."
Rogers predicted delays
at the DMV.


"I know the lines will be
longer," she said. "...Before
everything was done online.
Now you have to physically go
into the Department of Motor
Vehicles and present a docu-
ment and someone looking at
that document to make sure it
is authentic and all of that."
Regardless of the draw-
backs, the state representative is
urging everyone to comply with
the new requirements by prepar-
ing needed documents early
before their license expires.
"If it's the law, they you
have to abide by the law," she
said.
"We just know that we
have a population that will be
impacted by it. But this is a
country that is dealing with
immigration reform and people
are asking for immigration
reform so that there is a path-
way for people to become docu-
mented and be within the law."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


rwww -. .*rib e g -dyco


/


November 2009





November 2009


CARIBBEAN TODAY


n e WS


Miami-Dade College students pull 'all-nighter' to help Haiti


A student makes his mark on the campus walkway in support of MDC's "All-Nighter for Haiti" last month.
GORDON WILLIAMS try's citizens to help them- M


MIAMI, Florida Students at
Miami Dade College (MDC)
stayed up late for a cause
greater than grades last
month.
Hundreds turned out for
an "All-Nighter For Haiti" at
the school's Kendall campus
to raise funds to help fight
poverty in that Caribbean
nation.
The MDC event, a brain-
child of some of the school's
honor students in partnership
with Food For The Poor
(FFTP), featured music, food,
performances and video pre-
sentations, which focused on
Haiti's plight.
According to the organiz-
ers, they will try to fund proj-
ects that will alleviate suffer-
ing in Haiti by assisting to cre-
ate opportunities for the coun-


selves.
"We are going to sit down
with them (FFTP) and they're
going to tell us where there is
the need," said Stuart Williams,
Jamaican-born member of
MDC's faculty who is helping
to coordinate the efforts of
Students Against Infectious
Diseases (SAID), the "social
movement" responsible for the
fundraiser.

DOUBLING UP
Prior to the all-nighter,
which started early evening on
Oct. 16 and ran through to the
next morning, SAID had
raised $10,000, according to
Williams. The aim is to double
that number to fill immediate
needs in Haiti.
"They need, for example,
a tilapia (fish) farm," he said.
"It cost about $8,500 for a


Three men charged in alleged

Ponzi scheme targeting Haitians


MIAMI, Florida The
United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC)
has charged three men with
running a Ponzi scheme in
which hundreds of Haitian
investors in South Florida and
New Jersey were scammed.
In a complaint filed here
last month, the SEC, the
country's financial regulator,
accused Eugene Bass Jr.,
Abner Alabre and Brian
Taglieri of ripping off
investors of more than $14
million, promising to double
the clients' money every 90
days through their HomePals
Investment Club.
"The extraordinary prom-
ises made by these three men
spread by word of mouth
throughout a close-knit com-
munity," said Glenn Gordon,
associate director of the SEC's


Miami regional office.
"Bass presented himself
as a master trader of stock
options and commodities,
when in reality he was a mas-
ter of deceit," he added.
Gordon said Bass, 35, of
Miami, invested no more than
$1.2 million of the $14.3 mil-
lion collected from investors.
The grand jury indictment
said the men also face crimi-
nal charges of securities fraud,
wire fraud, conspiracy to com-
mit securities fraud and con-
spiracy to commit money
laundering. They face up to 20
years in prison if convicted.
The indictments charged
that the men "pitched" their
investments to prospective
clients from April 2008 to
Dec. 2008.
0


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LW-S^^ caribbeantoday


tilapia farm. We have enough
money to build a tilapia farm
in a community that can help
feed people, save lives, save
the lives of children and, at
the same time, be an income-
generating apparatus for the
people."
Williams credited a group
of five female MDC students
for kick-starting the project.
During a trip to Austria earli-
er this year, the honor stu-
dents gave a presentation on
Haiti. They then decided to
channel their interest in the
country's plight to finding
ways to help.
"The students decided
that they didn't want to leave
it with their project," Williams
explained. "So they said that
they would come back to
Miami, start networking with


people, and they wanted to
raise money to intervene in
the situation in Haiti.
"...What started out as a
project, has started into a
social movement. We had five
passionate young ladies and
basically they met with some
people at Food For The Poor
and Food For The Poor gave
them an idea about the all-
nighter and they decided to
run with it."
The student thrust behind
SAID has grown to more than
200 since its launch. Many are
from Caribbean countries
including Jamaica, Trinidad,
Haiti and Cuba.
According to Williams,
the group will, in coming
months, focus on helping
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Jamaican judge re-elected president

of International Criminal Tribunal


KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
Jamaican Patrick Robinson
has been re-elected president
of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Robinson is the most sen-
ior official of the United
Nations war crimes tribunal
set up in The Hague,
Netherlands to try people
accused of committing the
worst offences during the
Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
Also elected by the per-
manent judges of the ICTY
last month was Vice President
O-Gon Kwon of the Republic
of Korea. Both judges were
elected for another two years,
having been previously elect-
ed to their posts with the tri-
bunal last year.
Robinson was recently
conferred with the national
award, Order of Jamaica for
his contribution to interna-
tional law and international
relations.


Since its establishment in
1993, the ICTY has indicted 161
people suspected of war crimes.
While proceedings are ongoing
against 41 of the accused,


HODInson


including the former Bosnian
Serb leader Radovan Karadlic,
proceedings have been conclud-
ed against 120, with two sus-
pects Bosnian Serb military
chief Ratko Mladic and the eth-
nic Serb politician Goran
Hadlic still at large.
0


HOUSTON, Texas Despite
being ill for his court appear-
ance last month, Texan finan-
cier Sir Allen Stanford has
declined a speedy trial in the
$7 billion Ponzi scheme case.
Sir Allen, accused by
United States authorities of
bilking tens of thousands of
investors in the alleged "mas-
,i\* scheme involving his
Antigua-based Stanford
International Bank (SIB), is
being held in solitary confine-
ment after he was badly beat-
en in a brawl by another
inmate.
The 59-year-old investor,
who was briefly hospitalized
in September and underwent
surgery for a non-life-threat-
ening aneurysm in his leg,
began spitting up blood during
a status hearing here. Judge
David Hittner interrupted the
proceedings to ask Sir Allen's
lawyer Kent Schaffer if his
client was okay.


"It's some sort of illness,
we're not sure what," Schaffer
responded.
Schaffer V
said his client
speaks to no
one but prison
guards and his
lawyers, and it
has been tak-
ing an emo- W
tional and Stanford
physical toll
on him.

LONG ROAD
Sir Allen has been in soli-
tary confinement since his
September transfer from a pri-
vately-run jail in Conroe,
Texas, to the Federal
Detention Center in down-
town Houston. Schaffer told
the judge that he needed at
least two years to mount a
strong defense.
Sir Allen and co-defen-
dants former Stanford com-


pany executives Laura Holt,
Gilbert Lopez and Mark
Kuhrt are accused of cheat-
ing investors who bought cer-
tificates of deposit issued by
SIB and sold through Stanford
Financial Group companies.
Leroy King, a former
bank regulator in Antigua, is
under house arrest there, and
the U.S. government hopes he
will be extradited in time to
participate in the trial.
Lawyers on both sides
estimated the trial could take
four months. Defense lawyers
said they haven't had time to
dig into the government's five
million pages of documents
and need weeks before they
even know when they can be
prepared for trial.
Sir Allen faces up to 375
years in jail if convicted on 21
charges of fraud, money-laun-
dering and obstruction of jus-
tice.
0


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Miami-Dade College students pull 'all-nighter' to help Haiti


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)
other countries as well. In
addition to funding projects to
alleviate poverty, SAID will
retain its original focus of
combating diseases as well.
"They (MDC students)
wanted to help fight against
infectious diseases," said
Williams. "Mostly, infectious
diseases are linked to poverty.


People die in Haiti because of
tuberculosis, something that we
get shots for easily (in the
United States."
Students who turned out
to support "All-Nighter For
Haiti" purchased items such as
food and art. A walkway
allowed participants to write
messages of support. Non-cash
donations, including canned
food and prescription eye-


glasses, were also accepted.
MDC was among more
than 35 campuses across the
U.S., which staged all-nighters
with Food For The Poor to
commemorate World Food
Day on Oct. 16.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


Haiti's Senate 'fires' prime minister, president swiftly names replacement


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4)
ment means that the program
will be set back. I can't see
Haiti starting to trade in
goods by January 2010 and so
from the point of view of try-


ing to get Haiti more involved
and implementing the CSME
that is certainly a setback..."
The CSME, which makes
provision for the movement
of goods, services and people,
is due for completion by 2015


based on the most recent
timetable approved by heads
of government of the 15
nation CARICOM grouping.
0


I Have you been in an accident?

- Have you suffered a slip and fall?

JI Do you have neck and back pain?


If


u. answered yes
E:. ,..:.:.: _-


these, call


ntment.


Freddie McGregor did... and now
he is asking you to do the same!


n e w s


Sick financier declines speedy

trial in $7B Ponzi scheme


November 2009


/"'3SV-;





CARIBBEAN TODAY


FEATURE


r wwwcrbe-n Sod SySc


South Florida diaspora conference showcases Jamaica's spirit, strength


DAWN A. DAVIS
M ore than 150 delegates
early last month ral-
lied to strengthen the
voice of Jamaicans overseas at
the inaugural Jamaican
Diaspora USA Conference in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
With a mission to come up
with concrete policies, governing
bodies and strategies, the sum-
mit's host Marlon Hill, Southern
United States Diaspora
Advisory Board member, chal-
lenged the audience.
"One of the challenges we
face as a community is to iden-
tify and implement those princi-
ples that will unite us with the
common goal of nation building
without borders," the Florida-
based attorney said.
"We all pursue a shared
vision for Jamaica and its dias-
pora...We call on your collective
experience and energy to lever-
age your individual talents and
organizational acumen for the
greater good in organizing our
community in the United States
for the future."

LINKS
With a series of workshops
and break-out sessions that
focused on building and uplift-
ing Jamaica's healthcare infra-
structure, education, gover-
nance, marketing, and trade
and investment, participants
forged links.
Among the important first
steps already taken is the opera-
tion of a database, housed at
Jamaica's consulate office in New
York, which lists the names of
some 8,000 Jamaicans from
across the U.S. Minister of State
in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dr. Ronald Robinson explained
that the Diaspora Foundation
has received grant funding for
the establishment of a diaspora
database. He added that the cre-
ation of such a database would
be an invaluable resource
Jamaica's government can use to
tap into the pool of talent that
resides in the Jamaican diaspora
across the world.
"It would suit us better as
a country if we had Jamaicans
working on behalf of Jamaica,"
Robinson said. "Because they
would really have a vested
interest in putting forward the
best policies and advice and
not just earning money as con-
sultants do."
He lauded the diaspora for
its advocacy and reiterated the
Jamaican g, ,\ L rnlnL ni\ sup-
port.
"The diaspora movement, in
my mind, has been supported and
is blessed to have had bi-partisan
support," Robinson said. "That is
why we have gotten to the point
we have...Coming out of the 2008
conference, there are some things
we have decided on. One of the
things was the creation of the
Jamaica Diaspora Foundation.


For it to have global recognition,
and also the status that we want-
ed, we thought that the founda-
tion was the way to go. That foun-
dation would be served by a
board of directors...So, the cre-
ation of the Jamaica Diaspora
Foundation and the Jamaica
Diaspora Institute, which would
be the operational arm of that
foundation, was one of the com-
mitments. Yes, this initiative is, in
fact, complete."

DUAL CITIZENSHIP
Robinson also discussed
the establishment of the
Jamaica g, ,\ L rnimL ni\ Joint
Select Committee that is
reviewing the issue of dual citi-
zenship, a problem that could
adversely affect the Jamaican
diaspora.
"I find it very difficult that


-Dawn Davis photograph
Ronald Robinson, Jamaica's minister of
state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
addresses the diaspora conference.
an individual could be born in
Jamaica, spend their entire lives
in Jamaica and because of...their
mother or father they gain citi-
zenship from another country,


and that individual is barred
from serving in the Parliament
of the land," he said.
"But yet still, an individual
who is born in say New
Zealand or Australia, spend all
their lives there, the constitu-
tion allows them to come to
Jamaica, live for 12 months
and then they can become the
prime minister of the country. I
think there is something funda-
mentally wrong with that."
Robinson added that the
government will work to bring
balance to this constitutional
issue and make the voices of
the diaspora heard.
Jamaican voices for
change and rebuilding were
raised at the inaugural confer-
ence. Hill summed it up best:
"Notwithstanding any real-
ities or challenges, we always


*'1..IijiI~ I. ..tFJ ~":~ Spc~nsQri


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Fed


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maternity


PEDIATRIC
INSTITUTE
uis


HOLOGIC Lnjnr


Thi od c ouLrtefy o

0 P peranm


r


November 2009


I fMo!T


find our way to achieving the
inevitable. This we know is the
spirit of Jamaica."
Also in attendance were
Professor Neville Ymg, head of
the Jamaica Diaspora Institute;
Professor Rex Nettleford, chair-
man, Jamaica Diaspora
Foundation; Andrew Holness,
Jamaica's minister of education;
Geneive Brown Metzger,
Jamaica's consul general in New
York; Sandra Grant-Griffiths, con-
sul general in Miami; Patrick
Beckford, a member of the
Diaspora Advisory Board
Northeast; and Wayland Richards,
Diaspora Advisory Board mem-
ber for the West/Midwest.

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





CARIBBEAN TODAY


rwww~.carbba-tda.co.-


F nT U R 6


Fitting 'marriage' of Florida carnivals scores big in downtown Miami


DAWN A. DAVIS ,,.


Putting rivalry aside after
six years of staging two
separate events, Miami
Carnival and Broward
Caribbean Carnival finally
came together for a fitting
marriage.
An estimated 50,000
patrons flocked to Miami's
Bicentennial Park for "Miami-
Broward One Carnival" last
month.
"I still have to work with
some in the community
because there are those who
are adamant that Broward
needs to have its own carni-
val," said Andy Ansola, presi-
dent of Broward Caribbean
Carnival, Inc. (BCCI).
"But when you look at it
from a regional standpoint, I
think we have the opportunity
to do one carnival on the
same day. In fact, next year we
propose to go to our final
home at the Landshark
Stadium (formerly Dolphin
Stadium), which brings it clos-
er to the Broward county line.
We are optimistic about the
future of One Carnival."
Ruthven Williams, chair-
man of Miami Carnival, Inc.
(MCI) and executive director of
One Carnival Host Committee,
also worked to bring the two
carnivals together.


All the colors and pageantry of two carnivals blended as one in South Florida.


"We always wanted one
carnival like we have in
Trinidad," Williams said.
"However, in 2003 the people
of Broward decided to have
their own carnival based on
the fact that the Caribbean
population had sort of shifted.
But eventually, the process of
One Carnival began in 2007
with a memorandum of under-
standing signed by Andy
Ansola and the then head of
MCI Selman Lewis. The con-
cept at that time was to have
carnival over two days. But,
bandleaders rejected the plan
and it failed. This year we


-Dawn A. Day


were able to finally bring the
ideas together in one carni-
val...It makes sense."

ART OF CARNIVAL
The two separate entities,
Miami Carnival, which cele-
brated its 25th anniversary, and
Broward Caribbean Carnival
still exist and will continue to
work with community and
non-profit groups. Ansola con-
firmed that Broward Carnival
will continue to work with the
the county's school board to
implement "the art of carni-
val" in schools.
"We are going to maintain


our reputation with
the relationships
which we have
.:- established," he
said. "We will con-
L 3tinue to move for-
a ward to make sure
the culture is where
it is supposed to
be."
Both
Ansola and Williams
explained that
Miami and Broward
carnivals have tradi-
tionally used the
Trinidad model.
However, according
to the BCCI head,
vis photographs many carnival sup-
porters perceived
Miami Carnival as a
Trinidadian carnival
and felt excluded, while BCCI
was a carnival for all the
Caribbean islands. To empha-
size the point, he said his board
members hail from Belize,
Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad,
Jamaica and Antigua.
Williams added that MCI
wanted to ensure the quality
of carnival.
"We only have one day to
demonstrate the pageantry of
what we call carnival, the stan-
dard which we want to be rec-
ognized as contributing," he
said. "...There is nothing
wrong with the t-shirts and


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mud mas. It's all part of carni-
val. But having five to six
hours on the road, we want to
put our best foot forward."

MARRIAGE
Both organizers agreed
that the magnificent pageantry
of carnival was more than
evident in this year's One
Carnival. But Ansola also sees
it on another level. He is certi-
fied in cultural studies and
diversity and holds a PhD in
marriage and family therapy,
so he looks at carnival as a
client.
"Carnival is a family for
me," he said. "All the compo-
nents make up a family; the
bandleaders, the vendors, the
sponsors, the decision-makers
who could affect it positively or
negatively. So, you have to
study how do you keep this
unit together and move it for-
ward. That's the concept I use."
"We have a cohesive
group," Williams added, "peo-
ple who have the love and
spirit of carnival, who want to
see it succeed. Coming togeth-
er as one carnival is definitely
something we all celebrate."

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





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Bar-hopping apartheid


Just as I begin to think that
our society has outgrown
ridiculous racial preju-
dices, some throwback comes
along to try to prove me
wrong.
For example, you may
recently have heard about
Keith Bardwell, a justice of
the peace in Tangipahoa
Parish, Louisiana, United
States, who refused to marry a
mixed-race couple. Why? He
says he was worried about the
children that
such a mar-
riage might
produce. On
what planet, I
wondered,
has this man
been vaca-
tioning for,
say, the past
40 years? CLARENCE
As Bill PAGE
Burton,
deputy press
secretary to this nation's bira-
cial president and himself the
product of a racially mixed
marriage, said to reporters
aboard Air Force One, "I've
found that actually the chil-
dren of biracial couples can do
pretty g< t, id' Yes, they can.
But we don't need to
wade into the rural South to
find racial throwbacks to the
nation's bad old days. Look
for example, at how students
from Washington University
in St. Louis recently set
Chicago's barhopping commu-
nity abuzz by filing a civil
rights complaint against a
popular North Side nightclub.
Six black students were
denied entry to the Original
Mother's bar in the Division
Street nightclub district. This
prevented them from joining a
pre-arranged party of more
than 100 of their fellow stu-
dents inside.
Why? The bar has a "no
baggy pants" policy, they were
told. That wouldn't sound so
unreasonable if the bar actual-
ly had a "no baggy pants" pol-
icy. But a white student who
put on one of the black stu-
dents' jeans was admitted, no
problem, according to the
news accounts.

STEREOTYPES
A spokesman for the
Original Mother's later point-
ed out that some other blacks


were admitted that night,
according to the Chicago
Tribune newspaper, but that
didn't clear up the mystery.
The bar cited security con-
cerns based on Chicago police
reports and baseball caps
worn backwards by two of the
black youths. Yet Regis
Murayi, 21, treasurer of the
university's Senior Class
Council, said his pleas and
proper identification did no
good. He was kept out of a
party that he helped to
arrange, apparently because
of racial stereotypes.
Sounds familiar. During
my own young-and-single days
in Chicago in the 1970s,
reports of saloon segregation
in inllgkl bars" made occa-
sional headlines and were
investigated by a variety of
state and local authorities,
including Republican
U.S. Attorney James R.
Thompson, before he was
elected Illinois governor.
One whistleblower at the
time, Gregory D. Squires,
wrote a confessional story in
the Chicago Sun-Times news-
paper about how he was
instructed as a white bouncer
and waiter in a north side
watering hole to politely shoo
black clientele away. The bar
was not on Division Street,
but its owners had learned the
art of singles-bar management
in that ,Ir,, i\ popular night-
club district before opening a
little club of their own. The
tricks included theme parties,
T-shirts, softball teams, a ski
club, a clean women's room,
free champagne for women on
special nights and keeping
black men out.

FAMILIAR
The Mother's discrimina-
tion complaint sounded familiar
to Squires, now a George
Washington University sociolo-
gy professor and author of six
books on civil rights issues. One
often-used ploy to turn some-
body away, he wrote, was to
pick out an item of clothing -
like jeans and tell the would-
be patron that it wasn't allowed.
I knew Squires because
the bar he wrote about hap-
pened to be one that I fre-
quented at the time. Although
he changed the names of the

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


I E W p o In


Buyer


beware
SWhere are the good
men?" That is the ques-
tion women are always
asking, as they lament the
dearth of good men.
It's a subject that has been
explored many times, but I
guess a lot of women still don't
get it, or refuse to face the
harsh reality.
This lady told me, "Let me
make it quite clear, we are not
frustrated, over 50-year-old
women waiting for Mr. Right to
appear. We are happy and
healthy and getting on with our
lives. We would appreciate a
companion in and around our
age group with whom we can
share our lives, someone who
has no fears of commitment,
nor is challenged with being
faithful."
It just ain't gonna happen,
so might as well those women
over 50 just give it up and just
plan to have other types of fun
like tea parties, brunches, girls
night out and such until the
twilight years approach. Either
that, or as a last ditch effort,
subscribe to E-Harmony, or
any of those dating services on
television, and let the comput-
ers match them up.
What a tall order, just go
back up and read the hopeful
demands again and be remind-
ed as the words resonate, com-
panion, share, commitment,
faithful. One glaring absence,
not one mention of passion,
lust, unbridled sex, the hall-
marks of any good relationship.
First of all, what is a good
man, and why would this good
man want a woman of 50 and
over anyway? If the man is so
good, with all the requisite
qualities that women look for,
he would certainly be choosing
someone with a little less wear
and tear and mileage on their
structure. Sure, go ahead, call
me cruel, but it's merely the
facts folks, merely the cruel
facts of this harsh game that
men and women play.

MYTH
And secondly, this good


I T


man thing is
a myth any-
way, for men
will only
show their
goodness to
win the
women, then
after the bed-
ding, it's back TONY
to normal. ROBINSON
And if he's
really good
and noble and all that, women
won't really want him, as he'll
be deemed boring and pre-
dictable.
It's the thug life gangsta
guys who have the appeal and
get the hot chicks, even
though many women won't
admit to it.
Also, men are different
things to different women,
and may just be a good man
to one, but a brute to others.

BUY AND SELL
Like it or not, life is but a
buy and sell market, as we
examine, scrutinize, gaze at,
scan, peer into and then
choose who we want to be
with. In the same way slaves
of all races in days gone by, or
even cars nowadays, are
bought and sold, it's the same
with choosing a partner, with
the only difference being the
subtlety of the game.
So let the sales begin. Up
first is the young lass of 17 to
18 years old. She is fresh, taut,
clean, sensuous, sexy, waif-
like, smooth, with not too
much wear and tear all the
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a woman.
Say what you will about
morality and all that, it's the
dream of most men to be with
a woman like that. Just check
out all those beauty pageants
and contests and my point is
proven. All those Miss World,
Miss Universe, Miss Fantasy,
plus model searches and such,
all ask for girls in this age
group On the salesroom, these
women are premium, in
demand and sought
after... especially by 'good
men'. And for every 'good
man' who chides his friend for
going with an 18-year-old,
secretly he wishes it was him.
Next in line are the ladies
in their 20s, still fresh, still
young, but with a little more
experience. Men still seek these
out, and as they gaze upon
them, their hearts palpitate
with desire and the lust in their
loins leaps, libido unleashed.
The seller would have no prob-
lem unloading those lasses, as
the men of all ages would
eagerly lap them up.
Then, polishing up for
sale are the women in their
30s, still great, but now carry-
ing a wee bit of baggage, as
they have been through a few
of life's experiences, usually
with men who were not such
'good men'. The seller would
have to display all of his skills,
as the beautiful package may
hide some crosses underneath.
Caveat emptor, buyer beware.
That can be a hit or miss and
if you're lucky, you'll get a
Miss that won't hit the fan
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


VIE U PO I n T


* "I make no apol-
ogy in saying deci-
sively and emphat-
ically that the gov- r
ernment of
Jamaica remains
irrevocably 1
opposed to the
recognition, legitimization or
acceptance of same-sex mar-
riages or same-sex unions" -
Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
bar and everyone involved, I
can now report that I was the
black guy in Greg's account.
The bar's owners had given
me an unofficial pass, Greg
wrote, because he had not
seen me hitting on the white
women. He must not have
been paying much attention.
"He insisted later that he
was not a racist," Squires
recalled. "But, he said, 'Can
you imagine what this place
would look like if he let in
every shine who wanted to
come in?'" Right. That's a
funny thing about racism since
the 1960s. Hardly anyone
wants to admit to it, even as
they express it.


Golding making it clear last
month his view of same-sex
marriages white he is running
Jamaica's affairs.

* "This award is
evidence of the
hope that his lead-
ership has awak-
ened in the entire
planet and is con-
sonant with the
trust that millions
of men and women have placed
in a new beginning for interna-
tional relations" Ex-Cuba
President Fidel Castro weighs in
on United States President


Yet, Squires was reluctant
to make too much of the per-
sistence of bias in bars. He
would like for us to look
beyond individual discrimina-
tion cases to understand his-
torical roots and structural
inequality that has built up
huge racial disparities in
wealth, education and income.
That's true. Unfortunately
group inequalities too often
bounce back as negative
stereotypes against individuals
- even in the age of our
nation's first black or, if you
prefer, biracial president.
2009 Clarence Page.
Distributed by Tribune Media
Services, Inc.
0


Barack Obama's selection for
the Nobel Peace Prize last
month.

* "I did not have
any such discus-
sions" -Antigua's
Prime Minister
Baldwin Spencer
last month strong-
ly denying sug-
gestions by a
United States congressman that
he interfered with the recently
concluded case involving six
American tourists who were
charged after being involved in
a brawl with police on the


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
later down the line.

DAMAGED
So now we jump to the 40-
year-olds. Most are damaged
goods, married, divorced,
jaded, cynical, battered and
bruised by life, but still, some
can still cut a dash. A few may
get lucky and be snapped up
by some desperate men, but
the odds are against them.
Now, to unload the most
difficult stock of all, the 50-
odd-year-old women. They
want to be courted, they want
to have great conversations,
they want the time and occa-
sions to learn about each
other. Oh my, so much hope,


Caribbean island.

* "We are not fearful. We are
not scared in going to the IMF"
- Antigua and Barbuda's Prime
Minister Baldwin Spencer claim-
ing last month he is not afraid of
approaching the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for an
assistance package as his govern-
ment faces a huge debt that has
affected its ability to access
financing.

* "He'd given it as a promise,
and we know he likes to keep
his promises" Wentworth
Christopher, spokesman for


Buyer beware
so many demands, might as
well you rub the lamp and
hope for the genie to appear
and grant you three wishes.
Only half a century of
wear and tear, five failed rela-
tionships, two bad marriages,
two spoiled pickney, including
one worthless boy who still
lives at home even though he's
almost 30 years old, tons of
emotional baggage, mistrustful
of men, tormented by the past,
holds lofty demands and ideals
of what men should be like.
Financially stable though,
and willing to spend on you.
A good buy if you can take
the chance and be prepared to
compete with her past. Now
remember, by then all the
'good men' have selected their


Bermuda's ruling Progressive
Labour Party, is sure Premier
Ewart Brown will not go back
on his word to demit office in
Oct. 2010.

* "Cuba will never surrender. It
fights and will fight" Foreign
Minister Felipe Perez Roque
declares to the United Nations
General Assembly last month
that Cuba will continue to resist
the embargo imposed on the
Caribbean island.
Compiled from CMC and
other sources.
0


stock and gone their merry
way, leaving that last group
for the most part untouched
and wondering why they are
not chosen. Women choose
men too, but are usually so
picky that they often end up
alone, and later cry, "Where
are the good men?"
But for all I say, caveat
emptor, buyer beware, for
what looks great on the shop
floor, may not be such a bar-
gain after all.
Still, we usually end up
with the partner we deserve,
one lady told me. Caveat
emptor, buyer beware.

seidol@hotmail. com
0


Public.


Bar-hopping apartheid


0r


a culture so rich you can taste it














Htri: I.' nicknamed "the Land of the lii- Fish," Barbados is a nation with an obvious love
S- affair with this unique marine animal. From inspiring its art to starring in this Caribbean country's

*,* Happy Independence Day, Barbados. II 30 nI

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November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


O n


B A RB A DOs


~ A Caribbean Today special feature


November is time to BAJAN HI

celebrate in Barbados


After the first
English settlement at
Holetown in 1627,
Barbados remained a British
colony until achieving
Independence from Britain
on Nov. 30, 1966.
That first Independence
ceremony was accompanied
by the raising of the Barbados
national flag and playing of
the national anthem for the
first time.
Nov. 30 is celebrated as
Independence Day and is a
national holiday in Barbados.
The day begins with a parade
and ceremony at the Garrison
Savannah. However, celebra-
tions run throughout November
and include sports competi-
tions, fairs, community events
and religious services.
One of the highlights of
the Independence celebrations


is the decorative lighting of
Parliament buildings and busi-
nesses throughout the capital
Bridgetown, using blue and
gold colored bulbs (the nation-
al colors). Roundabouts on the
highways are also lighted.
Another highlight is the
National Independence
Festival of Creative Arts
(NIFCA), which showcases
the artistic talents of
Barbadians. It encourages
Barbadians of all ages to
match their talents in music,
singing, dance, drama, writing,
fine art, photography and arts
and crafts. The festival runs
throughout November and
culminates with a gala presen-
tation in which the finalists
are featured.
- Edited from Barbados.org.
0


Opposition leadership

challenge fizzles


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC A highly-anticipated
showdown for the leadership of
the Opposition Barbados
Labour Party (BLP) failed to
materialize late last month.
Former Prime Minister
Owen Arthur was a no-show
for the mL liii, which took
place at the BLP's city head-
quarters amid widespread
reports of a tussle between him
and his recent successor Mia
Mottley for the leadership of
the over 70-year-old political
party. Mottley emerged from
the meeting telling reporters
that her leadership had been
affirmed by the parliamentary
group, which, in keeping with
the BLP's constitution, can
determine a leader by vote.
However, in Arthur's
absence, the leadership race
was actually a no contest and
the expected challenge did not


get off the ground.
Mottley had called for the
vote, while warning that no one
was bigger than the party.
During the BLP's convention
on Oct. 25, a tough-talking
Mottley also warned that she
would not tolerate any dis-
sention within the party if she
is re-elected as its leader.
"This issue must be
resolved and we must go for-
ward as a united force," she said.
In the wake of the party's
electoral defeat in the Jan. 2008
poll Arthur, who led the party
to three consecutive general
election triumphs, stepped
down, handing the leadership
mantle over to Mottley.
However, in recent months
Arthur has been making a
strong come back, saying he is
dissatisfied with what has been
happening in the country.
0


Ban dancehall shows ~ lawyer


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC An attorney is
expressing concern about the
prevalence of drug use and
the social impact of the "slack
lyrics" in performances of
Jamaican dancehall artistes
and has called for a ban of
such shows in Barbados.
Alan Carter, a Jamaica
national, put forward his posi-
tion while representing an 18-
year-old who was caught with
marijuana at a Vybz Kartel
concert last month. When
asked by the magistrate hear-


ing the case if such shows
should be stopped, Carter said
they should be.
"It would be going against
some of our constitutional
rights to attend and listen to
what a person chooses, but we
can see where some of these
things are heading in society,"
Carter said.
He added that due to a
shortage of positive male role
models, the court system was
being forced to deal with the
fallout.
0


-S^caribbeantoday^co
= ww ^^^M^^


Sir Garfield Sobers, right, the Barbadian-born former West Indies great, greets Julian Hunte, left, president of the West Indies
Cricket Board (WICB) during the ICC World Twenty20 West Indies 2010 ticket launch held at Kensington Oval in Barbados late last
month. At center is Paul Campbell, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association. Tickets for the competition's games, which will
be played April 30 to May 16 in several Caribbean countries including Barbados, go on sale this month.























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CARIBBEAN TODAY


- u scrbes..


NEW YORK, N.Y. -
Caribbean American singer
Maxwell is among the top per-
formers nominated for 2009
Soul Train Awards.
Maxwell, born of a
Haitian mother and a Puerto
Rican father in Brooklyn,
New York, leads the pack of
nominees with four nomina-
tions. His current project,
"BLACKsummers'night", is
the first installment in a trilo-
gy of albums to be released
over three years. The first was
released in early July. The sec-
ond installment,
"blackSUMMERS'night", is
scheduled for release next
year and the third, "blacksum-
mers'NIGHT", for 2011.
Tracks from the album
include "Pretty Wings", "Bad
Habits", "Never Do W/Out
You", "Help Somebody" and
"Cold".
Maxwell is up for awards
in the categories Best Male
Soul, Record of the Year,
Album of the Year and Song
of the Year.


Maxwell
In the reggae category,
Sean Paul, Ziggy Marley,
Movado, Serani and Taurus
Riley have been nominated.
The awards show will pre-
mier on Nov. 29 on both
Centric and BET from the
Georgia World Congress


Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It
will be hosted by Academy
Award-nominated actors
Terrence Howard and Taraji P.
Henson and feature perform-
ances by artistes such as Toni
Braxton, Erykah Badu, Trey
Songz, Robin Thicke and
Fantasia.
The show will also recog-
nize the work of selected
artistes in 10 music categories
and will honor the star power
and showmanship of the late
Michael Jackson with the spe-
cial Entertainer of the Year
Award.
Also set to be honored for
their longstanding careers and
musical influences are leg-
endary artistes Chaka Khan,
Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid and
Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds. The special will
also showcase a Motown
Records 50th anniversary
musical celebration.


- CaribWorldNews


NEW YORK, New York -
Belize Prime Minister Dean
Barrow's son has been deport-
ed from the United States
after spending more than
eight years in jail for his role
in a 1999 New York club
shooting.
Moses "l iiL n Leviy,
who changed his name from
Jamal Barrow, was sent to
Belize late last month after
U.S. immigration authorities
rejected his plea to remain in
the country following his
release from jail on Oct. 9.
The hip-
hop artiste
was convicted
of first degree
assault and
reckless
endangerment
in 2001 in rela-
tion to the Shne
shooting that Shyne
involved his
then mentor Sean "PDiddy"
Combs and actress Jennifer
Lopez. After Shyne's imprison-
ment ended, he was held by
U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) as authori-
ties pondered his fate.

PARDON PLEA
Prime Minister Barrow


had formally appealed to New
York Governor David
Paterson to pardon Shyne.
The entertainer's family has
also reportedly enlisted the
services of Harvard Law
Professor
Charles
Ogletree to
try and secure
a pardon from
Paterson so
the Shyne can
re-enter the
U.S. His
deportation Barrow
ended two
decades of residence in the
U.S.
"He wants to say how
happy he is to be home and to
be a free man," Belizean
Minister Michael Finnegan,
Leviy's uncle, told reporters
shortly after Shyne's arrival in
Belize
"He would love to have a
conversation with the media
but, because he was legally
advised by Prof. Ogletree, he
must not speak to the media
because he doesn't want to
prejudice his situation any at
all with the U.S. government
or Belize government," he
added.
0


Caribbean American singer Maxwell

in line for multiple Soul Train awards


U.S. deports rapper


Shyne to Belize


DELIGHTFUL DANCERS


Youngsters from the Champa Chameli Dance Group show off their colorful dress dur-
ing the Hindu Divali Festival of Lights held at the Coral Springs Sportsplex, Coral
Springs, Florida last month. From left are Natasha Narine, Jessica Ganpat and
Danielle Singh. With more than 3,000 celebrants, the festival featured dance and
music from India and Trinidad and Tobago, Indian food, art and culture. Divali is one
of the most celebrated and auspicious festivals celebrated by Hindus throughout the
world, including Caribbean countries like T&T and Guyana, which have large popula-
tions of East Indians.


/


November 2009


momm- I ............... ........ ........ "Il""Ill""Ill!"",""",
I n It T S oEnTIE RTni n m oEnT





November 2009


IiJ:..t
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- cot -


CARIBBEAN TODAY


rOOD


www~carbbeantday~co


Mixing, blending make Caribbean cuisine unique


aribbean cuisine is a
fusion of African,
Amerindian, British,
Spanish, French, Dutch,
Indian and Chinese cuisine.
These traditions were
brought from the many home-
lands of this region's popula-
tion. In addition, the popula-
tion has created styles that are
unique to the region.
A typical dish and one
increasingly common outside of
the area is "jerk" seasoned
meats, commonly chicken. It is
a unique, spicy flavor, reminis-
cent of Louisiana creole cuisine,
but still quite distinct from it.
Curry goat and chicken
are eaten throughout the
Anglophone Caribbean islands,
penetrating much further into
the Caribbean than have the
Indians who introduced them
to the region over 150 years
ago, most notably in Trinidad
and Tobago and Guyana.
Haitian, Guadeloupean and
other French Caribbean cuisine
is very similar.
Rice is a prime food eaten
with various sauces and beans,
which West Indians call peas.
A local version of
Caribbean goat stew has been
chosen as the official national
dish of Montserrat and is also
one of the signature dishes of
St. Kitts and Nevis. It is a toma-


"Jerk" seasoned meat on the grill is among the Caribbean's favorites.


to-based stew, made with goat
meat, breadfruit, green pawpaw
(papaya), and dumplings (also
known as dr, ,ppL r, ').

'COOK-UP'
Another popular dish in
the Anglophone Caribbean is
called "cook-up" or pelau, a
dish which combines variations
of meats like chicken, beef,
saltfish and or pigeon peas or
vegetables with rice. Callaloo
is a dish containing leafy veg-
etables and sometimes okra
amongst others, widely distrib-
uted in the Caribbean, with a
distinctively mixed African
and indigenous character.


Meanwhile, the Spanish-
speaking islands of the
Caribbean tend to prefer more
savory spices to these sharper
flavors. Lime and garlic, for
example, are more common in
Puerto Rico and Cuba than
pimento (or "allspice"). Other
common flavors throughout
the region include cinnamon,
ginger, and nutmeg.

SEA SAMPLES
Seafood is one of the most
common cuisine types in the
islands, and often each island
will have its own specialty.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)


'Floribbean' cuisine: A


fusion of regions


SFloribbean" cuisine is
found in varying forms in
Florida restaurants and
in the homes of many
Floridians throughout the
American state.
The essence of what makes
a particular dish "Floribbean"
is similar to many other aspects
of Floridian culture: that it is
heavily influenced by visitors
and immigrants from all over
the world, but especially from
the Caribbean (with notable
influence from The Bahamas,
Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad
and Tobago, and Haiti),
Australia, and the American
Deep South.
In the case of the southern
Florida region in particular, a
subdivision called Latino-
Floribbean or Hispano-
Floribbean cuisine also takes
Latino cuisine traits from such
countries as Mexico, Cuba,
Colombia, Argentina, Brazil,
and the Dominican Republic,
adding further influences into
the mix.
To distinguish the Latino
Caribbean style from the non-
Latino Caribbean style, some
employ the terms Afro-
Floribbean cuisine and Indo-
Floribbean cuisine, as the


majority of the Caribbean
islands are of either African
or Indian heritage, which in
turn were colonized by
British, French and Dutch set-
tlers.
The migration of Asian
workers, to replace the freed
African slaves, have also
played an important role in


Fresh fruit is an important feature of
'Floribbean' cuisine.

Floribbean cuisine. Asian and
Mediterranean inspired foods
and cooking habits have made
Floribbean cuisine more
healthy in the foods used and
the cooking of those foods. It
has led to the production of
an even more exotic spice
pantry. Red curry, lemongrass,
ginger, scallions and all, have

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)









/
-00.,


CARIBBEAN TODAY


FOOD


November 2009


- occ c,


I ww.carbbanodagcm


TASTE OF

1JCARIBBEAN
"A Taste of the Caribbean" food
festival will held from 1 p.m. to 8
Sp.m. Nov. 7 at Central Broward
Regional Park, 3700 N.W. 11th
Place in Lauderhill, Florida.
Live singers and steel band
S l L age music will be among the attractions.
Jerk hicen $7 $Donation is $10.

Cya $ JAMAICAN JERK FEST
.C ce 7The eighth staging of South
O$ $Florida's "Jamaican Jerk Festival"
Marketis scheduled for 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A & i $Nov. 8 at Markham Park, 16001 W.
Smal Lrge State Road 84, Sunrise.
[*'.. The event will feature music
Ace.. $ $8 and a cook-off contest.
Cdih$0Tickets are $10 in advance,
Jonya e$$20 at the door. Children under 10
Ba 1.0 achare admitted free.

,ot foodO, BEVERAGE SHOW
$9New products from the Caribbean and
around the wold will be on display this
LnhSeilfrmmonth at the 2009 "Americas Food and
Beverage Show".
S,11The two-day show will be staged
at the Miami Beach Convention
Center Nov. 9 and 10 with a new for-
18710SW107Ae.imat featuring an enhanced program.


We Manufacture. Fim Style fToF GlanIo Tofu, Spq Tfu & Veg-ofu
We Grow Aalhfo Sprouts, Ben Sprouls Ginel Sprouts, Onion Sprou, Spiy Sprouts & Snock Sprouls
We Pack ............... Fresh Egg Noodles, Egg ,ill Wrappers. Won Ton Snac ( ips, Forine Cookies, B (boy,
Won Ton Wroppers, Ginger, Snow & Sugor Snap Peas, Napo Caobbge & Shalots
We Process............ Broldi Fores, Vegelable Soup Mx, Carrol Celery Shicks & Stir F Vegetable MN



(305)-696-0651
LSA Indeiries Co., lKa. 245 N.W. 76th. Street M Flida 33147 Fix:.3S ()si 9-3062 ww.m.c


Ricardo Manuel Garcia photograph
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, right, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and Publix Super Markets recent-
ly introduced a new produce brand, Redland Raised, to promote the consumption of fresh local produce in more than 1,000 Publix
locations.
The local branding initiative, Redland Raised, has been created by Miami-Dade County, in conjunction with the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to promote a "buy local" program throughout the county and the state of Florida.
The brand will be in line with the Fresh from Florida brand, of which the majority of local growers and packers are members.
"Pairing Publix with our locally-grown produce makes great sense," said Alvarez said in a press release from his office. "We
can educate and encourage our residents to invest in local produce and in turn, stimulate the economy in our County."
At left is County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, District 8, Miami-Dade.

'Floribbean' cuisine: A fusion of regions


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
become as commonly used
today in Floribbean cookery
as grits and grunts are in other
parts of Florida.

FEATURES
Typical features of
Floribbean cuisine include:
* An emphasis on extremely
fresh ingredients;
* complex medleys of spices,
especially powerful flavors
that are softened by milder
ones;
* an emphasis on seafood and
poultry;
* generous use of fresh fruit


and juices, especially citrus
and sweet tropical fruits; and
* special care in presentation,
especially when seeking a
more natural effect rather
than an ostentatious one
Floribbean cooking often
uses less heat than the
Caribbean dishes that inspire
it, but there is extensive use of
several peppers. This spici-
ness, however, is almost
always moderated by more
gentle flavorings, such as
mango, papaya, rum, almond,
coconut, key lime, or honey.
It is common in homes to
see traditional Deep Southern


foods found in other states
such as Texas, Georgia,
Tennessee, and Louisiana
(such as gumbo, coleslaw,
black-eyed peas, or crab
cakes) served in the same
meal as a more nuanced
Floribbean dish. In most
Floribbean restaurants, how-
ever, entire meals are carefully
planned around a succession
of delicate, complex flavors
and so most dishes have been
altered from their traditional
forms.

- Wikipedia
0


AMANUFACrIIRRS 09MIWUGRADE 1SPCES & SPOAUZIUG
.0." I LU CESUMIMMT MUc
-k. R T ACIWNWNPEIOVVOW LA.L










II:87S.WA 0 51 PIace,q MlamO FloricaM 151


Mixing, blending make Caribbean cuisine unique


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
Some prepare lobster or
conch, while others prefer cer-
tain types of fish or sharks.
The island of Barbados is
known for its "flying fish",
while Trinidad and Tobago is
known for its cascadura fish
and crab, also fried shark
served as a sandwich called
"bake and shark".
Another Caribbean main-
stay is rice, in various forms
on different islands. Some sea-
son their rice, or add peas and
other touches such as coconut.


Sometimes the rice is yellow,
other times it may be more
brown, but overall it tends to
just act as part of a dish.
Conch is a popular food
in The Bahamas and Belize as
well, where fritters are made
by creating a batter of the
chopped meat, seasonings and
dough, and then deep frying.

- Wikipedia. Sample the
islands, page 15.
7


RAISED FRESH AND LOCAL





November 2009


CARIBBEAN TODAY


FOOD


- CO~


Jo ~ -


lwww .caibeatoayco 7


Island sample: Caribbean serves up tasty, tempting variety


Caribbean people are
lumped into one region,
but there is much variety
in food and cooking choices
among the islands.
This month Caribbean
Today offers a glimpse at the
tastes of several countries,
courtesy of Wikipedia.

JAMAICA
Cuisine of Jamaica
includes a mixture of cooking
techniques, flavors, spices and
influences from the indigenous
people on the island, and the
Spanish, British, African,
Indians, and Cl(IIm, who have
inhabited the island.
The cuisine includes vari-
ous dishes from the respective
cultures brought to the island


Ackee and saltfish


with the arrival of people from
elsewhere. Other dishes are
novel or a fusion of techniques
and traditions.
In addition to ingredients
that are native to Jamaica,
many foods have been intro-
duced and are now grown
locally. A wide variety of
seafood, tropical fruits and
meats are available.
Some Jamaican cuisine dish-
es are variations on the cuisines
and cooking styles brought to the
island from elsewhere. These are
often modified to incorporate
local produce. Others are novel
and have developed locally.
Popular Jamaican dishes include
curry goat, fried dumplings,
ackee and salt fish (cod) (the
national dish of Jamaica), fried
plantain, "jerk", steamed cab-
bage and "rice and p,,s (pigeon
peas or kidney beans).
Jamaican cuisine has been
adapted by African, British,
French, C(hIIL and Indian
influences. Jamaican patties
and various pastries and breads
are also popular as well as fruit
beverages and Jamaican rum.
Jamaican cuisine has spread


with emigrations, especially
during the 20th Century, from
the island to other nations.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
A nationally well-known
main dish of Trinidad and
Tobago is curry chicken and roti.
This dish was adopted from
indentured laborers from India
in the 19th Century, where other
favorite local dishes include
curry crab, curry shrimp, curry
duck, curry aloo (potato).
These meals are often
served with various rotis such
as dalpuri, bus-up-shut, and of
course sada. In addition,
Trinidadians often add various
pepper sauces to their meals,
for example "mother-in-law",
as well as curry mango,
chataigne (breadnut), channa,
pumpkin, or mango kuchela.
Another popular and
nationally well-known dish with
distinctly African roots is
callaloo, a creamy and spicy side
dish made of dasheen leaves,
ochro or okra, crab, thyme,
coconut milk and shado beni
(from "chardon b6nit", French
thistle or fitweed) or bhand-
hanya (Hindi bandh dhanya,
. 1 ,,~d cilantro") or cilantro.
Callaloo is often prepared with
cornmeal coo coo, plantain, cas-
sava, sweet potatoes, and some-
times made with crab. Pelau
(Hindi pilau), a rice-based dish,
is a popular dish in Trinidad and
Tobago, as well as stewed chick-
en, breadfruit oil down, maca-
roni pie, pepperpot, ox-tails,
among many others.
Trinbagonian dishes are
often stewed, barbecued, or


by a wide selection of seafood
dishes, most notably, curried
crab and dumplings, and Tobago
is also known for its sumptuous-
ly prepared provisions, soups
and stews, also known as blue
food across the country.
A popular Trini dish is
macaroni pie, a macaroni pasta
bake, with eggs and cheese,
and a variety of other potential
ingredients according to which
particular one of the many
recipes you are following.
Another local dish includes
the rare delicacy cascadu (cas-
cadura), which is a small fresh
water fish. There is a local leg-
end in Trinidad that s/he who
eats cascadu will return to
Trinidad to end their days.[1]

ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
With its rich soil, St. Kitts
and Nevis grows a wide variety
of fresh produce. Abundant
seafood and meats, such as
goat, add to the diet.
The style of cooking is fairly
simple, flavored much like other
West Indian cuisine. Goat water
stew, perhaps the country's most
well-known dish, mixes goat,
breadfruit, green pawpaw
(papaya), and dumplings (also
known as dJr fpp, r, ') in a


tomato-based stew.
Another favorite dish is
cook-up, or pelau, which com-
bines chicken, pig tail, saltfish
and vegetables with rice and
pigeon peas. Conkies bear a
large similarity to tamales,
though instead of having filling
rolled inside the dough, the
cornmeal is mixed together with
grated sweet potato, pumpkin,
coconut, and a few other ingre-
dients; after wrapping the dough
in banana leaves, they're boiled
rather than steamed. Sweets
tend to be simply made, some-
times with nothing more than
fruit, like tamarind or guava,
and sugar.
Rum is as popular in St.
Kitts and Nevis as it is through-
out the Caribbean. But the
national drink is actually Cane
Spirits Rothschild (often abbre-
viated to CSR), distilled from
fresh sugar cane.
Many villages on Nevis
hold cookouts on Friday and
Saturday nights, where people
come together to eat, drink,
play games like dominoes and
have a good time.

DOMINICA
Creole food is prevalent on
restaurant menus, including


callaloo soup, made from ten-
der leaves found at the center
dasheen plant. Roadside stands
and small-town restaurants typ-
ically serve fried chicken, fish-


Mountain chicken' legs


and-chips and "tasty 11ikL,
along with cold drinks. The
island produces numerous fresh
fruits, including bananas,
coconuts, papayas, guavas,
pineapples, and mangoes which
can be eaten as dessert and be
pureed or liquefied.
Dominica's national dish is
the mountain chicken, which
are snares of the legs of a frog
called the Capaud, which is
endemic to Dominica and
Montserrat.
0


Curry chicken and roti


curried with coconut milk.
An array of fish can be
bought at local merchants
throughout Trinidad and
Tobago, such as flying fish, king
fish, carite, sapatay, red fish,
bonito, lobster, conch and crab.
Tobagonian food is dominated


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


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SnnTIGUn & BARBuDA Siocus


~ A Caribbean Today special feature


P.M. Spencer wants 'all hands on deck' approach Nation honors dozens


ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
Prime Minister Baldwin
Spencer has told Antiguans
and Barbudans to i ni,\\ r the
call to action" as he sought an
"all hands on deck" approach
to tacking the economic and
crime woes facing the twin-
island nation.
In an address to mark the
nation's 28th anniversary of
political Independence from
Britain, Spencer said every res-
ident has a role to play in help-
ing light of the unprecedented
challenges posed by the worst
economic crisis since the Great
Depression of the 1930s.
"Steering the ship of state
through these turbulent
waters is not for the faint of
heart; all hands are required
on deck; there is no room for
spectators," he said in his
annual Independence address
broadcast on local radio and
television on Nov. 1.
"...Each and every
Antiguan and Barbudan and
all those who have chosen to
call this land their home -
whether on a permanent or
temporary basis must join
forces to address the chal-
lenges that come in the form
of this global economic crisis
that has thrust itself upon our
pristine shores and is threat-
ening to reek untold damage
on our economy if we do not
act and act now," the prime
minister said.

TOUGH DECISIONS
Spencer, who has been in
charge of the nation's affairs
since 2004, said his adminis-
tration was prepared to make
the tough decisions in the best
interest of the people of the
twin-island state, including an
approach to the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) to help
address a large public debt
and to help the government
ride out the economic difficul-


ties it faces.
"As a responsible and
independent government, hav-
ing fully assessed the chal-
lenges presented by the global
economic crisis and the debt
burden and having engaged in
widespread consultations, we
have decided to present a fis-
cal consolidation program to
the IMF in an effort to secure


spencer


technical and financial assis-
tance in implementing the
policies and measures identi-
fied in our National Economic
and Social Transformation
Plan," he explained.
The prime minister stressed
that the program being
embarked upon with the assis-
tance of the IMF is not one being
dictated by the Washington-
based financial body.
"It is our program. It is a
program conceptualized by an
independent and responsible
Antigua and Barbuda," he
said.
An IMF team is due to
return to St John's to fine-tune
the arrangement after meeting
with key members of the
Spencer administration last
month.
Spencer called on the
Antiguan and Barbudan public
to rni\\ a r the call to action"
as he promised that his govern-
ment would present further
details of the country's Fiscal


Consolidation Program in the
Budget Speech on Nov. 30.
"Our nation has survived
serious crises and we have
overcome momentous chal-
lenges," he said. "Whatever
the challenges ahead, we shall
overcome. Your government
is fully prepared to face the
challenges. We face them with
a positive outlook and with
the determination to over-
come them. If we work as a
family it can be achieved."
Turning his attention to
crime, the prime minister
promised a more vigorous
approach to arresting the
growing problem.
"Of recent times, Antigua
and Barbuda has been gripped
by a spate of unsolved crimes,"
he said. "With these develop-
ments and with security being
uppermost in our minds, your
government will redouble its
efforts to strengthen law
enforcement and enhance
security in our state.
"The law officials in part-
nership with the Antigua and
Barbuda Defence Force will
step up the frequency and inten-
sity of street patrols, stop and
search and the removal of ille-
gal tint from motor vehicles."
Spencer also defended his
government's foreign policy,
which he said "has always
been and will continue to be
about meeting long-term chal-
lenges and dealing with the
unexpected".
The Opposition Antigua
Labour Party has questioned
the government's relationship
with Venezuela and its partici-
pation in the Caracas-led
Bolivarian Alternative for the
Peoples of Our Americas or
ALBA. The prime minister
said such relationships "have
proven to be beneficial to the
development of our nation."
0


ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
Antigua and Barbuda cele-
brated its 28th anniversary of
political Independence from
Britain on Nov. 2 by recogniz-
ing the contribution of nation-
als to nation building.
Some 41 outstanding
nationals, including educators,
business people, army person-
nel and sports men and
women were recognized dur-
ing a ceremony at the Antigua
Recreation Grounds for the
National Honor and Awards.
Nurse Hyacinth
Richardson and the late
Mitchell A. Michael received
the two highest honors -
Dame Commander of the
Most Distinguished order of
the Nation for services to the
nurses and legal profession;
and Knight Commander of


MONTREAL, Canada The
Antigua and Barbuda interna-
tional Peter Byers helped
Montreal Impact capture the
United Soccer Leagues (USL)
First Division title last month
by beating Vancouver
Whitecaps 3-1 in the second-
leg final.
Byers assisted on the
Impact's third goal as the club
ran out handsome 6-3 aggre-
gate winner over the defend-
ing champion Vancouver for a
third USL crown.
Coming home to Saputo
Stadium in front of a sold
out crowd of over 13,000 -
with a 3-2 lead from the first
leg in Vancouver the previous
weekend, Montreal tightened
its grip on the game with three
first-half goals that crippled
Vancouver's hopes. Tony
Donatelli scored from the
penalty spot in the 30th
minute and Joey Gjertsen sent

Airport safe ~ chiefs
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
Antigua's Fire Chief Whitfield
Joshua, Police Commissioner
Thomas Bennett and Ken
Hurst, chief executive officer
of the VC Bird International
Airport, have held urgent
talks after reports surfaced
here that the security of the
country's main gateway was
under threat.
Following the talks late
last month, the officials have
sought to assure the nation
and the international commu-
nity that operations at the air-
port were safe and were no
way in jeopardy.
They said the reports
were being spread by disgrun-
tled fire officers who were
upset about sweeping changes
being made by Joshua.
0


the Most Precious Order of
the Nation for services in
entrepreneurship and commu-
nity service respectively.
Other awardees include
public servant and former par-
liamentarian Victor McKay;
World War II veteran Oscar
Peters; former Director of
Sport Patrick Whyte and for-
mer educator Lesroy
Merchant.
The awardees each
received one of three awards,
the Most Distinguished Order
of the Nation; the Most
Illustrious Order of Merit; or
the Most Precious Order of
Princely Heritage.
Antigua and Barbuda
became independent on
November 1, 1981.
0


Montreal 2-0 up in the 40th
minute.
Byers assisted on the third
goal two minutes later.




I l.it i-
Street Address:
9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010
Miami, FL 33116-6010.
Telephone: (305) 238-2868
(305) 253-6029 Fax: (305) 252-7843
Toll-Free Fax: 1-866-290-4550
1-800-605-7516 Jamaica: 654-7282
E-mail: editor@caribbeantoday.com
Send ads to: ctads@bellsouth.net
Vol. 20, Number 12 NOV. 2009

PETER A WEBLEY
Publisher
GORDON WILLIAMS
Managing Editor
SABRINA HOPKINS
Graphic Artist

DOROTHY CHIN
Account Executive

SHARON LEE
Account Executive
CARMEN CHANG
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.


Antiguan helps Montreal win soccer title


November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


11 6 n t T 91


r6ww -arbbentda.com


CARICOM countries to get H1 N1 vaccine this month


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Caribbean community
(CARICOM) countries
should begin receiving the
first shipment of the vaccine
to combat the influenza A
(H1N1) virus, commonly
referred to as "Swine Flu",
this month, the Guyana-based
CARICOM Secretariat has
announced.
It said that the vaccine will
provide immunization for the
community's most vulnerable
groups children, pregnant
mothers, persons suffering from



Ask doctor: Is
DR. HOWARD LEWINE

QUESTION: My doctor has
suggested that I consider
weight loss surgery. I'm
scared. How dangerous is it?

ANSWER: Weight-loss sur-
gery (bariatric surgery) done
by experts is getting safer,
according to a study reported
in the July 30 issue of the New
England Journal of Medicine.
Bariatric surgery is very
effective. Not only do people
shed many pounds of fat, but
they also decrease their risk of
diabetes and heart disease.
Their risk of death over time
is about one-third lower than
for very obese people who
don't have surgery.
Your reluctance to have
surgery is shared by many
other patients. The three main
reasons have been the risk of
severe complications during
and after surgery, long term
health problems and cost.


Haiti launches

combat intes
WASHINGTON Haiti will
use funds provided by Spain
and the Inter American
Development Bank (IDB) to
finance a campaign to combat
intestinal worm infections by
integrating infrastructure
improvements with education
on hygiene and disease pre-
vention.
The IDB said that partic-
ular emphasis will be placed
on curative and preventive
treatment of children between
the ages of one and 15 years
and women of childbearing
age.
Intestinal worms such as
ascaris, trichuris and hook-
worm are a major source of
disease in Haiti, causing ane-
mia, stunted growth, malnutri-
tion and impaired physical
and cognitive development.
These debilitating diseases are
best controlled via an integrat-
ed approach that combines


CARICOM expects to have vaccines to
combat H1N1 this month.
Chronic Non-Communicable
Diseases and young people -
against an anticipated second
attack of the H1N1 virus.
"The bad news is this


weight loss
The new study offers some
reassurance about safety.
Deaths and serious problems
occurred during and shortly
after surgery at rates similar to
those of other major operations.
In addition, the study highlights
which patients are most likely to
get into serious trouble during
and right after surgery. The
patients at highest risk:
Are extremely obese, with a
body mass index of 55 or
greater;
Have a history of blood clots
in the legs and/or lungs;
Function poorly in everyday
life. This group may be
unable to walk even short
distances or do daily activi-
ties without help.
Sleep apnea also increases
the short-term risk of surgery. But
obesity can cause sleep apnea. So
this is a reason for obese people
to consider the surgery.

PREVENTION/COST
In the past, some people


campaign to

tinal worms
preventive and curative med-
ical treatment of populations
at risk with investments in
water and sanitation infra-
structure.

PREVENTION
The campaign in Haiti
will seek to improve maternal
and child health status and
survival through sustainable
improvements in hygiene
behaviors such as hand wash-
ing with soap and clean water,
safe feces disposal, and safe
storage and treatment of
drinking water.
These activities will be
financed with $900,000 from
the $39 million in combined
grants approved by the
Spanish government and the
IDB for expanding and
upgrading water and sanita-
tion services in Haiti.
0


virus is expected to intensify
its attack during the colder
months of December to
January; the good news is that
the Caribbean is more pre-
pared to deal this virus the
second time around as most
member states are seeking to
acquire the vaccine," said Dr.
Rudolph Cummings, CARI-
COM S,. rLi iri,,' program
manager, health sector devel-
opment.
The secretariat said that
the United States has con-
tributed significantly to a



surgery safe?
had problems getting enough
nutrition after the surgery.
Some developed osteoporosis,
or thin bones. These longer-
term problems can now be
prevented.
Cost is a complex issue.
Surgery certainly is more cost-
ly than other weight loss tech-
niques in the short run. But in
the longer term, this may actu-
ally lead to major cost savings.
For carefully selected people,
bariatric surgery can be con-
sidered if you have a body
mass index (BMI) of 40 or
greater or have certain med-
ical conditions (such as high
blood pressure, diabetes, heart
disease or sleep apnea) and a
BMI of 35 or greater.
They also must have
made serious attempts at
weight loss with non-surgical
approaches.

Tribune Media Services.
Edited from The Medicine
Cabinet: Ask the Harvard
Experts. For additional con-
sumer health information,
please visit www.health.har-
vard.edu.
0


Global Fund, which was used
to develop the vaccine, and it
would be delivered at no cost


to some member states.
0


Olive Chung-James, M.D.

- Board Certified Family
Physician
children, adults. gynecology
W.. cya sM.D. weight management
A Dr. Chung-James, practicing in Miami since 1983,
well-known in the Caribbean community.
Conveniently Located Across From Jackson South E.R. at:
9275 SW 152 Street, Suite 204. Miami, Florida 33157
Phone: 305-251-3975 Fax: 305-251-9839


'S


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


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(9541 956-9500 m





Board Certified Family
Physician
children* adults *gynecology
.* weight management
Oonovan Taylor, M.D.
Pleh'a call for an appointment
(305) 655-0702
Graduate of UWI. Previously practiced in Mandeville,
R,,.I.inmy at JMH.
NEW LOCATION
250 NW 183rd Street, Miami, Florida 33169
DIPLOMAT OF THE AMERICAN BOARI) OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS


November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


NEW YORK, N.Y. A
Jamaican widow, who under
United States immigration law
faced deportation because her
husband died before their sec-
ond wedding anniversary, is
among thousands who could
soon benefit from a change in
the law.
The U.S. Congress moved
last month to finally approve
legislation that would abolish
a provision known as the
"widow's penalty". With a 79-
19 Senate vote, Congress
voted to end the policy.
Under current immigra-
tion regulations, widows or
widowers, and their children,
may apply for a "green card"
or resident alien status only if
they were married to their


Jamaican widow Osserritta Robinson
deceased spouse for at least
two years prior to his/her
death. This rule has left many
individuals who were married
to a deceased U.S. citizen for
less than two years facing


Free Consuiltationri


Loon A /r


deportation.
Jamaican Osserritta
Robinson faces this problem
because her husband Louis
Robinson died before their
second anniversary.
Robinson's husband was
among 11 people killed in the
Staten Island Ferry accident in
Oct. 2003. Now she and her
attorney hope they can benefit
from the legislative change.
The end of the \\ id< \\
penalty" is part of a bigger
Homeland Security bill that
President Barack Obama is
expected to sign. The congres-
sional action came as the
requirement was under legal
attack all over the country,
including a class action lawsuit
filed in Los Angeles, California
and individual litigation in
Georgia, New Jersey, New
York, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Missouri, Ohio and Texas.
The Department of
Homeland Security released a
statement praising Congress
"for supporting the widows
and widowers of U.S. citizens
who otherwise would have
been denied the right to
remain in the United SijL,
The new law was champi-
oned by Representative Jim
McGovern and Senator Bill
Nelson.

- Story, photograph obtained
from CaribWorldNews.
0


HERITAGE AWARDS
The Institute of Caribbean
Studies (ICS) will hold the
16th Annual Caribbean
American Heritage Awards
(CARAH) Gala on Nov. 13 at
The Renaissance Marriott,
Ninth and K streets N.W. in
Washington, D.C.
The 2009 CARAH Gala,
chaired by Congresswoman
Donna Christiansen and held
under the patronage of the
Caribbean diplomatic corps,


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


NEW YORK, N.Y. A bill
pushing for comprehensive
immigration reform in the
United States may be intro-
duced by next February or
March, CaribWorldNews
understands.

informed
CaribWorld
News that New
York Senator
Chuck
Schumer last
month prom-
ised a group of
over 100 clergy Clarke
in Washington,
D.C, that the
bill will be introduced by the
first quarter of 2010.
Schumer also reportedly
expressed confidence that the
bill, which has as many critics
as it has supporters, can be
passed. He promised the late
Senator Ted Kennedy he
would see the bill passed.
The pastors under the
group Churches United to
Save and Heal (CUSH) were
in the U.S. capital as guests of
Congresswoman Yvette
Clarke, and called for action
on comprehensive immigration
reform that could put millions
of undocumented migrants on
a path to legalization.

NEGATIVE EFFECT
The pastors discussed how


FYI
honors and celebrates individ-
uals of Caribbean heritage or
friends of the Caribbean who
have been standard bearers
of excellence, and who have
made positive contributions to
the American and internation-
al landscape.
Nominees for the 2009
CARAH Awards include:
Shirley Nathan Pulliam, mem-
ber, Maryland House of
Delegates; Dr. Anthony Kalloo,
pioneer in the field of gastroen-
terology and hepatology;
George Willie, managing part-
ner, Bert Smith & Co.; Lynton
Scotland, vice president for
operational energy at NRG
Energy Incorporated; and mem-
ber of the Executive Leadership
Council Willard Wigan and soca
artiste Allison Hinds.

MAKE-A-BOOKMARK
The Miami-Dade Public
Library System is seeking bud-
ding young artists for its annual
"Make-a- Bookmark C nIil .i
Children, ages six tol2,
are invited to submit a draw-
ing, of a favorite character or
scene from a book, to reflect
the theme "Readiscover Your
Neighborhood@ the Library".
Each contest entry must


a broken immigration system
has negatively affected their
parishioners. CUSH represen-
tatives said Congressman
Peter King of New York
declined to meet with them on
the issue but, Joshua DuBois,
director of the White House
Faith-Based office, was among
those who met with them on
Capitol Hill.
CUSH
Chairman
Bishop
Orlando
Findlayter, and
reverends
Dennis
Dillion,
Herbert Shumer
Daughter
and Dr. Philius Nicholas were
among the participants.
"We are asking the
Obama Administration to
focus on Comprehensive
Immigration Reform (CIR)
like a laser beam," said
Congresswoman Clarke.
"Who better to fully
understand the importance of
this issue then the son of a
Kenyan immigrant? This is
the next challenge for our
nation and no more will we let
this issue fall to the wayside."

- CaribWorldNews
0


be original work, and will be
judged on creativity and neat-
ness. One winner will be cho-
sen from each library branch
and the winning design will be
used on the library's official
bookmark for 2010.
All finalists will be hon-
ored during a Dec. 12 party at
the Main Library, 101 W
Flagler St.
Contest entry forms are
available at all branches and
online at www.mdpls.org. Final
date for submission is Nov. 2L

BUSINESS EXPO
The Broward County Chamber
of Commerce will host an
international trade show and
business card exchange on Nov.
5 at Quality Inn Sawgrass
Hotel & Conference Center,
1711 N. University Dr.,
Plantation, Florida.
Doors will open to the pub-
lic from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Log on
to www.ChamberRSVP.com to
RSVP or to exhibit at the event.
For more information,
call the Broward County
Chamber of Commerce at
954-565-5750, or visit
www.SouthFloridaExpo. com.
0


Congress moves to abolish 'widow's penalty'


U.S. Immigration


Reform Bill by 2010?


November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


BOOK n AI R w. s "-e.y

~ A Caribbean Today special focus on the Miami Book Fair


Caribbean authors on tap for

Miami Book Fair International '09


Several authors from
Caribbean backgrounds
will be among those attend-
ing this year's Miami Book Fair
International (MBFI) scheduled
for Nov. 8-15.
The fair is again expected
to treat book lovers to more
than a week of cultural and
educational activities, includ-
ing author readings, book
signing, the I \ ii n Ing With"
series, "Children's Alley", the
"IberoAmerican Authors"
program, and the "Street
Fair", Nov. 13-15 on the
closed streets of downtown
Miami surrounding the Miami
Dade College campus.
"We're again pleased and
honored to host such an impor-
tant event, especially during
these difficult times, when peo-
ple truly want the type of suste-
nance that books can provide -
whether they are stories that
affirm our rLliL ik L or help us
escape our troubles for a
while," Dr. Eduardo J. Padr6n,
president of MDC and MBFI
co-founder, stated in a recent
press release.
"The book fair is a cor-
nerstone of what we do at
Miami Dade College. Literacy
helps make a community
strong and stable."
Among the Caribbean
authors confirmed to attend


the fair
include:
* Elizabeth
Harry:
Melanie, Bird
with a Broken
Wing: A
Mother's Self
Story, In Philp
Sunshine and
Shadow;
* Jeff Henry: Under the Mas':
Resistance and Rebellion in
the Trinidad Masquerade;
* Kendel Hippolyte:
Birthright, Night Vision;
* Jane King: Fellow Traveller;
* Philip Nanton: Island Voices
from Christopher & the
Barracudas (Spoken word
CD);
* Elizabeth Nunez: Anna In
Between;
* Geoffrey Philp: Who's Your
Daddy.
Other top authors already
confirmed for this year's fair
include Sherman Alexie,
Margaret Atwood, Roy Blount
Jr., Robert Olen Butler, Meg
Cabot, Alan ChIIL th, Susie
Essman, Mary Karr, Mike
Farrell, Nobel Laureate and
former Vice President Al
Gore, Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
Barbara Kingsolver, Jonathan
Lethem, Jacquelyn Mitchard,
Ralph Nader, Richard Powers,
Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk,


Francine Prose, Ruth Reichl,
Senator Bob Graham, Wally
Lamb, musician and performer
Iggy Pop, Melvin Van Peebles
and Jeannette Walls.
Confirmed Spanish-lan-
guage authors include Roberto
Ampuero, Jos6 Maria Aznar,
Carmen Posadas, Alvaro
Vargas-Llosa, Boris Izaguirre,
Angela Becerra, Juanita
Castro, Edmundo Paz-Soldin,
Jorge Ramos, Fabiola
Santiago and Jaime Bayly.
"We have a spectacular
line-up again this year," said
Alina Interian, executive
director of the Florida Center
for the Literary Arts at Miami
Dade College, in a press
release.
"Authors from across the
globe representing every
genre and a truly wide array
of subjects will be at the fair.
What we do here every year is
truly special. There are very
few places in the world where
people have access to this
kind of programming. You
won't want to miss it."
For the complete list of
authors and more informa-
tion, visit www.miamibook-
fair.com; call 305-237-3528 or
e-mail wbookfair@mdc.edu.
0


COVER TO COVER


Cartoonist and author Jeff Kinney designed this year's official poster.


The official poster for
the 26th edition of the
largest literary gather-
ing in the United States, the
Miami Book Fair
International, presented


by the Florida Center for the
Literary Arts at Miami Dade
College (MDC), was unveiled
at a reception last month. The
poster was created by Jeff
Kinney, cartoonist and author


of the "Wimpy Kid" series.
The fair will be held Nov. 8-15
at MDC's Wolfson Campus,
300 N.E. Second Ave., down-
town Miami.
0


Comic relief comes to the fair


A look at graphic novels
and the world of comic
books will be among
the attractions at this month's
Miami Book Fair International.
Comix Galaxy, in partner-
ship with Diamond Book
Distributors, will introduce com-
prehensive programs on graphic
novels and comics that will cele-
brate its legacy and recent rise
in popularity and integration
into the mainstream via book-
stores, libraries and educational
curricula all over the country
Comix Galaxy activities
will begin at 10 a.m. Nov. 13
and continue through Nov. 15 at
Miami Dade College's (MDC)
Wolfson Campus in downtown
Miami, Florida. Some of this
year's Comix Galaxy activities
include"Kids' Comic Con", an
instructional exercise for chil-
dren and teens taught by artists;
an artist alley where comics cre-
ators from all over the United
States will draw and sell art-
work; two shows of original
comics and graphic novel art; a
panel discussion on the life and
art of Harvey Kurtzman, leg-
endary cartoonist and MAD
Magazine creator; comics art


exhibits; and more than 35
comics and graphic novel
artists, writers, and other indus-
try professionals.
In addition, education
experts will participate in "The
School of CG >iu i. a day-long
program that includes six ses-
sions for teachers, librarians,


parents and others who want to
learn more about the format.
There will also be a special
training session for creators.
For a complete listing of all
Miami Book Fair Internationals
events, including Comix Galaxy,
visit http://www.miamibook-
fair.com/.
0


several past components of
the Miami Book Fair
International (MBFI)
have been scaled back or post-
poned due to the challenging
economic times and state budg-
et cuts the college is facing,
according to organizers.
The 2009 fair, scheduled
for Nov. 8-15, will be more con-
tained. For example, organizers
noted that this year there will
be no inauguration ceremony
and festivities; no International
Pavilions Village; and no Street
Fair Parade.
In addition, the fair is cut-
ting back the number of author
presentations, although still plan-
ning to present some 300 authors


and writers I LprL, Iling; the best
in contemporary literature.
The members of the MBFI's
Board of Directors and fair
administrators are raising the
admission to the weekend Street
Fair, from $5 to $8 per person.
However, persons 62 years and
over will continue paying $5.
The fair is also preserving the
free access to fairgoers 18 and
under, volunteers and others.
Access to the Street Fair on
Nov. 13 will be free. Plans also
call for the 1 \nLIIIIg With" pro-
gram, which has been free for
the last 25 years, to have a $10
admission fee, but free parking
will be available in Building 7.
0


Caribbean honors literary icons


GEORGETOWN, Guyana,
CMC Caribbean community
(CARICOM) governments
have paid tribute to three
internationally renowned liter-
ary figures who died recently.
In a statement, the
Guyana-based CARICOM
Secretariat said that the region
had lost Jamaica's Trevor
Rhone, Suriname's Henk Tjon
and Trinidad and Tobago's
Wayne Brown during a one-
week period. It described
Rhone and Tion as multi-talent-
ed, internationally acclaimed
theater artists, while Brown was
an acclaimed poet, creative


writing teacher, short story
writer, critic and journalist.
CARICOM said that
through his exceptional talents
as playwright, director and
actor, Rhodes contributed
extensively to the cultural
development of the Caribbean;
that Tjon actively participated
in every Caribbean Festival of
Arts (CARIFESTA) since its
inception in 1972; and that
Brown was responsible for the
development of a new genera-
tion of writers in Jamaica and
the Caribbean.
0


Challenging economic times


force changes to book fair


I


November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


READY YOUR TOTE BAGS!

Hundreds of Authors, Thousands of Books


nternati


a


November 8-15, 2009
Street Fair: November 13-15, 2009


Jeff Henry Under
the Mas': Resistance
and Rebellion in the
Trinidad Masquerade


Elizabeth Alexander
Sherniari Alexie
Margaret Atwood
Jose Maria Aznar
Liz Balmaseda
Ann Louise Bardach
Lidia Bastianich
Jaime Bayly
Edna Buchanan
Meg Cabot
Gonzalo Celorio
Alian Cheuse
Maria Antonieta Cllndh
Lydia Davis
John Dufresne
Sarah Dunant


Philip Nanton Island
Voices from Christopher
& the Barracudas
(Spoken word CD)


Susie Essman
Harold Evans
lldefonso Falcones
Mike Farrell
Brian Fies
Max Frankel
Michael Goldfarb
Mary Gordon
Al Gore
James Grippando
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Joy Harjo
Tom Hayden
John Hodgman
Ira(y Kidder
Barbara Kingsolver


Elizabeth Nunez -
Anna in Between


Denis Kitchen
Denis Lehane
Gerald Martin
Campbell ,LGrarh
Ana Menendez
Ralph Nader
Achy CObjas
Orhan Pamuk
Edmundo Paz Soldan
Leonard Pitts Jr.
Norman Podhoretz
Iggy Pop
Carmen Posadas
Gerald Posner
Rk:i. hard Pov.rs
Francine Prose


Geoffrey Philp -
Who's Your Daddy


Joroe Ramos
Ruth Reichl
James Reston Jr.
Cristina Rivera Garza
Fdbiola Santiago
David Small
Paco Ignacio Taibo II
Sam Tanenhaus
Trish Thonma
Michael Thomas
Melvin Van Peebles
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
Kate Walbert
leannert Walls
Larry Wilmore
... and many more.


www~miamibookfamir.com


...


November 2009





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Caribbean recovering from global crisis ~ IMF


LWW-crbbatoa.co


I H eatOpotntTechialCntrIc-


WASHINGTON The
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) said most countries in
the Caribbean and Latin
America were overcoming the
"substantial impact" of the
global economic crisis.
The Washington-based
financial institution in a new
report said "the worst is over
for most countries, and many
economies have begun to
recover".
The report, released last
month and titled "Crisis
Averted What's Next?",


examined how the Caribbean
and Latin America countries
were recovering from the glob-
al recession, which drove up
the cost of external financing,
reduced exports, remittances
and tourism revenues. It noted
that output for the region as a
whole, after contracting by
about 2.5 percent this year, is
expected to recover and pre-
dicting growth to be in the
vicinity of three percent next
year.
"The question, now that
the worst of the storm is


behind us, is how to adjust
policies to the new reality of a
more sluggish global economy
and still provide conditions for
growth and poverty allevia-
tion," said Nicolas Eyzaguirre,
director of the IMF's Western
Hemisphere Department.
Eyzaguirre said while the
region has done "considerably
better" this year than in past
global crises and recessions,
"there are marked dillI rL I% .L
among countries."
0


Jamaican-owned companies win MEDWeek awards


T hree Jamaica-owned
companies were recog-
nized by the United
States Department of
Commerce Minority Business
Enterprise Center at the annu-
al MEDWeek Minority
Enterprise Development -
Business Conference last
month in Miami, Florida.


U.S. non-prol

establish $451V
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti,
CMC A United States-based
non-profit foundation and a
major conglomerate in Haiti
have announced plans to
establish a multi-million dollar
industrial
park here. .
The proj-
ect announce-
ment came a 4.
few days after
former U.S.
President Bill
Clinton par-
ticipated in an Clinton
investors'
conference in the country last
month.
The WIN Group and the
New York-headquartered
Soros Economic Development
Fund (SEDF) said the $45
million project will provide a
significant number of jobs.


The three companies,
Patty King, Incorporated,
McBayne's Construction &
Renovation, Incorporated and
LEASA Industries Company,
Incorporated were among
Florida's top 10 performing
minority businesses and inno-
vators.
Patty King was awarded
the "Minority Exporter of the

fit to help Haiti

1 industrial park
"We are committed to
supporting Haiti's economic
growth," said SEDF President
Stewart J. Paperin, adding
"this project will create thou-
sands of jobs and attract the
types of businesses crucial to
helping Haiti expand its eco-
nomic capabilities."
Youri Mevs, managing
partner of WIN Group, said
the industrial park, called the
West Indies Free Zone, will
target local and international
manufacturers, as well as
warehousing businesses and
offer tax, customs and pro-
cessing advantages to tenants.
The project is located
near Cit6 Soleil and is expect-
ed to create 25,000 jobs, as
well as improve the standard
of living for the 300,000 resi-
dents, Mevs said.
0


Year 2009". The company was
started in 1998 as a small
restaurant and bakery in North
Miami. It became one of the
largest USDA-approved pro-
cessing facilities in Florida and
the largest manufacturer of
Jamaican patties in the south-
eastern U.S.
INITIATIVE
McBayne Construction and
Renovation, Incorporated
received the "Strategic Growth
Initiative Award 2009" as the
National Minority Construction
firm. Owner Trevor McBayne
said the company provides a
range of new construction, ren-
ovation and underground utility
services to residential, commer-
cial, industrial and institutional
projects. It has a staff of 50.
LEASA Industries
Company was awarded the
"2009 Minority Manufacturer
of the Year" award. A family-
run enterprise, the company
was established in 1977 and
has since grown to become one
of the leading food manufac-
tures in the southern U.S. and
the Caribbean.
- JIS
0


CAN WE TALK?


Peter A. Webley,
Publisher


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


-usw^caribbeantodj..c..


GORDON WILLIAMS

MIAMI, Florida Caribbean
American boxer Glen
Johnson finally gets a chance
to avenge his controversial
defeat to American Chad
Dawson, when the two clash
for a world title on Nov. 7 in
Hartford, Connecticut.
Johnson, who was born in
Clarendon, Jamaica but
migrated here as a
teenager, lost a unani-
mous decision to
Dawson in their first
match for the World
Boxing Council light I
heavyweight belt in
April 2008. Now the 40-
year-old former world
champion known as the
"Road Warrior" and
"Gentleman Glen" is
hoping to erase that
memory at the XL
Center and return to
the top of the 175-
pound division.
The Dawson Johnsoi
rematch, he said, is the
most important of his long
career and he will be ready.
"I'm definitely looking
forward to this fight," Johnson
told Caribbean Today follow-
ing a recent workout at the
Thump Fight Club gym here.
"I'm prepared to the best
of my ability so I can go out
there and represent myself."
He will be representing an
entire Caribbean region as well,
and especially fans who wit-


nessed the first Dawson bout in
Tampa, Florida and thought he
was robbed. Johnson believed
he won that fight convincingly,
claiming he had "cut up,
bruised up" Dawson. Most of
the crowd at the St. Pete's
Times Forum agreed, booing
the final decision.
This time, Johnson, who
has a ring record of 49 wins,


-uoIuuoII illiaIIms p
n, left, and Cuellar at Miami's Thump Fight Club.

12 losses and two draws, said
he will be aiming to eliminate
the judges' input in the final
outcome by ending the fight
inside the distance.
"A knockout is definitely
the ideal situation," said the
man who has stopped 33 pro-
fessional opponents.
Dawson, however, still
believes he won the first fight
and this month's rematch
offers a chance to put all
doubts to rest.


SPORT


Former Bermuda soccer player

arrested in U.S. on drugs charge


World title at stake in Johnson,

Dawson boxing rematch


much as $11 million, nearly
four times its value in the U.S.
It is alleged that Zuill's
participation in the alleged
conspiracy goes back to 2006,
with persons known and
unknown to the New York
court system.
Zuill was arraigned in
New York on Oct. 8 and
charged with conspiracy to
distribute marijuana and two
counts of conspiracy to dis-
tribute five kilograms of
cocaine.


"I want to put that last
fight out of his mind once and
for all," the undefeated
American, who holds a record
of 28 wins with 17 knockouts,
told Boxing Press recently.
Dawson vacated his
International Boxing
Federation title in May for a
chance to fight Johnson again.
The Jamaican said he has
made several adjust-
ments to prepare for
Dawson. Among them
was hiring American
Daniel Judah, who has
fought Johnson twice, as
a sparring partner.
Judah, whose physique
and boxing style are
similar to Dawson's, said
he believes Johnson will
win.
"If Glen keeps doing
what he's doing now he
will win the fight,"
Judah told Caribbean
Today recently.
photograph Johnson's longtime
trainer Orlando Cuellar
is also confident
Dawson, who at 27 is more than
a decade younger than the
Jamaica, will be beaten.
"There's a way to beat
Chad Dawson more convincing-
ly," said Cuellar. "And of course
we're looking for a knockout."

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
0


Thompson
* Jamaica jockey wins 3,000 races
Jamaican-born jockey Winston
Thompson recently reached the
impressive milestone of riding 3,000
winners.
On Sept. 21 at Suffolk Downs in
Massachusetts, Thompson rode the 9-
1 shot African Angel to victory over
seven furlongs. He migrated to the U.S.
in 1987.


BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC West Indies cricket
appeared headed for a return
to normalcy after the two
feuding parties last month
announced an end to hostili-
ties over several contentious
contractual issues.
In a vague joint state-
ment, the West Indies Cricket
Board and West Indies
Players Association said they
had settled most of the issues
that led to a strike by the
region's elite players and the
selection of makeshift squads
for the Bangladesh home
series and the recent ICC
Champions Trophy in South
Africa.
The agreement followed a
three-day meeting between
WICB President Julian Hunte
and WIPA head Dinanath
Ramnarine, and came a


* Bajan rides 2,000th winner
Canada's premier racetrack
Woodbine witnessed a fine milestone
for Patrick Husbands last month when
the Barbadian jockey achieved 2,000
wins in North American horse racing.
Husbands, 36, guided the 7-to-2
second favorite Grazettes Landing to
victory in the CAN$71,520 10th race
over six furlongs to reach the milestone.

* Bolt gets national honor
Jamaica's brilliant track athlete
Usain Bolt was last month awarded the
national honor of Order of Jamaica
during a Heroes Day ceremony in the
Caribbean island.
Bolt won three gold medals in both
the 2008 Olympic Games and this sum-
mer's IAAF World Championships in
Athletics. He has also broken the world
record in each event at both meets.

Compiled from CMC and other
reports.
0


month ahead of the tour to
Australia.
However, two issues
remained in the balance and
have been referred to arbitra-
tion, the joint statement said.
"WIPA and WICB have
announced that all outstand-
ing matters in dispute between
the two bodies have been set-
tled amicably", the release
noted.
"Only two outstanding
matters the issue regarding
the India 2009 Tour and the
issue of 'Team Rights' will
be referred to a special arbi-
tration process as set out in
the recommendations of the
CARICOM Prime Ministerial
Sub Committee on Cricket
given on the 11th September
2009 and agreed to by the
WICB and WIPA".
0


HAMILTON, Bermuda,
CMC Former national soc-
cer player Dennis Zuill has
been charged in New York
with conspiracy to distribute
more than $3 million worth of
marijuana.
Zuill, 31, who also played
for the Bermuda Hogges, the
island's professional football
outfit, was initially arrested in
the Atlanta, Georgia area in
late September.
More than a ton of
marijuana was allegedly
involved in the plot. If sold
in Bermuda, it could fetch as


SPORT BRIEFS


Windies players, board broker


new deal to end ongoing feud


WINNING SMILES


Members of the University of the West Indies team, with players primarily from the school's Mona campus in Jamaica, express
their joy after winning last month's annual "Florida Netball Classic" in Davie, United States. UWI defeated Sparkles All Stars, a U.S.-
based team which featured several Caribbean-born players, 23-17 at Nova High School.


November 2009









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Caribben ay
L-__------------------------J


November 2009


CARIBBEAN TODAY




CARIBBEAN TODAY


I v


NSU. A World of Difference.


Whether studying business, education, medicine, computer science or other fields, the students at
Nova Southeastern University match the ethnic diversity and cultural mix that make South Florida stand
apart. More African-American and Hispanic students earned their doctoral degrees here than any other
university in the nation. That same diversity is also reflected in NSU's faculty, staff and alumni. And NSU
continues to receive high rankings as one of the best environments for minority students, including best
law school by Hispanic Outlook for Higher Education magazine. It's the union of diverse backgrounds
and traditions that makes for a more enriching university experience and truly brings the world together.




NA SOUTHEASTERN
N V UNIVERSITY
YOUR FUTURE. YOUR TERMS.S"
www.nova.edu 800-541-NOVA Fort Lauderdale-Davie (Main Campus)


November 2009

PAGE 1

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POST AGE P AID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Vol.20 No.12 NOVEMBER 2009 Tel: (305 1-800-605-7516 editor@caribbeantoday.comct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica: 655-1479 We cover your world INSIDEHaiti’s Senate voted to removeMichelePier re-Louis as prime minister for failingto impr ove the lives of citizens since she was appointed to office a year ago. The president reactedswiftly by naming a r eplacement as the Caribbean country sought to put in place a newgover nment, page 4. Despite being ill for his court appearance last month,Americanfinancier SirAllen Stanford, who is accused byUnitedStates authorities of bilkingtens of thousands of investorsin an alleged $7 billion Ponzischeme involving his Antigua-based bank, has declined aspeedy trial, page 6. News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 V iewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Eye on Barbados . . . . . . . . . . .11 Ar ts/Enter tainment . . . . . . . . .12 Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Antigua and Barbuda Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Local/FYI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Miami Book Fair International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 THE MUL TI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479 Caribbean AmericansingerMaxwell isamong the topper for mers nominated for 2009 SoulT rain Awards. Maxwell, born of a Haitian mother and a Puer to Rican father in Brooklyn, New York, leads the pack with fournominations, page 12. ~ Starting next year, persons seeking a driver’s license in theUnited States will come under more scrutiny to prove their legalstatus. One elected of ficial believes the move will driveundocumented immigrants fr om the Caribbean and elsewhere fur ther under gr ound in the U.S., page 2. MATCH MADE IN MIAMI~ Putting rivalry aside after six years of staging two separate events, Miami Carnival and Broward Caribbean Carnival finally cametogether for a fitting mar riage in Florida, page 8. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 1

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NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC A Supreme Court judge ruled a mistrial in the case of a for-mer Bahamian lawmaker and an ambulance driver accused of trying to extort $25 million from American movie star John Travolta. Justice Anita Allen made her decision last month after itwas announced at a politicalconvention that one of theaccused had been acquitted.The disclosur e at the political gathering came as jurors were behind closed doors pondering the verdict to be handed down. The judge declared a mistrial because it was suspected an unauthorized “communication” came from deliberating jurors. “There was an announcement at a par ticular political party,” she told jurors. “It leaves the impres-sion that ther e may have been a communication in the jury r oom. I am going to dischar ge you from returning your verdict.” Former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater and ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne, who were accused of hatching an extortion scheme after the January death of Travolta’s 16year-old son Jett, will ber etried, Allen said without identifying a new trial date. Jett Travolta suffered a seizur e on Jan. 2 at the family’s vacation home on Grand Bahamas, wher e the family was spending a New Year’s holiday . Lightbourne and Bridgewater allegedly tried to get John Travolta to pay them $25 million to not make public a medical document, declining to have Jett transported to a nearby hospital. Travoltar efused the demand for money . Lightbourne and Bridgewater had pleaded notguilty . GORDON WILLIAMS FLORIDA The scrutiny on those wishing to acquire a dri-ver s license in the United States will become mor e intense beginning next year , and will likely to compound the pressure on undocumented immigrants, including people from the Caribbean,accor ding to at least one elected official. Jamaican-bor n Florida State Representative Hazelle Rogers (D-For t Lauderdale) believes that the new federal requirement, known as the Real ID Act of 2005, whichcomes into ef fect on Jan. 1, 2010, may push undocument ed r esidents in the U.S. even further out of the legal system. ou’ll have people going underground and you’ll have more folks driving withoutlicense,” Rogers told Caribbean Today last month. ou’ll have more people driving without insurance.” The federal mandate will demand additional documen-tation for persons seeking new licenses or renewing expired ones from Department of Vehicles (DMVthe U.S. Applicants will ber equired to pr oduce documents such as passpor t, birth certificate, marriage or divorce papers to provechange ofname, per manent resident card, SocialSecurity Car d and proof of legal residence. Applicants will no longer be able to renew their license online, butwill have to visit the DMVpersonally with the r equired documents. All U.S. states will be r equired to comply with the federal mandate within sevenyears. The initiative is seen as part of the U.S. Departmentof Homeland Security’ s (DHS forts to boost national security and also create a path ensuring all residents in Judge declares mistrial in Travolta extortion caseNew driver’s license requirements may send undocumented immigrants ‘underground’ ~ state rep 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Rogers Jett Travolta GETTING READY The office of State Representative Hazelle Rogers last month issueda press release outlining wha t you will need to bring to the DMV to establish identity,proof of legal residence and date of birth. For U.S.citizens: Valid,unexpired U.S.passport Original or certified copy of a birth certifica te Consular report of birth abroad Certificate of naturalization issued by the DHS Certificate of citizenship (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 4) November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 2

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UNITED NATIONS The Caribbean community(CARICOMfavor of a United NationsGeneral Assembly r esolution calling on the United States to lift the economic and trade embargo against Cuba. “The unilateral imposition of extraterritorial laws on third states is contrary to boththe letter and spirit of theUnited Nations Char ter,” said St. Kitts and Nevis’sAmbassador to the U.N.Delano Bar t, speaking on behalf of the regional group-ing late last month. “The embar go runs counter to the principles of multilateralism, international law, sov-er eignty and free trade that the body traditionally champi oned,” he added. The embargo has been in place for almost half a centu ry. It was instituted in 1962. The General Assembly passed the non-binding resolution with 187 votes in favor,thr ee against and two abstained. Only the U.S.,Israel and Palau voted against the measure. Micronesia andthe Marshall Islandsabstained. the U.S. ar e pr operly docu mented. But Rogers believes the stepped-up requirements will compound the problemsalr eady facing those str uggling with undocumented status. “They are having challenges right now ,” the state representative said. So too ar e legal U.S. r esidents, added Rogers, who declared she is “not in agreement with” the federal man-date, especially as it applies toher home state of Florida. “It is unfortunate when you have a population of sen-iors that might not be able tofind a bir th certificate,” she explained. “So now the hard-ship of now spending dollarsand doing r esearch to find such a document. And you have people that have never travelled outside the United States so would not have avalid passpor t. So those folks will be impacted also.” Rogers predicted delays at the DMV. “I know the lines will be longer,” she said. “Before everything was done online.Now you have to physically gointo the Depar tment of Motor Vehicles and present a document and someone looking atthat document to make sur e it is authentic and all of that.” Regar dless of the draw backs, the state representative is urging everyone to comply withthe new r equirements by preparing needed documents early before their license expires. “If it’s the law, they you have to abide by the law ,” she said. e just know that we have a population that will beimpacted by it. But this is a country that is dealing withimmigration r eform and people ar e asking for immigration r efor m so that ther e is a pathway for people to become docu mented and be within the law Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. POR T AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC Pr esident Ren Prval has named his Planning andCooperation Minister Jean Max Bellervie to replace out-going Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis as the Caribbeancommunity (CARICOMcountr y sought to put in place a new gover nment. The Haitian Senate during the early hours of Oct. 30 morning voted to remove Pierre-Louis, 61, on the grounds that she had failed to improve the lives of citizenssince she was appointed toof fice a year ago. Most of the legislators opposing her came from President Prval’s Lespwa Movement party. Pierre-Louis did not attendthe Senate hearing. “Eighteen senators voted against the prime minister,which means the pr esident has to r eplace her,” said Senate Leader Kely Bastien. That same day Sen. Nenel Cassy told r epor ters that Bastien had r eceived the letter in which President Prval designated Bellerive to becomethe new prime minister . “Now it is of ficial,”he added. Bellerive must now be approved by both chambers ofParliament the Senate andChamber of Deputies after his credentials for the job are scrutinized. U .N.APPEAL The swift nomination by Prval followed an appeal by the United Nations peace-keeping mission in Haiti that a successor to Pierre-Louis be named quickly to avoid politi-cal and economic instability inthe CARICOM The Senate ousted Pier reLouis by a simple majority of 18 of its 29 members.Opponents of the move calledit unconstitutional and saidlawmakers had no power to remove the head of govern-ment without explicit instr uctions fr om Prval. The outgoing prime minister had rejected accusationsthat she failed to use ef fective ly millions of dollars made available through an oil discount agreement withV enezuela to repair buildings and r oads damaged in storms last year . WARNING Director of the CARICOM Representation Officein Haiti, Ambassador Earl Huntley, said it was “unfortu-nate” that Pier re-Louis had been ousted, war ning that it could also affect the country’s participation in the CARI-COM Single Market andEconomy (CSME “This is rather unfortunate because it throws backour whole work pr ogram. The gover nment of Haiti and the Prime Minister had committed Haiti to starting free trade ingoods under the CSME on January 1, 2010,” Huntley toldthe Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC phone interview. He said CARICOM was working with Haiti to put the necessary legislation in placethat would have allowed thecountr y to adopt the Common Exter nal T arif f (CET of the national tariff. “The change of governCaribbean backs U.N.resolution to lift U.S.embargo against CubaNew driver’sHaiti’s Senate ‘fires’ prime minister, president swiftly names replacement 4 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 2) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) Court or marriage/divorce documents tha t provide proof of a change in name that differs from your primary identity document For non-citizens: Valid,unexpired Permanent Resident Card – I-551 for Lawful Permanent Residents Valid passport for non-immigrants except for asylum appli-cants and refugees Other government issued docu ment showing full name DHS document showing proof of la wful presence If your name has changed by marriage/divorce,evidence thata name change has been applied for with the DHS. Both citizens and non-citizens will need: Social Security Card,other document with Social Security Number on it,or evidence thatyou are not eligible for one Two documents that show your principal residence After the 2014 and 2017 da tes, federal a gencies will not longer accept a driver’s license or identification card unless it is Real ID compliant.Therefore,persons willnot be allo wed to board commer cial flights or enter federal facili ties without a Real ID compliant document. F or more informa tion on the Real ID Act and rules,visit: http://www.flhsmv.gov/realid/ http://www .gathergoget.com/ http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/ge_1200062053842.shtm http://www .aamv a.org/Go vAff a irs/IssueWatch/REALID/ GETTING READY (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 2) November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 4

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MIAMI, Florida The United States Securities andExchange Commission (SEC has charged three men with running a Ponzi scheme inwhich hundr eds of Haitian investors in South Florida and New Jersey were scammed. In a complaint filed her e last month, the SEC, the countr s financial r egulator, accused Eugene Bass Jr ., Abner Alabre and Brian Taglieri of ripping off investors of more than $14 million, promising to doublethe clients’ money ever y 90 days thr ough their HomePals Investment Club. “The extraordinary promises made by these three men spread by word of mouth throughout a close-knit community,” said Glenn Gordon, associate dir ector of the SEC’ s Miami regional office. “Bass pr esented himself as a master trader of stockoptions and commodities, when in reality he was a mas-ter of deceit,” he added. Gor don said Bass, 35, of Miami, invested no more than$1.2 million of the $14.3 mil lion collected from investors. The grand jur y indictment said the men also face crimi nal charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and con-spiracy to commit moneylaundering. They face up to 20years in prison if convicted. The indictments char ged that the men “pitched” their investments to prospective clients from April 2008 to Dec. 2008. GORDON WILLIAMS MIAMI, Florida – Students at Miami Dade College (MDCstayed up late for a causegr eater than grades last month. Hundreds turned out for an “All-Nighter For Haiti” at the school’s Kendall campusto raise funds to help fightpover ty in that Caribbean nation. The MDC event, a brainchild of some of the school’shonor students in par tnership with Food For The Poor (FFTPper for mances and video presentations, which focused on Haiti’ s plight. According to the organizers, they will try to fund projects that will alleviate suffer-ing in Haiti by assisting to cr e ate opportunities for the country’s citizens to help themselves. e are going to sit down with them (FFTP going to tell us where there is the need,” said Stuart Williams, Jamaican-born member of MDC’ s faculty who is helping to coordinate the efforts ofStudents Against InfectiousDiseases (SAIDmovement” r esponsible for the fundraiser . DOUBLING UP Prior to the all-nighter , which started early evening on Oct. 16 and ran through to thenext mor ning, SAID had raised $10,000, according to W illiams. The aim is to double that number to fill immediateneeds in Haiti. “They need, for example, a tilapia (fish m,” he said. “It cost about $8,500 for a tilapia far m. We have enough money to build a tilapia far m in a community that can helpfeed people, save lives, save the lives of children and, atthe same time, be an income-generating apparatus for thepeople.” Williams credited a group of five female MDC students for kick-starting the project. During a trip to Austria earlier this year, the honor students gave a presentation onHaiti. They then decided tochannel their inter est in the countr s plight to finding ways to help. “The students decided that they didn’t want to leave it with their project,” Williamsexplained. “So they said thatthey would come back to Miami, start networking with people, and they wanted to raise money to inter vene in the situation in Haiti. “What started out as a project, has started into a social movement. We had fivepassionate young ladies andbasically they met with somepeople at Food For The Poorand Food For The Poor gavethem an idea about the all-nighter and they decided to run with it.” The student thrust behind SAID has grown to more than200 since its launch. Many ar e fr om Caribbean countries including Jamaica, T rinidad, Haiti and Cuba. According to Williams, the group will, in comingmonths, focus on helping Three men charged in alleged P onzi scheme targeting HaitiansMiami-Dade College students pull ‘all-nighter’ to help Haiti November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Air Jamaica (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) Gordon Williams photographA student makes his mark on the campus walkway in support of MDC’s “All-Nighter for Haiti”last month. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 5

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KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC Jamaican Patrick Robinson has been re-elected president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY Robinson is the most senior of ficial of the United Nations war crimes tribunalset up in The Hague, Netherlands to try peopleaccused of committing the worst offences during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. Also elected by the permanent judges of the ICTY last month was Vice President O-Gon Kwon of the Republic of Korea. Both judges were elected for another two years, having been previously elected to their posts with the tribunal last year. Robinson was recently confer red with the national award, Order of Jamaica for his contribution to international law and international relations. Since its establishment in 1993, the ICTY has indicted 161people suspected of war crimes. While proceedings are ongoingagainst 41 of the accused, including the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadic, proceedings have been concluded against 120, with two suspects Bosnian Serb militarychief Ratko Mladic and the eth nic Serb politician Goran Hadic still at large. HOUSTON, T exas Despite being ill for his court appearance last month, Texan financier Sir Allen Stanford hasdeclined a speedy trial in the$7 billion Ponzi scheme case. Sir Allen, accused by United States authorities ofbilking tens of thousands of investors in the alleged “mas-sive” scheme involving his Antigua-based Stanford International Bank (SIBbeing held in solitar y confinement after he was badly beat en in a brawl by anotherinmate. The 59-year -old investor , who was briefly hospitalized in September and underwent surgery for a non-life-threatening aneurysm in his leg,began spitting up blood duringa status hearing her e. Judge David Hittner inter rupted the proceedings to ask Sir Allen’s lawyer Kent Schaffer if his client was okay. s some sort of illness, we’re not sure what,” Schaffer responded. Schaffer said his clientspeaks to noone but prison guards and hislawyers, and it has been taking an emo-tional andphysical tollon him. LONG RO AD Sir Allen has been in solitar y confinement since his September transfer from a privately-run jail in Conroe, Texas, to the Federal Detention Center in down-town Houston. Schaf fer told the judge that he needed atleast two years to mount a strong defense. Sir Allen and co-defendants former Stanford company executives Laura Holt, Gilbert Lopez and Mark Kuhrt are accused of cheating investors who bought cer-tificates of deposit issued by SIB and sold through StanfordFinancial Gr oup companies. Leroy King, a former bank regulator in Antigua, is under house arrest there, and the U.S. government hopes hewill be extradited in time to participate in the trial. Lawyers on both sides estimated the trial could takefour months. Defense lawyers said they haven’t had time todig into the gover nment’ s five million pages of documents and need weeks before theyeven know when they can be prepared for trial. Sir Allen faces up to 375 years in jail if convicted on 21char ges of fraud, money-laundering and obstruction of justice. ment means that the program will be set back. I can’t seeHaiti star ting to trade in goods by January 2010 and so from the point of view of trying to get Haiti mor e involved and implementing the CSME that is certainly a setback...” The CSME, which makes pr ovision for the movement of goods, ser vices and people, is due for completion by 2015 based on the most r ecent timetable approved by heads of government of the 15 nation CARICOM grouping. other countries as well. In addition to funding projects to alleviate poverty, SAID will retain its original focus ofcombating diseases as well. “They (MDC students wanted to help fight againstinfectious diseases,” said Williams. “Mostly, infectiousdiseases ar e linked to pover ty. People die in Haiti because of tuber culosis, something that we get shots for easily (in theUnited States.” Students who turned out to suppor t “All-Nighter For Haiti” pur chased items such as food and art. A walkway allowed participants to write messages of support. Non-cashdonations, including canned food and prescription eyeglasses, were also accepted. MDC was among mor e than 35 campuses across theU.S., which staged all-nighterswith Food For The Poor tocommemorate W orld Food Day on Oct. 16. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. Jamaican judge re-elected president of International Criminal TribunalSick financier declines speedy trial in $7B Ponzi scheme 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4) (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 5) Stanford Robinson Haiti’s Senate ‘fires’ prime minister,president swiftly names replacementMiami-Dade College students pull ‘all-nighter’ to help Haiti November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 6

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DA WN A. DAVIS More than 150 delegates early last month ral-lied to str engthen the voice of Jamaicans overseas atthe inaugural JamaicanDiaspora USA Confer ence in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With a mission to come up with concrete policies, governing bodies and strategies, the sum-mit’ s host Marlon Hill, Southern United States DiasporaAdvisor y Board member, challenged the audience. “One of the challenges we face as a community is to iden-tify and implement those princi ples that will unite us with the common goal of nation buildingwithout bor ders,” the Floridabased attor ney said. e all pursue a shared vision for Jamaica and its diaspora...We call on your collective experience and energy to leverage your individual talents and organizational acumen for the greater good in organizing ourcommunity in the United States for the future.” LINKS W ith a series of workshops and br eak-out sessions that focused on building and uplifting Jamaica’s healthcare infrastructure, education, governance, marketing, and tradeand investment, par ticipants for ged links. Among the important first steps already taken is the operation of a database, housed at Jamaica’s consulate office in New York, which lists the names of some 8,000 Jamaicans from across the U.S. Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ronald Robinson explainedthat the Diaspora Foundationhas r eceived grant funding for the establishment of a diaspora database. He added that the cr e ation of such a database would be an invaluable r esour ce Jamaica’s government can use to tap into the pool of talent thatr esides in the Jamaican diaspora across the world. “It would suit us better as a country if we had Jamaicansworking on behalf of Jamaica,”Robinson said. “Because theywould r eally have a vested inter est in putting for war d the best policies and advice and not just earning money as con-sultants do.” He lauded the diaspora for its advocacy and reiterated theJamaican gover nment’ s support. “The diaspora movement, in my mind, has been supported and is blessed to have had bi-partisan support,” Robinson said. “That is why we have gotten to the pointwe have...Coming out of the 2008 conference, there are some things we have decided on. One of the things was the creation of theJamaica Diaspora Foundation. For it to have global recognition, and also the status that we wanted, we thought that the foundation was the way to go. That foundation would be served by aboar d of directors...So, the creation of the Jamaica DiasporaFoundation and the JamaicaDiaspora Institute, which would be the operational arm of thatfoundation, was one of the com mitments. Y es, this initiative is, in fact, complete.” DU AL CITIZENSHIP Robinson also discussed the establishment of the Jamaica government’s JointSelect Committee that isr eviewing the issue of dual citizenship, a pr oblem that could adversely affect the Jamaican diaspora. “I find it very difficult that an individual could be born in Jamaica, spend their entir e lives in Jamaica and because of...their mother or father they gain citizenship from another country, and that individual is barred from serving in the Parliamentof the land,” he said. “But yet still, an individual who is born in say NewZealand or Australia, spend alltheir lives ther e, the constitution allows them to come to Jamaica, live for 12 monthsand then they can become theprime minister of the countr y. I think ther e is something fundamentally wr ong with that.” Robinson added that the gover nment will work to bring balance to this constitutional issue and make the voices of the diaspora heard. Jamaican voices for change and r ebuilding were raised at the inaugural confer ence. Hill summed it up best: “Notwithstanding any realities or challenges, we always find our way to achieving the inevitable. This we know is thespirit of Jamaica.” Also in attendance were Professor Neville Ying, head ofthe Jamaica Diaspora Institute;Pr ofessor Rex Nettleford, chairman, Jamaica Diaspora Foundation; Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s minister of education;Geneive Br own Metzger, Jamaica’ s consul general in New Y ork; Sandra Grant-Griffiths, consul general in Miami; PatrickBeckfor d, a member of the Diaspora Advisory Board Northeast; and Wayland Richards, Diaspora Advisory Board mem-ber for the W est/Midwest. Dawn A. Davis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. South Florida diaspora conference showcases Jamaica’s spirit,strength November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com -Da wn Davis photographRonald Robinson,Jamaica’s minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,addresses the diaspora conference. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 7

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Fitting ‘marriage’ of Florida carnivals scores big in downtown Miami 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 FEATURE FEATURE www.caribbeantoday.com DA WN A. DAVIS Putting rivalry aside after six years of staging twoseparate events, Miami Carnival and Broward Caribbean Carnival finallycame together for a fitting marriage. An estimated 50,000 patr ons flocked to Miami’s Bicentennial Park for “MiamiBroward One Carnival” lastmonth. “I still have to work with some in the communitybecause ther e are those who are adamant that Broward needs to have its own carni-val,” said Andy Ansola, pr esident of Broward Caribbean Carnival, Inc. (BCCI “But when you look at it from a regional standpoint, I think we have the opportunityto do one car nival on the same day. In fact, next year we propose to go to our final home at the Landshark Stadium (formerly Dolphin Stadium), which brings it closer to the Broward county line. We are optimistic about the future of One Carnival.” Ruthven W illiams, chair man of Miami Car nival, Inc. (MCI One Carnival Host Committee, also worked to bring the two carnivals together. e always wanted one carnival like we have inT rinidad,” Williams said. “However, in 2003 the people of Broward decided to havetheir own car nival based on the fact that the Caribbean population had sort of shifted. But eventually, the process of One Carnival began in 2007 with a memorandum of understanding signed by Andy Ansola and the then head of MCI Selman Lewis. The concept at that time was to have carnival over two days. But, bandleaders rejected the planand it failed. This year we were able to finally bring the ideas together in one carni-val...It makes sense.” ART OF CARNIVAL The two separate entities, Miami Carnival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary, and Broward Caribbean Carnivalstill exist and will continue towork with community and non-profit groups. Ansola confirmed that Broward Carnivalwill continue to work with the the county’s school board to implement “the art of carni-val” in schools. e are going to maintain our r eputation with the relationships which we have established,” he said. “We will continue to move forward to make sure the culture is whereit is supposed tobe.” Both Ansola and Williamsexplained that Miami and Browardcar nivals have traditionally used theT rinidad model. However, according to the BCCI head, many carnival supporters perceived Miami Carnival as aT rinidadian carnival and felt excluded, while BCCI was a carnival for all the Caribbean islands. To emphasize the point, he said his board members hail from Belize, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica and Antigua. Williams added that MCI wanted to ensure the quality of carnival. e only have one day to demonstrate the pageantry of what we call carnival, the standard which we want to be recognized as contributing,” hesaid. “...Ther e is nothing wr ong with the t-shir ts and mud mas. It’ s all part of carnival. But having five to six hours on the r oad, we want to put our best foot for ward.” MARRIAGE Both organizers agreed that the magnificent pageantryof car nival was more than evident in this year s One Carnival. But Ansola also sees it on another level. He is certi-fied in cultural studies anddiversity and holds a PhD inmar riage and family therapy, so he looks at car nival as a client. “Carnival is a family for me,” he said. “All the compo-nents make up a family; thebandleaders, the vendors, thesponsors, the decision-makerswho could af fect it positively or negatively. So, you have to study how do you keep this unit together and move it forward. That’s the concept I use.” e have a cohesive group,” Williams added, “people who have the love and spirit of carnival, who want to see it succeed. Coming together as one carnival is definitelysomething we all celebrate.” Dawn A.Davis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. -Da wn A.Davis photographsAll the colors and pageantry of two carnivals blended as one in South Florida. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 8

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Just as I begin to think that our society has outgrown ridiculous racial prejudices, some throwback comesalong to tr y to prove me wrong. For example, you may recently have heard aboutKeith Bar dwell, a justice of the peace in TangipahoaParish, Louisiana, UnitedStates, who r efused to marry a mixed-race couple. Why? He says he was worried about the children that such a mar riage might produce. On what planet, Iwonder ed, has this man been vaca-tioning for , say, the past 40 years? As Bill Burton, deputy press secretary to this nation’s biracial president and himself the product of a racially mixed marriage, said to reporters aboard Air Force One, “I’ve found that actually the children of biracial couples can do pr etty good!” Y es, they can. But we don’ t need to wade into the rural South to find racial throwbacks to the nation’s bad old days. Look for example, at how students from Washington University in St. Louis recently set Chicago’s barhopping community abuzz by filing a civilrights complaint against apopular Nor th Side nightclub. Six black students were denied entr y to the Original Mother’s bar in the Division Street nightclub district. This prevented them from joining apr e-ar ranged par ty of mor e than 100 of their fellow stu dents inside. Why? The bar has a “no baggy pants” policy, they were told. That wouldn’t sound so unreasonable if the bar actually had a “no baggy pants” policy. But a white student whoput on one of the black stu dents’ jeans was admitted, no pr oblem, according to the news accounts. STEREOTYPES A spokesman for the Original Mother s later pointed out that some other blacks were admitted that night, according to the Chicago T ribune newspaper , but that didn’ t clear up the mystery. The bar cited security concerns based on Chicago policer eports and baseball caps worn backwards by two of the black youths. Yet Regis Murayi, 21, treasurer of the university’s Senior ClassCouncil, said his pleas and proper identification did nogood. He was kept out of a party that he helped to arrange, apparently becauseof racial ster eotypes. Sounds familiar . During my own young-and-single daysin Chicago in the 1970s, reports of saloon segregation in “singles bars” made occasional headlines and wereinvestigated by a variety ofstate and local authorities,including Republican U.S. Attorney James R. Thompson, before he was elected Illinois governor. One whistleblower at the time, Gregory D. Squires, wrote a confessional story inthe Chicago Sun-T imes news paper about how he was instructed as a white bouncer and waiter in a north side watering hole to politely shoo black clientele away. The bar was not on Division Street,but its owners had lear ned the art of singles-bar management in that str eet’s popular nightclub district before opening a little club of their own. The tricks included theme parties, T-shirts, softball teams, a skiclub, a clean women’ s r oom, fr ee champagne for women on special nights and keepingblack men out. FAMILIAR The Mother’s discrimination complaint sounded familiar to Squires, now a George Washington University sociolo-gy pr ofessor and author of six books on civil rights issues. One often-used ploy to tur n somebody away, he wrote, was to pick out an item of clothing like jeans and tell the would-be patr on that it wasn’ t allowed. I knew Squir es because the bar he wr ote about hap pened to be one that I frequented at the time. Althoughhe changed the names of theWhere are the good men?” That is the question women are always asking, as they lament the dearth of good men. It’s a subject that has been explor ed many times, but I guess a lot of women still don’t get it, or refuse to face the harsh reality. This lady told me, “Let me make it quite clear, we are not frustrated, over 50-year-oldwomen waiting for Mr . Right to appear. We are happy andhealthy and getting on with our lives. We would appreciate a companion in and around our age group with whom we can share our lives, someone who has no fears of commitment, nor is challenged with beingfaithful.” It just ain’t gonna happen, so might as well those womenover 50 just give it up and just plan to have other types of fun like tea parties, brunches, girlsnight out and such until the twilight years approach. Either that, or as a last ditch effort, subscribe to E-Harmony, or any of those dating services ontelevision, and let the comput ers match them up. What a tall order, just go back up and r ead the hopeful demands again and be reminded as the wor ds r esonate, com panion, share, commitment, faithful. One glaring absence, not one mention of passion,lust, unbridled sex, the hall marks of any good relationship. First of all, what is a good man, and why would this goodman want a woman of 50 andover anyway? If the man is so good, with all the requisite qualities that women look for, he would certainly be choosingsomeone with a little less wearand tear and mileage on their structure. Sure, go ahead, call me cruel, but it’s merely the facts folks, merely the cruelfacts of this harsh game thatmen and women play . MYTH And secondly , this good man thing is a myth any way, for men will only show theirgoodness to win the women, thenafter the bed ding, it’ s back to normal. And if he’s really good and noble and all that, women won’t really want him, as he’ll be deemed boring and pre-dictable. It’s the thug life gangsta guys who have the appeal andget the hot chicks, even though many women won’tadmit to it. Also, men ar e dif fer ent things to different women, and may just be a good manto one, but a br ute to others. B UY AND SELL Like it or not, life is but a buy and sell market, as we examine, scrutinize, gaze at,scan, peer into and thenchoose who we want to bewith. In the same way slavesof all races in days gone by , or even cars nowadays, are bought and sold, it’ s the same with choosing a partner, with the only difference being thesubtlety of the game. So let the sales begin. Up first is the young lass of 17 to 18 years old. She is fresh, taut,clean, sensuous, sexy , waiflike, smooth, with not too much wear and tear all thequalities that men look for in a woman. Say what you will about morality and all that, it’s the dream of most men to be with a woman like that. Just checkout all those beauty pageants and contests and my point is proven. All those Miss World,Miss Universe, Miss Fantasy , plus model sear ches and such, all ask for girls in this age group On the salesroom, these women are premium, in demand and soughtafterespecially by ‘good men’. And for every ‘goodman’ who chides his friend for going with an 18-year-old, secretly he wishes it was him. Next in line are the ladies in their 20s, still fresh, still young, but with a little mor e experience. Men still seek theseout, and as they gaze upon them, their hearts palpitatewith desir e and the lust in their loins leaps, libido unleashed. The seller would have no pr ob lem unloading those lasses, as the men of all ages wouldeagerly lap them up. Then, polishing up for sale are the women in their 30s, still great, but now carry-ing a wee bit of baggage, as they have been through a fewof life’ s experiences, usually with men who were not such‘good men’. The seller wouldhave to display all of his skills,as the beautiful package may hide some crosses underneath. Caveat emptor, buyer beware.That can be a hit or miss and if you’re lucky, you’ll get aMiss that won’ t hit the fan Bar-hopping apartheid November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com TONY ROBINSON (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 10) CLARENCE PAGEBuyer beware November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 9

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bar and everyone involved, I can now report that I was the black guy in Gr eg’s account. The bar s owners had given me an unofficial pass, Greg wr ote, because he had not seen me hitting on the whitewomen. He must not havebeen paying much attention. “He insisted later that he was not a racist,” Squires recalled. “But, he said, ‘Canyou imagine what this placewould look like if he let inever y shine who wanted to come in?’” Right. That’s afunny thing about racism since the 1960s. Hardly anyone wants to admit to it, even as they express it. Yet, Squires was reluctant to make too much of the per-sistence of bias in bars. Hewould like for us to look beyond individual discrimination cases to understand historical roots and structural inequality that has built uphuge racial disparities in wealth, education and income. That’ s true. Unfortunately group inequalities too oftenbounce back as negativester eotypes against individuals even in the age of our nation’s first black or, if youpr efer , biracial pr esident. 2009 Clarence Page. Distributed by Tribune Media Services,Inc. Bar-hopping apartheid later down the line. DAMAGED So now we jump to the 40year-olds. Most are damaged goods, married, divorced, jaded, cynical, battered and bruised by life, but still, somecan still cut a dash. A few mayget lucky and be snapped upby some desperate men, butthe odds ar e against them. Now, to unload the most dif ficult stock of all, the 50odd-year-old women. They want to be cour ted, they want to have great conversations, they want the time and occasions to learn about eachother . Oh my , so much hope, so many demands, might as well you rub the lamp andhope for the genie to appearand grant you thr ee wishes. Only half a centur y of wear and tear, five failed relationships, two bad mar riages, two spoiled pickney, including one worthless boy who stilllives at home even though he’ s almost 30 years old, tons ofemotional baggage, mistr ustful of men, tor mented by the past, holds lofty demands and idealsof what men should be like. Financially stable though, and willing to spend on you.A good buy if you can take the chance and be prepared tocompete with her past. Now remember, by then all the‘good men’ have selected their stock and gone their merry way, leaving that last groupfor the most par t untouched and wondering why they ar e not chosen. W omen choose men too, but are usually so picky that they often end up alone, and later cry, “Where are the good men?” But for all I say , caveat emptor, buyer beware, forwhat looks gr eat on the shop floor , may not be such a bargain after all. Still, we usually end up with the par tner we deser ve, one lady told me. Caveat emptor , buyer bewar e. seido1@hotmail.com Buyer beware 10 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www.caribbeantoday.com “I make no apology in saying decisively and emphat-ically that the go vernment ofJ amaica remains irr evocably opposed to the recognition,legitimization or acceptance of same-sex marriages or same-sex unions” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding making it clear last month his view of same-sexmarriages while he is runningJ amaica’s affairs. “This award is evidence of the hope that his leadership has awakened in the entireplanet and is con sonant with thetrust that millions of men and women have placed in a new beginning for international relations” – Ex-Cuba President Fidel Castro weighs inon United States President Barack Obama’s selection for the Nobel Peace Prize lastmonth. “I did not have any such discus-sions” – Antigua’s Prime MinisterBaldwin Spencer last month strong-ly denying sug gestions b y a United States congressman thathe interfered with the recentlyconcluded case involving sixAmerican tourists who were charged after being involved ina brawl with police on the Caribbean island. e are not fearful.We are not scar ed in going to the IMF” Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer claim-ing last month he is not afraid of approaching the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF assistance package as his govern-ment faces a huge debt that hasaffected its ability to accessfinancing . d given it as a promise, and we know he likes to keephis promises” – Wentworth Christopher,spokesman for Bermuda’s ruling Progressive Labour Party,is sure PremierEwart Bro wn will not go back on his wor d to demit office in Oct.2010. “Cuba will never surrender.It fights and will fight” Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roquedeclares to the United NationsGeneral Assembly last month that Cuba will continue to resistthe embargo imposed on the Caribbean island. Compiled from CMC and other sources. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 10

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After the first English settlement atHoletown in 1627, Barbados r emained a British colony until achieving Independence fr om Britain on Nov. 30, 1966. That first Independence ceremony was accompaniedby the raising of the Barbadosnational flag and playing ofthe national anthem for thefirst time. Nov. 30 is celebrated as Independence Day and is anational holiday in Barbados.The day begins with a parade and ceremony at the Garrison Savannah. However, celebra-tions r un throughout November and include spor ts competitions, fairs, community events and religious services. One of the highlights of the Independence celebrations is the decorative lighting of Parliament buildings and busi nesses thr oughout the capital Bridgetown, using blue and gold colored bulbs (the nation-al colors). Roundabouts on thehighways ar e also lighted. Another highlight is the National IndependenceFestival of Cr eative Arts (NIFCA the artistic talents ofBarbadians. It encouragesBarbadians of all ages tomatch their talents in music,singing, dance, drama, writing, fine art, photography and artsand crafts. The festival r uns thr oughout November and culminates with a gala pr esentation in which the finalists are featured. Edited from Barbados.org. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A highly-anticipated showdown for the leadership of the Opposition Barbados Labour Par ty (BLP materialize late last month. Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur was a no-show for the meeting, which took place at the BLP’ s city headquarters amid widespread reports of a tussle between him and his recent successor MiaMottley for the leadership of the over 70-year-old political party. Mottley emerged from the meeting telling reportersthat her leadership had been affirmed by the parliamentary group, which, in keeping with the BLP’s constitution, can determine a leader by vote. However , in Arthur’s absence, the leadership race was actually a no contest andthe expected challenge did not get of f the ground. Mottley had called for the vote, while warning that no one was bigger than the party.During the BLP’ s convention on Oct. 25, a tough-talking Mottley also warned that she would not tolerate any dissention within the par ty if she is r e-elected as its leader. “This issue must be resolved and we must go forward as a united force,” she said. In the wake of the par ty’ s electoral defeat in the Jan. 2008 poll Arthur, who led the party to three consecutive generalelection triumphs, stepped down, handing the leadership mantle over to Mottley. However, in recent months Arthur has been making a str ong come back, saying he is dissatisfied with what has been happening in the country. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – An attorney isexpr essing concer n about the prevalence of drug use and the social impact of the “slack lyrics” in per formances of Jamaican dancehall ar tistes and has called for a ban of such shows in Barbados. Alan Carter, a Jamaica national, put for war d his position while r epr esenting an 18year-old who was caught with marijuana at a Vybz Kartel concert last month. When asked by the magistrate hearing the case if such shows should be stopped, Carter saidthey should be. “It would be going against some of our constitutional rights to attend and listen to what a person chooses, but wecan see wher e some of these things are heading in society Carter said. He added that due to a shor tage of positive male r ole models, the court system was being forced to deal with thefallout. November is time to celebrate in BarbadosOpposition leadership challenge fizzlesBan dancehall shows ~ lawyer November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 EYE EYE ON ON BARBADOS BARBADOS www .caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature BAJAN HOSPITALITY Sir Garfield Sobers, right, the Barbadian-born former West Indies great,greets Julian Hunte,left,president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICBWorld Twenty20 West Indies 2010 ticket launch held at Kensington Oval in Barbados late last month. At center is P aul Campbell, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association.Tickets for the competition’s games,which will be played April 30 to May 16 in several Caribbean countries including Barbados,go on sale this month. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 11

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NEW YORK, New York Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s son has been deported from the United States after spending more thaneight years in jail for his r ole in a 1999 New Y ork club shooting. Moses “Shyne” Leviy, who changed his name from Jamal Barrow, was sent toBelize late last month afterU.S. immigration authoritiesr ejected his plea to remain in the country following his r elease fr om jail on Oct. 9. The hiphop artistewas convicted of first degreeassault andr eckless endanger ment in 2001 in relation to theshooting thatinvolved his then mentor Sean “P.Diddy” Combs and actress Jennifer Lopez. After Shyne’s imprisonment ended, he was held byU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ties pondered his fate. PARDON PLEA Prime Minister Barrow had formally appealed to New York Governor David Paterson to pardon Shyne. The entertainer’s family has also reportedly enlisted theser vices of Harvard Law Pr ofessor Charles Ogletree to try and secure a pardon fromPaterson sothe Shyne canr e-enter the U.S. His depor tation ended two decades of residence in theU.S. “He wants to say how happy he is to be home and tobe a fr ee man,” Belizean Minister Michael Finnegan, Leviy’s uncle, told reporters shortly after Shyne’s arrival inBelize “He would love to have a conversation with the mediabut, because he was legally advised by Prof. Ogletree, hemust not speak to the mediabecause he doesn’ t want to prejudice his situation any at all with the U.S. governmentor Belize gover nment,” he added. U.S.deports rapper Shyne to BelizeCaribbean American singer Maxwell in line for multiple Soul Train awards 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 ARTS ARTS & & ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www.caribbeantoday.com DELIGHTFUL DANCERS -Dawn A.Davis photographYoungsters from the Champa Chameli Dance Group show off their colorful dress during the Hindu Divali Festival of Lights held at the Coral Springs Sportsplex,Coral Springs, Florida last month. From left are Natasha Narine,Jessica Ganpat and Danielle Singh.With more than 3,000 celebrants,the festival featured dance and music from India and T rinidad and Tobago,Indian food,art and culture.Divali is one of the most celebra ted and auspicious festivals celebrated by Hindus throughout the world,including Caribbean countries like T&T and Guyana,which have large populations of East Indians. NEW YORK, N.Y. Caribbean American singer Maxwell is among the top performers nominated for 2009Soul T rain Awards. Maxwell, bor n of a Haitian mother and a Puer to Rican father in Brooklyn, New York, leads the pack of nominees with four nominations. His current project,“BLACKsummers`night”, is the first installment in a trilo-gy of albums to be r eleased over thr ee years. The first was r eleased in early July. The second installment, “blackSUMMERS`night”, is scheduled for release next year and the third, “blacksum-mers`NIGHT”, for 2011. Tracks from the album include “Pretty Wings”, “BadHabits”, “Never Do W/Out You”, “Help Somebody” and“Cold”. Maxwell is up for awards in the categories Best Male Soul, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. In the reggae category, Sean Paul, Ziggy Marley , Movado, Serani and TaurusRiley have been nominated. The awards show will premier on Nov. 29 on both Centric and BET from theGeor gia W orld Congr ess Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P.Henson and featur e performances by ar tistes such as Toni Braxton, Er ykah Badu, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke and Fantasia. The show will also recognize the work of selected artistes in 10 music categoriesand will honor the star powerand showmanship of the lateMichael Jackson with the spe cial Enter tainer of the Year Award. Also set to be honored for their longstanding careers and musical influences are legendary artistes Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid andKenneth “Babyface”Edmonds. The special willalso showcase a Motown Records 50th anniversary musical celebration. CaribWorldNews Maxwell Shyne Barrow November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 12

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November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African,Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch,Indian and Chinese cuisine. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region’s popula-tion. In addition, the popula tion has cr eated styles that are unique to the region. A typical dish and one increasingly common outside of the area is “jerk” seasonedmeats, commonly chicken. It is a unique, spicy flavor, reminiscent of Louisiana cr eole cuisine, but still quite distinct fr om it. Cur ry goat and chicken are eaten throughout the Anglophone Caribbean islands, penetrating much further intothe Caribbean than have theIndians who intr oduced them to the region over 150 yearsago, most notably in T rinidad and T obago and Guyana. Haitian, Guadeloupean and other French Caribbean cuisine is very similar. Rice is a prime food eaten with various sauces and beans, which West Indians call peas. A local version of Caribbean goat stew has been chosen as the official national dish of Montserrat and is alsoone of the signatur e dishes of St. Kitts and Nevis. It is a tomato-based stew, made with goat meat, breadfruit, green pawpaw(papaya), and dumplings (also known as “droppers”). ‘COOK-UP’ Another popular dish in the Anglophone Caribbean iscalled “cook-up” or pelau, adish which combines variationsof meats like chicken, beef,saltfish and or pigeon peas orvegetables with rice. Callaloo is a dish containing leafy veg-etables and sometimes okraamongst others, widely distrib uted in the Caribbean, with a distinctively mixed African and indigenous character. Meanwhile, the Spanishspeaking islands of the Caribbean tend to prefer more savory spices to these sharper flavors. Lime and garlic, forexample, ar e more common in Puerto Rico and Cuba thanpimento (or “allspice” common flavors throughout the region include cinnamon,ginger , and nutmeg. SEA SAMPLES Seafood is one of the most common cuisine types in theislands, and often each island will have its own specialty.Floribbean” cuisine is found in varying forms in Florida restaurants and in the homes of many Floridians throughout theAmerican state. The essence of what makes a par ticular dish “Floribbean” is similar to many other aspects of Floridian culture: that it isheavily influenced by visitors and immigrants from all over the world, but especially fromthe Caribbean (with notableinfluence fr om The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti),Australia, and the AmericanDeep South. In the case of the southern Florida region in particular, asubdivision called LatinoFloribbean or HispanoFloribbean cuisine also takes Latino cuisine traits from such countries as Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil,and the Dominican Republic, adding further influences intothe mix. T o distinguish the Latino Caribbean style from the nonLatino Caribbean style, some employ the terms AfroFloribbean cuisine and IndoFloribbean cuisine, as the majority of the Caribbean islands are of either Africanor Indian heritage, which in turn were colonized byBritish, Fr ench and Dutch settlers. The migration of Asian workers, to replace the freedAfrican slaves, have also played an important role in Floribbean cuisine. Asian and Mediterranean inspired foodsand cooking habits have made Floribbean cuisine morehealthy in the foods used andthe cooking of those foods. It has led to the production of an even more exotic spice pantry. Red curry, lemongrass, ginger, scallions and all, have Mixing,blending make Caribbean cuisine unique‘Floribbean’ cuisine: A fusion of regions FOOD FOOD www .caribbeantoday.com “Jerk”seasoned meat on the grill is among the Caribbean’s favorites. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 14) Fresh fruit is an important feature of ‘Floribbean’ cuisine. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 13

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Some pr epare lobster or conch, while others pr efer cer tain types of fish or sharks. The island of Barbados is known for its “flying fish”,while T rinidad and Tobago is known for its cascadura fish and crab, also fried shark served as a sandwich called “bake and shark”. Another Caribbean mainstay is rice, in various forms on dif fer ent islands. Some sea son their rice, or add peas and other touches such as coconut. Sometimes the rice is yellow, other times it may be mor e brown, but overall it tends to just act as part of a dish. Conch is a popular food in The Bahamas and Belize as well, where fritters are madeby cr eating a batter of the chopped meat, seasonings and dough, and then deep frying. Wikipedia.Sample the islands,page 15. become as commonly used today in Floribbean cookeryas grits and gr unts are in other parts of Florida. FEA TURES Typical features of Floribbean cuisine include: An emphasis on extr emely fresh ingredients; complex medleys of spices, especially powerful flavors that are softened by milderones; an emphasis on seafood and poultry; generous use of fresh fruit and juices, especially citrus and sweet tropical fruits; and special care in presentation, especially when seeking amor e natural ef fect rather than an ostentatious one Floribbean cooking often uses less heat than the Caribbean dishes that inspireit, but ther e is extensive use of several peppers. This spici-ness, however , is almost always moderated by more gentle flavorings, such asmango, papaya, r um, almond, coconut, key lime, or honey. It is common in homes to see traditional Deep Souther n foods found in other states such as Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana (such as gumbo, coleslaw,black-eyed peas, or crab cakes) served in the same meal as a more nuancedFloribbean dish. In most Floribbean restaurants, how-ever , entir e meals are carefully planned around a succession of delicate, complex flavorsand so most dishes have beenalter ed fr om their traditional for ms. Wikipedia ‘Floribbean’ cuisine: A fusion of regionsMixing,blending make Caribbean cuisine unique 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com TASTE OF CARIBBEAN “A Taste of the Caribbean”food festival will held from 1 p.m.to 8 p.m.Nov.7 at Central Broward Regional Park,3700 N.W.11thPlace in Lauderhill, Florida. Live singers and steel band music will be among the attractions. Donation is $10. JAMAICAN JERK FEST The eighth staging of South Florida’s “Jamaican Jerk Festival”is scheduled for 10 a.m.to 10 p.m. No v.8 a t Markham Park,16001 W. State Road 84,Sunrise. The event will feature music and a cook-off contest. T ickets are $10 in advance, $20 a t the door.Children under 10 are admitted free. FOOD,BEVERAGE SHOW New products from the Caribbean and around the world will be on display thismonth a t the 2009 “Americas Food and Bevera ge Show”. The two-day sho w will be staged a t the Miami Beach Convention Center No v . 9 and 10 with a new for ma t fea turing an enhanced program. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 13) (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13) RAISED FRESH AND LOCAL Ricardo Manuel Garcia photogra phMiami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez,right,the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and Publix Super Markets recently introduced a new produce brand, Redland Raised, to promote the consumption of fresh local produce in more than 1,000 Publix loca tions. The local branding initiative,Redland Raised,has been created by Miami-Dade County,in conjunction with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,to promote a “buy local”program throughout the county and the state of Florida. The brand will be in line with the Fresh from Florida brand,of which the majority of local growers and packers are members. airing Publix with our locally-grown produce makes great sense,said Alvarez said in a press release from his office.e can educa te and encoura ge our residents to invest in local produce and in turn, stimulate the economy in our County At left is County Commissioner Katy Sorenson,District 8,Miami-Dade. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 14

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November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 Caribbean people ar e lumped into one region, but there is much variety in food and cooking choicesamong the islands. This month Caribbean Today offers a glimpse at thetastes of several countries, cour tesy of Wikipedia. J AMAICA Cuisine of Jamaica includes a mixture of cookingtechniques, flavors, spices andinfluences fr om the indigenous people on the island, and theSpanish, British, African,Indians, and Chinese who haveinhabited the island. The cuisine includes various dishes from the respective cultures brought to the island with the ar rival of people from elsewhere. Other dishes are novel or a fusion of techniquesand traditions. In addition to ingr edients that ar e native to Jamaica, many foods have been introduced and are now grown locally. A wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits and meats are available. Some Jamaican cuisine dishes ar e variations on the cuisines and cooking styles br ought to the island from elsewhere. These are often modified to incorporate local produce. Others are noveland have developed locally . Popular Jamaican dishes include curry goat, fried dumplings,ackee and salt fish (cod) (thenational dish of Jamaica), friedplantain, “jerk”, steamed cab bage and “rice and peas” (pigeonpeas or kidney beans). Jamaican cuisine has been adapted by African, British, French, Chinese and Indianinfluences. Jamaican patties and various pastries and breadsar e also popular as well as fr uit beverages and Jamaican rum. Jamaican cuisine has spr ead with emigrations, especially during the 20th Century, fromthe island to other nations. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO A nationally well-known main dish of T rinidad and Tobago is curry chicken and roti. This dish was adopted fr om indentur ed laborers from India in the 19th Century, where otherfavorite local dishes include curry crab, curry shrimp, curry duck, curry aloo (potato These meals are often served with various rotis such as dalpuri, bus-up-shut, and ofcourse sada. In addition, Trinidadians often add variouspepper sauces to their meals,for example “mother -in-law”, as well as curry mango, chataigne (breadnutpumpkin, or mango kuchela. Another popular and nationally well-known dish withdistinctly African r oots is callaloo, a creamy and spicy sidedish made of dasheen leaves, ochro or okra, crab, thyme,coconut milk and shado beni (from “chardon bnit”, French thistle or fitweed) or bhandhanya (Hindi bandh dhanya,“closed cilantr o”) or cilantr o. Callaloo is often pr epar ed with cornmeal coo coo, plantain, cassava, sweet potatoes, and sometimes made with crab. Pelau(Hindi pilau is a popular dish in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as stewed chicken, breadfruit oil down, macaroni pie, pepperpot, ox-tails,among many others. Trinbagonian dishes are often stewed, barbecued, or cur ried with coconut milk. An array of fish can be bought at local merchants throughout Trinidad and Tobago, such as flying fish, king fish, carite, sapatay, red fish, bonito, lobster , conch and crab. T obagonian food is dominated by a wide selection of seafood dishes, most notably, curried crab and dumplings, and Tobago is also known for its sumptuously prepared provisions, soupsand stews, also known as bluefood acr oss the country. A popular Trini dish is macar oni pie, a macaroni pasta bake, with eggs and cheese,and a variety of other potential ingredients according to which particular one of the many recipes you are following. Another local dish includes the rare delicacy cascadu (cascadura), which is a small fr esh water fish. There is a local legend in Trinidad that s/he who eats cascadu will return toT rinidad to end their days.[1] ST.KITTS AND NEVIS W ith its rich soil, St. Kitts and Nevis grows a wide variety of fr esh produce. Abundant seafood and meats, such asgoat, add to the diet. The style of cooking is fairly simple, flavored much like other West Indian cuisine. Goat water stew, perhaps the country’s most well-known dish, mixes goat, breadfruit, green pawpaw (papaya), and dumplings (also known as “dr oppers”) in a tomato-based stew. Another favorite dish is cook-up, or pelau, which com-bines chicken, pig tail, saltfishand vegetables with rice andpigeon peas. Conkies bear alar ge similarity to tamales, though instead of having filling r olled inside the dough, the cor nmeal is mixed together with grated sweet potato, pumpkin, coconut, and a few other ingredients; after wrapping the dough in banana leaves, they’re boiledrather than steamed. Sweets tend to be simply made, sometimes with nothing mor e than fruit, like tamarind or guava, and sugar. Rum is as popular in St. Kitts and Nevis as it is thr oughout the Caribbean. But thenational drink is actually CaneSpirits Rothschild (often abbr eviated to CSR), distilled from fr esh sugar cane. Many villages on Nevis hold cookouts on Friday andSatur day nights, where people come together to eat, drink, play games like dominoes andhave a good time. DOMINICA Cr eole food is pr evalent on r estaurant menus, including callaloo soup, made from tender leaves found at the centerdasheen plant. Roadside stands and small-town restaurants typically serve fried chicken, fishand-chips and “tasty bakes” along with cold drinks. The island produces numerous fresh fruits, including bananas,coconuts, papayas, guavas, pineapples, and mangoes which can be eaten as desser t and be pur eed or liquefied. Dominica’s national dish is the mountain chicken, which are snares of the legs of a frogcalled the Capaud, which isendemic to Dominica and Montserrat. Island sample: Caribbean serves up tasty,tempting variety FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com Ackee and saltfish Curr y chicken and roti Mountain chicken’ legs November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 15

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ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda celebrated its 28th anniversary ofpolitical Independence fr om Britain on Nov . 2 by recognizing the contribution of nation als to nation building. Some 41 outstanding nationals, including educators, business people, army personnel and sports men and women were recognized dur-ing a cer emony at the Antigua Recr eation Grounds for the National Honor and Awards. Nurse Hyacinth Richardson and the late Mitchell A. Michael receivedthe two highest honors Dame Commander of the Most Distinguished or der of the Nation for ser vices to the nurses and legal pr ofession; and Knight Commander of the Most Precious Order of the Nation for services in entrepreneurship and commu-nity ser vice respectively. Other awar dees include public ser vant and former parliamentarian Victor McKay; W orld War II veteran Oscar Peters; former Director of Sport Patrick Whyte and former educator Lesroy Merchant. The awar dees each r eceived one of three awards, the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation; the Most Illustrious Order of Merit; or the Most Precious Order ofPrincely Heritage. Antigua and Barbuda became independent onNovember 1, 1981. ST . JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC Prime Minister BaldwinSpencer has told Antiguansand Barbudans to “answer thecall to action” as he sought an “all hands on deck” approachto tacking the economic andcrime woes facing the twin-island nation. In an address to mark the nation’s 28th anniversary of political Independence from Britain, Spencer said every resident has a role to play in help-ing light of the unpr ecedented challenges posed by the worsteconomic crisis since the Gr eat Depression of the 1930s. “Steering the ship of state through these turbulentwaters is not for the faint of heart; all hands are required on deck; there is no room forspectators,” he said in hisannual Independence addr ess br oadcast on local radio and television on Nov. 1. “Each and every Antiguan and Barbudan andall those who have chosen tocall this land their home whether on a permanent or temporary basis must joinfor ces to addr ess the chal lenges that come in the form of this global economic crisisthat has thr ust itself upon our pristine shores and is threatening to reek untold damageon our economy if we do not act and act now,” the primeminister said. TOUGH DECISIONS Spencer, who has been in char ge of the nation’s affairs since 2004, said his administration was pr epar ed to make the tough decisions in the best interest of the people of thetwin-island state, including anappr oach to the Inter national Monetar y Fund (IMF address a large public debt and to help the governmentride out the economic dif ficul ties it faces. “As a r esponsible and independent government, having fully assessed the challenges presented by the globaleconomic crisis and the debtbur den and having engaged in widespr ead consultations, we have decided to present a fiscal consolidation program to the IMF in an effort to secure technical and financial assistance in implementing the policies and measures identi-fied in our National Economic and Social TransformationPlan,” he explained. The prime minister str essed that the program being embarked upon with the assis-tance of the IMF is not one being dictated by the Washingtonbased financial body. “It is our program. It is a program conceptualized by an independent and responsibleAntigua and Barbuda,” hesaid. An IMF team is due to r eturn to St John’s to fine-tune the arrangement after meeting with key members of theSpencer administration lastmonth. Spencer called on the Antiguan and Barbudan publicto “answer the call to action” as he promised that his government would present furtherdetails of the countr s Fiscal Consolidation Pr ogram in the Budget Speech on Nov . 30. “Our nation has survived serious crises and we have overcome momentous chal-lenges,” he said. “Whateverthe challenges ahead, we shallover come. Your government is fully prepared to face the challenges. We face them witha positive outlook and with the determination to over-come them. If we work as afamily – it can be achieved.” T urning his attention to crime, the prime ministerpr omised a more vigorous approach to arresting the gr owing pr oblem. “Of recent times, Antigua and Barbuda has been grippedby a spate of unsolved crimes,” he said. “With these develop-ments and with security beingupper most in our minds, your gover nment will redouble its efforts to strengthen law enforcement and enhancesecurity in our state. “The law officials in partnership with the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force will step up the frequency and inten-sity of str eet patr ols, stop and search and the removal of illegal tint from motor vehicles.” Spencer also defended his government’s foreign policy,which he said “has alwaysbeen and will continue to be about meeting long-term chal-lenges and dealing with theunexpected”. The Opposition Antigua Labour Party has questionedthe gover nment’s relationship with Venezuela and its participation in the Caracas-led Bolivarian Alternative for thePeoples of Our Americas orALBA. The prime ministersaid such r elationships “have pr oven to be beneficial to the development of our nation.” Nation honors dozensAntiguan helps Montreal win soccer titleAirport safe ~ chiefs ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua’s Fire Chief WhitfieldJoshua, Police CommissionerThomas Bennett and KenHurst, chief executive of ficer of the VC Bir d International Airport, have held urgent talks after r epor ts surfaced her e that the security of the country’s main gateway was under threat. Following the talks late last month, the officials have sought to assure the nationand the inter national community that operations at the air port were safe and were no way in jeopardy. They said the reports were being spread by disgruntled fire officers who were upset about sweeping changes being made by Joshua. P.M.Spencer wants ‘all hands on deck’ approach 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 www.caribbeantoday.com ANTIGUA ANTIGUA & & BARBUDA BARBUDA FOCUS FOCUS ~ A Caribbean Today special feature MONTREAL, Canada – The Antigua and Barbuda interna-tional Peter Byers helped Montreal Impact capture theUnited Soccer Leagues (USLFirst Division title last monthby beating V ancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the secondleg final. Byers assisted on the Impact’ s third goal as the club ran out handsome 6-3 aggregate winner over the defending champion Vancouver for athir d USL cr own. Coming home to Saputo Stadium – in front of a sold out crowd of over 13,000 with a 3-2 lead from the first leg in Vancouver the previousweekend, Montr eal tightened its grip on the game with thr ee first-half goals that crippled V ancouver s hopes. Tony Donatelli scor ed fr om the penalty spot in the 30th minute and Joey Gjertsen sent Montr eal 2-0 up in the 40th minute. Byers assisted on the third goal two minutes later. Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL33157 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010 Miami, FL 331 16-6010. Telephone: (305 (305305 T oll-Free Fax: 1-866-290-4550 1-800-605-7516 Jamaica: 654-7282 E-mail: editor@caribbeantoday .com Send ads to: ct_ads@bellsouth.net V ol. 20,Number 12 NOV.2009 PETER A WEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor SABRINA HOPKINS Graphic Artist DOROTHYCHIN Account Executive SHARON LEE Account Executive CARMEN CHANG Account Executive JACQUELINE RUBIANO Accounting ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media RepresentativesOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of thepublisher . Caribbean T oday , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc. Caribbean Today is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Toguarantee return, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean T oday may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor. Spencer November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 16

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC Caribbean community (CARICOM should begin r eceiving the first shipment of the vaccine to combat the influenza A (H1N1 referred to as “Swine Flu”,this month, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat has announced. It said that the vaccine will provide immunization for the community’s most vulnerablegr oups children, pregnant mothers, persons suffering from Chr onic Non-Communicable Diseases and young people against an anticipated second attack of the H1N1 virus. “The bad news is this virus is expected to intensify its attack during the colder months of December to Januar y; the good news is that the Caribbean is mor e prepared to deal this virus the second time around as most member states are seeking toacquir e the vaccine,” said Dr. Rudolph Cummings, CARICOM Secr etariat’s program manager, health sector development. The secretariat said that the United States has con tributed significantly to a Global Fund, which was used to develop the vaccine, and it would be delivered at no cost to some member states. CARICOM countries to get H1N1 vaccine this month DR. HOW ARD LEWINE QUESTION:My doctor has suggested that I considerw eight loss surgery.I’m scared.How dangerous is it? ANSWER: Weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery by experts is getting safer, according to a study reportedin the July 30 issue of the NewEngland Jour nal of Medicine. Bariatric surgery is very effective. Not only do peopleshed many pounds of fat, butthey also decr ease their risk of diabetes and hear t disease. Their risk of death over time is about one-third lower than for very obese people who don’ t have surgery. Your reluctance to have surgery is shared by many other patients. The three mainr easons have been the risk of severe complications during and after surgery, long term health problems and cost. The new study offers some reassurance about safety.Deaths and serious pr oblems occurred during and shortlyafter sur gery at rates similar to those of other major operations.In addition, the study highlights which patients are most likely toget into serious tr ouble during and right after surgery. Thepatients at highest risk: Are extremely obese, with a body mass index of 55 or greater; Have a history of blood clots in the legs and/or lungs; Function poorly in ever yday life. This group may be unable to walk even short distances or do daily activities without help. Sleep apnea also increases the shor t-ter m risk of sur ger y . But obesity can cause sleep apnea. So this is a reason for obese peopleto consider the sur ger y. PREVENTION/COST In the past, some people had problems getting enough nutrition after the surgery.Some developed osteopor osis, or thin bones. These longer-ter m problems can now be prevented. Cost is a complex issue. Surgery certainly is more cost-ly than other weight loss tech niques in the short run. But in the longer term, this may actu-ally lead to major cost savings.For car efully selected people, bariatric surgery can be considered if you have a bodymass index (BMIgr eater or have cer tain med ical conditions (such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heartdisease or sleep apnea) and a BMI of 35 or greater. They also must have made serious attempts at weight loss with non-surgical approaches. Tribune Media Services. Edited from The Medicine Cabinet:Ask the Harvard Experts.For additional consumer health information,please visit www .health.har vard.edu. Ask doctor: Is weight loss surgery safe?Haiti launches campaign to combat intestinal worms November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 HEALTH HEALTH www .caribbeantoday.com WASHINGTON – Haiti will use funds provided by Spainand the Inter AmericanDevelopment Bank (IDBfinance a campaign to combatintestinal wor m infections by integrating infrastructure improvements with educationon hygiene and disease pr e vention. The IDB said that particular emphasis will be placed on curative and preventivetr eatment of childr en between the ages of one and 15 years and women of childbearingage. Intestinal wor ms such as ascaris, trichuris and hookworm are a major source of disease in Haiti, causing anemia, stunted gr owth, malnutri tion and impaired physical and cognitive development. These debilitating diseases are best contr olled via an integrated approach that combines preventive and curative medical treatment of populationsat risk with investments in water and sanitation infra-str uctur e. PREVENTION The campaign in Haiti will seek to impr ove mater nal and child health status and survival through sustainable improvements in hygiene behaviors such as hand wash-ing with soap and clean water , safe feces disposal, and safe storage and treatment ofdrinking water . These activities will be financed with $900,000 fromthe $39 million in combined grants approved by the Spanish gover nment and the IDB for expanding and upgrading water and sanitation services in Haiti. CARICOM expects to have vaccines to combat H1N1 this month. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 17

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NEW YORK, N.Y. A bill pushing for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States may be introduced by next February orMar ch, CaribW orldNews understands. Sour ces informed CaribWorldNews that New York SenatorChuckSchumer lastmonth pr omised a gr oup of over 100 clergy in Washington,D.C, that the bill will be introduced by the first quarter of 2010. Schumer also reportedly expressed confidence that thebill, which has as many critics as it has supporters, can be passed. He promised the late Senator Ted Kennedy hewould see the bill passed. The pastors under the group Churches United to Save and Heal (CUSHin the U.S. capital as guests of Congresswoman YvetteClarke, and called for actionon compr ehensive immigration reform that could put millions of undocumented migrants ona path to legalization. NEGATIVE EFFECT The pastors discussed how a broken immigration system has negatively affected their parishioners. CUSH representatives said Congressman Peter King of New Yorkdeclined to meet with them onthe issue but, Joshua DuBois,dir ector of the White House Faith-Based office, was among those who met with them onCapitol Hill.CUSH ChairmanBishopOrlandoFindlayter , and reverendsDennisDillion, Herbert Daughtery and Dr. Philius Nicholas were among the participants. e are asking the Obama Administration to focus on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIRlike a laser beam,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “Who better to fully understand the importance ofthis issue then the son of aKenyan immigrant? This isthe next challenge for ournation and no mor e will we let this issue fall to the wayside.” CaribWorldNews HERITAGE AWARDS The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS16th Annual Caribbean American Heritage Awards(CARAH . 13 at The Renaissance Marriott, Ninth and K str eets N.W . in Washington, D.C. The 2009 CARAH Gala, chaired by CongresswomanDonna Christiansen and held under the patronage of theCaribbean diplomatic corps, honors and celebrates individuals of Caribbean heritage orfriends of the Caribbean whohave been standar d bear ers of excellence, and who have made positive contributions to the American and internation-al landscape. Nominees for the 2009 CARAH Awards include:Shirley Nathan Pulliam, mem ber, Maryland House of Delegates; Dr . Anthony Kalloo, pioneer in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology; George Willie, managing part-ner , Ber t Smith & Co.; L ynton Scotland, vice president for operational energy at NRG Energy Incorporated; and mem-ber of the Executive LeadershipCouncil W illar d Wigan and soca artiste Allison Hinds. MAKE-A-BOOKMARK The Miami-Dade Public Library System is seeking budding young artists for its annual“Make-aBookmark Contest”. Children, ages six to12, ar e invited to submit a drawing, of a favorite character or scene from a book, to reflectthe theme “Readiscover Y our Neighborhood@ the Library”. Each contest entry must be original work, and will be judged on cr eativity and neat ness. One winner will be chosen fr om each librar y branch and the winning design will be used on the library’s officialbookmark for 2010. All finalists will be hon ored during a Dec.12 party at the Main Library, 101 W.Flagler St. Contest entry forms are available at all branches andonline at www.mdpls.org . Final date for submission is Nov.21. BUSINESS EXPO The Broward County Chamber of Commerce will host an international trade show and business card exchange on Nov. 5 at Quality Inn Sawgrass Hotel & Conference Center, 1711 N. University Dr., Plantation, Florida. Doors will open to the pub lic from 4 p.m.to 9 p.m. Log on to www.ChamberRSVP.com toRSVP or to exhibit at the event. For more information, call the Br oward County Chamber of Commerce at 954-565 , or visit www .SouthFloridaExpo.com . NEW YORK, N.Y . A Jamaican widow , who under United States immigration law faced deportation because her husband died before their second wedding anniversary, isamong thousands who couldsoon benefit fr om a change in the law . The U.S. Congress moved last month to finally approvelegislation that would abolish a provision known as the “widow’s penalty”. With a 79-19 Senate vote, Congr ess voted to end the policy . Under cur rent immigration regulations, widows or widowers, and their childr en, may apply for a “green card” or resident alien status only if they were married to their deceased spouse for at least two years prior to his/herdeath. This r ule has left many individuals who were marriedto a deceased U.S. citizen forless than two years facing depor tation. Jamaican Osser ritta Robinson faces this problem because her husband Louis Robinson died before their second anniversary.Robinson`s husband wasamong 11 people killed in theStaten Island Fer ry accident in Oct. 2003. Now she and her attorney hope they can benefit from the legislative change. The end of the “widow’s penalty” is part of a biggerHomeland Security bill thatPr esident Barack Obama is expected to sign. The congr essional action came as the r equir ement was under legal attack all over the country, including a class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Californiaand individual litigation inGeor gia, New Jersey, New Y ork, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and T exas. The Department of Homeland Security r eleased a statement praising Congress “for supporting the widowsand widowers of U.S. citizenswho other wise would have been denied the right to remain in the United States” The new law was champi oned by Representative Jim McGovern and Senator BillNelson. Story,photograph obtained from CaribW orldNews . U.S.Immigration Reform Bill by 2010?Congress moves to abolish ‘widow’s penalty’ 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 LOCAL LOCAL / / FYI FYI www.caribbeantoday.com FYI Jamaican widow Osserritta Robinson Clarke Shumer November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 18

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Alook at graphic novels and the world of comicbooks will be among the attractions at this month’s Miami Book Fair International. Comix Galaxy , in partnership with Diamond BookDistributors, will intr oduce compr ehensive programs on graphic novels and comics that will cele brate its legacy and recent rise in popularity and integration into the mainstream via book-stor es, libraries and educational cur ricula all over the country. Comix Galaxy activities will begin at 10 a.m. Nov. 13 and continue through Nov. 15 at Miami Dade College’s (MDC Wolfson Campus in downtownMiami, Florida. Some of this year’s Comix Galaxy activitiesinclude”Kids’ Comic Con”, an instructional exercise for children and teens taught by artists; an artist alley where comics creators from all over the UnitedStates will draw and sell ar twork; two shows of original comics and graphic novel art; a panel discussion on the life and art of Harvey Kurtzman, legendary cartoonist and MAD Magazine creator; comics art exhibits; and more than 35 comics and graphic novel artists, writers, and other indus-tr y professionals. In addition, education exper ts will participate in “The School of Comics”, a day-long program that includes six ses-sions for teachers, librarians, par ents and others who want to learn more about the format. There will also be a special training session for creators. For a complete listing of all Miami Book Fair Internationals events, including Comix Galaxy, visit http://www.miamibookfair.com /. Several past components of the Miami Book Fair International (MBFI have been scaled back or post poned due to the challenging economic times and state budg et cuts the college is facing, according to organizers. The 2009 fair , scheduled for Nov . 8-15, will be mor e con tained. For example, or ganizers noted that this year there will be no inauguration ceremony and festivities; no Inter national Pavilions V illage; and no Street Fair Parade. In addition, the fair is cutting back the number of authorpr esentations, although still plan ning to present some 300 authors and writers representing the best in contemporary literature. The members of the MBFI’ s Board of Directors and fair administrators ar e raising the admission to the weekend Str eet Fair, from $5 to $8 per person. However , persons 62 years and over will continue paying $5. The fair is also pr eser ving the free access to fairgoers 18 and under, volunteers and others. Access to the Str eet Fair on Nov . 13 will be fr ee. Plans also call for the “Evenings W ith” program, which has been free for the last 25 years, to have a $10admission fee, but fr ee parking will be available in Building 7. GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Caribbean community (CARICOMhave paid tribute to thr ee inter nationally r enowned liter ary figures who died recently. In a statement, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said that the regionhad lost Jamaica’ s Trevor Rhone, Suriname’ s Henk Tjon and T rinidad and T obago’ s Wayne Brown during a oneweek period. It described Rhone and Tion as multi-talented, internationally acclaimed theater artists, while Brown was an acclaimed poet, creative writing teacher, short story writer , critic and jour nalist. CARICOM said that thr ough his exceptional talents as playwright, dir ector and actor, Rhodes contributed extensively to the culturaldevelopment of the Caribbean; that Tjon actively participatedin ever y Caribbean Festival of Ar ts (CARIFESTA) since its inception in 1972; and that Brown was responsible for the development of a new genera-tion of writers in Jamaica andthe Caribbean. Several authors from Caribbean backgrounds will be among those attending this year s Miami Book Fair International (MBFI for Nov. 8-15. The fair is again expected to tr eat book lovers to more than a week of cultural and educational activities, including author readings, book signings, the “Evenings With” series, “Children’s Alley”, the “IberoAmerican Authors” pr ogram, and the “Street Fair”, Nov. 13 on the closed str eets of downtown Miami surrounding the Miami Dade College campus. e’re again pleased and honored to host such an impor-tant event, especially during these difficult times, when peo-ple tr uly want the type of sustenance that books can pr ovide whether they are stories that affirm our resilience or help us escape our troubles for a while,” Dr. Eduardo J. Padr—n,pr esident of MDC and MBFI co-founder , stated in a recent press release. “The book fair is a cornerstone of what we do atMiami Dade College. Literacyhelps make a community strong and stable.” Among the Caribbean authors confir med to attend the fair include: Elizabeth Harry:Melanie, Bir d with a Br oken Wing: A Mother’s Self Story, In Sunshine andShadow; Jeff Henry: Under the Mas’:Resistance and Rebellion inthe T rinidad Masquerade; Kendel Hippolyte: Birthright, Night Vision; Jane King: Fellow T raveller; Philip Nanton: Island Voices from Christopher & the Barracudas (Spoken wordCD); Elizabeth Nunez: Anna InBetween; Geoffrey Philp: Who’s Your Daddy. Other top authors already confirmed for this year’s fair include Sherman Alexie, Margaret Atwood, Roy BlountJr ., Rober t Olen Butler, Meg Cabot, Alan Cheuse, Susie Essman, Mary Karr, Mike Farrell, Nobel Laureate andfor mer V ice Pr esident Al Gor e, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Barbara Kingsolver, Jonathan Lethem, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ralph Nader, Richard Powers,Nobel Laur eate Orhan Pamuk, Francine Prose, Ruth Reichl, Senator Bob Graham, Wally Lamb, musician and performer Iggy Pop, Melvin Van Peeblesand Jeannette W alls. Confir med Spanish-language authors include Roberto Ampuero, Jos Mar’a Aznar, Carmen Posadas, Alvaro Vargas-Llosa, Boris Izaguirre,Angela Becer ra, Juanita Castro, Edmundo Paz-Soldn,Jor ge Ramos, Fabiola Santiago and Jaime Bayly . e have a spectacular line-up again this year,” said Alina Interin, executive director of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College, in a press release. “Authors fr om across the globe r epresenting every genre and a truly wide array of subjects will be at the fair. What we do here every year is truly special. There are very few places in the world wherepeople have access to thiskind of pr ogramming. Y ou won’t want to miss it.” For the complete list of authors and more informa-tion, visit www .miamibook fair .com; call 305-237-3528 or e-mail wbookfair@mdc.edu. Caribbean authors on tap for Miami Book Fair International Comic relief comes to the fairChallenging economic times force changes to book fairCaribbean honors literary icons November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 BOOK BOOK FAIR FAIR www .caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special focus on the Miami Book Fair COVER TO COVER Cartoonist and author Jeff Kinney designed this year’ s official poster. The official poster for the 26th edition of the largest literary gathering in the United States, the Miami Book Fair International, presented by the Florida Center for the Literar y Ar ts at Miami Dade College (MDC at a reception last month. The poster was created by Jeff Kinney, cartoonist and author of the “W impy Kid” series. The fair will be held Nov . 8-15 at MDC’ s Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Ave., downtown Miami. Philp Legendary cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman. November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 19

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November 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 21 BUSINESS BUSINESS www .caribbeantoday.com W ASHINGTON The Inter national Monetary Fund (IMF the Caribbean and Latin America were overcoming the“substantial impact” of theglobal economic crisis. The W ashington-based financial institution in a new report said “the worst is overfor most countries, and manyeconomies have begun to recover”. The report, released last month and titled “CrisisA verted – What’s Next?”, examined how the Caribbean and Latin America countries were recovering from the global recession, which drove up the cost of external financing, reduced exports, remittances and tourism revenues. It notedthat output for the r egion as a whole, after contracting by about 2.5 percent this year, isexpected to r ecover and pr edicting growth to be in the vicinity of three percent next year. “The question, now that the worst of the stor m is behind us, is how to adjust policies to the new r eality of a more sluggish global economy and still provide conditions for growth and poverty alleviation,” said Nicolas Eyzaguirre, director of the IMF’s WesternHemispher e Department. Eyzaguir re said while the region has done “considerably better” this year than in past global crises and recessions, “there are marked differencesamong countries.” Caribbean recovering from global crisis ~ IMF Three Jamaica-owned companies were recog-nized by the United States Department of Commerce Minority Business Enterprise Center at the annu-al MEDW eek – Minority Enterprise Development Business Conference last month in Miami, Florida. The thr ee companies, Patty King, Incorporated, McBayne’ s Construction & Renovation, Incorporated and LEASA Industries Company, Incorporated were among Florida’s top 10 performingminority businesses and inno vators. Patty King was awarded the “Minority Exporter of the Y ear 2009”. The company was started in 1998 as a small r estaurant and bakery in North Miami. It became one of the largest USDA-approved pro-cessing facilities in Florida and the largest manufacturer ofJamaican patties in the south eastern U.S. INITIATIVE McBayne Construction and Renovation, Incorporated r eceived the “Strategic Gr owth Initiative Award 2009” as the National Minority Construction firm. Owner Trevor McBayne said the company provides a range of new constr uction, renovation and underground utility services to residential, commer-cial, industrial and institutional pr ojects. It has a staf f of 50. LEASA Industries Company was awarded the Minority Manufacturer of the Year” award. A familyrun enterprise, the company was established in 1977 and has since grown to become one of the leading food manufac-tur es in the souther n U.S. and the Caribbean. JIS Jamaican-owned companies win MEDWeek awards U.S.non-profit to help Haiti establish $45M industrial park PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – A United States-based non-profit foundation and amajor conglomerate in Haitihave announced plans toestablish a multi-million dollarindustrial park here. The pr oj ect announcement came afew days after former U.S. President BillClinton par ticipated in an investors’confer ence in the countr y last month. The WIN Gr oup and the New York-headquartered Soros Economic DevelopmentFund (SEDFmillion pr oject will pr ovide a significant number of jobs. e are committed to suppor ting Haiti’ s economic growth,” said SEDF President Stewart J. Paperin, adding“this pr oject will create thousands of jobs and attract the types of businesses crucial to helping Haiti expand its eco-nomic capabilities.” Youri Mevs, managing par tner of WIN Gr oup, said the industrial park, called the West Indies Free Zone, will target local and internationalmanufactur ers, as well as warehousing businesses and offer tax, customs and pro-cessing advantages to tenants. The project is located near Cit Soleil and is expect ed to create 25,000 jobs, as well as improve the standard of living for the 300,000 resi-dents, Mevs said. Clinton November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 21

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HAMIL TON, Bermuda, CMC – For mer national soccer player Dennis Zuill has been charged in New Yorkwith conspiracy to distribute more than $3 million worth of marijuana. Zuill, 31, who also played for the Bermuda Hogges, theisland’ s professional football outfit, was initially ar rested in the Atlanta, Geor gia area in late September. More than a ton of marijuana was allegedlyinvolved in the plot. If sold in Ber muda, it could fetch as much as $11 million, nearly four times its value in the U.S. It is alleged that Zuill’ s participation in the alleged conspiracy goes back to 2006,with persons known and unknown to the New Yorkcour t system. Zuill was arraigned in New Y ork on Oct. 8 and char ged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and two counts of conspiracy to dis-tribute five kilograms ofcocaine. GORDON WILLIAMS MIAMI, Florida Caribbean American boxer GlenJohnson finally gets a chanceto avenge his contr oversial defeat to American ChadDawson, when the two clash for a world title on Nov. 7 in Hartford, Connecticut. Johnson, who was born in Clar endon, Jamaica but migrated her e as a teenager, lost a unanimous decision to Dawson in their first match for the WorldBoxing Council lightheavyweight belt inApril 2008. Now the 40-year -old former world champion known as the “Road Warrior” and“Gentleman Glen” ishoping to erase that memory at the XLCenter and r eturn to the top of the 175-pound division. The Dawson rematch, he said, is the most important of his long career and he will be ready. “I’m definitely looking for war d to this fight,” Johnson told Caribbean Today following a recent workout at the Thump Fight Club gym here. “I’m prepared to the best of my ability so I can go outther e and r epr esent myself.” He will be representing an entire Caribbean region as well,and especially fans who wit nessed the first Dawson bout in T ampa, Florida and thought he was robbed. Johnson believed he won that fight convincingly,claiming he had “cut up, bruised up” Dawson. Most ofthe cr owd at the St. Pete’s Times Forum agreed, booingthe final decision. This time, Johnson, who has a ring r ecord of 49 wins, 12 losses and two draws, said he will be aiming to eliminatethe judges’ input in the finaloutcome by ending the fightinside the distance. “A knockout is definitely the ideal situation,” said the man who has stopped 33 pro-fessional opponents. Dawson, however , still believes he won the first fight and this month’s rematchof fers a chance to put all doubts to rest. “I want to put that last fight out of his mind once andfor all,” the undefeated American, who holds a recordof 28 wins with 17 knockouts,told Boxing Press recently. Dawson vacated his International BoxingFederation title in May for achance to fight Johnson again. The Jamaican said he has made several adjustments to prepare forDawson. Among themwas hiring AmericanDaniel Judah, who hasfought Johnson twice, asa spar ring partner. Judah, whose physiqueand boxing style ar e similar to Dawson’s, said he believes Johnson willwin. “If Glen keeps doing what he’s doing now hewill win the fight,”Judah told Caribbean Today recently. Johnson’s longtime trainer Orlando Cuellar is also confident Dawson, who at 27 is mor e than a decade younger than the Jamaica, will be beaten. “Ther s a way to beat Chad Dawson more convincingly,” said Cuellar. “And of course we’re looking for a knockout.” Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’ s manag ing editor . Former Bermuda soccer player arrested in U.S.on drugs chargeWindies players,board broker new deal to end ongoing feudWorld title at stake in Johnson, Dawson boxing rematch 22 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com SPORT BRIEFS Jamaica jockey wins 3,000 races Jamaican-born jockey Winston Thompson recently reached the impressive milestone of riding 3,000winners. On Sept.21 at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts, Thompson rode the 91 shot African Angel to victor y over seven furlongs.He migrated to the U.S. in 1987. Bajan rides 2,000th winner Canada’s premier racetrack Woodbine witnessed a fine milestone for Patrick Husbands last month whenthe Barbadian jockey achieved 2,000 wins in North American horse racing. Husbands,36,guided the 7-to-2 second favorite Grazettes Landing to victory in the CAN$71,520 10th race over six furlongs to reach the milestone. Bolt gets national honor Jamaica’ s brilliant track a thlete Usain Bolt was last month awared the national honor of Order of Jamaica during a Heroes Day ceremony in theCaribbean island. Bolt won three gold medals in both the 2008 Olympic Games and this sum mer’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics.He has also broken the worldrecord in each event a t both meets. Compiled from CMC and other reports. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies cricketappear ed headed for a r eturn to normalcy after the two feuding parties last month announced an end to hostili-ties over several contentiouscontractual issues. In a vague joint state ment, the West Indies Cricket Board and West Indies Players Association said theyhad settled most of the issuesthat led to a strike by ther egion’s elite players and the selection of makeshift squads for the Bangladesh home series and the recent ICC Champions Trophy in SouthAfrica. The agreement followed a three-day meeting between WICB President Julian Hunte and WIPA head DinanathRamnarine, and came a month ahead of the tour to Australia. However , two issues remained in the balance and have been referred to arbitra-tion, the joint statement said. “WIP A and WICB have announced that all outstanding matters in dispute between the two bodies have been settled amicably”, the release noted. “Only two outstanding matters the issue r egar ding the India 2009 T our and the issue of ‘T eam Rights’ – will be referred to a special arbitration process as set out in the recommendations of theCARICOM Prime MinisterialSub Committee on Cricketgiven on the 11th September 2009 and agreed to by the WICB and WIPA”. WINNING SMILES -Gordon Williams photographMembers of the University of the W est Indies team, with players primarily from the school’s Mona campus in Jamaica,express their joy after winning last month’s annual “Florida Netball Classic”in Davie,United States.UWI defeated Sparkles All Stars,a U.S.based team which featured several Caribbean-born players,23-17 at Nova High School. -Gordon Williams photogra phJohnson, left,and Cuellar at Miami’s Thump Fight Club. Gordon Williams photographThompson November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 22

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24 CARIBBEAN TODAYNovember 2009 November2009.qxd 11/4/09 11:00 PM Page 24