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CONTENTS UNDILUTED pays tribute to John Maxwell by featuring two previous columns by him from the Hot Calaloo UNDILUTED archives:
Not just a book but an invitation to join the Goodwill
Revolution against an unfair, unjust and deceptive system that
keeps the world poor and without hope. Find out how you can join,
quit the rat race, and achieve a happier more meaningful life for
yourself and others through goodwill to all
--------------- 
For
the Life of Laetitia
by Trinidad -born Merle Hodge
Price: $10.54a wonderful book about a young girl in the Carribean, the first of her family to go to secondary school.
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Dec15Jan16Jamaica’s
Labor Party wants to hang on to Privy Council
Like
most, if not all, other Commonwealth countries, the Judicial Committee of
the Privy Council was established as Jamaica's final court of appeal
during the period of colonialism. With the end of the colonial period,
many of the former British colonies severed ties with the English Privy
Council and established their own final courts of appeal. India, Sri Lanka
(Ceylon), Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong,
for instance, have all abandoned appeals to the Privy Council in favour of
establishing their own final courts of appeal. However, in the region,
save for Guyana, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has been
retained but not without much rancour. With memories of its role in the
death of the West Indian Federation, Jamaica’s Labour Party is clinging
to the UK Privy council as the highest court instead of the Caribbean
Court Of Justice (CCJ). It’s
latest tactic is calling for consensus and a referendum. But, Leader of Government Business, A J Nicholson, slammed the
Opposition over its appeal for consensus and the holding of a referendum.
According to him the Opposition’s cry for a referendum has created a
wall between Government and Opposition members of the Senate. He pointed out that no
country, which has abandoned the UK Privy Council as the final Court of
Appeal, called a referendum before making the decision. He also stated
that there was no need for consensus either, which he suggested meant that
all 21 senators would have to support the Bills. He said that the fact that
there are 13 government senators in the 21-seat Senate did not mean that
Constitution dictates that there should be cooperation in the Senate to
achieve a 2/3 majority. Even former JLP leader supports the CCJ.
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of The Unity Labour Party (ULP) has been returned
to a historic fourth term by the voters of the St. Vincent and The
Grenadines. The ULP retaining its 8 seat majority over 7 to the New
Democratic Party (NDP) lead by Arnhim Eustace. The other two parties in
the race failed to secure a seat. Belize
PM re-elected Belize
Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow won an unprecedented third consecutive
term in office in snap elections held Wednesday, November 4th
in the small Central American nation. With
official results announced from 29 of the country’s 31 constituencies,
Barrow’s United Democratic Party (UDP) won 19 while the main opposition
People’s United Party (PUP) took 11. Results from one was still
unreported. Some 70 percent of
the country’s voters went to the polls in a country where the economy is
highly dependent on tourism, as well as agricultural exports like sugar
and bananas. Barrow
was sworn in for another term by the Governor-General His Excellency Sir
Colville Young.
St.
Kitts-Nevis moves to limit Prime Minister to two terms
The St Kitts
& Nevis National Unity Government is set to make history on Tuesday in
the National Assembly when it introduces legislation to have a limit of
two five-year terms for the office of prime minister. In the campaign that
led up to its victory in the February 16 general election, Team Unity
promised to introduce term limits for the office of prime minister.
CPDC
condemns blacklisting of Caribbean countries as tax havens
The
Barbados-based Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) says it is in
“full agreement” with Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders who have
called for a review of the policies relating to the labelling of countries
as tax havens leading to them being blacklisted. It
is therefore calling for a high level regional committee which
should include civil society who will thoroughly investigate and report on
the regions blacklisting documenting the countries efforts at compliance
and highlighting inconsistencies in applied standards. CPDC
Executive Director Shantal Munro- Knight said, “Governments in this
region are bending over backwards to comply with the applicable standards. The
CPDC said it believes that governments throughout the region are having to
divert critical resources, to implement standards and regulations in order
to become compliant with the overly-demanding requirements of
international tax regulation. The
CPDC said it was adding its voice in condemning the European Union over
the recent publication of a list containing 30 countries, including
Caribbean countries as “non-cooperative” and “tax havens”. It
said that the move by the European countries is particularly disturbing
given the different levels of cooperation between the region and the EU. “The
CPDC also notes that very often due to the huge imbalance in power,
countries in the region have little recourse to fight against such
labelling when it comes from countries like the EU and the United
States.”
Duty-free
refined sugar imported into Jamaica
Imported
refined sugar meant for the manufacturing of sugar-based products, has
leaked into the retail trade and is undermining raw sugar production and
robbing the Jamaica Government of revenue. Under current policy,
manufacturers who use the imported sugar as an input are allowed to import
it duty-free. Under current policy, manufacturers who use the imported
sugar as an input are allowed to import it duty-free. However, as an end
product distributed by the retail trade, refined sugar attracts 128 per
cent duty. The
Portia Simpson Miller Administration said that in order to address the
loss of revenue due to the leakage of imported duty-free sugar a special
tax or cees would be imposed Agriculture,
Labour and Social Security Minister Derrick Kellier,
reported that there are some critical areas, which must be
addressed in light of the impending 30 to 40 per cent drop in sugar price
on the European Union market. He said that the cess was also intended to
level the playing field, since all other sugar consumed in Jamaica is
subject to cess. The
Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) had also opposed the cess
and urged Kellier to consult the various stakeholders before taking any
proposed action.
Bob
Marley is fourth highest earning dead celeb - Forbes
Reggae legend Bob Marley is again making headlines after he was listed
among Forbes' richest dead celebrities yet again. The iconic reggae singer moved up one place from last year to take
fourth place on the list of highest-earning dead celebrities. The late
singer raked in a cool $21 million over the past year, one million more
than he earned last year. In addition to his music, much of the late
singer's annual earnings came from the Marley Beverage company, producers
of the drink Marley's Mellow Mood and House of Marley, makers of the
eco-friendly audio and lifestyle products bearing the entertainer's name. The top spot is occupied by none other than the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. The singer holds the number one position for yet another year, raking in a cool $115 million over the past year. Elvis Presley. Presley came in at number two on the list while cartoonist Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts character, is number three on the list.
St.
Kitts and Nevis suspends Syrians from Citizenship by
Investment Program During a Washington reception on December 3, the Prime Minister of St.
Kitts and Nevis announced the suspension of Syrians from attaining dual
nationality via the islands’ citizenship by investment program.
Exclusion for second citizenship eligibility will hold, the Prime Minister
noted, until further federal vetting processes can be completed. The statement, first issued in St. Kitts and Nevis a week earlier,
comes in the wake of ongoing reports of counterfeit Syrian passports
flooding the international black market. St. Kitts and Nevis’s exclusion
additionally follows the government’s recall in 2013, barring Iranian
citizens from its program due to security concerns. In exchange for citizenship St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Grenada
present various real estate and diversification investment offerings, from
a $100,000 contribution to Dominica’s Economic Diversification Fund; to
$200,000 donation to Grenada’s National Transformation Fund; and a
$250,000 minimum investment to the St. Kitts and Nevis Sugar Fund
Diversification
Guyanese
becomes NY State senator
Guyana-born
Roxanne Jacqueline Persaud, who last year made history by becoming the
first woman to represent the 59th Assembly District has
won a New York state senate seat. Persaud, a Democrat, cruised to
victory over Republican Jeffrey Ferretti with 88 percent or 6,980 votes to
Ferretti’s nine percent or 702 votes. The 19th Senate District Race
covers Canarsie, Mill Basin, East New York and Brownsville in Brooklyn,
NY. She was formerly President of the 69th Precinct Community Council in
Canarsie, member of Community Board 18 and Commissioner on the New York
City Districting Commission. Persaud
was born in Guyana, South America and migrated to the United States with
her parents and siblings. She is a graduate of Pace University and holds
a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Education Administration.
US
help Belize stamp out ganja
The U.S. Army’s Southern Command recently teamed up with Belizean
security forces to help eradicate over 50,000 marijuana plants in the
Central American nation. Belizean security forces members recently boarded U.S. Army CH-47
Chinook helicopters in a marijuana eradication mission that occurred late
last month in Belize. The Belizean security forces and U.S. Army operated together during the
four-day mission to destroy thousands of marijuana plants during Operation
CARACOL. The purpose of the operation was to build upon the counter-drug
partnership between the U.S. and Belize, and put Belizean security forces
in the front seat in terms of establishing potential areas where marijuana
farms might exist, determining their impact to the drug trade in the
region and then eliminating fields they identified as targets. Marijuana is illegal in Belize and so with any activities related to
it. Presently, the laws make it illegal to carry weed in any amount.
Anyone caught may be imprisoned for up to 3 years or may be imposed with a
fine of up to 50,000 Belizean dollars. However, the government said that they are exploring the probability of
decriminalizing the possession of marijuana in smaller quantities.
3
years for Jamaica school leavers to find a stable job
A joint study conducted by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN)
and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has revealed that it takes an
average of 32 months or roughly three years for school leavers to
successfully transition into stable employment. Three years to find a
job! No work for graduating teachers and now this! This is calamitous! The disclosure was made by the head of the University of the West
Indies department of Sociology Psychology and Social Work, Heather
Ricketts, during a presentation at the PIOJ 9th staging of the Dialogue
for Development Lecture 2015. The event was held under the theme
'Evaluating and Affirming Vision Jamaica'. The
lengthy transition into the labour market was flagged as one of Jamaica's
critical issues under the planned Vision 2030 Jamaica, which highlights
youth unemployment as part of the Social Protection landscape. According
to the study, the slow transition of youths into the labour market is
impacted by the level of education received, as the proportion of
transited youth increases with educational attainment. The
study indicated that an estimated 269,000 or 35.5 per cent of Jamaican
youth had successfully transitioned from school to work, 75 per cent of
whom worked primarily in the services sector of the economy as service
workers, shop and market sales workers, while the remaining 25 per cent
were entrepreneurs. Another
310,800 or 41.0 per cent who were still in the transition process were
largely unemployed or inactive.
T&T
hosts inaugural Caribbean Volunteer Exchange
Volunteers from Jamaica and St Lucia
joined their counterparts in Trinidad and Tobago for the inaugural
Caribbean Volunteer Exchange (CVX) programme. The volunteers sought to
engage in a number of educational, cultural and other activities over the
course of four days. Coordinator of Volunteer St Lucia, Cyril Saltibus, said the idea of a
Caribbean forum for volunteerism emerged out of a meeting of regional
volunteer coordinators in Dominica in February this year. "It was felt that an exchange programme would better address
our training needs and foster a better relationship amongst our Caribbean
Volunteers. The Volunteer Centre of Trinidad and Tobago (VCTT) took the
lead, and St Lucia will be the next hosts in August 2016. He said that
"one of the questions often asked by young people is: 'How can we as
Caribbean nationals begin to think as regional citizens, if we can't bring
this idea of Caribbean citizenship to life and fully understand each
other's needs and challenges?'"
Jamaica
train 18 more parent mentors
THE National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) graduated its second
cohort of parent mentors recently. The 18 parent mentors were recruited
under the 'From Street Talk to Real Talk' campaign, as well as through
strategic partnership with the Ministry of National Security under their
Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP). A
total of 24 parent mentors graduated from the first cohort of the NPSC's
mentorship programme, which is a voluntary initiative designed to provide
assistance and support to families at risk or in need. Established
in 2013, the NPSC is the lead agency in the Ministry of Education that
interfaces with parents and community stakeholders, and is tasked with
providing a framework for supporting parents, and improving parental
skills.
Caribbean
beauties shine in Miss World pageant
Three Caribbean beauties shone in the recent Miss World beauty contest
in Sanya, China. While the coveted 2015 Miss World Crown went to Miss
Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo, Miss Jamaica, Miss Guyana and Miss Puerto Rico
all won top honors. Miss Jamaica Sanneta Myrie, the first dreadlocked contestant in the
pageant and a fully qualified medical doctor, was named the fifth
runner-up. Interestingly though, many ladies from Jamaica who have
competed in such contests have all fiercely sported their dreadlocks to
embrace their natural beauty and create a much needed conversation on why
we only see one side of the spectrum when it comes to beauty. Lisa Punch, Miss Guyana World, was named in the top 10, won the talent
content and was named in the top tier of two other challenges. Miss Guyana
Lisa Punch, punched her way into the top 10 while winning the talent
competition and being named in the top five of the Multimedia competition
as well as in the top 10 of the Beauty with a Purpose challenge. Miss Puerto Rico Keysi Vargas Vélez made the top five in the Top Model
challenge.
Caribbean-born artists top AMA music
awards
Two top Caribbean music stars walked
away winners at the 2015 American Music Awards, held at the Microsoft
Theatre in L.A. Trinidad-born rapper Nicki Minaj took home two awards
while Bajan-born star Rihanna walked away with one. Minaj, who attended with her boyfriend Meek Mills, won for Favorite
Artist and Favorite Album for ‘The Pinkprint’ album in the Rap/Hip-Hop
category. Rihanna beat out both Beyonce and Mary J. Blige to take home the Favorite
Female Artist — Soul/R&B award of the night. Furthermore, according
to Spotify, the Barbados-born singer remains the Most Streamed Female
Artist on the station in 2015. Rihanna has over 1 billion streams and 57
million listeners. This accolade adds to her fashion empire which
continues to expand to now including sock lines and beauty agencies.
Let us know what you think. Email us at hotcalaloo@yahoo.com
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