|
|
 |
|||||||||||||
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.
|
OctNov 2014Cuban doctors leading the fight against Ebola in AfricaAs
the BBC reported this recently, "Cuba is now the biggest single
provider of healthcare workers to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, more
than the Red Cross or richer nations." But, it's not just Africa and
Ebola. There are 50,731 Cuban medical personnel working in 66 countries,
more than those deployed by the G7 countries combined. Cuba
can send well-trained doctors and health professionals who have
volunteered for the Ebola mission because it has a vast system of medical
education and the capacity to dispatch teams of doctors from its Henry
Reeve Brigade for service abroad in the event of natural disasters. The
Henry Reeve Brigade was formed in 2005, as the Center for International
Policy reported, with the intention of sending 1,600 medical professionals
to assist during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but the offer was
declined – then ridiculed - by the United States.
UN
votes against US blockade of Cuba again
The
United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved, for the
twenty-third time, on Tuesday October 28, a resolution presented by Cuba
calling on the United States to end the blockade it has imposed on the
island since 1962.
Trinidadian nationals fighting
for ISIS in Syria CCN TV6 and the Trinidad Express
broke the story about Trinidadian Shane Crawford fighting in Syria and the
reported recruitment of some 50 Trinidadians who are in Syria fighting for
ISIS. Now another has been identified. The man, according to well-placed
sources, has been identified as Ashmead Mohammed, who had sworn his
innocence during the 2011 state of emergency when he was detained over an
alleged plot to assassinate the T&T Prime Minister and other
government ministers. He was never charged. In an article on September 16 on the New York Post website about a
Syrian warplane that had been shot down by Islamic militants, there are
accompanying photographs. One of the photographs, labelled “Islamic
State militants hold up pieces of the wreckage”, shows several men
holding up pieces of the plane. One of them prominently holding an
automatic weapon, according to well-placed sources, appears to be Ashmead
Mohammed.
Britain
owes Caribbean £7.5 trillion for slavery
THE National Commission on Reparations (NCR) says Britain owes the
Caribbean 7.5 trillion pounds in reparations for slavery. Based on the
NCR’s calculation of Jamaica’s 30.64 per cent, Jamaica would be due at
least £2.3 trillion (approximately J$416.3 trillion) from any slavery
reparations paid by Britain to the region. This money would be able to pay
off Jamaica’s national debt of $2 trillion and set the nation on a new
economic path. The figure of the £7.5 trillion was calculated by British academic
theologian, Dr Robert Beckford. Some scholars have estimated the amount to
be higher. Beckford, who was born to Jamaican parents in Northampton, England, and
was raised in the Pentecostal Church, has focused on the role Britain
played in the slave trade in his latest documentary — The Empire Pays
Back — on Channel Four Television in England, which calculates how
much money African- Caribbean nations would be owed if they were
compensated for slavery, which he described as “one of the major scars
on British history”.
Gov't
invests billions to provide Jamaicans with internet access THE Universal Service Fund (USF) has invested billions of dollars over
the last nine years to provide Internet access to Jamaicans across the
island. The government Fund has completed a total of 188 Internet community
access points (CAP) throughout the country at a cost of $626 million. It has enabled community members to use the Internet at minimal or no
cost to them to facilitate research, bill payments, education,
communication, business, marketing, and social networking. It has also budgeted over
$1.4 billion for the Tablets in Schools pilot project, Additionally, the
Islandwide Broadband Network project, in collaboration with LIME and FLOW,
is also being implemented and is expected to provide islandwide coverage
with initial connectivity in schools, libraries, and post offices. The USF, which was established in 2005, is financed through a levy of
US$0.3 per minute on international calls to Jamaica, terminated to fixed
lines and US$$0.2 on calls to mobile lines.
Caribbean
region among most vulnerable to climate change Environmental
experts say developing societies in the Caribbean are the most vulnerable
economies in the Americas to climate change because the majority of the
population reside in coastal areas. According to the Spanish international
news agency (EFE), rising sea levels, coastal erosion and the spread of
tropical diseases are among the signs of climate change. “Atlantic Ocean temperatures have been increasing in recent years, and the water’s pH imbalance has been harming marine species,” said Ernesto Diaz, director of the Coastal Zone Management Program at the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, during a news conference. He urged Caribbean governments to maximize the protection of ecosystems and inhabitants.
Jamaica’s
$1.4 billion Tablets in Schools pilot program progresses Three schools so far have been issued tablet computers under the
Government's $1.4 billion Tablets in Schools pilot program. They are Haile
Selassie High School in her South West St Andrew, Salt Savannah Primary
and Infant School in Clarendon and Cavaliers All-age School in West Rural
St Andrew. The one-year pilot program will be carried out in 38 educational
institutions and will see the distribution of tablets to benefit 24,000
students and 1,200 teachers in six pre-primary, 13 primary, five all-age
and junior high, and 12 high schools; one teacher's college; and one
special education institution. The initiative, being implemented by E-Learning Jamaica Limited, also
involves the distribution of computers and multimedia devices, including
interactive white-boards/projectors, scanners and printers to pre-primary
and primary schools. This is in addition to the installation of Wi-Fi at
all 38 educational institutions. Following a review of the pilot, the
program will be rolled out across the island, to benefit 600,000 students
and teachers.
Obama
creates deportation record President Barack Obama swept into office in 2008 on the backs of many
immigrant voters and on promises of comprehensive immigration reform.
Yet, in the five years since holding the post as President and
Commander-in-Chief, his administration has deported more than 3 million
immigrants to Latin America and the Caribbean, the most of any U.S.
President and the most to any region on earth. The total stands at 3,526,719, according to an analysis of newly
released Department of Homeland Security data. The majority was sent back
to Mexico for the period 2009-2013 alone – a total of 2,774,468. But
even before the crisis at the boarder involving Central Americans, a large
number of migrants from this region were also being deported in droves
back to their home nations.
Jamaica
to export mangoes to the US
JAMAICA will be able to export mangoes to the US come January 2015. The
conditional approval, which was granted by the US Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, opens up a US$500 million market to Jamaican farmers. But the country has just been able to export US$1.2 million to US$1.6
million worth of mangoes annually over the past decade, even though global
demand (around US$1.9 billion last year) has more than tripled since 2003.
What's more, ministry officials figure that Jamaica has the capacity to
export just about 261,000 kilogrammes of mangoes to the US each year, or
less than 0.1 per cent of total demand in the North American country. All of Jamaica's mangoes currently are shipped to Canada and the UK.
Last year, local farmers exported 670,000 kg of the fruit, valued at just
over US$1.5 million. Jamaican mangoes have been locked out of the US market for the last 30
years due to concerns about the prevalence of tropical fruit flies, namely
the West Indian Fruit Fly and the Caribbean Fruit Fly. As a condition to
entry, the mangoes must be produced on designated orchards, in accordance
with a 'systems approach' that employ a combination of mitigation measures
for certain fruit flies and insects. This will enable the US plant and
animal control authority to track the shipment directly the orchard of
produce if a pest is detected.
More
renewable
energy for Jamaica
In Jamaica, three companies have signed 20-year power purchase
agreements with Jamaica Power Service (JPS)
to sell 78 MW of renewable energy to the national grid. The
organizations are BMR Jamaica Wind Ltd, Wigton Wind Farm and WRB
Enterprises/Content Solar Ltd. The investment in the local renewable
energy market, stands at US$196m. The power generating companies were also
presented with licences from Minister of Energy, Phillip Paulwell.
The three renewable projects together are expected to create roughly
300 new jobs during their construction phases, which are scheduled for
completion by the end of 2015.
Evo Morales
wins in Bolivia
In
Bolivia’s presidential election Evo Morales emerged as the decisive
victor with nearly 60% of votes. The South American leader dedicated his
victory to the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and late Venezuelan
president Hugo Chavez. The Aymara indigenous leader thanked the Bolivians
for their overwhelming participation in the election, and emphasized that
his re-election represented a commitment “to continue the integration
not only of Bolivians but all Latin Americans.” Editor’s
Note: Indigenous people in Latin America have suffered years of
discrimination, so it is quite as accomplishment to be elected even once,
but to be re-elected, even more so.
Veteran
reggae singer, John Holt, dead at 69
Veteran
Jamaican reggae singer, John Holt, has died. He was 69. His manager
Copeland Forbes said the singer, whose hits included Stick by Me, Only a
Smile, Tonight, Ali Baba and I See Your Face, died in a London hospital on
Sunday, October 19. Holt
first rose to fame as a member of The Paragons in the 1960s, a group in
which he penned The Tide is High, a track which saw global notoriety in
the 1980s with Blondie’s cover. In 1970, Holt left the Paragons to focus
on his solo career, and soon became one of the biggest names in reggae,
with his track Stick By Me, He
was awarded the Order of Distinction, Jamaica’s fifth highest honour, in
2004. Holt is survived by his wife, Merl.
T&T
calypsonian Black Stalin suffers stroke
Veteran
calypsonian Leroy Calliste, the Black Stalin, was hospitalised recently
after suffering stroke a few hours after performing at a charity show in
south Trinidad. Relatives said that Stalin, 73, was rushed to the San
Fernando Hospital after he started experiencing severe pain to his back on
returning home for performing at the inclusive fundraiser hosted by the
St. Andrew Anglican Church in aid of its building fund. Stalin experienced
limited mobility and a speech problems typical signs of a stroke. Stalin,
who was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of the West Indies
(UWI) was crowned Calypso King of Kings in 1999 for his mega hit “Black
Man Feeling to Party”.
Jamaica’s
“White Witch of Rose Hall” soon to be a movie
-- Arthur
Wylie of Global Renaissance Entertainment Group and Michael Rollins,
Director of Rose Hall Developments, Ltd., announced that they will partner
with the island of Jamaica to produce an epic trilogy of films based on
the legend of Annie Palmer - The White Witch Of Rose Hall. Details
were announced Friday, September 26th at a press conference in Montego
Bay, Jamaica. The
fact-based supernatural thrillers will be written and Executive Produced
by Jeffrey Reddick, creator of the $650 million "Final
Destination" franchise. The trilogy will be produced by CEO, Arthur
Wylie and COO, Dale Godboldo for Global Renaissance Entertainment Group,
Inc., and Co-Executive Produced by Michael Rollins, owner of the Rose Hall
Estate in Montego Bay. Stephanie Denton, former President of International
Sales and Distribution for Lionsgate, will handle worldwide distribution
for the films, leveraging her success with "Underworld,"
"Saw," and "Hostel." The first film in the planned
trilogy is in development with an estimated production budget of $20
million to $30 million, and will begin shooting next year in Jamaica. The
trilogy adds to the catalogue of Global's multi-picture deal with Reddick,
which includes the upcoming "Superstition" franchise.
T&T
hikers conquer Machu Picchu
In October on my visit to Peru, I took transportation to reach the UN
Heritage site of Machu Picchu, high up in the Andean mountains.
There I met a Trinidad and Tobago hiking club, the Caribbean Hiking
Adventures Limited. They had got there the hard way. I took the bus, but they
had hiked the Inca trail, which hikers normally take four or five days to
complete. This 26.7 miles trail links a number of striking archeological
sites along the way. Hikers will experience a range of terrain,
microclimates and beautiful flora and fauna, typical of the Andes
highlands and the impressive biodiversity of the cloud forest of the
Amazon. The path winds its way up and down and around the mountains upon
ancient carved stone steps, snaking over three high Andean passes. This
brave Trini team included both men and women. For more about Caribbean Hiking Adventures see: http://caribbeanhikingadventures.com/about.php Let us know what you think. Email us at hotcalaloo@yahoo.com
|
