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SO JANUARY 2010


0.0


W e c o v e r


y o u r


% o r I d


OI1


Vol. 21 No. 2


PRESORTED
STANDARD
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PAID
MIAMI, FL
PERMIT NO. 7315
Tel: (305) 238-2868
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editor@caribbeantoday.com
ct ads@bellsouth.net
Jamaica: 655-1479


I TH MULI A ARD-INNNG N WS AGAZNE


Two Car
Americans
ling serio
P issues heai
the United
One, Barba
Gordon, is
support foi
patients w
self battling
disease. TI
Dr. Went





b dmod(
cine with t
Caribbean
pages 7 &I


ribbean
s are tack-
is health
id-on in
States.
ira
rallying
r cancer
while her-
ig the
he other,
orth
arrett,
runs a
practice
promoting
wellness
y blending
ern medi-
traditional
remedies,
8.


..Struggled with the economy


INSIDE
N ew s ................................................2 A rts/Entertainm ent ........................11 Business ........................................15
Health ................................................7 Tourism/Travel..................... 13 Sport .......................................................16
Viewpoint ........................................9 Culture.....................................1.......4 Classifieds ................................19
CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479








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WASHINGTON, D.C. A 52-
year-old Guyanese woman was
last month indicted by a Texas
grand jury for her role in
smuggling four Indian nation-
als into the United States.
Annita Devi Gerald, also
known as Annita Rampersad,
was charged in a nine-count
indictment by a federal grand
jury in the Southern District
of Texas. Gerald was arrested
by ICE special agents in
Houston on Nov. 17, 2009, and
has been held without bond
since that time.
According to the indict-
ment, from approximately
April 2009 to Nov. 17, 2009,
Gerald and others conspired to
smuggle four Indian nationals
into the U.S. Allegedly, Gerald
and her co-conspirators fraud-
ulently obtained Belizean visas
for the Indian nationals and
escorted them from India to
Belize, moving through various
countries in Central and South
America. Gerald allegedly pro-
vided lodging for all four
Indian nationals in Belize
while further smuggling
arrangements were made.
In Aug. 2009, Gerald
allegedly arranged transporta-
tion for one of the Indian


January 2010


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


Bolt loses TIME race to U.S. Fed Reserve boss


he world's
fastest man
finally lost a
race in 2009.
Jamaica's multiple
Olympic and World
champion Usain Bolt
was last month among
the nominees for TIME
magazine's IL rs n Of
The Year", but the
honor eventually went
to Ben Bemanke, Bolt
chairman of the United
States Federal Reserve.


U.S. congrats
WASHINGTON The
United States has paid tribute
to a number of persons who
"stood up for their rights to
live as free people" as Haiti
celebrated its 206th year of
Independence on Jan. 1.
"This is an occasion to
honor the history and heritage
of Haiti and to remember the
heroes who founded the first
independent black republic,"
said U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton in a statement.
She identified those i nii '
as Toussaint Louverture, Jean-
Jacques Dessalines and


Prior to TIME's announce-
ment, Bolt had won every


Haiti on 206th
Alexandre
Petion, plus
"the countless
men and
women who
stood up for
their right to
live as free peo-
ple and gave a
legacy of free- Clinton
dom for future
generations.
"Their accomplishment
changed the face of our world,
and their story continues to be
an inspiration today," she said.
Clinton also saluted what


award he has been nominated
for in 2009. He finished fifth
among the nominees, which
included U.S. President Barack
Obama.
Bolt was recently honored
by the IAAF as the male
Athlete of the Year. Bolt set
three world records at the 2008
Beijing Olympics and then
went on to break his records in
the 100 and 200 meters at the
World Championships in
Athletics in Berlin in 2009.



Independence
she described as "the many
contributions" made by
Haitian Americans to the
"culture and prosperity of the
United States." She said the
two countries were united "by
strong bonds of friendship and
family" as well as "our shared
history and our common
hopes for the future."
The secretary of state
noted that the U.S. stood with
Haiti after the Irgi. hurri-
canes of 2008," adding that it
remains "committed to being
a partner and a friend."
0


U.S. lawmakers warn Antigua

to cooperate in Stanford probe


ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
The Antigua and Barbuda gov-
ernment has been warned not
to disregard recent attempts by
United States legislators to
punish the island until it coop-
erates with U.S. authorities
investigating an alleged multi-
billion dollar Ponzi scheme by
disgraced financier Allen
Stanford.
Last month, U.S. Senator
Richard Shelby and seven other
lawmakers introduced a resolu-
tion urging Treasury Secretary
Tim Geithner to direct the U.S.
executive directors to the
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) to oppose any new loans
to Antigua and Barbuda, which
is alleged to have accepted an
$85 million loan from Stanford.
"It is absurd that the gov-
ernment of Antigua and
Barbuda is standing in the
way of helping victims, while
also holding out its hand for
funding," said Shelby. "This
resolution makes clear that
the United States will not
accept such behavior."
CO-OPERATION
Sen. Colin Derrick said
the Baldwin Spencer govern-
ment should cooperate with
the U.S. authorities and also
help persons recover their


hard earned cash that had
been invested with Stanford.
"We have a situation here
where if it is that a few persons
conspired with or stood by and
allowed particular actions by
Mr. Stanford which have
debacle, we
should not put
the nation at
ransom for
those few
greedy per-
sons," Derrick
said.
"We Shelby
should do
what we can
to assist the United States
government in dealing with
those individuals."
Derrick, a government leg-
islator, said that the Spencer
administration had a responsi-
bility to expose anyone who
may have been involved in
Stanford's alleged Ponzi
scheme.
Stanford, who is now in a
U.S. jail awaiting trial, has
consistently denied the allega-
tions made against him and
his group of companies that
also included a bank which
operated in Antigua.
0


nationals to cross the border
from Belize into Mexico
where he met with Gerald's
co-conspirator, who escorted
him through Mexico. In
Monterrey, Mexico, Gerald's
co-conspirator paid a Mexico-
based smuggler to illegally
transport the individual across
the Mexico-U.S. border to
Houston, Texas.
PAYMENT
After making these
arrangements, Gerald's co-
conspirator allegedly flew to
Houston where the co-conspir-
ator received the Indian
national at a motel approxi-
mately 10 days later. The
smugglers who delivered the
Indian national to Gerald's co-
conspirator in Houston
allegedly demanded and
received a smuggling payment
prior to releasing him.
If convicted, Gerald faces
a maximum sentence of five
years in prison for conspiracy
and 10 years for each of the
four counts of encouraging
and inducing aliens to come to
the U.S. for profit.
- CaribWorldNews
0


Guyanese woman indicted for

smuggling foreigners into U.S.


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CARIBBEAN TODAY

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AA flight from Miami crashes in Jamaica


KINGSTON, Jamaica,
CMC An American
Airlines flight with more
than 150 passengers and
crew aboard overshot the
runway at the Norman
Manley International
Airport while landing
during a heavy rainstorm
last month.
Officials said there
were no deaths, but 40
people were injured.
"There are no
reports of fatalities,"
Jamaica's Information
Minister Daryl Vaz said.
Eyewitnesses said that
flight 331 skidded across a
road at the airport on a
rainy night and stopped at
the edge of the Caribbean
Sea. The plane's fuselage
was cracked, its right A Jam
engine broke off from the
impact and the left main land-
ing gear collapsed.
In a statement, American
Airlines said it was in direct
contact with officials from the
National Transportation
Safety Board and the Federal
Aviation Administration and
was co-operating fully with
the appropriate authorities.
The Boeing 737-800, which
originated at Reagan National
Airport in Washington, D.C.,
had taken off from Miami
International Airport at 8:52
p.m. on Dec. 22 and arrived in
Kingston at 10:22 p.m. It was
carrying 148 passengers and a
crew of six, the airline said.
Vaz, who along with
Transport and Works Minister


naican soldier stands guard at the site of the wreckage.
Mike Henry and National
Security Minister Dwight
Nelson were at the airport
shortly after the incident, told
reporters that most of the pas-
sengers were nationals return-
ing home for the Christmas
season.

PASSENGERS SHAKEN
"The plane crashed and
broke almost in front of me,"
said a shaken Naomi Palmer
who was in seat number D8.
"The pilot couldn't stop
the plane," another passenger
told reporters.
A third, Verona Hall,
said: "The plane landed and
people started clapping. We
saw the lights of Kingston.


Then all of a sudden we didn't
see the lights anymore.
"I looked through the
window and I saw white lines,
so I felt I was on the tarmac,
but it was actually a rough
touchdown. The plane broke
and we began to smell fuel,"
she said.
Many people who were at
the airport to meet their loved
ones coming in on the flight
said they saw passengers
emerging from the Customs
hall bloodied and shaken. Some
of the injured passengers were
placed under a permanent tent
outside the arrival hall and
were seen nursing their wounds
with towels and shirts.


KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
Passengers on the American
Airlines flight that crashed on
landing at the Norman Manley
International Airport here last
month are recounting their sto-
ries to local and international
investigators probing the cir-
cumstances that caused the
plane to overshoot the runway
injuring nearly 100 people.
Colonel Oscar Darby,
director general of the
Jamaica Civil Aviation
Authority (JCCA), said the
investigators are hoping that
the interviews with the pas-
sengers would shed more light
on what caused the incident
involving Flight 331 from
Miami with more than 150
passengers and crew on board.
JCAA Director of Flight
Safety Nari Williams-Singh, is
leading the investigations, and
American Airlines said it is
working with United States
authorities, including the
National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB), to determine
the cause of the accident.
"Well mainly what will be
done.. .is a lot of interviews of
passengers and eye witnesses
in order to gather that data,"
Williams-Singh said.
Darby said that the inves-


January 2010


tigators were not ruling out
the possibility that the mal-
functioning approach lights at
the airport may have been a
factor.
"We are not saying that it
could or could not have been
the cause of the crash, we are


Rear or fne plane, snowing a aetacnea
engine.

saying that it could be a possi-
ble contributory factor and we
are not ruling it out as such,"
he said. "The extent to which
it contributed we will be able
to make that determination
once we get into the analysis."
He said the JCAA had
informed international airlines
about the malfunctioning
approach lights, a problem
noted since November.
0


Crash could intensify


debate about pilot fatigue


IMM =EA R
YOURE


DALLAS, Texas A leading
aviation expert has said that
the overshooting of runway at
Jamaica's Norman Manley
International Airport by
American Airlines flight 331
could intensify calls for new
policies on pilot fatigue.
"You really have to look
at how long these guys are
on duty," Sam Mayer, a
spokesman for the Allied
Pilots Association, which rep-
resents 9,000 American pilots,
told the Dallas Morning News
late last month.
Mayer said Flight 331's
pilot and co-pilot had been on
duty nearly 12 hours,
approaching the maximum
allowed. He speculated that
fatigue may have played a role
in a botched landing of an
American Airlines jet on Dec.
13, in Charlotte, North
Carolina, where pilots clipped
one of the MD-80's wing tips
on the ground and the wheels
briefly left the runway. No one
was injured in the incident,
which is under investigation.
Mayer said American


Airlines doesn't pay pilots
whose trips get interrupted
and who can't complete the
flying they signed up for.
COST
He explained that the
pilots of Flight 331 were on
their first day of a multi-day
sequence of trips that, had
they diverted the plane to
another city, would probably
have jeopardized their ability
to fly out the rest of the
sequence. Not completing
trips can cost pilots thousands
of dollars in lost income,
Mayer said.
The United States Federal
Aviation Administration is
expected shortly to issue for-
mal guidelines that change
pilot rest rules, probably cut-
ting the maximum time they
can be on duty in a day or
over several days.
The U.S. National
Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) dispatched a team of
investigators to assist the gov-
ernment of Jamaica in its
investigation of the accident.
0


Investigators question


flight passengers


SOUTH FLORIDA'S
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BLACK UNIVERSITY


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


WASHINGTON The
United States Department of
Justice says two former
Haitian government officials
have been charged for their
alleged roles in a foreign
bribery, wire fraud and money
laundering scheme.
The department also said
two Florida executives of a
Miami-Dade County-based
telecommunications company
and the president of Florida-
based Telecom Consulting
Services Corporation have
been charged in the alleged
scheme.
The authorities said that
the defendants participated in
the scheme to commit foreign
bribery and money laundering


* Condo & Homeowners'
Associations
* Small to Medium-sized
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* Churches


from Nov. 2001 through Mar.
2005.
"During which time the
telecommunications company
paid more than UM,$N1111" 111 to
shell companies to be used for
bribes to foreign officials of the
Republic of Haiti's state-owned
national telecommunications
company, Telecommunications
D'Haiti (Haiti Teleco)," the
Justice Department claimed in
a statement.
CHARGES
It noted that Haitian
Robert Antoine, 61, a Miami
resident and former director
of international relations for
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)


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More Caribbean nationals become

U.S. permanent residents in 2009


WASHINGTON, D.C More
Caribbean nationals became
United States "green card"
holders or permanent residents
in 2009 compared to the previ-
ous year, a CaribWorldNews
analysis has revealed.
Latest U.S. State
Department data analyzed
show more Caribbean nation-
als were able to adjust their
status to legal residents last
year, compared to 2008. They
include all immigrants spon-
sored by family and employers.
For 2009, the total was
44,417, according to State
Department statistics, com-
pared to over just 32,000 in
2008. The most permanent
visas went to immigrants from


the Dominican Republic, who
collected more than of the
total at 24,496.
Haiti was second with
7,199 while Jamaicans secured
5,493 visas. Guyana ranked
fourth, with over 3,000 nation-
als adjusting their status or
becoming permanent resi-
dents this year. Of that num-
ber, the majority of Caribbean
nationals who became green
card holders did so through
family sponsorship spouse or
parent while a smaller per-
centage did so through
employer sponsorship.
- CaribWorldNews
0


=R6wwwcaibbatoa.com I6


Home intruders kill Jamaican man in Georgia


ATLANTA, Georgia A
Jamaican-born businessman
was killed by an intruder or
intruders at his home late last
month.
On Dec. 29 Derrick
"Ricky" Balin, 53, a longtime
resident of the Lithonia area
here, reportedly went to inves-


tigate noises in his house
around 2:30 a.m. while his
wife Pamela called 911. He
was attacked and later died.
Balin, 53, who owned a
landscaping business, was
found in a downstairs bed-
room by the police. He was
taken to Grady Hospital suf-


fering from severe head
injuries.
Up to press time the
police had made no arrests or
had determined a motive for
the killing.
0


U.S. indicts ex-Haiti gov't officials on

bribery, money laundering charges


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N.Y. gala to honor Bolt,

four Caribbean leaders


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


Legislators pay tribute to Percy Sutton,

Caribbean media pioneer


NEW YORK The American
Foundation for the University
of the West Indies (AFUWI)
will honor four Caribbean
prime ministers and Jamaica's
track star Usain Bolt at its
annual fundraising gala here
this month.
AFUWI said Barbados's
Prime Minister David
Thompson, Belize's Prime
Minister Dean Barrow,
Grenada's Prime Minister
Tillman Thomas and Trinidad
and Tobago's Prime Minister
Patrick Manning will be hon-
ored at the event on Jan. 28.
"The annual gala is the
AFUWI's premier fundraising
event in the United States at
which the prestigious Legacy
Awards are conferred on
notable individuals who repre-
sent high levels of achieve-
ment within their respective


fields of industry and enter-
pri%, AFUWI stated in a

release.
"This
year, the four
Caribbean
prime minis-
ters will be
presented with
the Legacy
Awards", it
added.
AFUWI
said Bolt, the Jamaican-born
triple champion at the 2008
Olympics and 2009 World
Championships in Athletics,
will be presented with a spe-
cial award "in honor of his
record-breaking performance
in the 2008 Olympics and 2009
World Championships."
0


NEW YORK Caribbean
American legislators last month
paid tribute to Percy Sutton,
the pioneer of Caribbean radio
programming here, describing
him as a trailblazer and busi-
ness titan.
Sutton, whose popular
radio station WLIB, 1190 AM
focused primarily on
Caribbean music and news
from the late 1970s to 1990s,
died on Dec. 26. He was 89.
The cause of death was not
released to the public.
New York State Governor
David Paterson, the grandson of
Caribbean immigrants, and
Brooklyn Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke, the daughter
of Jamaicans, said the death has
left a void in the Caribbean and
African American communities.
"We say farewell to one of
New York's and this nation's
most influential African


American leaders a man
whom I am proud to have
called a friend and mentor
throughout my entire career,"
said Paterson.
"Percy Sutton was a trail-
iM- I mmM MD I


blazer," added the governor,
recalling that he had started
his career as a lawyer for the
late black activist Malcolm X.
Paterson said it was


Sutton, one of the founders of
the New York-based Inner
City Broadcasting
Corporation (ICBC), which
owns WLIB and WBLS radio
stations, who talked him into
running for office and "who
had continued to serve as one
of my most valued advisors
ever since."
Clarke told the Caribbean
Media Corporation (CMC)
that Sutton's passing marks
"an end to an era of political
influence," and that his contri-
butions to America were "end-
less." She noted that Sutton
served as an officer with the
Tuskegee Airman during
World War II and that he was
also a civil rights activist, New
York State assemblyman,
Manhattan borough president
and entrepreneur.
0


U.S. indicts ex-Haiti gov't officials on bribery, money laundering charges


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(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)
telecommunications at Haiti
Teleco, had been charged with
one count of conspiracy to
commit money laundering.
Jean Rene Duperval, for-
mer director of international
relations for telecommunications
at Haiti Teleco, 43, has been
slapped with one count of con-
spiracy to commit money laun-
dering and 12 counts of money
laundering. Duperval currently
lives in southern Florida.
Others charged in the
alleged scheme are: Joel
Esquenazi, 50, of Miami, the
former president of the
telecommunications company;
Carlos Rodriguez, 53, of Davie,
Florida, the former executive
vice president of the telecom-
munications company; and
Marguerite Grandison, 40, of


Miramar, the former president
of Telecom Consulting Services
Corp., and Duperval's sister.
"The telecommunications
company executed a series of
contracts with Haiti Teleco that
allowed the company's cus-
tomers to place telephone calls
to Haiti", the indictment noted,
stating that the alleged "corrupt
payments were authorized by
the telecommunications compa-
ny's president and vice presi-
dent and were allegedly paid to
successive Haitian government
officials at Haiti Teleco".

'BUSINESS ADVANTAGES'
"The purpose of these
bribes was to obtain various
business advantages from the
Haitian officials for the
telecommunications company,
including issuing preferred


telecommunications rates,
reducing the number of min-
utes for which payment was
owed, and giving a variety of
credits toward sums owed, as
well as to defraud the
Republic of Haiti of revenue",
the indictment added.
"To conceal the bribe pay-
ments, the defendants allegedly
used various shell companies to
receive and forward on the
payments", the Justice
Department noted.
In addition, it charged
that the defendants "created
false records claiming that the
payments were for consulting
services, which were never
intended or p, r, rm d .

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Brave heart: Jamaican American carries fight to leukemia in U.S.


DAWN A. DAVIS

Imagine being diagnosed
with leukemia cancer of
the bone marrow blood
characterized by an out-of-
control accumulation of blood
cells. Like most cancers, these
leukemic cells are so strong
they quickly and easily out-
strip normal cells, severely
compromising one's health.
Can't imagine? Well,
Barbara Gordon knows this
malignant disease inside out,
she has been living with it for
nearly 20 years. Diagnosed in
1990, Jamaican-born Gordon,
now 70, is a retired nurse, a
survivor, an advocate for
awareness and change.
"I am an Anglican and
several years ago attended a
Episcopal Church Women's
convention. At the end of it, I
said to my dear friend Carmen
Chang, I have lived seventeen
years with leukemia, and I am
now in my twentieth year. I
think I would like to do some-
thing that will heighten the
awareness of the importance
of bone marrow for people
who have leukemia," Gordon
told Caribbean Today.
"I had the thought and


she took up the gauntlet and
ran."
That conversation was
the catalyst that started the
Leukemia Bone Marrow
Awareness, Inc. in 2006, a non-
profit organization to educate
and nudge the healthy to donate
bone marrow for those in need.


Gordon


The organization started with
walks to raise funds and aware-
ness, the most recent on Dec. 5,
2009. The seed that Gordon
planted in her friend's heart has
grown into a serious movement.
So, how exactly did
Gordon discover she had
leukemia?
"I was in Jamaica on
vacation," she recalled. "One
Sunday night about midnight I


felt like someone used a hot
poker and went through the
bone of my right thigh. I also
had shortness of breath. I ran
to my friends who were in the
other bedroom and said I
think I am gonna die tonight.
I lived on aspirin until I
returned to the U.S., but by
then the pain has subsided.
"I went back to work at
Lennox Hill Hospital in New
York, where I worked as a
nurse. About two weeks after
I got back, this particular
Sunday I went to church. I did
feel a little feverish, but went
anyway. When I got home, I
went to sleep and elevated the
leg. I woke up with the same
stabbing pain."
Gordon went into Lennox
Hill Hospital that evening.
After a series of tests and
blood work, it was ascertained
that her white blood cell count
was 105,000. The normal count
ranges between 4,500 and
11,000. The diagnosis was offi-
cially confirmed leukemia.
Her doctor, head of
oncology/haematology Dr.
Shirley Brown, conducted a
bone marrow test and discov-
ered that Gordon has the type
of leukemia that can be treated


if no bone marrow match is
found.
Her five siblings were
tested for matching bone mar-
row, but none matched her
own. She has since been on
medication to control her
white cell count, although it is
not a cure.
Successful bone marrow
transplant cures the disease,
which is either acute, a more
serious form, or chronic.
Gordon has the chronic form,
which is slow growing and


more easily treated.
"I know it was hopeless,
because if your siblings don't
match, it's difficult for us
black folks to get," she
explained, hLutL we don't
give, so we can't get."
Gordon, through the
Leukemia Bone Marrow
Awareness, Inc., is active in
the South Florida community
including churches, social
clubs such as Kiwanis,
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)


LEARNING ABOUT LEUKEMIA


incorporated in 2006, the
Miami-based Leukemia
Bone Marrow Awareness,
Inc. is a non-profit organiza-
tion created to educate and
offer heightened awareness
about the critical need for
bone marrow donations.
Board members include
Barbara Gordon (founder),
Carmen Chang, Lorna
Feanny, Michael Herrod,
Ruby Henry and Yvonne
Parchment.
The organization's web-
site will be available soon.


However, Gordon can con-
tacted via email at
bgbma.org@bellsouth.net.
Information about treat-
ment, clinical trials, research,
and statistics are also available
through the National Cancer
Institute at http://www.can-
cer.gov/cancertopics/types/leu
kemia, the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society at
http://www. leukemnia.org/hm_
lls, and the Mayo Clinic at
http://www.mayoclinic, com/h
ealth/leukemia/DS00351.
0


January is Cervical Health

Awareness Month


BELLEVILLE, Illinois -
January is "Cervical Health
Awareness Month" and a prime
time to highlight the impor-
tance of routine Pap tests.
Raising awareness among
women with disabilities is
especially important because,
as a group, they are less likely
to get the life-saving test,
according to Allsup, a United
States provider of Social
Security disability representa-
tion and Medicare services.
In the U.S., 11,000 new
cases of cervical cancer will be
diagnosed in 2010 from
human papillomavirus (HPV)-
caused tumors. HPVs are sex-
ually transmitted via skin-to-
skin contact. Recent research
indicates the virus also causes
some cases of cancers of the
mouth, anus, head and neck in
men and women, according to
the National Cervical Cancer
Coalition (NCCC).

PREVENTION
Cervical cancer is the easi-
est female cancer to prevent
with regular screening tests and
follow-up. The Pap test (or Pap
smear) looks for cell changes
on the cervix that might
become cervical cancer if not
treated appropriately. The HPV
test looks for the virus that can
cause these cell changes.
"It's important to remem-


ber that cervical cancer is a
preventable disease as long
as it's caught early enough,"
said NCCC Executive
Director Sarina Araujo.
When cervical cancer is
found early, it is highly treat-
able and associated with long
survival and good quality of
life. Unfortunately, six out of
10 cervical cancers occur in
women who have never
received a Pap test or have
not been tested in the past
five years. This problem is
especially pronounced among
women with disabilities.
Research shows that women
with disabilities are less likely
to get Pap tests than women
without disabilities.
"There is a wide range of
reasons for this disparity," said
Allsup Manager Tai Venuti,
MPH. "The disability may
make the exam itself more diffi-
cult, as in the case of spinal cord
injuries or disorders, or special
equipment may be needed.
Another barrier could be as
simple as not having adequate
transportation to the doctor."
In addition, healthcare
facilities may be inaccessible
and ill-equipped to serve peo-
ple with disabilities, so pre-
ventive services like Pap
smears are overlooked.
0


11 6 n t T 91


feature a comprehensive examination of how the
healthcare industry serves the Caribbean community.


and enjoy a higher disposable income.
19% have a college degree, 32% have some
college. In today's economy, our readers are highly
esteemed. 59.6% own their own homes. 76% are
between 25-54 years of age (readership study conducted by
Circulation Verification Council.


Caribbean Today is uniquely positioned to deliver product, retail and services messages to a community
with which it is identified. Miami Dade Communications Department ranks Caribbean Today sixth overall
out of the 72 publications that it does business with, and number one, as a Black publication.

BE A PART OF THIS SPECIAL EDITION
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CaribbeanTaay
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January 2010





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Ewwcaibanoa.co I.


11 6 n t T 91


Hopes of health spring from Caribbean roots at Florida wellness center


DAWN A. DAVIS

MIAMI Combining alternative
and traditional therapies is not a
novel idea. However, embracing
such a practice is not the norm
by most western/traditional-
trained physicians.
Jamaican-born, Florida-
based Dr. Wentworth Jarrett is
not the norm.
The University of the
West Indies and University of
Miami-trained family physician
has developed a practice based
on his Caribbean background,
experiences and traditional
medical training. Dr. Jarrett's
Wellness Center, located here,
is a welcoming destination for
mind, body and soul.
"Growing up as a
Caribbean person, and more
importantly, seeing all the nat-
ural remedies at work and
interacting with diverse people
C('lIIiL Jamaicans, Indian
Jamaicans, Jamaicans of
African descent, that's where it
all starts," says Dr. Jarrett, who
is from Kingston.
"We decided to focus on
evidence-based recommenda-
tions and try to incorporate it
into a wellness perspective,
where our office becomes not
just a sickness destination, but a
wellness destination. So the con-
cept of wellness is the core."
The experience begins as
soon as clients enter the space.
Doors are oversized, as are the
rooms, with high ceilings.
Calming colors, non-glare light-


ing, engaging artwork, and a
colorful fish tank in the waiting
area add to the center's tran-
quility.

HOLISTIC
This inviting space and Dr.
Jarrett's holistic philosophy
attract a variety of patients. The
doctor sees patients/clients from
all over the world, including
Vietnam, India, Pakistan,


t

Jarrett
Britain, South America, Jamaica
and Cuba. And, according to
Dr. Jarrett, many are already
using alternative therapies such
as acupuncture, herbal medi-
cines like sour sop leaf, noni.
"Holistic doesn't just mean
drinking bush tea and taking
noni," he says. "Holistic means
addressing the total mind and
body, and realizing that they
are not separate entities. In my


practice, I don't treat your
heart and ignore your toes. I
don't treat your psychological
issues or your marital issues
and ignore the fact that your
belly pain might be related."
For Dr.
Jarrett, taking
care of the mind
and body also
involves the
practice of yoga
and pilates. The
spa's certified
yoga and pilates
instructors guide
clients through
the art and
"heart" of medi-
tation, flexibility
and strength
through classes
held several
times per week.
A massage ther-
apist, acupunc-
turist and aes-
thetician are
also integral to
the practice.
"We offer
nutraceuticals,
vitamins that
are evidence-
based, meaning
there is some Pilates room
evidence that
taking these things make a dif-
ference," Dr. Jarrett says. "In
fact, Vitamin C in appropriate
doses, various lipid-lowering
agents and niacin products are
being recommended now in
mainstream medicine. So, this


is just the beginning of what
we are trying to do."

COMPLEMENTARY
Practicing medicine in
South Florida for more than 20


years, Dr. Jarrett treats issues
such as diabetes, hypertension
and heart disease. He also per-
forms pap smears, digital rectal
exams and colorectal screen-
ings, and also orders mammog-
raphy and gives vaccinations.


LEUKEMIA: STATISTICS, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT


According to the
United States
National Institutes of
Health's National Cancer
Institute, the estimated num-
ber of new cases of leukemia
each year is more than 40,800
adults and 3,500 children.
The institute also estimates
that the number of deaths in
2009 was 21,870.
Some symptoms of
leukemia could include bone
pain or tenderness, shortness
of breath, swollen lymph


nodes, loss of appetite, fre-
quent infections, weakness or
fatigue.
A routine blood test can
detect chronic leukemia.
Further testing, which may
include bone marrow sam-
pling, is more definitive.
Depending on the type
of leukemia, treatment
involves therapies such as
chemotherapy or radiation to
stop the growth or kill
leukemia cells. Anti-cancer
drugs are also an option, as is


biological therapy to boost
the immune system.
Bone marrow transplant,
if a match is found, is a good
option because the procedure
replaces the cancer-produc-
ing marrow. The goal is to
reach complete remission.
Many with leukemia today
are living relatively healthy
lives with aggressive and
novel drug therapies.
Although there is no spe-
cific data on the incidence of
leukemia in Caribbean


nationals living in the U.S.,
the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society reports that a certain
kind of blood cancer that
originates in the lymphatic
system, T-cell lymphoma, is
associated with Caribbean,
South American, African and
southern Japanese popula-
tions. The society reports
that about 74,490 people in
the U.S. were stricken with
lymphoma in 2009.
0


Brave heart: Jamaican American carries fight to leukemia in U.S.


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)
Caribbean events and univer-
sities, advocating for survivors
and underscoring the impor-
tance of bone marrow dona-
tions. She and her colleagues
educate the fearful on the
ease and painless procedure
of bone marrow testing and
donation.
"Testing for a match is
just a cheek swab where a
tongue depressor is used to
slightly scrape for a sample,"
she said.
"So, it's painless. Then


you go through a deeper tis-
sue test and blood work. You
can then qualify to be added
to the registry. So, when there
is a patient that requires bone
marrow, if you are a match
your marrow is used."
Gordon said the response
has been positive. She noted
that the partnership with
Miami-Dade College of West
Kendall has resulted in many
students signing up to volun-
teer for donor testing. The
non-profit's annual walks are
held on the college grounds.


With plans to award
grants to leukemia patients
who lack insurance and other
financial support, Gordon is
optimistic about the continued
growth and future of the
Leukemia Bone Marrow
Awareness, Inc. And, although
diagnosed with breast cancer
about a year ago, which has
been brought under control
with lumpectomy and radia-
tion, Gordon remains strong,
positive, and optimistic about
life and the organization.
"The organization is in the


embryonic stage in compari-
son to others," she said. "But
we see the importance and we
see the responses... Tomorrow
is not promised to anyone, so
you get up in the mornings
and you say 'thank God, I can
put one foot in front of the
other'. Don't give up, although
when He is ready you have to
go, but, don't give up."

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


His wellness center has been in
operation for more than a year
and the number of patients
seeking traditional and alterna-
tive approaches is rapidly
growing. Dr. Jarrett believes
that's a healthy trend.
"I would certainly not sug-
gest to anyone that they aban-
don traditional medical treat-
ment," he explains. "However,
I view western-style medicine
and alternative therapy as
complementary.
"For example, a patient of
mine with lung cancer has incor-
porated acupuncture in addition
to traditional medicine for pain,
and is doing very well. For nau-
sea I recommended the use a
crystalline ginger herb and it
worked very beautifully. The
patient is doing quite well. That's
an example of how non-tradi-
tional perspectives can help."

'NO MYSTERY'
Part of the wellness center
offering is nutritional counseling.
"A vegan diet is absolutely
wonderful, if you can do it,"
says Dr. Jarrett.
"We know that the average
Seventh-Day Adventist, who is a
vegan, lives an average of seven
years longer than the regular
population. The best nutritional
diet in terms of longevity and
cardiovascular health known in
the world is the Mediterranean
diet, which is high in vegetables
and low in animal fats and chem-
ical preservatives.
"There is no real mystery
as to why we have so many
health issues among our
Caribbean people and those in
the Western world; it's because
we eat so much synthetic foods
and animal fats. Overall, it is
about reduced stress, activity
and nutrition."
The family physician
explains that people in the
United States with cardiovas-
cular or heart disease frequent-
ly get catheterizations, stents
and so on. However, what they
really need, he stresses, is prop-
er diet and lifestyle, and med-
ical management focusing on
weight reduction, decreasing
animal fats, exercise, possibly
daily aspirin and/or nitrates.
"They do not need to have
the chest split to have angio-
plasty," says Dr. Jarrett. "In
reality they have been inflect-
ed $100 to $200,000 worth of
expenses, pain and misery."
Treating the whole, there-
fore, is key to health and balance.
"People realize we are
paying attention to more than
just what insurance they have
or the disease process," says
Dr. Jarrett. "Rather, we look at
the entire person and body. I
think people appreciate that."

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


January 2010





CARIBBEAN TODAY


The United States
Census Bureau is kick-
ing off a $340 million
media campaign to persuade
people to fill out their census
forms, but how much of that
money will the Caribbean
American media see?
That's the question
CaribID, the movement formed
in 2008 to get Caribbean nation-
als accurately counted by the
U.S. Census through their own
origin category, want answered.
CaribID founder Felicia
Persaud said while Steve Jost,
associate director of the U.S.
Census Bureau, is claiming
that "little more than half the
money will go towards local
advertising in order to reach
harder-to-count communi-
ties," several Caribbean media
houses are yet to be
approached on advertising.
"It is an outrage and a
shame," said Persaud. "How
are Caribbean media houses
supposed to push the message
without a dime in advertising
or support?"
In New York City alone,
where as Mayor Mike
Bloomberg pointed out at the
Jan. 4 Time Square mega
launch of Census 2010, there
are more people of Caribbean
ancestry outside the region
than anywhere else on earth,
no Caribbean American media
houses have received a single
insertion order. Worst, of the
hundreds of millions being
spent, not a single Caribbean
American company has
received a slice of the sub-con-
tracting dollars.

'BLACK' BUY
Instead, the Caribbean ad
buy may be a mere sliver of the
overall bl,, k buy that has
been handed off to an African
American agency completely
unfamiliar with the Caribbean
American media landscape and
one that has been marred in
controversy. This despite the
fact that officials like Mayor
Bloomberg and
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke


agree that the Caribbean
American demographic is defi-
nitely a hard to count segment
of the American population.
"Caribbean nationals
across the country should be
outraged and insulted by the
continued dismissal by the
U.S. government," said
Persaud, who advocated for
the introduction of the
Caribbean Count bill by
Congresswoman Clarke and
senators Chuck Schumer and
Kristin Gillibrand in the U.S.
Congress and Senate in April
and May of 2009.
"The fact that every other
group, especially Asians and
Latinos, are being addressed
while the Caribbean segment
remains ignored shows the
exact level of respect that is
being given to this community.
We too have our own identity
and not all Caribbean nation-
als are black. Its not about
division but facts."
Persaud is urging the
Caribbean media to use their
voice to speak out on this dis-
regard and to send a clear
message to the White House,
the census and congressional
officials through letters, e-
mails and op eds, that the con-
tinued dismissal will not be
tolerated.
"That's the power that's
really in our hands," added
Persaud, while reiterating the
importance of the movement
to the future empowerment of
Caribbean nationals across the
U.S.

The above article was submit-
ted by CaribPR Wire on Jan.
5. CaribPR Wire is part of
Hard Beat Communications,
Inc., a Caribbean-focused
advertising, public relations
and news agency based in the
U.S. Felicia Persaud is also
founder/executive editor of
CaribWorldNews, a service
offered by Hard Beat
Communications.
0


VIEW PO i nT


Is Caribbean media being

shut out of expensive

census push in U.S.?


UKww6aibentdy6o


Human beings have a
difficult task as they
traverse the social
landscape. We have to learn as
we go along, follow examples
set by others, or if we're lucky,
get taught by a parent or older
sibling.
But even as we learn, they
keep changing the rules. Girls
are supposed to live a certain
way, and should be treated in
the right manner. They say it's
a man's world, but women
seem to have so much going
for them. When they marry
and divorce, they get the lion's
share of the assets, plus the
man has to keep on paying
and paying and paying.
Alimony or Allthemoney?
The children are usually
left in their care. Men take
them out, wine and dine them
and always pay the bill. A
woman can leave her house
with no money and still have a
wonderful evening on the
town. For the man though, it's
a different story, and he better
follow the rules or he'll be a
very lonely hombre.
This can pose severe
problems for young men, for
people just expect them to
know what to do all the time.
Sadly, they don't, and make
silly mistakes. It can be trau-
matic, as boys make this tran-
sition from boys to men. The
world can be unforgiving, and
so can some women.
But luckily many young
boys get a little help along the
way. Others who don't can be
scarred emotionally for life,
and sadly take it out on socie-
ty or on some hapless women.
When they examine the histo-
ry of many sex offenders, they
will have found some emo-
tional scarring as the young
lads entered into the realm of
puberty, when they turned
from boys to men.

BLAME
Boys do eventually turn
into men, but the process can
be a painful and emotionally
troublesome journey. Many
eminent psychologists have
had the theory that a young
man's future is molded by how


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ous about failing, so he fails.
Women have no such prob-
lem, as they just lay back and
expect a good showing from
the man. He better come good
too, or his reputation will be
at stake.

UNDER PRESSURE
From a boy enters this
world he is put under pres-
sure. The first thing that his
mother does is count his fin-
gers and toes, while the first
thing that his father does is
check out the size of the
infant's penis. Yes folks, the
size of that prized organ will
shape and determine the emo-
tional state of that boy/man
until the day he dies.
Most men are obsessed by
the size of their organ, with
the majority thinking that
theirs is too small. Every man
wants to know if his woman's
previous lover was bigger or
smaller than him. But the
ladies are smart, and no previ-
ous lover in the history of
mankind has ever been bigger
than the current one. And
that's a statistic that will last
forever.
This penile obsession
leads to a feeling of inadequa-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)


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he connects
with his
mother.
Boys
who have no
fathers also
have certain
problems
that manifest
Lhe INA c hl TONY
later in their ROBINSON
lives. It's usu-
ally handed
down through generations, as
a boy who grew up with his
father beating his mother, usu-
ally ends up being an abuser
himself. Alcoholic fathers
spawn alcoholic sons, and
fathers who abandon their
sons usually have the sons
doing the same thing to their
family.
It's a cruel cycle that fol-
lows boys as they turn to men,
and so many people are not
aware of the serious problems
and pitfalls that young men
encounter as they make this
important transition.
So it's not really a man's
world after all, at least not
entirely. Even during the sex
act a young man is nervous,
resulting often in performance
anxiety, which turns into a self
fulfilling prophecy, leaving the
woman unfulfilled. He's nerv-


Growing pains of boys to men linger a long time


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CARIBBEAN TODAY


Ewwcaibanoa.co I.


VIEW uPO n T


U.S. racial hope fades with painful realities, despite Obama's appeal


In my favorite "Star Trek"
episode, Captain James T.
Kirk and the crew of the
starship Enterprise encoun-
tered humanoids from a plan-
et embroiled in war over an
issue as clear as black and
white. Literally. The planet
Cheron is locked in a race
war. This astonishes earth-
lings. To us, all Cheronians
look alike. Their skin is evenly
divided, half-black and half-
white, down the middle of
their faces and bodies.
A perplexed Captain Kirk
asks, what is the difference
that Cheronians are fighting
about? "Isn't it obvious?" says


a Cheronian who is white on
his left side, "All of his people
are white on the RIGHT side."
The episode, like all good
fiction, helps us come to grips
with painful realities. It first
aired in 1969, a time when our
country's racial d ill r IL 1 1,
were erupting in riots and
assassinations. The black-white
planet was doomed by its
inhabitants' inability to deal
even with the slightest diversity.
Could we earthlings do better?

SCARCE HOPE
Flash forward 40 years. A
year after two-thirds of
Americans polled expressed


lqesfomanle 1vu~


I~1EiTURDA fEB IOTH,1
p~1'r7 00-IOPM


high hopes
for a post-
racial future,
Gallup says,
"there is
scarcely more
hope" for a
solution on
race than
there was
before.
If so, I


CLARENCE
PAGE


am not sur-
prised. In
fact, I am somewhat relieved
that we Americans are show-
ing ourselves to be optimistic
but also realistic. We know
one election is not going to
solve our racial challenges. We
still have hope. We have only
raised our standards for how
we define our long-sought
"solution".
Since 1963, Gallup has
been asking Americans
whether we think relations
between blacks and whites
"will always be a problem for
the United States, or that a
solution will eventually be
worked out". The optimistic
view that a solution will be
worked out surged to an all-


time high of 67 percent the
day after Obama's election,
but a year later only 56 per-
cent express that belief. That's
statistically the same as the 55
percent who felt that way back
in Dec. 1963, when Gallup first
asked the question.
"In short, despite all that
has happened in the interven-
ing d,.d,, ', says Gallup,
"there is scarcely more hope
now than there was those
many years ago that the
nation's race-relations situa-
tion will be o kd .

REALISTIC
But Gallup should not
sound so gloomy. The
Americans in their survey are
being realistic. Americans
might want to be post-racial,
but I think we also know in
our heart of hearts that we're
not ready yet.
After all, it was not that
long ago that Gallup found
our racial optimism at an all-
time low of 29 percent. That
was in Oct. 1995, shortly after
O.J. Simpson's acquittal of
double murder dramatically
revealed the nation's racial
divide on national television.
Seldom has our state of race
looked so bleak. Yet, Tiger
Woods was becoming a new
cultural hero across racial
lines, Oprah Winfrey already
was, and Colin Powell was
seriously being urged by high-
powered fans in both parties
to run for president. Change
was in the air. Hope was being

Growing pains of boys
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
cy and low self esteem, as their
net worth is determined by the
gross weight, length and girth
of their organ. They sing the
blues. This perceived problem
haunts young boys and grown
men for as long as they live.
As the boy grows older,
he's now faced with the daunt-
ing prospect of approaching
females he may fancy. Sounds
simple, right? But if you're a
gangly, pimply, gawky teenag-
er it can be as difficult as fac-
ing a hungry lion.
Rejection can be like a
dagger through the heart of a
male teenager and can shatter
his self esteem for years.

UNCERTAINTY
Then he approaches man-
hood, the period when he's no
longer a boy, but not yet quite
a man. Now confidence is
paramount, so he has to have
the latest "bling" stuff, the
phone, car, good job, the
works. If he's fortunate
enough to be educated and
has all the trappings of the
young up-and-coming-man,
then it's not so bad, not so
much anxiety, although he


kept alive.
It is a sign of our progress
that racism has been driven
underground, if not eliminated.
But racial suspicions rise to fill
the gap. For example, it is hard
for me to read about church
pastors like the Reverend
Wiley Drake of Buena Park,
California, or Pastor Steven
Anderson of Tempe, Arizona -
who have proudly prayed for
Obama to die soon and not
wonder how much race might
be a motivating factor in their
prayers.
But race is such a touchy
topic these days that you can
be accused of being a racist
just for bringing it up.
Obama's thoughts on racial
profiling led Fox News star
Glenn Beck to call the presi-
dent "a racist" who liiL,,
white culture." When Katie
Couric later asked him, "What
is 'white culture'?" Beck
looked surprised. He accused
Couric of trying to "trap" him
and refused to answer. That's
too bad. I, too, would like to
know what he means by
"white culture." By under-
standing my dullhi rL n1L with
people who come from other
cultures, I hope to gain a bet-
ter understanding of what I
have in common with them -
even with Glenn Beck.

2009 Clarence Page.
Distributed by Tribune Media
Services, Inc.



to men linger a long time
can't be sure if the ladies want
him for himself, or for his posi-
tion in life. After all, women
are drawn to wealth, so take
that away and where does that
leave him? More anxiety, as
he's now in a dilemma, a
quandary, a pool of despair as
he sings the blues.
Then he grows older,
takes himself a bride and pro-
ceeds to live happily ever
after. No one told him that
happily ever after only occurs
in the fairy tales. He laments
the loss of his freedom, and
even though he loves his wife
and children, he feels like a
caged animal, pacing in his
enclosure, longing to have a
whiff of the freedom that he
once had. But it's gone forever
and the laments are recited.
So as you can see, the path
of boy to manhood is accom-
panied by a symphony of
blues, and the blues are usually
songs of melancholy. So ladies,
don't believe that you have a
carte blanche on problems, for
boys to men do have their
share of problems too.

seidol@hotmail.com
0


Entries must include the writer's full name, address and telephone number. Each writer Is
allowed one entry. Look out for the name of the winner and the winning composition,
which will be published in the March 2010 issue of Caribbean Today.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS FEB. 15, 2010

Send entries via e-mail to:
ct ads@bellsouth.net or address them to:



9020 S.W. 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157, USA


January 2010





CARIBBEAN TODAY


n RTS


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


Beyonc6's T&T concert sparks uproar among promoters, entertainers


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC A group of promoters
and entertainers say they plan
to write the state-owned
Telecommunications Services of
Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT)
asking it to withdraw its spon-
sorship of the Feb. 18 concert
featuring the American singer
Beyonc6.
Gregory Fernandes, former
chief executive officer of the
Caribbean Prestige Foundation,
who is among those involved in
the effort to get TSTT to
rescind its decision, planned to


FLORIDA A United States
magistrate has ordered
Jamaican reggae star Buju
Banton be held without bail
on drug charges.
Magistrate Anthony
Porcelli made the ruling earli-
er this month after the dance-
hall artiste's new defense
attorney David Oscar Markus
said he would not oppose the
government's request that the
singer be detained.
Banton, whose real name
is Mark Myrie, pleaded not
guilty to U.S. federal charges
that he conspired to buy
cocaine from an undercover
law enforcement officer in
Sarasota, Florida, last month.
The U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration
(DEA) charged that Banton
had contacted a "confidential
informant" about a possible
cocaine purchase. The DEA
said in an affidavit that Banton
and "other men met with the
informant at Sarasota's La
Tropicana de Havana restau-
rant, where the DEA and local
police had set up surveillance."
"Eventually, the group
went to a warehouse to make
the cocaine deal", the affidavit
stated.
NO DEAL
Markus said there was no


ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada,
CMC Calypsonian Elywn
"Wizzard" McQuilkin is
among five Grenadians
named on Queen Elizabeth
II's 2010 honors list.
He has been awarded the
Order of the British Empire
(OBE) in recognition of his
contribution to culture.
McQuilkin, who marked
40 years of calypso singing in
2009, is well known for his hit
song "IMF".


submit the letter to the compa-
ny's Chief Executive Officer
Roberto Peon early this month.
Fernandes, speaking on
local radio here recently, said
that TSTT has already indicated
that it would be reducing its
funding to activities for the car-
nival celebrations this year.
"Bringing Beyonc6 at this
time puts more pressure on the
industry," he said, adding "car-
nival activity is a very high risk
and a lot of bands suffer high
losses."
Fernandes said that the


Buju Banton
sense in seeking bail when
immigration authorities have
placed a detainer on Banton,
36, who is in the U.S. on an
entertainer visa. Markus said
his client will fight the charges
and will not enter into any
plea deal with prosecutors.
"We will be going to trial.
He did not commit the crimes
he's charged with. He was not
in any conspiracy," Markus
told reporters, adding that
with regards to the immigra-
tion detainer, there should be
a "presumption of innocence.
In~kId there is a pre-
sumption of guilt in immigra-
tion," he said, disclosing that the
criminal case against Banton is
scheduled for a status confer-
ence in next month and tenta-
tively set for trial in March.


Other Grenadians being
honored by the queen are
Carriacou businessman
Franklyn Theodore St. Bernard
Bullen, for service to the busi-
ness community; Faith Jessamy,
for public service training and
farming; Susanna Antoine for
her contribution to education;
and footballer Jason Roberts
for his service to the sports
industry.
0


group of promoters and enter-
tainers "want to discuss with
TSTT the position they have
taken to present Beyonc6 in
concert so soon after carnival
and their decision to cut back
and even pull sponsorship of
carnival events."
COST
Fernandes also said accord-
ing to media reports, the pro-
duction cost for the Beyonc6
concert is in the vicinity of
TT$10 million ($1.4 million).
The Recording Industry
Association of Trinidad and
Tobago (RIATT) said it was
also raising objection to the
concert.
"The state making a $10
million investment to stage an
artiste like Beyonc6 in Trinidad


Beyonc6
and Tobago is a very large
investment", noted RIATT


General Secretary Fabien
Alphonso in a press statement.
"Not using this occasion to
initiate discussions on collabora-
tions between Beyonc6 and any
of our local flagship artistes
would be considered a wasted
opportunity as the Trinidad and
Tobago Entertainment Company
Ltd (TYENT) was established
for this exact purpose.
"Furthermore, it's unfortu-
nate that TIENT is not engaged
in the planning process of an
event of this magnitude. This
would have ensured an opportu-
nity to position local music inter-
nationally via the current largest
female performer in the world",
he added.
But Lisa Agard, executive
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)


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In Lowebird Eecuive class entoy deliuous meals o snacks Champagne. fine wines and liquor s Lovebira Emeculive Lounges
in Kingtion and Montegg Gav Exclusive c.heck-in and pnorrT luggage handling Option to board etyouriAesur
Fares are per person for one-way travel In Lovebird Executive Class effective January 11, 2010. Reservations for all sectors are required at least 7 days before
departure. Change penalties of $15000 and other restrictions may apply-Seats are limited and may not be available onallflights.U.S.and foreign government
imposed taxes and fees of up to $105.00 per person are additional and due with final payment A September 1 Ith security fee of $2.50 per person per U.S.
enplanement is additional and due with final payment A ticketing fee of $20.00 will be charged when purchasing tickets at Air Jamaica ticketing outlets.
Tickets are non-refundable-


Buju Banton denied bail in U.S.;

reggae star to fight drug charge


Calypsonian among five Grenadians

honored by Britain's Queen Elizabeth


January 2010


LW-Ww.caribbeantoday.com








n R T S & NTERTAIn T


Powerful voices, online band quest among Jamaica's jazz fest attractions


The powerful voices of
some of America's top
soul singers, among them
Erykah Badu, Babyface and
legend Gladys Knight, are
among the main attractions at
this month's Jamaica Jazz and
Blues Festival.
The event, set for Jan. 24-
30, will also feature American
act Hall and Oates and British
vocalist Joss Stone, fused with a
local blend such as jazz Monty
Alexander and reggae artistes

POWER UICER


^- -


Marion Hall and the Third
World band.
The 2010 festival will also
feature small concerts, with
select artistes performing at var-
ious hotels in Jamaica, including
Sunset Jamaica Grande,
Iberostar, RIU, Sunset Resort
Montego Bay, and the Jamaica
Pegasus in Kingston from Jan.
24 to 27.
The main stage event will
be hosted on the final three days
from Jan. 28 to 30 at the


.4 111"-e i C'i. .w ,





















Miami-Dade County
Corn missioner
District 1
Mon and Pop Small Business Grant Program
For Miami-Dade County, District 1
Grant funds available to
qualifying business owners

Up to $5,000
Applications available for pick up
January 26, 2010 February 17,2010
at the following locations:
*District Office: 2780 NW 167 Street. Miami, FL 33055
* Neighbors And Neighbors Association (NANA) 180 NW 62 Street Miami FL 3315(
* Applcations will also be available for download at: T G : 4 : .

There will be a mandatory information/workshop meeting explaining the application
and requirements held on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, 6:00 p m at the Nort
Dade Regional Library at 2455 NW 183 Sreel1 Businesses noi in attendance will not
be considered for fundfg. please be on lime!
Return 1 original and 1 copy of the completed application in person, to one of the above
listed locations between February 18 2010 February 23. 2010.5:00 pm
(We suggest you keep a copy also for your records)
For more ifo. contact Lany Gardner at Commissoner Jordan's District Office at
305-474-3011
Or
Neighbor And Nesghbors Association (NANA)
M. Lawanza Finney at 305-756-0605 Irom 10 a m 4 p.m.
All applications wiln be subject to election ucommefM rweew.


Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny.
The newest addition to the
program is "JJ&B Band Quest"
- an online audition of undis-
covered talent vying for a
chance to perform at the festi-
val. Contestants must join the
JJ&B Fan Zone and the JJ&B
Band Quest Group at
http://jamaicajazz.com to cre-
ate a profile and upload a pic-
ture and video of their band or
group. The number of votes and
points from the online audience
will determine who is chosen to
audition live in Jamaica and


ENTERTAINMENT

BRIEFS

Calypso king spends
Christmas in jail
Antigua and Barbuda's reign-
ing king of calypso Leston "Young
Destroyer" Jacobs, who is facing
gun-related charges, reportedly
spent Christmas behind bars after
a high court judge denied his
application for bail.
Jacobs, 27, was arrested in
November after two firearms and
more than 100 rounds of ammuni-
tion were allegedly found at his
home. He was jointly charged with
Ceylon Howe, 19, whose bail
application was also denied.

Jamaica addressing violent
songs
The Jamaica government is taking
a multi- pronged approach to
solving the problem of explicitly
sexual and violent songs and their
wide accessibility in the public
space.
Information Minister Daryl Vaz
recently said this approach would
continue until successful out-
comes were achieved and sus-
tained.

Compiled from CMC and other
sources.
0


favorite act via text message.
The winners of the 2010
Jamaica Jazz and Blues Band
Quest will be awarded prizes and


Knight
U.S. cities such as New York,
Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta.
A team of judges will select
the final three. The winners will
be added to the line-up of the
festival and their auditions, as
well as interviews, will be
uploaded to the Jamaica Jazz
and Blues Festival website,
along with interviews from the
judges.
Patrons at the festival will
be asked to choose their


Stone


secure a booking to perform on
the festival's main stage in 2011.
For more information on the
festival, including ticket informa-
tion, visit www.jamaicajazzand-
blues.com.
0


Beyonce's T&T concert sparks uproar among promoters, entertainers


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
head of Mobile and Legal
Services at TSTT, said the com-
pany would be in breach of its
contract with Beyonc6 if it dis-
closes the cost for the concert.
"I can't give you exact num-
bers, particularly with regard to
what she is costing," Agard
reportedly told a local newspa-
per. "Not because we have any
reluctance to disclose it, but
there are confidentiality provi-
sions in her contract with us."

SPENDING
But she insisted that her
company's involvement in other
activities for the carnival would
not suffer as a result of the
show.
"I can tell you that when you


look at all of the things we are
involved in whether in culture,
sports or in the community gen-
erally in Trinidad and Tobago
our expenditure on those far
exceeds the expenditure we are
going to incur as a result of this
concert.
"We have spent, we will
spend and will continue to
spend millions of dollars spon-
soring many carnival events.
That commitment remains," she
said.
Meanwhile, TSTT has con-
firmed that a company owned
by West Indies cricket icon
Brian Lara and star footballer
Dwight Yorke was one of the
main contractors for the con-
cert. TSTT spokesman Grame
Suite said that LAY
Management has been retained


by TSTT to help in the coordi-
nation and logistics associated
with the event, and Agard said
the company would assume
responsibility for the venue
minus stage, sound and lights
when the country's largest
telecommunications provider
signs the contract.
Public Utilities Minister
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was
quoted in a publication of the
NEWSDAY newspaper as
ordering TSTT to produce a
report over its expenditure for
concert.
"On the matter of the
expenditure, I have asked for the
facts and for a report on what
the facts are," Abdul-Hamid
reportedly told the newspaper.
0


CARNIVAL GROOVE


rnlutu apil uy RUIandI nyut
Jamaican American Tyson Beckford, right, host of Bravo television's "Make Me a Super
Model", recently joined Trinidadian ambassadors at Antilia Carnival to rev up New Yorkers'
interest in Trinidad and Tobago's 2010 carnival. Former Miss Universe, Trinidad and
Tobago's Wendy Fitzwilliam, left, assisted Beckford in educating enthusiastic attendees
about carnival culture. Soca artiste Machel Montano performed for New Yorkers who had
gathered in Tribeca. The event was produced by Caribbean-owned entertainment brand
Antilia Inc. and featured stilt walkers, live steel pan music and premium Caribbean hors
d'oeuvres. T&T's carnival is set to culminate in the streets of Port of Spain Feb. 15 and 16.


CARIBBEAN TODAY


January 2010





CARIBBEAN TODAY


TOUR


Ss m


/T R Vn 6 I


Caribbean tourist arrivals from U.K.

up in 2010, airline official predicts


LONDON, England, CMC -
Caribbean countries are likely
to record an increase in visitor
arrivals from the United
Kingdom this year, a senior
British Airways official has
said.
"Compared to the same
period of last year, we are
really pleased with the early
bookings that are taking
place," said the airline's cor-
porate sales manager, Simon
Brooks.
"We are talking double
digit growth as far as early
bookings. We are reasonably
optimistic in a very tough
environment about the situa-
tion in the Caribbean (in
2010)."
Brooks, speaking after
the Caribbean Tourism
Organization (CTO)'s
European Marketing Forum
here recently, declined to give
details, but said there was rea-
son to be positive. Brooks rep-


resented B.A.'s chief executive
officer, Willie Walsh, at the pre-
World Travel Market (WTM)
event.
But in a recorded presen-
tation, Walsh expressed a
desire to strengthen the carri-
er's relationship with the
Caribbean, adding that the
holiday travel from the U.K.
to the region remained strong.
"The leisure market, par-
ticularly the market between
the Caribbean and the U.K. is a
very strong market," Walsh told
delegates, including tourism
ministers, directors of tourism
and other stakeholders.
"Leisure business from
the U.K. has grown relatively
strong and it's one of the rea-
sons we've seen British
Airways grow its presence in
this market and we see further
opportunities for expansion in
the years ahead."
0


Exploring Jamaica made

easier via GPS


Exploring Jamaica just
got easier with the cre-
ation of the Caribbean's
first GPS navigation map data
known as JAMNAV.
The Mona
Geolnformatics Institute of
the University of the West
Indies in Jamaica has devel-
oped and released JAMNAV,
which it claims offers turn by
turn, voice assisted navigation
across Jamaica.
The technology includes
over 9,300 miles of roads and
15,000 points of interest,
including petrol stations,
hotels, restaurants, shopping
places and attractions.
"JAMNAV has been cre-
ated by Jamaicans that have
an intimate knowledge of its
terrain, and is the first of its
kind in the Caribbean," said


Jamaica's Director of Tourism
John Lynch in a recent press
release.
According to the release,
JAMNAV is based on the Garmin
platform, a worldwide leader for
personal navigation devices. The
Mona Geolnformatics Institute
worked as the local developer
ensuring local ol ipk XiII \\ %L rL
taken into consideration, such as
one-way streets and parochial
roads.
JAMNAV is currently
available from Avis Car
Rental at both of Jamaica's
international airports in
Kingston and Montego Bay,
and is available with or with-
out a rental car. The technolo-
gy has been available since
summer 2009.


Cuba attracts record two million tourists


HAVANA, Cuba, CMC -
Tourism Minister Manuel
Marrero believes visitor
arrivals to Cuba should reach
2,425,000 for 2009, a new
record for the country.
In a report presented to
Parliament late last month,
Marrero said that if the island
achieves this figure it would
represent a 3.3 percent
increase in arrivals compared
to the previous year.
Cuba's tourism minister
said Canada was Cuba's
largest market followed by
Great Britain and Spain.


He explained that the
increase in tourist arrivals has
been bolstered by the comple-
tion and use of new accommo-
dations that include another
2,000 rooms at the main
tourist resorts.
Before outlining his
development strategy for the
2010-2015 period, which
includes investments with
Cuban capital, Marrero said
that 60 percent of what the
island markets comes from
local production.
0


Delta resumes service between Atlanta and Tobago


Delta airlines last month
resumed service from
Atlanta, United States
to the Caribbean island of
Tobago.
The Tobago House of
Assembly (THA) announces
the reactivation of nonstop
service between Atlanta's
Hartsfield-Jackson International
Airport and Tobago's Crown
Point International Airport.
The Atlanta-Tobago non-
stop service will be seasonal


and will operate once a week,
departing Atlanta on
Saturday at 4:05 p.m. and
returning from Tobago on
Sunday mornings at 9:05 a.m.
until April 24, 2010.
The flight will be operated
on a Boeing 737-800, with 144
seats in economy class and 16
in first class. The service, that
will complement Delta's exist-
ing service between Port of
Spain and Atlanta, and Port of
Spain and New York-JFK,


allows travelers from the U.S.
to by-pass the previously
required stop-over and possi-
ble overnight in Trinidad.
"Our guests will be able
to plan their vacation to the
island with greater ease,"
said Assemblyman Oswald
Williams, Secretary for Tourism
and Transportation at the
Tobago House of Assembly,
in a recent press release.
0


Jamaica officially kicked off its Winter 2009/2010 Travel Season on Dec. 15 by welcoming a couple visitors to the island from the
Washington, D.C. area of the United States who that traveled to Montego Bay onboard an Air Jamaica flight. Edward Neufville and Bahia
Akerele were greeted by several representatives of the island's tourism industry at Sangster International Airport. Photograph shows, front
row from left, Godfrey Dyer, chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF); Carrole Guntley, director general in the Ministry of Tourism;
Akerele; Neufville, Owen Campbell, regional airport manager, Air Jamaica; and back row, from left, John Lynch, Jamaica's director of
tourism; Danville Walker, commissioner of customs; Rosie Johnson, regional manager, Jamaica Tourist Board; and lan Neita, executive
director of the TEF.



Canadian airline pulls out of four


Caribbean destinations


RAWLE TITUS

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada,
CMC Less than a month
after its inaugural flight to
Grenada, the Canadian based
airline Sunwing is ending its
relationship with the island
and three other Caribbean
destinations, industry officials
confirmed last month.
They said that from Jan. 6
the airline would no longer
operate flights to Grenada,
Trinidad, Jamaica and
Guyana.
The Travel Industry
Council of Ontario (TICO), in
an exclusive interview with
the Caribbean Media
Corporation (CMC), said that
Sunrise, the travel agency
which contracted the airline,


had violated the Travel
Industry Act 2002 resulting in
the voluntarily termination of
its registration.
"They didn't have suffi-
cient financing to continue
operating the charters they
were committed for. They are
committed to a risk program
and they did not have suffi-
cient funds," said TICO's
Chief Executive Officer
Michael Pepper.
"They have commitments
to pay Sunwing on a rotation
basis to Kingston, Port of
Spain and Grenada and also
they have another program
with sky services to Guyana.
So they were committed to
paying those carriers in
advance for each of the flights
and they did not have suffi-


cient funds," said Pepper, who
is also the registrar for the
Travel Industry Act.
TICO employees were at
the Toronto airport late last
month informing Sunwing's
Caribbean bound passengers
about the problem and giving
them the option of withdraw-
ing from the flight.
Sunrise's decision to vol-
untarily terminate its registra-
tion follows a meeting last
month between its Chief
Executive Officer Ramnarine
Tiwari and TICO officials.
The departure of Sunwing
will be seen as a major blow to
Grenada following an increase
in visitor arrivals from Canada
in recent months.
0


W-w~crbbatoa. co


FIRST IN LINE


January 2010





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Ew wc6 6banoa. 6o I .


CULTURE


* TITLE: Eroti
Spirituality, a'
Resistance in
Women's Wri






Fre


Black womanhood's link to spirituality,
icism, AUTHOR: Donna Aza any literary scholars
nd Weir-Soley have analyzed the the
Black REVIEWED BY: Dawn JY Lworks of black
tings A. Davis women writers. However,
oftentimes the <';It are
the same, offering no novel
interpretation or new way to
look at these works. Dr.
0g Donna Aza Weir-Soley, on the
other hand, has stepped out-
side the box, offering fresh
:e Consultation perspectives on four literary
voices of the 20th and 21st
Citizenship Work Visas centuries.
SCitizenship Work Visas The author, through her
Representation Permanent book "Eroticism, Spirituality,
in Court Residency and Resistance in Black
Women's Writings", looks at
Defse Adinst Work Permits the interrelationships between
Deportations Fmi Petitions spirituality and eroticism, and
Asylu B Heaing the empowerment of women
through these portals in works
A a by Zora Neale Hurston, Toni
Divorce Morrison, Opal Palmer Adisa
and Edwidge Danticat.
The characters searching
for identity and dealing with
JaEthe suppression or awakening
of their sexual spirit in
Hurston's "Their Eyes Were
Watching God", Morrison's
"Beloved", Palmer Adisa's "It
Begins with T., ar, and
) awa- Danticat's "The Farming of
BI WIL leap off the page in
Weir-Soley's study. Her analy-
ses is warm and sensitive, yet
pushes the boundaries of con-


sexuality and
ventional academic writing.
But, be warned, her introduc-
tion could be intimidating for
the casual or non-academic
reader.
Not to worry, the meat of
the book is an easy read. It is
not necessary to read from
cover to cover.
WEAVE
Weir-Soley deftly reveals
how the four writers weave
traditional West African spiri-
tuality into their stories of
modern-day women. For
example, Hurston, through
her female characters, forces
the reader to look at christian-
ity and the powerful role it
plays in black consciousness,
the remnants of slavery and
racial stereotypes thrust upon
black women of the era.
Morrison's "Beloved" has
both puzzled and intrigued
readers. But Weir-Soley brings
the story into perspective with
her explanation of the role of
female goddesses, the signifi-
cance of African deities, spir-
its, loas and Haitian Voudoun
goddesses. The sexual, spiritu-
al, and emotional violence
experienced by the characters
in "Beloved" culminates in
healing spiritual energy; the
author helps lead the reader


Jamaica to host Jewish Diaspora of the Caribbean confab


Miami-Dade County
Commissioner Katy Sorenson
District 8
Mom and Pop
Small Business Grant Program

I Grant Funds available to
Qualifying business owners





Up to $4,000 for Commercial business or
Up to $2,000 for Home-based business
Applications available for pick up
From Monday, January 25 to Monday, February 8, 2010
Commissioner Sorenson's District Office
South Dade Government Center
10710 SW211 Street, Suite 204, Miami. FL 33189
Online at il,: ,,i.-t,,i- I ,.' 1 ,i")
For all applicants. there will be a Mandatory InformatlonlWorklhop Meeting
explaining the application and requirements on Tuesday, February 9, 2010,
10:00 a.m. (Please be on time) at the South Dade Government Center
10710 SW 211 Street. Conference Room 203
Applicants not in attendance will not be considered for funding.
After attending the Mandalory InformietonlWorkshop Meeting, submit 1 original and
1 copy of the completed application in person to Commisioner Sorenson's Disrlct
Ofic Suite 204. from Februry 9,2010 to February 12, 2010 (lasl day by 5-00 pm)
(We suggest you keep a copy for your records)
For more information. you may contact:
Commstsoner Sorenson's District Office at 305-378A-677
Or
Neighbors And Neighbors Association (NANA)
Me. Lawanza Finney at 305-756-0605 from 10 a.m. 4 p.m.


KINGSTON, Jamaica -
Jamaica will be the host desti-
nation for the inaugural
Jewish Diaspora of the
Caribbean International
Conference this month.
The event, which will be
held from Jan. 12-14 at the
Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, will
feature experts from the
United States, Jamaica, France
and Israel addressing a range
of topics, from cultural history
including architecture, music
and religion, to Caribbean
Jewish identity and heritage.
"Jamaica has a respected
and vibrant Jewish movement
that has aided in the develop-


ment of the country," said
John Lynch, Jamaica's tourism
director.
Ainsley Henriques,
director of the United
Congregation of Israelites,
Kingston and co-chair of the
conference, said: "This confer-
ence is long overdue. We are
pleased with the tremendous
support that we have received
from our partners, and those
participating in the confer-
ence. This conference will be
an avenue to educate, enlight-
en and enrich the lives of the
Caribbean and International
Jewry and introduce other
individuals to the rich culture


and history of our people."
Following the event, from
Jan. 15-16, participants can
engage in a post-conference
program including tours of
prominent sites in Kingston
that are of significant and his-
toric value to the Kingston
Jewish community. Those
include a trip to the University
of the West Indies, Mona cam-
pus where Jewish refugees
from the Holocaust were
housed during World War II to
kiddush and dinner with
Kingston's Jewish community.
0


the past
to this understanding.
The author also nudges
the reader, perhaps uncon-
sciously, to look at his/her own
position in society.
Weir-Soley's view of
Jamaican writer Palmer
Adisa's "It Begins with T. r,
is highly erotic, yet laced with
African and Caribbean tradi-
tional spiritual thought.
COMMON THREAD
The writer-poet identifies
the common thread connect-
ing these four important liter-
ary works: Personal Irun--klL,
African spiritual practices,
sexual energies that spark vio-
lence and healing, denial,
identity and community trans-
formation.
African/Caribbean-cen-
tered practices are at the heart
of the stories.
Resolution is not always
the conclusion, nor should it
be. But certainly readers are
forced to think about black
womanhood and the intense
link between spirituality, sexu-
ality and the power of the past.
Publisher: University Press
of Florida.
Dawn A. Davis is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


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


January 2010


I I Attviltion Small Busincss ONN ners I






CARIBBEAN TODAY


BUS


I n ESS


mamaww


LWW~6 6bbatoa.6o


NE
Ai
is h


WASHINGTON The Inter-
American Development Bank
(IDB) is providing a $10 mil-
lion loan to Barbados to sup-
port productive development
policies and business climate
reforms aimed at improving
the competitiveness of the pri-
vate sector.
The IDB said the loan
would support the expansion of
private sector participation in
the economy and increase gov-
ernment effectiveness by
reducing transaction costs,
modernizing trade logistics and
trade facilitation services and
providing a sound environment
for private sector development.
"It will lead, for example,


to a more expeditious and
equitable processing of invest-
ment applications; and a sub-
stantial reduction in the time
businesses spend on complying
with import/export regula-
tions", the IDB noted, adding
that the loan would also sup-
port the restructuring of insti-
tutions that provide financial
and non-financial business
development services.
The project will finance
new tools for tax policy analysis,
enabling the government to
improve the efficiency and
transparency of its business
taxes, an essential pre-requisite
to an improved business climate.
0


BUSINESS OF EDUCATION


Suzette Rochester, standing far left, manager of Victoria Mutual Building Society's (VMBS)
Florida representative office, reads to students during a recent visit to the Parkway Baptist
Church Wee Care. The VMBS office made a donation of books and school supplies as part
of its community outreach project in Florida. VMBS has opened an office in Miami Gardens
and operates with a mandate to promote its varied products and services to Jamaicans and
friends of Jamaicans in the United States diaspora. VMBS offers financial services geared to
towards savings and investments for retirement, vacation, education and mortgage loans for
residential and commercial purposes.


re


1d
e


Marley Boulevard in Brooklyn
e- businesses are suffering due to events planner and public rela-
the economic downturn and tions/marketing consultant said
high unemployment, but we she will be working with the
is, must be creative and innova- various business owners and
tive to find avenues that will the community to plan events
grow businesses and retain that will aid in the revitaliza-
and create employment for tion of the shopping strip.


Caribbean group seeks to revitalize Bob
EW YORK A Caribbean Council (WIAPAC) plans to City Council members repi
merican group in New York unveil several Caribbean flags senting the districts, which
hoping to inject economic along the strip from East 98th include the new City
Street to Flatbush Avenue Councilman Jumani Willia
while hosting a series of com- to move on the project and
munity events and projects in complete his portion of the
collaboration with the mer- renaming of Bob Marley
chants and residents to include Boulevard, which was not
the "Caribbean Week" cele- ported by the former City
bration in June 2010. Councilman Kendall Stewa
"We must bring back the "We know that many
economic vitalization of
Church Avenue Bob Marley
Boulevard to help our mer-
chants. We cannot afford to
see businesses closed as these
businesses create jobs and fuel
the stability of our communi-
rley ty," said Michael Russell, pres-
ident and founder of WIA-
PAC.
ality into the Bob Marley Russell, who was one of
)ulevard corridor in the creators of the proposal to
ooklyn, N.Y. rename Church Avenue Bob
The West Indian Marley Boulevard, said he will
merican Progressive Action also be meeting with various

IDB offers $10M loan to support

B'dos business, climate reforms


our community," said Esther
Haynes-Tross, public relations
director of WIAPAC.
Tross, a professional


- CaribWorldNews
IF


.,-" :. . :--. -
,;' -- ..
.:. -. .:; I. 'e-.- ._.. .. .-.



Building Better Communities
A Snapshot of Our Progress
The Building Better Communities bond program has reached the five-year mark
with a long roster of work completed or in various phases of planning, design or
construction. Here are some of the projects leaving an imprint on our community.


Community & Human Services
Allapattah YMCA
ASPIRA of Florida
Caleb Center Upgrades
Daily Bread Food Bank
Habitat for Humanity
Hialeah Affordable Housing
Homeless Trust Housing Complex
New Victims' Assistance Center Building
Pierre Community Center
Sunrise Community Training Center
United Way Center for Early Education
Wynwood/Allapattah Service Center
Culture
Cuban Museum
Hispanic Ballet Theater
Historic Hampton House
Jewish Museum
Lyric Theater
South Dade Arts Center
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Restoration
Public Works
Bridge Repairs & IigtMing repairs
Beach Renounshment various locales
Drainage Improvemenis 87196 LF (17 miles)
New 8 Repaired Sidewalks nearly 90 miles
Road Re-surfacing more than 50 miles
Major Infrastructure
Port of Miami Tunnel Design
Marlins Ballpark Construction
Miami Beach Convention Center- Pre- Design
Museum Park Design
Countywide Water/Sewer Improvements
Environmentally
Endangered Lands
Acquisition of more than 2,600 acres as part of
Environmentally Endangered Lands Program


sup-

irt.


Ma

vit
Bo
Br

Ai


County Parks
A.D. Barnes Aqualic Faclily
Amelia Earhart New Facilities
Black Point & Haulover Marina Upgrades
Crandon Tennis Courts Re-surfaced
Redland Fruit & Spice Landscaping
Greynolds Fac.Iily Repairs
Matheson Hammock New Access Road
Miami Metrozoo Amazon & Beyond Exhibit
Tamiami Improved Sports Fields
Tropical Equestrian Center Phase 1
Neighborhood Parks
Coral Reef in Palmetto Bay
Dominoes in Sweetwater
Doral Park and Sportsfields
Grapeland Waterpark
Little Haiti Soccer
Lummus Park
Miami Springs Recreation
Milander Sports Fields
Perrine Park
Royal Oaks Acti.ty Center
South Pointe Park
Sunny isles Active Park
West Miami Recreation
Healthcare Facilities
Jackson Memorial Hospital Emergency,
Pediatric 8 Radiology Units
Jackson SouIh Communiys Hospital
University of Miami Ear Institute
Miami Beach Primary Healthcare Clinic
Mental Health Diversion Facility
Citrus Health Network
Branch Libraries
South Miami Renovations
Miami Springs Upgrades
Shenandoah (City of Miami) Improvements
Northeast Regional Library Design


Tne prOIects 'risteo abt&e are funLde whCIfy. or in part
y' the County's Buildng Beller Communules General
Obligation Bond Program as approved by voters in a
November 2004 referendum, The ambitious building
program, launched in 2005, is scheduled to continue
over the next 15-20 years.


January 2010


MIAM
( Am71401F =D





CARIBBEAN TODAY


Ew wc6 6banoa. 6o I .


SPORT


Canada appoints T&T-born Hart

senior national men's soccer coach


TORONTO, Canada, CMC -
The Canadian Soccer
Association has appointed
Trinidad and Tobago-born
Stephen Hart as head coach of
the country's senior national
men's team, lifting the interim
tag he previously held.
Hart will be in charge of
Canada's qualification efforts
as the country works toward
the 2014 FIFA World Cup
Finals in Brazil.
"He delivers an exciting
brand of football that has
proven to be successful against
our CONCACAF opponents,"
Canada's Soccer Association
President Dr. Dominic
Maestracci announced.
Hart, 49, embraced his
appointment and pledged to
build a successful national
outfit.
"I am honored to be cho-
sen for this prestigious and
very important position," said
Hart, who will be charge of
the team when Canada plays
Jamaica in a friendly interna-
tional in Kingston on Jan. 31.

EXPECTATION
"I am fully aware of the


expectation and look forward
to the challenge of building a
team for the 2014 FIFA World
Cup qualifiers and beyond,"


Hart


added Hart, who made the
T&T national squad as a play-
er in 1980 before migrating to
Canada.
Hart most recently served
as Canada's interim head coach
for the 2009 season, including a
quarter-final finish at the
CONCACAF Gold Cup. He
had also been interim head
coach between 2006 and 2007
after Frank Yallop resigned.
0


Caribbean cricketers in U.S. squad for World 20/20
MIAMI, Florida Several team has been Akhtar Masood Syed (physio-
Caribbean American crick- selected to therapist).
meters have been called up for compete in the The team will travel from
the United States of America ICC World New York to Dubai on Feb. 1
Cricket Association's senior Twenty20 and return from Nepal on
men's team, selected to com- Qualifier and Mar. 1. In Dubai, the round-


pete in the ICC World
Twenty20 Qualifier beginning
next month.
The team will be cap-
tained by Steve Massiah and
will include fellow Caribbean
Americans Timroy Allen,
Orlando Baker, Lennox Cush,
Kevin Darlington, Sudesh
Dhaniram, Glen Hall,
Rashard Marshall, Clain
Williams and Carl Wright. It
will be coached by ex-Guyana
and West Indies batsman
Clayton Lambert.
The senior men's U.S.


* Caribbean sprinters get Olympic
medal upgrade
Bahamian Pauline Davis-Thompson and
other Caribbean sprinters are the bene-
ficiaries after the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) formally re-allocated
Sydney 2000 medals from drug dis-
graced Marion Jones last month.
Davis-Thompson is the new holder
of the women's 200 meters gold medal.
Sri Lanka's Susanthika Jayasinghe
moves up from bronze to silver and
Jamaica's Beverly McDonald from fourth
to the bronze medal third spot.
Jamaican Tanya Lawrence,
Sydney's 100 meters third place finisher
in the, moves up to second and
becomes the duplicate silver medalist
with Greece's Ekaterina Thanou, who
was denied the gold by the IOC for
"moral" reasons. Jamaican Merlene
Ottey is promoted from fourth to third,
securing a sixth career Olympic bronze
medal to go with two silver.

* Jamaican gets lifeline to world box-
ing crown
Veteran light heavyweight boxer Glen


World Cricket
League
Division 5 Lambert
tournaments
in Dubai, UAE and Nepal,
respectively.
The full squad is Allen,
Baker, Cush, Darlington,
Dhaniram, Hall, Marshall,
Massiah, Williams, Wright,
Sushil Nadkarni, Imran Awan,
Usman Shuja, Aditya
Thyagarajan and Saurabh
Verma.
Officials are Lambert,
Imran Khan (manager) and


SPORT BRIEFS
Johnson is scheduled to fight a title
eliminator bout against American Yusaf
Mack late this month.
In November Johnson suffered a
damaging defeat against American Chad
Dawson in a world title fight. But the
Jamaican-born fighter's career appears
to have been given a lifeline as the
International Boxing Federation (IBF)
booked him for the eliminator on Jan. 30
in Las Vegas.

Former Windies pacer Grayson
Shillingford dies
Dominica's former West Indies fast
bowler Grayson Shillingford died late
last month at age 65.
Shillingford had been ailing for
some time with cancer and succumbed
to the disease in Salisbury, located on
the island's west coast.
He had recently returned to
Dominica from his adopted homeland of
Canada where he had been receiving
treatment. The fast bowler played seven
Test matches for the West Indies
between 1969 and 1972. He took 15
wickets at an average of 35.80, with his


robin of matches in the World
Twenty20 Qualifier runs from
Feb. 9-11, with the semi finals
and finals set for Feb. 12 and
13.
The U.S. squad will leave
Dubai for Nepal on Feb. 14 to
participate in round-robin
matches between Feb. 20 and
27. The squad returns to New
York on Mar. 1.

- CaribWorldNews
0


best returns being three for 63 off 26.5
overs against New Zealand at Sabina
Park in Kingston in Feb. 1972.

* Ex-Jamaican soccer star Syd
Bartlett dies
Jamaican soccer legend Syd Bartlett
died in the United States last month. He
was 70.
Bartlett, known for his outstanding
dribbling skills, was a member of
Jamaica's first World Cup qualifying squad.

* Windies lose cricket to Aussies, but
earns respect
The West Indies cricket team showed
marked improvement in the final two
Test matches against host Australia last
month, but still lost the series 2-0.
After a devastating innings defeat
inside three days in the first Test in late
November, the Caribbean cricketers
turned in two creditable performances in
the remaining games.

Compiled from CMC and other sources.
0


International cricket bowls off in Lauderhill Jan. 23


at meets ball again in
the exciting 20/20 for-
mat when the Ninth
Annual Lauderhill MAQ T20
International Night Cricket
Tournament bowls off this
month at the Lauderhill Sports
Park in Lauderhill, Florida.
The opening ceremony
for the tournament is sched-
uled for 4 p.m. Jan. 23, fol-
lowed by a double header -
Barbados versus Windwards
an hour later and Pakistan
against Leewards at 8 p.m.
The tournament has
become part of Lauderhill's
Family Sports Night at the
Lauderhill Sports Park -
which includes netball and
soccer tournaments. The
cricket tournament will run
through June, with games
played on Saturday evenings.


The schedule excludes holiday
weekends.
Team Jamaica has been
dominant in the tournament,
winning in 2009, as well as seven
of the previous eight years.
"The tournament, growing
in popularity, has been expand-
ed to twelve teams, with the
inclusion of Team USA and
World XI," Lauderhill Mayor
Richard J. Kaplan said recently
in a press release.
The City of Lauderhill
and the Cricket Council USA
Inc. have reportedly signed a
five-year agreement to contin-
ue the promotion, growth and
development of the game of
cricket
For information, visit
www. cricketcouncilusa. com.
0


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January 2010


t





CARIBBEAN TODAY


CARIBBEnn 2009 IN REVIEWll NAEWS e -


Economic crisis, crime force Caribbean to endure 'annus horribilis'


In 1992, Britain's Queen
Elizabeth used the term
"annus horribilis" to
describe the year in which the
marriages of her two sons -
Charles and Andrew broke
down and Windsor Castle
caught fire.
Seventeen years later,
Caribbean countries experienc-
ing their own "annus horribilis",
joined the rest of the world in
seeking to come to terms with a
global economic crisis that has
led to signifi-
cant job losses,
visits to the
International
Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the
use of the
dreaded "R"
word "reces-
sion" to
describe the Carrington
negative per-
formance of their economies.
Jamaica led the way to the
Washington-based financial
institution and by year-end was
still negotiating a $1.3 billion
Standby Agreement, which the
Bruce Golding administration
said was necessary to offset the
shortfall in foreign exchange
earnings being experienced by
the country. Dominica, St. Kitts
and Nevis, St. Lucia and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
also entered into agreements
with the IMF by utilizing either
the Rapid Response Facility
(RRF) or the Exogenous
Shocks Facility (ESF).
But on the surface these
appeared less onerous than the
IMF agreement reached with
Antigua and Barbuda, which
called for significant cutbacks to
government spending includ-
ing the public sector wage bill, a
more efficient tax collection
regime and outsourcing of some
government services.


PROMISE
As the year drew to a close,
the region's chief public servant
Edwin Carrington, secretary
general of the Guyana-based
Caribbean community (CARI-
COM), said regional countries
were yet to benefit from a
promise made by the world's
industrialized countries to
restore credit, jobs and growth
in the world economy.
The G-20 countries had
pledged $1.1 trillion, including
an allocation of $750 billion for
an emergency resources
account at the IMF, which is
used to help nations in financial
crisis, and $250 billion for new
Special Drawing Rights. By
year-end, the Caribbean was
among developing countries
calling for the establishment of
a fund to assist small-island
developing states (SIDS) com-
bat the effects of climate
change. In their Port of Spain
consensus, the 53
Commonwealth leaders wel-
comed Britain's offer of a pro-
posed Copenhagen Launch
Fund starting this year "to a
level of resources of US$10 bil-
lion annually by 2012".

SHAKE-UP
The demise of the
Trinidad-based regional con-
glomerate CL Financial shook
the entire region and, despite a
multi-billion dollar rescue pack-
age announced by the Patrick
Manning government, the com-
pany, along with its flagship
enterprise Colonial Life
Insurance Company (CLICO) -
rode into a strong wave of dis-
content from policyholders and
Caribbean stakeholders, includ-
ing governments.
In Barbados, the David
Thompson administration easily
defeated a motion of no confi-
dence after the Opposition
Leader Mia Mottley sought to


condemn the prime minister in
his capacity as minister of
finance, charging that he had
misled the public and had failed
to take "urgent and immediate
., i., n to protect the almost
40,000 local policyholders in
CLICO.
Ironically, towards the end
of the year, Mottley was herself
fending off attempts to under-
mine her position as leader of
the Barbados Labour Party
(BLP). But while Mottley was
able to survive, others were not
so lucky in 2009.

FALLEN
In a year when the mighty
Texan billionaire Allen
Stanford fell from grace,
Grenada's Attorney General
Jimmy Bristol was also forced
to resign after admitting that he
made an error in judgment
when he wrote United States
prosecutors on government sta-
tionery seeking clemency for his
relative. In Stanford's case it
was an alleged multi billion dol-
lar Ponzi scheme that secured
his demise and at year-end he
remained cooped up in a U.S.
federal prison.
Haiti's Prime Minister
Michele Pierre-Louise was oust-
ed and replaced by economist
Jean Max Bellervie. In the Turks
and Caicos Islands, businessman
Galmore Williams, who was
sworn in as the second premier
of the British Overseas Territory,
also found himself out of a job
after London announced a par-
tial suspension of the constitu-
tion of the island. In the Cayman
Islands, general elections were
won by the United Democratic
Party (UDP). In Montserrat,
Reuben Meade led his
Movement for Change and
Prosperity (MCAP) into office.
Politically, it was a good
year for Prime Minister
Baldwin Spencer of Antigua


and Barbuda and his
Dominican counterpart
Roosevelt Skerrit.
Skerrit was returned to
office in convincing style on
Dec. 18, but Spencer was just
able to hang on to the govern-
ment in the
l~ Mar. 12 gener-
al elections.
St.
Vincent and
the
SGrenadines
Prime
Minister Dr.
Ralph
Gli Gonsalves suf-
Golding fered a major
setback in
November after voters over-
whelming rejected a new consti-
tution in an historic referendum.

MIGRATION FEVER
Migration also emerged as
a major talking point in the
Caribbean during 2009, with the
Barbados government reiterat-
ing its commitment to the
regional integration process
while announcing a six-month
amnesty for CARICOM nation-
als who have been living in the
country illegally. The move was
bitterly opposed by some
regional governments. In the
end, regional leaders reaffirmed
their commitment to the free
movement of nationals across
the region, consistent with the
provisions contained in the
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas
that governs the 15-member
grouping. However, they also
recognized the right of member
governments to pursue domes-
tic immigration policies.
The migration issue high-
lighted the arguments in 2009
over the need for closer politi-
cal and economic integration in
the region, particularly after
T&T warmed to the idea of a
political and economic union


with the Organization of
Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS) by 2013.
In December, the nine-
member OECS grouping signed
on to a new treaty establishing
an economic union among
themselves.

PROBLEMS
A novel influenza named
after an animal quickly reached
a pandemic, resulting in the
death of many citizens across the
region. Swine flu, which is also
known as HIN1, first emerged
in Mexico and spread quickly.
Murders continued unabat-
ed in several Caribbean coun-
tries such as Jamaica, Belize, The
Bahamas and T&T, whose situa-
tions proved most worrisome. In
Jamaica, the Bruce Golding gov-
ernment parted ways with
Commissioner of Police Rear
Admiral Hardley Lewin.
In T&T, while law enforce-
ment officials were pleased with
a reduction in the record 545
murders recorded last year, the
number of people killed still
surpassed 500 in 2009.
The region bade farewell to
a number of its nationals in
2009, including Janet Jagan, the
former Guyanese president, the
prominent Barbados business-
man and Independent Senator
Sir John Stanley Goddard,
Bermuda's Health Minister
Nelson Bascome, the distin-
guished Caribbean linguist Dr.
Richard Allsopp, the women's
world boxing champion Jizelle
Salandy, the veteran Trinidadian
calypsonian Mighty Duke
(Kelvin Pope), the Antiguan
cultural icon Reginald Knight,
and the prominent Jamaican
playwright Trevor Rhone.

- Edited from CMC story writ-
ten by Peter Richards.
0


CAN WE TALK?


Peter A. Webley,
Publisher


Most of us try to attract other people by the friends
we keep and the way we carry ourselves. If you
are going to a party or a formal function, don't you
dress well? We all want to promote a favorable
impression of ourselves to other people we meet
and talk to.

If we agree on that, then think of this. Why should it
be any different for your business? If you want to
project a favorable image of your company, in
order to win customers, you should keep your com-
pany with good friends and... dress your company
well in...


Caribbean 'ay

Consistently credible

For information, please call
305-238-2868, or fax 305-252-7843


St. Kitts and Nevis elections on Jan. 25


BASSETERRE, St. Kitts,
CMC Voters on this small
Caribbean twin-island federa-
tion of just over 40,000 people
will go to the polls on Jan. 25
to elect a new government.
After keeping the nation
guessing for many weeks,
Prime Minister Dr. Denzil
Douglas, leader of the ruling
St. Kitts and Nevis Labour
Party (SKNLP), finally rang
the election bell earlier this
month.
I IhI\\ citizens, the
Labour train is now moving
forward and it will not be
stopped by anything," said
Douglas.
"In accordance with the
writ issued by His Excellency
the governor general,
Nomination Day shall be on
Friday,15th January 2010...and


general elections in the feder-
ation of St. Kitts and Nevis on
Monday, January 25th, 2010."
During his speech,
Douglas, who is going for a
fourth straight term in office,
also announced that regional
and international observers
from the Commonwealth, the
Organization of American
States (OAS) and the
Caribbean community (CARI-
COM) will be monitoring the
polls.
In the 2004 elections, the
ruling SKNLP claimed seven
of the eight seats on St. Kitts,
with PAM picking up the
other one, while on Nevis, the
Concerned Citizens
Movement claimed two seats
and the Nevis Reformation
Party one.
0


January 2010





CARIBBEAN TODAY


ANw.caribb **ycA o R1 BBEnn 2009 In REVIEW SPORT


Track and field glory, cricket chaos dominate mixed year


Astonishing achieve-
ments in athletics
once again shot the
Caribbean to international
prominence, but a bitter, divi-
sive cricket dispute between
the region's major stakehold-
ers marred the year and pro-
pelled the sport to the brink
of collapse.
Not even the intervention
of respected former diplomat
Sir Shridath Ramphal could
broker a solution to the bruis-
ing impasse which saw the
region's leading stars refusing
to play and forcing the West
Indies Cricket Board (WICB)
to pick a second string team for
two international assignments.
It took phenomenal
Jamaican sprinter
Usain Bolt to lighten
the depressing mood
in the region and
restore some pride to
the sporting fraterni-
ty. For the second
successive year Bolt
stunned the world,
recording mind-bog-
gling times at the
IAAF World
Championships in
Athletics in Berlin
last August. Bolt
ignited the champi-
onships with perform- Brathwaite
ances that bettered
his already stunning times at
the Olympics in 2008. He low-
ered the 100 meters world
record to 9.58 seconds, and
the 200 meters mark by clock-
ing 19.19 seconds. He also
helped Jamaica win the men's
sprint relay title, repeating the
triple gold he had secured a
year earlier in Beijing while
inspiring a 13 medal haul -
seven gold for the
Jamaicans.
Only the U.S. won more
medals than Jamaica in Berlin.
Shelly-Ann Fraser and
Melaine Walker also repro-
duced the fine victories they
had in Beijing in the 100
meters and 400 meters hurdles,
respectively, and Jamaica's
other gold medals in Berlin
came from Brigitte Foster-
Hylton (100 meters hurdles)
and the women's sprint relay.
An eighth gold medal for
the region in Berlin was cele-
brated by Ryan Brathwaite,
who clocked a new CARI-
COM record 13.14 seconds in
the 110 meters hurdles to win
historic gold for Barbados, the
first for the country at a glob-
al senior track meet.
In June the 23-year-old
from Trelawny in northern
Jamaica was named as the
Laureus World Sportsman
of the Year. Bolt was also
accorded Jamaica's fourth
highest national honor, the
Order of Jamaica, and retired
Bahamian Pauline Davis-
Thompson had her Sydney
Olympics 200 meters medal


officially upgraded to gold
arising out of the disqualifica-
tion of drug-disgraced
American Marion Jones.
Among the juniors, the
IAAF labeled Grenadian
Kirani James "the next Usain
Bolt" after the 16-year-old
delivered majestic sprint dou-
ble success at the IAAF
World Youth Championship
in Italy in July. James ran a
brilliant championship record
45.24 seconds to win the 400
meters.

TOPSY TURVY
There was no such cause
for jubilation in West Indies
cricket, in a topsy-turvy year
which saw the full-strength


regional team recapture the
Wisden Trophy in March after
a nine-year drought only to
surrender it two months later
following a whitewash in a
return series in England.
The contracts dispute
erupted virtually without warn-
ing in July as West Indies pre-
pared to take on Bangladesh in
two Tests and three one-day
internationals in the Caribbean,
following a 2-1 loss to India in
a four-match one-day home
series. Players affiliated with
the West Indies Players
Association (WIPA), believing
their contractual demands were
being overlooked by the
WICB, took the unequivocal
decision to withdraw their serv-
ices, sparking a rancorous
three-month period where
West Indies cricket experienced
perhaps its most shameful hour.
However, the West Indians'
female counterparts continued
to make huge strides.

FOOTBALL FOLLIES
There were hardly any
bright spots for regional foot-
ball as Trinidad and Tobago
failed in its bid to reach their
second successive FIFA World
Cup, scheduled for South
Africa this year. The CON-
CACAF Gold Cup also
proved barren for the English-
speaking Caribbean as both
Jamaica and Grenada failed
to advance beyond the first
round in the United States.
However, in horse racing,
Caribbean jockeys sustained a


prominent profile in North
American, mainly through
Barbadian Patrick Husbands
and Jamaican Rajiv Maragh,
both finishing among the top
12 jockeys in all of the U.S.
and Canada in mounts'
earnings.
Jamaica men's basketball
side thrust itself into the spot-
light in July when they beat
the British Virgin Islands in
the final of the Caribbean
Basketball Championships. In
August, their netball counter-
parts, the Sunshine Girls, cap-
tured bronze at the World
Youth Netball Championship
in the Cook Islands.
Motorsport, too, brought
Jamaica headlines in November as
David Summerbell
clinched the regional
title for the fourth time.
Barbados drove away
with team honors.
Trinidad and
Tobago, meanwhile,
reigned at the
Caribbean
Table Tennis
Championship in
French Guiana, and
also covered them-
selves in squash glory
as they dominated
the Caribbean Area
Squash Association
(CASA) Senior
Championship staged in
Cayman Islands in August.
Trinidadian golfer
Stephen Ames also experi-
enced success internationally
when he captured the $4.7
million Children's Miracle
Network Classic in November,
to claim his second Disney
title in three years and the
fourth PGA Tour win of his
career. The victory catapulted
him 22 places up the rankings
to 49th and pushed him to
37th on the official money list
but most importantly, it pro-
vided a fairy-tale finish to an
otherwise extremely disap-


pointing year.


written by Kevin Pile.
0


- Edited from CMC story


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Vol. 20, Number 2 JAN. 2010

PETER A WEBLEY
Publisher
GORDON WILLIAMS
Managing Editor

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January 2010


CARIBBEAN TODAY




CARIBBEAN TODAY


A"I 'I I




I S



,,,d a bSb k
o. r 39B


January 2010

PAGE 1

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POST AGE P AID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Vol. 21 No. 2 JANUAR Y 2010 T el:(305 1-800-605-7516editor@caribbeantoday .com ct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica:655-1479 We cover your world INSIDEAn American Airlines flight with mor e than 150 passengers and cr ew aboard overshot the runway in Jamaica while landing during a heavy rainstor m last month. No one died in the near-disastrous Christmas sea-son tragedy , page 4. He has a new lawyer confident in his innocence, but Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton is still in a Florida jail following his arrest last month in the United States on a drug charge, page 11.News ................................................ 2 Health ................................................ 7 V iewpoint ........................................ 9 Ar ts/Enter tainment ........................ 11 T ourism/T ravel .............................. 13 Cultur e ............................................ 14 Business ........................................ 15 Spor t ................................................ 16 Classifieds ...................................... 19 THE MUL TI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODA Y DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479 The works of prominent lit-erar y voices withCaribbeanr oots, such as EdwidgeDanticat, havegrabbed the attention of one scholar who looks at the interrelationshipsbetween spirituality and er oti cism, and the empower ment of women, page 14. ~ Two Caribbean Americans are tack-ling serious healthissues head-on inthe United States. One, Barbara Gordon, is rallying support for cancer patients while herself battling the disease. The other, Dr. Wentworth Jarrett, runs a practice promoting wellness by blending modern medicine with traditional Caribbean remedies,pages 7 & 8. ~ Led by outstanding per for mances at the IAAF World Championships bythe Jamaicans, the region again forcedthe world to sit upand take notice,page 18. ~ There were mixed r eviews on the region’s handling of major issues such as crime andpolitics, but nodoubt about the ‘annus horribilis’ brought on by the world economic crisis, page 17. Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 1

PAGE 2

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda gov ernment has been warned not to disregard recent attempts by United States legislators to punish the island until it coop-erates with U.S. authoritiesinvestigating an alleged multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme bydisgraced financier AllenStanfor d. Last month, U.S. Senator Richar d Shelby and seven other lawmakers intr oduced a resolution urging Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to direct the U.S. executive directors to theInter national Monetary Fund (IMF to Antigua and Barbuda, whichis alleged to have accepted an $85 million loan from Stanford. “It is absurd that the gover nment of Antigua and Barbuda is standing in the way of helping victims, whilealso holding out its hand for funding,” said Shelby. “Thisr esolution makes clear that the United States will not accept such behavior CO-OPERA TION Sen. Colin Der rick said the Baldwin Spencer government should cooperate withthe U.S. authorities and also help persons r ecover their hard earned cash that had been invested with Stanfor d. e have a situation here where if it is that a few persons conspired with or stood by and allowed particular actions byMr . Stanford which have caused this debacle, weshould not putthe nation atransom for those few gr eedy persons,” Derrick said. e should dowhat we canto assist the United States government in dealing with those individuals.” Derrick, a government legislator , said that the Spencer administration had a responsibility to expose anyone whomay have been involved in Stanford’s alleged Ponzischeme. Stanfor d, who is now in a U.S. jail awaiting trial, has consistently denied the allegations made against him and his gr oup of companies that also included a bank which operated in Antigua. The world`s fastest manfinally lost a race in 2009. Jamaica’ s multiple Olympic and World champion Usain Boltwas last month amongthe nominees for TIME magazine’ s “Person Of The Year”, but thehonor eventually went to Ben Bernanke, chair man of the United States Federal Reserve. Prior to TIME’s announcement, Bolt had won every awar d he has been nominated for in 2009. He finished fifthamong the nominees, which included U.S. President BarackObama. Bolt was recently honored by the IAAF as the male Athlete of the Year. Bolt set three world records at the 2008Beijing Olympics and thenwent on to br eak his records in the 100 and 200 meters at the World Championships inAthletics in Berlin in 2009. W ASHINGTON – The United States has paid tribute to a number of persons who“stood up for their rights to live as fr ee people” as Haiti celebrated its 206th year of Independence on Jan. 1. “This is an occasion to honor the history and heritage of Haiti and to remember the heroes who founded the first independent black republic,”said U.S. Secr etar y of State Hillar y Clinton in a statement. She identified those “icons” as T oussaint Louverture, JeanJacques Dessalines and Alexandr e Petion, plus “the countlessmen and women who stood up for their right to live as free peo-ple and gave a legacy of freedom for future generations. “Their accomplishment changed the face of our world, and their stor y continues to be an inspiration today ,” she said. Clinton also saluted what she described as “the many contributions” made byHaitian Americans to the“cultur e and prosperity of the United States.” She said the two countries were united “by strong bonds of friendship and family” as well as “our shared history and our common hopes for the future.” The secretary of state noted that the U.S. stood withHaiti after the “tragic hur ri canes of 2008,” adding that itr emains “committed to being a par tner and a friend.” U.S.lawmakers warn Antigua to cooperate in Stanford probeBolt loses TIME race to U.S.Fed Reserve bossU.S.congrats Haiti on 206th Independence 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Bolt Clinton Shelby WASHINGTON, D.C. A 52year-old Guyanese woman waslast month indicted by a T exas grand jury for her role insmuggling four Indian nation als into the United States. Annita Devi Gerald, also known as Annita Rampersad, was charged in a nine-countindictment by a federal grandjur y in the Souther n District of Texas. Gerald was arrested by ICE special agents inHouston on Nov . 17, 2009, and has been held without bond since that time. Accor ding to the indict ment, from approximately April 2009 to Nov. 17, 2009,Gerald and others conspir ed to smuggle four Indian nationals into the U.S. Allegedly , Gerald and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained Belizean visas for the Indian nationals andescor ted them from India to Belize, moving thr ough various countries in Central and SouthAmerica. Gerald allegedly pr ovided lodging for all four Indian nationals in Belize while further smuggling arrangements were made. In Aug. 2009, Gerald allegedly arranged transportation for one of the Indian nationals to cross the border from Belize into Mexicowher e he met with Gerald`s co-conspirator, who escortedhim thr ough Mexico. In Monterrey, Mexico, Gerald`s co-conspirator paid a Mexico-based smuggler to illegally transport the individual across the Mexico-U.S. border toHouston, T exas. P A YMENT After making these arrangements, Gerald’s co-conspirator allegedly flew toHouston wher e the co-conspir ator received the Indian national at a motel approxi-mately 10 days later . The smugglers who delivered the Indian national to Gerald’ s coconspirator in Houstonallegedly demanded andr eceived a smuggling payment prior to r eleasing him. If convicted, Gerald faces a maximum sentence of fiveyears in prison for conspiracyand 10 years for each of the four counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to come to the U.S. for profit. CaribWorldNews Guyanese woman indicted for smuggling foreigners into U.S. Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 2

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January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 3

PAGE 4

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Passengers on the AmericanAirlines flight that crashed on landing at the Norman Manley International Airport here last month are recounting their sto-ries to local and inter national investigators pr obing the circumstances that caused the plane to overshoot the runwayinjuring nearly 100 people. Colonel Oscar Darby, director general of the Jamaica Civil AviationAuthority (JCCA investigators are hoping that the interviews with the passengers would shed more lighton what caused the incident involving Flight 331 from Miami with more than 150passengers and cr ew on board. JCAA Director of Flight Safety Nari W illiams-Singh, is leading the investigations, and American Airlines said it is working with United Statesauthorities, including theNational T ranspor tation Safety Board (NTSB the cause of the accident. ell mainly what will be doneis a lot of inter views of passengers and eye witnesses in order to gather that data,” Williams-Singh said. Darby said that the inves tigators were not ruling out the possibility that the malfunctioning approach lights at the airport may have been a factor. e are not saying that it could or could not have beenthe cause of the crash, we ar e saying that it could be a possible contributor y factor and we are not ruling it out as such,” he said. “The extent to whichit contributed we will be able to make that determinationonce we get into the analysis.” He said the JCAA had infor med international airlines about the malfunctioning approach lights, a problem noted since November. DALLAS, Texas – A leading aviation exper t has said that the overshooting of runway at Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport byAmerican Airlines flight 331could intensify calls for newpolicies on pilot fatigue. ou really have to look at how long these guys are on duty ,” Sam Mayer, a spokesman for the AlliedPilots Association, which r ep resents 9,000 American pilots, told the Dallas Morning Ne ws late last month. Mayer said Flight 331’s pilot and co-pilot had been onduty nearly 12 hours, approaching the maximumallowed. He speculated thatfatigue may have played a r ole in a botched landing of an American Airlines jet on Dec. 13, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where pilots clipped one of the MD-80’s wing tips on the ground and the wheels briefly left the runway. No one was injured in the incident, which is under investigation. Mayer said American Airlines doesn’t pay pilots whose trips get inter r upted and who can’t complete the flying they signed up for.COST He explained that the pilots of Flight 331 wer e on their first day of a multi-day sequence of trips that, had they diverted the plane toanother city , would probably have jeopardized their abilityto fly out the r est of the sequence. Not completing trips can cost pilots thousandsof dollars in lost income,Mayer said. The United States Federal A viation Administration is expected shortly to issue formal guidelines that changepilot r est rules, probably cutting the maximum time they can be on duty in a day orover several days. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB investigators to assist the government of Jamaica in its investigation of the accident. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – An American Airlines flight with morethan 150 passengers and crew aboard overshot the runway at the Norman Manley InternationalAirpor t while landing during a heavy rainstormlast month. Officials said there wer e no deaths, but 40 people were injured. “Ther e are no reports of fatalities,” Jamaica’s InformationMinister Dar yl Vaz said. Eyewitnesses said that flight 331 skidded acr oss a r oad at the airpor t on a rainy night and stopped at the edge of the Caribbean Sea. The plane’s fuselagewas cracked, its right engine broke off from theimpact and the left main land ing gear collapsed. In a statement, American Airlines said it was in dir ect contact with of ficials fr om the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration andwas co-operating fully with the appropriate authorities. The Boeing 737-800, which originated at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., had taken off from Miami International Airport at 8:52 p.m. on Dec. 22 and arrived in Kingston at 10:22 p.m. It wascar r ying 148 passengers and a crew of six, the airline said. Vaz, who along with Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry and National Security Minister DwightNelson wer e at the airport shortly after the incident, told reporters that most of the pas-sengers wer e nationals r etur n ing home for the Christmas season. P ASSENGERS SHAKEN “The plane crashed and broke almost in front of me,”said a shaken Naomi Palmerwho was in seat number D8. “The pilot couldn’t stop the plane,” another passenger told reporters. A third, Verona Hall, said: “The plane landed and people started clapping. Wesaw the lights of Kingston. Then all of a sudden we didn’t see the lights anymore. “I looked thr ough the window and I saw white lines, so I felt I was on the tarmac,but it was actually a r ough touchdown. The plane br oke and we began to smell fuel,” she said. Many people who wer e at the airport to meet their loved ones coming in on the flightsaid they saw passengers emerging from the Customshall bloodied and shaken. Someof the injur ed passengers wer e placed under a permanent tent outside the arrival hall andwer e seen nursing their wounds with towels and shirts. Investigators question flight passengersCrash could intensify debate about pilot fatigue 4 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com A Jamaican soldier stands guard at the site of the wreckage. AA flight from Miami crashes in Jamaica Rear of the plane, showing a detached engine. Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 4

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W ASHINGTON, D.C More Caribbean nationals became United States “green card” holders or permanent residents in 2009 compared to the previous year, a CaribWorldNews analysis has revealed. Latest U.S. State Department data analyzed show more Caribbean nationals were able to adjust their status to legal residents lastyear , compared to 2008. They include all immigrants spon-sor ed by family and employers. For 2009, the total was 44,417, accor ding to State Department statistics, compared to over just 32,000 in 2008. The most permanent visas went to immigrants from the Dominican Republic, who collected more than of thetotal at 24,496. Haiti was second with 7,199 while Jamaicans secured5,493 visas. Guyana ranked fourth, with over 3,000 nation-als adjusting their status or becoming permanent residents this year. Of that number, the majority of Caribbean nationals who became greencar d holders did so through family sponsorship – spouse orpar ent – while a smaller percentage did so thr ough employer sponsorship. CaribWorldNews ATLANTA, Georgia A Jamaican-bor n businessman was killed by an intr uder or intr uders at his home late last month. On Dec. 29 Derrick “Ricky” Balin, 53, a longtime resident of the Lithonia areaher e, reportedly went to investigate noises in his house ar ound 2:30 a.m. while his wife Pamela called 911. Hewas attacked and later died. Balin, 53, who owned a landscaping business, was found in a downstairs bedroom by the police. He wastaken to Grady Hospital suf fering from severe head injuries. Up to pr ess time the police had made no ar rests or had determined a motive for the killing. More Caribbean nationals become U.S.permanent residents in 2009 WASHINGTON – The United States Depar tment of Justice says two former Haitian government officials have been charged for their alleged roles in a foreign briber y, wire fraud and money laundering scheme. The department also said two Florida executives of aMiami-Dade County-basedtelecommunications companyand the pr esident of Floridabased Telecom Consulting Services Corporation have been charged in the allegedscheme. The authorities said that the defendants participated inthe scheme to commit for eign bribery and money laundering from Nov. 2001 through Mar. 2005. “During which time the telecommunications company paid more than US$800,000 to shell companies to be used for bribes to for eign officials of the Republic of Haiti’ s state-owned national telecommunications company, TelecommunicationsD’Haiti (Haiti T eleco),” the Justice Department claimed in a statement. CHARGES It noted that Haitian Rober t Antoine, 61, a Miami resident and former director of international relations for U.S. indicts ex-Haiti gov’t officials on bribery,money laundering chargesHome intruders kill Jamaican man in Georgia January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON P AGE 6) Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 5

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NEW YORK – The American Foundation for the Universityof the W est Indies (AFUWI will honor four Caribbeanprime ministers and Jamaica’ s track star Usain Bolt at its annual fundraising gala herethis month. AFUWI said Barbados’s Prime Minister DavidThompson, Belize’ s Prime Minister Dean Bar row, Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning will be honored at the event on Jan. 28. “The annual gala is the AFUWI’ s premier fundraising event in the United States atwhich the pr estigious Legacy Awards are conferred on notable individuals who r epr esent high levels of achievement within their respective fields of industry and enterprise”, AFUWI stated in ar ecent press r elease. “This year, the fourCaribbean prime ministers will be presented withthe Legacy A wards”, it added. AFUWI said Bolt, the Jamaican-born triple champion at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships in Athletics, will be pr esented with a special awar d “in honor of his r ecord-breaking performance in the 2008 Olympics and 2009 W orld Championships.” NEW YORK – Caribbean American legislators last monthpaid tribute to Per cy Sutton, the pioneer of Caribbean radio programming here, describinghim as a trailblazer and busi ness titan. Sutton, whose popular radio station WLIB, 1190 AMfocused primarily onCaribbean music and newsfr om the late 1970s to 1990s, died on Dec. 26. He was 89.The cause of death was notr eleased to the public. New York State Governor David Paterson, the grandson ofCaribbean immigrants, and Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, the daughterof Jamaicans, said the death hasleft a void in the Caribbean andAfrican American communities. e say farewell to one of New York’s and this nation’smost influential African American leaders – a man whom I am pr oud to have called a friend and mentorthr oughout my entire career said Paterson. “Per cy Sutton was a trail blazer,” added the governor, recalling that he had startedhis car eer as a lawyer for the late black activist Malcolm X. Paterson said it was Sutton, one of the founders of the New Y ork-based Inner City Br oadcasting Corporation (ICBCowns WLIB and WBLS radiostations, who talked him into running for office and “who had continued to serve as oneof my most valued advisorsever since.” Clarke told the Caribbean Media Cor poration (CMC that Sutton’s passing marks “an end to an era of politicalinfluence,” and that his contri butions to America were “end-less.” She noted that Sutton served as an officer with the Tuskegee Airman during World War II and that he wasalso a civil rights activist, New York State assemblyman, Manhattan borough presidentand entr epreneur. N.Y.gala to honor Bolt, four Caribbean leadersLegislators pay tribute to Percy Sutton, Caribbean media pioneer telecommunications at Haiti Teleco, had been charged withone count of conspiracy tocommit money laundering. Jean Rene Duperval, former director of internationalr elations for telecommunications at Haiti T eleco, 43, has been slapped with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 12 counts of money laundering. Duper val currently lives in southern Florida. Others char ged in the alleged scheme are: Joel Esquenazi, 50, of Miami, thefor mer pr esident of the telecommunications company; Carlos Rodriguez, 53, of Davie,Florida, the for mer executive vice president of the telecommunications company; andMar guerite Grandison, 40, of Miramar, the former president of T elecom Consulting Ser vices Corp., and Duper val’s sister. “The telecommunications company executed a series of contracts with Haiti Teleco thatallowed the company’ s customers to place telephone callsto Haiti”, the indictment noted, stating that the alleged “corruptpayments wer e authorized by the telecommunications company’s president and vice president and were allegedly paid tosuccessive Haitian gover nment officials at Haiti Teleco”. USINESS ADVANTAGES’ “The purpose of these bribes was to obtain variousbusiness advantages fr om the Haitian officials for the telecommunications company,including issuing pr efer r ed telecommunications rates, r educing the number of min utes for which payment was owed, and giving a variety of credits toward sums owed, as well as to defraud the Republic of Haiti of r evenue”, the indictment added. o conceal the bribe payments, the defendants allegedlyused various shell companies to receive and forward on thepayments”, the Justice Department noted. In addition, it char ged that the defendants “created false records claiming that thepayments wer e for consulting services, which were never intended or per for med”. CMC U.S.indicts ex-Haiti gov’t officials on bribery,money laundering charges 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5) Sutton Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 6

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BELLEVILLE, Illinois January is “Cervical Health Awareness Month” and a primetime to highlight the impor tance of routine Pap tests. Raising awar eness among women with disabilities is especially important because, as a group, they are less likelyto get the life-saving test, according to Allsup, a UnitedStates pr ovider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare services. In the U.S., 11,000 new cases of cer vical cancer will be diagnosed in 2010 from human papillomavirus (HPVcaused tumors. HPVs ar e sex ually transmitted via skin-toskin contact. Recent r esear ch indicates the virus also causes some cases of cancers of themouth, anus, head and neck inmen and women, accor ding to the National Cer vical Cancer Coalition (NCCC PREVENTION Cervical cancer is the easiest female cancer to pr event with r egular screening tests and follow-up. The Pap test (or Papsmear) looks for cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if not treated appropriately. The HPV test looks for the virus that can cause these cell changes. s important to remember that cervical cancer is a preventable disease as long as it’s caught early enough,”said NCCC Executive Director Sarina Araujo. When cer vical cancer is found early , it is highly tr eat able and associated with long survival and good quality oflife. Unfor tunately , six out of 10 cervical cancers occur in women who have never received a Pap test or havenot been tested in the pastfive years. This pr oblem is especially pr onounced among women with disabilities. Research shows that womenwith disabilities ar e less likely to get Pap tests than women without disabilities. “There is a wide range of reasons for this disparity,” said Allsup Manager Tai Venuti,MPH. “The disability maymake the exam itself mor e difficult, as in the case of spinal cord injuries or disor ders, or special equipment may be needed. Another barrier could be assimple as not having adequatetranspor tation to the doctor In addition, healthcar e facilities may be inaccessible and ill-equipped to serve people with disabilities, so preventive services like Pap smears are overlooked. DAWN A. DAVIS Imagine being diagnosed with leukemia cancer ofthe bone mar row blood characterized by an out-ofcontrol accumulation of bloodcells. Like most cancers, these leukemic cells are so strong they quickly and easily outstrip normal cells, severelycompr omising one’s health. Can’ t imagine? Well, Barbara Gordon knows this malignant disease inside out,she has been living with it fornearly 20 years. Diagnosed in 1990, Jamaican-born Gordon, now 70, is a retired nurse, asur vivor, an advocate for awar eness and change. “I am an Anglican and several years ago attended a Episcopal Church Women’s convention. At the end of it, I said to my dear friend Carmen Chang, I have lived seventeen years with leukemia, and I amnow in my twentieth year . I think I would like to do some-thing that will heighten theawar eness of the importance of bone mar row for people who have leukemia,” Gordontold Caribbean Today . “I had the thought and she took up the gauntlet and ran.” That conversation was the catalyst that started theLeukemia Bone Mar row A wareness, Inc. in 2006, a nonpr ofit organization to educate and nudge the healthy to donate bone marrow for those in need. The organization started with walks to raise funds and awareness, the most recent on Dec. 5, 2009. The seed that Gordonplanted in her friend’ s heart has gr own into a serious movement. So, how exactly did Gor don discover she had leukemia? “I was in Jamaica on vacation,” she recalled. “OneSunday night about midnight I felt like someone used a hot poker and went through thebone of my right thigh. I also had shortness of breath. I ranto my friends who wer e in the other bedr oom and said I think I am gonna die tonight.I lived on aspirin until I returned to the U.S., but bythen the pain has subsided. “I went back to work at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York, where I worked as anurse. About two weeks afterI got back, this par ticular Sunday I went to church. I didfeel a little feverish, but went anyway. When I got home, Iwent to sleep and elevated theleg. I woke up with the samestabbing pain.” Gor don went into Lennox Hill Hospital that evening. After a series of tests and blood work, it was ascertainedthat her white blood cell count was 105,000. The normal countranges between 4,500 and11,000. The diagnosis was of ficially confir med leukemia. Her doctor, head ofoncology/haematology Dr . Shirley Brown, conducted a bone marrow test and discovered that Gordon has the typeof leukemia that can be tr eated if no bone marrow match is found. Her five siblings were tested for matching bone mar-r ow, but none matched her own. She has since been onmedication to contr ol her white cell count, although it is not a cure. Successful bone marrow transplant cures the disease,which is either acute, a mor e serious form, or chronic.Gor don has the chronic form, which is slow gr owing and more easily treated. “I know it was hopeless, because if your siblings don’t match, it’s difficult for usblack folks to get,” sheexplained, “because we don’ t give, so we can’ t get.” Gordon, through the Leukemia Bone Marrow Awareness, Inc., is active inthe South Florida communityincluding chur ches, social clubs such as Kiwanis, Januar y is Cer vical Health Awareness MonthBrave heart:Jamaican American carries fight to leukemia in U.S. January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 HEALTH HEALTH www .caribbeantoday.com LEARNING ABOUT LEUKEMIA Incorporated in 2006, the Miami-based Leukemia Bone Marrow Awareness, Inc. is a non-pr ofit organization created to educate and offer heightened awareness about the critical need for bone marrow donations.Boar d members include Barbara Gordon (founderCar men Chang, Lorna Feanny, Michael Herrod, Ruby Henry and Yvonne Parchment. The organization’s website will be available soon. However , Gordon can contacted via email at bgbma.org@bellsouth.net. Infor mation about tr eatment, clinical trials, research, and statistics are also available through the National CancerInstitute at http://www.cancer .gov/cancertopics/types/leu kemia , the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at http://www .leukemia.org/hm_ lls , and the Mayo Clinic at http://www.mayoclinic.com/h ealth/leukemia/DS00351 . Gordon (CONTINUED ON PAGE 8) Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 7

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DAWN A. DAVIS MIAMI Combining alternative and traditional therapies is not a novel idea. However, embracingsuch a practice is not the nor m by most wester n/traditionaltrained physicians. Jamaican-born, Floridabased Dr. Wentworth Jarrett is not the norm. The University of the West Indies and University of Miami-trained family physicianhas developed a practice basedon his Caribbean backgr ound, experiences and traditional medical training. Dr. Jarrett’s Wellness Center, located here,is a welcoming destination formind, body and soul. “Gr owing up as a Caribbean person, and mor e importantly, seeing all the natural remedies at work andinteracting with diverse peopleChinese Jamaicans, IndianJamaicans, Jamaicans of African descent, that’s where it all starts,” says Dr. Jarrett, who is from Kingston. e decided to focus on evidence-based recommenda-tions and tr y to incorporate it into a wellness perspective, wher e our of fice becomes not just a sickness destination, but awellness destination. So the con cept of wellness is the cor e.” The experience begins as soon as clients enter the space. Doors are oversized, as are the rooms, with high ceilings. Calming colors, non-glare lighting, engaging ar twork, and a color ful fish tank in the waiting area add to the center’s tranquility. HOLISTIC This inviting space and Dr . Jarrett’s holistic philosophy attract a variety of patients. The doctor sees patients/clients fromall over the world, including Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Britain, South America, Jamaica and Cuba. And, according to Dr. Jarrett, many are already using alternative therapies suchas acupunctur e, herbal medi cines like sour sop leaf, noni. “Holistic doesn’t just mean drinking bush tea and takingnoni,” he says. “Holistic means addressing the total mind andbody , and r ealizing that they ar e not separate entities. In my practice, I don’ t treat your hear t and ignore your toes. I don’t treat your psychological issues or your marital issues and ignore the fact that your belly pain might be related.” For Dr . Jarrett, taking care of the mindand body alsoinvolves thepractice of yogaand pilates. The spa’s certifiedyoga and pilates instructors guide clients through the art and “heart” of medi-tation, flexibilityand str ength thr ough classes held several times per week. A massage ther-apist, acupunc turist and aesthetician arealso integral to the practice. e offer nutraceuticals, vitamins that are evidence-based, meaning there is someevidence thattaking these things make a dif ference,” Dr. Jarrett says. “In fact, Vitamin C in appropriate doses, various lipid-lowering agents and niacin products arebeing r ecommended now in mainstr eam medicine. So, this is just the beginning of what we ar e trying to do.” COMPLEMENTARY Practicing medicine in South Florida for more than 20 years, Dr . Jar r ett tr eats issues such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. He also performs pap smears, digital rectal exams and colorectal screen-ings, and also or ders mammog raphy and gives vaccinations. His wellness center has been in operation for mor e than a year and the number of patients seeking traditional and alternative approaches is rapidly growing. Dr. Jarrett believesthat’ s a healthy trend. “I would certainly not suggest to anyone that they abandon traditional medical treatment,” he explains. “However, I view western-style medicineand alter native therapy as complementary. “For example, a patient of mine with lung cancer has incorporated acupuncture in addition to traditional medicine for pain, and is doing very well. For nau-sea I r ecommended the use a cr ystalline ginger herb and it worked ver y beautifully. The patient is doing quite well. That’s an example of how non-traditional perspectives can help.” ‘NO MYSTER Part of the wellness center offering is nutritional counseling. “A vegan diet is absolutely wonderful, if you can do it,” says Dr. Jarrett. e know that the average Seventh-Day Adventist, who is a vegan, lives an average of seven years longer than the regularpopulation. The best nutritionaldiet in ter ms of longevity and cardiovascular health known in the world is the Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables and low in animal fats and chem-ical pr eser vatives. “Ther e is no r eal myster y as to why we have so manyhealth issues among our Caribbean people and those in the Western world; it’s because we eat so much synthetic foods and animal fats. Overall, it is about reduced stress, activityand nutrition.” The family physician explains that people in the United States with cardiovas-cular or hear t disease fr equent ly get catheterizations, stents and so on. However , what they really need, he stresses, is proper diet and lifestyle, and med-ical management focusing onweight r eduction, decr easing animal fats, exer cise, possibly daily aspirin and/or nitrates. “They do not need to have the chest split to have angioplasty,” says Dr. Jarrett. “Inr eality they have been inflect ed $100 to $200,000 worth of expenses, pain and misery.” Treating the whole, therefore, is key to health and balance. “People realize we are paying attention to more thanjust what insurance they haveor the disease pr ocess,” says Dr. Jarrett. “Rather, we look at the entire person and body. I think people appreciate that.” Dawn A.Davis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. According to the United StatesNational Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, the estimated num-ber of new cases of leukemia each year is more than 40,800adults and 3,500 childr en. The institute also estimatesthat the number of deaths in2009 was 21,870. Some symptoms of leukemia could include bonepain or tender ness, shor tness of br eath, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, fr e quent infections, weakness or fatigue. A r outine blood test can detect chronic leukemia. Further testing, which mayinclude bone mar r ow sam pling, is more definitive. Depending on the type of leukemia, tr eatment involves therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation tostop the gr owth or kill leukemia cells. Anti-cancer drugs are also an option, as is biological therapy to boost the immune system. Bone mar r ow transplant, if a match is found, is a good option because the procedure replaces the cancer-produc-ing mar r ow . The goal is to reach complete remission. Many with leukemia todayar e living relatively healthy lives with aggressive and novel dr ug therapies. Although ther e is no spe cific data on the incidence of leukemia in Caribbean nationals living in the U.S., the Leukemia & LymphomaSociety r epor ts that a cer tain kind of blood cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, T-cell lymphoma, isassociated with Caribbean,South American, African and southern Japanese popula-tions. The society r eports that about 74,490 people in the U.S. wer e stricken with lymphoma in 2009. Caribbean events and universities, advocating for sur vivors and underscoring the importance of bone mar r ow dona tions. She and her colleagues educate the fear ful on the ease and painless procedure of bone marrow testing and donation. esting for a match is just a cheek swab wher e a tongue depressor is used toslightly scrape for a sample,”she said. “So, it’s painless. Then you go through a deeper tissue test and blood work. Y ou can then qualify to be added to the registry. So, when thereis a patient that r equires bone mar r ow , if you ar e a match your marrow is used.” Gor don said the response has been positive. She noted that the partnership with Miami-Dade College of West Kendall has resulted in many students signing up to volunteer for donor testing. The non-profit’s annual walks are held on the college gr ounds. With plans to award grants to leukemia patientswho lack insurance and other financial support, Gordon isoptimistic about the continuedgr owth and futur e of the Leukemia Bone Marrow A wareness, Inc. And, although diagnosed with br east cancer about a year ago, which has been brought under control with lumpectomy and radiation, Gordon remains strong, positive, and optimistic about life and the organization. “The or ganization is in the embryonic stage in comparison to others,” she said. “But we see the importance and we see the responses... Tomorrowis not pr omised to anyone, so you get up in the mor nings and you say ‘thank God, I can put one foot in fr ont of the other ’. Don’ t give up, although when He is ready you have to go, but, don’t give up.” Dawn A.Davis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. LEUKEMIA:STATISTICS,SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENTBrave heart:Jamaican American carries fight to leukemia in U.S.Hopes of health spring from Caribbean roots at Florida wellness center 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 HEALTH HEALTH www.caribbeantoday.com Jarrett (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 7) Pilates room Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 8

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The United States Census Bureau is kicking off a $340 million media campaign to persuadepeople to fill out their census forms, but how much of thatmoney will the CaribbeanAmerican media see? That’s the question CaribID, the movement formed in 2008 to get Caribbean nation-als accurately counted by theU.S. Census thr ough their own origin category, want answered. CaribID founder Felicia Persaud said while Steve Jost,associate dir ector of the U.S. Census Bureau, is claiming that “little more than half the money will go towards local advertising in order to reachhar der-to-count communities,” several Caribbean mediahouses ar e yet to be approached on advertising. “It is an outrage and a shame,” said Persaud. “Howar e Caribbean media houses supposed to push the message without a dime in advertisingor suppor t?” In New York City alone, where as Mayor Mike Bloomberg pointed out at the Jan. 4 Time Square mega launch of Census 2010, therear e mor e people of Caribbean ancestry outside the region than anywhere else on earth,no Caribbean American media houses have received a singleinser tion or der . Worst, of the hundreds of millions being spent, not a single Caribbean American company hasr eceived a slice of the sub-con tracting dollars. ‘BLA CK’ BUY Instead, the Caribbean ad buy may be a mer e sliver of the overall “black” buy that has been handed off to an AfricanAmerican agency completelyunfamiliar with the CaribbeanAmerican media landscape and one that has been marred in controversy. This despite the fact that officials like Mayor Bloomber g and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke agree that the Caribbean American demographic is definitely a hard to count segmentof the American population. “Caribbean nationals acr oss the country should be outraged and insulted by the continued dismissal by the U.S. government,” saidPersaud, who advocated for the introduction of theCaribbean Count bill byCongr esswoman Clarke and senators Chuck Schumer andKristin Gillibrand in the U.S. Congress and Senate in Apriland May of 2009. “The fact that every other group, especially Asians and Latinos, are being addressedwhile the Caribbean segmentr emains ignored shows the exact level of r espect that is being given to this community . We too have our own identity and not all Caribbean nation als ar e black. Its not about division but facts.” Persaud is urging the Caribbean media to use their voice to speak out on this dis r egar d and to send a clear message to the White House, the census and congressionalof ficials thr ough letters, emails and op eds, that the continued dismissal will not betolerated. “That’s the power that’s really in our hands,” addedPersaud, while r eiterating the importance of the movement to the future empowerment ofCaribbean nationals acr oss the U.S. The above article was submitted by CaribPR Wire on Jan. 5.CaribPR Wire is part ofHard Beat Communications , Inc.,a Caribbean-focused advertising,public relationsand news ag ency based in the U.S . F elicia P er saud is also founder/e xecuti ve editor of CaribWorldNews,a service of fered b y Hard Beat Comunications. Human beings have a difficult task as they traverse the social landscape. We have to learn aswe go along, follow examples set by others, or if we’re lucky,get taught by a par ent or older sibling. But even as we learn, they keep changing the r ules. Girls are supposed to live a certain way, and should be treated inthe right manner . They say it’s a man’s world, but women seem to have so much going for them. When they marry and divorce, they get the lion’s share of the assets, plus the man has to keep on paying and paying and paying. Alimony or Allthemoney? The children are usually left in their care. Men takethem out, wine and dine themand always pay the bill. Awoman can leave her housewith no money and still have awonder ful evening on the town. For the man though, it’s a different story, and he better follow the rules or he’ll be a very lonely hombre. This can pose severe problems for young men, for people just expect them to know what to do all the time. Sadly, they don’t, and make silly mistakes. It can be traumatic, as boys make this transition from boys to men. The world can be unforgiving, andso can some women. But luckily many young boys get a little help along theway . Others who don’ t can be scar r ed emotionally for life, and sadly take it out on socie ty or on some hapless women. When they examine the history of many sex offenders, theywill have found some emo tional scar ring as the young lads entered into the realm of puberty, when they turned from boys to men. BLAME Boys do eventually tur n into men, but the process canbe a painful and emotionally troublesome journey. Manyeminent psychologists havehad the theor y that a young man’ s futur e is molded by how he connects with his mother. Boys who have nofathers also have certain problems that manifestthemselveslater in their lives. It’s usu-ally handed down through generations, as a boy who grew up with hisfather beating his mother , usu ally ends up being an abuserhimself. Alcoholic fathersspawn alcoholic sons, andfathers who abandon theirsons usually have the sonsdoing the same thing to their family. It’s a cruel cycle that follows boys as they turn to men, and so many people are not aware of the serious problemsand pitfalls that young menencounter as they make this important transition. So it’s not really a man’s world after all, at least not entirely. Even during the sex act a young man is nervous,r esulting often in per formance anxiety , which tur ns into a self fulfilling pr ophecy , leaving the woman unfulfilled. He’ s ner v ous about failing, so he fails. W omen have no such problem, as they just lay back and expect a good showing fromthe man. He better come good too, or his reputation will beat stake. UNDER PRESSURE From a boy enters this world he is put under pressure. The first thing that his mother does is count his fin-gers and toes, while the firstthing that his father does ischeck out the size of the infant’ s penis. Y es folks, the size of that prized or gan will shape and deter mine the emo tional state of that boy/man until the day he dies. Most men ar e obsessed by the size of their organ, with the majority thinking that theirs is too small. Every man wants to know if his woman’s previous lover was bigger orsmaller than him. But the ladies are smart, and no previous lover in the history ofmankind has ever been bigger than the current one. And that’s a statistic that will last forever. This penile obsession leads to a feeling of inadequa Is Caribbean media being shut out of expensive census push in U.S.? January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) TONY ROBINSONGrowing pains of boys to men linger a long time Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 9

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cy and low self esteem, as their net worth is determined by thegr oss weight, length and gir th of their organ. They sing the blues. This perceived problem haunts young boys and grown men for as long as they live. As the boy grows older, he’ s now faced with the daunting pr ospect of appr oaching females he may fancy. Sounds simple, right? But if you’re a gangly, pimply, gawky teenager it can be as difficult as fac-ing a hungr y lion. Rejection can be like a dagger thr ough the hear t of a male teenager and can shatter his self esteem for years. UNCER TAINTY Then he appr oaches man hood, the period when he’ s no longer a boy, but not yet quitea man. Now confidence isparamount, so he has to have the latest “bling” stuff, the phone, car, good job, the works. If he’ s for tunate enough to be educated and has all the trappings of the young up-and-coming-man, then it’s not so bad, not so much anxiety, although he can’t be sure if the ladies want him for himself, or for his posi-tion in life. After all, women are drawn to wealth, so take that away and where does that leave him? More anxiety, as he’s now in a dilemma, aquandar y , a pool of despair as he sings the blues. Then he grows older, takes himself a bride and proceeds to live happily ever after. No one told him thathappily ever after only occursin the fair y tales. He laments the loss of his fr eedom, and even though he loves his wife and childr en, he feels like a caged animal, pacing in his enclosure, longing to have a whiff of the freedom that he once had. But it’s gone forever and the laments are recited. So as you can see, the path of boy to manhood is accom-panied by a symphony ofblues, and the blues ar e usually songs of melancholy. So ladies, don’t believe that you have a carte blanche on problems, forboys to men do have their share of problems too. seido1@hotmail.com In my favorite “Star Trek” episode, Captain James T.Kirk and the cr ew of the starship Enterprise encoun ter ed humanoids from a planet embroiled in war over an issue as clear as black and white. Literally. The planet Cheron is locked in a race war. This astonishes earthlings. To us, all Cheronianslook alike. Their skin is evenlydivided, half-black and half-white, down the middle oftheir faces and bodies. A perplexed Captain Kirk asks, what is the difference that Cheronians are fighting about? “Isn’t it obvious?” says a Cher onian who is white on his left side, “All of his peoplear e white on the RIGHT side.” The episode, like all good fiction, helps us come to grips with painful realities. It first aired in 1969, a time when our country’s racial differences were erupting in riots andassassinations. The black-white planet was doomed by its inhabitants’ inability to deal even with the slightest diversity. Could we earthlings do better? SCARCE HOPE Flash forward 40 years. A year after two-thirds ofAmericans polled expr essed high hopes for a post-racial futur e, Gallup says, “there is scarcely morehope” for asolution onrace thanther e was before. If so, I am not surprised. In fact, I am somewhat relieved that we Americans are showing ourselves to be optimistic but also realistic. We knowone election is not going to solve our racial challenges. W e still have hope. We have only raised our standards for how we define our long-sought “solution”. Since 1963, Gallup has been asking Americans whether we think r elations between blacks and whites “will always be a pr oblem for the United States, or that a solution will eventually beworked out”. The optimisticview that a solution will beworked out sur ged to an alltime high of 67 per cent the day after Obama’ s election, but a year later only 56 per cent express that belief. That’s statistically the same as the 55 percent who felt that way backin Dec. 1963, when Gallup firstasked the question. “In short, despite all that has happened in the inter vening decades”, says Gallup,“ther e is scarcely more hope now than there was those many years ago that the nation’s race-relations situa-tion will be solved”. REALISTIC But Gallup should not sound so gloomy . The Americans in their survey are being realistic. Americans might want to be post-racial, but I think we also know in our heart of hearts that we’re not ready yet. After all, it was not that long ago that Gallup found our racial optimism at an alltime low of 29 percent. That was in Oct. 1995, shortly after O.J. Simpson’s acquittal of double murder dramaticallyr evealed the nation’ s racial divide on national television. Seldom has our state of race looked so bleak. Yet, Tiger Woods was becoming a new cultural hero across racial lines, Oprah Winfrey alreadywas, and Colin Powell was seriously being urged by high-power ed fans in both par ties to run for president. Change was in the air. Hope was being kept alive. It is a sign of our pr ogress that racism has been driven underground, if not eliminated.But racial suspicions rise to fill the gap. For example, it is hard for me to read about church pastors like the Reverend Wiley Drake of Buena Park,Califor nia, or Pastor Steven Anderson of Tempe, Arizona -who have pr oudly prayed for Obama to die soon and not wonder how much race might be a motivating factor in theirprayers. But race is such a touchy topic these days that you canbe accused of being a racist just for bringing it up. Obama’s thoughts on racial profiling led Fox News star Glenn Beck to call the president “a racist” who “hates white culture.” When Katie Couric later asked him, “What is ‘white cultur e’?” Beck looked surprised. He accused Couric of tr ying to “trap” him and refused to answer. That’s too bad. I, too, would like toknow what he means by “white culture.” By under-standing my dif fer ences with people who come fr om other cultures, I hope to gain a better understanding of what Ihave in common with them -even with Glenn Beck. 2009 Clarence Page. Distributed by Tribune MediaSer vices ,Inc. Growing pains of boys to men linger a long timeU.S.racial hope fades with painful realities,despite Obama’s appeal 10 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www.caribbeantoday.com CLARENCE PAGE (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 10

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ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Calypsonian Elywn izzard” McQuilkin is among five Gr enadians named on Queen Elizabeth II’s 2010 honors list. He has been awar ded the Or der of the British Empir e (OBE contribution to culture. McQuilkin, who marked 40 years of calypso singing in 2009, is well known for his hit song “IMF”. Other Grenadians being honored by the queen areCar riacou businessman Franklyn Theodor e St. Bernard Bullen, for ser vice to the business community; Faith Jessamy,for public ser vice training and far ming; Susanna Antoine for her contribution to education; and footballer Jason Roberts for his service to the sports industry. PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A group of promoters and entertainers say they planto write the state-owned Telecommunications Services ofT rinidad and Tobago (TSTT asking it to withdraw its spon sorship of the Feb. 18 concer t featuring the American singer Beyonc. Gregory Fernandes, former chief executive officer of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation,who is among those involved inthe ef fort to get TSTT to r escind its decision, planned to submit the letter to the company’s Chief Executive Officer Roberto Peon early this month. Fernandes, speaking on local radio here recently, saidthat TSTT has alr eady indicated that it would be r educing its funding to activities for the car nival celebrations this year. “Bringing Beyonc at this time puts more pressure on the industry,” he said, adding “carnival activity is a very high risk and a lot of bands suffer highlosses.” Fer nandes said that the group of promoters and entertainers “want to discuss withTSTT the position they have taken to present Beyonc in concert so soon after carnivaland their decision to cut backand even pull sponsorship ofcar nival events.” COST Fernandes also said according to media reports, the pro-duction cost for the Beyonc concert is in the vicinity ofTT$10 million ($1.4 million The Recor ding Industr y Association of Trinidad and Tobago (RIATT) said it wasalso raising objection to the concert. “The state making a $10 million investment to stage anar tiste like Beyonc in Trinidad and Tobago is a very large investment”, noted RIATT General Secretary Fabien Alphonso in a press statement. “Not using this occasion to initiate discussions on collabora-tions between Beyonc and anyof our local flagship ar tistes would be consider ed a wasted oppor tunity as the Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company Ltd (TTENTfor this exact purpose. “Furthermore, it’s unfortunate that TTENT is not engaged in the planning process of anevent of this magnitude. Thiswould have ensur ed an oppor tunity to position local music internationally via the current largestfemale per former in the world”, he added. But Lisa Agard, executive Calypsonian among five Grenadians honored by Britain’s Queen ElizabethBeyonc’s T&T concert sparks uproar among promoters,entertainers January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 ARTS ARTS & & ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www .caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON PAGE 12) Beyonc FLORIDA A United States magistrate has ordered Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton be held without bail on drug charges. Magistrate Anthony Por celli made the ruling earlier this month after the dancehall artiste’s new defenseattor ney David Oscar Markus said he would not oppose the government’s request that thesinger be detained. Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, pleaded notguilty to U.S. federal char ges that he conspired to buy cocaine from an undercoverlaw enfor cement of ficer in Sarasota, Florida, last month. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA had contacted a “confidentialinfor mant” about a possible cocaine purchase. The DEA said in an affidavit that Bantonand “other men met with the informant at Sarasota’s LaT r opicana de Havana r estau rant, where the DEA and local police had set up surveillance.” “Eventually, the group went to a war ehouse to make the cocaine deal”, the affidavit stated. NO DEAL Markus said ther e was no sense in seeking bail when immigration authorities haveplaced a detainer on Banton,36, who is in the U.S. on an entertainer visa. Markus said his client will fight the chargesand will not enter into any plea deal with prosecutors. e will be going to trial. He did not commit the crimes he’s charged with. He was not in any conspiracy,” Markustold r epor ters, adding that with regards to the immigration detainer, there should bea “pr esumption of innocence. “Instead there is a presumption of guilt in immigra tion,” he said, disclosing that thecriminal case against Banton is scheduled for a status confer-ence in next month and tenta tively set for trial in Mar ch. Buju Banton denied bail in U.S.; reggae star to fight drug charge Buju Banton Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 11

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head of Mobile and Legal Services at TSTT, said the company would be in breach of its contract with Beyonc if it discloses the cost for the concert. “I can’ t give you exact num bers, par ticularly with regard to what she is costing,” Agard r epor tedly told a local newspaper . “Not because we have any reluctance to disclose it, but ther e are confidentiality provisions in her contract with us.” SPENDING But she insisted that her company’ s involvement in other activities for the car nival would not suffer as a result of the show.“I can tell you that when you look at all of the things we are involved in whether in culture,spor ts or in the community gen erally in Trinidad and Tobago our expenditur e on those far exceeds the expenditure we are going to incur as a result of this concert. e have spent, we will spend and will continue to spend millions of dollars spon-soring many car nival events. That commitment remains,” she said. Meanwhile, TSTT has con firmed that a company owned by West Indies cricket icon Brian Lara and star footballer Dwight Yorke was one of the main contractors for the concert. TSTT spokesman Grame Suite said that LAY Management has been retained by TSTT to help in the coordination and logistics associatedwith the event, and Agar d said the company would assume r esponsibility for the venue minus stage, sound and lights when the country’s largest telecommunications providersigns the contract. Public Utilities Minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid wasquoted in a publication of the NEWSDAY newspaper as ordering TSTT to produce ar eport over its expenditure for concert. “On the matter of the expenditure, I have asked for the facts and for a report on what the facts are,” Abdul-Hamid reportedly told the newspaper. The powerful voices of some of America’s topsoul singers, among them Erykah Badu, Babyface and legend Gladys Knight, areamong the main attractions atthis month’ s Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. The event, set for Jan. 2430, will also featur e American act Hall and Oates and Britishvocalist Joss Stone, fused with alocal blend such as jazz Monty Alexander and reggae artistes Marion Hall and the Third World band. The 2010 festival will also feature small concerts, withselect ar tistes performing at various hotels in Jamaica, includingSunset Jamaica Grande, Iberostar, RIU, Sunset Resort Montego Bay, and the Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston from Jan.24 to 27. The main stage event will be hosted on the final three daysfr om Jan. 28 to 30 at the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny. The newest addition to the program is “JJ&B Band Quest” – an online audition of undis-cover ed talent vying for a chance to per form at the festival. Contestants must join theJJ&B Fan Zone and the JJ&B Band Quest Group at http://jamaicajazz.com to create a profile and upload a picture and video of their band or group. The number of votes andpoints fr om the online audience will deter mine who is chosen to audition live in Jamaica and U.S. cities such as New Y ork, For t Lauderdale and Atlanta. A team of judges will select the final three. The winners willbe added to the line-up of thefestival and their auditions, as well as interviews, will beuploaded to the Jamaica Jazzand Blues Festival website,along with inter views from the judges. Patrons at the festival will be asked to choose their favorite act via text message. The winners of the 2010Jamaica Jazz and Blues Band Quest will be awared prizes and secure a booking to perform on the festival’ s main stage in 2011. For mor e information on the festival, including ticket infor mation, visit www.jamaicajazzandblues .com . Beyonc’ s T&T concert sparks uproar among promoters, entertainersPowerful voices,online band quest among Jamaica’s jazz fest attractions 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 ARTS ARTS & & ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www.caribbeantoday.com ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS Calypso king spends Christmas in jail Antigua and Barbuda’s reigning king of calypso Leston “Young Destroyer” Jacobs, who is facing gun-related charges, reportedlyspent Christmas behind bars aftera high court judge denied hisapplication for bail. Jacobs, 27, was arr ested in November after two firearms and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were allegedly found at hishome. He was jointly char ged with Ceylon Howe, 19, whose bail application was also denied. Jamaica addressing violent songs The Jamaica government is taking a multipronged approach to solving the problem of explicitlysexual and violent songs and theirwide accessibility in the publicspace. Information Minister Daryl V az recently said this approach would continue until successful out comes were achieved and sus-tained. Compiled from CMC and other sources. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 1 1) Photograph by Roland HydeJamaican American Tyson Beckford, right, host of Bravo television’s “Make Me a Super Model”, recently joined Trinidadian ambassadors at Antilia Carnival to rev up New Yorkers’ interest in T rinidad and Tobago’s 2010 carnival. Former Miss Universe, Trinidad and Tobago’s Wendy Fitzwilliam, left, assisted Beckford in educating enthusiastic attendees about carnival culture. Soca artiste Machel Montano performed for New Y orkers who had gathered in Tribeca. The event was produced by Caribbean-owned entertainment brand Antilia Inc. and featured stilt walkers, live steel pan music and premium Caribbean hors d’oeuvres. T&T’s carnival is set to culminate in the streets of Port of Spain Feb. 15 and 16. Knight Stone CARNIVAL GROOVE Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 12

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LONDON, England, CMC Caribbean countries ar e likely to r ecord an increase in visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom this year, a senior British Airways official hassaid. “Compared to the same period of last year, we arer eally pleased with the early bookings that ar e taking place,” said the airline’s corporate sales manager, SimonBr ooks. e are talking double digit growth as far as earlybookings. W e are reasonably optimistic in a ver y tough environment about the situation in the Caribbean (in2010).” Brooks, speaking after the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTOsEur opean Marketing Forum her e recently, declined to give details, but said ther e was reason to be positive. Brooks repr esented B.A.’s chief executive of ficer, Willie Walsh, at the preW orld Travel Market (WTM event. But in a recorded presentation, Walsh expressed a desire to strengthen the carrier’s relationship with theCaribbean, adding that theholiday travel fr om the U.K. to the r egion remained strong. “The leisure market, particularly the market betweenthe Caribbean and the U.K. is a very strong market,” Walsh tolddelegates, including tourismministers, dir ectors of tourism and other stakeholders. “Leisure business from the U.K. has grown relatively strong and it’s one of the rea-sons we’ve seen British Airways grow its presence in this market and we see furtheroppor tunities for expansion in the years ahead.” Exploring Jamaica just got easier with the cre-ation of the Caribbean’ s first GPS navigation map data known as JAMNAV. The Mona GeoInfor matics Institute of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica has developed and released JAMNAV, which it claims offers turn by turn, voice assisted navigationacr oss Jamaica. The technology includes over 9,300 miles of roads and15,000 points of inter est, including petrol stations, hotels, r estaurants, shopping places and attractions. “JAMNAV has been created by Jamaicans that havean intimate knowledge of its terrain, and is the first of itskind in the Caribbean,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism John L ynch in a r ecent pr ess release. According to the release, JAMNAV is based on the Garmin platform, a worldwide leader for personal navigation devices. TheMona GeoInfor matics Institute worked as the local developer ensuring local complexities weretaken into consideration, such as one-way streets and parochial roads. JAMNAV is currently available fr om A vis Car Rental at both of Jamaica’s inter national airpor ts in Kingston and Montego Bay, and is available with or without a r ental car. The technology has been available sincesummer 2009. HA V ANA, Cuba, CMC – Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero believes visitorar rivals to Cuba should reach 2,425,000 for 2009, a new r ecor d for the country. In a r eport presented to Parliament late last month, Marrero said that if the island achieves this figure it would represent a 3.3 percent incr ease in ar rivals compar ed to the previous year. Cuba’ s tourism minister said Canada was Cuba’s largest market followed by Great Britain and Spain. He explained that the increase in tourist arrivals has been bolstered by the comple-tion and use of new accommo dations that include another 2,000 r ooms at the main tourist r esorts. Befor e outlining his development strategy for the 2010-2015 period, which includes investments with Cuban capital, Mar r er o said that 60 percent of what the island markets comes fr om local production. Delta airlines last month resumed service fromAtlanta, United States to the Caribbean island ofT obago. The Tobago House of Assembly (THA the reactivation of nonstop service between Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Tobago’s CrownPoint Inter national Airport. The Atlanta-T obago nonstop ser vice will be seasonal and will operate once a week, depar ting Atlanta on Satur days at 4:05 p.m. and returning from Tobago on Sunday mornings at 9:05 a.m.until April 24, 2010. The flight will be operated on a Boeing 737-800, with 144seats in economy class and 16in first class. The ser vice, that will complement Delta’ s existing ser vice between Port of Spain and Atlanta, and Port of Spain and New York-JFK, allows travelers from the U.S. to by-pass the pr eviously r equired stop-over and possible overnight in Trinidad. “Our guests will be able to plan their vacation to the island with greater ease,” said Assemblyman Oswald Williams, Secretary for Tourismand T ransportation at the T obago House of Assembly, in a r ecent press release. Caribbean tourist arrivals from U.K. up in 2010,airline official predictsExploring Jamaica made easier via GPSCuba attracts record two million touristsDelta resumes service between Atlanta and Tobago RAWLE TITUS ST . GEORGE’S, Gr enada, CMC – Less than a month after its inaugural flight toGr enada, the Canadian based airline Sunwing is ending its relationship with the island and three other Caribbean destinations, industry officials confirmed last month. They said that fr om Jan. 6 the airline would no longer operate flights to Grenada, Trinidad, Jamaica andGuyana. The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO an exclusive interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC , said that Sunrise, the travel agency which contracted the airline, had violated the T ravel Industr y Act 2002 resulting in the voluntarily termination ofits r egistration. “They didn’t have sufficient financing to continueoperating the char ters they were committed for. They are committed to a risk programand they did not have suf fi cient funds,” said TICO’s Chief Executive OfficerMichael Pepper . “They have commitments to pay Sunwing on a rotationbasis to Kingston, Por t of Spain and Grenada and also they have another program with sky services to Guyana. So they were committed to paying those carriers inadvance for each of the flights and they did not have suf fi cient funds,” said Pepper , who is also the r egistrar for the Travel Industry Act. TICO employees wer e at the Toronto airport late last month infor ming Sunwing’ s Caribbean bound passengers about the problem and giving them the option of withdraw-ing fr om the flight. Sunrise’s decision to voluntarily terminate its registra-tion follows a meeting lastmonth between its Chief Executive Officer RamnarineT iwari and TICO officials. The departure of Sunwing will be seen as a major blow to Grenada following an increase in visitor arrivals from Canada in recent months. Canadian airline pulls out of four Caribbean destinations January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www .caribbeantoday.com FIRST IN LINE Jamaica officially kicked off its Winter 2009/2010 Travel Season on Dec. 15 by welcoming a couple visitors to the island from the W ashington, D.C. area of the United States who that traveled to Montego Bay onboard an Air Jamaica flight. Edward Neufville and Bahia Akerele were greeted by several representatives of the island’s tourism industry at Sangster International Airport. Photograph shows, front row from left, Godfrey Dyer, chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF, director general in the Ministry of Tourism;Akerele; Neufville, Owen Campbell, regional airport manager , Air Jamaica; and back row , from left, John L ynch, Jamaica’ s director of tourism; Danville W alker , commissioner of customs; Rosie Johnson, regional manager, Jamaica Tourist Board; and Ian Neita, executive director of the TEF. 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KINGSTON, Jamaica –– Jamaica will be the host desti nation for the inaugural Jewish Diaspora of theCaribbean Inter national Conference this month. The event, which will be held from Jan. 12-14 at theJamaica Pegasus Hotel, will feature experts from theUnited States, Jamaica, France and Israel addressing a range of topics, from cultural historyincluding ar chitectur e, music and religion, to Caribbean Jewish identity and heritage. “Jamaica has a respected and vibrant Jewish movement that has aided in the development of the countr y,” said John L ynch, Jamaica’ s tourism director. Ainsley Henriques, dir ector of the United Congregation of Israelites, Kingston and co-chair of the conference, said: “This conference is long overdue. We are pleased with the tremendoussuppor t that we have r eceived from our partners, and those participating in the confer-ence. This confer ence will be an avenue to educate, enlighten and enrich the lives of the Caribbean and International Jewry and introduce other individuals to the rich culture and histor y of our people.” Following the event, fr om Jan. 15-16, participants can engage in a post-conferencepr ogram including tours of prominent sites in Kingston that are of significant and his-toric value to the Kingston Jewish community. Thoseinclude a trip to the Universityof the W est Indies, Mona cam pus where Jewish refugees from the Holocaust werehoused during W orld W ar II to kiddush and dinner with Kingston’s Jewish community. TITLE: Eroticism, Spirituality , and Resistance in Black Women’s Writings AUTHOR: Donna Aza W eir-Soley REVIEWED BY : Dawn A. Davis Many literary scholars have analyzed the theworks of black women writers. However, oftentimes the “voices” are the same, offering no novelinterpr etation or new way to look at these works. Dr. Donna Aza Weir-Soley, on the other hand, has stepped outside the box, offering fresh perspectives on four literaryvoices of the 20th and 21stcenturies. The author , through her book “Eroticism, Spirituality, and Resistance in Black Women’s Writings”, looks at the interrelationships between spirituality and eroticism, and the empowerment of womenthr ough these portals in works by Zora Neale Hurston, T oni Mor rison, Opal Palmer Adisa and Edwidge Danticat. The characters searching for identity and dealing with the suppression or awakening of their sexual spirit in Hurston’s “Their Eyes WereW atching God”, Morrison’s “Beloved”, Palmer Adisa’s “It Begins with Tears” and Danticat’s “The Farming of Bones”, leap off the page in Weir-Soley’s study. Her analyses is warm and sensitive, yetpushes the boundaries of con ventional academic writing. But, be warned, her introduc-tion could be intimidating forthe casual or non-academicr eader. Not to wor ry, the meat of the book is an easy read. It is not necessary to read from cover to cover. WEAVE Weir-Soley deftly reveals how the four writers weave traditional West African spirituality into their stories of modern-day women. For example, Hurston, through her female characters, forces the reader to look at christian-ity and the power ful role it plays in black consciousness,the r emnants of slavery and racial stereotypes thrust upon black women of the era. Morrison’s “Beloved” has both puzzled and intrigued readers. But Weir-Soley brings the story into perspective withher explanation of the r ole of female goddesses, the significance of African deities, spirits, loas and Haitian Voudoun goddesses. The sexual, spiritual, and emotional violenceexperienced by the charactersin “Beloved” culminates inhealing spiritual ener gy; the author helps lead the reader to this understanding. The author also nudges the reader, perhaps unconsciously, to look at his/her ownposition in society . W eir-Soley’s view of Jamaican writer Palmer Adisa’s “It Begins with Tears” is highly erotic, yet laced with African and Caribbean tradi-tional spiritual thought. COMMON THREAD The writer-poet identifies the common thr ead connecting these four important literary works: Personal struggles, African spiritual practices, sexual energies that spark vio-lence and healing, denial, identity and community transfor mation. African/Caribbean-center ed practices are at the heart of the stories. Resolution is not always the conclusion, nor should it be. But certainly readers arefor ced to think about black womanhood and the intense link between spirituality, sexu-ality and the power of the past. Publisher:University Press of Florida. Dawn A.Davis is a freelancewriter for Caribbean T oday . Jamaica to host Jewish Diaspora of the Caribbean confabBlack womanhood’s link to spirituality,sexuality and the past 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 CULTURE CULTURE www.caribbeantoday.com Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 14

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WASHINGTON – The InterAmerican Development Bank(IDB oviding a $10 mil lion loan to Barbados to support productive developmentpolicies and business climate reforms aimed at improving the competitiveness of the private sector. The IDB said the loan would suppor t the expansion of private sector participation in the economy and incr ease gov ernment effectiveness by r educing transaction costs, modernizing trade logistics and trade facilitation services and providing a sound environmentfor private sector development. “It will lead, for example, to a more expeditious and equitable processing of invest-ment applications; and a sub stantial reduction in the timebusinesses spend on complying with import/export regula-tions”, the IDB noted, adding that the loan would also support the restructuring of institutions that provide financialand non-financial business development services. The pr oject will finance new tools for tax policy analysis,enabling the gover nment to improve the efficiency and transparency of its business taxes, an essential pre-requisiteto an impr oved business climate. NEW YORK A Caribbean American gr oup in New York is hoping to inject economic vitality into the Bob Marley Boulevard corridor in Brooklyn, N.Y. The W est Indian American Progressive Action Council (WIAPAC) plans to unveil several Caribbean flags along the strip from East 98th Street to Flatbush Avenuewhile hosting a series of com munity events and projects in collaboration with the mer-chants and r esidents to include the “Caribbean W eek” celebration in June 2010. e must bring back the economic vitalization of Church Avenue Bob Marley Boulevard to help our merchants. We cannot afford tosee businesses closed as these businesses create jobs and fuel the stability of our communi-ty ,” said Michael Russell, president and founder of WIA PAC. Russell, who was one of the creators of the proposal to rename Church Avenue BobMarley Boulevar d, said he will also be meeting with various City Council members representing the districts, whichinclude the new City Councilman Jumani Williams,to move on the pr oject and complete his portion of the renaming of Bob MarleyBoulevar d, which was not suppor ted by the former City Councilman Kendall Stewart. e know that many businesses are suffering due to the economic downtur n and high unemployment, but we must be creative and innova-tive to find avenues that will grow businesses and retain and create employment forour community ,” said Esther Haynes-T ross, public relations director of WIAPAC. Tross, a professional events planner and public relations/marketing consultant saidshe will be working with thevarious business owners andthe community to plan events that will aid in the revitaliza-tion of the shopping strip. CaribW orldNews IDB offers $10M loan to support B’dos business, climate reformsCaribbean group seeks to revitalize Bob Marley Boulevard in Brooklyn January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 BUSINESS BUSINESS www .caribbeantoday.com Suzette Rochester, standing far left, manager of Victoria Mutual Building Society’s (VMBS Florida representative of fice, reads to students during a recent visit to the Parkway Baptist Church Wee Care. The VMBS office made a donation of books and school supplies as part of its community outreach project in Florida. VMBS has opened an of fice in Miami Gardens and operates with a mandate to promote its varied products and services to Jamaicans and friends of Jamaicans in the United States diaspora. VMBS offers financial services geared to towards savings and investments for retirement, vacation, education and mortgage loans for residential and commercial purposes. Marley BUSINESS OF EDUCA TION Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 15

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TORONTO, Canada, CMC – The Canadian SoccerAssociation has appointed Trinidad and Tobago-born Stephen Hart as head coach of the country’s senior national men’s team, lifting the interimtag he pr eviously held. Hart will be in charge of Canada’ s qualification efforts as the countr y works toward the 2014 FIF A World Cup Finals in Brazil. “He delivers an exciting brand of football that has proven to be successful againstour CONCACAF opponents,” Canada’s Soccer AssociationPr esident Dr. Dominic Maestracci announced. Har t, 49, embraced his appointment and pledged to build a successful nationaloutfit. “I am honored to be chosen for this prestigious and very important position,” saidHar t, who will be charge of the team when Canada playsJamaica in a friendly inter national in Kingston on Jan. 31. EXPECTATION “I am fully aware of the expectation and look forward to the challenge of building ateam for the 2014 FIF A World Cup qualifiers and beyond,” added Hart, who made the T&T national squad as a player in 1980 before migrating toCanada. Hart most recently served as Canada’s interim head coachfor the 2009 season, including aquar ter-final finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Hehad also been interim headcoach between 2006 and 2007 after Frank Yallop resigned. MIAMI, Florida Several Caribbean American crick-eters have been called up forthe United States of AmericaCricket Association`s senior men`s team, selected to com-pete in the ICC W orld Twenty20 Qualifier beginningnext month. The team will be captained by Steve Massiah andwill include fellow Caribbean Americans Timroy Allen,Orlando Baker , Lennox Cush, Kevin Darlington, SudeshDhaniram, Glen Hall, Rashard Marshall, Clain Williams and Carl Wright. Itwill be coached by ex-Guyana and West Indies batsman Clayton Lambert. The senior men`s U.S. team has been selected tocompete in the ICC World Twenty20Qualifier andW orld Cricket LeagueDivision 5 tournamentsin Dubai, UAE and Nepal, respectively. The full squad is Allen, Baker , Cush, Darlington, Dhaniram, Hall, Marshall, Massiah, Williams, Wright, Sushil Nadkarni, Imran Awan,Usman Shuja, AdityaThyagarajan and Saurabh Verma. Officials are Lambert, Imran Khan (manager Akhtar Masood Syed (physiotherapist). The team will travel from New York to Dubai on Feb. 1 and return from Nepal on Mar. 1. In Dubai, the round-r obin of matches in the World Twenty20 Qualifier runs fromFeb. 9-11, with the semi finalsand finals set for Feb. 12 and13. The U.S. squad will leave Dubai for Nepal on Feb. 14 topar ticipate in round-robin matches between Feb. 20 and 27. The squad returns to New York on Mar. 1. CaribWorldNews Canada appoints T&T-born Hart senior national men’s soccer coach Bat meets ball again in the exciting 20/20 for-mat when the Ninth Annual Lauderhill MAQ T20Inter national Night Cricket T our nament bowls of f this month at the Lauderhill Sports Park in Lauderhill, Florida. The opening cer emony for the tour nament is sched uled for 4 p.m. Jan. 23, followed by a double header -Barbados versus W indwar ds an hour later and Pakistan against Leewar ds at 8 p.m. The tour nament has become part of Lauderhill’s Family Sports Night at the Lauderhill Sports Park – which includes netball and soccer tournaments. The cricket tour nament will r un through June, with games played on Saturday evenings. The schedule excludes holiday weekends. Team Jamaica has been dominant in the tour nament, winning in 2009, as well as seven of the previous eight years. “The tournament, growing in popularity , has been expand ed to twelve teams, with the inclusion of Team USA andW orld XI,” Lauderhill Mayor Richard J. Kaplan said recently in a pr ess r elease. The City of Lauder hill and the Cricket Council USA Inc. have reportedly signed a five-year agreement to continue the promotion, growth and development of the game of cricket For information, visit www .cric ketcouncilusa.com . 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com SPORT BRIEFS Caribbean sprinters get Olympic medal upgrade Bahamian Pauline Davis-Thompson and other Caribbean sprinters ar e the beneficiaries after the Inter national Olympic Committee (IOCe-allocated Sydney 2000 medals from drug dis-graced Marion Jones last month. Davis-Thompson is the new holder of the women’s 200 meters gold medal. Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe moves up from bronze to silver andJamaica’ s Beverly McDonald from fourth to the br onze medal thir d spot. Jamaican Tanya Lawrence, Sydney’s 100 meters third place finisherin the, moves up to second andbecomes the duplicate silver medalist with Greeces Ekaterina Thanou, whowas denied the gold by the IOC for “moral” reasons. Jamaican Merlene Ottey is promoted from fourth to third,securing a sixth car eer Olympic br onze medal to go with two silver. Jamaican gets lifeline to world box ing crown V eteran light heavyweight boxer Glen Johnson is scheduled to fight a title eliminator bout against American YusafMack late this month. In November Johnson suffered a damaging defeat against American ChadDawson in a world title fight. But theJamaican-bor n fighter’ s car eer appears to have been given a lifeline as the Inter national Boxing Federation (IBF booked him for the eliminator on Jan.30 in Las Vegas. F ormer Windies pacer Grayson Shillingford dies Dominica’s former West Indies fast bowler Grayson Shillingfor d died late last month at age 65. Shillingfor d had been ailing for some time with cancer and succumbed to the disease in Salisbury, located on the island’s west coast. He had r ecently r etur ned to Dominica from his adopted homeland of Canada where he had been receivingtr eatment. The fast bowler played seven Test matches for the West Indies between 1969 and 1972. He took 15wickets at an average of 35.80, with his best returns being three for 63 off 26.5 overs against New Zealand at SabinaPark in Kingston in Feb. 1972. Ex-Jamaican soccer star Syd Bartlett dies Jamaican soccer legend Syd Bartlett died in the United States last month. Hewas 70. Bartlett, known for his outstanding dribbling skills, was a member of Jamaica’s first World Cup qualifying squad. Windies lose cricket to Aussies,but earns respect The W est Indies cricket team showed marked improvement in the final two T est matches against host Australia last month, but still lost the series 2-0. After a devastating innings defeat inside three days in the first Test in lateNovember , the Caribbean cricketers turned in two creditable performances in the remaining games. Compiled from CMC and other sources. International cricket bowls off in Lauderhill Jan.23 Lambert Caribbean cricketers in U.S.squad for World 20/20 Hart Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 16

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January 2010CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 CARIBBEAN CARIBBEAN 200 200 9 9 IN IN REVIEW REVIEW NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com In 1992, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth used the ter m “annus hor ribilis” to describe the year in which the marriages of her two sons Charles and Andrew broke down and Windsor Castle caught fire. Seventeen years later, Caribbean countries experienc ing their own “annus hor ribilis”, joined the r est of the world in seeking to come to terms with a global economic crisis that has led to signifi-cant job losses,visits to the InternationalMonetar y Fund (IMFuse of the dreaded “R” word - “reces-sion” todescribe the negative performance of their economies. Jamaica led the way to the Washington-based financial institution and by year-end wasstill negotiating a $1.3 billion Standby Agreement, which the Bruce Golding administration said was necessary to offset theshor tfall in for eign exchange earnings being experienced by the country. Dominica, St. Kittsand Nevis, St. Lucia and St.V incent and the Gr enadines also entered into agreements with the IMF by utilizing eitherthe Rapid Response Facility(RRFShocks Facility (ESF But on the surface these appeared less onerous than the IMF agreement reached withAntigua and Barbuda, whichcalled for significant cutbacks to government spending includ-ing the public sector wage bill, a more efficient tax collectionr egime and outsour cing of some government services. PROMISE As the year dr ew to a close, the region’s chief public servant Edwin Carrington, secretarygeneral of the Guyana-based Caribbean community (CARICOM), said regional countrieswer e yet to benefit from a pr omise made by the world’s industrialized countries to restore credit, jobs and growthin the world economy . The G-20 countries had pledged $1.1 trillion, includingan allocation of $750 billion for an emergency resourcesaccount at the IMF , which is used to help nations in financialcrisis, and $250 billion for newSpecial Drawing Rights. By year-end, the Caribbean was among developing countriescalling for the establishment of a fund to assist small-island developing states (SIDSbat the ef fects of climate change. In their Por t of Spain consensus, the 53 Commonwealth leaders welcomed Britain’s offer of a proposed Copenhagen Launch Fund starting this year “to a level of resources of US$10 billion annually by 2012”. SHAKE-UP The demise of the Trinidad-based regional con-glomerate CL Financial shook the entire region and, despite a multi-billion dollar rescue pack-age announced by the PatrickManning gover nment, the com pany, along with its flagship enterprise Colonial LifeInsurance Company (CLICO rode into a strong wave of dis-content fr om policyholders and Caribbean stakeholders, including governments. In Barbados, the David Thompson administration easily defeated a motion of no confi-dence after the OppositionLeader Mia Mottley sought to condemn the prime minister in his capacity as minister of finance, charging that he hadmisled the public and had failed to take “urgent and immediate action” to protect the almost40,000 local policyholders inCLICO. Ir onically, towards the end of the year , Mottley was herself fending off attempts to undermine her position as leader of the Barbados Labour Party(BLP able to survive, others were notso lucky in 2009. F ALLEN In a year when the mighty Texan billionaire Allen Stanford fell from grace, Grenada’s Attorney General Jimmy Bristol was also forced to resign after admitting that he made an error in judgmentwhen he wr ote United States pr osecutors on government stationery seeking clemency for his relative. In Stanford’s case it was an alleged multi billion dollar Ponzi scheme that secured his demise and at year-end he remained cooped up in a U.S. federal prison. Haiti’s Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louise was oust-ed and r eplaced by economist Jean Max Bellervie. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, businessman Galmore Williams, who was sworn in as the second premierof the British Overseas T erritory, also found himself out of a job after London announced a partial suspension of the constitu-tion of the island. In the Cayman Islands, general elections werewon by the United Democratic Party (UDPReuben Meade led hisMovement for Change andPr osperity (MCAP fice. Politically, it was a good year for Prime MinisterBaldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda and his Dominican counterpar t Roosevelt Skerrit. Skerrit was returned to office in convincing style onDec. 18, but Spencer was just able to hang on to the government in theMar . 12 general elections. St. V incent and the GrenadinesPrime Minister Dr.RalphGonsalves suf fer ed a major setback in November after voters overwhelming rejected a new constitution in an historic referendum. MIGRATION FEVER Migration also emer ged as a major talking point in theCaribbean during 2009, with the Barbados government reiterating its commitment to the regional integration processwhile announcing a six-month amnesty for CARICOM nationals who have been living in the country illegally. The move wasbitterly opposed by somer egional gover nments. In the end, regional leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the free movement of nationals across the region, consistent with thepr ovisions contained in the Revised T r eaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member grouping. However, they alsor ecognized the right of member governments to pursue domestic immigration policies. The migration issue highlighted the arguments in 2009 over the need for closer politi-cal and economic integration in the region, particularly after T&T warmed to the idea of apolitical and economic union with the Or ganization of Easter n Caribbean States (OECS In December, the ninemember OECS grouping signed on to a new treaty establishingan economic union amongthemselves. PROBLEMS A novel influenza named after an animal quickly r eached a pandemic, resulting in the death of many citizens across the region. Swine flu, which is also known as H1N1, first emergedin Mexico and spr ead quickly. Mur ders continued unabated in several Caribbean coun tries such as Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas and T&T, whose situations proved most worrisome. In Jamaica, the Bruce Golding government parted ways with Commissioner of Police RearAdmiral Har dley Lewin. In T&T , while law enforcement officials were pleased with a reduction in the record 545 murders recorded last year, the number of people killed stillsurpassed 500 in 2009. The region bade farewell to a number of its nationals in 2009, including Janet Jagan, the former Guyanese president, thepr ominent Barbados business man and Independent Senator Sir John Stanley Goddard, Bermuda’s Health Minister Nelson Bascome, the distin-guished Caribbean linguist Dr . Richar d Allsopp, the women’ s world boxing champion Jizelle Salandy, the veteran Trinidadiancalypsonian Mighty Duke(Kelvin Popecultural icon Reginald Knight, and the prominent Jamaican playwright Trevor Rhone. Edited from CMC stor y writ ten by Peter Richards. Economic crisis,crime force Caribbean to endure ‘annus horribilis’ BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC Voters on this smallCaribbean twin-island federa tion of just over 40,000 people will go to the polls on Jan. 25to elect a new gover nment. After keeping the nation guessing for many weeks,Prime Minister Dr . Denzil Douglas, leader of the ruling St. Kitts and Nevis LabourPar ty (SKNLP the election bell earlier this month. “Fellow citizens, the Labour train is now movingfor ward and it will not be stopped by anything,” said Douglas. “In accor dance with the writ issued by His Excellency the governor general, Nomination Day shall be on Friday,15th January 2010...and general elections in the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis onMonday , Januar y 25th, 2010.” During his speech, Douglas, who is going for afour th straight term in office, also announced that regional and inter national obser vers fr om the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States (OASCaribbean community (CARI COM) will be monitoring the polls. In the 2004 elections, the r uling SKNLP claimed seven of the eight seats on St. Kitts, with PAM picking up the other one, while on Nevis, the Concer ned Citizens Movement claimed two seats and the Nevis Reformation Party one. Carrington Golding St.Kitts and Nevis elections on Jan.25 Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 17

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18 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 CARIBBEAN CARIBBEAN 200 200 9 9 IN IN REVIEW REVIEW SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com Astonishing achievements in athleticsonce again shot the Caribbean to international prominence, but a bitter, divi-sive cricket dispute between the region’s major stakeholders marred the year and pro-pelled the spor t to the brink of collapse. Not even the intervention of respected former diplomatSir Shridath Ramphal could broker a solution to the bruis-ing impasse which saw ther egion’s leading stars refusing to play and for cing the West Indies Cricket Boar d (WICB to pick a second string team for two international assignments. It took phenomenal Jamaican sprinterUsain Bolt to lightenthe depr essing mood in the region and restore some pride tothe spor ting fraternity. For the secondsuccessive year Boltstunned the world,r ecording mind-boggling times at the IAAF WorldChampionships inAthletics in Berlinlast August. Boltignited the champi onships with per for m ances that better ed his already stunning times at the Olympics in 2008. He lowered the 100 meters world record to 9.58 seconds, and the 200 meters mark by clock-ing 19.19 seconds. He also helped Jamaica win the men’s sprint relay title, repeating thetriple gold he had secur ed a year earlier in Beijing whileinspiring a 13 medal haul -seven gold for theJamaicans. Only the U.S. won more medals than Jamaica in Berlin.Shelly-Ann Fraser andMelaine W alker also r epr o duced the fine victories they had in Beijing in the 100meters and 400 meters hur dles, respectively, and Jamaica’s other gold medals in Berlin came from Brigitte FosterHylton (100 meters hurdles and the women’s sprint relay. An eighth gold medal for the region in Berlin was cele-brated by R yan Brathwaite, who clocked a new CARI COM r ecor d 13.14 seconds in the 110 meters hurdles to win historic gold for Barbados, the first for the country at a glob-al senior track meet. In June the 23-year -old from Trelawny in northernJamaica was named as the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. Bolt was also accorded Jamaica’s fourth highest national honor, the Order of Jamaica, and retiredBahamian Pauline DavisThompson had her Sydney Olympics 200 meters medal of ficially upgraded to gold arising out of the disqualifica tion of drug-disgraced American Marion Jones. Among the juniors, the IAAF labeled Gr enadian Kirani James “the next Usain Bolt” after the 16-year-old delivered majestic sprint dou-ble success at the IAAFW orld Youth Championship in Italy in July . James ran a brilliant championship r ecord 45.24 seconds to win the 400meters. T OPSY TURVY There was no such cause for jubilation in West Indiescricket, in a topsy-tur vy year which saw the full-str ength regional team recapture the Wisden Trophy in March after a nine-year drought only to surrender it two months laterfollowing a whitewash in ar etur n series in England. The contracts dispute erupted virtually without warning in July as West Indies prepared to take on Bangladesh in two Tests and three one-day inter nationals in the Caribbean, following a 2-1 loss to India in a four -match one-day home series. Players af filiated with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), believing their contractual demands werebeing overlooked by theWICB, took the unequivocal decision to withdraw their services, sparking a rancorous three-month period whereW est Indies cricket experienced per haps its most shameful hour . However , the W est Indians’ female counterpar ts continued to make huge strides. FOOTBALL FOLLIES Ther e wer e hardly any bright spots for r egional foot ball as T rinidad and T obago failed in its bid to reach their second successive FIFA WorldCup, scheduled for SouthAfrica this year . The CONCACAF Gold Cup alsopr oved bar r en for the Englishspeaking Caribbean as both Jamaica and Gr enada failed to advance beyond the firstr ound in the United States. However, in horse racing, Caribbean jockeys sustained a pr ominent profile in North American, mainly thr ough Barbadian Patrick Husbands and Jamaican Rajiv Maragh,both finishing among the top12 jockeys – in all of the U.S.and Canada – in mounts’ earnings. Jamaica men’s basketball side thrust itself into the spot-light in July when they beatthe British V irgin Islands in the final of the Caribbean Basketball Championships. In August, their netball counterparts, the Sunshine Girls, cap-tur ed bronze at the World Youth Netball Championshipin the Cook Islands. Motorspor t, too, brought Jamaica headlines in November as David Summerbell clinched the regional title for the fourth time.Barbados dr ove away with team honors. Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, reigned at the Caribbean Table Tennis Championship in Fr ench Guiana, and also cover ed them selves in squash glor y as they dominated the Caribbean Ar ea Squash Association (CASA Championship staged inCayman Islands in August. Trinidadian golfer Stephen Ames also experi-enced success inter nationally when he captur ed the $4.7 million Children’s Miracle Network Classic in November,to claim his second Disney title in three years and the fourth PGA Tour win of his car eer. The victory catapulted him 22 places up the rankings to 49th and pushed him to37th on the of ficial money list but most importantly, it provided a fairy-tale finish to an otherwise extremely disappointing year . Edited from CMC story written b y Kevin Pile. Track and field glory,cricket chaos dominate mixed year Brathwaite Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 18

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Telephone: (305 (305305 Toll-Free Fax: 1-866-290-4550 1-800-605-7516 Jamaica: 654-7282 E-mail: editor@caribbeantoday .com Send ads to: ct_ads@bellsouth.net Vol.20,Number 2 JAN.2010 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 ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media RepresentativesOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of thepublisher . Caribbean Today , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc. Caribbean Today is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. To guarantee return, please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean T oday may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor . Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 19

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20 CARIBBEAN TODAYJanuary 2010 Jan2010.qxd 1/10/10 9:24 PM Page 20