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PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POST AGE P AID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Vol.19 No.7 JUNE 2008 Tel: (305 1-800-605-7516 editor@caribbeantoday.com ct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica: 654-7282 W e cover your world INSIDECaribbean leaders willseek increasedtrade and direct foreigninvestmentfr om the United States when they meet Congr essman Charles Rangel and other U.S. leaders during this month’sConfer ence on the Caribbean in New York, page 3. Jamaicanbor n Trevor Graham, a former Olympic ath-lete who has coachedsome of the world’s greatest track stars, has been foundguilty of lying to United Statespr osecutors in one of the biggest doping scandals to hit the sport, and now faces time in prison, page 7. News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8V iewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Arts/Entertainment . . . . . . .11T ourism/T ravel . . . . . . . . . . 13 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Spor t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7282 CARIBBEAN CONTRIBUTION~ June is Caribbean American Heritage Month and at least one elected United States official, Georgia State Representative Billy Mitchell, believes native-born Americans have much to learn from the people of ther egion, page 2. ~ Jamaica’s Usain Bolt ran a blistering 9.72 seconds in the 100 metersat the Reebok Grand Prixin New Y ork to break the world record held by countryman Asafa Powelland claim the title as thefastest man on the planet,page 3.Miami F.C. has expanded its core of Caribbean players, adding Trinidad and Tobago World Cup star Avery John toits United Soccer Leagues (USL. The move has already started to pay positivedividends, page 17. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 1 

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Georgia State RepresentativeBilly Mitchell(Democrat-StoneMountain) sayshis stint as aUnited States governmentemployee in theCaribbean was the best year of his life. That declaration, com-ing fr om a politician whose constituency has one of the largest Caribbean communitiesin the U.S., may raise some eye brows. But Mitchell has had a close up look at Caribbean cul-tur e and its influence on the U.S. Last month he sharedsome of those insights with Caribbean Today’s Managing Editor Gordon Williams. GORDON WILLIAMS:How would describe the evolvementof the Caribbean influence in theUnited States up to this point? BILLY MITCHELL: I’m very impressed. How I woulddescribe it, it is cer tainly having a great impact on our economy, certainly our communityinvolvement. Fact of the matter is I’m so proud at what theCaribbean community hasbeen able to contribute to our community at large because, as a result of what they are doing,we have better businesses. Certainly we’re talking about a community that is better off fortheir involvement in just our general community at large. G.W.:How do you think the Caribbean people,the people who have come to the UnitedStates , specifically to Georgia, and specifically to y our constituency,have managed to merge into the American society? And also , ho w do y ou think the American society has responded to the Caribbean community,especially because it is growing? B .M.: Y ou know, I’ve often said that the Caribbean community in particular has been able totake advantage of the American way more so than a lot ofAmericans because I believe they appreciate the opportuni-ties. And it’ s such a good thing. I like to say businesses, par ticularly small businesses, is the backbone of any gover nmental structure in the community.And the Caribbean communityhas come in and cer tainly has really grasped that concept.And as a r esult of that our cities, our state, is a better placeto be as a r esult of that. And that’s why I am so proud to see what’s going on there. They’ve made certainly a great contribu-tion to our communities. G.W.:Do you think the Caribbean community fully understands,or fully grasps,thegro wing influence that it has been having in the American society? B .M.: Y ou know , that’ s a very good question. I would perhaps say that, because I have found that the Caribbean is a hard working people, they’re interested to make certain their familiesar e intact and their businesses are growing. As a result of that I don’t believe that they fullyunderstand their impact that they have on our community. Ithink that’ s going to incr ease as more Caribbeans involve themselves in the economy and in business and in our community,which is a ver y good thing. G.W.:Do you think that there is an ything specific that they need to do in order to fully understand their influence in the American society? B.M.: You know one of the things that they ought to do iswhat I’m seeing being dis played her e (at the launch of Atlanta’s Caribbean carnival last month). They need to support the Caribbean initiative,the Caribbean heritage, because it is a very fine her-itage. They need to suppor t Caribbean businesses. They certainly need to encourageother Caribbean businesses to support other businesses aswell. That in itself will kind ofhelp develop even mor e opportunities for them. G .W.:The American society in general, how has it embraced the Caribbean presence,the growing Caribbean presence? B .M.: Y ou know one of the things about America is that we are all immigrants. Despite what some may feel, we are all immigrants, and the fact of thematter is I think the city of Atlanta, the Atlanta metropolitan area, embraces those whocan come in and contribute to the community. And certainlythe Caribbean community has certainly done that. And I think, by and large, they have embraced them. As a countryof immigrants we understand what it takes to really ingrati-ate yourself, get involved in thecommunity , and they have done that, certainly as best as any gr oup. And I think, by and large, the Atlanta community is certainly welcoming. G .W .: Y our bio tells me y ou had a significant role to pla y in the establishment of Caribbean American Heritage Month. How far do y ou think that has gone to esta blish the Caribbean pr esence here in the United States? B.M.: I think it has gone a gr eat deal. I must say to you that in tr ying to get this legisla tion passed, we’ve had other initiatives that were on the bal-lot. As a matter of fact, pr oba bly the most contr oversial, at the same time, was the initia-tive to get the state to apolo gize for slavery. That failed. However , when I came for war d with this initiative to r ecognize Caribbean Heritage Month, we got widespr ead support from ever y corner of Georgia, from every political persuasion, because they recognize the value of the Caribbean community. And that made me proud, that that wasn’t some-thing that I had to go and twist ar ms to do. They r ecognize the value and as a result of that we were able to get this passed in short order. G.W.:You said you had some e xperience living in Jamaica for a y ear as an emplo yee of the U.S.governmentHow much did that change,or affect, your view of the Caribbean and Caribbean people? You talk about the physical beauty ofthe ar ea,but in terms of how y ou perceive the Caribbean people and what there aiming for when it comes to the United States,how did that year of experience affect that? B.M.: You know that’s another gr eat question. As a matter of fact, I always say that that per haps was the best year of my life. I’ve got great friendsI goback and I see them often. As a result of being there, Ithought this would be just ayear of me just getting involved and maybe going to the beaches and the like. But I really enjoyed myself. I saw a side ofthe countr y that a nor mal tourist would not see and I was a better person for that. And Iwas so str uck by a number of things, even the athleticism. You know Jamaica produces more Olympic athletes per capita than any other countryin the world for that matter?The cultur e, the education. As a matter of fact, I’ve often said that the education system inJamaica is far superior than theeducation system that our(American e going through. This notion of uniforms there I could tell youwhat school a student went toby the colors that their uni for ms were. And these are the kinds of things that I think if ever yone in this country saw they would appr eciate Jamaica so much better and tr y to implement what they are doingther e as well. G .W .: Generally Caribbean people , though, what do y ou think the Americans have learned from them? You,asone man, has learned a lot from a y ear in the Caribbean. B .M.: Y ou know , one of the things I think that they are certainly teaching us is that, youknow , har d work pays of f. How you can come and work hard and you can do just about any thing that you want to when you work hard and you are industrious. G.W.:You are a politician,you are in the political circle.Whatis the feedback on the circuit, outside of public comment? Is there a general movement embracing and recognizing more,from a political standpoint,the Caribbean contribu-tion in the United States? B .M.: I must say to you, politi cians doing what politicians do, voters are important to them. And as more and more Caribbean voters are around, certainly they recognize thatthey must avail themselvesmor e. They must certainly cater certain bills, certain laws, certain advocacy towar ds the Caribbean community. And that’s just the fact of the matter.Wher ever there are constituents that need to be served,that politicians will cer tainly go that way . But I tell you, I can even say that I lear ned something about politics in Jamaica because they take their politics very seriously in Jamaica, whichis the way it ought to be. W e certainly should take it seriously because just about every aspect of our lives is affected by politics and it’s good to see thatthe numbers that the Caribbeancommunity has because they deserve to be represented aswell. G.W.:So,from the political circles in America,they are certainly,now,starting to take full notice of what’s going on theCaribbean community? B.M.: Oh, no question about that. I had a conversation with Vin Martin, the honorary con-sul general (for Jamaica in Atlanta). He’s a constituent ofmine. Lives in Stone Mountain. That’s one of his endeavorsthat he’d like to encourage aswell, that ther e be more political participation by those in the Caribbean. When you’r e involved, you’r e involved mor e politically , it’ s easier to ask for services that you deserve and be hear d. G .W .: It (the Caribbean munity is no longer a communi ty that can be just overlooked or ignored (in America)? B .M.: Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, you will findother communitiestheHispanic community haslear ned that they’r e getting mor e involved. Other commu nities have learned. The fact of the matter is, when you’r e presented with the kind of num bers that the Caribbean community now has, they’re a community that cannot be ignored. Cover photograph of Mitchell by freelancer Dale Nicholson. Caribbean community in the U.S.can no longer be ignored ~ Mitchell 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Mitchell June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 2 

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NEW YORK – Caribbean leaders will seek increased trade and foreign directinvestment fr om the United States during this month’ s Conference on the Caribbean, according to a statement issued here by the Caribbean community (CARICOM Consular Corps of New York. It said that the June 19-20 confer ence would also examine the gr owth and development of the Caribbean com munity. The Caribbean diplomats said that the two-day event, dubbed “The New York Conference on the Caribbean Community: A 20/20 VisionContinued”, would be attend ed by r egional leaders, policy makers, representatives of various international organizations, the academic community and the private sector. During the conference, the r egional leaders will meet with Harlem Congr essman Charles Rangel, chairman of the powerful U.S. House ofRepr esentatives’ Ways and Means Committee, as well as New York Governor David Paterson and New York CityMayor Michael R. Bloomber g. “Through this conference we hope to once again directthe attention of the people ofthe United States – one of theCaribbean’ s major trading partners and the home of the largest number of migrants from the region – to the future of the Caribbean andits peoples,” said McChesneyEmanuel, the Antigua and Barbuda con sul generaland chair man of the New Y ork Conferenceon theCaribbean Community. Caribbean leaders held ameeting with U.S. President George Bushduring the first Caribbean conference last year. Key highlights at this month’ s conference include an education symposium at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, which features sever-al CARICOM heads of gov er nment and ministers, along with leading educational authorities in the city. Caribbean leaders want more trade,investment from U.S. June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Usain Bolt shatter ed the 100 meters world r ecord held by Jamaican countr yman Asafa Powell and in that blistering run stamped himself as thefastest man on the planet latelast month in New York. Running at the ReebokGrand Prixmeet on a wetnight, but in front of a large turnout of enthusias-tic, flag-wav ing supportersfr om his homeland,Bolt clocked9.72 secondsto beat worldchampion Tyson Gay ofthe UnitedStates andeclipse Powell’s record of 9.74set in Sept.2007. “Just coming here,knowing a lot of Jamaicans were here giving me their support, it meant alot,” Bolt said after the race.“I just wanted to give them what they wanted.” NO SURPRISE It was only Bolt’s fifth 100 meters race at the senior level, but the record run was not a total surprise. Last month, in winning the event at the Jamaica InternationalInvitational meet in Kingston, he war ned the world that he was gear ed up for an historic r un by clocking 9.76 seconds, .02 seconds outside Powell’s mark. World and Olympic champion Veronica CampbellBrown of Jamaica had sigJamaica’s Bolt is world’s fastest (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) Rangel Photograph by Sharon BennettBolt celebra tes his world record time. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 3 

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ORLANDO A Jamaican man ar rested in Florida for attempting to car ry pipebomb components onto a flight has been ordered by a federal judge to be held with out bail until trial. United States Magistrate Karla Spaulding said that Kevin Christopher Brown’s possession of flammable and explosive nitr o-methane in his luggage, his lack of financial or residential ties to CentralFlorida and evidence that he was involuntarily admitted to a V eterans Affairs hospital for psychiatric pr oblems, were key factors in her decision to detain him. In a six-page ruling released last month, Spaulding determined by “clear and con-vincing evidence” that nocombination of bail conditionswould pr otect the community or assur e Brown’s appearance in court. DEFENSE At an hour-long hearing, defense lawyers W ayne Golding and Tim McClainar gued that their clientonly possessed bomb compo-nents and notcompletedexplosives thatcould have endangeredpassengers. They also presented testimony from abr other and his stepmotherwho saidBr own could reside with aunts orcousins inOrlando andthat he wasscheduled toinherit millions of dollars from his late mother’s estate. Psychiatrist Dev Chacko further testified that Brownhad post-traumatic str ess dis order and was not a threat to himself or the community aslong as he took medication.He added that in his opinion Brown was competent tostand trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent Citro and FBI TaskFor ce Agent Kelly Boaz told the judge that Brown, an Ar my ambulance driver in Iraq in 2003 and a logistics contractor there last year, had a history of psychological pr oblems. Br own, 32, was scheduled to fly to Montego Bay on anAir Jamaica flight on April 1 when Transportation Security Administration officers at the Orlando International Airport spotted him acting suspicious-ly and detained him. He was sear ched and officers discover ed two galvanized pipes, end caps, twosmall containers of BB pellets,batteries and two containers of liquid in his luggage. A laptop computer and bomb-mak-ing literatur e were also found in his backpack. Early last month, a U.S. federal grand jury indictedBr own on one count of attempting to carry an explosive device on an air craft. Citr o said in cour t docu ments that Brown was returning to his native Jamaica toget r evenge against two men charged with strangling his mother, Sandra McLeod, aJamaican hotelier in June2005. Both suspects in hermur der ar e out on bail. naled earlier that the evening of May 31 would be good forsprinting by winning thewomen’ s 100 meters in 10.91 seconds, a fast time in a field packed with world stars suchas Americans Alyson Felix and Lauryn Williams. But themeet at first seemed anunlikely place for track and field’s premier event world record to fall. The day was plagued by thunderstor ms. Races were run on a wet track, although in perfect mid70s temperatures. The 100 meters for men was even ham pered by a false start. But none of that affected the 6’ 5” Bolt, a 21-year-old whostar ted r unning the 100 meters to impr ove his start and speed for the 200 and 400 meters. “He ran a per fect race,” the American Gay told reporters after finishing sec-ond in 9.85. W ire service reports contributed to this story. Jamaican bomb suspect held in Florida without bail until trialJamaica’ s Bolt is world’ s f astest 4 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 3) Brown being searched by a law enforcement officer after being accosted for suspicious behavior at the Orlando airport on April 1. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 4 

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WASHINGTON The World Bank Board has approved a$65 million loan package forJamaica that would str engthen the social safety net, improve health and education servicesfor childr en and suppor t HIV/AIDS prevention and contr ol. “The World Bank is pleased to continue supporting the government’s social and eco-nomic development strategy by investing in projects that promote equal opportunities for allJamaicans,” said the W orld Bank Country Director for the Caribbean Y vonne T sikata. CHILDREN’S AID The bank said that $40 million would go towar ds the Social Protection Project aimed at strengthening the country’s social insurance andsocial assistance system bysuppor ting a number initia tives, including the impr ove ment of the Program of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) acash transfer pr ogram that pr ovides benefits on the condition that children attend school and visit health centers periodically. Since its launch in 2002, PATH has become theJamaica’ s flagship social assistance program, providing cash transfers to almost 230,000 beneficiaries in 2007. “The World Bank’s support will also allow the govern-ment to incr ease the benefit level by 23 percent to adjust for inflation, to increase grantsfor secondar y school students by up to 75 percent to stimulate grade pr ogr ession and high school completion and to give a one-time bonus to students moving to tertiary educa-tion or training”, a statement from the World Bank said. “It also will expand benefit coverage by 50 per cent to reach approximately 14 percent of the population, the equiva lent of the countr s pover ty rate in 2007. The increase in benefits also addresses loss ofpur chasing power of P A TH benefits due to the sharp increase in food prices and theneed to compensate families for the increasing opportunitycost of schooling”. The second loan for $15 million will be used to co-finance the implementation ofthe National Strategic Plan forEarly Childhood Development,while the final loan of $10 mil lion would help support the gover nment’ s National HIV/AIDS Program by targeting high-risk groups and increasing access to treatment,car e and support services. NEW YORK – Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo lastmonth joined an inter national conser vation gr oup in launch ing a new global campaign that focuses on the “vital role of healthy tr opical for ests” in sta bilizing the climate. Jagdeo and top executives of Conservation International (CI launching cer emony that they would like to change the practice of burning and clearing tropical forests, since such apractice emits at least 20 per cent of total gr eenhouse gases that cause climate change. e must create incentives to reward the conservation of existing forest and suppor t our communities with new economic development alternatives for the 21st century,” Jagdeo said. “This will compensate countries like Guyana that have protected their forests for decades, and prevent the migration of defor estation to countries where it historically has not taken place.” D AMAGE Jagdeo and CI leaders said the central message of the “Lost There, Felt Here” campaign, which includes a video featuring actor Harrison Ford, is that “destroying tropical forests anywhere hurts people everywhere”. They said the “pristine” forests that are home to halfthe species on Ear th also combat climate change and provide essential resources to the people who live in and ar ound them. Jagdeo said he was work ing with CI and other international and local partners in creating incentives to conserve the “ir r eplaceable habitat.” He has offered to place his country’s forest under a strict regime that pays Guyana for the carbon dioxide stored in the tr ees and other biomass. Currently, the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change does not recognize forest pro-tection actions such as Guyana’ s as valid carbon credits. But CI executives said United Nations’ negotiators were now considering an expanded market to include forest conservation. Jagdeo said Guyana has retained up to 80 percent of its original Amazon for est cover . “Conserving forests is one of the quickest and most cost-ef fective ways to combat climate change and help people adapt to the impacts of a warming planet,” said CI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter Seligmann. e need to ensure that these investments are proportionate to the magnitude of the problem.” “These irreplaceable forests are under threat fromincr easing demand fr om a r esour ce-hungr y world,” said CI President Russell A. Mittermeier. “The fact that the carbon market is finally beginning to look at the critical importance of forest carbon provides a unique new opportunity to compensate tr opical countries for protecting these forests at a scale far beyond anything that has been doneto date and in a way that is truly sustainable both ecologically and economically,” he added. Mittermeier commended Guyana’s“enlightened approach” to this issue, noting that it could ser ve as a “model for many otherforest-rich countries around the world.” The “Lost There, Felt Her e” campaign calls for the harnessing of nature’s technology the healthy ecosystems that regulate the climate and sustain life on Ear th. “The goal is to raise awareness of the cost and har m to all of us fr om destroying some of the richest tr opical forests in the world,” said Bill Br uce, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO New York, which created the campaign. “It is intended to shake people up and get them to take action.” MIAMI – The United States Agency for Inter national Development (USAID it will be dispatching $25 million more in food aid to Haiti, bringing its total to $45 mil-lion. e know that we are not the full solution, we ar e a part,” said USAID AdministratorHenrietta For e in a meeting late last month with Haitian American leaders at the USAID warehouse in West Miami-Dade County. e are trying to be supportive, and we are trying tohelp,” she added. For e said USAID would help pr ovide 36,000 tons of food staples to 2.5 million Haitians through three types of programs targeting the disabled, orphans, mothers, children and the elderly. The programs are to be administered by the United Nations World Food Program(WFP Services and World Vision, and will pay Haitians with food in exchange for helping to rebuild irrigation systemsand r oads to boost domestic production efforts. “As close neighbors, the United States has a vital stake in pr oviding both emergency assistance as well as long-term support for Haiti’s economic, social and economic development,” Fore said. PRAISE The announcement was welcomed by South Florida’s congressional delegation, including Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who introduced Fore at the event. Diaz-Balart said that the U.S. Congress in a ‘’bipartisan basis’’ had approved $250 mil-lion in aid to Haiti. oday, the United States takes another step, characteristic of its gener osity of (helping) Haiti,” he said. The announcement came six weeks after violent riots over rising food prices rockedHaiti, leaving several people dead and the country without a working government. In thewake of that unr est, Haitian senators fir ed the prime minister on April 12, blaming himfor the crisis. The Lower House, the Chamber of Deputies, also rejected President Rene Preval’s choice of the prime minister’s successor after theSenate confir med him. CRITICISM But Haitian activist Marleine Bastien criticizedwhat she described as U.S. short-term relief. “What we are doing here today, it’s only for short-term relief,” said the executive director of Haitian Women of Miami, who recently visited the impoverished, Frenchspeaking Caribbean country as part of a delegation led byU.S. civil rights activistRever end Jesse Jackson. “The U.S. has been engaged in Haiti for almost 200 years now ,” she said, adding that “I think it’ s time for us to re-assess our intervention and understand it is better for us to invest in bringing Haitian agriculture to its past grandeur.” Meantime, Haitian-born, international hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean and two leading development organizations have collaborated in dispatch-ing immediate food aid to Haiti. The Grammy Award-winning Jean last month said that his foundation, Yele Haiti, theWFP and the Pan AmericanDevelopment Foundation have established a group called “Together for Haiti” in r esponding to the urgent food crisis in his native land. ogether for Haiti”, which has the support of another Grammy-Award winningmusician Paul Simon, modelPetra Nemcova and influential economist Jeffrey Sachs, wouldpr ovide food, create jobs and suppor t local agriculture in r esponse to the crisis. Jean said they plan, over the next six months, to create labor-intensive jobs, payingworkers with cash and food; distribute food to malnourished children under five andpr egnant women, as part of WFP’ s existing food assistance pr ogramme; and provide fertilizer, seeds, training and microenterprise grants, as well as support local agriculture. “It starts with the ground,” Jean said. s start implementing projects, so that we can create jobs. Job creation will slowdown the violence.” He said, to date, the campaign has raised $1.5 million, with the Haitian cell phone company, Voila, among thecorporate contributors. Children gain from World Bank’s $65M loan package for JamaicaGuyana’s president collaborates with int’l group on climate changeU.S.agency pledges another $25M in food aid to Haiti June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Bastien Wyc lef Jean June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 5 

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC A top official at theBarbados of fice of the United Nation Childr en’s Education Fund (UNICEF U.N. is concerned about theimpact which the rising cost of living is having on children and other vulnerable groupsthr oughout the Caribbean. Tom Olsen, UNICEF r epresentative at the Office forBarbados andthe Easter n Caribbean, told reporters at amedia exchangelast month that governments need to do moreto mitigate the effects of the global problem on children. “What do you do in themeantime? I think that’ s wher e you have to get a gov ernment that is proactive. Government needs to be ontop of it as well and havingmechanisms in place to ensur e that there are fair prices out there,” he said. “I hear many people talking and saying ‘I don’ t under stand because last week the food prices were likethis’They come in the shoptoday and food prices havegone up and no container hascome into the por t. I would say somebody is doing business on it,” he added. Olsen said UNICEF’s of fice in Barbados has to come up with a strategy toof fer assistance to children and families affected bythe incr easing food prices. “When we are responding to it we want to do it adequate-ly with facts and data and not only making statements. I think we need some time todevelop that kind of strategy tosee how we can deal with the increase in food prices and theimpact on childr en and the most vulnerable groups,” the U.N. official added. He noted that the issue of high food prices is bigger than the region, pointing to the fact that U.N. Secretary GeneralBan Ki Moon has establisheda special committee to dealwith the issues. WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Caribbean diaspora in theUnited States will have the opportunity to directly inter-act with visiting Caribbeantourism ministers this monthduring town hall meetings organized in conjunction withthe first Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit (ACTS Ministers of tourism will converse with Washington/ Virginia/Maryland-basednationals in open for um discussions on June 22. Theevent is designed to appeal toCaribbean nationals,Caribbean Americans, Caribbean interest groups andyoung adults considering a career in tourism. The Caribbean Tourism Development Company(CTDCbusiness development unitowned equally by theCaribbean Hotel Association(CHA Tourism Organization (CTOhas cr eated ACTS as a major forum in which to focus on the economic future of the Caribbean region. A primaryobjective of ACTS is to bring the services industry in theCaribbean, of which tourism is a part, to the forefront ofdevelopment discussions. ENGAGEMENT The conference will take place June 21-24 at the International Trade Center atthe Ronald Reagan Buildingin downtown W ashington, D.C and will celebrate Caribbean heritage whilecoinciding with June’ s Caribbean American Heritage Month in June. e have designed this conference as a way to engage influencers to help growtourism and incr ease invest ment in the Caribbean region,” said Hugh Riley, cochief operating officer forCTDC. “At the same time, we want to celebrate the tremendous contributions of the peo-ples of the Caribbean and to continue raising the awarenessof our brand.” All events and activities are open to participants whor egister. In addition to town hall meetings, ther e will be: June 21 CTDC and Cond Nast Bridal Media will host a“Capital Caribbean Wedding”, resulting from Cond Nast Bridal Media’s online search for a couple with a compelling story onthe theme of “When Y ou Knew Y our Love was Monumental! Tell us Your Love Story or Your PicturePer fect Pr oposal”. The win ning couple will publically exchange vows and receive ahoneymoon to a Caribbean destination. There’s freeadmission to attend the wed ding, but registration is required. J une 22 Founder and Senior Pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries InternationalDr . Myles Munr oe will make a presentation at a motivational br unch. Ther e is an admission fee of $35. Register online. June 23 Gala Awards Dinner and Ball. The black-tie event will feature music from Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. Caribbean per-sonalities, including Pr ofessor Rex Nettlefor d and the Mighty Sparrow, are among those listed to attend. Contemporar y luminaries from entertainment, public service and sports will be presented with awards namedafter famous Caribbeanher oes. Ticket information available at www .ACTSdc.com. June 24 Financial experts will convene for an interactive “Workshop on SmallBusiness Investment in the Tourism Sector”, featuring information on how to sourcefunding, technical assistanceand incentives of fered by governments, hotel chains and investment groups to ensuregr eater business success. Admission fee is $25. J une 24 Rum & Rhythm Celebration, from 6 p.m. to 10p.m. The event will include a sampling of premium Caribbean rums, traditional Caribbean hospitality, andinteractive demonstrations on how rum is made. Tickets areat $60. For mor e infor mation on the first ACTS and to register for all events, visit www.ACTSdc.com or call 800-603-3545 . LONDON, CMC – The London-based human rightsgr oup Amnesty Inter national says murder and police killings in Jamaica have remained at a high level. “Police officers were largely unaccountable andrar ely br ought to justice for human rights violations. Discrimination and violenceagainst women and gay men were widespread”, the humanrights gr oup stated in its 2008 report released late lastmonth. It said homicide rates r eached another record high with more than 1,500 people murdered during last year. Amnesty said that although the Jamaican Justice System Refor m Task Force launched its preliminary r epor t last May , with compr ehensive r efor m recommendations, “no clear plan for their implementation had been devised by the end of theyear”. CONCERN It added that while there has been a continuation of a review of the JamaicaConstabular y For ce, initiated by the previous administration, “there was concernabout the lack of consultation with human rights organiza-tions”. Amnesty said that during 2007, reports of police brutali-ty also incr eased. “Accor ding to the Bureau of Special Investigations, 203 people were killed by police between January and September, a significant incr ease compared with 2006. Victims were mainly from socially excluded inner -city communities”, it stated. “Although the police r outinely claimed that these killings occurred during shoot-outs with criminal gangs, eye witness accounts often alleged that police had extra judiciallyexecuted victims”. SEXUAL VIOLENCE Amnesty also said that sexual violence against women and girls was prevalentthr oughout the countr y, and that “the authorities failed to bring those r esponsible to jus tice”. Amnesty also said while no one was executed in 2007, thenew gover nment announced there would be a free vote “allowing representatives to vote according to personal conscience, in Parliament on the r esumption of hangings”. The last execution in Jamaica took place in 1988. U.N.monitoring cost of living impact on Caribbean childrenTourism summit offers opportunities for Caribbean diaspora to connect in U.S.Amnesty International worries over human rights abuse in Jamaica 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Riley U.N. worried about impact rising food prices is having on region’ s children. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 6 

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NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Bahamian authorities identi-fied the bodies of the thr ee persons who died when the boat they wer e on capsized in a stor m late last month. They said the deceased were a Jamaican man and aman and a woman fr om Haiti. Justin Snisky, chairman of the Bahamas Air Sea RescueAssociation, said a four th victim was snatched away by sharks befor e officials could retrieve the body. Bahamian authorities said they ar e also tr ying to deter mine what happened to the skipper of a sailboat en route to the Netherlands from Fort Lauderdale, Floridaafter his vessel was caught in the same storm on the night of May 24that saw 45 mile-per -hour winds and 12-foot seas. It was while looking for the captain on May 25 that U.S. Coast Guard officials spotted the over turned fishing boat about 13 miles west of GrandBahama Island. Bahamas policespokesman Basil Rahming saidthe vessel was appar ently head ed for the U.S. coast. Trevor Graham, a Jamaican-born former Olympic athlete-turnedtrack-coach to several of the sport’s biggest names, hasbeen found guilty of lying to aUnited States grand jur y and faces time in prison. Graham, who was a member of the Caribbean island’s 4x400 meters silver medal-win-ning squad at the 1988 Olympic Games and later trained world stars includingJustin Gatlin, Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, was convicted on one of thr ee counts of lying to federal investigators following a trial which concluded in San Francisco, California late last month. The jury could not agree on a verdict for the other twochar ges of lying to Internal Revenue Service (IRSwhich had been laid againstGraham following federal investigations into the use of performance-enhancing drugs. He was convicted of a char ge linked to his relationship with Texas resident Angel “Memo” Heredia, a key prose-cution witness, who testifiedthat he supplied Graham with drugs for some of his athletes.Graham, who did not testify atthe trial, had earlier deniedthose allegations. TRAIL Graham’ s name first surfaced in the doping investiga tions after a syringe contain ing the performance-enhancer known as “the clear”, then an undetectable steroid, was traced to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative(BALCOBALCO had been linked tosupplying top athletes with performance-enhancing drugs. The syringe had been original-ly sent to the U.S. AntiDoping Agency by an unknown source. Grahamlater admitted that he had sent it. Since then BALCO’ s boss Victor Conte has been convicted of supplying per formance-enhancers. American Jones, a multi-Olympic champion who at first vehemently denied using performance-enhancers, was later convicted of lying to federal agents and sentenced to six months inprison. Montgomer y , also of the U.S. and a former world record holder in the 100meters, also admitted to usingenhancers. Gatlin, anotherAmerican, tested positive for performance-enhancers and was banned fr om the sport for four years. He is appealing hissentence. All thr ee, plus several other prominent track and fieldathletes, trained with Grahamat his Sprint Capitol USA club based in North Carolina. SC APEGOAT? W illiam Keane, Graham’s attorney, called his client “the original whistleblower inBALCO” who was being made a scapegoat. Several of Graham’s former athletes testified at histrial. Among them wasAmerican Antonio Pettigr ew, an Olympic 4x400 metersr elay gold-medal winner, who admitted, for the first time, that he had used performance-enhancers since 1997. Up to press time prosecutors had not yet announced ifthey would again tr y Graham on the other two charges.Keane said he would tr y to get the charges dismissed. The conviction on the lone charge carries a maximum sen-tence of a $250,000 fine and five years in prison. But Graham, a first time offender,is likely to be locked away for under a year. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5. Several sources,including wire reports,contributed tothis stor y. Jamaican, Haitians die after boat capsizes HALIFAX, Canada – In the midst of a five-year battle withthe United States over Internet gaming, the Antigua government has insisted it hasno plans to give up on its financial services sector. Speaking at the 38th Annual Meeting of theCaribbean Development Bank Board of Governors, Financeand Economy Minister Dr . Er rol Cort highlighted the important role of the sector in the countr s economy and said his government would continue to pursue policies to diversify the industry and to ensure its future growth and sustainability. “In an attempt to position Antigua and Barbuda as a premier jurisdiction for assetpr otection and wealth management, a number of pieces of legislation have been enacted. These include the International Trust Act, the International Foundation Act and the International Limited Liability Company Act,” Cortsaid last month. “The gover nment r ecog nizes the need to continuously update its domestic laws, thereby ensur-ing that astr ong regulatory framework is main tained and, in this r egar d, we have enacted new legislationthat allows theFinancial Services Regulatory Commission(FSRC regulatory authority for all non-bank financial institutions in addition to all Inter national Business Corporations,” he added. BLOW His comments come as the countr s financial sector r ecovers from a blow dealt by Washington when, two years ago, it barred U.S. banks andcr edit car d companies fr om pr ocessing payments made to online and offshore gamblingoperators in Antigua. The move prevented the twin-island nation fr om tapping into the lucrative Americangaming market. The matter was taken to the W orld T rade Or ganization (WTO trators awarded $21 million insanctions against the U.S. Antigua resolute despite gaming dispute with U.S.Jamaican-born coach guilty in U.S.athletics doping scandal June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com Ga tlin Jones Cort June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:49 PM Page 7 

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J une is “Caribbean American Heritag e Month”.Caribbean Today will use its FYI column to list some of the activ-ities during the month. HIV/AIDS AWARENESS J une 8 of Caribbean American Heritage Month inthe United States is being used to obser ve National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS A war eness Day (NCAHAAD NCAHAAD is a national mobilization ef fort designed to encourage CaribbeanAmericans and individualsbor n in the Caribbean, across the U.S. and its ter ritories, to get educated, tested, treated and involved. It is also a time to reflect, memorialize andshow compassion for thoseinfected or af fected by HIV/AIDS. TAMPACELEBRATES The Caribbean American Heritage Foundation ofT ampa Bay, Florida has lined up several events to markCaribbean American HeritageMonth. They will be held in Tampa. Among them are thefollowing: June 7,noon to 5 p.m . – Caribbean American BusinessExpo, Car rollwood Cultural Center Annex, 13335 Casey Rd. June 8-22 – Caribbean Art Festival, Orange Park Gallery,1215 N. Franklin St. June 18,6:30 p.m. – Wide A wake W ednesday’ s topic: “Caribbean American Commonalities and Misconceptions”, Mango’s,4237 Ar menia A ve. June 21,11 a.m.to 4 p.m. Caribbean American WellnessHealth Festival, Car r ollwood Cultural Center Annex. J une 28, 9 p .m. – T ampa Bay Seventh Annual CalypsoCompetition. June 29,noon to 6 p.m. Caribbean American FamilyOlympics, Rowlette Park, North 22nd Street andRowlette Dr . GEORGIA EVENTS The Georgia Caribbean American Heritage Coalition (GCAHCseveral events in June. Theyinclude the following: June 7,6 p.m.to 9 p.m. Caribbean Cultural V ariety Show, co-hosted by the Atlanta CaribbeanAssociation, Hillside Presbyterian Church, 1879Columbia Dr ., Decatur. J une 13,6 p.m.to 9 p.m. Launch reception of the GCAHC’s mentorship/internship program, Junor Fine Art Gallery, 114 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. June 19,6 p.m.to 8 p.m. Business oppor tunities semi nar , Clark Atlanta University, 223 James P . Brawley Dr., Atlanta. June 25-26,9 a.m.to 5 p.m. Caribbean Arts and CultureSymposium. June 25 event at Savannah College of Art andDesign, Atlanta campus, 1600Peachtr ee St. June 26 event at Auburn Research Library on African American Cultur e and History, 100 Auburn Ave. V isit www .caribbeansympo sium.com for more information. J une 28,7:30 p.m. – A wards banquet and silent auction,John W illiams Ballroom, The Galleria Centr e, 2 Galleria Parkway , Atlanta. Visit www.cobbgalleria.com or call 404-667-7933 for mor e information. QUESTION: How do I get a r e-entry permit into the U.S.? ANSWER: If you want to get a re-entry permit, file Form I131, Application for Travel Document, says the U.S.Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS Of ficials say you should file this application well in advance of your planned trip. The I-131is available at uscis.gov and the instructions on the form will give you more details. If you have questions after reading the instr uctions, call customer ser vice at 1-800-375-5283 . A re-entry permit establishes a presumption that you did not abandon your legal sta-tus in the United States, and it allows you to apply for admis-sion to the U.S. after traveling abroad for up to two years,without having to obtain a returning resident visa, the USCIS say. Re-entr y permits are normally valid for two years fr om the date of issuance. It can helppr event problems associated with your Permanent Resident Card becoming technicallyinvalid for r e-entry into the U.S. if you are absent from the U.S. for one year or more, oryour U.S. per manent r esidence being considered as abandoned for absences shorter than one year, if you take up residence in another country. You may also want to get a r e-entr y permit if you plan on traveling outside the U.S. and cannot, or do not wish to get a passport from your home country. Many countries throughoutthe world may allow you to use a re-entry permit much like you would use a passport – placing necessary visas, and entry and exit stamps in the permit – soyou may use it as your main travel document. Be sure tocheck with the countries youplan on visiting about theirr equir ements befor e you travel. U.S. immigration rules do not require you have the docu-ment in your possession when you depar t, but they do require that you apply for the per mit befor e you leave the U.S. Note that r e-entry permits can’t be extended. If your permit expires, you’ll need toapply for a new one. If you have a valid re-entry permit in your possession, you will needto send it in when you apply for a new one. You need not send in an expired re-entry permit. For security reasons,the USCIS says it will not issue a new re-entry permit to someone who alr eady has a valid one in his or her possession. If you need a new r e-entr y permit because your previous one was lost, stolen, or destroyed, please indicate this on your application for the new permit. Compiled by Felicia Persaud. The answers provided here are for information purposes only,and do not create an attorney-client relationship; nor are they a substitute for “le g al advice”, w hic h can only be g i ven b y a competent attorney after review ing all the f acts of the case . FYIGetting a re-entry permit into the U.S. 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 LOCAL LOCAL www.caribbeantoday.com Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33157 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010 Miami, FL 331 16-6010. T elephone: (305 (305305 Toll-Free Fax: 1-866-290-4550 1-800-605-7516 Jamaica: 654-7282 E-mail: editor@caribbeantoday.com Send ads to: ct_ads@bellsouth.net Vol.19,Number 7 JUNE2008 PETER AWEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor SABRINA HOPKINS Graphic Artist DOROTHYCHIN Account Executive SHARON LEE Account Executive JACQUELINE RUBIANO Accounting ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media Representatives TOM JONAS 353 St. Nicolas Street, Suite 200 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y2P1 T el: (514514 E-mail: tom@cmsworldmedia.com Jamaica Bureau MARIE GREGOR Y (876 P.O. Box 127, Constant Spring Kingston 8, JamaicaOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of thepublisher. Caribbean Today , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc. Caribbean Today is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. T o guarantee return, please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean Today may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor . GETTING TO KNOW YOU JIS/NYC photographGeneive Bro wn Metzger,center,consul general of Jamaica in New York,was among several of her peers who were feted at a recent reception for new consuls general organized by the Society of F oreign Consuls (SoFCThe consuls general and their guests were hosted by Christopher Forbes,right,vice chairman,Forbes,at the Forbes Galleries in Manhattan.At left is Michael Hess,senior managing partner of Giuliani Partners,LLC. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 8 

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Oh to turn back the hands of time ,they say,or,“If I knew now what I knew then, things would be different. Well, I always say what’s past is past, what’s gone is gone, it’s all water under the bridge,so it’ s best we leave it be. Still, some people insist on trying to recapture the past, go back to the glor y days, relive their youth, or worse yet, return to a for mer lover. Well, take it fr om me, you shouldn’t go back. Have you ever gone back to your old primary or prep school and wander through the classrooms?The first thought that hits you, is how small everything seems, the classr oom, the tiny desks and chairs and the playground. Everything just seems so out of proportion and you wonder howyou ever managed to fit into that tiny world. You have grown. What is true is that memory is selective, and usually we tend to remember only the good things from past relation-ships, hence the saying, thegood old days. Heck, ther e was nothing particularly good about the good old days. They were just nor mal days, fraught with peril and misfortune as well as good times. But as time passed, we, by process of elimination, sifted out the bad times and leftonly the good memories, and voila, it’s the good old days. As the book “A Tale of Two Cities” said: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. The same applies to relationships, and if you had the experience of leaving one, it’ s best to leave well enough alone and don’t return. There is a reason why you left in the first place. Either she left you or you left her, or it was by mutual agr eement. But what matters is that things got so bad that you had to part ways. JUSTIFICATION Now years have passed and the selective memory kicks in, and suddenly she looks soappealing again and you want to have another go. Big mistake. First you try to justify all the reasons to return. “Oh, I must forgive and forget, letbygones be bygones, I must turn the other cheek and take her back.” You only say that now because your selective memory has erased all the pain and hurt that she put you through over the years. You for got the tears, the pain, anguish and anger that you felt when she tore up your heart. If you’re a lady, the grief that he put you through as he ran around with your best friend has per haps abated, and now you’re willing to give him a second chance. “Oh, he has changed, and he won’t hurt meagain,” you think. So whether you ar e man or woman, you reckon that the past r elationship is worth another shot, so you decide to tur n back the hands of time and give it another go. W ell first of all, time has marched on,and as time passed, so have both parties grown. Many people expect to just pick up exactly where they left off when they broke up years ago. She was 25, he was 30, now she is 30 and he is 35. It’s been along five years of separation and plenty water has gone under the bridge. Yet so many couples just expect to resume life the same place that they left it. REALITY CHECK After a few weeks there’s a harsh reality check, as the worldcomes crashing down when r eality sets in and both realize that things and times have put a different spin on the relationship. No longer is she the young na•ve waif like girl who he could bowl over with his char ms. When they wer e together he was her idol and she hung on to ever y wor d that he said like a starry eyed pupil listening to a pr ofessor . In those five years apar t she has gr own, gained her independence, became assertive, increased in statur e, has mor e self esteem, landed a gr eat new job and is cer tainly not dependent on any man, including him, for anything. Or flip it, he has grown tr emendously , while she has r emained the same disco queen of yester year , still flitting from club to club every weekend night, refusing to mature and be responsible. For her, the party has not ended. What happens too, is that the cir cle of friends on both sides may have expanded or become different, and suddenly he or she is thrust into a world not of their liking. “Who are those people that she’s now hanging about with? I can’t relate to them at all” Or, “Now he’ s taken up with a rum drinking gambling crowd, I am certainly not used to that.” Another r eason why you shouldn’t return is because of what took place in that dash between when you br oke up and now . Suddenly, the woman who was once only yours, now has a history of exes in the space between then and now. Your virgin bride has been sullied, tainted by recent experi-ences. It was all well and good if she had a boyfriend or two before you, but to know that in the six years that you’ve beenapar t, it’s about two or three different men who have run through, partook of your precious fruit. It’s perhaps a bit much to bear. Now when youmake love to her all you canthink about is those big tough back dudes who encroached on your property. The thought isoften agonizing, and even though it might not manifest itself in the beginning, after a while it will seep through and come to the fore. And that’s why you should not return. AMAGED GOODS’ Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to bother women as much as men, as it’s mostly men who have expressed this to me. “My God, every time I see her talk-ing to a man I wonder if shehad a thing with him when we were apart. I now see her asdamaged goods”. What happens when you go back is the past somehow cr eeps back in, and the selective memory isn’t as selective as itused to be. Suddenly you star t to r emember his annoying little habits, how lazy he was around the house, how dependent he is on his mother even now , and the floodgates of the negative waters of hell burst open as you remember everything. Suddenly he remembers that she was sexyonly once or twice for themonth, but his selective memo ry had blocked out the periods of forced abstinence. As romantic as it may seem my friends, you can’ t return. My findings are backed up by scientific statistical data which pr oves that most second tries do not work. Always remember, things had to get really bad for you tohave par ted in the first place, so why do you think that those bad things have gone away? If you want to relive the past, it’s best to get someone who closely resembles your ex.That way you’ll have the bestof both worlds same physicalappearance, but a brand new experience. Perhaps she will bring you crosses too, but atleast it’ s new crosses. You can’t return, just look ahead and stop tr ying to r elive the past. seido1@hotmail.com Never return to old stomping grounds June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com TONY ROBINSON “The relationship between the police force and the community has to be 100 percent.You cannot demand respect from peo-ple; you have to earn it and once y ou earn it an y problem is sur mounta ble” – J amaica’ s recently appointed Minister of National Security T revor MacMillan last month discussing his solution to the crime problem. “I am not too sure where thisis coming frombut I am theprime minister;I am her e to serve and I will continue toserv e in the inter est of the people” – St.Lucia’ s Prime Minister Stephenson King last month dismissing reports that he planned to resign over thecurrent crisis within his go vernment that was sparked b y calls by disgruntled legislators for the dismissal of EconomicAffairs Minister A usbert D’Auvergne. “Whatever may have inspired and motivated it (embargoit belongs to an erathat is long past” J amaica’ s Prime Minister Bruce Golding last month calling for the liftingof the United States-imposedeconomic embargo on Cuba. “When one gets a feeling of invincibility,of arrogance,thenthat is the time the party musttak e stock” K en V alley , deputy leader of the ruling People’s National Movement(PNM Trinidad and Tobago,last month calling for the remo val of Prime Minister Patrick Manning last month. “The recent downturn in the U .S.economy is not impacting the inter est in the Caribbean” Alec Sanguinetti,director general of the Caribbean HotelAssociation, expressing opti mism last month about the region’s tourism future. “I’m very disappointed.I’ve had sleepless nights after thathearing. I think what ha ppened is unfortunate” Richie Richardson,a member of theW est Indies Cric ket Board disciplinary committee and former captain of the region’ s team, last month hitting out at the decision to ban Marlon Samuels for two years over his involvementwith an alleged Indian bookie . Compiled from CMC and other sources . June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 9 

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10 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 BEV BENNETT Shrimp is a wonderful ingredient when you’re cooking for two. You can buy shrimp by the ounce so you have just enough for a meal without leftovers and you can prepare the seafood in so many ways you won’t gettir ed of it. But shrimp comes in so many forms, from fresh, which rare, to cooked, peeled and ready to eat. Each preparation style has its virtues and drawbacks. If you choose the preparation that suits yourneeds you’ll save time andexpense. For example, if you’re lucky enough to find freshshrimp in your super-market, savorthe delicatetaste with asimple pr eparation, suchas shrimp in a lemon-but-ter sauce. Shrimp that’s cooked withthe peel ismor e succulent and fla vorful. If you’re preparingshrimp to use in a salad and you have the time, buyunpeeled shrimp. Rinse theshrimp under cold water sothe shrimp meat contractsslightly fr om the shell and is easier to remove. Start with 12 ounces of peel-on shrimp andassume you’ll lose about twoounces of the initial weight. You have to peel raw shrimp you’re going to use insoup, stew or a dish withsauce. Whether you buypeeled raw shrimp or do thework yourself depends onyour time and budget. Peeled shrimp are more expensive,but you’ll shave five minutes off preparation, if that’s important. Peeling small raw shrimp is tedious and I recommend buying the peeled prod-uct. Shrimp have a long dark vein that runs down the back. In small shrimp, the vein isn’t an issue; in large shrimp, thevein can be filled with grit. You can buy de-veinedshrimp. If you have to do thejob yourself, take a small par ing knife, make a slash downthe back and pull out the strip. Your supermarket fish counter also offers cooked, peeled shrimp. This is priceyand limits your options. Use precooked shrimp in salads or for appetizers. Avoid adding the shrimp to a dish you’re cooking; the results will be tough and dry. For the following r ecipe of shrimp in a zesty chipotle chile tomato sauce, start with large shrimp and peel them before cooking. SHRIMP WITH CHIPOTLETOMATO SAUCE Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small onion, peeled and chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 (14.5-ounce roasted tomatoes (see note 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile flakes (see note 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried or egano 12 ounces large raw shrimp, peeled 2 teaspoons lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste Couscous with herbs (follows Method Heat the oil in a lar ge skillet. Add the onion and garlicand cook over medium heat for three minutes or until tender. Add the tomatoes withliquid, chili flakes and oregano. Reduce heat to low and simmer for one minute.Add shrimp. Cover skillet andcook for 10 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through.Stir occasionally . Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper. To serve, spoon couscous onto two plates. Top each withthe shrimp and sauce. Makes two servings. NOTE: If roasted tomatoes aren’t available, use plaindiced tomatoes. Chipotle chile flakes are available in thespice section of super markets. If not available substitute crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of chili powder. COUSCOUS Ingr edients 2 cups chicken br oth 1 cup large pearl couscous, also called Middle Easterncouscous 2 tablespoons minced cilantro 2 tablespoons minced chives or scallions, gr een parts only Method Bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot. Stir in the couscous. Reduce heat to low,cover and simmer for five minutes or until broth is absorbed and couscous is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and chives. 2008, Bev Bennett. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc. Versatile shrimp offers easy fix for Caribbean seafood treat Delicious shrimp in chipotle sauce FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 10 

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC Guyana is spending an estimated $20,000 to acquire 32 steel pans from Trinidadand T obago in a bid to r esus citate the local steel pan industry. The pans will form the nucleus of a national steel band which, according to aGover nment Information Agency (GINA will hopefully take its place in the national cultural arena. “The National Steel Band will consist of approximately 56 persons and rehearsals will commence shor tly”, the state ment added. “Steel band was a popular form of entertainment for several years in Guyana but went into decline. It is hoped thatthis initiative will bring it back to its former glory and reach even further heights”. Andrew Tyndal, project consultant for the National Steel Band and DevelopmentPr oject, said that the resuscitation of steel band in thr ee schools has commenced, with tutors conducting training sessions at St. Joseph’s High, Dolphin Secondary and LodgeCommunity High School. Guy ana reviving steel pan industr y ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC Car nival or ganizers her e say they ar e planning to use foreign judges for local calypso competitions again despite objections fr om the Gr enada Pr ogr essive Association of Calypso and Tents (GPACT). The announcement was expected to upset GPACT, whose opposition to for eign judges sparked a conflict that threatened to throw last year’s carnival celebrations into disarray. “GP ACT as you all know took us to court for that action last year and they had expressed to us in our post mor tem meeting that they ar e against foreign judges,” said Arthur Hosten, Grenada’s chief carnival organizer. “Based on what happened last year with the confidence and integrity of the process, we are continuing with foreign judges this year COMPROMISE The dispute played out in a Gr enada High Cour t at the height of car nival celebrations last year after Justice Kenneth Benjamin ruled in favor of an application by GPACT to present their case against the Grenada Cultural Foundation (GCF However, the start of the calypso finals, part of De Manche Gras, the main car ni val show, was delayed by more than four hours due to a back stage quarrel between officials and GP ACT over the composi tion of the final judging panel. Carnival, Grenada’s major cultural showpiece will climax Aug. 11-12. Grenada carnival sticks with foreign judges GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The 10th staging of the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA X) is set toattract r ecord participation fr om Caribbean, Latin American, North American and European countries, according to Guyana’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony. He said that approximately 1,300 of the expected 2,000 del egates from 22 countries have alr eady confirmed their participation in the Caribbean’s premier cultural event to be staged in Guyana this year Aug. 22-31. Traditionally, CARIFEST A had showcased the top creators of the Caribbean intheir varied ar tistic spheres. However, the festival has opened its doors to countries outside of CARICOM andLatin America. The culture minister added that other countries, such as Australia, United Kingdom, China, French Guiana and Morocco had also indicated aninter est in participating in CARIFEST A X, which is being hosted under the theme“One Caribbean, One Purpose Our Culture, Our Life”. Expressing satisfaction with the response so far, Anthony said that an “aggres-sive awar eness campaign,” which is to be launched soon, would fur ther stimulate more international interest in the festival and assured that adequate accommodation would be provided. He pointed to 3,041 exist ing hotel rooms and announcedhis intention to augment this by reactivating the Bed and Br eakfast programme that was successfully operated during Cricket World Cup 2007. Guyana expecting record participation for CARIFESTA June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www .caribbeantoday.com BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL Jamaican artist Paul Blackwood shows his artwork to his countrs Ambassador to the United States Anthony Johnson next to him. The pieces were on display last month at the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington,D.C.Also viewing the artwork are,from left,fellow Jamaican artist Courtney Morgan and Stephen Salny.The four-day exhibition showcased over 75 works by the two artists, specializing in landsca pes,abstracts and semi-abstracts,oil on canvas and collages.It was the third year that the two artists have sho wn their works in the U.S.capital. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 11 

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Citing the constant threat of rain and the September heat, promoters of the annual“Jamaican Jerk Festival” havemoved the event to early November. This year’s festival will take place on Nov . 9 at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida. The “Jamaican Jerk Festival” is a family treat, with attractions and activities forall ages. Each year its packageof Caribbean foods – especial ly “jerk” dishes and enter tainment attract a huge crowd. Last year rain brought the festival, pr oduced by Riddims Marketing and Jamaica A war eness Inc., to a pr ema ture end. Jamaican jerk fest mo ved to No vemberTobago to celebrate heritage festival July 11-Aug.1 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www.caribbeantoday.com The island of the T obago will celebrate its 21stannual heritage festival with the theme “One HandCan’ t Clap”. This year’s event, set to take place July 11-Aug. 1, is acommemoration of the island’s traditions and theimpact of its pr edominant African heritage. Tobago was originally inhabited by Amerindians.However , it quickly became home to many African slaves after the colonization byEur opeans. These historical experiences have come together to define what itmeans to be T obagonian and essentially given birth to the cultural extravaganza that is obago Heritage Festival”. CELEBRA TION Since the festival’s inception in 1987, T obagonians from various communities have used the annual celebration of culture to educate andenter tain visitors and the youth. Each village contributes its own presentation.The main event is the tradi tional “Ole Time Wedding”, hosted in the village of Moriah. This marriage cere-mony highlights the influences of European culture on thelocal population. It featur es a colorful procession of the satin-garbed and top-hatted wedding party and guests dancing in the streets. The reception features a chorus of fiddle music, localcuisine, speeches and period entertainment. The festival is also consid ered a family affair, with children displaying their talents at the “Junior HeritageExplosion”. The climax of festivities is the crowning of“Miss Heritage Personality”and the “Heritage Calypso Monarch”. T obago, along with Trinidad, is part of a twinisland republic located in the southeastern region of theCaribbean. For more information, www.visittobago.gov.tt or call 800-816-7541 . Jamaican actor Christopher Daley will do double duty asdir ector in the play “An Amazing Grace” which pr emier s June 15 at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in South Florida. The play is written by South Florida-based graphic artist Roy “Artbwoy” Martin. “An Amazing Grace” is Mar tin’s first effort at playwriting, but Daley has been apopular actor/comedian in Jamaica for years. Years agohe gained r ecognition for his role as “Little Johnny” in the television show “Lime TreeLane” and has appear ed in several stage pr oductions since, including “Yard ”, “Dis Ting”, “Oliver and theGene”, “Cindy Relisha andthe DJ Prince” and “Jamaica2 Rahtid”. “An Amazing Grace” is a stor y about “Johnny”, played by Daley , an aspiring reggae singer with dreams of making it big. He struggles with hiscriminal past with bad man“Dr edie”, played by Andr ew Clarke, and “Puddy”, played by Sammy Question. “Queenie”, played by Ann “Char m” McKenzie, is Johnny’ s love inter est. The “other woman” is chur ch sister “Grace”, played by Chanise Brady. For mor e information, call 305-405-1059 . Daley plays entertainer “Johnnin “An Amazing Grace”. CELEBRATION ISLAND STYLE Photograph by Dale NicholsonCostumed revelers show off some of their moves on the streets of the Georgia, United States city during last month’s Atlanta Caribbean Carnival.The carnival sea-son fea tured several colorful events, inc luding the King and Queen Band Competition, a parade in downtown Atlanta,a Caribbean Carnival Festival Village, and live performances by some of the region’s top entertainers,including Iwer George,Pater Ram,Jamesy P.,Problem Child,Burning Flames,WCK and 2Intrigue. An Amazing Grace’ hits South Florida stage on June 15 June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 12 

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BARBADOS High air far es are grounding the development of future air travelers, according to a young travel expert from the Caribbean. Javon Grif fith, designated junior minister of tourism ofBarbados 2004-2005, islamenting the high cost ofintra-Caribbean travel, claim ing it is hindering ef for ts to develop a youth travel market. “The continuing increase in the cost of travel is limitingthe ability of the Caribbean todevelop a youth travel mar ket,” said Grif fith, who believes Caribbean youth need to be educated early about theimpor tance of tourism to the r egion’s economy. “They need to understand that without the contributionof tourism to the Caribbean the region would be rendered economically non-viable,” the 20-year-old said. “Furthermore, they need to understand that this is why it is ar gued so often that the Caribbean is the most tourism dependent region in theworld.” IMP ACT Grif fith r ecently complet ed a bachelor of science degree in hospitality andtourism management fr om the University of the WestIndies. He hasworked as a part-time serv-er at the FishPot Restaurantin Barbados.He saidaf fordable travel options help to shape the youth’sworld view and addr ess their need to understand “the scope of tourism’s impacts, the level of job creation and the valuable foreign exchange to be earned from the sector. ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC The director general ofthe Caribbean HotelAssociation (CHAwar ned that regional economies stand to suf fer significantly by the thir d quarter of this year as a result ofthe decision by major United States airlines to retire dozens of their planes from September. Addr essing members of the Grenada Hotel and T ourism Association during their annual general meeting last month, Alec Sanguinetti said that industry analysts estimate that airlines will trimtheir fleets because of high fuel costs and a downturn in the U.S. economy . “Airlines will be trimming between five and ten per cent of their aircraft,” Sanguinetti told the tourism stakeholders “I see serious negative effects on our tourism industry, serious negative effects on the growth of the region’s economy and serious negative effects on our social life.” CUTS While American Airlines has declined to pr ovide exact details of its mass plane r etirement, theCHA headsaid thatUnitedAirlines plans to cut 30 of its oldest 737planes, Continental will retire 34,and Delta and Northwest between 15 and 20. “All these major cuts mean less seats available, less planes available and ultimately less persons coming to our region. These changes spell tr ouble and it’s time for us to realize that life is not the same and things should not continue as we know it in terms of travel and tourism.” High airfares affecting youth travel in Caribbean ~ delegate Retirement of U.S.planes troubling for region ~ CHA Animal rights group intensifies lobby for boycott of St.Kitts and Nevis June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 TOURISM TOURISM / / TRAVEL TRAVEL www .caribbeantoday.com NORFOLK, Virginia – An international animal rightsgr oup has launched a global campaign aimed at gettingtravel agencies to boycott St.Kitts and Nevis over alleged cruelty to animals at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. The Virginia-based People for the Ethical T reatment of Animals (PET A) has to date succeeded in getting at least two major travel agencies in the United States in boycotting the twin-island federation over the alleged mutilation and killing of healthy sheep, donkeys and goats atthe veterinar y school. PET A, in a statement issued last month, said that while some travel agencies wer e “planning quietly” to steer trav-elers to other destinations, theW ashington-based Green Earth Travel was the latest in publiclyannouncing that it wouldencourage its clients not to visitthe Caribbean nation “until the school ends its cruel and deadly surgical procedures on ani-mals”. In April, the Las Vegasbased Holiday SystemsInter national, a high-end trav el agency, said it had started to r efuse to book holidays to St. Kitts and Nevis for its over300,000 clients. Donna Zeigfinger, president of Gr een Ear th T ravel, said she was urging clients to vacation elsewhere “because of the harmful and outdated surgeries that are performed onanimals at Ross and the St.Kitts gover nment’s defense of them. e will only resume encouraging people to booktheir travel to St. Kitts once Ross University ends the needless suffering of animalsby using humane veterinar y teaching alter natives recommended by PETA”, she said in a letter to PETA. ALERT Zeigfinger added that Green Earth Travel had also posted an aler t in its newsletter about the alleged animalcr uelty at Ross University. PETA – which has affiliates in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands,India, and the Asia-Pacificr egion – said it had urged the Denzil Douglas administration in St. Kitts and Nevis to investigate the veterinary schoolfor alleged violations of the United States’ Protection ofAnimals Act. It said it hadr eceived complaints fr om “concerned Ross students” about “cruel teaching proce-dur es”. But PETA said while the St. Kitts and Nevis’ Ministr y of Agriculture had launched an investigation, the veterinary school reportedly “con-tinues to conduct needlesspractice sessions on healthy animals that often result in death”. The group also called on the school to establish a vet erinar y teaching hospital to help sick and injur ed animals instead. A St. Kitts and Nevis government statement in April said “the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis are peaceful, hardwork-ing and law-abiding and do not condone any acts of cr uelty anywhere to animals or humans alike. Any insinuation by PETA that our government and people think or behave otherwise is a gross misrepresentation of our proud Caribbean cultur e and traditions”. The administration said it viewed the boycott thr eats as “a ploy to attract attention by PET A and to for ce the intervention of the St. Kitts government into a dispute betweentwo privately-owned and oper ated organizations, both of which are headquartered in theUnited States of America andwhich operate under U.S. laws”. Sanguinetti Griffith June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 13 

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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania Jamaica’ s Ambassador to the UnitesStates Anthony Johnson has announced that his govern-ment is looking at ways of increasing trade with theUnited States city ofPhiladelphia. “All ef forts will be made to incr ease export from Jamaica to Philadelphia which nowstands at just under US$100million to US$200 million,”Johnson told the Philadelphia City Council recently. “All efforts will be made to fortify a stronger trade rela-tion with Jamaica andPhiladelphia.” STRENGTHENING In the 18th centur y, Jamaica and Philadelphia, also known as the “City ofBr otherly Love”, “had a strong trading relationship; and there’s no reason whywe cannotstr engthen that r elationship back, so both Jamaica and Philadelphia can benefit economically,” the diplomat said. He said that trade could be doubled by making Philadelphia a por t of entry “for a wide range of Jamaicanpr oducts”. In addition, the new U.S. envoy called for the enhancement of Jamaican products in Philadelphia, stating that rum, sauces, pepper products, liqueurs and beers are some of the goods thatcould be expor ted from Jamaica to the lar ge U.S city. Car ol Brooks, manager of International Trade for the City of Philadelphia’ s Department of Commerce, said in 2007 a total of $67,538,013 in goods were imported from Jamaica, a 39.36 percent increase over 2006. She said the top impor ts were beverages, spirits, vinegar, vegetables, fruits, andnuts. MIAMI, Florida Medium-tosmall companies from a dozencountries, including the Caribbean, are expected topar ticipate in the Miami International Trade Days Summit 2008 next month. The two-day event will be held July 11-12 at the Sheraton Mart Plaza here. The showcase, sponsored by the corporate members ofthe Minority Chamber ofCommer ce, will featur e exhibitors in businesses such as beverages, food, construc-tion, fur niture and textiles. e are excited about bringing a new vision to our expos here in Miami, Florida,” Doug Mayorga, chair of the chamber’s committee, said in a press release issued recently to promote the event. “Miami International Trade Days Summit will focus on all aspects of business, such as connecting with prominent exporter and importer compa-nies as well as pr oviding visitors with leading edge information that can of fer a tr ue competitive advantage for small entrepreneurs.” Among the activities scheduled for the event are a series of educational conference sessions featuring industry insights and business devel-opment ideas to help str eam line costs, introduce new items and grow businesses, and focusissues about cer tification for “nostalgic products”. Registration is limited to export-import industry profes-sionals, including owners of small businesses, supermar-kets, r estaurants, r etail stor es and wholesale distributors. It is not open to the generalpublic. For more information, call Juan Maltes at 786-2601965 . Protecting credit during divorceJamaica embraces plans to increase trade with U.S.‘City of Brotherly Love’Small businesses to highlight Miami trade summit in July 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 BUSINESS BUSINESS www.caribbeantoday.com JOSE H. CARBALLO When a marriage ends in divorce, the lives of those involved are changed forever. During thistime of upheaval, one thing that shouldn’t have to changeis the cr edit status you’ve worked so har d to achieve. Unfulfilled pr omises to pay bills, the maxing out of credit cards, and a total breakdown in communication frequently lead to the annihilation of at least one spouse’s cr edit. Depending upon how finances are structured, it can sometimes have a negative impact on both parties. Yet by taking a proactive approach and creating a specific plan to maintain one’s creditstatus, anyone can ensur e that “starting over” doesn’t have tomean r ebuilding credit. The first step for anyone going thr ough a divorce is to obtain copies of your credit report from the three major agencies: Equifax, Experian, and T ransUnion. It’ s impossi ble to for mulate a plan without having a complete understanding of the situation. (Once a year , you may obtain a fr ee credit report by visiting www.AnnualCreditReport.com .) Then create a spreadsheet, and list all of the accounts that are currently open. For eachentr y , fill in columns with the following information: creditor name, contact number, theaccount number , type of account (e.g. credit card, car loan, etc.), account status (e.g. current, past due), accountbalance, minimum monthlypayment amount, and who isvested in the account( joint/individual/authorized signer ). PLAN Now make a plan. Ther e are two types of creditaccounts, and each is handled differently during a divorce.The first type is a secur ed account, meaning it’ s attached to an asset. The most common secured accounts are car loansand home mor tgages. The sec ond type is an unsecured account. These accounts aretypically cr edit cards and charge cards, and they have no assets attached. For a secur ed account, your best option is to sell the asset. This way the loan is paid off and your name is nolonger attached. Next best isto r efinance the loan. In other words, one spouse buys out the other. This only works, however, if the purchasing spouse can qualify for a loanby themselves and can assumepayments on their own. Y our last option is to keep your name on the loan. This is the most risky option because if you’re not the one making the payment, your credit is truly vulnerable. In the case of a mortgage, enlisting the aid of a qualified mortgage professional is extremely important. This individual will review yourexisting home loan along withthe equity you’ve built up and help you to determine the bestcourse of action. SPEED When it comes to unsecur ed accounts, you will need to act quickly. It’s important toknow which spouse (if notboth) is vested. If you ar e merely a signer on theaccount, have your name r emoved immediately . If you are the vested party and your spouse is a signer , have their name removed. Any joint accounts (both parties vested that do not carry a balanceshould be closed immediately . If there are jointly vested accounts, which carry a bal-ance, your best option is to have them frozen. This willensur e that no futur e charges can be made to the accounts. When an account is frozen, however, it is frozen for bothpar ties. If you do not have any cr edit cards in your name, obtain one before freezing all of your jointly vested accounts. By having a card in your ownname, you now have the option of transferring any jointbalances into your account,guaranteeing they’ll get paid. Ensuring payment on a debt, which car ries your name, is paramount when it comes to preserving credit. One 30-daylate payment can dr op your credit score as much as 75 points. It is also impor tant to know that a divor ce decree does not override any agreement you have with a cr editor . So, r egar dless of which spouse is ordered to pay by the judge, not doing so will affect thecr edit scor e of both par ties. Not only eliminate all joint accounts, but do it quickly. Jose H.Caraballois branch manag er for the Coral Gables office of Source One mortg ag e . You can contact him at caraballo12345@comcast.net or 305-968-1257 . Johnson All efforts will be made to fortify a stronger trade relation with Jamaica andPhiladelphia” Ambassador Johnson e are excited about bringing a new vision to our expos here in Miami, Florida” Doug Mayorga,“Miami International T rade Days Summit will focus on all aspects of business.” June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 14 

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GREG ISAACSON The leaves of the camellia sinensis plant contain an array of bioactive substances, but scientific interest is brewing over the medicinalpr operties of antioxidant polyphenol compounds known as flavonoids. In green, or unprocessed, tea, the most potent are thecatechins. As tealeaves ar e fermented by air exposure to produce black tea, the catechins are transformed into theaflavins and thear ubigins. Though all have benefits for brain and body, it may be bestto consume a variety of teas. GREEN TEA 1.Arthritis: Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG inflammation, bone erosion, and joint damage fr om rheumatoid arthritis. 2.Cancer: Populations that drink green tea have lowerrates of cancer . EGCG combats free-radical cell damage and activates p57, a protein that pr otects healthy cells. 3. Cholesterol: Lowers total cholester ol and raises good HDL cholester ol. 4. Intestinal inflammation: EGCG has potent anti-inflam matory properties that could help treat inflammatory bowel disease. 5.Liver disease: Lowers risk of developing liver disorders in men. May also pr otect liver against damaging effects of alcohol. 6. Sunburn: EGCG mitigates sunburn reaction. May protect against skin cancer. BLA CK TEA 1. Bone health: May incr ease bone mineral density . 2.Cancer: May reduce risk of many cancers. Theaflavin-3’-monogallate (TF-2 COX-2 inhibitor to suppresscancer cells. 3.Cholesterol: Drinking five cups of black tea per day low ers total cholester ol and bad LDL cholesterol. 4.Heart disease: Helps lower blood pressure. May reverseendothelial dysfunction; also reduces blood platelet activation. Note: Adding milk to tea cancels the beneficial effect. 5.Stress: Speeds recovery from stressful events, reducing levels of cortisol and diminishing blood platelet activation. BOTH 1.Brain health: Catechins in both green and black tea (although more concentratedin gr een tea) protect against buildup of amyloid deposits, implicated in Alzheimer’s and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. 2. Diabetes: Impr oves glucose tolerance in bor derline diabetics. 3.Oral health: Rich in fluoride, which protects against cavities. Theobr omine found in teas appears to str engthen teeth and pr otect against cavities better than fluoride. Added to chewing gum, green tea extract protects gum tissue and stimulates salivary glands. 4.Weight control: Catechins stimulate thermogenesis, boosting fat metabolism and calorie expenditur e. 2008 Susse x Publishers, Inc.All rights reserved. Distrib uted by Tribune Media Services,Inc. HA VANA, Cuba, CMC Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda havesigned a memorandum of understanding (MOU ing a legal framework for thefr ee eye surgery program, “Operation Miracle”, that has alr eady benefited more than 1,000 patients fr om the Englishspeaking Caribbean nation. The document was signed by Cuban Health MinisterRamon Balaguer and AntiguaPrime Minister Baldwin Spencer, who was on an official visit to the country at the invitation of President Raul Castrolast month. Balaguer told the Cuban News Agency (ACN) that Spencer was particularly interested in the Cuban experience in the tr eatment of diabetes, a disease that is significantly affecting the people of the twin-island federation. The prime minister also expr essed his interest in incr easing cooperation in the training of Antiguan nursingpersonnel in Havana. Operation Miracle, a pr ogram that began in 2004, has already benefited more than 1.1 million people from 32 countries, mainly from LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. Patients from Antigua and Barbuda entered the programon July 22, 2005. Cuba offers free eye surgeries to AntiguansFit to a tea: green or black,they pack punch DR. HAR VEYB. SIMON Question:I know I should quit smoking. I’m 27 y ears old and just started three years ago.I alwa ys belie v ed I could quit an y time I wanted.Now,almost four months ha v e gone by since I made my New Year’s resolution to give it up for good.But I am still smoking a pack per day. What can I do? Answer: In addition to nicotine r eplacement you can buy without a prescription, your doctor has additional tools to help you quit. Two forms of nicotine replacement require a prescription. Nicotineinhalers(Nicotrol Inhaler) Each cartridgedeliversa“puff”ofvaporcontaining fourmgofnicotinethrough aplasticholder.Theholder mayhelpsatisfyasmokers oralurge.Theaveragedoseis six to 16 car tridges a day for up to 12 weeks,followedbya gradual r eduction in dose over thenext12weeks. Most of the nicotine is absorbed through the mouth,not the lungs. Side ef fects may include mouth or thr oat irritation and cough. Nicotine nasal spray (Nicotrol NS delivers 0.5 mg of nicotine. Use one spray in each nostril when you feel the urge tosmoke, up to a maximum of 10 sprays an hour or 80 a day for thr ee months. Side ef fects may include nasal irritation, sneezing, tearing, and cough. DRUGS Many smokers need mor e than just nicotine replacement and behavioral therapy to stop smoking. Two of the drugs prescribed most often ar e bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix Bupropion (Wellbutrin) This antidepressant wasappr oved for smoking cessation under the name Zyban. It doesn’t contain nicotine and can be used in combination with nicotine replacement therapy . Star t taking bupropion one to two weeks before your quit date. The dose for the first thr ee days is 150 mg once a day , then 150 mg twice a day for the next eight to 12 weeks or longer if needed. Bupropion may help prevent weight gain after quitting. Side effects may include dry mouthand insomnia; seizur es ar e very rare. V arinicline (Chantix This is the newest drug approved for smoking cessation. Although experience is still limited, it appears to be the most effective quit-smoking dr ug. It blocks nicotine r eceptors in the brain while also partially stimulating these receptors to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The usual dose is 0.5 mg once a day for the first three days, then 0.5 mg twice a day for fourdays, followed by the full doseof one mg a day for 12 weeks or longer. The dose should be lower ed in patients with sever e kidney disease. Nausea is common and bad dr eams may occur. Contact your doctor if you experience behavior or mood changes. Smoking is the top thr eat to public health. So if you smoke, quitting should be your top priority. Over 45 million Americans have quit smoking and you can,too. Dr.Harvey B.Simon is an associate professor of medi cine at Harvard Medical Sc hool and a member of the Health Sciences Technology Faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.For additional consumer health information,please visit www.health.harvard.edu. 2008 President and Fellows of Harvard College.All rightsreser ved. Distrib uted b y T ribune Media Ser vices,Inc. Finding ways to stop smoking June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 HEALTH HEALTH www .caribbeantoday.com A cup of tea offers many health benefits. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 15 

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GORDON WILLIAMS PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – It’s clear,Aar on Ross is drawn to speed. Fr om pee wee league, through high school, college and even now in his job, as a professional American football player,Ross is about matching strides with the game’s fastest. But successfully chasing Jamaican-bor n track star Sanya Richar ds, for what eventually should be her hand in marriage, was a different ballgame than scurrying after wide receivers. Ross was simply unaware of what he wasgetting into when he first sawRichar ds at a track meet in his home state of T exas a few years ago. o tell you the truth I didn’t know she was aJamaican until later on in our relationship,” said the rookiedefensive back for the Super Bowl champions New YorkGiants of the NationalFootball League (NFL recently at the Penn Relays, which he attended here to be with his fiance as she competed for the United States. Now that he does, he has some catching up to do andRoss, even his ladylove agrees, is not doing badly sofar . The T exan and the Jamaican appears a game-winning combo. s been a joy in my life ever since I met her ,” Ross said of Richards, “so it’s been gr eat.” CARIBBEAN ROOTS An early encounter with her par ents enlightened him about Richards’s Caribbean background. “I had a chance to meet her father (former Jamaicansoccer player Ar chie Richards) and I heard his accent; her mother’s and allthat,” he said. Now he’ s lear ning to work himself into the Jamaican cul ture. A key approach, Rossexplained, is simply listeningand absorbing the nuances.But his best strategy to inte grate, he said, is to lean on his own upbringing, where cour-tesy always worked. “Just a smile,” he said, as both he and Sanya burst outlaughing. “I’m a T exas gentleman.” The two met as students at the University of Texas where Richards ran track for the Longhorns and Ross played football. Ross was a productive first round draft pick of the Giants in 2007 and is set to earn millions of dollars as a pro. Richards has alr eady bagged huge sums on the inter national track circuit. They ar e both financially secur e and may get married in 2010. With Richards as his side, Ross said he is getting comfortable with the Jamaicancultur e. Sanya’ s family has made his assimilation smoothas well. And all he has to dois, well, show up. “Just being myself,” he said, explaining his game plan. “I’m around them all the time, with the family. So everythingis good.” That carries some benefits. Ross now claims to loveJamaica’ s reggae music. Cr ooner Beres Hammond is his favorite. But mealtime at the Richards home has some perks too. “I’m loving the food,” he said. FOR TUNE Sanya is happy too. “I feel very fortunate,” said the 23-year-old Richards,who moved fr om Jamaica at age 12 and chose to run for the U.S. “because they’vegiven me so much.” Despite struggling last season, where she was slowedby illness and failed to makethe U.S. team to the 2007 World Championships (W.C.)in her pet event the 400 meters, Richards still consid-ers the past year a success. She earned a gold medal in the W.C. 4x400 meters relay and in February attended theSuper Bowl to r oot for her man and share his triumph. “My fianc had the best year of his life,” she said.“So I feel definitely for tu nate. I’m very happy and my personal life has gone great.” Y et when she was at her lowest point, Ross stepped up. It was a time for him to slow to Sanya’s pace and be supportive. “Absolutely. I mean, it was exciting to come of f my season and come straight into his and see him,” she said of2007/2008. “As soon as I gotback to the States he becamethe star ting cor nerback and then it was just success, suc cess. So it was good and it definitely kept me in good spirits.” She is eyeing a 400-meters gold medal at this summer’sOlympic Games in China. ButRoss’ s NFL commitments could pr event him from attending. It shouldn’ t matter much. There will be time for him to catch up. After all, he can’t let her get away. Gordon W illiams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. GORDON WILLIAMS KINGSTON, Jamaica – A disappointing batting display by the West Indies on the finalday of a captivating match handed Australia an impressive victory to open the three-T est cricket series between the two long-time rivals in theCaribbean which began latelast month. Asked to make 287 runs to win with one full session and the entire fifth day in glorious weather the home side, enthusiastic and competitivethr oughout the first four days, cr umbled to 191 all out to lose by 95. Only Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Devon Smith and Daren Powell offered any second innings resistance, and what was headed for a cliff-hanger finish fizzled into ahuge anti-climax, although the players appeared satisfiedwith the spirit of the contest. “I think anyone who played in this game cer tainly enjoyed the atmosphere,” Australian captain RickyPonting said. The match was filled with pulsating intrigue from the first day. Australia, the topteam in the world, won thetoss and elected to bat at bright, warm Sabina Parkher e, but in fr ont of a disap pointing crowd considering the traditional rivalry and ther ecent impr ovement shown by the eight-ranked West Indies. ‘TIGER’S’ TURN The visitors got off to a wobbly start at 37 runs for twowickets on an uneven pitch, but then asserted themselves to take control. Ponting top scor ed with a century, while pace bowler Fidel Edwar ds grabbed five wickets, as Australia finished at 431 allout on the second day . The West Indies started its r esponse solidly . Openers Brenton Parchment and Smith added 47. Runako Mortonchipped in with 67 andDwayne Bravo 46. But it wassenior batsman ShivnarineChanderpaul who once againpr oved to be the backbone of the W est Indies batting. The little Guyanese they call iger” ticked off his 18th Test century to lead his team’sfight back. Chanderpaul, despite suffering a crashingblow to the head that numbedhis body after he ducked intoa shor t ball fr om pacer Brett Lee, scored 118 runs to push the home team to 312 all out. The West Indies began its second stint in the field brilliantly. The mightyAustralians wer e buckled by the Edwards-Powell one-two late evening punch and endedwith 17 for four , 136 r uns ahead with six wickets standing. The crowd, sensing a home team fight-back, brokeinto song - “Rally ‘Round The West Indies” as the matchswung towar ds an exciting cli max. “It has been an eventful day ,” West Indies coach John Dyson said after day three. PRESSURE MOUNTS The Caribbean team piled on more pressure, Powell tak-ing an early wicket to leaveAustralia at 18 for 5, its lowest start in decades, barely 10 minutes into day four. But the visitors gradually pulled them-selves back into the contestand finished their secondinnings at 167 all out. Butafter putting just 22 on theboar d, Parchment edged manof-the-match Stuart Clark to the wicketkeeper to add to themounting drama. When bad light forced the players off at 46 for one on day four, the West Indies still needed 241 towin with nine wickets stand ing. Bravo, who took four wickets in Australia’s secondinnings, sounded positive histeam could pull it of f. e are in a position of strength,” he said. Yet a dramatic start to the final day sent the W est Indies spiraling towards defeat. The home team lost five wickets before lunch and stumbled to 82 for 6. Late resistance bySammy , Ramdin and Powell brought respectability to thetotal, but a golden chance tolead the T est series had alr eady slipped away . Final scores: Australia 431 (Ricky Ponting 158, Andr ew Symonds 70 not out; Fidel Edwards five wickets for 104 runs) and 167 (Symonds 79; Dwayne Bravo four for 47, Edwards three for 40). W est Indies 312 (Shivnarine Chanderpaul 118; Brett Lee three for 63, Stuart Clarkthr ee for 59) and 191 (Ramdin 36, Sammy 35, Devon Smith 28 and Daren Powell 27;Clark five for 32). REMAINING SCHEDULE BETWEEN THE TW O TEAMS: Second Test – May 30-June 3, Antigua; Third Test– June 12-16, Barbados; plusone 20/20 on June 20; and fiveone-day inter nationals – June 24, St. Vincent; June 27 and29, Gr enada; and July 4 and 6 in St. Kitts. LAUDERHILL, Florida A West Indies All-Stars team,comprising several for mer T est players, mar ched to a 37-run victor y over Canada All-Stars to win the MAQ Twenty20 championship last month. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the W est Indies scored 128 runs in their allotted 20 overs, and Canadacould only r each 91 all out in 18.5 overs when they replied at Central Broward Regional Park here. The Windies All-Stars included Richie Richar dson, a former West Indies captain, Philo Wallace, Franklyn Rose,Stuar t W illiams and Cour tney Br owne. About 600 fans attended the championship match, manycheering for the Caribbean team that was a crowd favorite all Memorial weekend. The West Indies All Stars won all three matches in theweekend tour nament, which also included a World XI and Pakistan All Stars teams. s exciting,” said Richardson, the West Indies All-Stars captain. “Even though I’ve been retired from the internationalgame for a long time, I feel alittle bit of buzz,” added the46-year -old, who captained West Indies from 1991 to 1996. In the W est Indies total, Browne top-scored with 48, while Stuar t W illiams (13 Philo Wallace (13 Richardson (11ble figur es. Geoff Barnett (28 Sanjay Thuraisingham (25 were Canada’s chief scorers in their failed run chase. Caribbean-born runner matches strides with American grid starWindies stumble late,lose cricket Test to AustraliaTeam of ex-Windies stars wins 20/20 cricket tourney in Florida 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com Chanderpaul’s heroics could not save the Windies against Australia. June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 16 

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NELSON KING HARTFORD, Connecticut – Former star West Indies opening batsmen Gordon Greenidgeand Desmond Haynes will beinducted into the United StatesCricket Hall of Fame, or ganizers say . The Hartford, Connecticutbased U.S. Cricket Hall ofFame said last month theCaribbean legends will bebestowed the honor on Sept. 20 at the Marriott Hotel, down-town Har tford. The other nominees are Florida cricket administrator, Barbadian Jeff Miller, co-founder ofLucas SportsClub inNew Y ork Jamaican Mascelles Bailey,andGuyaneseMohamedBaksh, amemberof the WestIndiesCricket Umpires’ Training andExamination Committee. Greenidge, one half of the West Indies’ prolific open-ing par tnership with Haynes, began his career in 1974 against India and continued to play international cricket until 1991. He played in 108 Test matches and scored 7,558 runs with 19 centuries. Fellow Barbadian Haynes was Wisden Cricketer of theY ear in 1991. Haynes formed a for midable partnership with Greenidge, “which was integral to the success of the WestIndies team in the 1980s”, the statement said. Haynes compiled a 7,487 runs in 116 Testmatches at an average of 42.29. The organizerssaid Miller,who beganhis cricket career as ayoungster in his nativeBarbados, establishedhimself in the U.S. both as a player and an administrator. Bailey was co-founderof The Bankers Athletic Cricket League in New York in 1971. Baksh, from an early age, was involved with sports at various levels, serving on a number of community organi-zations and r egional cricket boards. For a number of years, he was a member of the WestIndies Cricket Umpir es’ Training Examination Committee. GORDON WILLIAMS MIAMI, Florida Miami F.C. has expanded its core ofCaribbean players, adding Trinidad and Tobago World Cup defender Avery John toits United Soccer Leagues(USL oster. John, a key member of the “Soca Warriors” who made anhistoric appearance at thegame’ s showpiece event in 2006 in Germany, joined Jamaicanattackers Sean Fraser and SeanBar rett, and Haitian defender Stephane Guillaume at theUSL club last month. The 32-year-old signed with the South Florida-basedteam last month after failing to agree to contract terms with his former club NewEngland Revolution of higherrated Major League Soccer . He played for the Revolution from 2004-2007, appearing inthe MLS finals. However, John told Caribbean Today that the drop in professional level would not dampen his enthusiasm for the game nor his bid to return to the “Soca Warriors” squad in time for the World Cup 2010 qualifiers,which begin this month. “It doesn’ t af fect much,” said the man who has represented T&T more than 50times. “At the end of the day, wherever you are playing, itcould be the MLS, it could bethe USL it could be the English first, second, thirddivision, it could be some where else in the world once you are competing, once you are fit and once you’re doingwhat is needed to be on thenational team and competing week in week out, you should earn a (national IMPACT John’s presence appeared to make an almost immediate with Miami F.C., which had struggled early this seasonunder new coach Zinho, who was a member of Brazil’s winning 1994 World Cup team andup to last season played for theUSL club. Although Miami F.C. lost its first game withJohn, the team r ebounded to record two consecutive shutouts with him at central defense – itsfirst of the season – in a win and a draw later in May. John is r efusing to r est on the laurels of his World Cup success, where he playedagainst Sweden in a surprisingdraw with the Eur opean pow er house team, missed out in a loss to England due to suspension, and returned against Paraguay, another T&T loss. Both coach and player have put a positive spin on John’s arrival at Miami F.C. “He has experience and he has leadership,” Zinho described John’s attributes to Caribbean Today . “He has the World Cup experience and so he knows how things shouldbe done at the back.” John, meanwhile, said he is still cognizant of the fact that he is also representing the region, no matter what levelhe is playing. “Always, ever ytime I step on the pitch anywhere I go, I know I represent Trinidad, Ir epresent the Caribbean,” he said. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today’s managing editor. MIAMI The City of Miami last month celebrated the grand opening of the Little Haiti Soccer Park. The South Florida park was also renamed after the late Emmanuel “Manno” Sanon, one of Haiti’ s most cel ebrated soccer players, during the event. To kick off the celebration, Miami City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones joined Mayor Manny Diaz and other elected officials from the City of Miami, Miami Dade County, Nor th Miami, Nor th Miami Beach and members of the Little Haiti community in a day-long event. The celebration included the T oussaint L’Ouverture Parade, thr ee soccer matches that included local Haitian teams and L’Athletique D’ Haiti (fromHaiti) and a Haitian festival withCaribbean music and live bands. VISION Spence-Jones said the late Commissioner Arthur E.T eele first intr oduced the idea for a “first-class full/ser vicepark” park in Little Haiti five or six years ago. “His vision included a facility that exemplifies and captures the Haitian culture, rich with the colors of the Caribbean,” she said. “The r ecr eational and cultural com ponents of the park will pr o vide the Little Haiti, Edison, Little River, Buena Vista, and Lemon City r esidents with a park that they can tr uly call their own.” The Little Haiti Soccer Park and Cultural Complex is the first state-of-the-ar t-facili ty in the Little Haiti/Lemon City area. The soccer park includes both a practice field and a playing field, cover ed seating for 580 people, a tot lot with a jungle gym under a canopy, and a children’s watersplash park. Commissioner SpenceJones’s vision is to eventually cr eate a soccer exchange pr o gram between the City of Miami and L ’Athletique D’ Haiti. “What we want to bring to the park is a cultural exchange pr ogram wher e kids fr om Little Haiti and Haiti can interact and communicate with each other,” she said. To ensure that the new park incorporates the Haitian/Caribbean cultur e, the City of Miami has cr eated com mittees that will provide input on the cultural and recreational components of the park and the cultural complex. In addi tion, the office Spence-Jones has created partnerships with the city of Jacmel and Por t-auPrince Haiti. The Little Haiti Soccer Park and Cultural Complex is funded by both the City of Miami and Miami Dade County. The total project cost approximately $36.9 million,of which the City of Miamicontributed $29.6 million and Miami Dade County con-tributed $7.3 million. Caribbean legends for U.S. Cricket Hall of FameT&T star joins Miami professional soccer clubMiami celebrates Caribbean culture at Little Haiti Soccer P ark June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 SPORT SPORT www .caribbeantoday.com Photograph by J.Perez,Office of Communications,City of Miami.Soccer matches highlighted the opening of the new park in Little Haiti. John Haynes Greenidge June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 17 

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – One month after theSenate dismissed PrimeMinister Jacques Edouar d Alexis, law makers inHaiti haver ejected PresidentRenPrval’ s latest nomineefor the post. The LowerHouse ofParliament last month voted by a margin of 51-35, with nine absten-tions, to r eject economist Ericq Pier re as Alexis’s replacement. e didn’ t really believe in the plan that he had for the people of this countryLevaillant Louis Jeune, aleading Opposition legislator told reporters. Pierre, 63, a senior official with the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank (IDBhad been nominated by President Prval to replaceAlexis who was dismissed onApril 12 over criticism that his government failed to show leadership and mismanaged the economy before violent food protests that left sevenpeople dead. CONFIDENCE Prval will have to nominate another candidate, whomust win a vote of confidencein the two houses ofParliament and Stephen Benoit, amember of Prval’sLespwa party, saidHaitiansmust unitebehind thenext nomi nee. e need to have a new prime minister in office soon,” he said. Prval nominated Pierre for the same position in 1997, but he was rejected after promising to push a UnitedStates-backed economic planthat would have r esulted in thousands of government workers being laid off and pri-vatized state-r un enterprises. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC The way is now clear forembattled Jamaica Labour Party (JLP Vaz, to seek re-election as theMember of Parliament for the West Portland constituency. V az announced last month that he had of ficially r enounced his American citizenship, allaying concerns about his eligibility for the byelection in the West Portlandconstituency which was ordered by court in April. Chief Justice Zaila McCalla made the r uling after the Opposition People’ s National Party (PNP date Abe Dabdoub chal lenged Vaz’s election on the grounds of his dual citizenship. Vaz’s renunciation of his American citizenship is the most recent development in the dual citizenship r ow here. Last month, Director of Elections Danville Walker resigned with immediate effectafter it was disclosed that hetoo held dual citizenship. Vaz said that he supported W alker’s decision to resign and also called on Members ofParliament acr oss the political divide to declare their loyalties. Dabdoub has said he would take the issue to thePrivy Council if he was not named the M.P. for West Portland. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC Less than 24 hours after the Opposition People’s National Par ty’s (PNP filed an appeal to be declared the Member of Parliament for the West Portland constituency, the sitting M.P. Daryl Vaz appealed a judge’s decision that disqualified him from holding the seat. In documents filed in cour t on May 15 the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLPaz said Chief Justice Zaila McCalla was wrong in ruling that hewas not qualified to sit as M.P . because he holds a United States passpor t. Vaz also intends to challenge the r uling that he was not duly nominated in August last year, just ahead of the Sept. 3, 2007 general elections. “Mr. Dabdoub filed an appealso as a result I havehad to file an appealso that in the worse case scenario I will be able to stay in Parliamentduring the life of the appeal,” Vaz explained. “But I am hoping that we will be successful in arguingagainst any stay being granted which means it would clear the way for a by-election. Ifthat is done then obviously ther e would be no need for me to pursue the appeal,” he added. In April, Chief Justice McCalla ruled that Vaz should be disqualified from sitting inParliament because he holds dual citizenship. But instead of turning over the seat toDabdoub she or der ed a byelection, prompting the PNPcandidate to file his appeal. Haitian Parliament rejects nominee for prime ministerJamaican politician renounces U.S.citizenshipJLP candidate follows opponent,files appeal 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYJune 2008 POLITICS POLITICS www.caribbeantoday.com Dabdoub,left,Vaz Pierre Prval June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 18 

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NASSAU, The Bahamas, CMC – Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has delivered what he described asa balanced budget to “cushionthe harshness of the impact ofinter national turbulence” on citizens. In tabling the $1.8 billionfiscal packagein Parliamentlate lastmonth,Ingraham saidhis gover nment “careful-ly deter mined the size andcomponents of the fiscal pr ogram which will touch every family with significant financial relief. “At the same time we will not under any circumstances compromise the sound fiscalstatus of our economy which we have worked so hard to maintain through several terms in government,” he said. LESS T AXES The budget, which primarily focused on providing relieffor low income families who are mostly impacted by the ris-ing cost of living, included theelimination of several taxes onfood items and suspension of taxes on fuel imports. “Having r educed the stamp tax on food items from four per cent to two per centduring our last stint in of fice we are now moving to eliminate the two per cent stamptax on some 160 food items,”the prime minister said. The measure will result in the elimination of impor t duties on a number of citrus fruits, frozen vegetables, cere-als, oatmeal, and br eads. W ith r egar ds to the rising cost of fuel, the prime minister announced that his govern-ment will grant a two-yearsuspension of customs andstamp duties on the Bahamas Electricity Corporation’s (BEC ts to address the rising utility surcharge. Ingraham admitted that some of these measures will result in revenue losses for thegover nment, but said they will provide some much-neededr elief for consumers and homeowners. LION’S SHARE With respect to the allocation of budgetary funds, the ministries of Tourism andA viation, National Security and Education received thebiggest shar es. “Once again education r eceives the greatest call on the government’s resources. This ought to be no surprise as we believe that the education of our children is the most critical investment that we can make in the future ofour nation,” Ingraham said. “The education, youth, sports and culture services receive a total of $312 million or 20 percent of total recurrent expenditure.” He also announced salar y increases for civil servants, with every public officerexpected to get a $750 hike and each teacher in the coun-tr s public schools being promised a $1,250 pay rise. Despite the global uncertainties, Prime MinisterIngraham has pr ojected that the economy will grow 2.8 percent this year, a drop from the4.8 per cent growth recorded in 2006. However , he said, the anticipated gr owth was “com mendably strong in the context of the developing inter na tional economic downturn. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC The Jamaica government has said that the economic situation in the country would be among agenda items to be discussed at the third BiennialDiaspora Confer ence to be held her e this month. A government statement said Prime Minister Br uce Golding would discuss the country’s economy and relateddevelopment initiatives at theJune 16-17 event. The statement added that the r ole of Jamaicans in the diaspora would also be dis cussed at the two-day meeting that is expected to be attended by more than 700 nationals from the diaspora, including a high-level delegation from theUnited States. Junior For eign Affairs and For eign Trade Minister Dr. Ronald Robinson said the conference would be heldunder the theme “A Borderless Partnership forDevelopment”. He said the theme underscor es the “concentrated efforts of manyJamaicans on the island who seek to build stronger rela-tionships with Jamaicans inthe diaspora to achievegr eater economic development”. Robinson said that the confer ence, or ganized by the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation (JDF“will bring all the diaspora representatives together in one place, where the primeminister and ministers of gov er nment can articulate to them the policies and dir ection of the new administration. e are looking to have a conference this year with a big, big difference,” he added. CORE AREAS The gover nment statement said that exper ts and government officials would discuss five core areas ofdevelopment, including eco nomic growth and investment, education and culture, crime and justice, the chur ch role and faith based organizationsin development and youth andleadership. Robinson said the Golding administration isseeking to bring mor e young people into the diasporamovement and to encouragethem to assume leadership roles to ensure continuity. “For the first time this year’s conference will have a delegation of youngsters com-ing with the members of thediaspora and we will have aspecial session wher e that is concerned,” he said. e will be engaging these individuals not just as anew administration, but also in terms of building on what was there before. This meansthat the confer ence will be looking to actualize a lot ofthe ideas and thoughts and so this conference for us is a veryimpor tant one.” ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC China has donated $1 million to Grenada that willhelp the gover nment follow through on a promise of back pay for civil servants as well as carry out a number of devel-opment pr ojects. The grant, according to Prime Minister Dr. KeithMitchell and China’ s Ambassador to Grenada Zhang W anhai, who signed the agr ee ment, was in keeping with the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries at the r esumption of diplo matic relations three years ago. s clearly written in the memorandum of understanding that this sum is to be given annually until the year 2009,”Mitchell said. SUPPORT He explained that the money would be used for,among other things, budgetar y support and payment of retroactive salaries to public servants in June as provided for in the r ecently signed col lective agreements with the Gr enada Public W orkers Union and the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers’ Union. “In this period ever y bit of grant is important to us because it is money we don’t have topay back and I assur e that it will be put into productive use,” the prime minister said. Bahamas’s budget offers reliefEconomic situation on Jamaica diaspora conference agendaChina pro vides $1M grant to aid Grenada GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC The EconomicPar tnership Agr eement (EP A) between the European Commission (ECCaribbean For um of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUMsigned next month, accor ding to a statement issued by the Caribbean community (CARI-COM) Secr etariat. It said that the EPA had been discussed at the specialmeeting of the Council for Trade and EconomicDevelopment (COTEDAntigua last month and that trade and industr y ministers had considered possible datesfor signing and the pr ovisional application of the agreement and r epor ted they wer e in consultations with the EC on the subject. Caribbean ready to sign EPA in July June 2008CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 REGION REGION www .caribbeantoday.com “Once again education receives the greatest call on the government’s resources” Ingraham Ingraham June2008.qxd 6/4/08 1:50 PM Page 19 

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