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CONTENTS
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US subsidies threaten CARICOM rum industries

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Tablets for e-Learning project begins in Jamaica

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Dozens arrested in T&T

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Jamaican gets US patent for anti-cancer formula

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Parrotfish ban resisted in Jamaica

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Modern day pirates attack Guyanese coast

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Jamaica health facilities to generate energy from sewage

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Latin America condemns Israel

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Guyana seeking to deal with high suicide rate

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US cuts funding to UWI HIV/AIDS Program

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Tax dodgers abound in Jamaica

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Aristide arrested

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Barbados student enrollments plummet at  UWI Cave Hill campus

UNDILUTED pays tribute to John Maxwell by featuring two previous columns by him from the Hot Calaloo UNDILUTED archives:

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Hot Calaloo's Undiluted Vol. 15, "The Audacity of Hopelessness"

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Hot Calaloo's Undiluted Vol. 14, "Cuba's Benevolence versus US Belligerence"

 
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cover River Woman by Donna Hemans ... $16.10
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cover  For the Life of Laetitia by Trinidad -born Merle Hodge  Price: $10.54
a wonderful book about a young girl in the Carribean, the first of her family to go to secondary school.

 

 

AugSept 2014

 US subsidies threaten CARICOM  rum industries

US subsidized rum is killing CARICOM rum producers. Barbadian Trade, Industry and Commerce Minister, Donville Inniss, is criticising regional leaders for lack of support in the current trade issue with the United States over rum. Because of it,  producers will be able to produce and export rum to the US at much cheaper rates than many of the spirits made by producers in CARICOM. They argue that the subsidies were in breach of WTO rules. He has compared it to the banana struggle of the nineties when the US attacked and pretty much killed CARICOM banana trade.

Inniss says millions of dollars and thousands of jobs have been put at stake for CARICOM workers and rum producers as the US continues to place massive subsidies on rum made in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Already Barbados’ rum exports to the US have dropped by 21 per cent and warned that the industry is in danger of being wiped-out..

He says this gives them a competitive edge over the product from the rest of the Caribbean when they enter the United States market.  However, Inniss says his government's efforts at forming a united CARICOM front to lobby for changes to the unfair trade condition has not yielded responses from other regional leaders.

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Tablets for e-Learning project begins in Jamaica

THE distribution of 25,000 tablets to teachers and students under the Tablets in Schools (TIS) Pilot Project has begun with the delivery of approximately 180 devices. The deliveries will now allow the commencement of training of teachers in seven educational institutions included in the pilot phase.

The devices were delivered in mid-July by Digicel Jamaica, which is one of four companies contracted to provide the tablets under the year-long pilot project. The other three companies are Innovative Corporate Solutions, Productive Business Solutions and GeoTech Vision Enterprises.

Groups of teachers will be in training for two-week periods, focusing on tablet integration in instructional delivery ahead of the roll-out of the devices to students in September. CEO of e-Learning Jamaica Company Ltd (e-Ljam) Avrill Crawford explained that all the teachers in the 38 schools are being trained so that by September they will be ready to integrate the tablets into the normal teaching/learning process. Students and their parents or guardians will sign an agreement regarding their responsibility for proper use and care before receiving the tablets.

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Dozens arrested in T&T

HUNDREDS of people are expected to appear before the courts after police exercises in ten areas in southern Trinidad. Officers arrested 131 people for robberies and narcotics and one man was held for possession of a gun with five rounds of ammunition.

A warrant was issued for another who was in his company and escaped in nearby bushes. More than 130 traffic tickets were issued by officers, while 83 people were arrested on warrants. Twenty-seven people will appear before a magistrate for driving under the influence of alcohol. Officers also recovered five stolen vehicles during the exercises. They stopped and searched 975 motorists in Moruga, Princes Town , Ste Madeleine, Cocoyea, Pleasantville, Marabella, Gasparillo, Claxton Bay , La Romaine and San Fernando . The exercises were co-ordinated by Senior Supt Cecil Santana and included Supt Mohammed and James, ASP Maynard and Gaffoor, Insp Williams and Pachiko, Sgt Ramdhanie and Cpl Ramlogan, Southern Division Task Force and CID officers and the police helicopter.

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Jamaican gets US patent for anti-cancer formula

Renowned Jamaican scientist and entrepreneur Dr Henry Lowe has been awarded a second patent from the world's leading United States Patent Office on the anti-cancer activities of the ball moss. The patent was issued on May 6 and titled," Methods for inhibiting prostate cancer by kinases and angiogenesis inhibitory mechanisms." Dr Joseph L. Bryant of the University of Maryland shares the patent with Dr Lowe.

The patent states that the ball moss isolates have been demonstrated to inhibit the growth and viability of prostate cancer cells by selectively inhibiting certain types of proteins called kinases, which signals the directive for cancer cells to grow and spread. The mechanism also prevents angiogenesis, which is the growth of new blood vessels to feed the cancer tumors.

Not only has he been doing laboratory and clinical work on prostate cancer with ball moss isolates and alpha prostate formula, Lowe is the lead author in the development of a book, The Prostate Cancer Guide - a resource for Jamaican men and their families, which was sold out and is being updated for a second edition.

Dr Lowe has published 12 peer-reviewed research papers on ball moss in leading academic journals and his discoveries and publications make him the world's authority on this subject. He is the first person to have discovered that the ball moss has major bio-medicinal properties.

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Parrotfish ban resisted in Jamaica

Scientists have highlighted the  benefits to reefs by banning the catching the parrot fish, but vendors cite loss of earnings it would cause.

Jamaicans love parrotfish. Steamed, fried or roasted, the brightly coloured sea creature is a common feature on many a dinner plate. It’s also a favourite at the beach and at roadside eateries on the weekend. Bu,t the enjoyment could soon come to an end as local and international groups are lobbying for a parrotfish ban. The arguments are that: 1) the fish clean coral reefs by eating the algae that grows on them, and 2) they excrete sand, which is one way of countering beach erosion.

Lenbert Williams, director of projects with the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Societyreported that the parrotfish should be declared an endangered species in order to solve both problems or at least stem the tide of degradation. A mature parrotfish can weigh up to 40 lbs and in its lifetime it generates about 800 lbs of sand.

A study released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, recommended that parrotfish be listed as a specially protected species under the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol). It has found that Caribbean corals have declined by more than 50 per cent since the 1970s and may disappear in the next 20 years as a direct result of the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin — the area’s two main grazers — and not primarily as a result of climate change, as is widely believed.

The proposal to ban or restrict the catching of parrotfish seems logical enough to scientists, but it’s a much harder sell for the people who earn a living catching and selling it. They argue that parrot and snapper are the most abundant fish at sea and that any sort of restriction would severely hurt their ability to earn.

By contrast, fishers in Barbuda, which is about to ban all catches of parrotfish and grazing sea urchins and set aside one-third of its coastal waters as marine reserves, are reportedly in support of the restrictions.

There are currently 14 fish sanctuaries in Jamaica, and many of them have been very successful at restoring populations of fish and lobsters, with one sanctuary achieving an amazing 540 per cent increase in fish biomass in just two years.

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Modern day pirates attack Guyanese coast

Modern day pirates are being blamed as four Guyanese fishermen have disappeared from their boat off the seas near the coasts of the South American nation and its neighbor, Suriname.

The country’s Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy said the attack reportedly occurred off the coast of neighboring Suriname. The fishing boat’s captain claims he jumped into the Atlantic Ocean as the vessel was being boarded by machete-wielding bandits who then attacked his four crewmates and apparently dumped their bodies overboard.

The blood-spattered boat was recently found drifting at sea near De Hoop, Mahaica but the bodies of the four men – Andrew, of Lusignan, Dinesh also known as Monkey Brain, of Uitvlugt, Raymond Gomes, 37, and Chandrapaul Jallim, 19, both of Recht-door-zee, West Bank Demerara – have yet to be  recovered.

Ramsammy is calling for greater cooperation between Guyana and Suriname in combating piracy.

Guyana ’s fishermen have complained for years about pirates who seize catches and equipment and sometimes their boats. The pirates play hide and seek with the occasional coast guard patrols but they largely have free rein on the seas and there are sometimes deadly consequences.

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Jamaica health facilities to generate energy from sewage

In Jamaica six health facilities across the island will, in just under two years, will be able to generate energy from the upgrading of their sewerage system through anaerobic technology developed by the Scientific Research Council (SRC) and funded with a $389 million grant from the National Health Fund (NHF).

The anaerobic technology, which is patented by the SRC, protects the environment because of its low carbon process that contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission, and prevents the uncontrolled emission of methane (gas that has no smell) into the atmosphere.

The institutions where the plants will be installed are the Fellowship Health Centre in Portland; Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, Westmoreland; Noel Holmes Hospital and Lucea Health Department, Hanover; Ulster Spring Health Centre, Trelawny; Princess Margaret Hospital, St Thomas, and Percy Junor Hospital, Manchester.

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell,  said the collaboration of the SRC, which is an agency of his ministry, with the Ministry of Health, must be seen as a practical "demonstration of cost effective application of technology to add value to the lives of people".

To date, the SRC has commissioned some 500 wastewater treatment systems, inclusive of biodigesters across the island, at the residential and commercial levels. The Scientific Research Council (SRC) is Jamaica ’s principal public sector agency, responsible for the fostering and coordination of scientific research and the promotion of its application.

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Latin America condemns Israel

Latin America's leaders are among the most vehement in condemning Israel's Gaza offensive -- labelling the Jewish state "terrorist", recalling ambassadors, and offering near-unanimous, unwavering support to Palestinians.    
One of the most symbolic recent developments came from Bolivian President Evo Morales -- one of the leaders of Latin America's far left -- who put Israel on its list of "Terrorist States" and eliminated a visa waiver program for Israeli citizens.

Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and El Salvador have also recalled their ambassadors for consultations, while Costa Rica and Argentina, which have the largest Jewish populations in the region, called the Israeli ambassador for meetings at their foreign ministries.

Other politically leftist Latin American countries had years earlier broken diplomatic relations with Israel, including Nicaragua in 2010, Venezuela and Bolivia in 2009, after a previous military campaign in Gaza, and Cuba, in 1973, after the Yom Kippur War.

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Guyana seeking to deal with high suicide rate

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Guyana has by far the highest suicide rate among countries in the Caribbean. It has also been listed in the top 10 most suicidal countries.

So far this year more than 30 people have committed suicide, while several others are recovering from failed attempts.

The IAC said it will stage a walk on September 14 to highlight the issue and was urging all nationals, religious and non-government organizations to support the initiative “to heighten awareness about the need to prevent suicide.”

The Guyana government says it has developed a “strategic partnership” with the Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) to heighten awareness on the need to prevent suicides in the country

The IAC in the past had demonstrated its willingness to lead and support any intervention regarding this issue and based on the magnitude of incidents, called for suicide to be declared a national priority. The IAC believes that much more can be done and had called for meaningful collaboration among the various government ministries “to derive a plan of action which will lead to the provision of education through awareness and related counselling with the aim of reducing, and hopefully, eliminating incidents of suicides.

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US cuts funding to UWI HIV/AIDS Programme

THE United States’ President Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has cut funding to the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Program, formerly headed by retired University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor Brendan Bain. Bain’s contract as head of the UWI-based program was terminated in May after a coalition of gay advocacy and civil rights groups pressured the university to fire him for the expert evidence he gave in a Belize case involving a gay man who challenged the constitutionality.  Professor Bain’s dismissal had sparked widespread public debate, resulting in several protests involving church and lobby groups calling for a reversal of the university’s decision.

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Tax dodgers abound in Jamaica

Recent revelations show  over 60% of Jamaica landowners in Kingston and St Andrew fail to pay their property taxes, which go towards payments for garbage collection and street lighting in the city. Even though the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) had collected close to one billion dollars or 60 per cent of its $1.5-billion annual target, the compliance rate of the various communities in the city was between two to 39 per cent.

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Aristide arrested

Former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has been placed under house arrest as a judge continues to investigate allegations of corruption, money laundering and drugs smuggling involving the former leader and close allies.

As a result of the ruling issued by Judge Lamarre Belizaire the residence of the former president, in the district of Tabarre, is being guarded by agents of the prison administration, known as APENA, while the perimeter of the residence will be guarded by agents of the Central Department of the Judicial Police (DCPJ ).

Aristide and several of his former colleagues have been accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from the State through his organisation, Aristide for Democracy Foundation and other organisations during the period 2001-04.

Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest, and his colleagues including Mirlande Liberus, Yvon Neptune, Jean Nesty Lucien and Gustave Faubert, have also been banned from leaving the country.  

Since his return to Haiti in 2011, President Aristide has led the reopening of the University of the Aristide Foundation (UNIFA), which now has over 900 students in medical, nursing and law schools.
Yet he continues to be the target of government repression. On August 21, Haitian police wearing black masks and carrying heavy arms appeared in front of his home as a Haitian judge issued calls to arrest him. Hundreds of people courageously surrounded the house to protect him.
This is the fourth time since his return that President Aristide has been the target of a politically motivated legal case. Each time the case has been dropped before he has had a chance to even defend himself. We can expect more attacks as legislative elections in Haiti in October draw closer.

While President Aristide is being threatened with arrest, former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier – who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Haitians during his rule – is living freely in Haiti, and has been openly embraced by Haiti President Martelly.

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Barbados student enrollment plummet at  UWI Cave Hill campus

Campus Registrar, Ken Walters told reporters that overall, there had been a total of 1,468 students registering this academic year, as compared with 2,240 at the start of the last academic year in 2013.

Last year, Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Chris Sinckler in his 2013-14 budget presentation, said that effective 2014, Barbadian students pursuing studies at the university’s three campuses will be required to pay their own tuition fees, while the government continues to fund economic costs.

Sinckler said the tuition fees range from BDS$5,625 to BDS$65,000 (One Barbados dollar=US$0.50 cents) and that the new policy would reduce the transfer to UWI by an estimated BDS$42 million a year.

 


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