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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
River
Woman
by Donna Hemans ... $16.10 --------------- 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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OctNov 2015Guyana's
sugar corporation bankrupt
Officials say Guyana's state-owned sugar corporation
faces an uncertain future after a report found that the South American
country's single largest employer is bankrupt. A government-appointed
inquiry commission said Monday that the company is nearly half a billion
dollars in debt. The commission is expected to release a final report later this month
to determine what the government should do about the Guyana Sugar
Corporation. The company has struggled with an increase in production
costs amid falling international sugar prices. The government in June
fired the company's director and forced board members to resign after
officials said the company had run out of money to pay workers' salaries. Guyana is the largest sugar-producing country in the Caribbean
Community trade bloc but has seen a steady drop in production. Former T&T PM
Kamla Persad-Bissessar challenged for UNC
leadership
The former Trinidad
and Tobago Prime Minister Former Kamla
Persad-Bissessar will be challenged for UNC leadership in the upcoming
internal party elections on December 5. Former housing minister Dr Roodal
Moonilal has announced that he
would be challenging her for the leadership of the main opposition United
National Congress (UNC). The Oropouche East
MP Moonilal has placed himself in a good position having served as deputy
leader of the party and working with the party’s leadership over the
years. He also announced that he had stepped down as Leader of the
Opposition Business in the Parliament Persad-
Bissessar, who led the UMC party into defeat in the 2015 general election,
launched her re-election campaign and has insisted that she had no
intention of stepping down even though she was at the helm of the party
since 2010 when it won the then general election. Heavy
rain relieves drought in Jamaica
Jamaica’s National Water Commission (NWC) says it has modified water
supply restrictions affecting customers served by major catchment
facilities in the Corporate Area following heavy rains over the weekend of
October 4. The heavy rains since Friday have resulted in improvements in
the watersheds, increased inflows into the various sources and increased
storage levels, allowing for a modification of the restrictions. The Seaview, Hermitage/Constant Spring, Hope, and Mona water supply
systems have all been positively impacted. The storage levels at the Hermitage Dam have moved from 69 per cent to
100 per cent and the Mona Reservoir has climbed from 25 per cent to 36 per
cent. At the worst of the drought, storage levels had dropped to as low as
about 20 per cent and 25 per cent at the Mona and Hermitage reservoirs,
respectively. Jamaica
PM pays tribute to PetroCaribe
Prime Minister,
Portia Simpson Miller, has underscored the significant impact the
PetroCaribe Agreement has had on the economic independence of countries of
the Caribbean region. Simpson
Miller hailed the pact as a lifeline for many of the region’s struggling
economies and peoples. She said the summit
marks another opportunity for Latin American and Caribbean countries to
jointly recognise the achievements and the importance of the accord, which
has significantly helped to fortify regional economies, meet many of the
social and economic development needs of the people of the region, and
build strong relationships. “Since that
historic signing, the region has seen significant benefits and increased
development in many areas. Additionally, PetroCaribe has engendered a
sense of independence in our region,” Simpson Miller stated. The prime minister
contended that without the arrangement, some of the most vulnerable
countries in the region would have succumbed to the global economic crisis
in 2008 as well as subsequent challenges The PetroCaribe
Energy Co-operation Agreement, formally established on June 29, is an oil
alliance between Venezuela and 16 other Caribbean and Central American
nations, including 15 CARICOM member states, Haiti, and Honduras, to
purchase oil on preferential payment conditions. This facility allows for
oil to be purchased up front at between five and 50 per cent of market
value, with a grace period of one to two years to commence making the
remaining payments. It has
made major contributions to improving the socio-economic development of
states through investments totalling just under US$4 billion in 432 social
projects to foster improvements in the standard of living. Export of bauxite
resumes after 6 years in Jamaica
Bauxite mining in Jamaica has been in the doldrums. But, recently,
there is a new sign of hope. The loading of a cargo ship with 35,000 tons
of bauxite for export is being hailed as another landmark in the long
journey towards “full resumption” of the UC Rusal Alpart bauxite/alumina
operations in Jamaica. Alpart, the largest alumina refinery in
Jamaica has been closed since 2009. But its Russian owners, UC Rusal have
committed to reopening the refinery at Nain, south east St Elizabeth in
December 2016. Since January, there has been a resumption of bauxite mining operations
by Alpart in Alpart’s mining areas in the Myersville region of south
east St Elizabeth. And the Jamaican government has agreed to the export of
bauxite by Alpart - pending reopening of the alumina plant. NY
papers slander WI carnival
The West Indian
American Day Carnival that occurred between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday
September 7, 2015 was incident free but many New York newspapers falsey
linked a number of shootings
that occurred in Brooklyn hours before the start of the Carnival with that
Caribbean cultural event. This a
move is damaging to the brand,
Caribbean culture and Caribbean Americans. The New York Times
and the Associated Press both led the pack with slanderous headlines that
are damaging to the West Indian American Day Carnival and the Caribbean
American community after an attorney to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was
among several shot in the pre-dawn hours of Monday in Brooklyn. There were
no reported incidents at the parade, which drew over two million to
Eastern Parkway and the violence that occurred before the parade was
unrelated despite the reports in the mainstream press. The violence that
occurred was due to completely unrelated gang warfare. During the ensuing
gunfire, Jamaican-born Carey Gabay, an
attorney to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, was among several shot in the
pre-dawn hours of Monday in Brooklyn. New
sorrel harvesting machine developed in Jamaica
Jamaican farmers Oral and Allison Turner and Directors of Turner
Innovation Limited have
developed a sorrel harvesting machine. Sorrel makes a very popular drink
in Jamaica which is available in most Jamaican restaurants worldwide. This
new machine will significantly reduce the cost and reaping time of the
crop. This machine will reduce the de-seeding of sorrel, by at least 50 per
cent, the time required by manual labour and will reduce manpower from 10
to one labourer per session. This will increase the opportunity for
local farmers to compete globally on the sorrel market by
increasing income and reducing costs. It is slated to undergo field
testing among local sorrel farmers to determine its efficacy. UN condemns US embargo
of Cuba again
Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) countries joined the international community recently
in condemning the United States embargo on Cuba. The
United Nations General Assembly voted on Cuba’s resolution condemning
the U.S. embargo. In all 191
nations voted in favor of “the necessity of ending the economic,
commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America
against Cuba.” Two nations voted against the resolution: the
United States and Israel. There were no abstentions and no absences. It
was the first vote on the resolution since the two countries restored
diplomatic ties. Cuba estimates the 55-year-old embargo has caused
the equivalent of $185 billion
in damages to its economy since the embargo was imposed more than
four decades. Of course President Obama is pretty much helpless to remove
the embargo as the Congress would never let him. Youth
Climate Change Conference in Jamaica
Some 1,000 students from secondary schools in Jamaica attended the
second annual Youth Climate Change Conference, which was held recentiy at
the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, under the theme: ‘Our
Changing Climate – Trusting Youth to Act for a Better Tomorrow’. The conference, hosted by the Jamaica Rural Economy and Ecosystems
Adapting to Climate Change (Ja REEACH) project, was staged in
collaboration with the Ministries of Water, Land, Environment, and Climate
Change; Education; and Youth and Culture. Highlight of the event was a Conference of Parties (COP) which enabled
high school teams to present recommendations for the first Climate Change
Action Plan in Schools in Jamaica, which will be incorporated into the
National Climate Change Framework Policy. Students from 10 high schools submitted proposals for amendments to the
document on topics ranging from the use of solar power to water security,
preservation of the environment, and the promotion of climate change
awareness among youth. The students were invited to submit entries for the photo, poster, and
video competitions, highlighting climate change impacts and issues. Obesity
expected to affect 2 in 3 Bajan women in 10 years
It
seems women in Barbados are getting too fat too fast and it is unhealthy.
“An expected 2/3 women is predicted to be clinically obese by 2025,”
says Gina Pitts, the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados.
This is approximately twice the current prevalence and almost three times
the existing obesity rate for the wider English-speaking Caribbean. Based
on Global Burden of Disease 2010 results, obesity is the single greatest
risk factor associated with disease burden in Barbados, contributing to
over 11 % of total disability-adjusted life years. Obesity is a major risk
factor for a large number of health issues such as cancer, diabetes and
cardiovascular problems. Heart disease is currently the leading cause of
death world-wide, and is attributable to nearly 16% of deaths in the
English-speaking Caribbean each year. The growing obesity rate is also a
significant public health priority given the pervasiveness of female
headed households in Barbados— obesity prevalence has been found to be
almost twice as high in Barbadian women than in Barbadian men. Japan
wants more Jamaicans
THE Japanese Government says it has been so impressed with the
Jamaicans who participate in its annual teaching exchange program that it
has nearly doubled the number of places open to the Caribbean islanders.
The ministry of education and the local government officials in Japan have
requested more Jamaicans. The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) recruits university
graduates from English-speaking countries to work as Assistant Language
Teachers (ALTs) and Sports Education Advisors in Japanese kindergartens,
elementary, junior high and high schools, or as Coordinators for
International Relations (CIRs) in local governments and boards of
education. However, only ATL positions are open to Jamaica, which began
participating in JET in 2000. The program started in 1978 as the British
English Teachers Scheme, but was renamed in 1987 as more and more
countries were included. To date, 292 Jamaicans have participated. The majority of JET participants come from the US, the United Kingdom,
Australia, Canada and Ireland. As of July 1, there were 4,786 JETs from
around the world in Japan. Of that number, 107 were Jamaicans. US
donates 10 boats to Jamaica police
THE United States Embassy handed over 10 boats to the Jamaica
Constabulary Force (JCF) to assist in the country's crime-fighting efforts
at sea. The 37-foot Boston Whaler vessels, donated by the US Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, are valued at US$1.5
million. Jamaica Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams noted that the US is a
key partner in crime fighting, supplying the JCF with 7,000 kits
containing less lethal weapons last year, and only recently presented the
Narcotics Division of the JCF with 10 cars to enhance the operations of
the unit in drug trafficking investigations. Additionally, the US Embassy will shortly be handing over bicycles to
the JCF, and will also be providing body-worn cameras to be used in police
operations. US Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno said that the vessels are an
important part of a collaborative effort between the governments of
Jamaica and the US to boost the JCF's crime-fighting capabilities. Second fish kill within weeks in St. Lucia affects water supplyIn
St. Lucia an investigation has been launched into a fish kill at a pond at
a water treatment plant, the second to occur there within two weeks. The
occurrence has forced the Water & Sewerage Company Inc. (WASCO), to
shut off water to residents supplied by the facility at Micoud. The
agency has called for comprehensive investigations and testing of the raw
water source for the cause or causes which may be killing the fish. When
the first fish kill occurred around the middle of this month, WASCO had
warned the public against using poisonous substances to harvest fish and
crayfish for sale. It said the dangerous practice compromised the supply
of water and the lives of people. It also announced that it had conducted
“elaborate” cleaning and flushing of the treatment plant,
reinstatement of the fish monitoring pond and fish, and monitored the fish
in the pond for several hours. Additionally,
it said continual testing of the raw water as well as the treated water
was done in order to be fully satisfied that all the necessary indicators
were met prior to resuming the distributing the water to consumers. Flood
of deportees to Jamaica
Joan Pinnock, the president of the Jamaican/American Bar Association,
has described the continued deportation of Jamaicans from the United
States (US) as an epidemic, charging that up to 80 persons are sent home
monthly, some of whom are culturally detached for the country. Pinnock,
who is also a diaspora board member for the North East US, contends that
many Jamaicans are being unfairly deported by the US government. Last year, a total of 1,984 Jamaicans, 84 per cent of whom are males,
were deported from a number of countries, including the US. Overstaying,
illegal entry, and illegal re-entry were the main reasons for 45 per cent
of the persons being deported. The largest proportion of deported persons, 42 per cent, came from the
US, followed by the United Kingdom (UK), with 14.6 per cent. Let us know what you think. Email us at hotcalaloo@yahoo.com
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