THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINEufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/92/85/00015/00003-2007.pdfed live and broadcast audience of close to two billion world-wide. It will be the largest

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

MIAMI, FLPERMIT NO. 7315

Vol. 18 No. 4

MARCH 2007

Tel: (305) [email protected][email protected]: 654-7282W e c o v e r y o u r w o r l d

®

INSIDE

HaitianmedicalpractitionerMathieuEugene cre-ated historyby becom-ing the firstever nation-al from the

French-speaking Caribbeancountry to hold elective officein New York City, page 4.

CARICOMleaders likeDr. RalphGonsalvesleft lastmonth’s midterm summitwith avision of2008 as a

“date with destiny” and set theCaribbean’s focus on 2015 forthe regional integration move-ment, page 11.

Boxer O’Neil Bell returns tothe ring this month for his firstfight in more than a year. Histitle of undisputed worldcruiserweight champion is onthe line, but the Jamaicansays he is ready to rumble,page 23.

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Tourism/Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Arts/Entertainment . . . . . . . . .13

Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Business/Tax Planning . . . . .17Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

~ Billions acrossthe globe will seeBrian Lara lead theWest Indies teaminto historicCricket World Cup battle on home soil,

the biggest internationalsporting spectacle to hit the nations of the Caribbean,

page 2.

T H E M U L T I A W A R D - W I N N I N G N E W S M A G A Z I N E

CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7782

CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7782

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 1

GORDON WILLIAMS

Cricket, a sport theCaribbean inherited fromits colonial past but

which bonds its people to thisday, will, beginning this month,showcase its grandest spectaclewhen the region hosts the ulti-mate championships for theone-day version of the game.

The International CricketCouncil’s (ICC) Cricket WorldCup (CWC) 2007, featuring 16 countries, including theCaribbean’s representative the West Indies, will be playedin eight countries across theregion.

Official activities beginwith the Mar. 11 opening cere-mony in Trelawny, Jamaica.The first match is on Mar. 13,when host West Indies playsPakistan at Sabina Park inKingston, Jamaica. The tourna-ment culminates with the finalon April 28 at Kensington Ovalin Barbados.

A total of 51 official gameswill be played, with an estimat-ed live and broadcast audienceof close to two billion world-wide. It will be the largestsporting event ever held in theCaribbean. The winning teamis set to earn $2.2 million andthe ICC expects to generatemore than $230 million in rev-enue from the tournament.

Administrators in theCaribbean have long expressedconfidence in delivering anexciting, safe and well-organ-izedtournament.

“We do rise to the occa-sion,” CWC’s Chief ExecutiveOfficer Chris Dehring toldCaribbean Today earlier in thepreparations.

“We’re very confident thatwe’re going to deliver,” hewould add later.

FEVERThe CWC fever has been

steadily heating up over thepast few months in theCaribbean. Host countrieshave spent millions of dollarsgetting match venues ready

while alsosprucing uptourist attrac-tions for theexpected mas-sive influx ofvisitors. Teamsbegan arrivinglate lastmonth.Caribbeanleaders havealso bondedfor the eventwith wide-spread co-operation inmany areas,including the

delicate area of security, forwhich help has been soughtfrom international agenciesworldwide.

It also appears most peo-ple from the region are expect-ing grand success as well,although some recognize thatthere are still doubters whomay not believe the Caribbeancan put on an efficient show.

“(CWC 2007) has got to bethe greatest spectacle we wouldhave had here for many ayear,” Clive Lloyd, who cap-tained the West Indies to thefirst two CWC titles in 1975 and1979, told the Caribbean MediaCorporation late last month.

“It is a situation where we

Law enforcement authori-ties said last month thatseveral suspects held in

connection with a multi-milliondollar lottery scam in Jamaicacould be extradited to theUnited States.

“The scam is becomingwider and more intense than wefirst anticipated...there is a dis-tinct possibility that some ofthese persons who have beencharged could be extradited to

U.S. residents connedin Jamaica lotto scam

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC -Billionaire American investorSir Allen Stanford has extendedthe proverbial “olive branch” toend his verbal feud withAntigua and Barbuda’s PrimeMinister Baldwin Spencer.

Both men have beenengaged in a recent war of wordsover Sir Allen’s decision to takehis plans to develop the off-shoreGuiana Island into a top classresort and launch a communitydevelopment initiative in selectconstituencies including that ofthe prime minister.

ACCUSATIONSSpencer accused Sir Allen of

political meddling and brandedhim “haughty, obnoxious andarrogant” to which Sir Allen saidthe outburst was designed “todeflect the attention of the citi-zens of our nation away fromyour inept leadership.”

Sir Allen has published anapology in his Antigua SUNnewspaper and the DailyOBSEVER newspaper, callingfor an end to the public squabble.

“My only desire is to seeAntigua and Barbuda be devel-oped to its fullest potential”, thestatement read in part. “I recog-nize the need for cooperation toattain that goal and in that spiritapologize to those who may havedeemed my actions offensive”.

Up to press time Spencerhad not yet responded to thelatest development.

®

2 CARIBBEAN TODAY March 2007

N E W SN E W Swww.caribbeantoday.com

Despite doubters, Cricket World Cup’s Chief Executive OfficerChris Dehring, left, and WICB President Ken Gordon are confidentthe Caribbean can pull off a grand show for the world.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


Caribbean aims to stage spectacular CWC 2007

Spencer Stanford

American investor apologiesto Antigua’s prime minister


March 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 3


KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent,CMC - Venezuela PresidentHugo Chavez has accused theUnited States of wanting tokeep the Caribbean and Latin

Americadivided andimprovised.Speaking at arally to signalthe end of his24- hourworking visitto St. Vincentand theGrenadines

last month, Chavez said the

Caribbean and LatinAmerican did not know whereit stood and unless there wasunity the region would remainunder the control of “theAmerican Empire”.“We need to make a hugeeffort to put back togetherthose pieces so that webecome again a powerfulLatin America and a powerfulCaribbean. As long as we donot do that we will remainunder the control, we will con-tinue being dominated andimprovised,” Chavez said.

®

NEW YORK, CMC - AHaitian medical practitionercreated history last month bybecoming the first evernational from the French-speaking Caribbean country

to hold elective office in NewYork City.

With the strong backing ofnewly-elected CaribbeanAmerican CongresswomanYvette D. Clarke, Dr. MathieuEugene, 54, convincingly wonthe special election for the 40thCouncilmanic District seat inBrooklyn that was vacated byClarke after she was elected tothe United States House ofRepresentatives in last

November’s general elections.“This is the Haitian

sensation,” shouted Eugene,flanked by the Clarkes.

“This victory is not onlymy victory, it’s our victory.This is going to give hope toall the children, no mattertheir background. It was noteasy,” he continued, referringto his campaign. “This is proofthat what money cannot do,people can do.”

‘LANDSLIDE’Eugene, who is also a

youth counselor, beat ninechallengers including fourCaribbean nationals, for theseat in the heart of theCaribbean community in cen-tral Brooklyn.

In what some politicalobservers considered to be a“landslide”, he secured 1,982votes, or 33.6 percent, of the5,898 ballots cast. His closestrival was Costa Rican-bornJennifer James.

James, a former financecampaign manager for Clarkeand her mother, Jamaican-born, ex-New York CityCouncilwoman Una Clarke,

the first Caribbean woman tohold elective office in the city,received 887 votes, or 15.07percent.

Jamaican-born educatorand entrepreneur Wellington

Sharpe placed third with 719votes, or 12.19 percent, whileHarry Schiffman, who observershad predicted could be a “spoil-er” in the race, received 454votes, or 7.69 percent.

African American lawyerJesse Hamilton, a districtleader in Brooklyn who traceshis roots to Barbados, placedfifth with 433 votes, or 7.34

Chavez accuses U.S.of dividing Caribbean

have got to be proud that wecan host something of thisnature, it is the third largestevent in the world (behind soccer’s World Cup and theOlympic Games), there will be two billion people watch-ing…and they will be lookingfor all the little nasty things,”the 62-year-old Lloyd added.

“They are not going to belooking at too many of thegreat things, but let’s hope wecan surprise them and showthat we can perform and puton a great spectacle.”

UP AND DOWNThe region’s top cricket

administrators have also admit-ted that there are people anx-ious to see the Caribbean fail inCWC – on and off the field.The West Indies has had an uptime in recent years, and despitepossessing one of the greatestbatsmen of all time in captainBrian Lara and a host of prom-ising youngsters, the formertwo-time CWC champions isnot currently ranked among thetop three one-day internationalteams in the world today.

The team has also beenplagued by internal politicalissues, involving players and theWest Indies Cricket Board(WICB), which have also spilledover into the region’s generalpolitical arena. At times theissues surrounding the region’scricket have caused bitter divi-sions. However, many are looking

at CWC as a shot at redemptionfor the Caribbean as a whole.

“We have a propensity toshoot ourselves in the foot,”WICB President Ken Gordontold Caribbean Today just overa year ago. “We’ve got to real-ize that this (CWC) is anopportunity to rise above that.”

In many corners of theCaribbean, the team’s on-the-field performance will deter-mine the ultimate success rateof CWC 2007.

“It would be magnificenteffort to do so (win the WorldCup),” said Lloyd. “People arecalling other teams but they arestill thinking that West Indieshave a very good chance. Itwould give us that type of boostthat is needed in the region.”

No nation has ever wonCWC while serving as hosts.For Lara, now 37 and likelyplaying his final CWC tourna-ment, there could be no morefitting end for the region thanraising the winner’s trophy onApril 28. Yet while the battinggenius is confident the WestIndies will do well in its back-yard, he acknowledged thebest approach would be a bitmore caution.

“We have a very goodrecord at home,” Lara saidrecently. “…We are looking tomake the semi-finals and thentake it from there.”

Gordon Williams is CaribbeanToday’s managing editor.

®

Caribbean aims to stage spectacular CWC 2007

the United States of America,”said Inspector Steve Brown, thespokesman for OperationKingfish, the task force to dealwith drug trafficking and crimi-nal organizations in Jamaica.

Brown said that local lawenforcement officials had beenholding discussions with their U.S.counterparts “and people whohave been fleeced have been giv-

ing us some useful information.”Police uncovered the multi-

million racket in sections of westernJamaica and held several suspects.

Police said that as a result ofthe scam U.S. citizens weretricked into sending large sumsof money to Jamaica afterbeing told that they had won thelottery.

®

U.S. residents conned in Jamaica lotto scam

Haitian wins council seat,creates history in New York


Eugene Yvette Clarke

Chavez


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)






WASHINGTON – The WorldBank has launched a disasterinsurance plan that will benefitat least 18 Caribbean countriesin the event of natural disasters.

The bank said that the“Caribbean Catastrophe RiskInsurance Facility” (CCRIF),launched late last month, wouldbe restricted to hurricanes andearthquakes.

“The facility will allowCARICOM governments to pur-chase coverage akin to businessinterruption insurance that wouldprovide them with immediatecash payment after the occur-rence of a major earthquake orthe passing of a hurricane”, itsaid in a statement.

The World Bank said lastmonth’s donor meeting inWashington, involving theEuropean Union, Britain, Franceand Japan, would seek to raisebetween $30 million and $50 mil-lion in reserves for the CCRIF.

Most Caribbean community(CARICOM) member stateswill be beneficiaries of the fund,the World Bank said, pointingout that they would be requiredto pay a “one-off, non-refund-able entry fee and an annualpremium”.

“Countries still need toengage in mitigation andimprove territorial buildingcodes and emergency services,”said senior World Bank urbanspecialist Francis Ghesquiere.

The Caribbean countrieshave been hard hit by hurri-canes in recent years, withGrenada’s economy being dev-astated two years ago whenhurricanes Ivan and Emilylashed the island. Caribbeancountries have also complainedin the past of the slow pace ofimmediate relief to their recon-struction efforts in the wake ofnatural disasters.

®

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC -Prime Minister Perry Christielast month accepted the resig-nation of his ImmigrationMinister Shane Gibson, who

had become embroiled in acontroversy involving the lateUnited States Playboy modelAnna Nicole Smith.

Christie describedGibson’s resignation as “thecorrect course of action.”

Gibson had been facing

severe criticism and calls forhim to step down after a news-paper published a photo show-ing him in bed with the latemodel, who died last month ina hotel room in the U.S.

Gibson had also beenaccused of favorably fast track-ing Smith’s immigration appli-cation for a resident’s permit.

“I unconditionally denythat I ever abused my ministe-rial office by granting AnnaNicole Smith any permit ofwhich she was undeserving orfor which she was not quali-fied under the laws of TheBahamas,” Gibson said in atelevision broadcast announc-ing his resignation.

APOLOGYGibson apologized “to all

persons who may in any wayhave been offended by any-thing that I have said, done orperceived to have said ordone.”

He was critical of those“mischievous” persons, who inthe political season had sought

to create an impression thatdid not exist.

“I didn’t have an individ-ual relationship with her, itwas a family relationship,”Gibson said, telling viewersthat family members werepresent when the pictureswere taken out with Smith.

Christie is preparing tocall general elections later this year.

Meanwhile, Smith’s body was flown back to TheBahamas for burial.

®

World Bank launches first everCaribbean disaster insurance plan

Angela King, formerassistant secretary-gen-eral of the United

Nations and special adviser tothe secretary general of theU.N. on gender issues andadvancement of women, diedlast month at New York’sMemorial Sloan-KetteringCancer Centre. King had beenbattling cancer for sometime.

King, who retired from theU.N. in April 2004 for healthreasons, after 40 years of serv-ice, was born in Kingston,Jamaica and attended St.Hilda’s High and Wolmer’sHigh schools. As assistant sec-retary general, she made histo-ry in being the first woman andfirst Jamaican to hold that post.

Besides advising the secretarygeneral on women’s affairs,

King was alsochairpersonof the U.N.InternationalCommitteeon Women’sRights.

“AngelaKing led theUnitedNations’efforts for

the empowerment of womenwith knowledge, passion andcourage”, read a statementissued recently by the spokesper-son for U.N. Secretary-GeneralBan Ki Moon.

®

Angela King, formerU.N. diplomat, dies

NEW YORK, CMC - TheSpeaker of New York CityCouncil last month said she isseeking legal advice from theNew York state’s attorneygeneral regarding the appoint-ment of the council’s first-everelected Haitian legislator.

Speaker Christine Quinnsaid that she had sent a letterto Attorney General AndrewCuomo requesting his opinionon the fate of Dr. MathieuEugene, who convincinglywon last month’s special elec-tion, in a 10-way race, for thepredominantly Caribbean40th Councilmanic Districtseat in Brooklyn.

“Is it your view that acouncil member must be a res-ident on the date of the elec-tion?” she asked Cuomo, cit-ing the Public Officers Law.

RESIDENCYNew York City Board of

Elections officials said lastmonth that the city council isthe one to determine Eugene’sresidency in order for him tobe formally sworn-in as theduly elected representative forthe district. The council lastmonth postponed Eugene’sofficial swearing-in ceremonyamid reports that he does notlive in the district.

City council officials, how-ever, said they expected to

swear-in Eugene early thismonth after confusion abouthis residency is clarified.

The seat was vacated bynewly-elected CaribbeanAmerican CongresswomanYvette D. Clarke, who replacedretired veteran AfricanAmerican Congressman MajorOwens as representative forthe 11th Congressional Districtin Brooklyn.

Paul Wooten, Eugene’slawyer, said he had asked thecouncil to postpone his client’sswearing-in ceremony untilthe election results are certi-fied. He claimed that Eugenehad moved into the districtbefore the elections.

“It wasn’t a factor fromour point of view,” Wootensaid, alluding to questionsabout Eugene’s residency out-side the district.

®

N.Y. City Council challenges statusof newly elected Haitian legislator

percent, and PakistaniMohammad Razvi got 420votes, or 7.12 percent.

Jamaican-born communi-ty activist Leithland “Rickie”Tulloch received 299 votes, or5.06 percent. FormerVincentian United NationsAmbassador Joel Toney fellclose to the bottom of therace, receiving only 369 votes,

or 6.25 percent, whilePanamanian entrepreneurZenobia McNally secured 269votes, or 4.56 percent withJamaican domestic violencecounsellor Karlene Gordon inthe cellar position, receivingjust 66 votes.

COMING OF AGEEugene urged his rivals to

work with him for the advance-

ment of the community.“We’re blessed with

another extraordinary con-stituency,” CongresswomanClarke said.

“We have demonstratedthat we have come of age,socially and economically,and, as we take our seat at thetable, no one will be leftbehind.”

®


Quinn

King

Gibson

Smith


Haitian wins council seat, creates history in New York

Bahamas government minister resignsin Anna Nicole Smith controversy



WASHINGTON – UnitedStates Citizenship andImmigration Services (USCIS)has issued a redesigned travelbooklet as part of ongoingsecurity improvements toupdate agency documents.

The identification book-lets, which the USCIS claimsare fraud resistant, include dig-ital photographs and signaturesand other enhanced securityfeatures to deter potentialcounterfeiting schemes.

Additional improvementsinclude a new teal blue coverand color images of patrioticsymbols of the U.S., such asthe Statue of Liberty and theAmerican flag.

“We intend to periodicallyupdate our documents to capi-talize on advances in securitytechnology and to stay aheadof efforts to circumvent ourlegal immigration system,”said USCIS Director EmilioGonzalez in a press releaseissued in mid-February.

PERMITSThe personalized pass-

port-style booklets containeither a Permit to Reenterthe United States (Form I-327); or a Refugee TravelDocument (Form I-571).The reentry permit establish-es that permanent or condi-tional residents do not aban-don their legal status whenthey travel outside the U.S.for more than one year.

A person with refugee or

asylum status who wishes totravel abroad should carry theRefugee Travel Document toreturn and maintain their sta-tus. In most cases, a refugeemay use the document fortravel purposes in place of apassport.

Travel documents current-ly in circulation are valid untilthe expiration date in thebooklet. USCIS issues approx-imately 200,000 travel book-lets each year.

USCIS said it has notifiedfederal and international lawenforcement and homelandsecurity agencies of enhancedforensic security featuresincluded in the booklet so that agents and inspectorsmay recognize and validatethe redesigned documents.

Permanent and conditionallegal residents may find moreinformation on the reentry per-mit on the USCIS web site at:http://www.uscis.gov/files/arti-cle/B5.pdf.

Details on how to applyfor a refugee travel documentis available online at:http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/d4_english.pdf.

On Mar. 1, 2003, the USCISbecame one of three formerImmigration and NaturalizationService components to jointheU.S. Department ofHomeland Security. USCIS ischarged with transforming andimproving the delivery of immi-gration and citizenship services,while enhancing the integrity of

our nation’s security.

®

Photograph by Sharon BennettHoward Dodson, left, executive director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, explains aspects of the trans-atlantic slave trade route (“Middle Passage”) to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who earlier this month declaredopen an exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade at U.N. headquarters in New York.The exhibition, entitled “Lest We Forget – The Triumph Over Slavery” and scheduled to run through Mar. 30, covers the Caribbean’slink to the slave trade. Some 35 such pieces are on display at the U.N. Visitor’s Lobby in Manhattan, including a freshly mintedJamaican $500 bank note featuring National Hero Nanny of the Maroons, as a heroine of the abolition movement.

The exhibition is being presented with the cooperation of CARICOM, the Permanent Mission of India to the U.N., UNDPI,UNESCO and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York. It is the first in a series of events leading up to Mar. 26, 2007 when member states of the U.N. will recognize the day with a global celebration New York.

U.S. reveals new travel booklets withenhanced security features

QUESTION: I was wonder-ing if someone who is a UnitedStates citizen can file for achild that is not biologically hisbut names him as the father onthe birth certificate?

ANSWER: The only means thatthis can happen legally is throughadoption, says attorney KerryWilliam Bretz of the Manhattan-based law firm of Bretz & Coven,LLP. A U.S. citizen can bringhis/her adopted child to live per-manently in the U.S., but notethat merely naming a U.S. citizenon the birth certificate does notsatisfy the complex rules regard-ing overseas adoption, added theattorney. Your best option tomake this work is to consult acompetent immigration attorney.

Note that U.S. law allowsthe adoption and immigration ofchildren who are under 16 yearsof age, with two exceptions: bio-logical siblings of a child adopt-ed by the same parents may beadopted if under 18 years of age;and orphans over the age of 16may be adopted, as long as theI-600 petition was filed on theirbehalf before their 16th birth-day, or in the case of an orphanwho is the sibling of a childadopted by the same parents,before their 18th birthday.

QUESTION: I would like to

work and live legally in the U.S.but do not have a workpermit/visa. I have a valid 10-year visitor’s visa, but do notwant to spoil it by over staying.What avenues can I use to seekemployment legally in the U.S.?

ANSWER: You cannot work inthe U.S. when you are presenton a B1/B2 non-immigrant visa,advises attorney CourtneySmith of the Bronx-based lawfirm of Palma & Smith.

The avenues you can seekto obtain employment legallyin the U.S. are to apply for aH-1B and H-2B non-immi-grant visa, he added. Youshould seek the advice of animmigration attorney beforeapplying for a H-1B or H-2Bnon-immigrant visa.

Additionally, where animmigrant visa petition hasbeen filed on your behalf –example, through a parent,spouse or sibling sponsorship -and a visa is immediately avail-able, you can apply for workauthorization. But note that itis of the utmost importance thatyou do not over stay on yourcurrent visa, Smith added.

Compiled by Felicia PersaudThe above column is created

How to adopt a non-U.S.resident; and getting a

job or work permit

STRUGGLE AND TRIUMPH


L O C A LL O C A L www.caribbeantoday.com



especially for immigrants con-cerned or unsure of issues per-taining to United States immi-gration law. It aims to answersome of our readers’ frequent-ly asked questions and provideresponses from qualifiedimmigration attorneys andadvocates lobbying for theU.S. immigration cause. The

answers provided here are forinformation purposes only,and does not create attorney-client relationship, nor is it asubstitute for “legal advice”,which can only be given by a competent attorney afterreviewing all the facts of the case.

®

WASHINGTON - Antiguaand Barbuda has called forgreater efforts so that therewould be “more tangible”results for women.

In her first address beforethe Permanent Council of theOrganization of AmericanStates (OAS), as president of the Inter-AmericanCommission (CIM), Antiguaand Barbuda Labor, PublicAdministration andEmpowerment MinisterJacqui Quinn-Leandro saidthese results should makewomen “enjoy their rights to the fullest extent.”

The OAS PermanentCouncil, which comprisesmember state diplomats, ischaired by Uruguay’sPermanent RepresentativeMaría del Luján Flores.

Quinn-Leandro said theempowerment of women andgender equality “are prerequi-sites for achieving political,social, economic, cultural andenvironmental security amongall peoples.”

In quoting a statement at the historic 1995 WorldConference on Women, inBeijing, China, Quinn-Leandro said “the advance-ment of women and theachievement of equalitybetween women and men arematters of human rights andconditions for social justice.”She said every effort shouldbe made to ensure thatwomen play a pivotal role inthe decision-making process inthe public and privatedomains, and that they haveaccess to resources and bene-

fits of development, an OASstatement said.

“The CIM objectives ofequality must be fulfilled, notonly because they are man-

dates butalso becausethey are anindispensablecomponentof the devel-opmentprocess ofour coun-tries,” saidQuinn-Leandro,who was

elected last November to headCIM for a two-year term.

®

- Photograph by Sharon BennettFive recipients were cited for outstanding service to the community at the annual Sons & Daughters of Jamaica (S&DoJ) AncestralHeritage Awards presented during last month’s celebration of Black History Month (BHM) at the Jamaican Consulate in Manhattan,New York. Photograph shows, from left, Junior Jawara Blake, radio host of The Meeting In The African Village Square-WVIP, 93.5FM; Hyacinth Simms, president of Simms Tax Services of Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Violet Russell-Forrest, fashion designer;Aubrey Campbell, from the Jamaica Information Service, N.Y., who represented recipient Dr. Basil K. Bryan, Jamaica’s consul gen-eral; and E. Wayne McDonald, artistic director of the Caribbean Cultural Theatre, Inc., Brooklyn. The BHM celebration was co-spon-sored by the Jamaican Consulate and S&DoJ, Inc.

With tax season wellon its way, millionsof taxpayers in the

United States are busy gather-ing all the forms and docu-ments needed to file federal,state and local tax returns.

Some people who receiveSocial Security may have topay taxes on a portion of theirbenefits. For them, a SocialSecurity Benefit Statement(Form SSA-1099) is an impor-tant tax document.

The SSA-1099s for taxyear 2006 were all automati-cally mailed to beneficiariesby Jan. 31, 2007. Anyone whoreceives Social Security buthas not yet received a FormSSA-1099 for 2006 can requesta replacement online atwww.socialsecurity.gov

BENEFITSThe SSA-1099 shows the

total amount of benefitsreceived in the previous yearand is used to find out if anybenefits are subject to tax, andto complete a federal incometax return. Basically, the fed-

eral tax laws about SocialSecurity benefits state that:

Up to 50 percent of SocialSecurity benefits may be sub-ject to income tax for individ-uals with a combined incomebetween $25,000 and $34,000,or for couples with a com-bined income between $32,000and $44,000; and

Up to 85 percent of SocialSecurity benefits may be sub-ject to income tax for individu-als with a combined incomeabove $34,000, or for coupleswith a combined income above$44,000. (Note: “Combinedincome” means adjusted grossincome, plus nontaxable inter-est, plus one-half of SocialSecurity benefits.)

Less than a third of cur-rent Social Security beneficiar-ies have incomes that exceedthe thresholds, requiring themto pay taxes on a portion oftheir Social Security benefits.

For more information ontaxation of Social Securitybenefits, call the IRS’s toll-free telephone number, 1-800-829-3676 and ask for

Publication 554, “OlderAmericans’ Tax Guide”. Thepublication is also availablefrom the IRS website atwww.irs.gov

For more informationabout Social Security, or torequest a replacement SSA-1099, visit www.socialsecuri-ty.gov

Or call Social Security’stoll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY1-800-325-0778)and ask for a replacementSSA-1099.

®

How to adopt a non-U.S. resident;and getting a job or work permit

Antigua demands ‘tangibleresults’ for world’s women

HONORING OUR HERITAGE

Go online for your 1099 tax form


L O C A LL O C A Lwww.caribbeantoday.com

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN

- Photograph by Derrick A. ScottLissette Wade, left, a Jamaican who resides in Lake Park, Florida, shows off anaward he recently received from United States President George W. Bush toJamaica’s Ambassador to the U.S. Professor Gordon Shirley.

Wade was the only Jamaican among the 100 African Americans who werehonored as business and community leaders for “Black History Month” at a recep-tion held at the White House in Washington D.C.

Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010Miami, FL 33116-6010.

Telephone: (305) 238-2868 (305) 253-6029 • Fax: (305) 252-78431-800-605-7516 • Jamaica: 654-7282

E-mail: [email protected] ads to: [email protected]

Vol. 18, Number 4 • MAR. 2007

PETER A WEBLEYPublisher

GORDON WILLIAMSManaging Editor

DAMIAN P. GREGORYDeputy Managing Editor

SABRINA FENNELLGraphic Artist

DOROTHY CHINAccount Executive

SUNDAY SELLERSAccount Executive

JULISSA RAMOSAccounting Manager

Caribbean Media SourceMedia Representatives

TOM JONAS353 St. Nicolas Street, Suite 200

Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 2P1Tel: (514) 931-0422 • Fax: (514) 931-0455

E-mail: [email protected]

Jamaica BureauMARIE GREGORY

(876) 925-5640P.O. Box 127, Constant Spring

Kingston 8, Jamaica

Opinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of the

publisher.

Caribbean Today, an independentnews magazine, is published every monthby Caribbean Publishing Services, Inc.Subscription rates are: US$20 per year(Bulk); 1st Class $35 per year.

Caribbean Today is not responsiblefor unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Toguarantee return, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Articles appearing in CaribbeanToday may not be reproduced withoutwritten permission of the editor.


Quinn-Leandro


The right man for her isso elusive, for womenare never satisfied, as

men are loved, hated, reviled,cursed, despised, wanted,sought after, chased away, yetchased after by women.

Women seem to be soconfused when it comes tomen, that either they don’tknow what they want, or don’twant it when they have it.

As usual, many NewYear’s Eve and Valentines’nights saw many attractivewomen out at functions, eitherby themselves, or in a collec-tive herd. Whatever, therethey were, all dressed up onperhaps the most romanticnights of the year, with noman beside them. It is a com-mon scenario, and while Iwould not dare to ask themabout their plight on thatoccasion, I have spoken tothem at different times abouttheir manless existence. Forsome it was by fate, for othersit was by choice.

Usually the response wasthe same, “I just can’t find theright man, why can’t the rightman come into my life?”

One lady, who wasdivorced twice, even told methat she wants to get marriedagain, and that if the third onefailed, she’d go at it a fourthtime. “You see, I’m not one ofthose women who can livealone, I have my needs and Ineed a man to fulfill them, soI won’t stop looking until Ifind the right man.”

The right man, there goesthat term again. But whatmakes a right man, what setshim apart from other men,what makes him different?

MADE MANWell, the right man is

rarely born, but is made. A

young mangrowing uphas to bemolded theright way,steered in theright direc-tion if he is tobecome thefuture rightman.

Thereare a few par-ents who recognize this andpass on these values to theirsons. The mothers make surethat the boys are able to cook,sew on buttons if needs be,wash and iron, and generallytake care of themselves. Asone old time mother told me,“I made sure that he could doall those things, so that he’dnot be at the mercy of anywoman.”

Can you imagine the fias-co if a man marries a womanwho is as helpless as a fish ondry land? There they are, bothof them in the house and nei-ther of them can do a damnthing to help themselves, noteven water they can boil, buthave to depend on a maid orfast food for every single thingthat passes through theirmouth. It starts with simplechores, that eventually leadsto independence, which thenleads to self-confidence.

The right man has man-ners, and that too has to belearned and cultivated froman early age. Over the pastfew months I chatted with alot of people, and I heard sto-ries of young men coming topick up young women thatwere simply horrific. One par-ent told me how this youngman drove up to his gate toattend his daughter’s sweet 16party. The lad was dressed in awashrag type of tee shirt, torn

rolled up jeans, uncombedhair, and more rings throughevery part of his body than acircus freak. “Yow, yow dads,is Lisa party this, a ya so meand my crew a buss!”

Now that must be everyparents’ nightmare, and he iscertainly not the right manthat most women are alwaysseeking. But he wasn’t bornthat way, so the twig is bent itgrows, they say.

RESPECTThe right man respects his

woman. I always find itstrange how American blackmales have this habit of call-ing their women bitches andho’s. Our men don’t use thosesaid terms, but the lyrics ofsome of the songs are oftimesworse.

This lack of respecttowards women makes youwonder if those guys werespawned in a test tube. Butthen again, you’ll say thatsome women respond to itand even call for it. No matter,it should not be done, and

Right man for her


V I E W P O I N TV I E W P O I N T www.caribbeantoday.com

TONYROBINSON

• “They expect us in theCaribbean to fail” - Caribbeansoccer adminis-trator Austin“Jack”Warnerexpressing hisview on what theworld believeswill happen atCricket WorldCup in theregion.

• “We have come here to theCaribbean to win it, otherwise itwouldn’t havemade muchsense coming” -Australian cap-tain RickyPonting afterarriving in theCaribbean forCricket WorldCup.

• “We’ve got a good catch” -David Wimhurst, spokesman forMINUSTAH, the United Nationspeacekeeping mission in Haiti, onsuccessfully completing the firstphase of a crackdown on armedgangs in one of the violence-rid-den neighborhoods in Port auPrince last month.

• “You have tolook out forwhat is best foryou as a coun-try” - MaryOurisman, thenewly-appointedUnited Statesambassador to

Barbados and the EasternCaribbean, last month saying thatCaribbean states were free todevelop relationships with anycountry they saw fit, includingVenezuela.

• “We remain concerned by thelevel of violence that currentlythreatens our way of life” –Barbados’s Police CommissionerDarwin Dottin last monthexpressing alarm at the country’srising crime rate.

• “Merger is not the panaceapeople like to think it is and thenext time somebody throws themerger word out, you should askthem for a copy of the plan as tohow it all will come together” -Air Jamaica’s President and ChiefExecutive Officer Michael Conwayoffering his views on a proposedsingle airline for the Caribbean.

• “Down with U.S. imperialism!Long live the people of thisworld” – Venuzuela’s PresidentHugo Chavez during a visit to St.Vincent and the Grenadines lastmonth.

• “Europe hasapologized toseveral otherpeoples acrossthe world sowhy can’t theyapologize tous?” –Dominica’sPrime Minister Roosevelt Skerritlast month backing a call fromCaribbean community (CARI-COM) Chairman Dr. RalphGonsalves for European coun-tries to issue an unqualified apol-ogy for slavery.

• “The event is too important foranyone to think of disturbing it”- Trinidad Islandswide CaneFarmers Association ChairmanRaffique Shah last month dis-pelling talk that the organizationwould participate in a protest dur-ing the Trinidad leg of the 2007Cricket World Cup to seek com-pensation from the government toget out of the sugar industry.

• “We (are) going to shut theisland down” – Lester Bird,Opposition leader in Antigua andBarbuda, last month threateningaction to protest the government’sintroduction of a new sales tax.

• “It seems, however, that thingshave literally fallen apart and weare not surprised at this becausethey were not done properly inthe first place” – Jamaica’sOpposition spokesman on EnergyClive Mullings criticizing a dealbetween his country’s governmentand Trinidad and Tobago.

Compiled from CMC and othersources.

®



perhaps if more parentsstressed the need to respectwomen from an early age,then the cycle would stop. Attimes this lack of respectstems from the man’s own lowself esteem. So, to big up him-self, he tears down women.

The right man has man-

ners. Now I know that manynowadays youth have no ideawhat I’m talking about, butgood manners goes such a farway and is so sought after bywomen. All the ladies whoI’ve spoken to have expressedthis, how it’s so refreshingwhen a man takes them outand displays good manners.He opens the car door, holds

the door open for her whenentering a building, pulls outher chair, offers her food anddrink, generally makes herfeel comfortable and secure.

“Those are the qualitiesthat I look for in a man,believe it or not, good man-ners,” this lady told me.

Some may not know theterm, but know when a man

shows it to them. “Him treatme right, mek me feel good,me check fi him.” And that’sanother thing, a good mantakes out his lady, and it does-n’t have to be anywhere fancyeither, but most women loveto dress up and go out once ina while. That’s why movies arestill so popular, even thoughwe have cable and satellite

dish. Women still love to dressup and go out, and the rightman recognizes this. And Idon’t mean taking out a newwoman just to impress hereither, but taking out yourwife or long time woman.

The right man has eyesonly for his woman. Okay,let’s get realistic and rephrasethat. The right man has eyesonly for his woman when he’saround her. She must feel spe-cial, he can’t be with her yetogles other women. As long ashe’s with her, she must be theone. Which leads naturallyinto the next prerequisite ofthe right man, fidelity. Theright man must deal with onlyhis woman and nobody else.Now I know that’s a tall order,but it’s what women want inthe right man. “I want myman to only be with me alone,I don’t want to share him withany other woman,” so manyladies have told me.

Others qualified it by say-ing, “As long as him don’tdash it in my face and disre-spect me and have womancalling me and tracing me off,I won’t mind, although Iwould rather he didn’t, butman is man I suppose.”

The right man commits,no stringing along business,but really commits. Oh, theright man is so hard to find.

HIT AND MISSWomen are forever seek-

ing the right man, this elusivebeing that somehow keepsslipping from their grasp.Some women meet the rightmen who eventually turn outto be wrong, while others justcan’t seem to meet even a hintof a right man.

Others caught the rightman but couldn’t hold on tohim, as their jealousy andinsecurity drove him away.Still, there are others who willnever stop looking for theright man, the man who willfulfill all their needs, theirdesires, their wants, their obli-gations. “I won’t settle for anyand anybody, I want the rightman for myself.” “Why can’t Ifind the right man, eitherthey’re married, gay, tooyoung, too old, worthless,thieves, liars or unemployed.”

But still, so many womenfind men but also find faults inall of them, so they are forev-er seeking this elusive impos-sible person and end up alone.That seems to be the fate ofmany women who are seekingthe right man. And anyway,are you the right woman forthe right man?

[email protected]

®

Right man for her


V I E W P O I N TV I E W P O I N Twww.caribbeantoday.com


CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 10

PATRICK KNIGHT

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados –Caribbean community (CARI-COM) leaders left last month’smid term summit in St. Vincentand the Grenadines with avision of 2008 as a date withdestiny even as they firmly setthe region’s focus on 2015 asthe marker for a new milestonein the regional integrationmovement.

In many respects ChairmanDr. Ralph Gonsalves, the St.Vincent and the Grenadinesprime minister, was accuratewhen he identified 2008 as “theregion’s date with destiny,” asthat year will see the usheringin of the CARICOM SingleEconomy and the start of newtrade relationships withEurope, the United States andglobally through the WorldTrade Organization.

But while the first feeblesteps towards the SingleEconomy – the second compo-nent of the CARICOM SingleMarket and Economy – will betaken in 2008, it will not beuntil seven years later in 2015that the long held vision of afully integrated Caribbeancommunity could become areality.

While some regional com-mentators view the 2015 dateas a delay, Barbados PrimeMinister Owen Arthur, theman charged with the responsi-bility for overseeing theCSME, said it was never theintention of regional leaders toimplement the Single Marketas a “done deal” in 2008, butonly to have the framework inplace to start the complex task.

“Do not expect to see theSingle Economy coming in onefell swoop, we have sequencedthe activity in two phases, thatwhich will take place between2008 and 2009 and then up to2015,” Arthur said, noting thatthe plan was not about offering“quick fix” solutions.

REALISTIC OR NOT?But is the seven-year win-

dow to achieve the CSME arealistic target?

Arthur believes that once the timelines in the ProfessorNorman Girvan study – “Towardsa Single Economy and a Single

Development Vision” - are strict-ly adhered to, the SingleEconomy can become aCaribbean reality by the 2015 tar-get.

“The Single Economy willnot simply appear. We areseeking to take 15 separateeconomies and put themtogether, developing the sec-tors together, have similar poli-cies, have regional institutionsthat support the functioning ofthe sectors, address matters rel-ative to whether we are goingto have a monetary union ornot and have social institutionsto make the economy func-

tion,” Arthur said.“This is now spelt out for

the first time in the Girvanpaper but it does not mean thatthe economy comes into exis-tence merely because this doc-ument has been prepared andapproved, but it now meansthat we have set out how weare going to approach it.”

The paper by Girvan, aformer secretary general of theAssociation of CaribbeanStates, sets out the sequencingfor the implementation of theSingle Market in two phases –up to the end of 2008 and from2009 - 2015. Key areas includedin the first phases to be imple-mented by mid-2008 are:

• Political approval for thebroad outline of the develop-ment vision and regional devel-opment strategy;

• Extension of the categoriesof CARICOM nationals bene-fiting from free movement;

• Full implementation of thefree movement of serviceproviders;

• The implementation of legalstatus for the CARICOMCharter for Civil Society.

• The establishment and com-mencement of the RegionalDevelopment Fund;

• Establishment of theRegional Stock Exchange;

• Political approval of theCARICOM Investment Regimeand CARICOM FinancialServices Agreement; and

• Collaboration with stake-holders on regional policyframeworks for energy relatedindustries, agriculture, sustain-able tourism and agro-tourism,new export services, transportand small and medium enter-prises.

AGREEMENTNeeding political agreement byJuly 2008 and to be implement-ed no later than Jan. 1, 2009 are:

• Negotiation and politicalapproval of the protocol onenhanced monetary cooperation;

• Agreement among centralbanks on CARICOM currencynumeraire (generally a com-modity in terms of which allgoods are valued);

• Implementation schedule forharmonization of taxationregimes and fiscal incentives; and

• Implementation schedule forharmonization of financial reg-ulatory environment.

PHASE TWOPhase two 2009 – 2025 pro-

vides for the consolidation andcompletion of the SingleEconomy through:

• Implementation of commonsectoral policies, e.g. tourism,transport, energy etc.;

• Harmonization of taxationsystems, incentives and regula-tory environment;

• Harmonization of fiscal andmonetary policies;

• Implementation of regionalcompetition policy and regionalintellectual policy regime; and

• Implementation of CARI-COM Monetary Union.

‘MYSTIFIED’While leaders emerging

from the summit appearedhappy with the staged implemen-tation scheduled, regional politi-cal scientist Professor NevilleDuncan told the CaribbeanMedia Corporation he is “mysti-fied” that governments still feelthey have some major hurdles toovercome before full implemen-tation of the CSME.

“If you have established adevelopment fund which is sup-posed to ease the challenges andburdens to countries which arelikely to be initially disadvan-taged by the single market andeconomy why then should onehave to wait until 2015?” ProfDuncan asked.

“But I guess 2015 is anoth-er magical date because that’swhen there’s a hope that themillennium development goalswill be fulfilled, but that does-n’t look the case for manycountries,” the director of theSir Arthur Lewis Institute ofSocial Economic Studies(SALISES) at the Mona cam-pus of the University of theWest Indies added.

He said Caribbean peoplewere fully supportive of theintegration movement and sug-gested that if they were unsureof where the region’s peoplestory, CARICOM leaderscould engage an agency such asSALISES to conduct a regionalsurvey to gauge the region’sposition on the matter.

“Maybe then they wouldbe persuaded but clearly thestudy done in Jamaica showsconclusively the strong com-mitment of Jamaican people ingeneral towards integrationand we see from Caribbeanbusiness people that they arenot laggard in what needs to bedone,” Prof. Duncan said.

As they continue themarch towards the 2015 vision,the words of Dr. Gonsalves, apoet as much as a prime minis-ter, will remain relevant toCaribbean leaders:

“We, who have come withour limiting burdens of yester-day, face today with immensepossibilities, amidst an amazinggrace for our glorious tomor-rows. We remember, we know,we dream, and we act for ourpeople and for generationsunborn. It is our destiny.”

- CMC

®

CARICOM eyes 2008 as Caribbean’s ‘date with destiny’


F E A T U R EF E A T U R E www.caribbeantoday.com

Duncan

Gonsalves

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 11

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados –The Caribbean has much togain by developing its sporttourism potential, an expert inthis field has said.

“There are considerableeconomic, sport and communi-ty benefits to be gainedthrough developing the nichemarket that is sport tourism,”said Andrew Preece, a directorof the consultancy firm PMP.

Preece explained last monththat sport tourism can take sev-eral forms, but primarily involveshosting sports events - like theInternational Cricket CouncilCricket World Cup (CWC)which begins in the Caribbeanthis month – which bring bothcompetitors and spectators whospend money in the communitygenerally, and in tourism ameni-ties such as hotels and restau-

rants in particular.Preece, who has been part

of the PMP team working onlegacy planning for theBarbados leg of the CWC, willbe a panelist at the “9thAnnual Caribbean Conferenceon Sustainable TourismDevelopment”, otherwisecalled the “Sustainable TourismConference (STC-9)”, in theCayman Islands in May. The

general session,“SecuringEnvironmentaland HumanCapital”, takesplace on May 23.Preece’s presen-tation will be oncommunity sporttourism.

“Communitysport tourismcan lead toimproved sportdevelopment,enhanced com-munity pride,and more active populations,”Preece said.

EFFECTIVE APPROACHPreece’s presentation is

expected to examine theapproach to effective planningfor community sport tourism inorder to maximize the benefits,and will include as a case study,the four step “Community SportTourism Planning Program”developed by 2010 LegaciesNow and Tourism BritishColumbia. Themed “Health and Wellness: Communities,Environments & Economies”,STC-9 will be held May 21-24 atthe Westin Casuarina Resort &Spa in Grand Cayman, the

Cayman Islands. General sessions include: Health andWellness Tourism: Opportunitiesand Challenges; SecuringEnvironmental and HumanCapital; Defining the WayForward and StakeholdersSpeak Out featuring discussionsabout “Developing ValuableTourism Resources Within Our Communities: the GrandCayman Go East Initiative,”“Preserving Our Culture:Preserving a CaymanianIdentity,” “Raising the Bar:Customer Service Standards for the Tourism Sector,” and“The Role of the National Trustin Tourism Development.”

®

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent,CMC - Caribbean community(CARICOM) leaders haveput a hold on plans to expandthe categories of Caribbeannationals enjoying free move-ment across the region.

Antigua Prime MinisterBaldwin Spencer told theCaribbean Media Corporation(CMC) that regional leaders,during their 18th inter-session-al meeting here last month,decided against expanding thelist to include artisans as wasoriginally planned at a previ-ous summit.

“It was felt that memberstates who are in a position toimplement that immediately(free movement of artisans)should so do, but it was alsofelt that it was necessary tolook at individual situationsemanating from the variousterritories in terms of howsoon and this matter obviouslywill be reviewed when next we

meet,” said Spencer.“In July hopefully the sit-

uation would have undergonesome change in terms of someterritories implementing andothers being in a position toreport how far they havereached in terms of the imple-mentation of artisans as partof the free movement.”

WORK IN PROGRESSHe told CMC the year-old

CARICOM Single Market(CSM) was still a work inprogress and most countrieswere yet to implement all leg-islative changes necessary toallow for the free movementof the six categories previous-ly approved to benefit fromfree movement across CARI-COM states.

“One of the things thatought to be borne in mind isthat in every territory certainlegislative underpinnings haveto be put in place and all of us

have not completed that exer-cise, for example in the case of Antigua and Barbuda,although we passed the freemovement of skills legislationthere was some problemattendant to that so we haveto go back to Parliamentnow,” Spencer explained.

“Countries are updatingtheir legislative agenda anddoing the things that are nec-

essary, so yes the CSM is inplace as it stands but everyaspect of it is not likely tocome on board in every terri-tory at the same time becausethere are different considera-tions, but we are all commit-ted to the idea.”

Spencer said the leadershad also agreed to mandatethe Guyana-based CARI-COM Secretariat to conduct astudy on the free movementexercise in Antigua andBarbuda before the countrywas asked to implement thefree movement of teachersand nurses.

SPECIAL CASEAt last July’s summit it

was agreed that all membersstates, with the exception ofAntigua, would add nursesand teachers to the categoriesof persons enjoying freemovement. But Spencer saidAntigua was a special case

since 40 percent of its work-force originated from otherCaribbean countries evenbefore CSM.

“Clearly this represent a significant percentage andwhile it is true that we willcontinue to play our part and we will continue to haveCaribbean nationals coming to Antigua living and workingand so on, we have to look atthe impact that it is going tohave on Antigua and Barbudain a comprehensive and a real-istic way and for us to makedecisions based on that study,”he said.

Presently university grad-uates, media workers, ath-letes, performing artistes,teachers and nurses are cov-ered under the free movementinitiative.

®

Caribbean has much to gain from sport tourism ~ expert

Caribbean free movement expansion plans put on hold


Spencer

Enthusiastic fans will often follow their teams to other coun-tries, including those in the Caribbean.

T O U R I S MT O U R I S M // T R A V E LT R A V E Lwww.caribbeantoday.com

SWIMSUIT SPLASH

- SI.com photographs Some of the world’s most beautiful models visited the Caribbean recently to shoot photographs for the pages of SportsIllustrated magazine’s 2007 swimsuit issue.

The models, including Bar Refaeli, Marisa Miller, Anne V. and Selita Ebanks, graced the property at The Caves hotel inNegril, Jamaica, using the ocean-side bluffs, Caribbean sunsets and lush tropical flora as the setting for their work.

The photographs above, taken by Raphael Mazzucco, appear at SI.com. At left model Selita Ebanks wears a swimsuit byAmare. At right, Bar Refaeli shows off swimwear by Pompei Beach.

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 12

LOS ANGELES, CMC - ZiggyMarley, the eldest son of thelate legendary Jamaican reggaesuperstar Bob Marley, lastmonth captured the “BestReggae Album” at the 49thAnnual Grammy Awards atthe Staples Center in LosAngeles, California.

Ziggy won the award withhis “Love Is My Religion”solo-studio album, eclipsingcompatriot Buju Banton,Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu,Sly and Robbie, and the Britishgroup, UB 40.

“Love Is My Religion” was released on the Tuff GongWorldwide label. It was ZiggyMarley’s fourth Grammy award.

Ziggy’s previous win in the

“Best Reggae Album” catego-ry was in 1997 for “Fallen IsBabylon” by Ziggy Marley &the Melody Makers.

®

Prominent Caribbeanartistes are listed amongthose scheduled to per-

form at the two-day “Jazz inthe Gardens” music festivalthis month in Miami, Florida.

Jamaican singer/song-writer Luciano, and renownedsaxaphonist Dean Fraser andthe Jah Messenjah Band willbe joined during the secondannual jazz and R&B festivalby India Arie, Sergio Mendes,Boney James, Will Downing,Paquito d’Rivera and Piecesof a Dream, Mar. 24-25 atDolphin Stadium.

“We want people to know‘Jazz in the Gardens’ as a cel-ebration of the music and cul-ture that lives and grows inMiami Gardens,” the city’sMayor Shirley Gibson said ina recent press release.

While Luciano is knownfor a soulful, articulate blendof “roots reggae”, India Arieis a neo soul icon, and SergioMendes is often touted as theundisputed king of Brazilianjazz.

Boney James, whose latest release “Shine” roserapidly on the BillboardContemporary Jazz charts, isalso scheduled to performalong with the internationalcontingent that includes

Cuban legend PaquitoD’Rivera.

For more informationabout the event visit

www.jazzinthegardens.comor call the event hotline at305-622-8043.

®

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,CMC – Soca artiste IwerGeorge was crowned the 2007“International Power SocaMonarch” after outclassing his rivals in the finals of thecompetition at the HaselyCrawford Stadium in Trinidadlast month.

Bajan artiste, Biggie Irie,captured the “Groovy SocaMonarch” title in that competi-tion.

Both competitions werepart of annual carnival celebra-tions.

Iwer, singing “Fete AfterFete”, and Irie performing “NahGoing Home”, each wrested therespective titles from ShurwayneWinchester, who placed third inthe Power Soca Monarch with“Open The Gate” and fourth inthe Groovy Soca Monarchsinging “Alequa”.

Winchester, who capturedthe People’s Choice Awardsfor both competitions, deliv-ered elaborate presentationsthat featured troupes of

dancers, additional musiciansand several stylized props.

Iwer and Irie kept theirpresentations simple, depend-ing mainly on raw talent andsynergy with the audience to

pull off their respective victories. Iwer took homeTT$400,000 ($63,994) for hisefforts, while Irie receivedTT$150,000 ($23,998).

®

Iwer George is T&T’s new ‘Soca Monarch’

Caribbean performers to featureat Miami’s ‘Jazz in the Gardens’


A R T SA R T S // E N T E R T A I N M E N TE N T E R T A I N M E N T www.caribbeantoday.com

Marley

Iwer

Luciano

ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS• Stephen Marley’s tourkicks off in MarchStephen Marley will launch hismuch anticipated tour this month,kicking off on Mar. 30 in theUnited States and runningthrough more than 40 cities.

The three month tour of theU.S. and Canada, billed as the“Mind Control” North Americantour, will also feature specialguest “Jr. Gong” Marley,Stephen’s brother, and K’naan. Itwill include performances at theWorld Ski and SnowboardChampionships in Whistler, BritishColumbia on April 15, CoachellaMusic Festival in Indio, Californiaon April 27, and Jazzfest in New

Orleans on May 5.

• ‘Best of the Best’ reggaeSome of the biggest names inreggae/dancehall music arescheduled to perform at the “Bestof the Best” show on May 27 atBicentennial Park in downtownMiami, Florida.

Buju Banton, Shaggy, BountyKiller, Elephant Man, Lady Saw,Capleton and Barrington Levy areamong the top acts. For moreinformation, call 305-438-9488.


®

Ziggy Marley captures ‘BestReggae Album’ at Grammy Awards

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 13

• TITLE: JABARIAUTHENTIC JAMAICANDICTIONARY

• AUTHOR: RAS DENNISJABARI REYNOLDS

• REVIEWED BY: GORDON WILLIAMS

There is a never-ending quest tocapture the flavor of Jamaica’spopular patois or creole lan-guage in writing.

Reading publi-cations whichattempt that taskwill make mostJamaicans chuckle,because they do notbelieve anyone canfully capture that fla-vor in writing. Notdown pat anyway.

But it is worth atry, especially sincethe language has beenspread globally, mostlythrough reggae music.People outside Jamaica arealways interested in the words,how they are pronounced andexactly what they mean.

“Jabari Authentic JamaicanDictionary of the JamicLanguage” offers anotherattempt to tame the slipperypatois. The book makes its ownbold claim to snare “JamaicanPatwa and Rasta IyaricPronunciations and Definitions”in “The First Jamic Dictionary”right there on the black, greenand gold cover complete withthe Jamaican flag. In 142 pagesand more than 3,000 entries, itgoes quite a distance to try andback up the claims. In someways, it succeeds - admirably. Inothers, like spelling – there is no‘correct’ spelling of patoiswords – it is not as convincing.

AIDThe thumbnail pronuncia-

tion guide on every other page

is useful. First, it offers thereader a quick glance whilegoing through the variouswords and phrases on eachpage. There is no need to goback and forth from the pagein question to another sectionof the book just to figure outhow to pronounce a word.

Also, the bold print of eachword or phrase, followed by thenon-bold meaning, makes thedictionary’s contents easy to fol-

low. And the “GuideTo The Dictionary”,near the front of thebook, which offers,for example, expla-nations and pronun-ciation tips, is help-ful as well.

But after that,the tame, academicstuff ends and therollicking ridethrough Jamaica’sdelicious home-spun language

begins. From taunt of“a-bey” to the insulting “zut-tupek”, “Jabari” dives into pat-ois head first.

Most of what’s delivered in the book is not unique, but it is definitely informative andinteresting. It could prove quiteuseful this month and next whenthousands of tourists are expect-ed to flock to Jamaica forCricket World Cup as severalmatches will be played in the Caribbean island. Maybethey should take the “JabariAuthentic Jamaican Dictionary”along with them. More thanlikely they will need it.

PUBLISHER: Around theWay Books, Waterbury,Connecticut.


®

Visitors to CricketWorld Cup 2007 willhave a colorful guide

to some of the most attrac-tive spots in theCaribbean.

Want to know thebest restaurants, placesto party and what’s hap-pening while they’re intown for the eventduring this month andnext? Try getting“The ICC CWC2007 OfficialVisitor’s Guide”, afan companion,especially for first-timeguests from outside the region.

The full-color pocket refer-ence of the Caribbean features140 pages of information whichvisitors will find useful as they

traverse the nine host ven-ues, following the

ICC CricketWorld Cup.

SHOWCASEProduced

by Jamaica-based compa-

nies Great HousePublishing and

MAPCO Printers,it showcases many

elements regardingthe countries staging

CWC matches,including: Overview of

the territories; ICCCricket World Cup 2007

match schedule and relatedinformation; things to see anddo; restaurants and bars; beach-es in the region; carnival attrac-

tions; historic sites, museums,etc.; entertainment andnightlife; environmental/wildlifeattractions; and essential tele-phone directories (taxis, emer-gency, etc.).

The guide, being sold inbookstores and other retailersthroughout the Caribbean, willalso be available through con-cessionaires, as well as itiner-ant vendors at CWC matches.

The guide to the WestIndies is being distributed inJamaica by Novelty Tradingand MAPCO Printers and inthe Eastern Caribbean byTrinidadian style magazine,MACO, and its distributioncompany, Moving MagazinesCaribbean Limited.

®

A neat little pocket piecewhen setting out for ‘Yard’

Colorful guide to the Caribbean for Cricket World Cup 2007


B O O K SB O O K Swww.caribbeantoday.com

Resource guide availablefor parents in Miami-Dade

The Miami-Dade CountyPublic Schools and TheEducation Fund have

co-published a free ParentResource Guide 2006-2007 forthe public.

The 88-page guide, spon-sored by global financial serv-ices provider ING, gives par-ents information they need toknow about their child’sschool, curriculum and stu-dent requirements.

The guide is printed inthree languages -English,Spanish and Haitian creole.Each school in the system will

receive additional copies foruse in parent-teacher meet-ings.

The guide may also beviewed online at www.educa-tionfund.org (under “OurPublications”) and www.dade-schools.net (under “Resources”).

The 2006-2007 guide pro-vides a wealth of informationincluding revised curriculumrequirements, test schedules,immunization requirements,student services, legal rightsand parental involvement.

®

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 14

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,CMC - Regional trade nego-tiators have identified the cul-tural industry as a sectorwhich could give Caribbeancommunity (CARICOM)countries clear comparativeadvantages in a global tradingenvironment.

With this in mind, Dr.Richard Bernal, director gener-al of the Caribbean RegionalNegotiation Network (CRNM),said the region’s ability to lever-age benefits for the sector

would be boosted greatly by anew study on the cultural indus-tries, which would be presentedto all CARICOM governmentsand cultural stakeholders.

“The creative sectors holdtremendous potential for pro-moting the development andeconomic diversification ofthis region. This study istherefore critical as it willassist the region in formulat-ing the policies that addressthe key issues and challengescurrently affecting this

region,” Bernal said recently.According a CRNM

release, the study, titled “TheCultural Industries in CARI-COM: Trade and DevelopmentChallenges”, concluded thatinvesting in the cultural indus-tries would be beneficial toCaribbean countries as it wouldgenerate new, high valued-added and indigenous forms ofemployment, production andexports”.

®

DAWN A. DAVIS

The mention of Port Royalconjures up images ofswashbuckling pirates,

hidden treasures, lewd and las-civiouslifestyles, andmurderousdebauchery.

But in itsheyday in the17th and 18thcenturies PortRoyal was animportantcommercialcenter colo-nized by the English. It was thecenter of the slave trade, import-ed goods and naval power.

But its “wicked” past liveson in folk tales as many believethat the massive earthquakethat swallowed up the city onJune 7, 1692 was punishment forits evil history.

An exhibition at Miami’sHistorical Museum of SouthernFlorida, opened recently in col-laboration with the Institute ofJamaica’s Museums of Historyand Ethnography, showcases thisinfamous city. The display ofover 150 unique artifacts, somediscovered by historians andunderwater archeologists, repre-senting life in the port city thenand now, will be on display untilthrough June 3, 2007. The ele-gant pewter tableware, dishes,hair combs and chamber pots(“chimmey”) tell of peoplegoing about their daily lives.

NOT ‘DIBBY DIBBY’In declaring the exhibition offi-

cially opened, Jamaica’s Minister ofTourism, Entertainment andCulture Aloun Assamb, remindedthe audience: “Our findings reaf-firms that tourism to our shores ismuch more than beaches. Moreand more tourists come for ourculture and to learn about ourway of life.”

“Port Royal is no dibbydibby place,” she added.

The audience, includingJamaicans, Americans, andother Caribbean islanders, weredrawn to a series of old Spanishcoins with unique symbolsand numbers still intact. Alarge map of Port Royaldepicted the shoreline as itwas before and after theearthquake. A 19th centurypicture of Port Royal showsa city strikingly similar tothe Port Royal of today.Pictures taken by Jamaica’snoted photographer MariaLaYocona, show a vibrantcity teeming with life amidstbuildings still standing fromthe pirates’ days.

This port city that hasrebounded from disaster, onceagain rose from the ashes afterHurricane Charley destroyedit in 1951. Today it comes alivefor people who come to sam-ple the famous fish andbammy, the old fort with itsgrand canons, and the giddyhouse, a structure half sunkenin the earth after the greatearthquake.

Dawn A. Davis is a freelancewriter for Caribbean Today.

®

Port Royal exhibit offersmore than ‘wicked’ past

One of the Caribbean’s biggest cultural attractions, the Trinidad and Tobagocarnival, was staged last month. The streets of Port of Spain were filled withrevelers dressed in colorful costumes and sequins like these ladies. The2007 carnival drew an estimated 45,000 visitors, most of whom participatedin the festivities, enjoying music, sunshine and the chance to play mas.

FUN AND FROLIC

Caribbean trade negotiators pushculture as new creative sector


C U L T U R EC U L T U R E www.caribbeantoday.com

Assamba

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:53 PM Page 15

SUZY COHEN

QUESTION: Sometimes Ihave to take muscle relaxers,which make me sleepy anddizzy. Getting to the pharmacyas frequently as I need to is achallenge, but I’m scared ofusing my credit card online.Do I have other choices to getmy toiletries and refills?

ANSWER: Yes, you can senda friend or family member into purchase your medication,but they will be asked a fewpersonal questions at the reg-ister before your medicine ishanded over.

I know you’re scaredabout shopping online and,with so many bogus pharma-cies and counterfeit pills soldoff the Internet, who couldblame you? But trust me;there are respectable pharma-cies that offer safe and secureshopping. Big-name retailerswould not risk your securityand they encrypt credit cardinformation. If that doesn’tpersuade you, I’ll give youanother secret shortly.

Now, you will want tomake sure your online phar-macy has VIPPS certification,another level of authenticity.Look at the home page; thereshould be VIPPS emblemclearly visible.

LESS STRESSPersonally, I feel very

comfortable shopping with dis-count chain pharmacies thathave web sites. Buying onlinereduces stress because youdon’t have to wait in long phar-macy lines, which means youdon’t have to breathe in germs.Hey, who wants to get sneezedon while waiting in line?

Shopping over theInternet is private, too. Youcan buy your tampons and toi-let paper (and, ahem, privategoodies) without the cashieryelling, “Price check, aisle 6,Preparation H” or “Manager,is Vagisil buy one, get one?”

You can get your medica-

tions with just a few clicks of abutton. Most pharmacies willdeliver everything to yourdoor for a small shipping fee,including prescriptions, unless

they are Class II narcotics orother non-shippable drugs.

SECRETNow, here’s that secret I

alluded to. If you call yourbank (or go to its web site), itwill issue a temporary creditcard number you can use onthe computer. This service isfree, so consumers have a safeway to shop online withoutever revealing their true creditcard number.

I can’t possibly list all the pharmacies that haveonline pharmacy web sites, but here are a few reputableones: www.cvs.com; www.wal-greens.com; www.costco.com;www.riteaid.com;www.kmart.com; www.albert-sons.com; www.duanereade.com;www.samsclub.com; www.eck-erd.com; www.walmart.com;www.kroger.com; www.drug-store.com; www.target.com;www.medicineshoppe.com

This information is notintended to treat, cure ordiagnose your condition. SuzyCohen is a registered pharma-cist. To contact her, visitwww.dearpharmacist.com.

© 2007 Dear Pharmacist, inc.Distributed by Tribune MediaServices, Inc.

®

Feel secure shoppingfor medication online

Professional basketballplayer AlonzoMourning, who has

overcome serious kidneyproblems, has agreed tobecome a spokesman promot-ing a new Florida specialtylicense plate, designed to pro-mote organ and tissue donorawareness and fund research,transplant patient services andeducation.

Created and sponsored byThe Transplant Foundation,affiliated with the MillerSchool of Medicine at theUniversity of Miami, the spe-cialty tag - Donate organs.Pass it on - is now available atCounty Tag Agencies, TaxCollector offices and onlinethrough the Transplant

Foundation at www.trans-plantfoundation.org.

“I owe my livelihood, and

more importantly my life, tothe fact that someone donatedan organ to replace the onethat had failed me,” theMiami Heat player said in arecent press release.

Mourning was diagnosedwith kidney disease in 2000and had a kidney transplant in2003.

“Now Floridians have the opportunity to help savesomeone else’s life,” he added.“And who knows? Maybesome day their own.”

For more information,contact TransplantFoundation at 1-866-901-3172or visit www.transplantfoun-dation.org.

®

• Jamaica bans blood fromcountries with mad cowJamaica is maintaining a ban onblood donations from personswho have lived for over a year incountries where “mad cow” dis-ease or a variant of theCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD),which causes dementia in cows,have been found.

• St. Lucia trying to avoid‘Bird Flu’ outbreak The St. Lucia government hasannounced measures to protectthe island from the spread of theavian influenza (Bird Flu) duringthis month’s Cricket World Cupthat is likely to attract visitorsfrom Britain and other countriesaffected by the disease.

• T&T recruit doctors,nurses from CubaMore than 100 health profes-sionals, including 40 doctors, arescheduled to arrive from Cuba tobegin working in Trinidad andTobago, Health Minister JohnRahael announced recently.


®

Basketball’s Mourning teams upwith Florida’s organ, tissue donors

HEALTH BRIEFS


Mourning

www.caribbeantoday.com H E A L T HH E A L T H

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 16

DENNIS GINSBURG &MICHAEL ROSENBERG

In Dec. 2004, we wroteabout the changes in theUnited States tax law that

had then been made in theU.S. “expatriation” tax rules

that apply to U.S. citizens andcertain long-term permanentresidents who give up theircitizenship or “green card”.

Instead of completelyoverhauling the expatriationtax regime (as had often beenproposed), the U.S. Congressinstead attempted to close theperceived loopholes that exist-ed under prior law.

Now, Congress is againconsidering a major revisionin these rules and, even if noimmediate change is made, ithas been made clear thatthese changes might be made“soon” as a source of revenuethat would allow for other“tax cuts” that Congress wants

Planning for the financialfuture of children withdisabilities will be the

focus of a conference thismonth hosted by the Universityof Miami-Nova SoutheasternUniversity Center for Autismand Related Disabilities(UM/NSU CARD).

The conference will beheld from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Mar. 31 at Health ProfessionsDivision Nova SoutheasternUniversity Steele Auditoriumin Davie, Florida.

It will feature a variety oftopics related to planning forthe financial future of yourchild living with a disability,including Social Security ben-efits, Med Waiver, estate plan-ning, guardianships, specialneeds trusts, etc.

Registration is free, butrequired. To register, contactMaria Lis de Gisperi at 305-284-5263.

UM/NSU CARD pro-vides free family support,

outreach, and educationalsupport services to childrenand adults of all levels ofintellectual functioning who

have autism and autistic-likedisabilities. Services for fami-lies throughout Miami-Dade,Broward and Monroe coun-

ties in Florida include familysupport, technical assistanceand consultation, parent andprofessional training pro-

grams, and public educationactivities.

®

ReconsideringU.S. citizenship

or long termresidency rules

Conference to focus on financial planning for disabled children


B U S I N E S SB U S I N E S S // T A XT A X P L A N N I N GP L A N N I N G www.caribbeantoday.com


CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 17

Businessman Vincent HoSang, left, receives a special award from Albert Lettman,president of the Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, during theGCACC’s annual banquet and officer installation ceremony last month in Florida.HoSang is the president and chief executive officer of Caribbean Food Delights Inc.,a division of Royal Caribbean Bakery Inc. He was born in Jamaica and dropped outof high school to help in the family business. He migrated to Bronx, New York in the1960s and began his first job in the U.S. earning $1.60 an hour assembling briefcas-es in a factory. HoSang currently owns and operates two factories with multi-milliondollar sales. He was the guest speaker at the function.

to put in place.Therefore, we think that it

is time for all who have everconsidered expatriation to gothrough the analysis onceagain.

OVERVIEWThe following is a general

overview of some of the majoraspects of the expatriation taxregime and the major changethat is proposed.

As an initial matter, an“expatriate” is generallydefined as: 1) a U.S. citizenwho renounces his or her U.S.citizenship; or 2) a long-termlawful permanent residentalien (a so called “green card”holder) who has held such sta-tus for eight of the prior 15years and who then relin-quishes his or her “greencard”.

In either situation, anexpatriate is not automaticallysubject to the expatriation tax-ation regime, but instead,must violate certain qualifyingtests meant to determinewhether or not he has as oneof his or her principal purpos-es in expatriating the avoid-ance of U.S. taxes.

Under current law, anexpatriate needs to violateone of three tests to be con-clusively considered to have atax avoidance purpose - the“Net Income Tax Test”, the“Net Worth Test”, or the“Failure to Comply Test”.Under the relevant law, theonly exceptions to theseobjective standards are forcertain adult and minor indi-viduals with dual citizenship.

CAVEATHowever, these excep-

tions have a significant caveat,in that such an individual can-not have any “substantial con-tacts” with the U.S. at thetime of expatriating, meaninggenerally that the individuala) never was a resident alien(RA) under the three-yearweighted average substantialpresence test; b) never held aU.S. passport; and c) was notpresent in the U.S. for morethan 30 days during any calen-dar year which is one of the 10calendar years preceding theindividual’s loss either of U.S.

citizenship or his or her greencard.

Once it has been deter-mined that an individual has atax avoidance purpose inexpatriating from the U.S., theindividual then becomes sub-ject to the “Alternative TaxRegime” for the 10-year peri-od subsequent to the taxpay-er’s expatriation (the “taintedperiod”) where he will betaxed, generally speaking, in asomewhat “hybrid” mannerthat is both more comprehen-sive than the taxation schemefor taxing a typical nonresi-dent alien/nonresident aliendomiciliary (NRA/NRAD),but less comprehensive thanthe worldwide tax scheme thatapplies to a U.S. citizen or res-ident alien/resident aliendomiciliary (RA/RAD).

However, even if an indi-vidual has given up his or herU.S. citizenship or green card,that individual will continue tobe taxed as a U.S. citizen orRA until he or she gives prop-er notice to certain prescribedU.S. agencies and files aninformation statement withthe Internal Revenue Serviceon IRS Form 8854. The indi-vidual is then required to filethe same form for each yearduring the “tainted period”.

With a limited exception,should the expatriate duringthe “tainted period” be physi-cally present in the U.S. onmore than 30 days in any cal-endar year, the individual willbe taxed as a U.S. citizen or asan RA/RAD during that year,and will, therefore, be subjectto worldwide taxation for U.S.income, estate, and gift taxpurposes for such year.

RULES REVISIONThe U.S. Senate has now

proposed a major revision ofthese rules. Under the Senatebill, generally, a “coveredexpatriate” will, with certainexceptions, pay tax on the netunrealized gain in all of theirproperty as if the propertieswere sold at fair market valueon the day before expatria-tion. The first $600,000 of gainwould be exempted from tax.

Special rules are providedfor interests in trusts andretirement plans as well ascertain U.S. real propertyinterests.

While, in order to avoidimmediate payment of the tax,it would be possible to make aspecial election to continue tobe taxed as a U.S. citizen withrespect to the propertyowned, that election would“lock in” continuing U.S.income, estate, gift and gener-ation skipping transfer tax lia-bility with respect to the prop-erty and require the posting ofsecurity for the payment ofthe deferred tax (includinginterest, penalties and certainother items). An individualwould alternatively be permit-ted to elect to defer the pay-ment of the mark-to-markettax on any one or more prop-erties for which the election ismade. Interest would becharged and security wouldneed to be posted. The defer-ral would end upon the dispo-sition of the property or thedeath of the taxpayer.

Obviously, these ruleswould be a marked change inthe way in which expatriatesare taxed. Most importantly,outlasting the 10-year “taintedperiod” or restructuring assetsso that they would not be sub-ject to the alternative taxwould no longer be sufficientto avoid the new tax regime.

However, as proposed,these rules would only applyafter the date of enactmentand, as of the date this articlewas written, it appeared as though the House ofRepresentatives would notinclude this provision in thetax provisions they were pro-posing.

In any case, as we notedat the beginning, it wouldappear that this mark-to-mar-ket tax regime is being lookedat as a future source of fundsthat can be used to offset taxcuts elsewhere. Therefore, foranyone who has or would atall consider expatriating, itbecomes critical to reconsiderthat action now.

Dennis Ginsburg andMichael Rosenberg are share-holders with the CoralGables, Florida law firm ofPackman, Neuwahl &Rosenberg and can bereached at 305-665-3311.

®

RAGS TO RICHES

Financial experts have amyriad of tools andresources at their dispos-

al – detailed reports, econom-ic outlooks and market analy-ses that can be too complicat-ed for the rest of us to com-prehend.

But for your own personalfinances, the most useful toolis actually one of the easiest tounderstand – and often over-looked.

It’s the personal budget.A document that simply meas-ures the amount of moneythat comes in, and the amountof money that goes out. MikeSullivan, director of educationfor Take Charge America,says you don’t have to be afinance guru to create a work-able budget.

EASY“Budgets are easy to cre-

ate, especially with the freetemplates that are availableonline,” he said. “Puttingyour budget on paper helpsyou track your expenses, rec-ognize poor spending patternsand establish a savings plan.”

In the United States,

where the average householdhas racked up more than$9,000 in high-interest debt, it’sobvious that many consumersare living well outside theirmeans. Sullivan says a work-able budget can help con-sumers prevent financial blun-ders, such as acquiring exces-sive credit card debt and notsaving. He offers four tips:

• Establish goals – Beforeyou create a budget, establishshort and long-term financialgoals. Are you trying to getout of debt? Do you hope toretire early? Do you want toput your children through col-lege? Are you a travel enthu-siast? It’s important that yourbudget provides for avenuesto accomplish these goals.The sooner you start workingtoward your goals, the easierthey will be to accomplish.

• Layout – A budget canbe easy to understand and create.

• The “extras” – Youbudget needs to include“extras” outside of monthlybills. This includes entertain-

Getting back to budget basics ~ Tipsto create a realistic, workable budget

Reconsidering U.S. citizenship or long term residency rules


B U S I N E S SB U S I N E S S // T A XT A X P L A N N I N GP L A N N I N Gwww.caribbeantoday.com



CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 18


CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 19

Mar. 31 is the last day forBroward County, Florida prop-erty owners, which includes hun-dreds of Caribbean Americans,to pay 2006 property taxes with-out interest and penalties.

Pursuant to Floridastatute, taxes become delin-quent on April 1, at whichtime interest and penalties areassessed. Taxes not paid byMay 23, 2007, will have a taxcertificate (lien) sold to paythe delinquent taxes.

To make a payment viathe Internet, using a creditcard or electronic check, visitwww.broward.org/revenue. Afee will be assessed for creditcard payments, but no fee ischarged for electronic checks.

To make a payment viathe Integrated Voice ResponseSystem using a credit card, call1-800-601-1069 (a fee will beassessed for credit card pay-ments).

®

ment, child care, education,retirement and savings, amongother specific interests, activi-ties and goals. Savings arevitally important. Even $25 amonth can be a big help. Alittle cash cushion can preventyou from falling deeper intodebt when emergencies occur.

• Monthly evaluations –A budget shouldn’t be set in stone. As incomes andexpenses fluctuate, budgets

need to be adjusted according-ly. Take a close look at yourbudget at the end of eachmonth. Have you noticed anypoor spending habits? Arethere areas where you cantrim funding? As you trackyour spending, you willinevitably come across areaswhere you can free up moneyto use more effectively.

To locate a reputablefinancial advisor, visit theBetter Business Bureau at

www.bbb.org or visitwww.takechargeamerica.orgfor more information.

Information obtained fromTake Charge America, a nonprofit organization whichoffers a variety of servicesincluding financial education,credit counseling and debtmanagement.

®

Property tax deadlinefor Broward County

NEW YORK, CMC - Grosslong-term borrowing by LatinAmerican and Caribbean coun-tries will increase slightly in2007, the international financialratings company, Standard &Poor’s Ratings Services statedin a report issued last month.

The report, entitled“Borrowing By Latin AmericanAnd Caribbean Sovereigns ToExpand In 2007”, is Standard &Poor’s third annual survey of government debt issuance in the region.

“Standard & Poor’s findsthat gross long-term borrowing,including official and commer-cial debt, by 25 Latin Americanand Caribbean sovereignsshould reach US$427 billion in2007,” said the company’s creditanalyst Joydeep Mukherji.

“Gross borrowing by local and regional governments inLatin America and the Caribbeanis also expected to grow verymodestly in 2007.”

®

Caribbean will borrowmore in 2007 ~ study

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent,CMC - Barbados Prime MinisterOwen Arthur says the much-touted Regional DevelopmentFund (RDF) should be in opera-tion by July and called onregional countries to pay uptheir contributions.

The anticipated $250 mil-lion fund is a critical componentof the Caribbean community(CARICOM) Single Marketand Economy (CSME), Arthur

said. However, he explainedthat all CARICOM states mustnow be prepared to honor thecontribution schedule, whichwould see countries collectivelycontributing $120 million to theRDF over a four-year period.

The RDF is designed to sup-port development projects in thesub-regional Organization ofEastern Caribbean States(OECS).

®

Regional Development Fund operational by July ~ Arthur

This month, the Miami-DadeEnterprise Community Centerwill conduct its “Emergingand Expanding BusinessSeminars Series”.

The seminars, which arefree and open to the public,are expected to offer informa-tion on local business taxes,certificates of use, tangible per-sonal property taxes, sales and

use taxes, Miami-Dade Countybusiness incentives, businesscontracts, loans, lines of credit,business technology, how tostart a successful business anda business plan lab series.

Those that register canreceive the ECC CertificateProgram upon completing theseminar series.

The seminars are to be

held at 3050 Biscayne Blvd.,Suite 201 in Miami and are tobe divided into two parts con-sisting of the “EmergingBusiness” and the “ExpandingBusiness” series.

For more information,305-579-2730 or visit the ECCat www.ezonetrust.org

®

Miami-Dade to conduct freebusiness, counseling seminars


www.caribbeantoday.com

CRICKET BUSINESS

Several business interests attended last month’s luncheon session to promote trade and investment opportunities between agroup of New York-based Pakistani entrepreneurs and the Caribbean during Cricket World Cup in the region. They included, fromleft, Junaid Mirza, director of Travel Treat, Inc.; Mahmood “Max” Shaukat, chief executive officer, Digital TV; Kirk Kennedy, execu-tive director of JAMPRO, Jamaica’s trade agency; and Dr. Basil K. Bryan, consul general of Jamaica to New York. A group of NewYork Pakistani entrepreneurs will be attending the CWC which begins this month.

Getting back to budget basics ~ Tips to create a realistic, workable budget(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18)

B U S I N E S SB U S I N E S S // T A XT A X P L A N N I N GP L A N N I N G

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 20

Increased use of mega con-tainerships in trans-oceantrades is forcing the develop-

ment and use of large transship-ment hubs serving as containerdistribution and collection cen-ters for large trading areas.

The Caribbean, thoughsmall in population and econom-ic activities except for tourism,constitutes a major crossroadsfor international trade. This isnot only because of its proximityto the Panama Canal, but also asa major focal point fornorth/south Atlantic trades andtrades with the east and north-ern coasts of South America.

The major problem forlines serving Northern andEastern South American coun-tries are the lengths of theircoastlines and the resultinghuge inter-port distances, com-bined with significant but not

large container trades, mostlyforeign trades. This makes itdifficult to justify direct ship-ping by large containerships.

Similarly, the large distancesto their principal trading partnerports make the use of smaller,less efficient container shipsunattractive. This has led to thedevelopment of transshipmentports in the Caribbean designedto serve South America and theGulf of Mexico.

OBJECTIVESThe objectives of trans-

shipment are not only toreduce the total cost of collect-ing and/or distributing the con-tainers carried by a mega-mainline container vessel fromand to numerous origin anddestination ports, each ofwhich only contributes a partof the mainline vessel cargo,but also to improve just-in-time

delivery of cargo, reduce intransit inventory, and make thetotal origin-to-destinationmovement of containerizedcargo more seamless.

In other words, the pur-pose is not just to reduce ori-gin-to-destination transportand handling or transfer costs,but to make the whole supplychain, including all involvedtransactions, more efficient andmore responsive to the ever-changing market place.

Transshipment also offersopportunities for cargo consoli-dation or deconsolidation andvalue added activities such asassembly, calibration, and cus-tomizing to meet specific localor time varying demands. Tomake transshipment attractivethe economic and operationalbenefits must outweigh addedeconomic and operational costssuch as additional handling

costs, port dues, and possiblyextra voyage distances or devi-ations. At the same time,transshipment is often neces-sary to attain economies ofscale in shipping as well as theoverall logistics chain.

During recent years trans-shipment has caught on in theCaribbean and a large number

of transshipment ports havebeen developed. Additionaltransshipment ports are underconstruction or being planned.

The above article was editedfrom a paper written by ErnstG. Frankel.

®

~ A Caribbean Today feature


T R A N S P O R TT R A N S P O R T & & C A R G OC A R G O www.caribbeantoday.com

LOVEBIRD’S 25-YEAR AFFAIR

- Photograph by Derrick A. ScottSue Rosen, left, Air Jamaica’s senior vice president of customer service, accepts a proclamation from Maryland’s Secretary ofTransport John Porcari, on behalf of the U.S. state’s Governor Martin O’Malley, in recognition of Air Jamaica’s 25 years of service toBaltimore Washington International Airport. Sharing in the presentation are, from right, Basil Smith, Jamaica’s director of tourism;Will Rodgers, recently retired vice president of Air Jamaica; Sharon Miller, deputy chief of missions, Embassy of Jamaica; andGeorge deMercado, the airline’s vice president of sales. The presentation was held recently at the Baltimore Hyatt Hotel. Overthe last 25 years the airline claimed it has carried more than a million passengers into Jamaica from the airport while maintainingan average load factor of over 79 percent.

Air Jamaica began service out of the airport on Feb. 16, 1982.

Caribbean transshipment emerges at crossroads for trade

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 21

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,CMC - A top regional airlineofficial is defending the pricingstructure now in use byCaribbean carriers for theInternational Cricket CouncilCricket World Cup (CWC)2007 which runs through April28.

Michael Conway, presi-dent and chief executive offi-cer of Air Jamaica, said whilethe airline is seeking to make aprofit from the venture, itcould not be accused of pricegouging.

“Any time you have fewerentities providing the goods andservices by definition there is lesscompetition. And it’s opposite ofwhat a free market place is. Themore people providing thegoods, the better deal the con-sumer will get,” Conway said.

COMPLAINTSIn recent months there

have been complaints frompassengers that the prices ofairline tickets and accommoda-tion have increased significant-ly as a result of the World Cupgames that begin this month.Conway said he was not aboutto defend the charges now in

use for regional hotel rooms,but explained there was a logi-cal reason for the recent hikein regional airfares.

“Any time you have a highdemand for something that isgoing to drive prices up. Ithink the airlines will be full. Iknow we will be full on ourtrips from Jamaica toBarbados for the final. So whatdoes one do? Do they keep thesame prices or do you matchyour pricing with the demand?I think that’s what people aredoing,” Conway said.

®

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –United States Coast Guard andCustoms and Border Protectionoperations in San Juan, PuertoRico, along with other membersof the Caribbean CorridorInitiative, announced Feb. 28 theseizure of approximately 396kilos of cocaine and 123.1 kilosof heroin with an estimatedstreet value of $15,056,400.

Six people were arrested inthe operation.

After coordination betweenthe crew of Coast Guard CutterNorthland and CaribbeanCorridor participating agencies,Coast Guard intercepted a fastboat about 92 nautical milesnorth of Venezuela. The boathad six people onboard and 18bales containing narcotics. Coast

Guard apprehended the crewand narcotics, and transportedthem to the base where Customsand Border Protection and otherfederal agencies provided addi-tional assistance in the operation.

GETAWAY ATTEMPTWhile the Northland Cutter

was on its way to the base itencountered another fast boatthat attempted to elude the cut-ter. The Coast Guard disabledthe engines and rescued five peo-ple that were onboard the fastboard. The captain of the vesselfailed to abide federal regula-tions when attempting to outrunthe cutter. All five crewmemberswere detained and were alsotransported the base for ques-tioning and processing.

Intelligence sources place high-caliber drug traffickersmoving tons of drugs, andmoney through the Caribbean.

The Caribbean CorridorInitiative is a Drug EnforcementStrike Force that includes agen-cies such as Customs and BorderProtection (CBP), U.S. CoastGuard, Drug EnforcementAdministration, Federal Bureauof Investigation, Immigration andCustoms Enforcement and U.S.Attorney’s Office.

“The Caribbean CorridorInitiative has once again proventhat compiling resources pro-vides results,” said MarcelinoBorges, director of field opera-tions in the region for CBP.

®

Regional carriers defendpricing system for CWC

To ensure shipping andcargo security at its bor-ders, the United States

has implemented a ContainerSecurity Initiative (CSI), whichconsists of four core elements.

These are: 1) establishingsecurity criteria to identify high-risk containers; 2) pre-screeningthose containers identified ashigh-risk before they arrive atUnited States ports; 3) usingtechnology to quickly pre-screenhigh-risk containers; and 4)developing and using smart andsecure containers.

To be eligible to participatein CSI, the Member State’sCustoms Administration andthe seaport must meet the fol-lowing three requirements:• The Customs Administrationmust be able to inspect cargooriginating, transiting, exiting,or being transshipped through acountry.

• Non-intrusive inspectional(NII) equipment (includinggamma or X-ray imaging capa-bilities) and radiation detectionequipment must be availableand utilized for conducting suchinspections. This equipment isnecessary in order to meet theobjective of quickly screeningcontainers without disruptingthe flow of legitimate trade.

• The seaport must have regu-lar, direct, and substantial con-

tainer traffic to ports in theUnited States.

RISK MANAGEMENTAs part of agreeing to par-

ticipate in CSI, a MemberState’s Customs Administrationand the seaport must also:

• Commit to establishing arisk management system toidentify potentially high-riskcontainers, and automating thatsystem. This system shouldinclude a mechanism for vali-dating threat assessments andtargeting decisions and identify-ing best practices.

• Commit to sharing criticaldata, intelligence, and risk man-agement information with theU.S. Customs and BorderProtection in order to do collab-orative targeting, and develop-ing an automated mechanismfor these exchanges.

• Conduct a thorough portassessment to ascertain vulnera-ble links in a port’s infrastruc-ture and commit to resolvingthose vulnerabilities.

• Commit to maintainingintegrity programs to preventlapses in employee integrity andto identify and combat breachesin integrity.

Edited from the U.S. Departmentof Homeland Security’s website.

®

Tighter security demands atU.S. borders, ports

U.S. authorities seize $15 million worth of narcotics in Caribbean

MAN IN THE MIDDLE


- Photograph by Sharon BennettJamaica’s Minister of Transport Robert Pickersgill, center, is greeted on arrival at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Queens, New York bySabrina Hosang, left, daughter of Vincent Hosang, director of operations at Caribbean Food Delights/Royal Caribbean Bakery; andAnnMarie Grant-Brown, executive director, American Foundation for the University of the West Indies. Pickersgill was the keynotespeaker at last month’s Anniversary Charity Ball organized by the Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO), Inc., held at the hotel. Dr.Basil K. Bryan, consul general of Jamaica, served as patron of the gala, proceeds from which will benefit charities in Jamaica andthe United States.

Conway

T R A N S P O R TT R A N S P O R T & & C A R G OC A R G Owww.caribbeantoday.com

~ A Caribbean Today feature

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 22

CAPE TOWN, South Africa,CMC – The InternationalCricket Council has suspend-ed the membership of theUnited States of AmericaCricket Association(USACA).

An ICC release said thesuspension was as a result ofthe USACA’s failure to meet

“the agreed and subsequentlyextended deadlines for theadoption of the new USACAconstitution and the holdingof elections”.

The West Indies CricketBoard, the only full memberin the ICC Americas region,has been asked to monitor theprogress of the USACA and

subsequently make a recom-mendation on the lifting ofthe suspension.

“It gives the ICC Boardno pleasure to re-enact thissuspension but given the lackof progress towards a func-tioning administration of USACricket it has been left withlittle alternative,” ICC Chief

Executive, Malcolm Speedsaid.

Under the suspensions,the USACA will be hit byseveral sanctions. The teamwill be withdrawn from theWorld Cricket LeagueDivision Three Series sched-uled for Australia in May andrelegated from that division.

Additionally, the grantused to prepare for that eventwill be withheld along with thedirect funding support fromthe ICC Americas RegionDevelopment Program. TheUSACA will also miss out onthe annual ICC grant due onApril 15.

®

The following is a listing of matches to beplayed during Cricket World Cup 2007, Mar.13-28, in the Caribbean. All matches start at9:30 a.m. local time.

GROUP STAGE GAMESGroup A – St. Kitts and NevisMar. 14 – Australia v. ScotlandMar. 16 – South Africa v. The NetherlandsMar. 18 – Australia v. The NetherlandsMar. 20 – South Africa v. ScotlandMar. 22 – Scotland v. The NetherlandsMar. 24 – Australia v. South Africa

Group B – Trinidad and TobagoMar. 15 – Sri Lanka v. BermudaMar. 17 – India v. BangladeshMar. 19 – India v. BermudaMar. 21 – Sri Lanka v. BangladeshMar. 23 - India v. Sri LankaMar. 25 – Bermuda v. Bangladesh

Group C – St. Lucia Mar. 14 – Kenya v. CanadaMar. 16 – England v. New ZealandMar. 18 – England v. CanadaMar. 20 – New Zealand v. KenyaMar. 22 – New Zealand v. CanadaMar. 24 – England v. Kenya

Group D – Kingston, JamaicaMar. 13 – West Indies v. PakistanMar. 15 – Zimbabwe v. Ireland

Mar. 17 – Pakistan v. IrelandMar. 19 – West Indies v. ZimbabweMar. 21 – Zimbabwe v. PakistanMar. 23 – West Indies v. Ireland

SECOND STAGE – SUPER EIGHT. TOP TWOTEAMS FROM EACH GROUP ADVANCEMARCHMar. 27 – Second place in Group D v.winner of Group A in Antigua and Barbuda.Mar. 28 – Second place in Group A v.winner of Group B in Guyana.Mar. 29 – Second place in Group D v.winner of Group C in Antigua and Barbuda.Mar. 30 – Winner Group D v. second place inGroup C in Guyana.Mar. 31 – Winner in Group A v. second placein Group B in Antigua and Barbuda.

APRILApril 1 – Second place in Group D v. winnerof Group B in Guyana.April 2 – Second place in Group B v. winnerof Group C in Antigua and Barbuda.April 3 – Winner of Group D v. second placein Group A in Guyana.April 4 – Second place in Group C v. winnerof Group B in Antigua and Barbuda.April 7 – Second place in Group B v. secondplace in Group A in Guyana.April 8 – Winner of Group A v. second placein Group C in Antigua and Barbuda.April 9 – Winner of Group D v. winner ofGroup C in Guyana.

April 10 – Second place in Group D v.second place in Group A in Grenada.April 11 – Second place in Group C v.second place in Group B in Barbados.April 12 – Winner of Group B v. winner ofGroup C in Grenada.April 13 – Winner of Group A v. winner ofGroup D in Barbados.April 14 – Second place in Group A v.winner of Group C in Grenada.April 15 – Second place in Group B v.winner of Group D in Barbados.April 16 – Winner of Group A v. winner ofGroup B in Grenada.April 17 – Second place in Group A v.second place in Group C in Barbados.April 18 – Winner of Group D v. winner ofGroup B in Grenada.April 19 – Second place in Group D v.second place in Group B in Barbados.April 20 – Winner of Group A v. winner ofGroup C in Grenada.April 21 - Second place in Group D v.second place in Group C in Barbados.

SEMI FINAL ROUNDJAMAICAApril 24 – Second v. third

St. LUCIAApril 25 – First v. fourth

FINALApril 28 - BARBADOS

USA Cricket Association suspended by world body

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 match schedule

GORDON WILLIAMS

Two more Caribbean-born soccer players arehoping to boost their

professional careers withMiami F.C., a Florida-basedclub which competes in theUnited Soccer Leagues (USL)in the United States.

Club sources confirmed toCaribbean Today late last monththat Jamaican Sean Barrett andGerghiny Obas of Haiti wereamong less than a dozen playerswho survived the cut at opentryouts with the club last month.Beginning this month, they willtrain with the team with thehope of making Miami F.C.’s 22-player official roster for openingday in mid-April.

Barrett, a forward, andmidfielder/defender Obascompeted for the coveted non-contract “walk-on” spots withmore than 300 players at thetryouts. They are hoping toemulate the feats of country-men Sean Fraser and StephaneGuillaume, who were bothsigned by Miami F.C. based ontheir performance at tryoutslast season.

Fraser, from Jamaica, andGuillaume of Haiti both had

fairly successful seasons play-ing alongside Brazilian WorldCup greats Romario andZinho at Miami F.C., whichadvanced to the play-offs in itsfirst USL season. Both playersstarted numerous games andlater received contract exten-sions at Miami F.C. They werealso selected for their nationalteam to play in the DigicelCaribbean Cup.

Fraser’s career earned anadded boost when he wasselected for a loan spell withtop Brazilian club Boavista. Heis set to rejoin Miami F.C. forthe start of the USL season.

TRIALAccording to club sources,

Barrett and Obas will be ontrial when they participate inpre-season training, which wasscheduled to start earlier thismonth.

“The pre-season is anexcellent opportunity to furtheranalyze the players whoalready signed with Miami F.C.and also the ones chosen at thetryouts, especially the latter,”said Chiquinho de Assis, headcoach for Miami F.C.

®

Miami F.C. boosts Caribbean soccer players

GORDON WILLIAMS

Jamaican-born O’Neil“Supernova” Bell willdefend his undisputed world

cruiserweight boxing crownagainst Jean-Marc Mormeck inParis, France this month.

Bell, with a ring record of26 wins with 24 knockouts,wrapped up the bulk of histraining in California late lastmonth and returned to hisAtlanta, United States homeconfident that he is in the bestshape to defend the WorldBoxing Council and WorldBoxing Association titles hetook from Mormeck when thetwo first met in Jan. 2006.

“I couldn’t be more ready,”Bell told Caribbean Today.

The much-anticipated Mar.17 rematch in the 200-poundweight class will be Bell’s firstbout since knocking outMormeck in New York’sMadison Square Garden. Hehas since been stripped of hisInternational Boxing Federationbelt for failing to defend thattitle last year. Bell said he wasunable to make the mandatoryIBF fight against AmericanSteve Cunningham because of a

medical problem.

FIT, READYHowever, he claimed he is

now fit and ready for Mormeck.Bell stepped up preparation dur-

ing a month-long training stint atBig Bear, California where healso had to overcome a legalproblem. Last month the cham-pion was charged with assaultingone of his sparring partners, but

the charge was later dropped.Bell claimed the incident hasonly served to rev him up for theMormeck fight.

“It was definite motivationfor me,” he said.

Bell’s camp said he sparredmore rounds for the rematchthan when he first foughtMormeck. With the physicalaspect of his training now com-plete, the champion, who plansto leave the U.S. for Francearound Mar. 12, said he is cur-rently working on sharpeninghis mental approach.

“It’s just to focus, make sureeverything is perfect,” he said.

For the return fight Belltold Caribbean Today heexpects Mormeck to be in muchbetter physical shape, but hedoes not see the Frenchmanchanging ring tactics. Neitherdoes he plan to change his ownapproach.

“It will be like two freighttrains clashing head on,” Bellsaid. “I don’t expect him to boxand I don’t want to box him.”


®

Jamaica’s O’Neil ‘Supernova’ Bell defends cruiserweight crown Mar. 17


S P O R TS P O R T www.caribbeantoday.com

Bell

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 23

BROOKLYN, New York –Guyana’s world-rated light-welterweight boxer VivianHarris is now awaiting confir-mation of an InternationalBoxing Federation (IBF) titleshot against champion JuniorWitter of Britain.

Harris qualified for theworld title bout by defeatingMexico’s Juan Lazcano in anIBF eliminator in Las Vegaslast month.

It is expected that Harrisand Witter will meet later thisyear for Witter’s belt and the

Caribbean 140-pound pugilistis waiting patiently while hispromoter negotiates the fightarrangements.

“I leave that up to GaryShaw. He’s a great promoterand I am happy to have him asa promoter,” Harris said in an

interview recently on theBoxingTalk web site.

“I know he (Shaw) isgoing to come back to thetable with what’s best for me,”Harris added.

IMPRESSIVEHarris boasts a ring

record of 27 wins (18 knock-outs) against two losses andone draw, while Witter has 35wins (20 knockouts) againstone loss and two draws. In acompetitive bout withLazcano on Feb. 10 at theMandalay Bay Resort in LasVegas, Harris secured a unani-mous points decision victory.

A former World BoxingAssociation (WBA) light-wel-terweight champion, Harriswas classy early in the boutand dominated Lazcano, butthe Mexican rallied with astrong third round and Harriswas forced to fend off sus-tained aggression in some ofthe middle and late rounds enroute to a victory, 115-112(twice) and 114-113.

“I am pleased with myperformance (against Lazcano)and ready to move on to thenext one,” Harris said of hislatest win.

NEW CHAPTERThe 28-year-old Harris

recently married his long-timepartner and hopes this newchapter in his life will enhancehis boxing career.

“We finally tied the knotat a small service…this is thewoman I want to spend therest of my life with. That’swhat life is, when the family isstrong, everything else isstrong,” Harris said.

In Oct. 2002, Harris beatCuba-born Diosbelys Hurtadoin two rounds to win theWBA belt, becomingGuyana’s third world boxingchampion – after AndrewLewis and Wayne Braithwaite.He defended the crown threetimes before losing toColombian Carlos Maussa.

Photograph and story fromCMC.

®

Guyana’s Harris awaits boxing world title shot

The Caribbean’s hopes of sending a team tosoccer’s under-20 world

championships this summer in Canada fizzled badly lastmonth.

Jamaica and St. Kitts andNevis were both knocked outof the finals after sufferingtwo losses in the last round of qualifiers in Mexico.

Jamaica was beaten 2-0by both Costa Rica and thehosts during group play. St.Kitts and Nevis lost 2-0 toMexico and 3-2 to Costa Ricato be eliminated.

The two Caribbean teamsdrew 1-1 in the final groupgame to secure a point each,but it was not good enough toadvance to the world champi-onships. Mexico and CostaRica finished in the first two places of the four-teamgroup and will represent theCONCACAF region in thetournament.

®

BEST BOYZ IN HONG KONG


Harris

Jamaican player Kavin Bryan tries to deceive his Chinese opponent with the ball during last month’s final of the Lunar New YearCup 2007 in Hong Kong.

Jamaica drew 0-0 with China, but the Reggae Boyz won the four-team soccer tournament by defeating the Chinese five tofour on penalty kicks after extra time.

Australia finished third after beating the Hong Kong League XI also in a penalty shootout.It was the first time that Jamaica had been invited to the tournament, which also marked the debut assignment for the

Reggae Boyz’ new technical director Bora Milutinovic. Earlier in the tournament Jamaica tied 1-1 with Australia, but advanced tothe final by defeating the Aussies in a penalty shootout.

S P O R TS P O R Twww.caribbeantoday.com

Jamaica,St. Kitts youthsoccer worldchampionship

bids fizzle

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 24

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent,CMC - Trinidadian EdwinCarrington has been re-appointed secretary general ofthe Caribbean community(CARICOM) for anotherterm, according to the officialcommuniqué issued at the endof the 18th Inter-Sessionalsummit here last month.

Carrington, the former

secretary general of theAfrican Caribbean and Pacific(ACP) group, was firstappointed to the post in 1992.He is the fifth CARICOMsecretary general and headsthe Guyana-based secretariat.His new five-year term willbegin Aug. 1.

The regional leaders also agreed to re-appoint

Jamaican-born AmbassadorRichard Bernal as director-general of the CaribbeanRegional NegotiatingMachinery (CRNM) for a further two-year term. TheCRNM coordinates theregion’s negotiations at inter-national forums.

®

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent,CMC - Caribbean community(CARICOM) heads of govern-ment have agreed to fully imple-ment the single economy com-ponent of the regional integra-tion movement on a phasedbasis by 2015 and allow for thefull free movement of the com-munity’s nationals by 2009.

Chairman, St. Vincent andthe Grenadines Prime MinisterDr. Ralph Gonsalves, Trinidadand Tobago Prime MinisterPatrick Manning and BarbadosPrime Minister Owen Arthur said these were some of the major decisions coming out of an “extremely productive” 18thInter-Sessional CARICOMHeads of Government conferencewhich concluded here last month.

“It was a very positive three

days of work done in a very joy-ous, warm spirit without ran-cour, with camaraderie and withlove,” Gonsalves said at theclosing press conference.

PHASING INArthur said while the

framework for the single

market - the second componentof the CARICOM SingleMarket and Economy (CSME) -would be on target for the 2008schedule, it was agreed to accept

the recommendation of a reporton the CSME which suggested

the phased implementation ofthe schedule.

“Do not expect to see thesingle economy coming in onefell swoop, we have sequencedthe activity in two phases, thatwhich will take place between2008 and 2009 and then from2010 up to 2015,” said Arthur,who has lead prime ministerialresponsibility for the CSME.

He said while “simpler”components would beapproached in the earlier peri-od, more complex issues such asharmonization of fiscal andmonetary policy and eventuallya single currency would be inthe last period.

Manning, the prime ministerwith lead responsibility for secu-rity issues, also announced thateffective Feb. 16, CARICOM

nationals traveling throughoutthe Single Domestic Spacewould not need to use passports.He, however, suggested that peo-ple still traveled with their pass-ports as there would be randomsecurity checks.

®

CARICOM re-appoints Carrington, Bernal

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC -Prime Minister Sir JohnCompton has said that whileSt. Lucia achieved a lot in 28years of Independence, he isnot happy with life in thecountry.

In a national address tomark Independence Day, Feb.22, Sir John lamented thatthere was great reason to beconcerned about crime, securi-ty of person and property andgeneral attitudes in the country.

“It is said of us that it ismuch easier to accumulatewealth that to acquire goodmanners, as it is in our stan-dard of behavior and personalconsideration for others thatwe have fallen sort. We havenot necessarily prepared our-selves to get ahead but alwaysto push to get in front,” SirJohn said.

CAUTIONHe cautioned against

allowing the saying to becomea fact “that the children of St.Lucia have gone forth into thewilderness of materialism,where nothing is consecrated,nothing is ordained.”

Sir John, who was addressing the nation on theoccasion of the anniversary ofIndependence for the first time

in 10 years, also regretted thefact that St. Lucia was not pre-pared for the Caribbean com-munity (CARICOM) SingleMarket and Economy.

Additionally, the primeminister said the education system was in shambles andthe Universal SecondaryEducation “so hurriedlyrushed into operation withoutpreparation, would be a disas-ter if left in its current form.”

He said that the freemovement of skilled personshad already been agreed to byall CARICOM governments,but there was no certificationprocess in St. Lucia.

CHALLENGEThe prime minister said

that the challenge now was toeducate, train and improvethe nation’s work force andrepeated his intention toinvestigate what he said wasmillions of dollars in costoverruns under the previousadministration.

“If we fail to inquire intothese matters, this new gov-ernment would be accom-plices and would be just asguilty for not exposing, con-doning the shortcoming andthe conduct of governmentaffairs,” he said.

Sir John said that despitethe many challenges facingthe country, there were alsoopportunities available,adding that the nation mustbe prepared to take advantageof these opportunities.

With the Independencetheme “Rising to the GlobalChallenges”, Sir John urgedhis countrymen to preparethemselves through educationand skills training for the localand regional job markets,adding that the country’sexports must be of the qualityto meet global competition.

Activities for the obser-vance of Independenceincluded a national parade,

competitions among schoolsin various educational, sport-ing and cultural events, and a

major national concert.

®

P.M. marks Independence by urging St. Lucians to rise to global challenges

CARICOM leaders agree on key economic issues


R E G I O NR E G I O N www.caribbeantoday.com

Arthur

Manning

Gonsalves

Compton

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 25

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,CMC - Leader of the governingPeople’s National Movement(PNM), Prime Minister PatrickManning, has told supporters toput their houses in order andawait his announcement of gen-eral elections.

“As we face the electoratein a little while, your responsi-bility as a political party is tobe ready,” Manning urgedparty faithful, following hiswalkabout in the SangreGrande area in east Trinidadlate last month.

Party members have beentouring several parts of thecountry as the country waitson Manning to signal hisintention to go to the polls.

Sangre Grande now fallswithin the ambit of a new con-stituency of Cumuto-Manzanillain one of the five new electoralboundaries created by theElections and BoundariesCommission. With the changes,the number of constituencieshas now moved from 36 to 41.

‘PAYBACK’Manning described the

pending general elections as“payback time” for the 33-3defeat of the PNM in 1986 bythe National Alliance forReconstruction. He said theparty needed to put a “spe-cial” constitution in placebefore calling the elections,noting that he wanted a spe-cial majority in Parliament.

Manning warned support-ers to not be complacent evenas its main political rival - theUnited National Congress(UNC) - recovers from frac-tious political divisions andleadership squabbles. TheUNC was split last year whenits political leader WinstonDookeran walked out to starthis own party - Congress ofthe People. Analysts haveargued that this will benefitthe governing party and leadit to a return to office in theelections due this year.

The PNM was expected tohold a special general councilearlier this month to discussmatters relating to both thelocal and general elections.

®

GEORGETOWN, Guyana,CMC - Guyana last monthmarked the 37th anniversary of being a republic, with theBharrat Jagdeo governmentappealing to the multi-racialnation to unite in the interest of accelerating national devel-opment.

President Jagdeo, accompa-nied by senior members of his Cabinet including PrimeMinister Samuel Hinds;Culture, Youth and SportMinister Dr. Frank Anthony, as well as the acting PoliceCommissioner Henry Greene,and the Chief of Staff BrigadierEdward Collins, attended theflag raising ceremony atParliament Buildings in the capital on Feb. 23.

Jagdeo took the presiden-tial salute, inspected the Guardof Honor, which comprised

more than100 membersof the JointServices,before theNationalFlag wasraised to thetraditional21-gunsalute.

Racialand political polarization havehistorically dogged thisCaribbean community (CARI-COM) country and HumanServices and Social SecurityMinister Priya Manickchand, ina speech to mark the republicancelebration, reminded the popu-lation that “each Guyanese hasa role to play in the develop-ment of their country.”

®

GEORGETOWN, Guyana,CMC - A Caribbean communi-ty (CARICOM) mission thatobserved the general electionsin the Turks and Caicos lastmonth said the results reflectedthe will of the electorate, evenwhile calling for better votereducation programs in theOverseas British Territory.

In a preliminary assess-ment released here, the three-member team headed by

Carson Raggie, the chief elec-tions officer in St. Lucia, notedthat the preparations for theconduct of the elections wereadequate, “despite concernsraised about the Voters List inrelation to registration of vot-ers.”

Premier Michael Misick andhis ruling Progressive NationalParty were re-elected to office.

®

IVAN CLIFFORD

HAMILTON, Bermuda – All22 of the governing ProgressiveLabour Party (PLP) Membersof Parliament are black in anisland where 40 percent of thepopulation is white. But thepolitical landscape couldchange considerably in the nextgeneral elections, which is dueby 2008 but widely expected tobe called this summer.

Businesswoman JaneCorreia, a former commodoreof the Royal Bermuda YachtClub, once a bastion of whitemale supremacy, is the latestwhite person to confirm shewants to run for the PLP, whichhas been in power since ending30 years of uninterrupted ruleby the United Bermuda Party(UBP) in Nov. 1998.

The bi-weekly BermudaSun newspaper said 43-year-oldCorreia’s plan to run for thePLP “will be seen by many assymbolic of our island’s shiftingpolitical power base.”

TURMOILThe UBP had 14 MPs, six

of them white, elected at thelast elections, but has been inturmoil in recent weeks follow-ing two high-profile resigna-tions and, according to opinionpolls, now trails a distant sec-ond behind the PLP, which hasbeen given fresh impetus byEwart Brown since he oustedAlex Scott in the party’s leader-ship battle last October.

“Brown’s elevation to the

top post is said by PLP sourcesto have attracted new members,including whites, drawn by hisreputation for getting thingsdone”, the Sun reported.

The newspaper earlierreported that construction com-pany boss Zane DeSilva, a closefriend and golfing buddy of the

premier, who isalso tourismand transportminister, will bea PLP candi-date at the nextpolls, while for-mer UBPSenatorWendell Hollisis now a PLP

supporter, although he says hehas too many commitments torun for Parliament. Both arewhite.

‘WHITE FACE’“The newly emerging

‘white face’ of the PLP mightskew the widely-held belief thatthe PLP exists solely to serveblack interests”, the Sun stated.

Correia, a friend of Brown, a60-year-old physician, and hiswife Wanda, said she joined thePLP after Brown became pre-mier. Asked by the Sun why shewanted to run, Correia said: “Ifeel it is important to be proac-tive in a community. I believe inthe direction that the PLP isgoing.”

She said she had never pre-viously been a member ofeither political party but it wasimportant to “become involved

instead of sitting back and com-plaining about issues.”

Addressing the issue ofrace, she said: “I think it is timerace is put aside. I believe theway forward for all Bermudiansis to respect each other.”

The UBP body blows camewhen Pembroke West MP JamahlSimmons, at 35 the youngestmember of the House ofAssembly, and party ChairwomanGwyneth Rawlins both resigned inprotest against alleged manipula-tion and control of the party bythe island’s white elite.

UBP veteran MaxwellBurgess then stuck the knife inby claiming the party was divid-ed and ailing and called onparty leader, black businessmanWayne Furbert, to resign.

But Furbert dug his heelsin, stating: “We are not downand out. We expect to win. Wehave reached rock bottom, theonly way is up.”

The PLP has had only onewhite face in Cabinet, TourismMinister David Allen, who diedof cancer five years ago. At thelast election the PLP ran onlyone white candidate – hotelierLeopold Kuchler – who washeavily defeated in the UBPstronghold of Paget West.The UBP, which in the pastreceived virtual blanket supportfrom white voters, was finallydriven from power when theblack middle class deserted theparty at the 1998 election.

CMC

®

Manning puts T&T on election alert

Guyana celebrates republican status

Turks re-elects PNP

Whites ready to run for Bermuda’s rulingProgressive Labour Party


Brown

Jagdeo

P O L I T I C SP O L I T I C Swww.caribbeantoday.com

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 26

WOMEN’S HISTORYLUNCHEON

Pioneering womeninterred in the Miami CityCemetery will be honoredduring the ninth annualWomen’s History Luncheonnoon Mar. 19 at City of MiamiLegion Park 6447 N.E. 7thAve. in Miami.

During the event, present-ed by The African AmericanCommittee of Dade HeritageTrust in Florida, the women’slives will be portrayed in a skitwritten by Leome Culmer andperformed by members of TheSinging Angels - a communitygroup under the direction ofDr. Richard Strachan.

The 2007 honorees are:Margaret Gilbert Amason,Vera Parks Albury, MonicaHanna, Bessie Forbes, ArleanMcKenzie, and Olive F.Scavella.

For tickets and moreinformation, call EnidPinkney at 305-635-5130 or305-635-5800.

SERVICE AWARDSThe Consulate General of

Jamaica will present its firstCommunity Service AwardsCeremony and High Tea at3:30 p.m. Mar. 25 at theBiltmore Hotel in CoralGables, Florida.

Jamaica’s GovernorGeneral Kenneth Hall is theguest of honor.

For more information,call the consulate at 305-374-8431.

KNOWING GOV’TStarting this month, resi-

dents of Broward County,Florida are being invited toparticipate in a new programthat offers them an opportuni-ty to learn about the county’sgovernment.

During the free eight-week program, called theBroward County Academy,residents will learn how coun-ty government delivers servic-es to enhance and promotethe quality of life for resi-dents, businesses and visitors.The goal is to raise publicawareness about county pro-grams and services, and toincrease community involve-ment and participation in localgovernment.

The academy will runthrough Mar. 29.

All county residents age18 or older are eligible toapply. There is a limit of 25students for each academy,and two academies will beoffered each year. Acceptancewill be granted on a firstcome, first serve basis. There

is no registration fee or cost toparticipants.

Applications for theBroward County Academy areavailable on the Broward Countyweb site www.broward.org/academy, by e-mailing [email protected] or bycalling the Broward CountyPublic Communications Office at 954-357-6990.

PASSPORT REMINDERThe Western Hemisphere

Travel Initiative (WHTI) tookeffect in January.

The WHTI requires allthose United States citizenstraveling by air to theCaribbean to have a passport.

For information aboutapplying for a U.S. passport,visit http://usps.com/passportor call 800-ASK-USPS.

PASSPORT APPLICATION

The National PassportInformation Center (NPIC),the United States Departmentof State’s single, centralizedpublic contact center for U.S.passport information, is offer-ing a toll free service and hasexpanded its service availabili-ty/options.

Persons with questions orneed status checks on pendingpassport applications can call

1-877-487-2778. Customerservice representatives areavailable from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Monday through Friday,excluding Federal holidays.Automated information isavailable 24 hours a day, sevendays a week.

For e-mail access, visit:[email protected] Website ofpassport and other interna-tional travel information isavailable at travel.state.gov

‘GREEN CARD’ FILINGThe United States

Citizenship and ImmigrationServices (USCIS) hasannounced that aliens mustmail applications to renew orreplace permanent residentcards, commonly known as“Green Cards”, directly to theLos Angeles Lockbox.

The Lockbox is a process-ing facility used by USCIS toaccelerate the collection ofapplications and petitions.The announced change allowsthe agency to improve theprocessing of Form I-90(Application to ReplacePermanent Resident Card) byelectronically capturing dataand images and by performingfee receipting and depositingfrom one central location,rather than at the local districtoffice, service center, or appli-cation support center (ASC).

Aliens filing a Form I-90,regardless of their state of res-idence, must mail those appli-cations with an application feeof $185 and a biometrics feeof $70 to one of the followingaddresses:

For U.S. Postal Service(USPS) deliveries:

• U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services, P.O.Box 54870 Los Angeles, CA90054-0870;

Or for non-USPS deliver-ies (e.g. private couriers):

• U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services,Attention: I-90, 16420 ValleyView Ave., La Mirada, CA90638

Applicants should notinclude initial evidence andsupporting documentationwhen submitting the Form I-90 to the Los AngelesLockbox.

Applicants will receive anotice for a biometrics pro-cessing appointment at anASC and will submit their ini-tial evidence during thatappointment.

Applicants will receivetheir biometrics appointmentin the mail.

PAGEANT ENTRYPartners for Youth

Foundation is accepting appli-cations the “Miss JamaicaFlorida 2007 Pageant” to beheld on June 24 at the CoralGables Center for the Arts.

The pageant is open toJamaican-born females orthose of Jamaican parentage.The categories are “LittleMiss” (ages five to eight);“Junior Miss” (nine to 12);“Miss Teen” (13-16) and“Miss Jamaica Florida” (17-21).

The deadline for applica-tions is April 30.

For more information, callMarcia Baker at 954-600-0334.

®


F Y IF Y I www.caribbeantoday.com

FALLING IN LINE

- Photograph by JIS/NYWith the recent implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), mandating all air travelers returning to theUnited States to have a valid passport on arrival at all ports of entry, the Jamaican Consulate has seen a sharp rise in the numberof persons applying for passports at its midtown, Manhattan, New York location. The rise in applications may also be attributed tothose persons traveling to the Caribbean for Cricket World Cup 2007 which begins this month. Here, walk-in applicants wait in thecrowded lobby area of the passport/visa section of the consulate to turn in paperwork for a passport that now takes anywhere fromfour to six weeks to be processed.

CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 27


CTMar07.qxd 3/11/07 10:54 PM Page 28

Documents

THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINEufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/92/85/00015/00003-2007.pdfed live and broadcast audience of close to two billion world-wide. It will be the largest