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PRESOR TED ST ANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 V ol.18 No.11 OCTOBER 2007 T el: (305 1-800-605-7516 editor@caribbeantoday.com ct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica: 654-7282 We cover your world INSIDEUnder a policy changeannouncedlast month,New Y ork State Democratic GovernorEliot Spitzer says he will issue driver’ s licenses to Caribbean and other immigrants withoutr egard to immigration status, page 2. Jamaica’s V eronica Campbell overcame a serious leg injury to again prove she’s one of the best ever athletes from the Caribbean, shining at the recent IAAF World Championships of Athletics, page 11. Congresswoman Yvette D.Clarke, whois backed by a strongCaribbeanimmigrantconstituency in New York, is urgingUnited States President George W. Bush to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq andsend them back home to theirfamilies, page 19. News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Tourism/Travel . . . . . . . . . .15 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Ar ts/Enter tainment . . . . . . . 21 Spor t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Cargo & Freight . . . . . . . . . .23 Featur e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 THE MUL TI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN T OD A Y DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7282Man on a mission ~ Despite frenzied efforts to get passports for United States citizens, and belated protests by Caribbean tourism organizations, the mandatory passpor t re-entry requirement went into effect this year. Did it help or hurt the lucrative flow of U.S. visitors to the Caribbean?, page 15.~ Caribbean-born engineer Glenn Chin heads a NASA teamthat will deliver ‘Harmony’ to outer space and expand international access ther e, page 2. CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 1 

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NEW YORK – Under a policy change announced on Sept. 21, New York State Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer says he will issue driver’s licenses to Caribbean and other immigrants without regard to immi-gration status. The change reverses rules adopted four years ago under the previous Republican administration of George E.Pataki. That administration had made it dif ficult, if not impos sible, for tens of thousands of immigrants to obtain driver’slicenses because they could not pr ove their legal status. Under the new rules announced by Spitzer, the state’s Department of Motor V ehicles (DMV cur r ent for eign passpor t as proof of identity without also requiring a valid year-long visaor other evidence of legalimmigration. Spitzer said the policy, which does not require legislative approval, will be phased in starting in December andwill be tied to new anti-fraud measures. Those measures willinclude authentication of for eign passpor ts and the use of photo comparison technology to ensur e that no driver has GORDON WILLIAMS When the “Discover space shuttle headsinto space this month it will carry a specialpackage ‘gift-wrapped’ by a Jamaican-born engineer and his team at NationalAer onautics and Space Administration (NASAthe United States. Glenn Chin is NASA mission manager char ged with delivering a Node 2 module called “Harmony” that will expand the docking area at the International Space Station toaccommodate other space pr ograms. Chin heads a multi-disciplined team of 30 to 40 engineers and technicians at NASA which is involved inthe testing, integration and assembly processes that will make “Harmony” ready forlaunch inside “Discover car go bay on the morning of Oct. 23. Once installed at the space station, “Har mony” will ser ve as a port for space programs fr om China and a combined 13 European countries. “Harmony is a module with six docking ports wheremodules can dock to make the stationbigger explained the43-year -old Chin, who attended highschools inJamaica andthe U.S. andcollege at theUniversity of Miami, wher e he ear ned a degree in mechanical engineering. s like a six entrance hallway that you can add rooms toIt’s actually the gateway to the international partners.” That “hallway” or central building block is 24 feet longand 15 feet wide. It weighs 31,500 pounds. SIMPLE TASK It was built in Italy , with fine-tuning at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where Chin and his team are based. He was involved in the early design and construction of“Har mony” as part of a special team, which of fered NASA insight into the pr oject’s progress. That required him to travel to Torinobetween 1998 and 2000. Otherwork assignments temporarily took Chin away from the “Harmony” project, but hewould later r eturn as mission manager . His task is simple: get “Harmony” ready for launch and make sure itworks once it gets into space. But Chin is confident it will. Discovery’s transportation of “Harmony” thismonth, also called “STS-120”,is not the only mission Chinhas been involved with atNASA. He has been in char ge of 16, four of which he has seen thr ough to their launch. However , despite acknowledging a familiarity with the pr ocedur es required for the task, Chin said the different types of “payload” he is required to deliver in proper working order keeps the chal-lenge inter esting. s pretty routine,” he said. “The processes are pretty much the same. But the dif fer ences in hardware for each mission is unique. Each har dware is unique.” So is his background. Chin is one of a handful ofCaribbean nationals working at the Kennedy Space Center, which employs some 18,000workers. He is pr oud of his heritage and cr edits his backgr ound for much of his success in the U.S. “That’s huge for me,” he said. “As a Jamaican I’ve always been a hard worker,persistent. When I came to the States I realized the opportu-nities her e and went after it. “I have enough savvy to know you can reach for your dreams in this country For the married father of a son, his dreams extend toouter space. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. Awoman with str ong Jamaican ties was among four MiamiDade County police officers shot last month in the line ofduty after they tried to stop a man who was reportedly driving recklessly in South Florida. Officer Jody Wright, 31, a two-year veteran of the for ce, was hospitalized after being shot in the leg, reportedly by Shawn Labeet, a 25-year-old resident of Margate, who thepolice later said they killed in a shootout at a condominium complex in Pembroke Pines. Jose Somohano, 37, who joined the Miami-Dade policein 2003, died fr om shots the police said were fired by Labeet. Of ficers T omas Tundidor, 37, and Christopher Carlin, 34, wer e also wounded. Family members of Wright flew in fr om Kingston, Jamaica following the incident. Her father Dennis Dalley said doc-tors at Miami’ s R yder T rauma Center , Jackson Memorial Hospital, told him that his daughter suffered a gunshot wound to her knee-cap area, which “literally wr ecked a num ber of bones.” She is expected to under go several surgeries, including reconstruction. Dalley said Wright was saddened by the death of herfriend and colleague Somohano. However , he added that he was grateful that she had sur vived the shooting. “Thank God’ s she’ s alive,” he told reporters. ENCOUNTER Accor ding to the police, the four officers were part of a bur glar y surveillance detail assigned on Sept. 13 near an apar tment complex in MiamiDade. The police said they trailed Labeet, driving a r ed Buick LaSabr e, to his home after they noticed he had been driving fast. Once there, Labeet reportedly fled and was chased by the cops. Gunfir e was exchanged and the of ficers wer e shot. Labeet reportedly took his girlfriend’s car and left the area. Tips led police to the condominium in Pembr oke Pines wher e they said Labeet was killed in a shootout. Accor ding to Dalley, W right was never scar ed of the possible dangers associated with her line of work. “(She said will be’,” Dalley explained. “’I’m not afraid. I can’ t go out there being afraid.’” Jamaican heads NASA team on space station expansion project 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 Chin NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com The space shuttle “Discoverwill transport “Harmonto the International Space Station. Spitzer (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) N.Y.reverses driver’s license policyMiami-Dade cop with Jamaican links wounded in shootout with suspect CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 2 

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4 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com NEW YORK – A Trinidadian man falsely accused of raping an eight-year-old schoolgirl in Brooklyn has filed a $10 mil-lion lawsuit against the City of New York. Francis Evelyn, 58, a custodian at a Brooklyn school where the girl said she wasraped, said five months after his face was broadcast world-wide as an accused childrapist, he can’ t sleep well nor function pr operly. He said he filed the lawsuit against the city for r uining his life by believing a troubled child with a history of fabricating stories. “Befor e, I walked the street happy-go-lucky,” hetold r eporters. “Now , you see the eyes,” he added. “People you don’ t know, approach you. ou don’t know what they’re coming with,” he con-tinued. “It could be bad. I’mscar ed like hell of being out there!” Evelyn was cleaning the halls of Public School 91 in the Wingate section of Brooklynon Mar . 19, just as he had done for nearly 20 years, when cops dragged him out in handcuffs. The girl claimed that for weeks he repeatedly molested her in a basement bathroom. The school’s respected principal, Solomon Long, wassuspended for failing to r eport other allegations by the girl,which he believed to beunfounded. Long was later reinstated. J AILED Evelyn was paraded befor e television cameras and spent two days at Rikers Islandjail befor e prosecutors rushed to a judge to drop the charges. The child, who also wrongly accused her father ofrape, had no signs of physicalONT ARIO, CMC Canadian authorities say they have been overwhelmed lately by scores ofillegal Haitian and other immi grants from the United Statesseeking asylum in Canada. They said that the undocumentedimmigrants bring forms allegedly sold to them, forup to US$400each, by aHaitiangr oup in Florida with the under-standing thatthe documents would entitle them to stay in Canada. Officials said the arrivals began early last month fueledby the notion that Canadawould grant them asylum. They said the jour ney was first suggested by the Jer usalem Haitian Community Center in Naples, which pr omoted “Information required forCanadian Refugee Status Application” on its website. Canadian officials said that over 200 illegal immigrants,who also included Mexicans, turned up in Windsor, after crossing the border from Detroit. Officials and refugee advocates said thousands more may be on their way. Eddie Francis, the mayor of W indsor , said he has faxed a let ter to Canadian federal authorities seeking financial help. “I empathize with the challenges, but we don’ t have the ability to manage this. We have never seen anything likethis,” he added. Trinidadian man falsely accused of child rape sues N.Y.for $10MU.S.lists CARICOM countries among major drug transit states BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMCA new survey by the international watchdog institution, Transparency International (TI Lucia and St. V incent and the Grenadines as among the least cor r upt countries in the world. In a survey of 180 countries, the global coalition listedthe countries at number 23, 24 and 30 respectively and said the low perception of corruption among public of ficials in these islands was only better ed by countries in the developed world were vibrant non governmental institutions kept a close watch on public officials. Other Caribbean community (CARICOM ranked in the survey were Dominica at number 36, with a score of 5.6 out of 10, followed by Suriname at number 72 with a score of 3.5, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago at 79 and a score of 3.4, Jamaica scoring 3.3 at position 84, Belize at 99 with a score of 3.0 and Guyana at 123 with a score of 2.6. Haiti, at 177 and a score of 1.6, was listed in the category of countries where corruption was perceived to be rampant. POSITIVE STEPS The agency , whose sur veys are heavily used by the international community, creditedDominica, Suriname and Belize as taking positive measures to significantly improve their ratings in the cor r uption index. It said ther e was a clear correlation between pover ty and cor ruption with the divide in perceived levels of cor r uption in rich and poor countries remaining as sharp as ever. “Despite some gains, corruption remains an enormous drain on r esour ces solely needed for education, health and infrastr uctur e,” said Transparency International Chairman Huguette Labelle. “Low scoring countries need to take these results seriously and act now to strengthen accountability in public institutions, but action from high scoring countries is just as important, particularly in cracking down on corruption activity in the private sector .” TI said fighting corruption was a global issue which required global action, but said developing countries needed to use aid money to strengthen their governance institutions and develop string poverty reduction pr ograms. “Gover nments must introduce anti-money laundering meas ures to eradicate safe havens for stolen assets”, it stated. “Leading banking centers should explore the development of uniform expedited procedures for the identification, fr eezing and r epatriation of the proceeds of corruption”. The agency said its sur vey was based on 14 expert opinion surveys. Caribbean countries named among least corrupt in the world (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5) W ASHINGTON – United States Pr esident George W. Bush has listed three Caribbean community (CARICOMstates among 20 worldwide as being major drug transit or illic-it dr ug-producing countries. The list, which was scheduled to be submitted to theU.S. Congr ess, then published in the U.S. Federal Register , identified The Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica among thosecountries. The Dominican Republic, as well as Venezuela, whichhas close ties with someCARICOM states, wer e also listed. Others on the Majors List are: Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia, Ecuador,Guatemala, India, Laos,Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru. “A countr s presence on the Majors List is not neces sarily an adverse reflection of its government’s counter-narcotics efforts or level of coop-eration with the United States,” Bush said in a White House statement. “One of the reasons that major dr ug transit or illicit dr ug-producing countries are placed on the list is the combination of geographical, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs to transit orbe pr oduced, despite the concerned government’s mostassiduous enfor cement measur es,” he added. But while The Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica are on the “Majors List”, the U.S. president said Burma and Venezuela have failed“demonstrably” during the past year to “adhere to theirobligations under inter national counter -narcotics agreements. “However , the president determined to maintain U.S. programs that aid Venezuela’sdemocratic institutions”, thestatement said. Bush Francis Canada worried over influx of illegal Haitian immigrants mor e than one license. ‘COMMON SENSE’ Spitzer said the new policy is a “common sense change” that will improve traffic safety and lower insurance costs for all New Yorkers by ensuring that more immigrants have valid licenses and auto insurance. He said giving more Caribbean and other immigrants verifiable identification will also enhance law enforcement by bringing people out of the shadows. “The DMV is not the INS (Immigration and Naturalisation Service),” Spitzer said, alluding to the immigration agency that is now part of the U.S. Homeland Security Department. New York’s move goes against the national trend. Many states, prodded by demands tocrack down on identity fraud,have added r equir ements that ef fectively pr event illegal immi grants fr om obtaining driver’s licenses. All but eight states now require drivers to prove legal status to obtain driver’s licenses,and those eight Hawaii,Maine, Mar yland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah andW ashington have come under pr essur e to add such a requirement. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) N.Y.reverses driver’s license policy... CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 4 

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NEW YORK, CMC – A Gr enadian-born former New York State Supreme Court judge has been freed afterspending four months in jail forfailing to pay $250,000 in backchild suppor t. Reynold Mason was freed Sept. 19 after his ex-wife,Guyanese T essa Abrams Mason, agr eed to accept $30,000. “I am not making any comment whatsoever,” Mason told reporters outside Manhattan Supreme Court. Mason, who was kicked off the bench in 2003 and hadsubsequently worked as a r eal estate agent in Atlanta, Geor gia, had told Justice Joan Lobis that he was “dead broke” and could not come up with $250,000 in court-ordered, delinquent child support pay-ments to Abrams Mason for their three children, ages 17,15, and nine. “I don’t feel victory Abrams Mason said. “I feel tired.” LONG FIGHT She said she fought for four years to get her ex-hus-band to suppor t their thr ee children. e shouldn’t get tired,” she said. “We shouldn’t settle for less. But I settled because I’m desperate.” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joan Lobis had initially ordered Mason to pay $75,000and commit to a payment planto leave jail. But Mason said hecould not raise even $30,000. Abrams Mason said she compr omised because she needed the money to buyschool clothes, pay collegeapplication fees for their eldest daughter, and pay higher rentbecause they faced eviction.Mason said he had only made $68,000 in 2005 and 2006, com-par ed to $136,700 annually when he sat on the bench, andthat he was bor rowing from relatives to get by. He said he declared bankruptcy in order to survive, but Justice Lobis threw him in jail in May after he failed to pay child supportfor four years. Abrams Mason, who man aged her ex-husband’s 1994campaign to get him elected to Brooklyn Civil Court then the Supreme Court, was instru-mental in getting him kicked off the bench when she submit-ted evidence of alleged ethicsviolations to the New Y ork State Commission on Judicial Conduct. United States Pr esident Geor ge W . Bush has renewed his country’s commitment to strengtheningr elations with Jamaica. Last month, the president telephoned new Prime Minister Bruce Golding to congratulate him on his election win and assuredGoldingof the continuation of ongo ing programs of U.S. assistance and collaboration. Golding conveyed the appreciation of the Jamaican government and people for the longstanding positive rela-tionship that both countries have shared and noted that hisadministration would work to further improve U.S.-Jamaicacooperation at the bilateraland multilateral levels. Both leaders have com mitted to exploring new areas of mutual interest wherecooperation will r esult in greater levels of development and pr osperity for the people of Jamaica and the U.S. Edited from JIS.Golding takes office and calls for newpolitics of cooperation in Jamaica,while pledging to introduce measures tostamp out corrup tion and rising crime and drive economic growth in the coun-tr y , see pag e 18 WASHINGTON – The United States Senate last month revived a bill that would offerlegal status to Caribbean and other students who have graduated from high school here but are in the country illegally. The move was made after the first ef fort to advance a piece of br oad immigration legislation failed in June. Senator Richard J. Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who is anauthor of the student measur e, said that he would tr y to offer it as an amendment to the mili tar y authorization bill under debate in the Senate. The measure would provide a path to permanent legal status for illegal Caribbean students who came to the U.S. befor e they were 16 years old, graduated fr om high school in “good standing” and agreed to serve in the military or attendcollege for at least two years. Both supporters and opponents of the measure said it would serve as a test on whether legislation giving legal status to illegal immigrants can passCongr ess this year, in light of the str ong opposition from conser vative voters who defeated the lar ger bill. Opponents rejected that bill as an amnesty that would reward Caribbean immigrants who broke the law. ARROWLY TAILORED’ Speaking on the Senate floor, Durbin described his measure as “narrowly tailored” and said it would help resolve “a very serious recruitment crisis” for the military. Supporters, who called the measure the Dream Act, said itcould pass the Senate because itis intended to benefit young peo ple who gr ow up in the U.S. and are illegal immigrants as a result of decisions by their parents. In coordinated action, high school and college studentswho suppor t the Senate measur e staged “teach-ins” and visited lawmakers’ of fices on Sept. 19 in Florida, Idaho, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin. Twenty illegal immigrant students from California went to W ashington to lobby for the bill, dr essed in white coats and business suits to signify the medical and legal careers theyhope to pursue. They held a news conference offering onlytheir first names. Grenada-born ex-judge freed from jail in child support caseU.S.backs Jamaica’s new governmentU.S.Senate revives bill offering legal status to Caribbean students October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Durbin Trinidadian man falsely accused of child rape... assault, and initially iden tified her alleged assailant as bald and white. Evelynis black. Evelyn said cops grilled him for hours, lyingabout fake DNA tests to try to force a confession, and offering to cut him ashor t prison ter m instead of life if he admitted guilt. Thr own into a jail cell with seasoned criminals,Evelyn said he stood withhis back to a wall all night,praying, as fellow inmates greeted each other andunabashedly used an opentoilet. He said he was stripsearched and left to sleep on a bare mattress in a filthy cell wearing only a“Pampers”, and paraded past inmates who screamed, “Hey, Pops! Y ou raped my sister! I’m going to cut your throat! Don’t let me catch you inthe shower! W e gonna shank you!” Evelyn said when he was finally fr eed, a cursing correction officer refused to give back $84 cash he had handed over, then released him with a $4 MetroCard to take thesubway home. STUNNED He said when he returned to Brooklyn, hesaw his face displayed onfr ont pages of newspapers. “I was stunned,” he said, disclosing that hewalked for miles with his head under his shirt. “I didn’t want anybody to recognize me,”said Evelyn. “I can’t go out on the street without having to answer questions,” he said, “some people said, ‘Hey, you’re the guy whoraped the eight-year -old.’ I said, ‘I never raped nobody!’” Evelyn said though he can return to work at theschool, whenever he pass es near the building, he trembles. He said he has been living off vacationtime and 57 sick days. “I had two more years to retire,” he said. “After you work all that time, all that sacrifice,it comes to this?” Evelynsaid. “I want to get over this,” he added. “I don’t want those charges just to be sealed. I want it to be washed away. I want an apology. Come on. Clearmy name!” (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 4) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 5 

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UNITED NA TIONS, CMC Pr esident Ren Prval has cr edited the United Nations Stabilization Mission in his country (MINUSTAH) with promoting stability on his impoverished Caribbean com-munity (CARICOM Addressing the United Nations General Assemblylate last month, Prval, notedthat Haiti is “all too fr equently on the U.N.’s agenda because of its problems of insecurity and political unrest. “I am speaking on behalf of a countr y that somewhat hasty analysis describes as a‘failed state’,” he said, notingthat “Haiti is on the way to bidding farewell to that state slowly, patiently yet with determination.” Prval said organized armed gangs that had wreaked violence on the population have been dismantled and there were no longer “no-go” zones that were too dangerous to enter. He saidinflation had dipped below 10per cent, while gr oss domestic product (GDP years of decline. The Haitian leader said peace is an “essential condition” that enables the country’s political forces to “put an end to their endless quarrels.” ‘TIMEL Y’ MO VE In anticipating a one-year extension of MINUST AH, Prval said this move wouldbe “quite timely” and ser ved as a reminder that gains in Haiti, including victory over insecurity, the holding ofdemocratic elections, improved governance and a strengthened judicial system, were made possible “in large part due to the efforts undertaken by the UN force in the country The Haitian pr esident said though his administrationis “young, inexperienced andill-equipped,” it has been “courageous and determined in the battle against insecurity.” He lauded MINUSTAH for providing the necessary support in restoring securityto the impoverished Fr enchspeaking Caribbean countr y. Prval said Haitians con tinue to see the pr esence of for eign armed forces on their soil as a “wound with respect to their national sovereignty noting, however, that “in practical terms, this is the only formula that is realisticand available at this time thatenables Haitians to r estore fr eedom and live in peace.” He said it was up to the Haitian people to benefit from the “period of calm, regroup and reconsider the future with a positive vision,while the countr y strengthens its cohesion, modernizes itsjudicial system and impr oves its ability to take action in favor of economic recovery and sustainable develop-ment.” ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The United States is consider-ing pr oviding a compensation package to Antigua and Barbuda and other countries following Washington’s deci-sion to withdraw its gaming services commitment under the General Agr eement on Tariffs and Services (GATS). A statement by the Barbados-based Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM been the deadline for completionof compensation negotiations. “Failing these negotiations with the eight countries seeking compensation – namely Japan, the European Union,Antigua, Costa Rica, India,Australia, Macao and Canada– by the deadline, the matter would have to be referred toarbitration. “The package offer is not likely to surpass the U.S. DohaRound r evised services offer. While this package may not be considered generous compen-sation, some countries may bemor e inclined to work with the of fer as a star ting point for negotiations especially if it is ‘sweetened’ by other market access oppor tunities”, the CRNM stated. It noted that in the case of Antigua “with its limited export range, there may be little room for negotiation of alternative market access concessions with the U.S. if thisof fer is rejected by Antigua. “Antigua is still within its rights under the World Trade Organization DisputeSettlement Understanding topursue compensation or tradesanctions given that, technical ly speaking, the U.S. is still not in compliance with the WTOr uling in favor of Antigua and will continue to be in that state until compensation and or arbitration is settled r egarding their r emoval of their GATS commitments r elating to online gaming”. DEMAND Antigua has alr eady indicated that it was seeking millions of dollars in compensation and it has also expressed a desire tobase sanctions on the suspension of TRIPS obligations and com-munications ser vices obligations under the GA TS. However, in recent developments, the Motion PictureAssociation of America(MP AA) has called upon the U.S. gover nment to suspend pr efer ences of fer ed to Antigua under the U.S.–Caribbean T rade Par tnership Agreement (CBTPA) and the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA U.S.considers compensation for Antigua in gaming disputePoverty,hunger keep Caribbean behind ~ U.N. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations ChildrenEducational Fund (UNICEF says new figures show solidpr ogr ess on child sur vival, including a decline in the annual number of under-fivedeaths, in the Caribbean andLatin America. UNICEF said the decline comes amid a record globallow in which child deaths havefallen below 10 million peryear to 9.7 million, down fr om almost 13 million in 1990. “This is an historic moment,” said UNICEF executive directorAnn M. V eneman. “More children are surviving today than everbefor e,” she added. “Now, we must build on this public health success topush for the achievement ofthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals.” UNICEF said rapid declines in under-five mortality have been seen in the Caribbean and Latin America, among other regions. “The Latin American and Caribbean region is on track to achieve the child mortality Millennium DevelopmentGoal, with 27 deaths on aver age for every 1,000 live births, compar ed to 55 per thousand in 1990”, the statement said. PROGRESS UNICEF attributed much of the progress to “widespread adoption of basichealth inter ventions, such as early and exclusive breast feeding, measles immuniza tion, Vitamin A supplementation and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets to pre-vent malaria”. “The new figures show that progress is possible if weact with r enewed urgency to scale-up interventions that have pr oven successful,” V eneman said. In addition, she said ther e is unprecedented support for global health, with increased funding and expanding partnerships, including with gov ernments, the private sector, international foundations and civil society. Rapid decline in Caribbean child deaths ~ UNICEF Prval credits peacekeepers for Haiti’s stability 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157 Mailing Address:P.O.Box 6010 Miami,FL 33116-6010. T elephone: (305 (305 ax: (305 Toll-Free Fax:1-866-290-4550 1-800-605-7516 J amaica: 654-7282 E-mail: editor@car ib beantoday.com Send ads to:ct_ads@bellsouth.net Vol.18,Number 11 OCT.2007 PETER A WEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor SABRINA FENNELL Graphic Artist DOROTHY CHIN Account Executive SUNDAY SELLERS Account Executive JULISSA RAMOS Accounting ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media Repr esentatives TOM JONAS 353 St. Nicolas Street, Suite 200 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 2P1 T el: (514514 E-mail: tom@cmsworldmedia.com Jamaica Bureau MARIE GREGOR Y (876 P .O. Box 127, Constant Spring Kingston 8, Jamaica Opinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of the publisher. Caribbean Today , an independent ne ws magazine , is pub lished e v ery month by Caribbean Publishing & Services,Inc. Subscr iption rates are:US$20 per year (Bulk 1st Class $35 per y ear . Caribbean T oday is not responsib le for unsolicited manuscripts or photos.To guarantee return, please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean T oda y ma y not be reproduced without written permission of the editor. PLEASE NO TECaribbean Today is requesting that,effective immediately,all editorial correspondence be e-mailed to editor@caribbeantoday.com .We appreciate your co-operation.In addition,the deadline for submitting articles to be considered for publication is the 20th of the month preceding the month of publica-tion. For e xample, the deadline for articles for Caribbean Today’s November 2007 edition must be received no later than October 20,2007. UNITED NA TIONS – The United Nations says while theCaribbean and Latin America have made some progress inthe global fight in r educing pover ty, the region still falls behind much of the world in this pursuit. The U.N. said in a state ment that besides sub-Saharan Africa, inequality remainshighest in the Caribbean andLatin America, with about 205million people living in pover ty . It said 79 million live in extreme poverty in which they cannot cover their basicdietar y needs. “Countries of the region face some daunting challengesgr owing out of the region’s failure to make substantial inroads against pover ty”, stated the r epor t on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs The MDGs are part of a Millennium Declaration,signed in 2000 by leaders of189 countries, which set 2015 as the year for achieving signif-icant advances in, among otherthings, primar y education, gen der equality , child mortality rates and environmental sus-tainability . The report stated that the Caribbean and Latin Americaar e not moving fast enough to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, noting that the incomegap between the rich and thepoor has expanded although there has been some progressin some ar eas. Prval (CONTINUED ON PAGE 7) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 6 

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known as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBIpursues these sanctions. CRNM said that MPAA is basing its argument on thegr ounds that “suspension of TRIPS obligations would infringe the eligibility criteriafor CBI benefits. “The association has cited an eligibility criteria whichstates that CBERA deniesbeneficiar y status to a countr y that has nationalized, expr opri ated or other wise seized own ership or control of propertyowned by U.S. citizens or has taken steps to repudiate or nullify intellectual property. “Fur ther reference was made to the CBTPA criterionthat r equir es that countries meet CBERA criteria in intellectual property rights (IPR protection”. CRNM said that “in as far as Antigua continues to bene fit fr om CBI pr efer ences thr ough WTO waiver , the pr o posed action of retaliation may be completely permissible under international trade law. “It should be further noted that U.S. recourse in this case has also been empowered by the recent agreementbetween CARICOM and the U.S. to extend the CBI prefer-ential agr eement. “This decision to extend CBI was the most appr opriate course of action for CARI COM (Caribbean community at that time. However, this potential thr eat of U.S. r etaliation, compr omises the political, negotiating and legal manoeu vrability of Antigua. “In the end, the options available to Antigua in this case are few”, stated the CRNM. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The United States is providing just under half a million dollars towards theestablishment of a T sunami and Coastal Hazar ds Warning System (TCHWS Caribbean community(CARICOM Washington, through the United States Agency for International Development/Of fice of Foreign Disaster Assistance, on Sept. 26 signed atwo-year agr eement with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA as part of the initiative. Officials said the $475,200 grant would help in empower-ing coastal communities in theCaribbean to pr epare for and r espond to tsunamis and coastal hazar ds. “This assistance complements the multi-million dollar U.S. government support for the creation of the Indian Ocean Tsunami WarningSystem in the wake of the Indian Ocean Tsunami ofDecember 26, 2004,” said U.S.Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean MaryOurisman, who signed the accord. “As part of that effort, the U.S. government provided US$37.5 million in related support to the Caribbean andAtlantic r egions including the installation of seismic moni toring stations in throughout the region.” The station, which is located in Barbados, became operational in Oct. 2006. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of the TCHWS project is to support the establishment of anef fective end-to-end T sunami warning system at the regional and national levels, and tounder take public education and awareness campaigns to prepare coastal communities for action to be taken when a warning issued. e have provided the technological infrastr ucture and we ar e now providing our people with the knowledge and skills to respond effectively tosuch dangers,” said CDERA Chairman Dale Marshall, whois also the Barbados minister of home affairs. “Often we think of the r egion as one which is only pr one to certain types of natural hazards – hurricanes, tr opical stor ms and floods – we tend to forget that there are other natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis which though less frequent,can be much mor e greater in magnitude and can cause sig nificantly higher loss ofhuman life.” The two-year project will be executed by CDERA inconjunction with the Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies (UWI National MeteorologicalOf fices and the Coastal Zone Management Agencies in CDERA participating states. NEW YORK – Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime MinisterBaldwin Spencer has calledfor collaborative action in adapting measures to deal with climate change. “It would be no exaggeration to say that our collaborative action in this area holdsthe key to futur e of entire countries and communities around the globe,” Spencersaid during a r ound table dis cussion at a high-level summit of the United NationsGeneral Assembly last month. Spencer told colleagues and other delegates that financing effective measuresand mechanisms for climatechange would be one of the defining chal lenges beforeU.N. in theupcomingdecade. s one thing to set upa fund, butanother forthe monies tor each pr ojects that make an impact in the countr y . The latter is not hap pening enough to make a differ ence. “Simply put, if we are to implement national climate change action plans, it r equir es money, technical assistance and training and educating ourown local people on strategies for dealing with climate change,” Spencer said. The prime minister noted that financing mechanisms, like the Global Environment Facility (GEF tize the implementation of projects as opposed to writing reports and other consultationexer cises. In looking ahead to the Climate Change Summit inBali, Indonesia later this year , the Antiguan leader said futur e generations will look back to the Bali negotiations and judge the global community in ter ms of its r esponse to the issue of financing for adaptation. NELSON A. KING NEW YORK Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning has lamented the “dangerous imbal-ances” of globalization. In an hour-long address at the Medgar Evers College inBr ooklyn, where he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from one of New York’s predominantly black colleges last month,Manning said the current economicparadigm, “anchor ed in globalization, notwithstanding its obvious benefits, in terms of productivity, has already created dangerous imbalances inand among countries. “In the midst of tremendous wealth that is being cre-ated, the gulf between richand poor continues to widen. “The gr oss domestic product of the 40 poorest nations is less that the wealth of three richest nations in theworld,” he added. Manning said that over 50 percent of the world’s popula-tion lives on less than $2 aday in a world economy that generates in excess of $50 tril-lion annually . ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ He said the result of “this totally , unacceptable situation is mass poverty, spawning the myriad problems of hunger,malnutrition, disease, home lessness, illiteracy and child labor ,” adding that over eight million people die annually “because they are simply toopoor to stay alive.” The T rinidad and T obago prime minister said that the world’s industrial powers continue to “create the breeding ground for the level of disaf-fection and desperation that produces criminal activity within and across borders.” Manning said other con sequences include illegalmigration; the “per nicious” trade in illegal drugs and arms; and “the delusion of an ideological solution, which is fuelling a terrorism with a ferociousness, perhaps, unprecedented in human his-tor y. Manning said failur e of the “model” in many developing countries has given rise to “an adventurism and left-wing governments, particularly inLatin America. “Additionally, competition, the str uggle to survive and the push to produce continue to take a most disas trous toll on the environment, to the point where the very survival of human civilizationon this planet is thr eatened,” he said. Manning said the ashington consensus,” which “liberalizes” trade and pr oduction facing the private sector, has “clearly not worked for the benefit of all humanity Brooklyn Borough Pr esident Mar ty Markowitz, who, in jest, considers himself a “Trini Jew”, presented Manning with a small replica of the Brooklyn Bridge and apr oclamation, declaring Sept. 26, 2007, “Patrick Manning Day in Brooklyn”. U.S.considers compensation for Antigua...U.S.funds Tsunami warning system for CaribbeanAntigua’s P.M.wants collaborative action on climate change measuresT&T’s P.M.laments ‘dangerous imbalances’ of globalization October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Ourisman Spencer (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 6) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 7 

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The Miami-Dade Public Librar y System will commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of programs and exhibitions at branches throughout theMiami-Dade County in SouthFlorida. Beginning Oct. 2, librar y visitors will be tr eated to author presentations, folkloric performances, cooking demonstrations, children’s programs, and art exhibitions. There will also be presentations exploring the historyof dance, including the salsaand mambo. In addition, photojournalist Randi Sidman-Moore explores the joining of cultures in “Lox with Black Beans and Rice: A portrait of Cuban-Jewish life”; children’sauthor Katie Sciurba, shar es her inspiration for writing “Oye Celia!”, a novel dedicated to the legendary Celia Cruz, and the “Colorin Colorado” puppet theater will present tales from Mexico. All events are free and open to the public. For mor e infor mation, call 305-375-2665 or visit www .mdpls.org . MIAMI – In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Miami Dade College will present an array of free events, such as ar t exhibits, lectures, film screenings, comedy shows and dance classes throughout October at each of MDC’s eight campuses inSouth Florida. Contact the following campuses for infor mation about events scheduled there: Hialeah Campus, 1780 W. 49th St., 305-237-8700 Homestead Campus, 500 College T err., 305-237-5555 . InterAmerican Campus, 627 S.W . 27th Ave., 305-237-6000 Kendall Campus, 11011 S.W. 104th St., 305-237-2000 . Medical Center Campus, 950 N.W. 20th St., 305-237-4000 North Campus, 11380 N.W. 27th Ave., 305-237-1000 . W est Campus, 3800 N.W. 115th Ave., 305-237-8000. Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Ave., 305-237-3131 . Every year, between September and October,Hispanics celebrate their histor y, culture and achievements. It is a time when the United States commemorates the traditions of its residents who trace their roots to Spain,Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of CentralAmerica, South America andthe Caribbean. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point of the celebration because it is the anniversary of theIndependence of five LatinAmerican countries: CostaRica, El Salvador , Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico declared itsIndependence on Sept. 16 andChile on Sept. 18. The month-long celebration includes educationalevents and activities to raise awareness about issues affect-ing Hispanic Americans in theU.S. In honor of “HispanicHeritage Month”, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,Jacksonville District, br ought information about restoration of Florida’s Miami-Dade andBr owar d counties. The Corps par ticipated in local events organized bypublic libraries. Last monththey installed kiosks that described the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP ovided infor mation about how the plan will affect the lives of SouthFloridians and how ever yone has the opportunity to become involved in saving the Ever glades. The kiosks included images of the Everglades and pertinent ecological factstranslated into Spanish. Accompanying children’s buttons and print materials for adults and younger readers were also provided. Miami libraries to present art,cooking,entertainmentMDC offers free eventsHispanics in U.S.celebrate heritage ~ A Caribbean Today feature 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 A child at the John F.Kennedy Library in Hialeah,Florida enjoys the interactive CERP kiosk after a Flamenco performance during “Hispanic Heritage”celebrations. HISPANIC HISPANIC HERITAGE HERITAGE MONTH MONTH www.caribbeantoday.com CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 8 

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We black Americans seem to need a major event or outrage every so often to revive our mass energies in waysthat r emind of us the 1960s civil rightsmovement. In the 1980s we had mass arrests at the South Africanembassy to protest apar theid. In the 1990s ther e was the Million Man March to redeem black fatherhood and proper role modeling. In 2007we have the “Jena 6”. Thousands flowed by the busload into tiny Jena,Louisiana, last month. They came to march on behalf of six black youths who were originally charged with attempted murder for alleged-ly beating up a white youthlast December at the localhigh school in what manydescribe as a schoolyar d fight. The “Jena 6” case actually began months earlier when three nooses appeared in atr ee at the high school. That was one day after black students defied a school tradition that designated the tree to bea whites-only gathering spot.The school principal expelled three white students for hang-ing the nooses, but the school superintendent reduced theexpulsions to a few days ofsuspension. Tensions grew as various interracial fights, attacks andangr y confr ontations, mostly off-campus, in later weeks r esulted in young white males receiving slaps on the wrist, atmost, while young blacksr eceived school expulsions or criminal char ges. It was the local district attorney’s decision to chargesix black students with attempted second-degreemur der , while white students had gone free for other attacks, that touched off the national uproar. The whitestudent who was beatenallegedly taunted blacks withracial slurs and was a friendof the students who had hungthe nooses. He was tr eated and r eleased after a few hours in a local hospital. EXCESS I don’t make light of anyone’s beating, but the attempted mur der char ge was an excess wr etched enough to be a virtual invitation to the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who enthusiastically accepted, leading the march with Martin Luther King III. Suddenly little Jena became a symbol in manyminds of ever y injustice or racial grievance, r eal or perceived, that black folks have endured in recent years, from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the gross dispari-ties between federal sentences for crack and powder cocaine. The “Jena 6” put r eal names and faces to Justice Depar tment statistics that show African American men to be three times more likely than white men to face jail once they have been arrested.The biggest disparity isamong men convicted ofaggravated assault, accor ding to the National Urban League’s annual State of Black America report. Itfound that black men ar e sentenced to an average of 48months in jail almost onethird longer than the averagesentence r eceived by white men. But now that the cr owds have gone home and Jena isonce again a quiet little oiland lumber town, will the bigmar ch have lasting signifi cance, like the movement that helped end apartheid and freeNelson Mandela? Or will it be like the Million Man March: astir ring memor y and a great applause line for political speeches, but not much follow-through? BAD COVERAGE It was the bad fortune of the “Jena 6” demonstrators that they had to share thespotlight with another mediaer uption, the latest misadven tures of O.J. Simpson. Charged with armed robberyin Las V egas for allegedly tr y ing to steal memorabilia from his own glor y days, Simpson needed no help from bloggersor talk shows to get wall-to-wall coverage. Simpson r etur ned to T .V . screens like a cheap sequel to a movie you’d rather forget.He r eminds us of one of America’s most racially divided moments. Simpson’ s acquittal of double homicide charges gave white Americansa shock that their blackfriends, neighbors andcoworkers have been longacquainted with, the chillingsense of denied justice. And for black Americans with an eye for bitter irony, Simpson’s acquittal showed a strange form of progress, at best: America had pr ogr essed enough to let a rich blackWomen loving women is as old as timeitself, but it never seemed to get the abhorrenceas men loving men. Anyway , these women got the name lesbian fr om Lesbos, which is a Gr eek island in the Aegean Sea. History has more than implied that the inhabitantsther e, especially the followers of the poetess Sappho, wereall into fr ee love between each other . The fact is though, they also dealt with men, but the women loving women partseemed to dominate. The factis also, anyone who lives onthe isle of Lesbos is a lesbian,just as how people who live inJamaica ar e Jamaicans and so on. But in this context, andthe accepted one, is that female homosexuals arecalled lesbians. Way back in my youth, before I knew what all thissame sex thing was about, Inaively thought that boysliked girls and that was that.The thought of men with menor women with women just never crossed my innocentmind. So, in my wooing days Iappr oached this ver y attrac tive young foreign lady and started to give her my bestlyrics. t even bother with those sweet words, they won’twork on me, because I’m alesbian,” she said. ell, I’m Jamaican, but pray tell, what is a lesbian?” Iinnocently queried. “A lesbian is a woman who enjoys the company of women, loves to touch, caress,fondle, kiss and make love towomen all the time,” was her reply. T AKE-OFF This phenomenon seems to be taking off pretty big in our parts, or perhaps they’rejust cr eeping out of the closet. Mor e and more we see reports in the press, and even recentlyther e was this huge featur e on how many prominentschools have fallen prey to this type of sexuality.Locker r ooms aren’t what they used to be,and no longerar e only randy teenage boys predators forour daughters. Now you also have to be careful of the girl next door. She could very wellbe your futur e daughter in law. But it’ s bound to happen, what with cable TV showinghow ‘natural’ it is for womento love women. Have youwatched The L W or d? Plus even male magazines perpetuate this by having women in bed pleasuring each other. That’s a big turn on for men, but apar t from that, society has always accepted little girls being affectionate towards each other. Girls areallowed to hold hands, hug each other, groom each other,touch, comb each other s hair , and even sleep together in the same bed. We think nothing of it, and it’s as natural as awalk in the park. Why , even female roommates are prevalent, without any eyebrows being raised. Not so with males though, as no way would society allowtwo young males to do the things that I just described. So from early, girls are exposedto same gender contact and af fection, and sleep over slumber parties are the rage among young teenage girls. Isit any wonder that many ofthem graduate to become fullfledged lesbians, or am I taking the narrow view? To compound it, women are able tomask their sexual leanings,after all. re only roommates. Curiously, many of the lesbians that I know ver y well, confessed to me that they had suffered some sort of sexualabuse while young, usuallyfr om a family member . RESTRICTIONS The only time men are allowed to show any form ofaf fection towards each other is during spor ts, especially football when a goal is scored. Then you will see players rundown each other , jump on one another, pile on and hug and kiss each other like they’r e in a Turkish bathhouse. Eventhe spectators in the stands will join in, clapping and hug-ging total strangers, just Injustice is bigger than ‘Jena Girls on girls,what a thing! October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com TONY ROBINSON (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 10) CLARENCE P AGE CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 9 

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because a goal was scored. After the match and out of the stadium though, it’ s back to normal, and not even male pillion riders on bikebacks ar e allowed to hold on to the rider for security. Not so with women, who can exhibit all the affection they want, without being called lesbians, even if they are. Ther e ar e many r easons why women turn to other women for more than com-panionship. For one, ther s more affection, and women do love af fection. Left to a woman she would have affec-tion all night with a little sex at the end to top it off. Left toa man he would have sex all night, with a little affection atthe beginning just to appeaseher . That’s why foreplay is such a big issue between the sexes, with women cr ying that it’s never enough and mensaying that women want toomuch. Frankly , the man could ver y well do without it. But aha, that’s where the lesbians come in. They can go at this foreplay affection thing for hours, bringing untold pleas-ur e to each other. Few men, if any, can match that, or would want to. Remember the old saying, that men fake affection to get sex, while womenfake sex to get af fection. W ith lesbians ther e is no faking, just the r eal deal, and no man can compete. As a result, many women, tired of the insensitivity and impatience of their men, turninstead to the gentler softerappr oach of other women. CONFUSED Some are confused, and miss the har d male body and often backslide, but eventually they return to the femininefold and experience theuntold pleasur es of girls on girls. And don’t think that all lesbians are dykes too, wholove to wear men’ s clothes and boots. Many are beautiful, sultr y , soft sexy women who tur n many male heads. That’s another thing, men don’t seem to mind the factthat women ar e lesbians. Just recently I was in the presence of two of my lesbian friends, two absolutely gorgeous women, and just the thought of what they did behindclosed doors star ted to tur n me on. This is perpetuated in books, magazines, movies,T .V . series, wher e women lov ing women is accepted and actually pr oves to be a stimu lant to men. Like it or not, it’ s a growing tr end, and if you can’t beat them, you had better join them. Perhaps more men should become lesbian-like in their lovemaking with theirwomen. Girls on girls, what a thing. seido1@hotmail.com Girls on girls, what a thing! man buy his way out of accountability in the way once reserved for rich white men. But that’s not a good enough standar d of justice for a great people or a great country. As demonstrated bythe Rev . Al Sharpton’s fiasco with Tawana Brawley or the recent bogus Duke Universityrape case, unequal justice doesn’t always tilt against black folks or Latinos. W e simply have been statistically mor e vulnerable to it. In this increasingly diverse country, Americans should not have to spend another century playing one-downs-manship,competing to see whose raceor ethnic gr oup can be the most victimized. The best legacy for the “Jena 6” march would be anew movement, dedicated this time to the reduction and elimination of unequal justice wherever it appears. I don’t car e who leads it, but it shouldn’t be for blacks only. 2007 Clarence Page. Distributed by Tribune Media Services,Inc. Injustice is bigger than ‘Jena 6’ 10 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www.caribbeantoday.com “If we can’t w ork together to build the country , w e are going to spend a lot of energy ,and we are going to find that we are getting nowhere fast” Bruce Golding last month issuing acall for national unity da ys before being sworn in as Jamaica’s new prime minister. e are going to watch every move they make, every step they take,every where they go, everything theydo” – J amaica’s former Prime Minister P ortia Simpson Miller last month out lining the watchdog role of the P eople’s National Party as the country’s Opposition to the newly elected government. “I am delighted that Sir John died as a prime minister like an old solider with his boots on. He retired from government undefeated, returned by pop-ular demand andleft the scenesfor the last time again undefeat-ed” former St. V incent Prime Minister Sir J ames Mitchell commenting on the death of Sir John Compton,prime ministerof St. Lucia and his cousin. “He was an outstanding leader in that he represented the spirit and the whole poten tial of St.Lucia and the Caribbean” former Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Lester Bir d describing the late Sir JohnCompton as one of the region’s greatest integra-tionist. oday I proved to the world that Asafa is back” J amaican sprinter Asafa Powell,who disappointed at the IAAF WorldChampionships of Athletics,confirms he is still the world’s fastest human after smashing his own world recor d for the 100 meters last month in Italy. e will arrest you.I make itplain” Prime Minister Dr.Ralph Gonsalveswarning fisher men from neigh boring countries last month that they would be ill-advised toventure into Vincentian waters to fish. 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J amaica’s Veronica Campbell overcame a serious le g injury to ag ain prove she’s one of the best ever athletes from the Caribbean. Recently she talked to Caribbean Today’s Managing Editor Gordon Williams about her medal winning performances at the recent IAAF World Championships of Athletics in Osaka,Japan,including gold in the 100 meters and silver in the 200 meters and 4x100 meters relay.The following is an edited ver sion of that interview: QUESTION: You’re coming off the World Championships. Hore you feeling now,not just physically,but mentally and spiritually as well? A: I’m feeling great. I think I achieved a lot at the World Championships and I’m pleased with the way I per formed. All the har d work I put in paid off. So I’m very grateful. Q:Coming off the injury,were the World Championships like a shot at redemption for you,to re-establish yourself?A: Not r eally . I was hur t last year and I accept that. And I worked har d to get myself back to full form. I was very deter mined at the W orld Championships. I was very confident that I would do well because training was going on really good. I was just pleased,just taking each r ound with con fidence. Q: Y ou had the misfortune of having your coach (American Lance Brauman) not around, incarcerated.What sort of relationship did you have with the coach and ho w did his a bsence from your training,personally, affect y our pr eparations going into the games? A: Despite the fact that our coach was absent, my main aim was to stay focused. I was very determined. He (Brauman us with all our pr ograms and our workouts that we had to do. So I could follow the pr oce dures, the workouts, and just stay focused. And I just worked towards my goal. Q:Is he still your coach and is he still going to be your coach? A: As for now I think I’ll stick with the program I’ve been doing for a while. It’ s worked well for me and I think the best thing to stick with what I know, what has worked well for me, not to tr y something new during the Olympic year (2008 Q:Your fianc,Omar Brown, was at the World Championships helping as coach.How did thatw ork out? And what were the advantages and disadvantages,if any,to that arrangement?A: That went well. Omar did ver y well. (She laughs. played a r eally good role as a coach at the W orld Championships. He made sur e I did everything I needed to do to go through each round. He was very supportive. It was fun working with Omar. It wasn’t any pr oblem. Everything went well and I just thank God that he was able to help me focus on the World Championships. Q:Seeing as you have a personal r elationship with him,does it make any difference when he isacting as y our coach? A: I know how to separate personal stuff from business. So it was no problem at all. Q:The 100 meters final,that was possibly the closest finish of all times ,or one of the closestW ere there any added e xpectations seeing that Jamaica expected a gold medalfrom Asafa P owell and that didt happen,and now it was your turn? A: I was not pressured at all. I know what I went to the WorldChampionships to accomplish and that was to win. So I stayed focused, stayed positive, stayed confident and took it each r ound by r ound. Q:When you started the race, you had to play catch-up.What were your thoughts coming outof the blocks and sa y halfwa y through the race? A: I don’t remember the entire race, but when I got out of my drive phase I realized that I was not in the front and I realized that I had some catching up to do. But I’ve learnt to be patient and that helped me to r un a very good race and come out on top. Q:You’re saying that your experience helped pull you through what was probably not the best start? A: Right, and mistakes that I’ve made befor e; to have learned fr om those. And I was able to maintain my composure and execute the race despite having a not-so-goodstart. I think the pr oblem in that race was not so much my start, but it was myexecution for the first 30 (meters Q: But y ou did not panic? A: No, I did not panic. If I’d panicked, then that’s not a good thing. If you panic then you cannot execute well. Y ou get out of your drive phase too quick and you scr ew the entire race up. So patience is the best thing when it comes to 100 meters if you don’t get a goodstar t. Q:Thers a lot of talk about that,about your mental toughness . How important is that to y ou in terms of your make-up as an athlete?A: It is ver y important. On top of the physical, you’ve got to be mentally strongYou can be physically fast or strong, but if you are not strong in the head then you can mess ever ything up. So mental preparation, being strong, being positive, is very important to me as an athlete. Q: Is there any special way you go about preparing yourselfmentally to compete ,especially in these big meets? A: I think one part, you’ve got to have confidence in your training. You’ve got to have confidence in yourself. You justhave to believe that you put in the work and you can achieve whatever you want, because themind is so power ful. As long as you work hard and just focus onyou. It’ s all about you in the race. It’s not about all the competitors. It’s just about you and your lane. Just know what you’ve got to do and stay confi-dent. Q: Do y ou feel the w eight of expectations as Jamaica’s leading gold medal hope at major games now?A: Not really. I’m just trying to maximize everything; my potential and my career. So wheneverI go on the track I’m just mak ing sur e that I do whatever it takes to compete to the best of my ability . I don’t r eally feel any pressure because when you try to pressure yourself that can mess everything up. You’vejust got to focus on what you’ve got to do and that will take care of everything,all the expectations and everything. I try not to let pressure get to me. I justwork on what I have to get done. Q: You wake up in the morning thinking you’re the fastest woman in the world? A: (She laughs. Q:Has it dawned on you yet? A: Ah, I’d rather skip that question. (She laughs. blessed. I feel well accom plished. I feel I’ve accomplished a lot. Q:What specifically do you believe you have to work on? A: Right now, I think my last 50 (meters(200 work on because I think I executed well (in Osaka not pleased with the last 50 (meters Q:Your fastest time is 22.05 seconds.American Allyson Felix ran 21.81 to win.Is thatbe y ond you or within your r each? A: (She laughs.t say it’ s beyond me. To say it’s beyond me that would be negative thinking and that doesn’ t get us anywhere. I know I havethe ability , the potential to do very wellBut I definitelyknow that 22.05 is not my best. Q:The Osaka schedule was tough.Does that give you any second thoughts about attempting the double (100 and 200 Beijing (China Olympic Games? A: That is too early to determine whether I will double at Beijing. It all depends on the way my training goes. With that in mind, I’ll be the defending champion in the 200 meters at the Olympics and then I hope to do ver y well in the 100 meters. Right now I am not sur e, but it’ s a possibility . Heart of a champion: Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell strikes gold on the track October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com Campbell trying to stay ahead of the pack. CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 11 

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Caribbean countries are spendingmillions of dollars treating non-communica-ble diseases that will continueto pr esent a major challenge to the region if steps are not taken to address the situation, according to Prime MinisterPatrick Manning. Addressing a regional news conference ahead of aone-day special Caribbean community(CARICOM Summit on Health last month, Manning said that chronic noncommunicable diseases were responsible for many deaths inthe Caribbean. He said that the economic burden of treating diseases such as diabetesand hyper tension would be in the vicinity of $496.7 million. Manning said that regional governments had been presented with the findings of a CARICOM Commission for Health and Development dur-ing their summit in St. Kittslast year , adding that the report had highlighted that non-communicable disease had become “a major challenge on our hands.” NO QUICK FIX Chair man of the Commission, Sir Geor ge Alleyne told journalists that there is no quick remedy to reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases in theCaribbean. He said the r egion has reached this stage after “decades of exposure to risk factors and their cor-r ection will take some time.” The risk factors identified by the commission include high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, inappropriate diet and lack of physical activity. Manning said the cost to Caribbean gover nments, as well as the social implications were sufficient and necessary justifications for the summit and that the regional leadershad shown an intention to “embark on preventiveaction.” He said that hisadministration had alr eady taken steps towards dealing with the spread of non-communicable diseases mak-ing r eferences to thenationalsymposium on health as well as increasing taxes on alcohol and tobacco productsin the 2007 national budget. “These items have been identified as major contributors to high mortality rates caused by non-communicable diseases in this country as well as the Caribbean and other parts ofthe world,” Manning said. More on page 27. BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – The University ofMedicine and Health Sciencesof St. Kitts (UMHSS ble of accommodating 1,200 students, will begin operationsher e in Januar y next year . An agreement to charter and establish the universityhas been signed between Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and Dr. Robert Rossof the United States, a gov ernment statement said. It said that under the agr eement, gover nment will grant the university, subject to accreditation by theAccr editation Boar d, “the charter for a school of medicine with the right to confer the degree of doctor of medi-cine and other appr opriate degrees, including without limitation, post-graduatedegr ees to holders of the doc tor of medicine degree. “The government also grants the university the right to establish a pre-medical division with the right to con-fer appr opriate degrees, including without limitation, the degr ee of physicians assis tant, and to engage in all nec essary and appropriate activities that are direct or inciden-tal to the operation of a school of medicine and or such other schools, pr ovided that the holding of the chartershall be subject to the univer sity continuing to be accredited by the Accr editation Boar d”, statid the agr eement. Under the agreement, the Joseph N. France GeneralHospital and other public health care facilities would beavailable to the UMHSS forthe training of physicians foran annual fee. It also said thatUHMSS would “continuously”pr ovide two scholarships to nationals covering the cost of tuition, books and equipment. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica has r egained its malaria free status following a turbulent period earlier this year, which saw scores of people contracting the mosquito-borne disease. The Ministr y of Health said last month that ther e have been no new confirmed cases for the past three months. The last reported case occurred on June 19. Dr. Eva Lewis Fuller, dir ector of health promotion and pr otection in the ministr y, said the three-month period had been critical, as it indicated that the ministr y had “broken the back” of the disease. She said this was done by interrupting the transmission through variousstrategies, which includedactive sear ches and a beefed up vector contr ol program. Persons traveling to Jamaica are no longer required to take anti-malaria prophylaxis. The Centre for Disease Control in the United States, as well as the World Health Organization, had recommended the drug. Caribbean spending millions to fight non-communicable disease threatJamaica is malaria free ~ gov’t New medical school in St.Kitts begins operations in Jan. 2008 October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 HEALTH HEALTH www .caribbeantoday.com Manning Alleyne Malaria-carr ying mosquito CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 13 

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Question:Should I replace my “green card” even though it has no expiration date? Answer: Yes you should, officials of the United StatesCitizenship and ImmigrationSer vices (USCIS. The agency is proposing a new rule that would ter minate “gr een cards” or permanent residency documents that have no expiration dates, according to a recent notice in the Federal Register. If the r ule becomes final, it would enable USCIS to updatecar dholder information, conduct background checks, and electr onically store applicants’ biometric information. The new card will be a modern version with greater security, be more tamper-resistant, and will have an expiration date requiring that the card be periodically renewed. The r ule proposes to require permanent residents with Permanent Resident Cards (“green cards”expiration dates and who havenot alr eady applied for new cards with an expiration date to apply during a 120-day filingperiod that would be estab lished by a final rulemaking. The “green card” holder can get a new “card” by filing Form I-90, along with the filing and biometric fees. Currently,the total cost is $370 andincludes the filing fee of $290 for the I-90 and an $80 biomet-ric fee for photographs and fin gerprints. Applicants can e-file on the USCIS website using the form, but they will receive anotice to appear in person at a USCIS facility for photographs and fingerprints. PURPOSE Permanent Resident Cards (For ms I-551) are issued to per manent residents to serve as evidence of immigration status, registration, identity andemployment authorization. They also serve as entry documents upon return from tripsoutside of the U.S. Officials of the USCIS insist that a car d that is too old, with out-of-date photographs,cannot ef fectively serve these purposes. And, they added: “Replacement of the outstand ing permanent resident cards without expiration dates is crit-ical to the national securitymission of USCIS”. Since August 1989, Permanent Resident Cardshave been issued with a 10-yearvalidity period, at which point the cardholder is required to apply to renew the card. Prior to August 1989, “green cards” were issued with no expirationdate and these ar e the immi grants the USCIS is targeting. They estimate the number isar ound 750,000 nationally . Meanwhile, officials also encourage eligible residents to consider applying for naturalization as well. The answers provided here are for information pur poses only , and do not create an attorney-client relationship,nor are they a sub-stitute for le gal advice which can only be given by a competent attorney after reviewing all the facts of the case. NEW YORK Jamaica’s early childhood and primary education programs are soon to benefit fr om a feeding pr ogram to be commissioned by First Lady Lorna Golding. Speaking with reporters in New York last month, Golding, wife of PrimeMinister Br uce Golding, said she will be introducing a “Lunch for Literacy” programto benefit Jamaican students, especially at the early child-hood and primar y levels. She was among scores of first ladies from around theworld at the launch of theglobal health and literacy ini tiative by Laura Bush, wife of United States PresidentGeor ge W . Bush, held at the Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum, in midtownManhattan. “This was a very informative meeting. I knew always that literacy goes with health.When you have bad health, you are not able to read and when you can read, you’re sure to enjoy much better health,” Mrs. Golding said. Noting that, “you cannot learn unless you are well fed,”Mrs. Golding said that the lunch for learning projectwould pr ovide a proper nutrition pr ogram for the tar get groups through well equipped canteens in a presentable envi-r onment for dining, “and a child would be motivated to come to school because themenu was going to be a good one today Training for the chefs for the feeding pr ogram will be provided by the HEART Institute. JIS Jamaica’s first lady commissions ‘Lunch for Literacy’ Young pilot given top Jamaican honors 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 www.caribbeantoday.com LOCAL LOCAL Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has proposed conferring the title of ambassador for tourism for Jamaica to pilot Barrington Irving followinghis successful historic solo flight around the world. During last month’ s World Flight Adventur e Gala, held in Captain Ir ving’s honor at the Florida Memorial University in the United States, the Jamaican minister announced that thishonor was in addition to the Jamaica national honor, Order of Distinction (O.D.Commander , to be conferred on the Jamaican-born pilot at King’s House in the Caribbeannation. In praising the young aviator, Bartlett told almost 400 wellwishers attending the gala that Irving had now joined the ranks of many other deserving Jamaicanswho had accomplished notable areas of ingenuity. ‘INSPIRA TION’ Ir ving, a 23-year-old senior majoring in aer ospace at Florida Memorial University, used his single engine plane called “Inspiration” to flyar ound the world, making him the first black and the youngestaviator to achieve the feat. On June 23, Ir ving completed his mission, which took97 days, car rying him more than 26,000 miles and acrossmany countries since he took off from Miami in March. Earlier this year , during Jamaica’s 45th Independence celebrations, Irving and hisfamily wer e guests of the Jamaican government during a four-day visit tothe island.Bor n in Kingston, Irving was raised in MiamiGar dens, and hasbeen usinghis successful mission toencourage young people tor esist negative influences and work towards their dream. Irving also established an aviation learning center, at the Opa-Locka Airpor t in South Florida. Ir ving Jamaica’s First Lady Lorna Golding a ttending a global health and literacy initiative in New York last month U.S.wants resident aliens to turn in old ‘green cards’ FITZGERALD SMITH Torrential rains shortened its duration, but couldnot dilute the spice and spirit of the sixth “JamaicanJerk Festival” held in SouthFlorida last month. Despite the early finish, the annual festival, which pro-motes the traditionalCaribbean method of “jerk”seasoning food ranging fr om meat, seafood, desserts and vegetables, still managed toser ve up a winner in its “Jerk Cook-Off” and provide a feast of entertainment for the thou-sands who showed up atMarkham Park in Sunrise on Sept. 23. First time entrants “The Dental Place”, a team led by Jamaican-born South Florida dentist Dr. Sharon Jefferson won the “jerk” cook-of f and the coveted “Dutch Pot” trophy, plus acash prize.Accor ding to Dr. Jefferson, whodeclined to reveal her secretwinning r ecipe, her team did itshomework andwas confident ofsuccess. e knew who we weregoing upagainst,” the elat ed winner told Caribbean T oday . “And even if we didn’ t win, we wer e going to come out looking good.” DROVES The festival, a production of Riddims Marketing and Jamaica Awareness Inc. and presented by Air Jamaica, attracted dozens of vendors. Droves of adults and children lined up throughout the day toget their hands and mouths on the various jerk tr eats, includ ing jerk chicken, fish, yam, shrimp, and even ice cream. Several local and international r estaurants and busi nesses tur ned out to compete. The jerk feast was accompa-nied by enter tainment featur ing cultural dancers, folk singers, poetr y r eadings and a musical treat by Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires. Otheractivities, which made theevent a success, included domi noes, cricket and netball competitions, wine tasting andgames for the childr en. “The overall tur nout for the event was excellent and we are happy,” said “Eddy” Edwar ds, chief executive officer of Riddims Marketing. CUT SHORT However, Edwards explained that the rains, which came later in the day, curtailed the event and prevented one of the main performers fromgoing onstage. “The park had to be closed pr ematurely because of rain and Alison Hinds, whowas scheduled to per for m, could not,” he said. Rain or shine, the jerk pits and grills are expected to light up again next year for another festival, saidEdwar ds. Caribbean patr ons ar e already looking forward to it. ith the upset among South Florida chefs, I think I will have to compete nextyear ,” said Dr. Jefferson with relish. “But the underdogs will for ever be prepared.” Fitzgerald Smith is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Rains pepper ‘Jamaican Jerk Festival’,but fail to dampen its spice,spirit Photogra ph by Dreamy RileyV ariety is the spice of life.It also helped to spice up the different pla tes of food at this year’s “Jamaican Jerk Festival”. CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 14 

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“The Next Generation: Learning From The Past, Preparing For The Future”will be the theme of the 30th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTCthis month in Puer to Rico. The business meetings will be held Oct. 19-21 and the conference sessions Oct.21-24. For the third year in a row, conference participants will earn continuing education credits through George Washington University for attending the CTC master classes.Master classes involve in-depth study of topics affecting the tourism industry using case studies and best practices. They are designed for travel agents as well as general delegates. Other scheduled program highlights include hotel and site inspections for travelagents, destination spotlightpr esentations for agents, specialized workshops, and the Cond Nast Traveler “My Caribbean Essay Contest” and the Travel + Leisure outh Congr ess”. TOURS In addition, ther e will be guided product tours for delegates, media activities presented by the host venue and other Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO countries, and awards events– including the “Fifth Annual Travel Writer andPhotographer A wards” and the “Thir d Annual Creativity in T ravel Awards” for travel agents. A series of business meetings involving ministersand commissioners of tourism, the board of directors and various CTO committees will precede the confer ence beginning on Oct. 19, with the conference opening keynote address taking place on Oct. 21. The conference is the Caribbean region’s premier caucus of tourism decisionmakers and an impor tant event on the calendar of tourism practitioners and individuals doing businesswith the Caribbean. This year , CTO expects to host over 600 tourism industry officials representing Caribbean governments, hotels, airlines, cruise lines,travel agents, tour operators, strategic partners and media representatives from aroundthe world. ELEANOR M. WILSON In spite of belated protests mounted by Caribbean tourism or ganizations, the much-maligned W estern Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI January. Its mandatory passport requirement for re-entryinto theUnited States resulted in a five percent decrease inU.S. visitors across the region January through April. This issue has been a hot topic at Caribbean confer-ences for months now . However , not everyone is blaming the WHTI for the decline. When approached, Caribbean tourism officials andexecutives in the industr y r esponded with thought pr ovoking observations and opinions on the downward spiral. The Bahamas, so close to the U.S. east coast for convenient getaways, has felt the pinch. Ar rivals decr eased 11.7 percent the first four months of 2007 against the same peri od in 2006, in spite of an aggressive campaign by the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board that reimbursed passport fees to more than 8,000 visitors. On the bright side, length of stays increased from 6.4 to 6.6 nights and hotel revenue posted a 0.3 per cent gain. Jamaica suf fer ed a 13 per cent decrease in U.S. stayover ar rivals Januar y through April, a particularly bad blow now that there are 1,200 more rooms to fill than were avail-able in 2006. During Januar y to April last year, arrivals increased 16.9 percent. Basil Smith, dir ector of tourism for Jamaica, commented: “Cr uise ship book ings ar e also down, although cruise passengers are not r equired to produce passports on r e-entering the United States until June, 2009. Destinations exempt from the new rule (USVI and Puerto Rico) are showing decreasesas well. I think this indicates that other factors are in play her e, such as a declining U.S. economy.” The U.S. Virgin Islands hotel occupancy does show a 6.5 per cent drop in U.S. guests January through March against that period in 2006. While popularSt. Thomas slumped, St. Cr oix visitors increased 9.4 percent, with a 23 percent jump occur-ring duringthe second quarter. Wasthat due to an existing islandpr omotion, off-season rates, or visitors switching their usual Caribbean destinations to one where no passport was needed? OFF TARGET Some tar get markets have been hit worse than others by the r egulation and application backlog. John Lynch, executive vice president of salesworldwide for Sandals Resor ts, estimated that the Caribbean overall would lose -10 percent of its business inthe first half of 2007. He said the high cost of passports is especially impacting the fami ly and mass markets pack age tours and students on spring br eak. Sandals caters strongly to honeymooners, who traditionally celebratethe momentous occasion with a trip abroad. One sure industry sign of ‘traveler angst’ is advance bookings occur ring closer and closer to departure dates. “This was our first r ed flag last fall,” said Mike Norton, former vice president for sales at Air Jamaica Vacations who is now at Sandals Resorts. “People aren’t as sure about spending their money. So the visitor slowdown becomes an econo my issue as well.” Nor ton also had a ques tion: When those massive backlogged applications are finally filled, will r egular Caribbean visitors r eturn to the region, or go to Europe orAsia now that they have the entr y document that has always been required there? The luxury market seems to r emain constant thr ough wars, recessions and passport dilemmas. “My guests at Round Hill Resor t are seasoned travelers who already have passports,” Josef Forstmayr observed, “so we’re not experiencing any significant occupancy change.” He did express concern that the U.S. accounts for 70 percent of Caribbean visitors, “a huge market we cannot af ford to lose. We all need to take a much mor e aggressive approach to overcome this passport obstacle, and the joint Caribbean HotelAssociation/Caribbean Tourism Organization is working towar d that goal.” PROMOTION SuperClubs didn’t wait for those organizations to pave the way. At firstannouncement, the marketing division correctly perceived the WHTI as a huge problemand initiated its own pr omotion to cir cumvent the issue. When guests book “Passpor t Included” for a minimum four nights, documented new or renewed passport costs arededucted fr om the all-inclusive package rate. At $97 for adults, $82 for childr en and $67 for r enewals, a family of four reaps an impressive reward. As of Sept. 9, approximately 6,000SuperClubsguests hadtaken advan tage of this promotion.The latestOct. 31, 2007 expiration date is now undergoing quarterly review. According to Chairman John Issa, it will probably be extended again for at least two months, covering travel thr ough Dec. 2008. e ar e pr oud of this success,” said Issa. “Not only have we helped travelers obtain passpor ts, but during the first month of the initiative, bookings increased 15 percent at our six Jamaican properties, while all around us, Caribbean hotel occupan cy levels were dropping significantly Hoteliers wer e hesitant to predict what kind of winter season they’r e facing. That late booking syndr ome is still in effect. Esmeralda Perez, marketing director for Puerto Rico Hotel & T ourism Association, where passports are not required but numbers ar e down, r epor ted that it is too early to forecast for leisur e pr oper ties. “But I can tell you that Puer to Rico is looking at a very healthy group and corporate booking chart,” he said.“This is an excellent indicator that the season will be good.” MIXED BAG A random sample of U.S. Virgin Islands hoteliers Caribbean tourism confab targets ‘Next Generation’ BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s tourism sector pumped over EC$350 million($131 millionEaster n Caribbean country’s economy last year, an official has disclosed. Minister of T ourism V incent Beache said the sector accounted for more than 60per cent of the countr s gross domestic product in 2006 and after a sluggish per for mance in the early par t of this year , should end 2007 in an even better financial position. e have a slight decline in stay over which is something I don’t like to see,” Beache,who was in Barbados last month as part of a regionaltourism thr ust, told the Caribbean Media Corporation . e also have a slight declinein same day visitors which isexpected because of the high airfares. “In our yachting sector, which is always our biggest sector , we are up about 14 to 15 percent approximately so that as usual is a big strength for us, but we alsoneed tolook at ourcr uise ship passengers that havebeen upand contin ue to rise. “As a matter offact for this upcoming seasonwe ar e on point to have the biggest season we ever had so things are on the up and up in tourism in St Vincent and theGr enadines.” COMMON THRUST He identified the need for a common Caribbean market-ing thr ust where the region could be offered as a common destination. “It is time we r ealize that we are really not in competition with each other, that every other country in the world wants the tourism dollar and they ar e going for it,” Beache said. St. V incent’ s tourism sector making contribution ~ minister October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www .caribbeantoday.com Beache (CONTINUED ON PAGE16) Smith Forstmayr Issa Perez U.S.visitor arrivals in the Caribbean dip as passport re-entry requirement takes toll CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 15 

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r evealed a brisk Febr uar y/ March, but lagging Christmas holiday bookings so far , which they attribute more to higher air far es imposed for that period. Issa had no doubts. “SuperClubs’ winter is looking very strong, with solidbookings thr ough the season,” he said. “Our upscale Grand Lido properties always do very well in winter, and the high accolades lavished on recently renovated Breezes Runaway Bay are generating new business plus returning guests.” The temporar y use of passpor t applications as r eentry documents was scheduled to expir e on Sept. 30, now that the summer r ush has subsided and the backlog is supposedly under control. Yet unless ther e is a last-minute renewal of that format, U.S./Caribbean visitor ar rival statistics for the next six months should turn up somer evealing per centages. Eleanor M.Wilson is a freelance writer for Caribbean T oday . RAWLE TITUS ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC A United States diplomat says there is no evidence that new travel regulations announced recently by Washington were affecting thetourism industr y in the Caribbean. Washington said that U.S. citizens traveling to the Caribbean had to be in posses-sion of a valid passpor t in order to re-enter the country. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTIcame into ef fect in Januar y , but was relaxed to accommodate travelers whose passportapplications wer e taking longer than expected in light of the high demand for thetravel document. But the move by the U.S. was criticized by tourism officials in the Caribbean who said that the move would seriously damage the industry that provides employment for asignificant amount of people and is a major revenue earner. However, Karen Jo McIsaac, charge d’affaires at the U.S.embassy her e, said the author ities have not seen any noticeable decline in visitor arrivalsahead of the Oct. 1 implemen tation date of the new measur es. ou will have to ask the immigration authorities for the actual numbers of peoplegoing in and out, but we have not really seen a decrease asfar as I can tell,” McIsaac told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC . “Ther e are a large number of American visitors and Grenada particularly does notfocus on the U.S. and so alar ger number of your tourists are still coming from Europe and other areas but it has not appeared to have the kind of effect that was feared,” the U.S. diplomat said. POSSIBLY LOSS A study , conducted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC the Caribbean Hotel Association(CHA egion stands to lose an estimated US$2.6 billion in earnings andmor e than 188,000 jobs at risk. “And we are not hearing the kind of complaints that we heard before the rule went into effect in January that it was going to destroy the tourismsector . I don’ t think it did,” said the U.S. charge d’affaires. “People continue to come especially because again anumber of the other islandshave always r equired U.S. visitors to have passpor ts. Grenada was the one that didt so that was where I sort ofexpected a dif fer ence but it does not seem to have had a negative impact,” she added. U.S.visitor arrivals in the Caribbean dip... “When you go to Eur ope you can get one package that will carry you to France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and yet their countries are a lot farther apart than we are in theCaribbean yet within the Caribbean we don’t have one package that can carry you to Barbados, St. V incent, St. Lucia and Grenada. “Not one package is there and one of the things about travelers and potential travel-ers is that they love nothingbetter than when they r eturn homethey could say that they visited mor e than one countr y on that trip,” he added. St.Vincent’s tourism sector making contribution ~ minister U.S.diplomat denies negative fallout of WHTI 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 www.caribbeantoday.com TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL TOURISMBRIEFS Delta flies weekly to Bonaire Tourism Corporation Bonaire has announced that beginning Feb.9, 2008 Delta Air Lines will launch a weekly non-stop flight from itsAtlanta hub to Bonaire. Delta Air Lines flight 371 will depart Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Saturdays at 10 a.m.arriving at Bonaire’s Flamingo International Airport at 3:10 p.m.The return flight 370will depart Bonaire Sa turdays at 4:15 p.m. arriving in Atlanta at 7:55 p.m. and St.Kitts too The St.Kitts Tourism Authority has announced that Delta Air Lines willcommence a new non-stop flight from Hartsfield-Jackson AtlantaInterna tional Airport to St.Kitts,the first time the airline will offer service to this Caribbean island. The flight will operate once a week on Saturdays,beginning onF eb.16,2008.Delta’s flight 373 will depart Atlanta at 11:15 a.m. and arrive a t St.Kitts’s Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport at 4:05 p.m.The return flight 372 will depart St.Kitts at 4:55 p.m. and arrive in Atlanta at 8:05 p.m. Hyatt to open in Port of Spain In December,Hyatt Regency will open its newest hotel in Port of Spain,Trinidad. The 428-room hotel will be loca ted in the heart of Trinidad and Tobago’s capital city and financial epicenter . Compiled from several sources. POINT OF DIVERSITY Jamaica Tourist Board’s Regional Director Clive Taffe points out Jamaica’s diverse offerings to some 80 travel agents from major markets in the United States during a recent mini-tourism trade show at the Half Moon Conference Centre in Montego Bay, Jamaica.The four-day event was organized by the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association JHTA), with support from Air Jamaica.Looking on from the head table are JTB’s Marketing Representative Wayne Sterling and JTHAsF irst Vice President Evelyn Smith. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15) (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 15) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 16 

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Investment and col laboration between privatesector agencies in the Caribbean community (CARICOMmaking the dr eam and goal of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME ity, says a senior regional par-liamentarian. Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley told agathering of business peopleher e that there were opportunities for expansion of trade in all CARICOM countries and that those opportunities should be carefully sought out using partnership to ensure their success. “The fact that we have worked together within the Caribbean community toestablish a single market last year in less than 20yearsand the fact that wecontinue to work towar ds the beginning of the frameworkfor a single economy nextyear is also indicative of thecommitment we have to working with each other,” she said late last month. The minister of economic affairs and development, wholed a Barbados investment delegation to Georgetown,said Guyana was ripe for investment from other member CARICOM countries. e are cognizant that even though Guyana has had its economic difficulties wehave ever y confidence that this countr y has the r esour ces and capacity to, with its people, to lift those of us from the rest of the Caribbean community simply by using the scale of resources, thescale of exper tise and the commitment to be able towant to do it,” she said. The minister said Guyana had food and r enewable energy potential that could be r ealized using r esources from the other Caribbean countries. “Agricultur e is one of the key areas that is a low hang-ing fr uit,” she said, noting that the region needed to move to new production measures to boost production in the agricultur e sector. Over 30 Barbadian businessmen visited Georgetown last month as part of the trade mission. NEW YORK – A number of American corporations saycall centers in the Caribbeanar e rapidly expanding in the face of low-cost customer service in the region. The corporations say declining communication costs, warm hospitality, and better relations with UnitedStates customers have alsocontributed to call centerexpansion in the r egion. “The islands all seem to be really positive as opposedto the surly attitudes you havein some of the other places,” said Robert Goodwin, manag-er of AOL, a unit of the Dulles, Virginia-based Time Warner Inc., which has a callcenter in St. Lucia. s cheery weather, it’s cheery people,” he added in a statement issued here. Goodwin said while AOL still uses call centers in Asiaand other countries, theCaribbean has been mor e competitive, noting that several regional governments have been offering tax and other incentives to attract mor e companies. AOL said Jamaica, for instance, offers “free zone” status that per-mits owners to send home 100 percent of their earnings that ar e earned tax-free. GLOB AL NUCLEUS Industry experts said Jamaica is one of the leadingcall centers in the Caribbean,with about 14,000 employees, making the region a newglobal nucleus for call centers. Barbados, Trinidad, and Dominica have also developed call centers dedicated to customer ser vice. Philip Cohen, an industr y consultant, said while the region has taken a relativelysmall shar e of the call market, it is significant for its r elative ly small population. ou put a call center with 100 people in Barbados, and that’s a God’s gift,” he said. ith 100 people in India, you can’t even see it,” headded. David Kr eiss, the Atlanta, Georgia-basedowner of KM2, acollections and call-center firmthat holds theAOL contract inSt. Lucia, said hehas opened anew call centerin Barbados andis planning on further expanding once morefiber optic cables are installed. Philip Peters, chief executiveof Coral Gables, Florida-basedZagada Markets,said Caribbean call centers have increasedfr om 11,300 in 2002 to 55,000 today , generating $2.5 billion in economic gain. He lauded the region for its high-quality service. “They have a history of tr oubleshooting with Americans without getting upset,” he said. Business links key to CSMEU.S.call centers expand rapidly in Caribbean WASHINGTON, CMC – In the face of less supportive external conditions, a topInter national Monetar y Fund (IMF ficial has called on regional countries to build on the gains they have madesince the 1970s. Speaking on the topic, “The Global Outlook:Implications for LatinAmerica and the Caribbean”,John Lipsky , the IMF’s first deputy managing dir ector , told the 40th annual meeting at the American Associationof the Chambers of Commerce in Latin America(AACCLA time to underscore the importance of good fundamentals.” He identified three areas in which he said much can beaccomplished: investment and pr oductivity; fiscal policy; and financialmarket devel opment. “The r egion’ s recent growth, while strongr elative to its own histor y , still lags other developing r egions,” Lipsky said. “Moreover, faster growth is a necessar y condition in order to make more meaningful reductions in poverty By necessity, Lipsky said this will have to be achievedthr ough a combination of increased investment and faster productivity growth.But he said additional progress is possible, notingthat the r egion’ s pr oductivity growth from1990-2006 was some twopercentage pointsper year slower than that ofemer ging Asia over the same period. He said investment ratios in the Caribbean and Latin America are also “substantial-ly lower” than the developing country average by some sixpercentage points of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP But the IMF of ficial said ther e have been encouraging recent developments in increasing and diversifyingtrade in the r egion. He said regional fiscal policy improvements have been notable recently, including increased primary surpluses. But Lipsky said mor e needs to be done to r educe the dependence of public revenues on commodities, notingthat cur r ent spending also seems to be taking precedence over public investment. NEW YORK A Jamaican has become the first Caribbeannational to head the oldestminority trade association inthe United States. Maria Kong, who resides in Florida, was elected pr esident of the 35,000-member National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB its 60th annual conference in New York City. Kong also became only the second woman to lead the trade association. Her election comes at a time when African Americansand other minorities ar e los ing their homes to foreclosure at an alar ming rate. “As real estate professionals, we have an obligation to keep the dream of homeownership alive,” said Kong, who owns the Lauderhill, Floridabased firm, Markon Realty and Management Company. “Seven-hundr ed homes owned by African-Americans in foreclosure status is unacceptable and erodes the fragile stability of our communi-ties,” she added. N A TIONAL CAMPAIGN She said during her twoyear r eign she would embark on among other things, a major national marketing campaign to brand the name of NAREB, significantly increase the membership base and for ge new par tnerships to incr ease oppor tunities for members. Founded in 1947, NAREB, which has 84 chap-ters thr oughout the U.S., seeks to “address the need to secur e the right to equal housing opportunities regard-less of race, cr eed, or color Kong said. “Since its inception, NAREB has consistently advocated for and supported legislation to ensure fair housing for all Americans,” she added. Build on gains of 1970s,IMF tells CaribbeanJamaican heads oldest U.S. minority trade grouping October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 BUSINESS BUSINESS www .caribbeantoday.com Photogra ph by ReutersCaribbean call centers are now a big attraction. Lipsky CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 17 

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Prime Minister Patrick Manning has announced Nov. 5 as the date for general elections in Trinidad and Tobago. In a brief statement to Parliament on Sept. 28,Manning said that NominationDay is Oct. 22. This will be the first time that Trinidadians will vote for a41-member Parliament. In the last 36-member Parliament, the People’s National Movement (PNM the remainder going to the United National Congress and the minority Congress of thePeople (COP eakaway faction of the UNC. T&T ready to vote,page 25. ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – A for mer member of the r uling United Pr ogr essive Party (UPP Opposition Antigua LabourPar ty’ s (ALP party sets about choosing candidates to contest the nextgeneral elections in Antiguaand Barbuda. ALP of ficials confirmed that Dean Jonas had secur ed 148 of the 314 ballots cast last month to select the candidate for the St.Geor ge’ s constituency . Jonas defeated attorney Alincia W illiams Grant, who received 105 votes, while businessman Kendall Samuel got 62 votes. He later told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC that he was confident of defeating the incumbent Dr . Jacqui Quinn-Leandr o in the polls scheduled for 2009. “I’ve really worked hard to gain the confidence of the peo-ple of St. Geor ge’ s,” he said. Though Quinn-Leandro opted not to comment on the ALP candidate’s statement,she said she welcomed the challenge. “The people of my constituency will decide who can best represent their interest, who can best champion theircause, who can best mediateon their behalf,” she said. “I think that democracy is alive and well in the countr y . I really think that the people of St. Geor ge’ s will have to decide. We have a very healthy democracy in Antigua andBarbuda and I cer tainly welcome any challenge – it doesn’ t matter who it is,” she added. Jonas had served as UPP public r elations of ficer until he left the party in 2004. “I gr ew up in the Antigua Labour Party. I left the Antigua Labour Party to join the UPP because like many young per-sons in Antigua who gr ew up in Antigua, I saw one party in power for the past 30 years andmany of us simply wanted achange in gover nment,” he said. es I did, in fact, leave and join the UPP simplybecause I wanted a change.Ther e wer e many young per sons like myself who just wanted to see something different – different but better – but what we got was different and worse.” BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Muslim leaders fromseveral Caribbean islands lastmonth attended a cer emony hosted by the United Statesaimed at impr oving relations and “cementing ties of friendship”. A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy here said that Ambassador Mary Ourismanhosted an “Iftaar banquet”for the Muslim leaders fr om Antigua and Barbuda,Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis. “One of our country’s greatest strengths is the diver-sity and richness of our many religious traditions: Christians,Jews, Muslims, Hindus,Buddhists, people of manyfaiths, and even some of no religious affiliation at all livetogether peacefully and in a climate of mutual respect,” the ambassador said. “On this special evening we r ecognize our Muslim friends in the Easter n Caribbean. W e celebrate the millions of Muslims we are proud to call American citizens. We honor the manyIslamic nations that America is proud to call friends. And we renew the ties of friend-ship that should bind all whotrace their faith back to God’ s call on Abraham.” ‘SPECIAL The statement quoted the secretary of the BarbadosMuslim Association (BMASulieman Bulbulia as sayingthat the event was a “special and significant gesture” andmarked a “defining momentin the establishment of what we hope will be a mutually beneficial relationshipbetween your embassy andus”. Bulbulia said events like the Iftaar “goes a long way in building a climate of trust, cordial relations and correct-ing feelings of antagonism and mistrust. “While we may not agree with all the policies and pro-grams of the American gov er nment and while there are some who will use these disagreements to promote a theory of a clash of civilizations, cultures and faiths, tonight by our gathering we promote instead a dialogue among civilizations, cultures and faiths based upon mutual respectand tolerance,” he added. T&T general elections Nov.5 CASTRIES, St. Lucia Sir John Compton, St. Lucia’ s “Father of the Nation”, diedearly last month at age 82,plunging the countr y he led for over 30 years into two weeks of mourning declared by thegover nment in his honor. Acting Prime Minister Stephenson King was swornin on Sept. 9 as the island’ s new prime minister . Sir John became the country’s first prime minister after leading St. Lucia to political Independence inFeb. 1979. He led the countr y fr om 1964-1979, 1982-1996 and from Dec. 2006. He served as chief minister , pr emier and prime minis ter at various periods. He returned from political retire-ment to lead his United W orkers Par ty (UWP stunning victor y in last December’s general elections. NO ‘MARATHON’ However, when Sir John led the UWP back into the corridors of power in December, he made it clear Sir John Compton,St.Lucia’s Father of the Nation’,is dead U.S.seeks closer relationship with Muslim groups in Caribbean KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC Orrett Bruce Golding took office as Jamaica’s eighthprime minister on Sept. 11, pleading with his predecessorto join hands in a new politicsof cooperation, while pledging to introduce measures to stamp out corruption and ris-ing crime and drive economic growth in the country. The 59-year-old leader said the Sept. 3 general elec-tions, in which his JamaicaLabour Par ty (JLP years in Opposition when it secured a narrow victory over the Portia Simpson Miller-ledPeople’ s National Par ty (PNP need for a paradigm shift from competitive politics intonation-building initiatives in governance. “In our two pairs of hands (he told Simpson Miller who was seated in the audi-ence) r est so much of the hopes of the people of Jamaica. W e have a choice. Those hands can engage inhand-to-hand combat or wecan join those hands togetherto build a nation that is strong, just, peaceful and prosperous. I want to sit down with you, Portia. s talk about Jamaica. Let’s talk about the dreamthat I believe we shar e for a Jamaica whose people ar e at peace with each other, where equality and justice reignsupr eme, wher e ever y child can go to a good school and ever y adult to a decent job, where everyone might not berich, but no one has to be poor,” he said. ANTI-GARRISON Speaking after taking the oath of of fice befor e Gover nor General Pr ofessor Kenneth Hall and in the presence ofthousands of people on the grounds ofKing’ s House – the gover nor general’ s official residence the new prime min-ister said the gar ri son-type politics which characterized political life hereshould be a thing ofthe past. e must retire the culture where one set of Jamaicans speak of ‘the gov ernment dem’ as if it were a hostile, alien for ce. I want to see a new order in which all the people will regard the government, no matter whichpar ty for ms it, as ‘our gover n ment’,” the prime minister said. Pledging that he would be the chief servant of the peo-ple, Golding said within the first 100 days of his adminis-tration, policy initiativeswould be developed to pointthe way towar ds how gover n ment could protect the rights of the people; reduce crime;cr eate an educated, productive workforce and attract investments that could pro-vide “r eal jobs.” He said policy papers would also be cr eat ed to impr ove transpar ency and accountability in government while eliminating corruption; move towards a strong Parliament and more effective political representaP .M.Golding makes unity call as he takes office in Jamaica 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 POLITICS POLITICS www.caribbeantoday.com Golding takes the oath of office. Compton (CONTINUED ON PAGE 19) (CONTINUED ON P AGE 19) Ex-ruling party official wins Opposition primary in Antigua CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 18 

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CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC Prime Minister Stephenson King has ruled out the possibil-ity of early general elections to obtain his own mandate fromthe people of St. Lucia. King, who was swor n in as prime minister recently following the Sept. 7 death of Sir John Compton, made this position clear as the country prepares for a by-election in theMicoud Nor th constituency that was represented by the late prime minister. Speaking prior to leaving the island to address theUnited Nations GeneralAssembly last month, King said the current mandate of the gover nment is still fr esh, and early general elections is not anywhere on the cards.Instead, he said the focus ofhis administration is on doingthe job it was elected to do. “The mission of the gover nment is to ensure that we implement the vision of Sir John as we move on with the business of the country,” King told reporters “In terms of the timing of a general election that is far from my mind, what is on my mind now, is to fulfill the promises that were made inthe last general election.” P.M.King rejects call for early general elections in St.Lucia FITZGERALD SMITH Congr esswoman Yvette D. Clarke, who is backed by a strong Caribbean immigrant constituency in New York,is ur ging United States President George W. Bush to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq and send them back home to their families. Clarke, whose parents are Jamaican, said in an address tothe media last month shor tly after the president’s Sept. 13 nationally broadcast speech toAmericans, that the Bushadministration seems too focused on the war in Iraq and should pay mor e attention to the issues of the nation. “Clearly, this administration favors spending our hardearned money on sendingAmericans into a hot deser t and harms way than on building a str onger country at home,” said Clarke, who represents the 11th Congressional District in Brooklyn. “Ther e are 37 million Americans living below the poverty line. Six million children across America do not have health care, including 384,000 children in the State of New York yet, just weeks ago, when Democrats in Congress passed programs that would have cost only a fraction of the president’s war request to help fight poverty and to guarantee health insurance for childr en, the president threatened toveto these bills, claiming they ar e too expensive. Now the pr esident is r equesting an addi tional $50 billion fr om the American people to continue staying-the-course in this warClarke added. NEGA TIVE RESPONSE The president’s highly anticipated speech incited negative responses from Democraticleaders and U.S. Senate hope fuls alike, all expr essing their dissatisfaction with the president’ s plan to continue pursuits in the war-torn Middle Eastern country. Thisplan, he noted,is the r esult of a successful strategy imple-mented somemonths ago, which allowed U.S. tr oops to maximize efforts and furtherpr ogress. “Eight months ago we adopted a new strategy to meet that objective, including a surge in U.S. for ces that r eached full strength in June,” Bush explained. “(Last monthGeneral David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before Congress about how that strategy is improving.” Accor ding to the pr esi dent, because of this strategy the situation in Iraq is improving and the U.S. stands current with its goal of securing the Iraqi population; a goal whichhe also says will eventually require less U.S. forces. “It will soon be possible to bring home an Ar my combat brigade, for a total force reduction of 5,700 troops byChristmas,” he added. “And...by July, we will be able to r educe our troop levels in Iraq from 20 combat brigades to 15.” TURMOIL However , Clarke added that although reports indicate impr ovements in Iraq, particularly in the Anbar province, the majority of the country remains in turmoil. “For Iraqis, the cost of the war has meant great suffering,” the congresswoman said. “The president began the war underthe pr emise of helping the people of Iraq, but after all this time, they r emain in great trauma.” According to her, recent reports have also indicated that actions taken by the Bush admin-istration to r estore order to Iraq have made little difference. Additionally, she said, there have been at least 27,564 Iraqi deaths due violence because of the war , raising the question of whether or not the was was doing mor e har m than good. “All of the lives, time, and money invested on the war, and the Iraqi government has ear ned what would be a dis mally failing grade in any classroom,” she said. F itzgerald Smith is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Congresswoman Clarke lashes Bush’s Iraq war plan October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 POLITICS POLITICS www .caribbeantoday.com Clarke King being sworn in as prime minister. Jamaica names 18-member Cabinet KINGSTON,Jamaica,CMC Prime Minister Bruce Golding named an 18member Cabinet. F ollowing is the full Cabinet: Prime Minister,Minister of Planning,Development and Defense Bruce Golding Deputy Prime Minister ,Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Dr.Kenneth Baugh Minister of Finance and the Public Service Audley Shaw Minister of Na tional Security Derrick Smith Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Dorothy Lightbourne Minister of Industr y and Commerce Karl Samuda Minister of Educa tion Andrew Holness Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett Minister of Agriculture Christopher T ufton Minister of Energy,Mining and T elecommunications Clive Mullings Minister of Water and Housing – Dr. Horace Chang Minister of Labour and Social Security P earnel Charles Minister of Transport and Works Michael Henry Minister of Health and Environment Rudyard Spencer Minister of Informa tion,Culture,Youth and Sports Olivia Grange Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister James Robertson Minister in the Ministr y of Finance and the Public Service Don Wehby Minister in the Ministr y of Finance and the Public Service Dwight Nelson tion and eliminate unneces sary bureaucracy and waste of public resources. “I ask the Jamaican people to appr eciate that the commitment we intend tohonor during the first 100 days are, of necessity, thosewhich do not r equire a significant outlay of government expenditure,” Golding said. “The financial constraints and fiscal challenges that we face are well known and themedium and long ter m solu tions will have to be pursued over time,” he said. However, the new prime minister sought to assure thenation that even in the face of the challenges that his government would face, it intended to honor campaign com-mitments to abolish the pay ment of school tuition feesand fees at public hospitals. Concerning the vexed issue of corruption, Golding pledged to make a difference by implementing stiff penaltiesfor violators. He also noted that the government wouldintr oduce whistleblower legis lation to pr otect persons who provided information on wrongdoing on the part ofpublic of ficials and would also review the libel and slander laws of the countr y . (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18) P .M.Golding makes unity call that he was not ther e for a “marathon.” Sir John was of f the job since May when he suffered a series of small strokes and handed over day-to-day running of the government to King. It was reported that he was also battling other compli-cations, such as diabetes, and a long-standing heart condition. The decision to go with King as head of the gover nment was agreed to by all 10 elected members of the ruling UWP. Early last month doctors in Martinique, where Sir John had been airlifted for medical treatment, determined that ther e was nothing mor e med ically they could do to impr ove his condition, leading to the decision to r eturn him home on Sept. 5. He died on Sept. 7. A state funeral was held for the late leader last month. Sir John leaves to mourn his wife Lady Compton and five children. Compiled from CMC re ports . Sir John Compton,St.Lucia’s Father of the Nation’,is dead (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 18) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 19 

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ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The Bahamas hasbeen ranked as the richestcountr y in the Caribbean by a Canadian website Aneki.com . The site, which derives its information from numerous sources, including UnitedNations agencies and theUnited States’ CentralIntelligence Agency’ s World Factbook, ranked TheBahamas at number one with a $21,300 per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP Trinidad and Tobago was ranked as the second richestwith a GDP of $19,700, aposition which would usuallyhave been held by Barbados,which now ranks at number three with a GDP of $18,200. Aneki.com ranks Antigua and Barbuda as fourth, with aGDP of $10,900; St. Kitts andNevis, fifth with a GDP of$8,200; Dominican Republic,sixth with a GDP of $8,000;St. Lucia, seventh, with aGDP of $4,800; Jamaica,eight, with GDP of $4,600; Cuba, ninth with GDP of $3,900; and Grenada, 10thwith a GDP of $3,900. EXEMPTIONS Under its ranking, Guyana and Suriname, which are Caribbean community (CARICOMput with the South Americanstates, placing sixth and ninthr espectively. In the categor y of richest countries in the world, Luxembourg came in first with $68,800 per capita GDP.Equatorial Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Norway,Ir eland, United States, Andor ra, Iceland, Denmark and Austria followed in descending or der on the list. The sites also put heart disease as the leading cause of death; cancer as second; respiratory infections and lung dis-ease as thir d and fourth; and HIV/AIDS as fifth. T raffic accidents wer e ranked at number 10. PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC The highly anticipatedtrial of 25 people implicated in the Dec. 1982 extrajudicial killing of 15 political oppo nents of the then militar y regime is to start on Nov. 30, sources close to process here have r evealed. “I can confir m that the Military Court has decided to start the 8 December Trial on Friday November 30,” said spokesperson, MarjorySanches. Surviving relatives and human rights organizations, in a first response, voiced reliefwith the announcement of the trial date. On Dec. 8, 1982, 15 political opponents of the militar y junta, led by than army commander Desi Bouterse, were tortured and ultimately exe-cuted by militar y officers. Amongst the victims were union leaders, journalists, scholars, lawyers and university professors. APOLOGY In 2000 the Cour t of Justice or dered the prosecutor general to start a criminal investigation into the extrajudicial killings after r elatives put for ward a request in order to block the limitation to prosecute the case. In June a court handed down a ruling ordering the prosecution of 10 sus-pects who wer e fighting a legal battle to be taken off the list of suspects in relation tothe extrajudicial killings. In March the former military dictator publicly apologized to the surviving relatives of dead. “I am apologizing to all the surviving relatives,” saidBouterse at a meeting withyouth to mark the 27thanniversar y of his successful 1980 coup. The former army chief had also called foramnesty for the alleged suspects in the extrajudi cial killings which led to an inter national boy cott of his administration and a withdrawal of military support from the United States andthe Netherlands. Bouterse said the entire Surinamese community should be part in seeking the truth of that “dark chapter in Suriname’s history.” The former dictator said he wantedto tell the young people his side of the story since, according to him, representations of the events back then by politi-cal opponents wer e false. The Bahamas is richest in Caribbean ~ website HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC Government has announced that for mer Opposition Leader Dame Lois Br owne Evans will become the country’s first National Hero and the May 24 Bermuda Day holiday will be r enamed National Her oes Day . The new combined court and police building in Hamilton is also to be named after Dame Lois, who died earlier this year , gover nment said. A bronze statue or bust in the likeness of Dame Lois will also be erected at the newbuilding, accor ding to Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Wayne Perinchief. In a press release, Premier Ewart Brown said: “DameLois long believed ther e was a need to instill national pride in our people. I share that belief, and in a very strong way thisgover nment has made Dame Lois’ wish come true. “She would have never chosen herself for this sort of adulation. I’m proud we coulddo it for her because she did somuch for all of Ber muda.” FIRST LAD Y Dame Lois was Bermuda’s first female barrister, Bermuda’s first female attorney general,and the first woman to becomeOpposition leader in a BritishCommonwealth countr y when she became leader of the now ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP ved as leader until 1972 and again from 1976 to 1985. The PLP won power for the first time in 1998. Dame Lois died on May 29, shortly before her 80th birthday, and was laid to rest at the Anglican Cathedral during a specially called national holi day on June 6. More than 1,000 people attended thechur ch ser vice. Perinchief asked the public for their suggestions on howbest to commemorate the life of Dame Lois and her contribu tions to Bermuda back in July. By Aug. 17, 101 submissions had arrived at the Ministry ofCommunity and Cultural Affairs. Among the most popular was a national public holi-day in honor of Dame Lois and naming the new court andpolice building after DameLois. Those r ecommendations wer e accepted by Cabinet. Perinchief said: “The pub lic response has been highly gratifying in recognizing the achievements of Dame Loisand r eflects the pr ofound r espect for a Ber mudian trailblazer who fought for honor and justice.” Bermuda names Dame Lois countr s first National HeroEx-Surinamese military dictator among 25 to be tried for killings 20 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 Bouterse PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A tribunal set up toinvestigate allegations of wr ong doing against embattled Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma failed to hear testimony from AttorneyGeneral John Jer emie as well as two top business executives whohave all been implicated for their alleged role in the efforts tor emove the head of the T rinidad and T obago judiciar y fr om office. The three-member tribunal headed by r etir ed Privy Council Judge Lord Mustill, as well as St. Lucian jurist SirV incent Floissac and Jamaican Dennis Morrison, had invited Jer emie to make an appear ance befor e them on the penultimate day of the public hearings late last month. Pr esident Geor ge Maxwell Richards had suspended Sharma fr om his duties on June 13, 2007 until the hearing and determination of the impeachment proceedings. Shar ma had been accused by Chief MagistrateSher man McNicolls of trying toinfluence hisdecision inthe case against for-mer PrimeMinister Basdeo Panday , who was on thr ee char ges of failing to declare a London bank account to the IntegrityCommission for thr ee years while he was head of government in 1997, 1998 and 1999. McNicholls found Panday guilty of the charges. LETTER Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who is representingJer emie, submitted a letter to the secretary of the tribunal along with a statement, dated July 28, 2006 that the attorney general gave to High Court Judge Humphr ey Stollmeyer. Justice Stollymeyer had been appointed by the Judicial and Legal Ser vice Commission to investigate a land transaction deal involving McNicolls. In the letter Jeremie said he “refer to the observationmade by the chair man of the tribunal that an imputationhas been made by counsel for the chief justice that the attor-ney general has been a willingand active par ticipant and possibly the instigator of a cynical plot to wreck the trialof Mr . Panday”. The attorney general said there was no truth to theseallegations and that he found no evidence of alleged con-spiracies and as a r esult could not assist the tribunal other than to refer to statements he previously made. But QueenCounsel Geof fr ey Rober tson, who is leading Sharma’s defense, said that it would be in the best interest of the attorney general to testify and explain his r ole in the matter. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Prime Minister Bruce Goldinghas called for the establish ment of a single independent body that will investigate allcases of abuse and unlawfulconduct by members of thesecurity for ces in Jamaica. Golding met with Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne, as well as the solicitor general, the chief parliamentary counsel and of ficials from the Ministry of Justice, to discuss the issue in light of the increased number of allegations of abuse and unlawful conduct against mem-bers of the security for ces by the public. A statement issued her e on Sept. 22 said that Golding has called for a report is to be sub-mitted to him outlining thelegal and administrative steps required to establish the authority. “This report will take into account the existence and respective roles of the Police Public Complaints Authority, the Civilian Oversight Authority, the Bureau of Special Investigationsand the Of fice of Pr ofessional responsibilities and recommend appr opriate changes,” Golding said. “The government will do ever ything possible to strengthen and support the police in combating crime and in the lawful execution of theirduties. However this cannot be at the expense of the constitu tional rights of the people.” T&T’s attorney general refuses to testifyJamaica vows to handle abuse allegations against cops Sharma Dame Lois REGION REGION www.caribbeantoday.com CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 20 

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For the first time in close to a decade, art enthusi-asts will get a chance to see the works of the Dominican Republic’s JulioSusana in the United States. The painter, sculptor and professor’s last American exhib-it was in Coral Gables in 1999.He r etur ns to that South Florida city this month to unveil his newest collection of paint-ings at the Mila Hajjar Galler y. The exhibition runs from Oct. 11 through Nov. 8. Earlier this year , Susana exhibited “Color es de mi T ier ra” (“Colors of My Land” Secretaria de Estado de Cultura in Santo Domingo. He’s returning to the U.S. with “Fiesta de Colores Tropicales” (“Festival of T ropical Colors”) at Mila Hajjar. SPACE The ar tist’ s most r ecent works, about 30 paintings and 25 drawings, will be displayed,including titled works “Construction in Space” and“Love in Space”. “This work is innovative, and very creative,” the artistsaid in a r ecent pr ess release. s figurative, incorporating elements in space.” Susana, who describes his work as “his imagination flour ishing in art,” has enjoyed favorable r eview fr om Latin American critics. La Pr ensa called his paintings “eloquent” and “passionate”, classifying him as an “outstanding figureof Dominican ar t.” Mila Hajjar Gallery is located at 32 Giralda A ve., Coral Gables, FL 33134. For more information, visit www.juliosusana.com. ‘Space’ dominates artist’s e xhibition opening Oct. 11 Barbadian-born singer Rihanna used her hit single “Umbrella”to snare two coveted honors at last month’s MTV Music Video Awards in Las Vegas,United States. “Umbrella”,a collaboration fea turing American rapper Jay-Z, won the coveted “Video of the Year”award,plus “Monster Single of the Year”.Justin Timberlake was the VMAs big winner,with four trophies. GORDON WILLIAMS Caribbean people still remember him as theman behind “The Lunatic”. Jamaican-bornauthor Anthony C. W inkler is perfectly sane – of course – but his latest novel “Dog War” is so funny, it borders on crazy. So next month W inkler, ar med with his hilarious tale of a Jamaican woman struggling with her cultural andr eligious beliefs, and the test ing times she faces with her employer’s dog, will be among several authors from the region expected to be present at the Miami InternationalBook Fair fr om Nov . 4-11. This year’s fair will carry a new feature, “the TranslationMarket”, dubbed as “a world literature and translation sum-mit”. Y et it is the accomplish ments of authors like Winkler that will give the fair and itsbase in downtown Miami afamiliar Caribbean feel. Winkler and others believe the world is more ready thanever to embrace Caribbean lit erary works. eah, I think ther e is a greater opening,” he said. It’s been long overdue, despite the region’s shortcom-ings. “One of the things that surprises me about the WestIndies is that we have two Nobel Laureates in litera-tur e,” Winkler explained. “I think that’s astounding whenyou think of such small popu lations compared with some of the bigger countries andthe pover ty, and the lack of facilities.” SUCCESS SIGNS Yet Winkler seems to have the answer for the Caribbean’s literary success. Despite years of colonialism, he explained, the region still managed to wriggle free with its own creative independence, unburdening itself fromthe weight of expectations originating elsewhere. “I think it is the lack of a str ong literary tradition that gives us (in the Caribbean the fr eedom to experiment as writers,” said the 62-year-old novelist and textbook writer . “Because we don’t have a Shakespeare looking over your shoulder. And you don’thave someone who is such a wonderful example and you can’t cope.” W inkler’s “Dog War”, like his other works such as “The Lunatic”, “The Painted Canoe”, “Going Home To Teach” and “The Duppy”, reflects the Caribbean experi-ence. It is about the r egion’ s people and, although crafted with every writer’s goal to reachthe widest possible audience, it is written with Caribbean peo-ple in mind as well. “The writer wants to strike a universial note,” he said. “We always want towrite to the widest possibleaudience.” But, cut to the core, W inkler is enjoying himself with his writings, hoping thatthe r eader comes along for a fun ride. “No, I don’t just write for Jamaicans,” he explained last month from his home in an Atlanta, Georgia suburb. “I write mainly for Jamaicans because I am Jamaican. But really, when it comes down toit, I write for myself. If I like it, I figure somebody else willlike it.” “Dog W ar” will certainly get many people’s attention. And Winkler is pleased that more and more Caribbean people ar e trying to write, especially Jamaicans, who he believes are capable of excelling at any-thing they attempt. “One of the things I will say about Jamaicans and every field they get into, writ-ing included,” he explained,“when they good, they good. They really good.” Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. Aspecial screening of the classic Jamaican film “The Harder They Come” will be amongthe highlights of the Caribbean International FilmFestival next month inBarbados. The festival, scheduled for Nov. 7-11, will parade feature-length and short films, and music video entries from the r egion and internationally. “The Harder They Come”, credited with being Jamaica’s first feature film, was written, produced and directed by the late Perry Henzell, who will be honor ed at the festival. The screening of the film will be accompanied by a special screening of “The Making of the Har der They Come”. For mor e information about the festival, the events, industr y accreditations as well as volunteer and sponsorship oppor tunities at the festival, visit the official website: www.caribbeaninternationalfilmfesti val.com or email info@caribbeaninternationalfilmfesti val.com . ‘Umbrella’ covers Rihanna with MTV music awardsWinkler and ‘Dog War’ set for Miami book fair October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 21 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www .caribbeantoday.com Photograph by Gordon WilliamsWinkler relaxes in his Atlanta home. ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFSPutting pen to paper The following Caribbean authors (with some their works listedwere also invited to the 2007 Miami International Book Fair: Opal P almer Adisa – “I Name Me Name:Lola”and “Until Judgment Comes:Stories AboutJamaican Men” Jane Br yce – “Chameleon: Short Stories”and “Caribbean Dispatches: Beyond the Tourist Dream” Oonya Kempadoo – ide Running” Philip Nanton – “Caribbean Dispatches:Beyond the Tourist Dream” Geoffrey Philp – “Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories” Howard Pitterson – “Spectre of Seven” Kim Robinson – “Out of Order!” Marina Salandy – Brown “Caribbean Dispatches:Beyond the Tourist Dream” Robert Edison Sandiford – “Shouts from the Outfield: Carnival hits Miami on Oct.7 The colorful and exciting culture of the Caribbean will a gain be on show in South Florida during the 23rd staging of the Miami Carnivalon Oct. 7 . The event,featuring costume parades and live music bands, will run from noon to 11 p .m . a t Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami and the city is claiming that the festivities embody the unity of the diverse cultures that it represents. The event will kick off with a parade of bands and costumes and feature Caribbean and international food,beverages and arts andcrafts. T op Caribbean performers are scheduled for the event For more information,call 305-6531877 or visit www.MiamiCarnival.net. Vincentian entertainers join global campaign Entertainers in St.Vincent and the Grenadines last month joined regional agriculturists and non governmental organizations to supporta global move to halt the current round of negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements between African Caribbean and Pacific States (ACPUnion (EU More than a dozen Vincentian entertainers were scheduled to perform at a five-hour concert, organized by OXFAM,the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC and the Windward Island FarmersAssocia tion (WINFA),which is part of the global “Stop EP A Day”activities organized to focus attention on the EPA negotiations which must be concluded by the Dec.2007deadline. Cuba,Suriname strengthen cultural links Suriname and Cuba have signed an a greement, which government offi cials say will strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries.The pact will facilitateexchange programs for artists andtechnical personnel. Compiled from CMC and other sources. ‘The Harder They Come’ to highlight Caribbean Int’l Film Fest Nov.7-11 Rihanna CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 21 

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RIETI, Italy, CMC – Jamaican Asafa Powell majesticallysmashed his own world 100meter record in a sizzling 9.74seconds at the Rieti inter national track and field meeting last month. Lined up against a moderate field in only a qualifying heat, Powell sped out of the blocks and dominated the event,slicing 0.03 seconds of f the previous best of 9.77 seconds, which he has run on three occasions. Aided by a legal 1.7 meters-per-second followingwind, Powell finished ahead of Gambia-born Saidy NdureJaysuma and St. Kitts and Nevis’s former world champion Kim Collins, who recorded 10.07 seconds and 10.14 seconds, respectively. The record was a mild consolation for Powell’s hugedisappointment just weeksbefor e at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Japan, when he finished thir d behind American Tyson Gay and Derrick Atkins of TheBahamas. But the big Jamaicanappear ed re-energized by his feat and embraced the moment. oday I proved to the world that Asafa is back,” Powell said after the race onSept 9. LONDON, Sep 24, CMC – Ottis Gibson has won a majorawar d in Britain. The for mer Barbados and West Indies all-rounder has been named the winner of the inaugural ProfessionalCricketers’ Association Most Valuable Playerawar d. Gibson helped Durham to secure two major domestic trophies with a number of matchwinning performances. The 38-yearold gather ed 723 r uns and collected 116 wickets in allcompetitions, buthe scor ed 578 runs and snared 80wickets – including10 for 47 against Hampshire – in the CountyChampionship pr oper. He also won the man-of-the-match award for his three for 24 – also against Hampshire – in the limited-overs tr ophy final. Gibson leapt well clear of his near est rivals – the Pakistani leg-spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Danish Kaneria -as he also claimed the PCA Bowling MVP award. Gibson ended the seasonwith 735.97 points, 135.67 clear of Mushtaq and 178.49ahead of Kaneria. REWARDING “Certainly for me, the last couple of years spent coachinghas made a dif ference to my appr oach to the way I play now Gibson told the BBC . “Sometimes you may search a lifetime for what you might consider is perfection. IfI look back, this year has cer tainly been that way . It has probably been a perfect season for me. “I’ve bowled well without any pr essure, and when I go on the field I always tr y to make a massive contribution to the team. It’s a team effort andI’ve led the bowling attack this year, which is what was required.” The Most V aluable Player awar d was launched by the PCA this year to provide a more reliable and accurate means of assessing a player’s performance, rewarding each run, wicket and catch. Jamaica’s Powell breaks 100 meters world record Barbadian crowned English pro cricket’s MVP ETOBICOKE, Canada – One of Canada’s leading trainersMark Casse is hoping topBarbadian rider PatrickHusbands lands success in a major race in North Americasoon. Casse, who is the number one trainer for Barbados-based Canadian businessmanEugene Melnyk, has notchedup several major wins inCanada with Husbands and says he was eyeing the prestigious Kentucky Derby. “I see us maybe possibly winning the Kentucky Derbyand those things and nothingwould make me happier than to have Mr. Husbands sittingon top of him with the r oses,” Casse told CMC Sports . Recently, Husbands guided Marchfield, a Melnyk-owned, Casse-trained thr eeyear-old colt, to victory in the Breeders’ Stakes. Melnyk, a prominent racehorse owner in North America, has developed atr end of naming his horses after communities in Barbados. ‘GREAT RIDER’ Husbands r ode his first Kentucky Derby last year, getting the leg up aboard Casse’s Seaside Retreat, butfinished down the field. “I don’t think there’s anybody better. He’s a great rider ,” Casse said of Husbands recently. Casse, whose stable is based at the Woodbine racetrack, said the current season had gone well and was antici pating more success for Melnyk and his connections. “Right now we’ve been for tunate. Right now we ar e leading again this year. Last year we won the Sover eign Award,” Casse said. “I hope to see Eugene win his firstSover eign Award as lead-ing owner this year and possi-bly leading breeder. “That’s big, it’s big for us tobe that (leading breeder) inCanada but Ithink Eugene and myself andLaura Melnyk –she’ s a big par t of it also – I hope to see us not just inCanada but in all of Nor th America.” Bajan racehorse connection hoping for Kentucky Derby success ETOBICOKE, Canada, CMC – Sealy Hill, the championthr ee-year old filly, was reinstated the winner of the BisonCity Stakes, after the OntarioRacing Commission upheldthe connections’ appeal at ahearing late last month. Sealy Hill, with top Barbadian jockey PatrickHusbands aboar d, was disqualified after winning theCAN$250 000 event on July 1 this year at the Woodbine racetrack. Stewar ds had r uled that Sealy Hill, owned by the Barbados-based Canadian businessman Eugene Melnyk, had impeded Quiet Jungle atthe eighth pole. The race wasawar ded to Str eet Sounds with Sealy Hill r elegated to third. Husbands and Sealy Hill’ s trainer, Mark Casse, appealed the decision and arbitrators,after hearing evidence fr om Husbands on Sept. 26, over turned the stewards’ decision. TOP JOCK The decision gave Husbands a r emarkable 18th stakes win for the season, the most by any jockey this sea son at Woodbine and handed him the Triple Crown. “I am happy and pr oud about it. It was a har d blow to Eugene and it was a har d blow to myself and MarkCasse who is also the trainer Husbands told CMC Sports . “This is the filly that was the first to win the T riple Cr own. Last year I went close, I won the first two legs of the Triple Crown (but last leg and got beaten. So now I got the chance to winall thr ee races and they took away one from me which was uncalled for . “Everybody knows it was tough being on the (witness stand and getting questionedover and over but it tur ned out in my favor Sealy Hill, named after a small community in Barbados, claimed the Triple Crownafter winning the $500 000W oodbine Oaks on June 10 and claiming the final race, the Wonder Where Stakes, on July 28. The Ontario Racing Commission said it would release the reasons behindtheir decision some time in the future. Husbands claims Triple Crown after Sealy Hill wins appeal 22 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com P owell finishes his world record run. ‘Soca Warriors’ remain on top in region’s soccer PORT OF SPAIN,Trinidad,Sep 19, CMC –Trinidad and Tobago’s “Soca Warriors”remained on top of the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU soccer rankings,collated from theSeptember rankings released by soccer’s world governing body FIFAlast month. Belo w is the Caribbean listing, with the world ranking in brackets: 1. T rinidad and T oba go (64 2.Cuba (71 3. Haiti (83 4.Jamaica (965. St Vincent & the Grenadines (97 6. Guy ana (103 7.Barbados (109 8. Antigua & Barbuda (131 9. Bermuda (135 10.Dominican Republic (139 11. Suriname (143 12.St Kitts & Nevis (14613. Grenada (162 14. St Lucia (163 15.Bahamas (168 16. British Virgin Islands (179 17.Turks & Caicos Islands (181 18. Netherlands Antilles (182 19. Dominica (186 20.Cayman Islands (188 21. Puerto Rico (195 22.Anguilla (197 23.U.S.Virgin Islands (200 23. Montserra t (200 23.Aruba (200 SPOR T BRIEFS WICB,Stanford 20/20 strike deal The W est Indies Cricket Board and the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors have agreed to a five-year franchisedeal tha t will allo w the Stanford 20/20 regional tournament to become part of the WICB’s annual cricket calendar in the Caribbean,along with the one-day and four -day tournaments. Millionaire backs Grenada’ s sailing fest The millionaire who led Britain’ s Americas Cup challenge in l983 is backing Grenada’s efforts to raise the profile of its premier sailing festival. Investor Peter Desavory has agreed to a three-year contract with festival organizers to be title sponsor of the Grenada Sailing Festival scheduled for Jan.5-29,2008. Compiled from CMC and other sources. Husbands after won of his man y successes in Canada. Barbadian jockeys fight to the finish.Jono Jones gets up on the rail with Essential Edge to bea t Sealy Hill with Husbands by a neck in the CAN$351,600 Canadian Stakes last month at Woodbine in Toronto. Gibson CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 22 

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ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC Gover nment officials here say they have seized a 40-foot container packed with household supplies which violated the island’s labeling and advertising standards. Grenada Bureau of Standard Director Simeon Collins said the container, whichwas shipped dir ectly fr om China to Gr enada, had products that were extremely dangerous for human consumption. “In recent times we have all become aware of the dangers of these counterfeit pr oducts and when our inspection officers came across the container it was immedi-ately decided to confiscate the goods,” hesaid late last month. A lar ge shipment of toothpaste was among the goods, the of ficial said. FAKE Collins said based on the guidelines set out for identifying Chinese-produced counterfeit toothpaste, inspectors at thePor t realized that the toothpaste in the container was fake. “The only English wor ds on the label were a website address and made inEgypt, Uganda or South Africa and we knew immediately that they were not good for human use,” he said. He said ther e wer e also mosquito coils, soap, nuts, raisins and preserved fruit with no English written on the labels. Collins said a decision was taken to issue a war ning letter to the importer who said he was unaware of Grenada’s importation r ules and r egulations. “This is his first offense, so we did not take a decision to stop him,” Collins said. DESTRO YED The Bur eau of Standards official said that the seized goods would be destroyed in a form that would ensure that they did not find they way back on the market. e will be working with theGr enada Solid Waste Management Authority to ensur e that all the goods ar e totally destroyed,” he said, while explainingthat the bur eau had learnt from a recent incident in whichsome goods whichwer e buried found their way back on themarket. e will do what it takes to make sure that they are not in acondition for human use.” Standards officials seize container of counterfeit goods in GrenadaChristmas rush is on for cargo shipping to the Caribbean October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 23 CARGO CARGO AND AND FREIGHT FREIGHT www .caribbeantoday.com GORDON WILLIAMS The peak season for sending goodies to the Caribbeanfor Christmas is alr eady here. According to sources in the car go shipping industr y , October unofficially marks the star t-up period for thousands ofbar rels and other contain ers to be sentto the r egion. “Christmas is the busiesttime,”explained Guyanese-bor n Brian Edun, business development manag-er forLaparkancar go shipping, southeast r egion, which ser ves areas in the United States ranging from North Carolina, Georgia,T exas, Louisiana and Florida. Sour ces said the period runs roughly from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, but they also advise customers that if they want their goods to r each in time for the peak of the festive season, they should make sur e the containers are shipped no later than the second week inDecember . The high volume of shipments during the season can lead to heavy delays at por ts across the region and possible delays in delivery. “A lot of the West Indians leave ever ything for last,” Edun said. “W e ask them not to ship later than two weeks into December to avoid theChristmas backlog.” B ULK Most deliveries to the region take anywhere between three days and two weeks. Anestimated 70 per cent of the containers sent to the Caribbean leave the U.S. between Oct. 1and Dec. 31. And while mostcountries in the r egion are ser ved directly by cargo shipping agencies in the U.S., three countries attract the most vol ume. “The majority goes between Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad,” said Edun,“with Jamaica ahead.” The rising volume of shipments to the r egion over the years has also led toincr eased competition among the shipping agencies, with many offering specials during the busy season.Accor ding to Edun, Laparkan, for example, is offering two barrels of foodstuff, wor th $250 each, to two lucky winners selected each month from those who ship to Jamaica thr ough the company between October and December . While the pr omotion originally tied in with this month’s 10th anniversary celebration of Laparkan’sbusiness with Jamaica T rading Ser vices, a brokerage firm, it was stretched further to capitalize on the seasonal rush. e decided to extend it as a Christmas special,” Edun said. B USY BUYING Caribbean people tradi tionally like to take advantage of the Christmas r ush as well. Many travel from the region to buy goods from popular U.S.wholesalers like Costco, Sam’ s Club and BJ’ s, which offer good deals especially at certain times of the year like the post-Thanksgiving period.Caribbean r esidents also take advantage of special events in the U.S. to visit the countryand shop for goods to be sent ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature Many more barrels like this one will be packed with goodies and sent off to the Caribbean in time for Christmas. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 24) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 23 

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Christmas rush is on for cargo shipping to the Caribbean Beginning this month, Crowley MaritimeCorporation’ s liner services gr oup will enhance its service to the Caribbean islands with the addition of two new, bigger, faster contain-er ships the “Eclips” and “Ocean”. Each ship of fers more capacity and twice the number of reefer plugs about 160 -than the “Sea Gale” and “SeaCloud”, the ships they ar e replacing. Running at about 18.5 knots, the new ships are about two knots faster, which should result in even better transit times and schedule integrity. “These new ships will ben efit our customers in a number of ways,” said Rudy Leming, Cr owley’s vice president of Caribbean islands ser vices in a r ecently issued press release by the company. “First, we’r e going to be better equipped to handle customers’ need for space during the peak season and beyond this includes reefer cargo,because we’ll have about twice the number of shipboard plugs.Second, the speed of the ves sels will allow us to provide improved schedule integritywith earlier southbound arrivals in St. Thomas and St. Cr oix, plus we’r e able to add a northbound stop in St. Thomas to offload Trinidad and Barbados cargoes.” Cr owley’ s weekly, fixed-day Caribbean islands service includes vessel calls in Jacksonville on Tuesdays, Port Everglades Thursdays, St.Thomas Sundays, St. Cr oix Mondays, Trinidad Tuesdays, St. Vincent Thursdays,Barbados Thursdays, and St.Thomas nor thbound on Fridays befor e returning to Jacksonville. Relay services from St. Thomas is provided to Anguilla, Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, Saba, St. Barts, St. Eustatius, St. John, St. Kitts, St. Maar ten, T ortola and Virgin Gorda. RELAY Relay service from Barbados includes Martinique and Guadeloupe; while r elay ser vice to Canouan, Bermuda and Tobago is provided as needed from St. Vincent, Jacksonville and Trinidad r espectively. Cr owley’s Caribbean island ser vices allow customers to ship groceries, department store merchandise, building materials, r efrigerated and fr ozen goods, household goods, vehicles and Freight of All Kinds (FAK) in a varietyof equipment including 20-foot standar d and 40-foot standar d and high-cube containers, reefers, flat racks and other specialized equipment. Jacksonville-based Cr owley Maritime Corporation, founded in San Francisco in1892, is a privately held family and employee-owned company . home. Car nival is among the main attractions. Y et Christmas is not the only time Caribbean people ship goodies home. The period just befor e school opens in the r egion – mainly August – is popular . Easter is another busy period for shipping. They also tar get special events in the r egion – like Cricket World Cup 2007 – to stock up on goods via shipping. Meanwhile, Edun explained that while the busiest season forshipping to the Caribbean has just kicked of f, he has no doubt it is alr eady welcomed by the people from the region. “Families in the Caribbean look forward to the stuff,” he said. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. KINGSTOWN, St. V incent, CMC Regional banana farmers have charged that their concerns are not being addressed in the current draft of the new Economic PartnershipAgr eement (EPA) to be implementedby the Eur opean Union from next Januar y. Renwick Rose, coordinator of the Windward Islands Farmers Association(WINF A), told an audience at a “Stop EPA Day” rally here last month, that the EPA draft being presently negotiatedby r egional governments missed thecritical issue ofdevelopmental assis tance from the Eur opeans. He said developmental assis tance should be the underpinning of anyagr eement negotiated on behalf of the region’s people. “Secondly, they say that r egional integration is par t of it, we have proposed that you can’ t have access to r egional markers when there is no shipping between the islands,”Rose said. e have to r ely on the banana boat if we want to ship intra regionally and thisis not working out good. W e have proposed that, as part of the EP A, ther e should be an investment in a regional shipping line withrefrigerationfacilities.” ASSISTANCE The WINFA official said r egional farmers also needed financial and technical assistance in or der to assist them with developing the capacity to take advantage of any trading oppor tunities that might open up in Europe. “Right now we in WINFA, the farmers, havebeen investing in a small joint agro processing project, we are the registered Fair Trade producers for banana, but wewant to have fair tradesmoothie, jams, juices and jel lies, but to meet European standar ds ther e ar e cer tain rigid standards,” Rose told the hundreds of farmers, representatives of non govern-mental or ganizations and V incentians gathered for the event. e want the necessar y financial and technical assistance to develop that capaci ty Christopher Sinckler of the Caribbean PolicyDevelopment Centr e, who also addressed the rally, said there were a number of“major issues to be r esolved and there are still some concer ns and questions whether the r egions ar e going to meet that January 31st deadline.” He said he believed the regions’ best interest was not represented in the current draft and to foster the region’s development special and deferential treatment provision must be written into an EPA agreement. European Union trade negotiators said last month that they were not “steam-r olling” ACP states to com plete negotiations for the new EPA deal by year-end, anddenied suggestions that thenew ar rangement would hur t the r egion. Crowley introduces faster service to Caribbean islandsBanana farmers raise shipping concerns over new trade deal with Europe 24 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 Cargo shipping between the islands need improvement. CARGO CARGO AND AND FREIGHT FREIGHT www.caribbeantoday.com Port Louis Grenada launches sailing festival More than 200 persons from Grenadaand the r est of the Caribbean joined the Por t Louis Grenada Sailing Festival team and new spon-sors Por t Louis Gr enada at the Victory Bar, for the biggest pr e-event celebration in the histor y of the festival last month. Among those in atten dance wer e Minister of Works Brenda Hood; Minister of Private SectorDevelopment Einstein Louison; festival ChairmanJimmy Bristol and his team and Peter de Savary, chair-man and founder of Savvy Grenada. Cocktails and cham pagne wer e followed by speeches as Hood, Bristol and de Savar y all endorsed the festival and committed to developing it into one of the best in the world. Both government and the festival committee members compli mented Por t Louis Grenada for making a long ter m com mitment – three years to sponsoring the event. The Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival is scheduled for Jan. 25-29, 2008. Por t Louis Gr enada, a creation of de Savary, is an EC$1.5 billion maritime village and marina. (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 23) P eter de Savary,chairman of Port Louis,second left,is joined by,from left,Vivian Burkhardt, Miss Grenada World 2007; Jennifer Hosten,and Grenadian yachtsman P eter “Champie”Evans,during the launch of the sailing festival. ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 24 

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PETER RICHARDS PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Patrick Manning leads his ruling People’s National Movement (PNM. 5 generalelections hoping to avoid ar epeat of the 1995 situation when he made the bold r emark that his party would “win alone or lose alone”. It lost. This time the cards appear to be in the PNM’ s favor, even though the newly formedCongr ess of the People (COP par ty, headed by the former Central Bank Gover nor Winston Dookeran, is likely to pr ovide the biggest chal-lenge toManning’ s hold on governmentin this oil-richCaribbeancommunity(CARICOMnation. e are ready to rum-ble,” said Dookeran, who is a former political leader of themain Opposition United National Congress (UNC A poll conducted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES that the COP poses the primary threat to the ruling party.The poll has not been madepublic her e, but CADRES director and political analyst Peter Wickham, speaking on television her e last month, said that a huge majority of eligible voters favor a change of government from the incumbentPNM. CHANGE F A V ORED The Express newspaper, which said it had obtained acopy of the poll, said that withan estimated five per cent mar gin of error, the poll has revealed that 68.7 percentfavor ed a change in gover n ment. The UNC, which has entered into an alliance with a number of small political parties, has been trying to reachan accommodation with theCOP , but their efforts have been rebuffed. COP Chairman Roy Augustus said the par ty , a breakaway faction of the UNC that is pr omising the electorate “new politics”, would not bedistracted by the “antics” ofthe UNC. Former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj,whose r esignation and accusa tion of cor ruption led to the downfall of the UNC gover n ment in 2001, has also appealed for the two main Opposition groupings to unite in an effort to defeat the PNM. “All things are possible in the fullness of time. The forces united against the PNM, whether those for ces be of ficials or individuals, will come together,” said Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar, a deputyUNC political leader. The UNC and its alliance par tners have not named a leader to take them into theelections, r elying instead on a Council of Leaders. The leadership grouping includes for-mer Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, who was in court last month trying to reverse a deci-sion by the Parliament lastyear to take away the CouvaNor th seat he won in the 2002 general elections following his conviction on charges of failing to declare to the IntegrityCommission, a London bankaccount he held while he served as head of government. Panday has successfully appealed against the convic-tion, and while the High Court has ordered ar e-trial, the 72year-old veteran politician isfacing a num ber of other charges datingback to the1995-2001period whenhis UNC for med the gover n ment. Panday, who has already indicated that he intends“dying with his booths on”, hasbr ushed aside calls for him to remove himself from the politi-cal fray and allow for a possi ble united Opposition front. Some media r epor ts have gone as far as to suggest that financiers of the party are behindthe moves to get Panday tostep down. NEW SYSTEM The elections will be the first since voters would begiven an oppor tunity to elect 41 instead of 36 parliamentari ans, and all three main political parties have said they areconfident of winning suf ficient seats to govern for the next five years. In the last general elections, the PNM won 20 seats with theUNC winning the r emaining 16. But the Opposition has beensplit, with Dookeran’ s faction lending support to the Manningadministration in passing criticalpieces of legislation to deal withissues such as crime that is likely to be a major platform agenda in the campaign. Manning will lead a new slate into the elections, having discarded or lost to resignation, illness or court charges, nearly half of his current legislators. But Manning has told supporters, some of whom have openly rebelled outsidethe par ty’s headquarters in favor of some incumbents, that the new cropof candidates represents achanging of the guard. Manning has alr eady outlined ablueprint fortaking thistwin-island republic “intodeveloped country status by 2020” and has told supporters that thesocio-economic benefits thatthey ar e now reaping are not as a r esult of luck. He has pointed to successive PNM government’s decision to openthe markets and liberalize the economy, provide tax concessions to manufacturers and cut back on social sector expenditure. But the Opposition parties have accused the governmentof spending lavishly on high-rise buildings in the capital and other projects including a rapidrail system that PersadBissessar said had been plagued with corruption. CONTROVERSIES The campaign has already turned up a few controversies.Manning has wonder ed aloud how the COP has been able to move from “black and whiteadver tisements to full color full pages” and said he is pr epar ed to allow for the scr utiny of his party finances once the otherpolitical par ties agr ee to do the same. COP has itself taken to the airwaves on the issue ofcampaign financing and the party’s campaign managerGerald Y etming, the for mer finance minister in the UNC government, has raised concerns over media advertisements purporting to comefr om “independent organizations” bashing the Opposition parties. The Opposition parties have also questioned Manning’s decision to call the polls on Nov. 5, five days before the Hindu festival oflights, Divali. Despite indicating that the “date incidentally had been determined a long time ago,” Manning will have to ward off criticism that he was insensitive to the Indo-Trinidadian community for having the campaign in the midst of their reli-gious festival. Satnarine Maharaj, the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, the largest Hindu organization here, reminded Manning ofwhat transpir ed when he held called the 1995 general elec tions before an East Indian festival. He lost. The 1.3 million population of Trinidad and Tobago isalmost evenly divided between the two main races here – theAfr o and Indo Trinidadian. The Electoral BoundariesCommission (EBCspending an estimated $3.6 million in preparing for the Nov. 5 poll, said more than 980,000 people would be eligi-ble to vote. It did not give a breakdown regarding race. Trinidadians get ready to vote for new government in November October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 25 FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com Dookeran:Ready to rumble. 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TERRENCE ESSEBOOM GEORGETOWN, Guyana, In 1957 Sir Shridath Ramphal,then a youthful employee in the Legal Affairs Ministry here, drafted the license permitting California Oil to drill for petroleum in the Corentyne river which sepa-rates Guyana fr om neighboring Suriname. In 2007 a half-a-centur y later – Sir Shridath boasts that Guyana finally “won gold” following the ruling of the Hamburg-based Court of Arbitration which gave the country a 85 percent stake of the disputed area, finally set-tling the long-standing mar itime dispute between the twostates. But the two Caribbean community (CARICOM countries “will forever beneighbors,” Sir Shridath said at a pr ess conference in Georgetown last month as he encouraged continued cooper ation between both. Sir Shridath, a former commonwealth secretary gen-eral, said the historic maritimer uling “was a good day for CARICOM and the rule of international law,” demonstrat-ing that “the only lasting path to the resolution of conflict is lawful process and peacefulmeans.” CONFUSION A gr eat deal of confusion emer ged last month whenSuriname PresidentRonald Venetiaan declared victo-r y for his countr y asserting that under the award, Guyana gained 51 percent and theDutch-speaking nation 49 per cent of the controversial oiland gas-rich maritime ar ea. In r eality the tribunal gave Guyana “appr oximately twothirds of this areaand onethir d to Sur name,” said Paul Reichler, one of experts who pleaded Guyana’s three-year case before the five-man tribu-nal. “The disparity is even gr eater in Guyana’s favor when we consider the most important part of the area indisputewher e significant deposits (of oil and gas believed to exist. In that partof the ar ea of dispute, Guyana r eceived 85 per cent and Suriname only 15 percent, a ratio of five to one in Guyana’sfavor ,” Reichler added. Suriname had also claimed victory on the basis that monetary compensation was notgiven to Guyana for the June2000 expulsion of the CGX oilrig by Surinamese militar y gunboats from the disputed area. Reichler challenged these claims, noting that “Guyana did not pursue monetar y compensation as a remedy for Suriname’s offence against theCGX rig, contenting itself with a request for the condemna-tion that the tribunal has nowissued.” V enetiaan also claimed that Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo, in a correspondence, proposed joint development of the offshore hydrocarbon resourcesbetween thetwo countries. “Ther e is nothing in Jagdeo’ s letter to Venetiaanextending the hand of friend-ship that evenmentions, letalone pr oposes, joint development of of fshore resources,” Reichler said when questioned by the local press. The president said in his letter: “I wish to r eiterate to you my commitment, and that of my country men andwomen, to cooperating withyou and the people of Suriname towards hasteningthe development of our two countries through cooperationfor our mutual benefit.” Continuing it said: “We do have the mechanism in place to realize our goal of learning and benefiting from the experi-ence of each other . I am, ther efore, confident that you will agr ee with me that theGuyana-SurinameCooperationCouncil should be pro-vided with thenecessar y mandate and political support it requires toacceleratecooperation between ourcountries.” FINAL WORD The initial confusion of interpretation of the ruling has not troubled Guyana’s legal team, and according to Reichler,Guyana has no intention ofappr oaching the tribunal for any clarification on the matter . “The tribunal will not be approached by Guyana for anyclarification but I cannot speak for Suriname. The ruling isfinal, but it must be made clearthat questions to clarify cer tain things can be asked but no arguments can be made. Itmeans that it cannot beappealed,” Reichler said. When Guyana undertook arbitral proceedings against Suriname, the Guyanese government had six goals, said Jagdeo. These include: estab-lishing that the r ule of inter na tional law, not the rule of force, holds sway in CARI-COM waters and mor e specifi cally in the maritime areas of Guyana and Suriname, and to draw the boundar y between the maritime areas of Guyanaand Suriname in a manner thatwould be binding on bothcountries for all time and acknowledged by the international community. In addition, the countr y wanted “to confirm that the line of the boundary would beinfluenced, above all, by theprinciple of equidistance for which Guyana had long contended and for which Guyana’snational law pr ovides, and to secure Guyana’s sovereignty to the resources of the sea-bed onits continental shelf on the basis of an internationally recognizedmaritime boundary The Guyana gov ernment also wanted alllicensees to eturn to the offshore areawher e they were exploring for oil in June 2000, when they were forced at gun-point by a Surinamesenaval vessel to abandontheir activities and evacu ate the area”. The final objective was “to achieve all this ina manner which allowsGuyana and Suriname tocooperate as good neigh bors and CARICOM partners in the develop-ment of their countries,” the president said when he addressed the nationon Sept. 20 to announce the tribunal’s award. F A V OR The Court of Arbitration ruled inGuyana’ s favour on all six counts. “When I say that on all these central issues Guyana’s interests and objectives are met, I do not mean to be triumphal-ist. That, in any event,would not be a pr oper postur e for our country to adopt. In fact, the award is in the interest of both our countries and thewider Caribbean,” Jagdeo 26 CARIBBEAN TODAYOctober 2007 V enetiaan FEATURE FEATURE www.caribbeantoday.com Ramphal Jagdeo Area disputed by Guyana and Suriname. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 27) Guyana pleased with settlement of maritime dispute with Suriname CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 26 

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PETER RICHARDS PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Edwin Carrington, the secre-tar y general of the Caribbean community (CARICOMhad a simple message for regional leaders who gathered in Trinidad last month for aspecial summit: “Let us all seize this opportunity to leave a legacy of a healthier region by making this historic summit mem-orable for setting in motionthe str ucture by which we not only stem the tide but tr uly unite to stop the epidemic of non-communicable diseases in the region.” Now, six years after agreeing that “the health of the region is the wealth of ther egion”, Caribbean governments have launched their assault on chronic non-com-municable diseases (CNDC that they all agree cost themmillions of dollars annually to treat and have affected thesocio-economic developmentof their countries. At the end of their special summit on health, the regionalleaders issued a “Declaration of Port of Spain” supporting the concerns raised in a 123-page r epor t by the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development (CCHD warned “a healthy population is an essential prerequisite for the economic growth and sta-bility of the Caribbean”. Carrington had said that the challenge of the summit was to come up with a blue print for an integrated prevention strategy targeting the three main risk factors: unhealthy diet, physical inac-tivity and tobacco use. STRATEGIES In the declaration, the regional leaders have accepted the main recommendations of the CCHD which includestrategies to pr event and control heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer in the region by addressing their “casual riskfactors of unhealthy diet,physical inactivity , tobacco use and alcohol abuse and strengthening our health serv-ices”. The Caribbean leaders said they are convinced that the burdens of CNDCs “canbe r educed by compr ehensive and integrated preventative and contr ol strategies at the individual, family, community, national and regional levels and through collaborative programs, partnerships and policies supported by govern-ments, private sectors, nongovernment organizations and our other social, regional andinter national partners”. In its r eport submitted to Caribbean governments nearly two years ago, the CCHD, chaired by Sir GeorgeAlleyne, the chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWIhigh cost to r egional governments for treating two non-communicable diseases, hypertension and diabetes. It said that the cost of hyper tension and diabetes in Jamaica for one year was approximately $58 million “and this did not include any estimateof the economic value of the lives lost. “Multiplied throughout the Caribbean, this cost implies a tremendous drain on the economies,” the reportsaid, suggesting also that “theCaribbean must seriously address the rising epidemic of obesity, which is the commonfactor associated with an increased risk of chronic non-communicable diseases.” REMOVING MYTHS St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr . Denzil Douglas, who has lead responsibility for health in CARICOM, saidthat it was also impor tant for the region’s population to move away fr om various myths that prevent efforts atdeveloping strategies tomeaningfully deal withCNCDs. He told the summit her e that many Caribbean peoplewer e of the opinion that chronic diseases were a problem of rich countries, whilethe facts show “non-commu nicable disease account for more than half the burden ondisease and 80 per cent of the deaths in the poorer countries which carry a double burdenof disease. “If the known risk factors ar e contr olled, at least 80 percent of hear t disease, str oke and diabetes and 40 percent of cancers are preventable,and in addition ther e ar e cost effective interventions available for control,” he said. The summit was told that the prevalence of CNDC inthe Caribbean “is the worst inthe Americas” and, accor ding to CARICOM Chairman Owen Ar thur, who is also the Barbados prime minister , “it is clear we are failing to properly contr ol the factors which engender these diseases. “It is also clear that despite valiant efforts at the domestic level, a coordinated regional partnership and program is now required if we are to make the significant advances required,” he said,noting that the Caribbeanspends half of its healthexpenditur e on treating CNDCs. “These costs are projected to spiral at a time when weface competing claims for our limited resources. Failure to act can imperil our very lives, not to mention the future ofthe community as we know it,” Arthur said. TAX ATTACK As par t of the new initiatives to deal with CNDCs, the governments have agreed to introduce higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol as well as “support the immediateenactment of legislation tolimit or eliminate smoking inpublic places, ban the sale, advertising and promotion of tobacco products to children, insist on effective warninglabels and intr oduce such fis cal measur es that will reduce accessibility of tobacco”. In addition, they said the public revenue derived fromtobacco, alcohol or other suchpr oducts would be employed towards preventing CNCDs, promoting health and sup-por ting the work of national commissions on CNDCs that would plan and coordinatethe compr ehensive prevention and control strategies. T rinidad and T obago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning told the summit thathis oil-rich island had longadopted str ong fiscal meas ures to deal with alcohol and tobacco related diseases par-ticularly after the CCHD report had indicated that thecountr y needed nearly half a billion dollars annually to treat diabetes and high bloodpr essure. “When ther efor e the gov ernment of Trinidad and T obago took the oppor tunity to set alcohol and tobacco fur ther away fr om the r each of the population, there were many who did not even nor even now fully understand the choices before us,” Manning said. e did it on the basis of what had to be done in the interest of the national com-munity . What is more we r ecognise clearly that in treating with the problem, additional measures and strategiesmust be implemented.” PLANS The Caribbean countries have agr eed to establish by mid-2008, comprehensiveplans for the scr eening and management of chronic diseases and risk factors “so that by 2012, 80 percent of people with CNDCs would receive quality care and have access to preventative educationbased on r egional guidelines”. In addition, physical education will be re-introduced in schools and where necessary provide incentives to ensure that “our education sectorspr omote programs aimed at providing healthy school meals and promoting healthyeating”. The regional countries have also agreed to workclosely with a number ofCaribbean institutions including the Jamaica-basedCaribbean Food andNutrition Institute (CFNIthat would be used as a focal point for providing guidanceand public education as par t of the strategy to “enhance food security and our strongsuppor t for the elimination of trans fats fr om the diets of our citizens. “Our support for the ef for ts of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery to pursue fair trade policies in all international trade negotiations ther eby promoting greater use of indigenous agricultural products and foods by ourpopulations and r educing the negative ef fects of globalisa tion on our food supply”, are also strategies outlined by the regional leaders. CMC Caribbean launches assault on non-communicable diseases October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 27 FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com Arthur Carrington Douglas Guy ana pleased with settlement of maritime dispute with Suriname said in his address last month. Sir Shridath, who has encyclopaedic knowledge of the historic controversy,r eminded the pr ess that Guyana’s claims to the oncedisputed maritime area were not trumped-up. “In 1977 our Maritime Boundaries Act asserted theequidistance principle that thetribunal upheld, and of course,it is the same principle thatSuriname is adopting in itseaster n boundar y with Fr ench Guiana,” Sir Shridath r ecalled. The minority parliamentary Alliance For Change (AFCa statement over the weekendsaid the “historic and legallybinding decision now allows forthe Gover nments of Guyana and Suriname to forge economic and social development activ-ities, including natural r esource exploitation of the sea bed forthe mutual benefit of their respective countries and people. “This award must be seen by all as a positive instance where the resolution of disputes can be settled in a dispassionate and peaceful man-ner . The entir e r egion, CARI COM and the world at large must acknowledge and celebrate this occasion as a tri-umph for the r ule of inter na tional law ,” the AFC said. The ageing Sir Shridath counseled that last month’ s maritime award has opened up “a new era in Guyana’ s devel opment.” This, however , will bring new challenges said the former chief negotiator forCARICOM. “Oil has been a mixed blessing where its gains are notsensitively managed. But ther e ar e models of best practices fr om which Guyana can benefit as we stand poised on the cusp of that new time. It is not too early to pr epar e for the challenges it will bring,” Sir Shridath said. CMC (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26) CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 27 

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