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PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE P AID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Vol.20 No.4 MARCH 2009 Tel: (305 1-800-605-7516 editor@caribbeantoday.com ct_ads@bellsouth.net Jamaica: 655-1479 W e cover your world INSIDECaribbean American billionaireSir Allen Stanford hasbeenchar ged by United States financial regulatorsfor allegedly or chestrating a “fraudulent, multi-billion dollar investment scheme”, page 4. American R&B star Chris Brown, right, has been charged with two felonies following the alleged beating of his girlfriend,Barbadian pop singer Rihanna,page 15. News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Financial Planning . . . . . . . .5 Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 V iewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Vacation Planning . . . . . . .11 Spring Shipping . . . . . . . . .13 Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Arts/Entertainment . . . . . . .17 Spor t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479 ~ The United States accuses Caribbean of widespr ead human rights abuses, page 3.Jamaicanborn GlenJohnsonkept ontrack foranother shot at a world boxing titleby scoring aunanimous decision win over AmericanDaniel Judah in their lightheavyweight bout at the Har d Rock Live ar ena, page 18. Americans propose head-to-head meets as rivalry with Jamaicans heats up on the track, page T yson Gay Usain BoltV eronica Campbell-Brown Laur yn Williams U .S.WANTS JAMAICA IN SPRINT SHO WDO WN March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 1 

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FOR T LAUDERDALE, FloridaAround 250 persons attended a rally in Pompano Beach just north of here late last month urging the BarackObama administration to stopdepor tations to Haiti. Speakers at the Feb. 28 rally said the United Statesgover nment should grant T emporary Protected Status (TPS the humanitarian crisis facingthe impoverished Caribbean nation, which is still strugglingto r ecover from a serious of deadly storms that devastatedthe countr y last year. If TPS is granted, thousands of Haitians living in theU.S. illegally would be given the right to remain and work in the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement figures showthat mor e than 30,000 Haitian nationals have been or dered to return to their home country. Around 6,000 of them arebeing held in U.S. detentioncenters. Hip hop artiste and Haitian Goodwill AmbassadorW yclef Jean made a sur prise appearance at theevent. s important thatHaitians getthe justice that our Cuban brothers and sis-ters get,” said Jean. “This is not a Haitian cause, it’s a human beingcause.” WASHINGTON – Newlyappointed United States Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr . made his first official visit to the Caribbean late last month, touring the Guantnamo Bay detention center in Cuba. Holder, the son of a Barbadian father, visited the Spanish-speak ing Caribbean island as par t of the Barack Obama admin istration’s review of its pledge to close the center ineaster n Cuba. U.S. JusticeDepar tment of ficials said Holder engaged in discussions with officials at the base on detention and interrogation practices. Matthew A. Miller , a Justice Depar tment spokesman, said the U.S. attorney general discussed case histories of specific detainees and charges which were pending before President Obama suspended military commissions as part of a comprehensive terrorism policy review. FIRST Holder , 58, was of ficially sworn in last month as the first Caribbean American attor ney general of the U.S. He is also the first black attor ney general. “Nowhere but in this great country could a person like me or the president hope to achieve the positions we are now so for-tunate to hold,” said Holder , after Vice President Joe Biden administer ed the oath of of fice. The U.S. Senate had voted overwhelmingly to confirm Holder as the highest law enforcement official in America, becoming the nation’ s 82nd attorney general. Holder is now in charge of about 110,000employees at the U.S. Justice Department. Meantime, detainees’ lawyers and human rights gr oups have assailed an 85-page report that U.S. Navy Admiral Patrick M. Walsh sent to the White House r ecently , declaring conditions at the Guantnamo Bay prison as humane. “There is no basis to believe, other than his say-so,that this was an independentr epor t,” said V incent W ar r en, executive director of the W ashington-based Center for Constitutional Rights. Admiral W alsh, appointed by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates to conduct a r eview of Guantnamo conditions that was ordered by the president, conceded that ther e had been widespread accusations of violence against detainees, humiliating treatment and other abuses. But “we found no such evidence,” he told reporters. The r epor t addr essed 27 cat egories of tr eatment, including health car e and disciplinar y r ules. It also proposed many possible impr ovements, including mor e human contact for detainees and, to assur e humane tr eatment, videotaping their interaction with guards. But detainees’ lawyers issued their own report, and produced letters from some of theirclients, describing sever e isolation and brutal tactics. MIRAMAR, Florida – A judge in South Florida has declared a mistrial in a court matter involv-ing Jamaicanbor n former Miramar CityCommissioner Fitzroy Salesman after learning that a juror had br ought a dic tionary to the jur y room. Br oward Cir cuit Judge Matthew Destry had earlier ordered jurors to quitdeliberating pending a hearing onthe issue. Salesman, 52, a former commissioner of Miramar , a city north of Miami and south of Fort Lauderdale, is charged with assault with a firearm. The controversy with the dictionary started on Mar. 2 when the jur y asked for the definition of “imminent” in tr ying to decide whether Salesman was inimminent danger when con fronted by two teenage boys during an altercation in a crowded supermarket in Nov. 2007. Prosecutors said Salesman reacted by pulling a gun on the teens because he “feared for hislife”. Cour t officials said the juror appar ently brought the dictionar y into the jury room on the morning of Mar. 3 to look up the word “imminent”. Several jurors said they also read the definition from the dictionary. HARMLESS The jur or who brought in the dictionar y, John Fanning, said he didn’ t think anything was wrong with looking up the word or bringing in the dictionary. “I thought it was harmless,” he said. “I really don’t like what happened her e. It was a waste of time to me. We just weren’t sure about the word.” A new trial is expected to start next month. Prosecutors and Salesman agr eed a mistrial was appropriate despite spending almost twoweeks battling it out in cour t. “The law is clear on this. Jurors have to rely on the law and not definitions in a dictionary,” said Eric Schwartzreich, Salesman’s attorney. If convicted, Salesman would face a mandatory three-year prison sentence. He was slated to be on the Mar . 10 ballot, seeking to r eclaim his position. Now, political observers say voters willhave to make a decision aboutwhether to choose Salesman without knowing whether he can tr uly ser ve the term. Since Salesman would still have a felony char ge pending, if he wins his political race, FloridaGover nor Charlie Crist would issue a new order suspending him from office, according to Crist’s spokesman, Sterling Ivey. That would force the city to hold a special election to fill Salesman’ s seat. Miramar held a special election last year to fill Salesman’s seat after he wassuspended for a “Driving under the Influence charge”, on which he was later acquitted. Salesman vows to run on his “record”. See related feature on page 7. BUFFALO, New York Four Jamaicans were among 50 people who were killed in a plane crash here last month. The Continental Connection flight fr om Newark, New Jersey was on its approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport when itcrashed shor tly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 12. There were no sur-vivors fr om the 45 passengers and four crew members on board. One person on the ground was also killed. The Jamaicans who perished on the ill-fated flight wer e identified as Danny Massop, 42, his wife Dawn Massop, 43, their 13-year-old son Shaun Ferrice Reid, and an unnamedsister of Mrs. Massop. According to a relative in Jamaica, the family was in a state of shock. “This has affected the family terribly,” said Kenneth Meikle last month. “It’s not only the hus-band but the wife, the son and asister in law . The family was only in Jamaica two weeks ago.” Investigations were continuing up to late last monthto deter mine the cause of the crash. Hundreds rally to protest U.S.deportation of HaitiansHolder makes first Caribbean visit as AGMistrial in ex-Miramar commissioner’s gun case Jamaicans among dead in New York plane crash 2 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Holder Wyclef Jean Salesman March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 2 

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NELSON A. KING WASHINGTON – The United States has issued ascathing r eport on human rights practices in Caribbeancommunity (CARICOMcountries, accusing memberstates of a myriad humanrights violations. In its 2008 Country Repor ts on Human Rights Practices, the U.S. StateDepar tment said while CARICOM governments “generally r espected the human rights of citizens, there were problems” in a number of areas. The agency said it was concerned about a variety ofdevelopments ranging fr om excessive use of for ce by police to poor prison condi tions, and from violence against women to sexual abuse of children. But the report was particularly critical of alleged human rights offences inGuyana and Haiti. The StateDepar tment highlighted r eported abuses in Guyana of “potentially unlawful killings by police, mistreatment of sus-pects and detainees by the security forces, poor prison and jail conditions, lengthy pre-trial detention, govern-ment cor ruption, and sexual and domestic violence againstwomen and childr en”. POOR PRACTICES It said prison conditions there were “poor and deteriorating, particularly in policeholding cells”, and that theBhar rat Jagdeo administration “did not per mit monitoring of prison conditions by eitherindependent bodies or byMembers of Parliament, and turned down requests for monitoring visits from the parliamentary opposition and from a diplomatic mission”. Poor training, inadequate equipment, and acute budgetary constraints were identified by the State Department asr easons why the effectiveness of the Guyana Police For ce was “sever ely limited”, noting that public confidence in and cooperation with the police remained low. “There were reports of corruption in the Force”, itadded. “Lengthy pr e-trial detention, due primarily to judicialinef ficiency, staff shortages, and cumbersome legal proceU.S.accuses Caribbean of widespread human rights abuses March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 NEWS NEWS www .caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON P AGE 8) March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 3 

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HOUSTON, Texas – United States financial r egulators have charged the Antigua-based Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford for orchestrating a“fraudulent, multi-billion dollarinvestment scheme”. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SECnamed Sir Allen, 58, and his Antigua-based Stanford International Bank (SIB Houston-based broker-dealerand investment adviser Stanfor d Group Company (SGC investment adviser StanfordCapital Management as playersin the alleged $8 billion dollarfraud by misr epr esenting the safety and liquidity of the uninsured certificates of deposits(CDs e ar e alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughoutthe world,” Rose Romer o, r egional 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 r eceiver to marshal those assets. “Stanford and the close circle of family and friends with whom he r uns his businesses perpetrated a massive fraud based on false promises and fabricated historical return datato pr ey on investors,” said Linda Chatman Thomsen, director of the SEC’s Divisionof Enfor cement. e are moving quickly and decisively in this enfor ce 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 hassold appr oximately $8 billion of so-called “certificates of deposit” to investors by promis-ing impr obable and unsubstanti ated high interest rates. These rates were supposedly earned through SIB’s unique investment strategy, which purportedly allowed thebank to achieve double-digit returns on its investments for the past 15 years, a release onthe 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 Stanfor d Allocation Strategy (SAS ally false historical performancedata. Sir Allen is a naturalized Antigua and Barbuda citizenand has built a corporate empire on the twin-island nation with various financial, media and sporting franchises based in St John’ s. The United States, still smarting from Jamaica’s outstanding performance at last year’s OlympicGames, is challenging theCaribbean countr y to a showdown on the track this year . The Americans have proposed a dual meet formatagainst Jamaica – a home-and-home series, “head to headteam, scor ed competition” for sometime in May/June 2009. The for mal invitation, for the pr oposed “USA-Jamaica Challenge”, was made to Jamaica’s Neville “Teddy” McCook by U.S. Track and Field’s (USATF) Chief Executive Officer DougLogan in a letter this month. A press release issued by USA TF explained that the meets would featur e male and female athletes competing inthe 100, 200 and 400 meters;100/110 and 400 meters hur dles; long jump; and the4x100, 4x400 and medley relays. Three or four athletes from each country would par-ticipate in each individualevent and two teams each forr elays. RIVALRY “It was obvious to everyone that with the rise of your country’s great sprinters and hurdlers, a compelling rivalrybetween Jamaica and theUnited States had developed”,Logan wr ote to McCook, area group representative of the NACAC. “These competi tions would offer a means toshowcase our phenomenalstr engths to the NACAC region and the world”. At the 2007 IAAF W orld Championships, Americanswon 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’s400 hur dles. Jamaica won the women’s 100 and numerous silver and bronze medals. An American or Jamaican won 10 of 12 medals in the men’s andwomen’ s 100 and 200 meters and went one-two in thr ee of the four relay events. At the 2008 Olympic Games, Jamaicans won the men’s and women’s 100 and200 meters, including a sweep in the women’s 100. Usain Boltbr oke the world record in the 100 and 200. The 4x100 r elay, on which he ran thir d leg, also broke the world record. Jamaica won the women’ s 400 hurdles, while Americans swept the men’s 400 metersand 400 hur dles,won two medals in the men’s 110m hur-dles and took gold in thewomen’ 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. 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 decadeago, was executed last month. In a release posted on his website, the governor declined to intervene to save Bell fromlethal injection. “Having carefully reviewed the petition for clemency andjudicial opin ions r egar ding this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sen-tence that wasr ecommended by the jury, and then imposed and af fir med by the cour ts,” the gover nor said in his statement. Bell, 44, who maintained his innocence, was fr om the eastern parish of Portland. He was convicted in 2001 for thecapital mur der of W inchester City Police Of ficer Richar d Timbrook in Virginia. Gov. Kaine noted that in two separate sentencing hear-ings culminating on Jan. 26, 2001, a jury had sentenced Bellto death. He also noted that Bell’s trial, verdict, and sen-tence had been r eviewed by state and federal cour ts, includ ing the U.S. Supreme Court. Caribbean American billionaire on ‘shocking’ fraud charge in U.S.U.S.challenges Jamaica to sprint showdownJamaican executed by lethal injection in U.S. 4 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 NEWS NEWS www.caribbeantoday.com Bell CARIBBEAN CONTACT Photogra ph by LA PRESSE CANADIENNE /Sean KilpatrickMichaelle 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 overseas assignment since being sworn in as president on Jan.20. Stanford March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 4 

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WASHINGTON – A top official of the Inter national Monetary Fund (IMF ried about the impact of the unfolding global economic crisis on vulnerable nations, including those in the Caribbean, and sug gests that the donor community needs to respond with “urgent” and “generous” action. “After hitting first the advanced economies and then the emer ging economies, a third wave from the global financial crisis is now hitting the world’s poorest and mostvulnerable countries,” said Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the recent launch of a new IMF study, entitled “The Impact of the Financial Crisis on LowIncome Countries”. “This puts at risk the major achievements of higher gr owth, lower poverty, and greater political stability that many low-income countrieshave made over the pastdecade,” he added. The IMF study found that a number of countries are par-ticularly vulnerable to theunfolding crisis. Strauss-Kahn estimates that at least $25billion in ur gent concessional financing will be needed this year in the most affected coun-tries. CAUTION Strauss-Kahn cautioned that lower growth could haveserious implications for pover ty and potentially also for political stability , stating that spending on targeted social safety net programs “should be ramped up to protect thepoor .” At the same time, he said it will be critical to protect spending on health, education, and vital infrastructure. Strauss-Kahn said his goal is to double the IMF’s concessional lending capacity , stating that the IMF is also looking at ways to make its lending to low-income countries moreflexible, “r eflecting their growing diversity and heightened exposure to global volatility Crafting a better financial futureIMF official worries over impact of economic crisis on Caribbean March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 5 FINANCIAL FINANCIAL PLANNING PLANNING www .caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature Strauss-Kahn ERIC BENDEROFF Dan Hassenplug’s monthly expenses used to include around $300 for lunch and thr ee or four books bought from Amazon.com. Now he’s plugged into a new breed of social network thathelps him manage his finances. “When you see a graph that says you averaged $10 a day forlunch about $300 for the monthwell, that’ s a lot of money,” said the 24-year-old design manager from Geneva, Illinois. Now he’s cut that expense in half by packing a lunch most days and buying only one book a month. “Ther s a library down the street,” he said. With the economy wobbling and people worried aboutjob security and str etching their dollars, memberships at social finance sites such as Mint whichHassenplug uses and W esabe.com have gr own as people look for financialdiscipline. The sites,which ar e free to join, are more thanFacebook meetsyour checkbook. They of fer forums where users discuss spending habits and solicit feedback frompeers. In addition, the sites employ interactive tools thathelp teach users how to budgetand sear ch for the best deals based on the spending habits of all users. Useful spendingpatter ns can be deter mined because the social finance sites ar e linked to a users’ bank, brokerage and other accounts.Individual account data r emains anonymous and secur e. Typical financial software is“good at telling you were your money went,” said MarcHedlund, W esabe chief executive of ficer and founder. That’s helpful, but it’s not “good at get-ting you to a better place.” UNCOMFORTABLE He said most people ar e uncomfor table talking about personal finance, even with close friends. But on a social site, where users have only a scr een name, they are open and honest. “People go into the discussion area and say, ‘This is my situation, what should I do aboutit?’ People can see they ar e not alone,” Hedlund said, “and they can learn from others.” The interactive tools at Wesabe make specific sugges-tions on how to save. For example, the site might suggest using a dif ferent auto mechanic, noting that other users have saved money using an independent repair shop. The site is able to provide specific store namesbecause it bases its advice on aggregated payments culledanonymously fr om users’ checking accounts. Wesabe, launched in 2006, has mor e than 100,000 mem (CONTINUED ON P AGE 6) March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 5 

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KARA MCGUIRE Dean Junkans barely passed high school biology, but that didn’t stop the Wells Fargo executive from seeing many parallelsbetween the human anatomyand investing. “In the human body , a number of key organs and body parts must work together to sustain life. An individual investment portfolio, thevarious par ts of it, and the individuals managing it, mustalso work together to have asustainable and successfulexperience,” Junkans, chief investment officer at WellsFar go Private Bank, writes in his new book “The Anatomyof Investing”. Junkans links several body par ts to core financial planning and investment concepts. The result is a thorough andaccessible head-to-toe financial guide. Brain: The logical, analytical leftbrain is your invest ment plan, or road map to your goals. The right brain represents your emo-tional side. In investing, individuals shouldn’ t let the right brain get too involved, especially in uncertain times when fear and greed can easily take over. But you don’ t want to cut the right brain out completely. “Add some fun and creativity to the portfolio” byowning stocks in companiesthat you know , Junkans said. BACKBONE Spine: The backbone of your portfolio is asset alloca-tion. This is your mix ofinvestments such as stocks, bonds, real estate, commodi-ties and cash. T o have a healthy backbone, yourinvestment mix must be welldiversified. Eyes: “The eyes wer e put in the front of the head, not the back of the head, for a reason,” Junkans said. “And a lot of investors look backwar d...investors tend to chase per for mance.” Or, in down markets, they tend to avoid recent bad per-for mance. I guess that explains why billions of dol lars were taken out of mutual funds recently. Investors should really be looking forward to determine how to position themselves for the futur e. Given br oad market declines, Junkans says he sees value in all corners of the market with the exception of pricey U.S. Treasuries -although he favors domesticstocks to inter national developed market stocks. Ears: The ears have the big job of filtering out noise about the stock market and the economy, which can causeinvestors to think they need tomake constant tweaks to theirpor tfolio. SNIFFING OUT Nose: Use the nose to sniff out whether an investment opportunity smells right. If the return is really high,check the risks. In a market such as the one we’re in, badactors tend to materialize,claiming that they can r everse your losses with their invest ment scheme. Be wary. Mouth and stomach: The mouth and stomach feed your portfolio. This market might have demonstrated to youhow much risk youcan stomach. Unlessyou need the cashright now , Junkans says “generally it’s going to be a mis take to notch downthe risk after a 40 percent drop in the market.” Instead, make mor e conservative current contributions going forward. Neck: The neck is your portfolio’s flexibility. Havecash on the sidelines so you can take advantage of oppor-tunities that arise. Heart: A core portfolio of dividend and income-paying stocks is one strategy for heart health. And don’t overlook putting the heart into your financial life. Consider socially responsible investing withmutual funds that scr een stocks based on your values, or supporting charities thatmatter to you, which may alsoear n you a tax deduction. Kidneys: The kidneys get rid of toxins. Cleanse yourpor tfolio fr om time to time to realize tax benefits. Lungs: Rebalance periodi cally to avoid shortness of breath. You’d be surprisedwhat this market has done toyour investment allocation pie. Arms and legs: Get mov ing and pick your investmentvehicles, but not befor e you understand how the rest of your body works in concert to realize your investment goals. 2008,Star Tribune (MinneapolisDistributed by McClatc h y-T rib une Information Ser vices. Since loans are tough to get and retirement funds are shrinking fast as the stock market crashes, we thought we’d share some old-fashioned penny-pinching tips. Keep a thrifty home Unplug electronics that aren’t beingused. Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescents.Seal ducts and add insulation. P a ying (and cutting Pay biweekly instead of monthly on your mortgage.Y ou’ll make an extra payment annually and save thousandson inter est over the life of the loan. Your ride and your routine Consolidate trips to save gas. Carpool. Buy a fuel-efficient,r eliable car. Eat healthy,pay less Cook mor e meals at home and turn last night’s dinners into today’slunch. Go online for savings Sign up for online polls; you canear n gift cards. Use cr edit cards wisely Get a cr edit card with rebates you can use. T ravel more,spend less Use Hotwire or other online sites to book hotel rooms. Don’t beafraid to negotiate with hotelsfor a lower rate. Stay fit,let savings fatten Lose the gym membership and take a walk or a r un. On holida ys ,be a scrooge Shop for Christmas and other gift-giving times throughoutthe year to take advantage ofsales. McClatc hy Newspapers. Distributed by McClatchyTribune Information Services. bers across the United States. The average user is a 28-year old earning $50,000 to $60,000, Hedlund said. But recently, as the depth of the nation’s economic woes became more apparent, Wesabe has seen itsbiggest gr owth, with a 35 per cent month-over -month increase in membership. GROWTH At Mint, the average user is 30 years old with an incomeof about $75,000, said Donna Wells, chief marketing officer. Mint has been gr owing steadily since its launch in Sept. 2007 it has mor e than 475,000 users but in the last month, “there’s been a notable uptick in usage,” Wells said. “People arelooking for any new tool to help them budget and save.” Chicago media planner Ryan Rutledge, 24, uses Mint to track his 401(kdent loans, checking and sav ings accounts plus the balances on his five credit cards. He rents an apartment in a two-flat and is working on paying off more than $20,000 in student loans. “It shocked me when I saw I was spending $500 eating out every month,” he said. He has cut back, to about $350 a month, and is working tolower that. The ability to trackhow much he spends and at what restaurants has helpedr eign in those expenses, he said. Rutledge is spending about the same each month, with one key difference: he’s spending“at least $100 mor e a month” to pay off his debts. Rutledge is r eflective of Mint users overall. Each month since January they haver educed spending by four percent on gifts and charitable donations. And they are treat-ing themselves a little less, too. “I went from spending $75 a month to less than $40 a month at iTunes,” Rutledge said. But he admits to being an impulse buyer. He couldn’t stop himself from buying the new Keane album at the online r etailer . “Of course you try to save money , but I r eally am spend ing more wisely,” he said. 2008,Chicago Tribune. Distributed by McClatchyTribune Information Services. Money advice: A head-to-toe guideHow to: Finding ways to save moneyCrafting a better financial future 6 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 FINANCIAL FINANCIAL PLANNING PLANNING www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature (CONTINUED FROM P AGE 5) March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 6 

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DA WN A. DAVIS Come Mar . 10 will former City Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman, 52, run for Commission Seat #1 in the Miramar, Florida munici-pal election? Jamaican-born Salesman is facing char ges of aggravated assault with a fir earm following an incident on Nov . 21, 2007 when he brandished a gun against a fellow shopper in a crowded Miramar WinnDixie supermarket. Then commissioner, he was suspended from his post by Florida Governor Charlie Crist in December that year. It was not the first time Salesman had been suspended.In 2005 he was stripped of hiscommission seat by for mer Governor Jeb Bush for “fleeing or attempting to elude alaw enfor cement of ficer in vio lation of Section 316.1935(1 FloridaStatutes, anddriving underthe influence,in violation ofSections316.193(1316.1934(1FloridaStatutes”, according to the State of Florida Executive Order. He was acquitted ofthat char ge. The embattled politician has publicly claimed his inno-cence, str essing that he acted in self-defense against the 19year -old man he allegedly pointed the gun at. His trial started Feb. 23, 2009, just two weeks before the Miramar cityelections in which he hopes to take part. Earlier this month the judged declared a mistrial,so Salesman will likely be backin the cour troom next month. If convicted, Salesman faces a three-year sentence.Befor e the mistrial decision, Miramar city spokesperson Gus Zambrano told Caribbean Today : “If he wins (the election) and is found not guilty, he has to go through reinstatement, then he can take office. That gover nor r einstatement has to occur because it’ s the governor who suspended him. “Acquittal doesn’t automatically mean he takes back his office,” added Zambrano. “If that occurs, then a certain amount of back pay and bene-fits ar e due to him.” UPHILL BATTLE Salesman faces an uphill battle, but is determined to prove his innocence and pursue his political career inMiramar . According to the city’ s official website, Salesman qualified to run for seat #1 on Jan. 5, 2009. Also in the race are incumbent Carl J. Lanke, Joseph Romero and BarbaraSharief. “I am confident,” Salesman told Caribbean Today . “You have to trust the justice system; you ar e not living a true democracy if you are not willing to trust the justice system. I am going to put the facts out there with my attorneys, and I will let the jury look at the facts, and I am sur e they will come back with theright decision.” The upbeatSalesman saidhe was “still serving,”adding “my absence from the commis-sion has neverpr ecluded me from serving. I get more calls as a suspended commissioner than any other sitting commissioner there right now. “I am letting the people know that I am out her e, I don’t plan on going anywhere. And the most important thingI want them to understand is, regardless of the outcome ofthis election, win or lose, I will always be there for my fellow citizens.” Asked about his platform, Salesman boasted: “I standsquar ely on my record, on the premise that there has never been, now or befor e, with the exception of Vicky Coceano who has been designated‘Mother of the City’, anyone who has done more individual-ly as a commissioner to benefitthe r esidents of this city . My record says it all.” STRAIN Incumbent Carl J. Lanke is running on the platform thatput him in seat #1 last year:Safety , for eclosures, and his “gr een” initiative. In his first year the commission has added 14 new tactical officers on the streets of Miramar with a net result of reduced criminal activ-ities, Lanke said. The commissioner bemoaned that “for eclosures are killing us,” noting that the foreclosure rate in Miramar is 10 percent. He added that the resulting stress is causing a ripple effect in the city’s economy. To help ease the crisis, the commissioner explained that the city will offer “forgivable loans” to r esidents from the $10 million the city received fr om the Housing and Urban Development (HUD along with other initiatives, such as partnering with local hospitals and mental healthinstitutions to help those whoar e mentally affected by the economic strain, characterizes Lanke’s objectives. Then hetakes his own subtle shot at the ex-commissioner. “I’ve been ther e, I’m sin cere, I’ve been active within the community, I’m not goinganywher e...Plus I have nothing in the court system,” Lanke quipped. COMMUNITY A CTIVISM Contender Barbara Sharief is campaigning on her record of community activism and business background. “Miramar has the highest for eclosur e rate in Br owar d County,” she said. “That is why a large part of my cam-paign and community activitieshas been focused on stoppingfor eclosur es and helping peo ple find jobs.” Sharief is adamant about stemming increases in city feesto r esidents and finding cr e ative ways to cut gover nment costs. The successful business-woman believes that suppor t ing small business develop ment is key to the city’s economic development and said she will, as commissioner, offer free advertising to small businesses throughthe city’ s newsletter, commission meetings, andlocal television station. Asked about the legal pr oblems surrounding Salesman, Sharief said: “We are in a democratic country where every man is innocent until proven guilty PROTEST Romer o, the fourth candidate for seat #1, called his platfor m “compassion. “The drive for me is the will to help, the will to have transpar ency, the will to have things fair,” said the Dominican Republic-born can-didate. On Salesman, he said: “He has his supporters, he’s donehis work. He was a workerwhen he was ther e. He is going through a process, through the judicial system and they will render their verdict. So we have to wait for that to happen. Everybody is entitled to due process.” In addition to the race for seat #1, well-known Jamaican broadcaster Winston F. Barnesis vying to keep his position as commissioner in seat #3. Alejandro Casas is runningagainst him. Dawn A.Davis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. ‘My record says it all’ ~ Salesman ~ Embattled Jamaican-born politician runs for office again March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 7 FEATURE FEATURE www .caribbeantoday.com Salesman Sharief Romero Lanke “I am confident.You have to trust the justice system; you are not living a true democracy if you are not willing totrust the justice system. I am going to put the facts out thereand I am surethey will come back with theright decision” – Salesman March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:44 PM Page 7 

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W ASHINGTON – The United States has named four Caribbean community(CARICOM among 59 major money laun-dering jurisdictions. In its 2009 International Nar cotics Control Strategy Report, the State Department identified Antigua andBarbuda, The Bahamas, Belizeand Haiti among “jurisdictions of primary concern, whosefinancial institutions engage incur rency transactions involving significant amounts of pr oceeds fr om international narcotics traf ficking. “The categor y ‘Jurisdiction of Primary Concern’ recognizes this relationship by including all coun-tries and other jurisdictionswhose financial institutionsengage in transactions involv ing significant amounts of proceeds fr om all serious crimes”. The State Department also listed nine CARICOMstates as “Jurisdictions of Concern”. They are Barbados,Gr enada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia,St. V incent and the Gr enadines, Suriname and T rinidad and Tobago. Dominica is named among “Jurisdictions Monitored”. The agency said “Jurisdictions of Concern” and“Other JurisdictionsMonitor ed” are identified on the basis of several factors, including whether the countr s financial institutions engage in transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds fromserious crimes; the extent towhich the jurisdiction is orr emains vulnerable to money laundering, notwithstanding its money laundering counter measur es, if any; and the nature and extent of the money laundering situation in each juris-diction, whether it involves drugs or other contraband. SUSCEPTIBLE The State Department said Antigua and Barbuda “remains susceptible to money laundering due to its offshore financial sector and Internet gaming industry”. On The Bahamas, the agency said money launderingis primarily r elated to financial fraud and the pr oceeds of dr ug trafficking. Money laundering, primarily related to narcotics trafficking, and contraband smug-gling, is “suspected to occur through onshore banks oper-ating in Belize”, it added. Haiti is seen as a “major drug-transit countr y with money laundering activity linked to the drug trade and to kidnap-ping”. CMC Caribbean states among world’s major money launderers ~ U.S. 8 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 FEATURE FEATURE www.caribbeantoday.com dures, remained a problem”, the r eport further stated. In addition, the State Department said while the law provides for criminalpenalties for of ficial corruption, “the government did not implement the law effective-ly”, pointing to the W orld Bank’s worldwide governance indicators that reflected that “government corruption was a serious problem”. HARSH ON HAITI The report was equally harsh on Haiti, identifying among the impoverished coun-tr s human rights problems the “failure to hold timely parliamentary elections; alleged unlawful killings by HaitianNation Police (HNP ficers; ineffective measures to address killings by members of gangs and other armed groups; HNP participation in kidnap-pings; and over crowding and poor sanitation in prisons”. Others grouses listed were “arbitrary threats and arrests;pr olonged pr e-trial detention; an inefficient judiciary subject to significant influence by theexecutive and legislativebranches; sever e cor r uption in all branches of government; violence and societal discrimi nation against women; child abuse, internal trafficking ofchildr en, and child domestic labor; and inef fective enfor ce ment of worker rights”. The State Department said or ganized criminal gangs were primarily responsible for the “arbitrar y or unlawful deprivation of life”. It said prisons and detention centers thr oughout the Fr ench-speaking countr y remained overcrowded, poorly maintained, and often unsani tar y , and many prisoners and detainees suffered from a lack of basic hygiene, malnutrition, poor quality health care, and the presence of rodents. The report noted efforts to reform the Haitian National Police r emained incomplete, and of ficers were occasionally implicated in cor ruption, kidnapping, and narcotics traf-ficking. “In practice, authorities widely ignor ed the constitutionally provided right to a fair public trial”, the reportednoted. J AMAICAN INJUSTICE In Jamaica, the State Department said serious prob-lems comprised “unlawfulkillings committed by mem bers of the security forces, abuse of detainees and prison-ers by police and prison guards, poor prison and jailconditions, impunity for policewho committed crimes, an overburdened judicial system and frequent lengthy delays intrials, violence and discrimina tion against women, trafficking in persons, and violenceagainst suspected or knownhomosexuals”. It said the police employed “lethal force” in apprehendingcriminal suspects on many occasions, which resulted in224 deaths during 2008, a dr op from the 272 fatal police shootings of civilians in 2007. Although the law pr ohibits such practices, reports of physical abuse of prisoners by guar ds continued, despite efforts bythe gover nment to r emove abu sive guards and improve procedur es, the r epor t stated. “Prison conditions remained poor, primarily due to overcrowding and poorsanitar y conditions”, it noted, adding that medical car e also was poor, primarily a result ofhaving only thr ee full-time doctors, one full-time nurse, and one psychiatrist to cover13 facilities with 4,790 inmates across the island. In addition, the State Depar tment said the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG continued to report human rights abuses, including “arbitrar y detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of homosexual patients by hospi tal and prison staf f, and tar geted shootings of homosexu als. Police often did not investigate such incidents”. In Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. agency said ther e wer e “occasional reports of police br utality, corruption, excessive force, discrimination against homosexuals, and alle-gations of abuse by prison guards”. The r eport said prison conditions in Antigua and Barbuda were very poor andthat the countr s only prison, which housed 229 convicted prisoners at the end of last year, “overcrowded, did nothave toilet facilities, and slop pails were used in all 122 cells”. It attributed overcrowding, in part, to a law that limit-ed the ability of magistrates togrant bail to those accused ofcer tain of fences. DISCRIMINATION The r epor t stated, in The Bahamas, there were “complaints of abuse by police and prison and detention centre guards, poor detention condi-tions, poor functioning of thejudicial system leading todelays in trials and lengthy pre-trial detention, violenceagainst women and childr en, and discrimination against persons of Haitian descent”. The State Department said violence against women was also a “serious, wide-spr ead pr oblem” in The Bahamas. In Barbados, the U.S. said problems included excessiveuse of for ce by police, poor prison conditions, and societal violence against women andchildr en. “While the constitution specifically pr ohibits tor tur e and inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment, there were reports thatpolice sometimes used exces sive force”, it stated. Belize was another country cited for lengthy pre-trial detention, with the State Depar tment also identifying domestic violence, discrimination against women, sexual abuse of childr en, traf ficking in persons for sexual and labor exploitation, child labor and human rights pr oblems, including brutality and use of exces-sive for ce by security forces. CORR UPTION Human rights problems in Grenada included allegations of corruption, violence againstwomen, and instances of childabuse, the State Depar tment reported. It said prison conditions generally met interna-tional standar ds, with the exception of over cr owding, describing it as “significant”. It claimed the 386 prisoners,of which nine ar e women, ar e held in space designed for 98 persons. Poor prison conditions, violence against women and children, and adverse condi-tions experienced by indige nous Kalinago (Carib were the main human rightsissues in Dominica, the r epor t stated. Excessive force by police, poor prison conditions, corruption, and violence against women were the major humanrights pr oblems in St. Kitts and Nevis, the report noted. Prisons were overcrowded,and r esources remained limited. In addition, it said violence against women was a pr oblem, but there were “no prosecu-tions or convictions for domes tic violence during the year”. In St. Lucia, pr oblems of abuse of suspects and prison ers by the police, long delays in trials and sentencing, vio-lence against women, andchild abuse pr edominated. According to the StateDepar tment, cor ruption had become a serious issue. “Obser vers expr essed con cer n that the countr y was mov ing backwards in terms of transparency and accountabili-ty ,” it stated, adding that there was also “widespread concern that some members of the government (was known narcotics traffickers”. The State Depar tment said “impunity for police who used excessive for ce, poor prison conditions, abuse of of ficial position by government officials to circumvent the judicial pr ocess, an overburdened court system, vio-lence against women, andabuse of childr en” were the major pr oblems in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. CMC Street Address: 9020 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL33157 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6010 Miami, FL 33116-6010. 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.20,Number 4 MAR.2009 PETER A WEBLEY Publisher GORDON WILLIAMS Managing Editor SABRINA HOPKINS Graphic Artist DOROTHYCHIN Account Executive SHARON LEE Account Executive CARMEN CHANG Account Executive JACQUELINE RUBIANO Accounting ManagerCaribbean Media Source Media RepresentativesOpinions expressed by editors and writers are not necessarily those of thepublisher. Caribbean T oday , an independent news magazine, is published every month by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc. Caribbean Today is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Toguarantee return, please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. Articles appearing in Caribbean T oday may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor . 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Are you happy now? All your eyes pressed to the window staring at the detritus of someone else’s life, all your mouths chatteringtogether like bir ds on a wire, all you watchers and voyeurs, you Peeping Toms andThomasinas, you eye spiesand inquiring minds that had to know, did you get what you needed, did you see what you wanted? Are you happy now? I’d think you would be. The photo, after all, is pitilesslyexplicit: a close-up of a woman facingthe camerawith eyes closed in a face scarred by bruises and abrasions, and what looks like dried blood in the cor ner of her mouth. Los Angeles police say it appears to beauthentic, an image of singer Rihanna taken as part of theirinvestigation of singer Chris Brown, who allegedly assaulted her on Feb. 8. The department has launched a probe, continuing as of this writing, to determine how the pictur e could have made it fr om their files onto TMZ.com, the celebrity gossip web site, on Feb. 22. There is suspicion that some cop or clerk stole it and sold it, trad ing a young woman’s misery for personal profit. INFO LUST But hey , you had to know, right? All you fans and fanatics who scour the web obses-sively for the latest dish on Brad and Angie, T om and Katie, Chris and Rihanna and other luminaries who don’t know you from Adam but with whom you are, nevertheless, on a first-name basis...you needed this information, did you not? You had a sacred right to stare into the batter ed face of a hur t and vulnerable woman on one of the worst nights of her life. As a poster who fancies herself (maybe himself?“Sultr y Siren” puts it on TMZ’s site: “And for all you saying TMZ shouldn’t have posted the photo. Shut it up! We wanted to see it and TMZ always delivers.” Amen. Because we all know that what you want is allthat r eally matters. I expect to get some flak for giving you flak, though. See, while you were debating whether Rihanna, in the view of one post, “was asking for it,” I was debating a Pentagon policy (over turned last month) that banned pictures of the ceremony they hold when caskets containing the remains of American military personnel are returned to Dover AirFor ce Base in Delaware. I argued against the ban in this space, saying that we should not be shielded fromr eminders of what happens when we send our children off to war . So yes, I’m expecting some folks to see a disconnect between that opinion and this one. But ther e isn’t really. On the one hand, we’r e talking about a matter of compelling national interest. On the other, we’re talking about humiliating a woman so youcan get your jollies. And it strikes me now how quaint was the former debate over the morality of images, how anachronistic the attempt to balance public needs with private ones, in the world you are creating. In that world, ther e is no morality higher than “we wanted to see it” and no need to balance public and privatebecause they are one andthe same. BEING ‘THERE’ An ambulance comes for Britney Spears and Y ou Ar e Ther e. Paris Hilton has sex and You Are There. Robyn RihannaFenty is photographed as the victim of an alleged assault, in a state with laws that theor etically protect the privacy of assault victims. And yet, You Are There. The lives of others ar e one big reality show to you, aren’t they? One more excuse to press your face against the window glass and gather chattering on the wir e. Excuse the rest of us if we don’t see it that way, if we think we have a right to reasonable contr ol over how and when we are presented to the world, if we believe that our triumphs and sorrows are just that – “our” triumphs and sor-r ows, not an entertainment produced for your amusement. Because life is not a reality show. Get one, and you’ll see. 2009 The Miami Herald. Distrib uted by Tribune Media Ser vices ,Inc. Editor’s note:Rihanna was born in Barbados. Ther e are so many obstacles to true love before we can truly know who is the right person for us. For some of us, it may take years to find the right person, while for others it’ s the proverbial love at first sight. Whatever happened to the phrases, “Haste makes waste”, “Fools rush in where angelsfear to tr ead”, “Take time to know her”, “Marry in haste, r epent at leisure?” There are so many, and for each there is a counter, or someone giving advice as to what to do. No wonder those advice columns are so popular, as people want to know exactly what they’re getting into beforemaking that potentially fateful plunge. It’s easy when buying acar or house, as all one has to do is make a thorough investi-gation of both. Oh if we could do that with prospective spouses, but we can’ t. SIGNS In romance or relationships, ther e are certain signs that you should look for befor e making that fateful leap, certain obstacles that will prove too difficult to over come, that will doom it from the beginning. For example, is it wise to engage in a relationship with awoman who is much older? First there is the self esteemand insecurity of the older woman dealing with the younger man. Many women suf fer fr om low self esteem, insecurity and jealousy, even those who are young, attrac-tive, educated and even quite beautiful. Now just imagine how a woman who is much older than her spouse must feel, knowing, or at least wondering, if he’s going to leave her for a younger woman. Now I don’t want you older ladies to pillory me now,but would you want your 20year-old son settling down with a 40-year-old woman, your best friend perhaps? Makes you think now, doesn’t it? LONG DISTANCE Then there are long distance relationships. Now why in heaven’s name would someone get involved with a long distance lover? It’s hard enough dealing with someone who lives right here. Some people have it thrust on them, as after being involved for a few years, one has to go away to school, orwork, or something beyond their control. But why would you get involved with someone who lives far from you right from the beginning? And yet people meet while on vacation, or strike up pen pal or e-mail r elationships and then think about making it permanent. Bad move, very bad move. As the old saying goes, “Love and sea water don’t mix”. Y ou can write and phone so much, e-mail until your fingers go numb, the fact is, the person is there and you are here, andnever the twain shall meet. ORAL BOUNDARIES Then what about oral sex, is it an obstacle to romance? W ell, talking about sex can’ t do any harm, but what about the real deal, getting on down, one stop above 68, if you know what I mean? Times have changed. Itis a definite obstacle if she wants it, expects it, demands it and he doesn’t, for she’ll seek it elsewhere. So just do what themajority of Caribbean men do, indulge her, but lie about it toyour male friends. The same applies to sexual incompatibility, for if there is inequality, don’t even go there. If appetites vary greatly, it’s doomed from the start. Can pr evious children be a hindrance to a relationship? Now that’s a tough one, as childr en can be such a joy But they can also prove to be major obstacles in relationships, and tales of the wicked step mother or abusive stepfather ar e not unfounded. If you meet a woman and she already has a child, that can be cool. If she has two, thestakes rise a bit. But if she has thr ee or mor e, that can prove to be a major obstacle. I’m not saying in all cases, but aninstant family for a young man can create major problems; worse if those kids have differ-ent fathers. The same applies to women who meet men with multiple baby mothers too. Just think, will he stop with you? Another obstacle is the inlaw. Nothing is worse than a meddling in-law, and they should be outlawed. So as you race on this romantic road, there are certain obstacles that we must steer clear of, run around, push aside and avoid, for if we don’t, those same obstacles will become a ball and chain around your ankle. seido1@hotmail.com When Rihanna’s private life becomes public obsessionObstacles to romance March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 9 VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT www .caribbeantoday.com LEONARD PITTS JR. Rihanna TONY ROBINSON March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 9 

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10 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 I can’t go where no man has gone before.willI believe finding the cure is impossible. I believe Stopping homelessness is im I believe saving the planet is impossible.Ending world hunger is impossib World peace is impossible. March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 10 

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EILEEN OGINTZ Anne and Jim Stewart and their two teenagers are happily counting down the days till their Jamaica Spring Break. They’re not rich or crazy to take a vacation when everyone is cutting back. In fact, they almost didn’t go this year, says Anne, a Connecticut physical therapist. Y et, despite the recession, they didn’t want to for go the oppor tunity for some much-needed family time. “It won’t be too long befor e the kids ar e off to college and won’ t want to be with us,” she explained. So the family compr omised. Instead of a full week, they’re going for just five days. And a web search yielded a terrific deal at an all-inclusive resort so there shouldn’t bemany extra expenses just$3,000, including flights for thefour of them. The best part: “The kids ar e r eally excited about going and being with us,” said Stewart. As we count down to Spring Br eak in Mar ch and April, a lot of you ar e telling your kids, “Not this year!” 79per cent of those surveyed by T ripAdvisor ( www .tripadvi sor.com ), in fact. But maybe it’s time to think again. We all need a break from all thegloom and doom even theFirst Family . Michelle Obama told People magazine recently that her family will be heading off on a family Spring Breakthis month. AFFORDABLE They haven’t said where they’re going, but you can get away, too whatever your budget or wherever you’d like to take the kids – you’ll be surprised at what you can afford this year . e haven’t seen deals like this in years,” said Genevieve Brown, senior editor at Travelocity.com Her tip: Book an air-hotel package and save $300 or more. She likes SanDiego ( www.sandiego.org ) with plenty of kid-friendly attrac tions, a 10 percent decrease in airfare and a whopping 17 per-cent decr ease for hotel rooms in March and April. Even the national parks have gotten into the act. Every “A” on a report card earns $10 off the room rate (up to $30at the Grand Canyon( www .g randcanyonlodg es .com ). (Use the code STAY4A.) Y ou’ll find plenty of bar gains at state parks, too. And by traveling you’ll be doing your bit to help the economy. Consider that almost 200,000 jobs were lost in thetravel industr y last year and, accor ding to the United States Depar tment of Commer ce, another 250,000 will be lost this year . All of those waiters and cooks, hotel maids and front desk clerks have families too. And they’ll thank you. T ake your pitchers and thir d basemen to Spring Training either in Florida (www .floridaspringtraining.com) or Arizona ( www.cactusleague.com ) where tickets are a lot cheaper thanmajor league stadiums and yourlittle leaguers might get closeenough to get an autograph. The best part: flights and hotelscost less than last year , notes Brown. Check out deals in Arizona at Best Western’sDobson Ranch Inn in Mesa,( www.dobsonranchinn.com ), which include br eakfast, or the just-r enovated Westward Look Resor t in Tucson ( www .westwardlook.com ) where you can check out the night critters in the desert with special goggles, go horseback riding or laze at the pool when you’re not trying to catch a fly ball. Sarasota ( www .sarasotafl.org ), mean while, is celebrating the final Spring Training season with the Cincinnati Reds before they head to Arizona and offersplenty of appealing hotel deals. DEALS e’re seeing three times as many hotel promotionsnow ,” added Orbitz.com spokesman Jeanenne Tornatore, with plenty of roomsto be had for under $100 a night across the country. There arealso plenty of deals on condor entals so you can save more on meals, and even invite a friendalong for your teen ( www.vacationrentals .com ), ( orbitz.com ) or ( www.Zonder.com ). You’ll even find plenty of deals and freebies in Orlando with their new Bundles of Free Smilescampaign ( www.bundlesoffreesmiles .com ) and packages at Walt Disney World ( disneyIt can be wonderful fun taking Spring Break with the kids March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 11 VACATION VACATION PLANNING PLANNING www .caribbeantoday.com (CONTINUED ON P AGE 12) ~ A Caribbean Today special feature There are many activities in the Caribbean for kids and adults. March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 11 

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world.disney.go.com ) and Universal Studios ( www.universalorlando.com ) that offer free nights, theme park admissionand significant savings. Onelocal vacation r ental home company ( www .Imag ineV acationHomes. com ) has even piggybacked on Disney W orld’s promise of a free ticket on your birthday, offering birthday tickets foryour whole family , if you book a five-night stay . The best par t thr ee-bedroom houses that start at $159 a night. You don’t need to plan ahead either this year, even for the busiest times. “Families need to know this year we’re seeing a lot of excellent last-minute deals with hotels willing to thr ow in freebies or perks to enticeguests at the final hour ,” says Arabella Bowen, editorial dir ector of www.shermanstravel.com, which focuses on deals. CR UISE Maybe this is the time to try a cruise. Go from a portnear home and you can save onair fare. Many cruise lines are of fering significant shipboar d cr edits and deals wher e kids cruise for $99 (Norwegian, for example, www.ncl.com), or even free ( www.disneycruises.com ). On a four-day cruise, Carnival is offering deals under $1,400 for a family of four. “Ther e ar e still plenty of opportunities for families to snag a good deal,” says Car nival spokesman Jennifer de la Cr uz. Cruise Compete ( www.cruisecompete.com ), which enables travel agents to offer you the best deals they have for the time you want to travel, touts some Holland America sailings for just $70 aperson a day , says spokesman Heidi Allison-Shane. Look at an all-inclusive. Club Med ( www.clubmed.com ) of fers $499 per person deals for an entire week at some of its family resorts. Don’t discountplaces you thought wer e too pricy either , especially if you can snag a cheap flight. Use up those fr equent flier miles. And go for a long weekend rather than a week. W indjammer Landing in St. Lucia ( www.windjammerlanding .com ), for example, is offering 50 percent off ther oom rate in “sun dollars”, credit for food and activities. Mention T aking the Kids and you can get a parents’ massagetoo. Hotels.com, meanwhile, has a luxury for less sale( www.hotels.com/luxuryforless ) that pr omises upscale lodging for as low as $89 in cities across the country. Try something you’ve never done. Go to the Fr ost Valley YMCA camp in the Catskills ( www .frostvalley.org ) and you can see how maple syr up is made. Join a flotilla of sailing boats in the British Virgin Islands and save 25 percent with Sunsail ( www .sun sail.com ). (Other deals of fer as much as 35 percent off.) FREE SKI There are so many thirdnight-free deals in ski country that you can find an entirepage devoted to them at( www .ski.com/3rdnightfree ). Ski.com’s Dan Sherman addedther e ar e many second-nightfree deals in Park City, while V ail and Beaver Creek have just extended their kids-fly free ski-free deal (book by Mar. 14(with your travel deadline ofMar . 31) one child flies and skis fr ee for each paying adult (www .flyvail.com). Also www.perfectfamilyvacation.com has just slashed prices significantly from last year’s rates at Shadow Ridge Resor t in Park City Utah. Wherever you want to go, don’ t be shy about asking the resort/cruise line/hotel to up the ante a better r oom, fr ee breakfast, free kids’ club. Remember, they want andneed your business. And you need that time together. “The kids ar e only going to be this age once,” says Anne Stewart. 2009 Eileen Og intz. Distributed by Tribune Media Ser vices,Inc. ED PERKINS If you’re heading out of the country and expect to return after June 1, it’ s time now to make sure your documents comply with the tightened requirements that will apply. Those tightened requirements focus on re-entry by landor sea fr om countries participating in the W ester n Hemisphere Travel Initiative(WHTI ogram (Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, including The Bahamas, and Mexico). T o enter those countries and cr oss the bor der back to the United States you will need either: A U.S.passport the traditional, all-purpose document for international travel. A passport card the new credit-card-size ID, valid for travel to/from only countries in the WHTI program. It isissued by the U.S. State Department; it’s a less expensive alternative for travelers interested mainly on cross-border travel by car or foot. An enhanced driver’s license (EDL the updated, high-tech version of a conventional driver’s license that requires proofof citizenship as a condition ofissue. An ID from one of the rusted Traveler” programs. This rule has two prominent exceptions: Childr en under age 18 with out the documents required for adults will be able to enter or return from WHTI participating countries with any accepted proof of citizenship, including birth certificate (original or copy) or citizenship card. Cruise ship passengers on “closed loop” itineraries (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) can enter or leave with a birth certificate or government-issued photo ID. (You may, however, need a U.S. passport to debark at some ports.) HI-TECH This column was prompted, in part, by a news release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency touting its new high-tech facilities at the Tijuana-San Ysidro border cr ossing, the nation’s busiest. By scanning the radio frequency ID (RFID the latest high-tech travel docu-ments, U.S. agents can speedthe flow of traf fic thr ough the checkpoint and they hope -r educe the long lines of vehicles that currently clog the border crossing. All passports, passport car ds and EDLs contain chips, which pr ovide instant access by agents to the government’s passpor t database, and all future passports will containthem. Some folks are worried that hackers will be able to extract personal data fromEDLs and other chip-enabled cards. The people who make these systems and the government say that a metal sleeve will prevent unauthorized read-ing. Air travelers arriving from any foreign country, including those in the WHTI program, will see no changes: You need a passport; the passport card won’t do. This requirementapplies to travelers of any age, including children and even infants. The only exceptions are for active-duty militar y personnel, merchant mariners, travelers with NEXUS cards, and permanent residents groups with their own specific ID requirements. For mor e detail on any bor der crossing documentation issues, log onto the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Website at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel /. And if you think you’ll need a passpor t, apply now: I’m sure that a short-staffed State Department will again be slow in filling applications. 2009 Tribune Media Ser vices ,Inc. 12 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 VACATION VACATION PLANNING PLANNING www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today special feature U.S.citizens traveling out of the country by air will need a passport to return. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11) It can be wonderful fun taking Spring Break with the kidsBe prepared for new document requirements starting in June March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 12 

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Ocean carriers spend $16 billion annually on repositioning empties. ?A collapsible container designed by two pr ofessors fr om the Indian Institute of T echnology in Delhi, India, could r evolutionize the marine car go sector. In less than four minutes, the container is collapsed hydraulically to one-quarter its original size. Kept together with a self-locking mechanism, four vertically stacked containers take up exactly the same space as a regular 20-foot box. More than 52 years ago, Malcom McLean, a North Carolina trucking entrepreneur, originally hatched the idea of using containers to carry cargo. He loaded 58 con-tainers onto his ship, Ideal X, in Newark, New Jersey, andonce the vessel r eached Houston the uncrated containers were moved directly onto trucks and reusable rectangular boxes soon became the industry standard. Anoop Chawla and Sudipto Mukherjee from IIT’smechanical engineering department worked on the collapsible concept for three and a half years. e made at least two models befor e coming up with the cur rent proof of concept,” Chawla said. “Ther e were many dif ficulties we encounter ed in the entir e process right from conceptualization to ensuring the structural rigidity of the collapsible container. For instance, we had to ensure ther e wer e pr oper sealing and locking conditions.”Top names in the regional shipping industr y, including owners, shipping executives and industry leaders, are expected at a three-dayCaribbean Shipping Executives Confer ence in Cartagena, Colombia in mid-May. The eighth conference, set for May 18-20 at Hotel LasAmericas Global Resor t, is scheduled to feature speakers from several countries worldwide. Issues to be discussed will include the following: Is the shipping industry in the Caribbean and Latin American region ready to deal with the current globalfinancial crisis? Ar e businesses equipped to seize the oppor tunities that will present themselvesduringthis time? What is the futur e of the cargo and cruise shipping industries and how can stakeholders in the r egion position their businesses to stay “afloat” and maximize growth? Is it time to implement National Port Community Systems throughout the region to impr ove supply chain ef ficiency , security and customer satisfaction? The confer ence is being presented by the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA collaboration with Sociedad Por tuaria Regional de Car tagena (SPRC Scheduled sessions include: “The Business and Economic Outlook for Global Trade”; “Repercussions of the GlobalRecession on Por t Operators: Liner Companies, Shipping Agents and Labor”; “Today’s Opportunity for Tomorrow’s Gr owth”; “Strategic Positioning of Cr uise T ourism to Maximize Growth for All Stakeholders”;“The Luxur y Yacht Sector: Business Oppor tunities for the Region”; and “Secured Commer ce for Economic Growth”. Among the scheduled keynote speakers are: Dr. W alter Kemmsies, chief economist, Mof fatt & Nichol; Robert West, principal, trade and transportation, Halcrow; Rupert Conner , president and chief executive offier, Luxury Yacht Gr oup; Michael Horton, principal Latin America, Moffatt & Nichol; Michael McFadden,vice pr esident, Halcrow; Iker Allison, senior commercialmanager , SSA Mexico; Dr . Andrew Coggins, professional consultant School of Hotel & T ourism Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Giovanni Benedetti, director of marketing and sales, Sociedad Por tuaria Regional de Car tagena; and Joseph Cervenak, principal, KemperJoseph LLC. Collapsible shipping container could transform cargo tradeCaribbean shipping execs to meet in Colombia in May March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 13 SPRING SPRING SHIPPING SHIPPING www .caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature Collapsible containers could save the industry space and money. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14) March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 13 

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KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Contr oversy has erupted over a decision by the Jamaica gov ernment to import low-cost fertilizer from the United States, which Agriculture Minister Dr. Chris Tufton has revealed is madewithhuman waste. The matter, which was the subject of heated debate in the Parliament recently, has spilled out of the chamber, with Opposition Leader PortiaSimpson Miller demanding that Prime Minister Bruce Golding provide answers to the country. Simpson-Miller, speaking at a People’s National Party(PNPshe was extr emely concerned that the fertilizer, containing human excrement, had alr eady been distributed for use by the agricultur e sector.?Her statement came hours after Roger Clarke,Opposition spokesman onagricultur e, sought answers fr om Tufton during debate in the House. “Human faeces (imported) to Jamaica, I am asking outof the inter ests of not just the Jamaican farmer but the Jamaican peo-ple, what is the protocol inplace with theuse of it?” asked Clarke. Tufton stoutly defended the imports and insisted that the product, made primarily fromdomestic sludge and waste water, has been tested by theU.S. authorities. Clarke called for tests to be conducted locally on thefer tilizer. Jamaica importing fertilizer with human waste ~ minister COMPATIBILITY The concept also had to be compatible with existing equip ment for inter modal transport.?Speed was another concern. e wanted to keep the folding and unfolding time to within thr ee to four minutes,” he said. The water tight con tainer, which is fabricated from Corten steel like the standard container and equals its str ength, opens upward to allow top loading of commodi ties.? A system to collapse and erect the container also had to be conceptualized. e designed a base station or special platform to fold and unfold the container horizontally within the target time of thr ee to four minutes,” Chawla said. “The system, which could behydraulic-based, helpscollapse the container automatically It takes a semi-skilled person half a day to one day to be trained on the base station, said Avinder Bindra of Simpri Investments Ltd., who financed the container pr oject. A former banker, Bindra appr oached IIT, one of India’s best engineering schools, about taking on the challenge. He felt collapsible containers could improve the logistics and decrease the cost of backhauling empty containers. The shipping industr y spends a great deal of time and money r epositioning empty containers. If trade were balanced, ther e would be no empties. But trade imbalance has r esulted in appr oximately 2.5 million TEUs of empty boxes stor ed in yards worldwide with empties comprising 20 per cent to 23 per cent of the movement of containers ar ound the world. According to research conducted by Inter national Asset Systems, the average container is idle or undergoing repositioning for more than 50 percent of its lifespan. It also determined shipping companies spend $16 billion in repositioning empties. To compensate for these costs, carriers add surcharges to freight rates. These range between $100 and $1,000 per TEU. It is estimated that if 75 percent of empty containers were folded by 2010, the result would be a yearly saving in shipping of 25million TEUs, or 50 percent of the total volume of empty contain-ers shipped. Edited from an article written b y Kathlyn Horibe and publishedrecently on Caribbean Shipping Inc. s website . Collapsible shipping container could transform cargo trade 14 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 SPRING SPRING SHIPPING SHIPPING www.caribbeantoday.com ~ A Caribbean Today advertising feature (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13) Tufton Simpson Miller March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 14 

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DA WN A. DAVIS The legacy of Louise Bennett-Coverley hasleft an indelible impr ession on Jamaica and the Caribbean. It is this icon, this tradition, this birth right, thatwas commemorated at the South Regional Broward College Library in PembrokePines, Florida last month. Under the patr onage of Sandra Grant-Grif fiths, Jamaica’s consul general to the southern United States, the event brought togetherlinguists, educators, writers, performers and friends who celebrated an indigenous lan-guage and cultur e and “Miss Lou”, the woman whoinstilled pride in Jamaican“patwa”. Journalist, playwright, director, actress and culturalactivist Barbara Gloudon wasamong those honoring thewoman that gave voice toJamaica. “Louise was marked out to free the tongue of the Jamaican people,” Gloudon said. “Louise was bor n for a particular purpose, at a particular time. As happens in everygeneration, one or two people are born to change time.Barack Hussein Obama car ries that burden, Nelson Mandela carries that burden, Martin Luther King Jr. carriedthat bur den, Mar cus Mosiah Garvey carried that burden.So, we need to take her work seriously Miss Lou was the major force in promoting Jamaicanlanguage as a legitimate for m of communication. She used Jamaican patwa, a mixture ofAfrican languages br ought to the island by slaves, and English in her writings as a young journalist, in performances, and everyday life with-out shame. And, in time, her genius was recognized with a scholarship to Britain’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, an institution that representedthe system she fought toloosen its grip on Jamaican culture. According to Gloudon, Miss Lou was par t of a politi cal movement. The statements in her poetry were political, the strongest being her railing against the British. In those days, all things British wasgood. Hence, a whole genera tion was made to feel ashamed of their tonguebecause it was not “the Queen’s English”. PANTOMIME Among the stages Miss Lou used to showcase her proud heritage, talent, andpersistence was pantomime, aBritish tradition of acting out children’s stories onstage thattraditionally opened on Boxing Day each year. Miss Lou performed in 25 pan-tomimes between 1943 and1975; several times alongsideher famous sidekick Ranny“Mas Ran” W illiams. She became a pr olific director and per former, peppering her productions with the language of her people. The tradition continues today. “She gave us no end of proverbs, which were in fact parables; they were almostbiblical in their connotations,”Gloudon said. “For example, ‘wen chubble tek man, pickney shut fit im’. It is clear , when trouble takes man a child’s shirt will even cover you. It was almost biblical wisdom, which she would putinto folk language, and little by little they have become part of our history. If you lookin the Oxfor d dictionar y now, it is carrying words out of the Jamaican autography But, it was not only pan tomime that benefited from the strength and character of“patwa”. Not just a theatricalgenius, Miss Lou weaved herstories, poems, and plays withfolkloric tales in the voice of the characters she brought tolife. And, she did not keep itto herself, but passed on thetradition to those ar ound her . Gloudon was one of her pr o tegs. Miss Lou, and Gloudon after her , were perhaps the first journalists to use “patwa” in the print media for ever y day communication. Both women worked at The Gleaner , Jamaica’s oldest newspaper , in their early car eers. “The Gleaner received enormous amounts of complaints that Louise Bennett and myself had conspir ed to cheapen the Jamaican lan-guage and weaken the identifyof the people,” explainedGloudon. Later , when Gloudon started her radio call-in program “Hotline”, she was again criticized for speaking in “patwa”. In spite of that, and perhaps because of that, the show has grown to become one of Jamaica’s most popular com-munity radio shows. Listeners can call in and air their opin-ions in a language they ar e comfor table with. BEY OND COMEDY Gloudon implored scholars to look beyond Miss Lou’s comedic performances for she was much more than that. e have forgotten to spend some time on the importance of the journey thatshe took and its r elevance to the development of Jamaica,” she said “...Her purpose was to be tongue and voice to apeople who had no voice...Thework I do as a writer is alldriven by Louise...But, wehave to understand that the road ahead still nuh dun.” Gloudon is involved in a pr oject that will help keep Miss Lou and Jamaica’ s indigenous voice alive. A website, www.ltmpantomime, has been created. It celebrates 60 years of Jamaican theater . The site features a detailed historyof the movement as well as directors, producers, and castmembers fr om ever y pan tomime per for med since 1941. Packed with a dizzying array of facts, visitors to the site willalso lear n about chor eography trends, designers, and little known facts about the pan-tomime company and Kingston’s Little Theatre. Even the Canadian gov er nment r ecognizes the valu able contribution Louise Bennett-Coverley made toJamaican cultur e with the cr e ation of “Miss Lou’s Room”. Opened on July 26, 2007 at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on the first anniversar y of Miss Lou’s death, the facility pr ovides a per manent display on her life and perfor mances and houses DVDs, audiocassettes, and interactivemedia that allows visitors to “perform” along with thebeloved Jamaican icon. Dawn A. Da vis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. LOS ANGELES, California The District Attorney's office her e says R&B star Chris Brown has been charged with two felonies following the alleged beating of his girl friend, Barbadian pop singerRihanna. The singer made a brief appearance in court with his attorney Mark Geragos earlythis month and did not enter a plea to the two felony chargesof assault and making criminal threats. The judge granted Brown's r equest for a continuance on April 6. If convicted, Brown faces anywhere from probation to a maximum four years and eight months in state prison, District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. The for mal char ges come almost a month after the couple argued on the morning ofFeb. 8, just hours befor e Rihanna, 21, and Br own, 19, wer e both scheduled to per for m at the Grammys. U.S.-based media organizations published the sordiddetails of the incident, while quoting an affidavit whichchr onicles the attack in which Brown allegedly punched, bloodied and threatened tokill his girlfriend. They also indicate that the couple has reunited following the inci-dent. South Florida celebrates ‘Miss Lou’ pioneer of Jamaica’s ‘patwa’R&B star faces felony charges for alleged beating of Rihanna March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 15 LOCAL LOCAL www .caribbeantoday.com Rihanna,left,and Brown performing. Louise Bennett-Coverley left a huge impression of Caribbean culture on the world. Gloudon “Louise was marked out to free the tongue of theJamaican people” Gloudon “In time, her genius was recognized with a scholarship to Britain’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, an institution that represent-ed the system she fought toloosen its grip on Jamaicanculture” March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 15 

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DAWN A. DAVIS Images of regal Africans with elaborately plaitednatural hair , beautifully decorated with cowrie shells, or mud-encased locks flash across the screen. Larger-than-life pictur es of Caribbean musical icons Bob Marley, Peter T osh and Bunny Wailer flashing their “natty” reinforces the message: natural black hair is beautiful. Unfor tunately, this is not universally embraced by blacks. Ever wonder why the subject of black hair is so vexed? Why are issues of self-esteemimage, power , control intertwined with black hair. These questions and more are tackled in the documentary “MyNappy Roots: A Jour ney Thr ough Black Hair-itage”, which was scr eened at Fort Lauderdale’s Nova Southeastern University in celebration of Black Histor y Month in Febr uary. The 78minute film explores the social, psychological, and cul tural issues that surround the sometimes touchy subject of black hair. Pr oducer/Director Regina Kimbell takes us on a psychological journey with “My Nappy Roots”, forcing viewers to question their own attitude to black hair. Pre-slavery Africans on the continent were proud of their natural crowns. It was not until they were enslaved and brought to the Americas that terms such as “wooly”, “nappy” and “bad hair” became the signifier of black hair as another means of power and control by slave masters. The strategy worked, negatively marking an entire race of people. The expressions “boad ‘ed”, “dry ‘ed”, “natty ‘ed”, often heard in some Caribbean nations, are just a few examples of how African descendants have come to accept the nega-tive definition of black hair in its natural state. MONEY-MAKER But out of all this negativity, emerged a billion-dollar black hair care industry.Kimbell inter views some of the most successful and pow erful figures in the business, including George Johnson of the Johnson products line and Edward Gardner of “Soft Sheen”. Madame C.J. Walkeris celebrated as the African American who created the black hair hair car e business. The film walks through the evolution of black stylesand the messages they sentduring a par ticular era. For example, noted African American entertainers such as Cab Calloway and Nat King Cole wore the early “relaxed” hairstyles called the “conk”, which required a painful chemical process to ultimately straightened the hair. Today’s relaxers may be more sophisticated and less chemically harsh, but the process can be painful, both physically and mentally. Nonetheless, it is the price many are willing to pay for straight hair. The 1960s saw the reemergence of natural when afros and corn-rowed braids were all the rage, signifying a return to black pride and power. Today black hairstyles run the gamut from natural tostraight. But many choose to follow the Eur opean standar d of beauty long, flowing, silky . TOUCHY Black celebrities, wearing their pr efer r ed styles, speak about the touchy hair issue. Actr ess Kim Fields, with shoulder length locks, discuss es her preference but warns that blackness is mor e than just a hairstyle. Actr ess V ivica A. Fox applauds those who wear naturals, but prefers her r oots straightened. Kimbell highlights both sides of the hair story. Her goal, she says, is to educateblack folks about the chemi cals and processes they use on themselves without beingjudgmental. s about being fully aware of the choices youmake,” she said. A host of historians, writers, and hairstylists offer theirperspectives on the cultur e, histor y, and business of black hair, giving the film a br oad-based appeal beyond that of ordinary documentaries. The “Hair Wars” segment is per-haps the mostenter taining, highlighting the best of the biggest African American hairshows in theUnited States that showcases the artistry of hairstylists, along with the most elaborate, outlandish hairdos they create. CONVERSATIONS “My Nappy Roots” also nudges the viewer to thinkabout the implications of skin color and class issues. It points out the significant impact of the media on image and selfesteem. Ultimately, the film applauds black creativity, but underscores: Whatever the style natural, straight,wigged, bald, weaved black hair starts with strong nappy roots that crown a people. “These are conversations we need to have, particularlywith our young people,” saysKimbell. She continues, “Once we know what our tr ue beauty is, we can be free to express it in whatever way we like.” But, the arguments for or against the natural continues. One viewer put it this way: “The feeling of betrayal isalways ther e if I hide my African-ness with someone else’ s hair Dawn A. Da vis is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. ‘My Nappy Roots’ sparks hair-raising questions about African heritage 16 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 CULTURE CULTURE www.caribbeantoday.com Film producer/director Regina Kimbell gets to the root of the hair debate. March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 16 

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Jamaican reggae icon Burning Spear was thelone Caribbean winner at the 51st Annual GrammyA wards in Los Angeles last month. The singer , whose real name is Winston Rodney, won the Best Reggae Album for“Jah is Real”. The album was released by Burning MusicPr oduction. In 2000, Burning Spear won the Best Reggae Albumfor his “Calling Rastafari”album, but lost out to Stephen Marley with “Mind Control”for the title in 2007. In all, hehas received 12 Grammy nominations to date.Other nominees for the 2008 Best Reggae Album wereElephant Man for “Let’ s Get Physical”; Heavy D for ibes”; Sly & Robbie for“Amazing”; and Shaggy for“Intoxication”. Black Uhuru was awarded the first Reggae Grammy for“Anthem” in 1985. Barbadian pop-singing sensation Rihanna failed toget a 2008 Grammy A ward. She was nominated for thr ee, including Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.Rihanna was also expected to perform at the annual event, but was a no show. DA WN A. DAVIS FLORIDA Miami, ranked the third richest in the UnitedStates in 2008, is what it is today because of the contribu-tions of the African diaspora inbuilding and shaping this so-called “Magic City”. A major exhibition at Miami’s Historical Museum ofSouther n Florida (HMSF it all in perspective with unforgettable photographs, video stories, historical documents, and artifacts. A pr e-opening event host ed late last month by Miamibased law fir m Delancy Hill gave a throng of museum andar t supporters a special preview of the show, dubbed “Black Crossroads: TheAfrican Diaspora in Miami”. Inkeeping with the spirit of the exhibition, for mer County Commissioner Betty T. Ferguson was honored for her work in helping to inspirechange and development through community activism. The exhibition runs through Jan. 24, 2010. It highlights the labor and cultural connection that African Americans and African Caribbean groups have with Miami, from 1896 to the present. LABOR OF LOVE The large exhibition was a three-year labor of love according to Haitian-born chief curator Joanne Hyppolite. After painstaking research, which involved going through historical documents, talking to community members, and six months of building and constructing, the story is nowbeing told. The mostly black and white photographs show black neighborhoods, men at work on bridges, hotels, and the r oads that marked out this coastal city . Neat row houses in tight clusters wher e colored folk lived almost seem to serve as a racial line of demar cation, for Miami in the late 19th cen tury and into the 20th century was a segregated city, as muchof the American South. Majestic landmarks, like the L yric Theater in what was then called “Colored Town” (today’ s Over town) come alive in pictur es. Opened in 1913, this 400-seat theater , built by Geder Walker, a black man from Georgia, is a concreteexample of the economic, cul tural, and political impact blacks had on Miami. It still stands today. SHOCKING There are also photographs that show how blackslived under the heavy hand of racism. Disturbing images of men and women packed inrickety boats is not much dif fer ent from the pictures of Haitians landing on the Miami shores today, most ending up in detention centers and ultimately deported. More shocking still, because of its in-your -face reality, is a Ku Klux Klan robe pr otected behind glass. And, not far fr om it, a companion symbol a burnt cross still standing er ect. With over two million photographs in its ar chives, much of the pre-World War II images on display come fr om the museum’ s collection. Among them ar e photos by Commodore Munroe, an early settler in Coconut Grove who hired some of the early Bahamians to help build the city. There is also a lar ge number of images taken by Claude Matlack, a commer-cial photographer who was active in Miami in the 1920s. A powerful exhibition, “Black Crossroads” sheds lighton Miami’ s past, its develop ment and pr esent. It shar es with viewers the melting pot of cultures that defined the city inits infancy , and why it r emains a city of mixed voices burstingto tell their stories. Story and photograph by Dawn A. Da vis , a freelance writer for Caribbean T oday . Burning Spear wins reggae Grammy GORDON WILLIAMS ATLANTA, Georgia What should have been a celebration of Caribbean spirit andcr eativity was mar r ed her e last month by mourning over the death of a man known for hiswork pr omoting the region’s culture. The body of a Mar c Stewar t, who over the years has helped staged many Caribbean entertainmentevents in the United States,was found in the state of Georgia days after he was reported missing by his fam-ily . The 38year-old Stewart wasinvolved in the promotion of“What Goes Around”, amovie byJamaican filmmaker Steve ehut Nine” McAlpin. The film was scheduled for a screening on Feb. 15 in theStone Mountain ar ea of Georgia, where Stewart r esided. Due to his death, a candlelight vigil, attended by dozens of Caribbean immi-grants, was held outside theT or ch Theaters. LOSS Prior to the scr eening, McAlpin lamented the loss of Stewart, who he had met a few years ago during the pro-motion of another film, and who he described as a friend. “It hits very hard,” McAlpin said. “Life is just complex and unpredictable. Sometimes you hear thingslike this happen and younever think it will happen topeople close to you. “It feels like a nut or bolt that holds things together isjust gone.” Up to pr ess time Georgia police were still searching for clues leading to Stewar s killer . He r epor tedly was shot in the head. No arrests had been made. The pr omoter r epor tedly called his wife from Marietta, Georgia, the last time anyone heard from him. He was later reported missing. His bodywas found in GwinnettCounty . Repor ts later indicat ed that it appeared someone may have tried to use his cel-lular telephone and bankcar d shortly after Stewart had called his wife. Those attending the candlelight vigil last month sang hymns and paid tribute toStewar t. “He was too young to die,” one mourner said. “Mar c, we love you and know you’re alright,” added another . “What Goes Around”, primarily a story focusing on the twists and turns of loveand the deadly thr eat of AIDS, was first released last year . Stewart was trying to help pr omote the film, which features primarily a Caribbean cast. Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’ s managing editor. Caribbean entertainment promoter goes missing, found murderedMiami’s story arrives at ‘Black Crossroads’ March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 17 ARTS ARTS / / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT www .caribbeantoday.com Patron Guy Bury stares at a Ku Klux Klan robe. Burning Spear Stewart March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 17 

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GORDON WILLIAMS HOLLYWOOD, Florida – Jamaican-bor n Glen Johnson kept on track for another shotat a world title by scoring aunanimous decision win overDaniel Judah of the United States in their light heavyweight bout at the Hard Rock Live arena here late lastmonth. The for mer world champion took the 10-r ounder with a commanding per formance, dominating Judah throughout to ear n a huge margin of victory on the judges’ scorecards and avenge a draw against the American in 2003. Fighting in the colors of his homeland, Johnson, whonow lives in Miami, looked decisive from the opening belland almost ended the fight early with a thunderous righthand that sent Judah tumbling into the ropes where he wasgiven a standing eight countby the r eferee. But Judah refused to go down ther emainder of the way, denying Johnson the knockout he craved but ear ning criticism from the Jamaican for failing to show enough aggr ession and will to win. “It seems like when they get in the ring with me it’s more like a survival tacticthan anything else,” saidJohnson while cooling down in his dressing room after thebout. “A lot of guys don’t really try to win and then the rest of them kinda try to run aroundand tr y to throw some pitty pat shots as they’re moving,tr ying to create space. It’s just another way of surviving, trying to not let me get close to them to throw combinations.” CLASH OF HEADS Yet Johnson occasionally got too close to Judah for his own good, resulting in thefighters clashing heads and raising concern in the Jamaican’ s camp that he could suffer injuries that could endanger futur e fights, including a title challenge expected this summer. “The man bucked me like a cow,” Johnson said of thehead butts, one which caused the r efer ee to stop the fight and allow both boxers time to recover. “I was just more in fear of getting cut than anything else,because I wanna get back in the ring as soon as possible and with a cut it would kindabe a setback. I was a little bit nervous there with the colli-sion.” That aside, Judah offered little beyond clowning andtaunting. The lopsided win was reflected in the judges’ scorecard – 99-89, 99-90 and99-90 – in favor of Johnson,the W orld Boxing Council’s number one contender in the175-pound weight division. Johnson, nicknamed the “Road W arrior”, improved his ring record to 49 wins, 12 losses and thr ee draws. Although rhe 40-year-old former world “Fighter of theY ear” in 2004 welcomed the win, he did not mask his dis-appointment at not addingJudah to his list of 33 knock out victims. “It was a successful night,” the Jamaican said. “And I’m a little bit disappointed, but more than anything satisfied at the victory Gordon Williams is Caribbean T oday’s managing editor. Johnson cover photograph by Sean Young KINGSTON, Jamaica The W est Indies scor ed a com manding win over England to take a 1-0 lead in the home cricket Test series, then foughtdoggedly to secur e that advan tage going into the final match this monthand ensur e it would not lose the seriesto its higher ranking, tradi-tional rivals. The Caribbeanteam openedthe series impressivelylast month at Sabina Park here, ripping into England on a dramatic fourth day to register a massive innings and 23r uns victor y . Batting first, England made 318 all out, with star batsman Kevin Peterson getting 97 runs. The West Indies,led by centuries fr om captain Chris Gayle (104Ramnar esh Sarwan (107 replied with 392 all out. However, England crumbled under an impressive combination of spin and pace to be bowled out for 51 runs, the visitors’ third lowest Test total of all time. Fast bowler Jer ome Taylor finished the second innings with figures of five wickets for 11 runs. Spinner Sulieman Benn picked up fourfor 31. REVERSAL Gayle commended his players for a “really, really brilliant” performance andhinted that the r esult could reverse the Caribbean team’s str uggling for tunes of late. s definitely a turning point,” said Gayle. “We combined together. It wastr emendous.” The euphoria did not last long. The second Test at SirV ivian Richards Stadium in Antigua was abandoned during the second over , when umpires ruled the outfield unfit for play. The teams moved to the Antigua Recr eation Gr ound for the third Test, where the West Indies held on for a draw. The final Test in February, played in Barbados, alsoended in a draw . Both teams traveled to Trinidad for the final Test, Mar. 6-10, with the seventh ranked West Indies assured it cannot lose the series to England, rated fifth in theworld. Gordon Williams BOISE, Idaho – Caribbean athletes came in for high praises from Special Olympics Caribbean Executive Director Candilla Berment after aclaiming a cluster of medals at the World Winter Games herelast month. Jamaicans won two gold medals, a silver and two br onze medals competing in floor hockey and speed skating, while Trinidad and Tobago secured a floor hockey bronze medal. “Our teams performed excellent, which should not come as a surprise,” Berment said. “We prepared well forthese games.” She said the athletes’ victories would go a long way in creating more awareness inthe Caribbean that people with disabilities are capable of living pr oductive lives and can achieve wonders, if given the opportunity. Jamaica’s floor hockey team picked up the country’s first gold medal with an upset win against Canada in the Division Two final. Richard Hillary captured an individualgold for Jamaica in the 200meters speed skating and teammate Monique Brown won three medals for Jamaicain speed-skating events. A total of 85 countries – repr esented by over 3,000 athletes competed at the World Winter Games. Windies take cricket honors from England in F ebruar yCaribbean athletes shine at special winter gamesJamaican Johnson dominates Judah in light heavyweight boxing clash 18 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 SPORT SPORT www.caribbeantoday.com Photogra ph by Sean YoungJohnson raises his fist to celebra te victory over Judah. Sarwan March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 18 

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March 2009CARIBBEAN TODAY 19 DAWN A. DAVIS Looking for an exotic gastronomic experi-ence? W ell, look no further than Pembr oke Pines, Florida where the recently opened T imehri r estaurant serves up a stunning mix of West Indian and Chinese cui-sine. Timehri, named after the Guyanese airpor t, opened its doors on Feb. 14 to a packedhouse with a long line of patrons waiting for tables upto one hour . W ith spicy and Caribbean seasoned dishes like jerk chicken chow mein,dhalpuri, cur r y channa, polouri, dhalpuri and curried goat, barbecue duck, and veg etable fried rice, it was definitely worth the wait. The price is right too, with entreesaveraging about $10. A sample of the GuyanaChinese chef s specialties left no doubt that this was indeed authentic West Indian food with a definite Caribbean flair. Highly seasoned, with plentypepper as Caribbean food should be, the food adventur-er will love the jerk chickenand even the vegetable lomein. The dhalpuri and chan na potato is just one of the variety of dishes that is sure tosatisfy vegetarians. HALAL In addition, because South Florida has its shar e of devout Muslims who follow halal food standar ds (i.e., some foods ar e forbidden and meat can only be eaten from an animal that has been slaughtered in thepr oper way, not strangled or beaten), all the meat pr epared by the r estaurant is halal. No pork is served as it is forbidden by Islamic law. A large space, the restaurant is clean, airy, and brightly colored. Piped soca andIndian music add to theCaribbean/W est Indian feel. It is set up in two parts, with one side serving dine-in customers, while the other half can beused for private gatheringssuch as weddings. T ake-out, catering, and delivery service are also offered. OPPOR TUNITY Thir ty three-year-old owner Cindy Narain, who is ofGuyanese and Indian descent, migrated from Canada to open what is now the fourth restaurant in a family-owned chain started in 1998. Withtwo operations in Canada andone in Orlando, Narain tookthe leap to invest in the SouthFlorida market. “Although it is tough economic times, we r ealized it was cheaper to purchase now explained Narain. “You justhave to be able to wait out thestor m at the beginning...I know there was a need for a really good Chinese-West Indian restaurant. So, I thought if we brought the same food we havein Canada, the same kind of atmosphere to South Florida, itwould be a r estaurant you could take your family or busi ness colleagues to.” Starting this month, Narain will attract the after-work cr owd with drink specials and a lime on weekday evenings. T imehri is open Tuesday through Sunday in College Plaza, 7855 Pines Boulevard. Stor y and photographs by Dawn A.Davis,a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Exotic West Indian flavors hot off the stove at Timehri FOOD FOOD www.caribbeantoday.com Variety is the spice at Timehri’s restaurant. Narain and her five-year-old son Kadin. March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 19 

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20 CARIBBEAN TODAYMarch 2009 CAN’T CHOOSE?YOU DON’T HAVE TO. For a limited time. Prices and participation may vary. Valid when product is served. Price of required purchase posted on menu board. Available in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River Counties. 9 McDonald’s Right now, with any Extra Value Meal you buy at McDonald’s, you can add a four piece chicken McNuggets made with whitemeatforjust $1 M05721_EVM TradeUp_CaribbeanToday_v1.0.indd 1 2/19/09 3:09:03 PM March 2009.qxd 3/7/09 7:45 PM Page 20