- u scrbes..


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e wS


U.S. challenges Jamaica to sprint showdown


The United States, still
 smarting from Jamaica's
 outstanding perform-
ance at last year's Olympic
Games, is challenging the
Caribbean country to a show-
down on the track this year.
 The Americans have pro-
posed a dual meet format
against Jamaica a home-and-
home series, "head to head
team, scored competition" for
sometime in May/June 2009.
 The formal invitation, for
the proposed "USA-Jamaica
Challenge", was made to
Jamaica's Neville "Teddy"
McCook by U.S. Track and
Field's (USATF) Chief
Executive Officer Doug
Logan in a letter this month.
 A press release issued by
USATF explained that the
meets would feature male and
female athletes competing in
the 100, 200 and 400 meters;
100/110 and 400 meters hur-
dles; long jump; and the
4x100, 4x400 and medley


relays. Three or four athletes
from each country would par-
ticipate in each individual
event and two teams each for
relays.

RIVALRY
 "It was obvious to every-
one that with the rise of your
country's great sprinters and
hurdlers, a compelling rivalry
between Jamaica and the
United States had developed",
Logan wrote to McCook, area
group representative of the
NACAC. "These competi-
tions would offer a means to
showcase our phenomenal
strengths to the NACAC
region and the world".
 At the 2007 IAAF World
Championships, Americans
won the men's 100, 200 and
400 meters, sweeping the
longer race, as well as the
women's 200, both relays,
women's 100 hurdles and men's
400 hurdles. Jamaica won the
women's 100 and numerous sil-


ver and bronze medals. An
American or Jamaican won 10
of 12 medals in the men's and
women's 100 and 200 meters
and went one-two in three of
the four relay events.
 At the 2008 Olympic
Games, Jamaicans won the
men's and women's 100 and
200 meters, including a sweep
in the women's 100. Usain Bolt
broke the world record in the
100 and 200. The 4x100 relay,
on which he ran third leg, also
broke the world record.
 Jamaica won the women's
400 hurdles, while Americans
swept the men's 400 meters
and 400 hurdles, won two
medals in the men's 110m hur-
dles and took gold in the
women's 100 hurdles.
 Collectively, U.S. and
Jamaica won 11 of 12 medals in
the 100 and 200; 16 of 18 in the
100 through 400; and five of six
medals in the 400m hurdles.
0


Jamaican executed by lethal injection in U.S.


An eleventh hour appeal
 to Virginia Governor
 Timothy Kaine failed
to win a stay for a convicted
Jamaican death row inmate in
the United States.
 Edward Bell, who was
convicted of killing a U.S.
police officer nearly a decade
ago, was executed last month.
 In a release posted on his
website, the governor declined
to intervene to save Bell from
lethal injection.
 "Having carefully reviewed


the petition for
clemency and
judicial opin-
ions regarding
this case, I find
no compelling
reason to set
aside the sen-
tence that was Bell
recommended
by the jury,
and then imposed and affirmed
by the courts," the governor
said in his statement.
 Bell, 44, who maintained
his innocence, was from the


eastern parish of Portland. He
was convicted in 2001 for the
capital murder of Winchester
City Police Officer Richard
Timbrook in Virginia.
 Gov. Kaine noted that in
two separate sentencing hear-
ings culminating on Jan. 26,
2001, a jury had sentenced Bell
to death. He also noted that
Bell's trial, verdict, and sen-
tence had been reviewed by
state and federal courts, includ-
ing the U.S. Supreme Court.
0


 Photograph by LA PRESSE CANADIENNE /Sean Kilpatrick
 Michaelle Jean, right, Haitian-born governor general of Canada, meets with Barack
 Obama during the United States leader's visit to Ottawa last month, his first over-
 seas assignment since being sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

 Caribbean American billionaire

on 'shocking' fraud charge in U.S.


HOUSTON, Texas United
States financial regulators have
charged the Antigua-based
Texan billionaire Sir Allen
Stanford for orchestrating a
"fraudulent, multi-billion dollar
investment ,k .i lm .


Stanford


 The Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC)
named Sir Allen, 58, and his
Antigua-based Stanford
International Bank (SIB),
Houston-based broker-dealer
and investment adviser Stanford
Group Company (SGC), and
investment adviser Stanford
Capital Management as players
in the alleged $8 billion dollar
fraud by misrepresenting the
safety and liquidity of the unin-
sured rlifii-.,iL of deposits
(CDs).
 "We are alleging a fraud of
shocking magnitude that has
spread its tentacles throughout
the world," Rose Romero,
regional director of the SEC's
Fort Worth Regional Office,
said last month.
 A U.S. judge has also
issued a temporary restraining
order, freezing the defendants'
assets and appointed a receiver
to marshal those assets.
 "Stanford and the close cir-


cle of family and friends with
whom he runs his businesses
perpetrated a massive fraud
based on false promises and
fabricated historical return data
to prey on investors," said
Linda Chatman Thomsen,
director of the SEC's Division
of Enforcement.
 "We are moving quickly
and decisively in this enforce-
ment action to stop this fraudu-
lent conduct and preserve
assets for investors," she added.

BIG PROMISES
 The SEC's complaint, filed
in federal court in Dallas, alleges
that acting through a network of
SGC financial advisers, SIB has
sold approximately $8 billion of
so-called LLrlllh.tjLlof
dLp< ,NII to investors by promis-
ing improbable and unsubstanti-
ated high interest rates.
 These rates were suppos-
edly earned through SIB's
unique investment strategy,
which purportedly allowed the
bank to achieve double-digit
returns on its investments for
the past 15 years, a release on
the SEC's website said.
 The SEC's complaint also
alleges an additional scheme
relating to $1.2 billion in sales by
SGC advisers of a proprietary
mutual fund wrap program,
called Stanford Allocation
Strategy (SAS), by using materi-
ally false historical performance
data.
 Sir Allen is a naturalized
Antigua and Barbuda citizen
and has built a corporate
empire on the twin-island
nation with various financial,
media and sporting franchises
based in St John's.
0


March 2009


CARIBBEAN CONTACT


With Miami-Dade Transit's new

EASY Card, simply tap and go!

 Faster boarding, no need to worry about carrying cash or
 exact change.
 Buy a one-day pass, a seven-day pass or a monthly pass that
 offers unlimited rides -it's your choice.
 Convenient automatic reloading and protection against loss
 or theft when you register your card.


To find out more about the EASY Card, go to
 miamidade.gov or call 3-1-1.


*