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CAMPAIGN TO STAMP OUT UNFAIR TAX

DUAL PASSPORT PROBLEM

How to be rich: our 10-point guide Great quotes by great ladies Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week (EMCAW) 11th July - 17th July 2011

A Role of a Polling Clerk Editorial

By Myrna Loy

As each voter came, I, personally, had to find his/her name on the electoral register, match the address, ensure the information was corroborated by the information on the polling card, and then ascertain whether they were 1) eligible to vote 2) if eligible to vote whether they were also entitled to vote for the referendum or 3) unable to vote at all because they were not registered. Not only that, my colleague could not give them any ballot or referendum sheet, each ballot paper was numbered consecutively, and each referendum sheet was similarly numbered, and the ballot/referendum sheet had to go next to the correct name/electoral number. This procedure worked well when they were eligible for both sheets, but when they couldn’t vote for the referendum because they were not British subjects, it upset the numbering system - it took due diligence to make sure that we had the correct names (and so many names were similar!) against the correct numbered ballot/referendum sheets, and if we were unable to make them tally, we would be unable to go home until we did – even if it took us until 4 am! On top of having to concentrate so strenuously on matching figures, we had to make sure that there was no communication between the voters (and with so many elderly female Asians not speaking English, and being escorted by their male counterparts, it wasn’t easy!). We also had to make sure that voters put their choices paper in the ballot box (which had been checked empty beforehand, locked and tagged) and that they didn’t pop their electoral card in there by mistake, and that they left the building if they were not voting. During all of these, we had aggressors, insisters, those that did not speak any English, and those who did not understand why they could not help members of their family to vote. Needless to say, no easy task!

I saw the advertisement – “polling clerks wanted” – remuneration was £160, and thought ahh! Easy money! I had voted before, seen the clerks sitting doing nothing apart from taking my name and ticking it off, sending me off to the booth and watching me put the ballot in the box – anyone could do that I thought – what a doddle. The deadline had passed but I enquired how I could get my name on the roster. I wrote to the person who had sent out the email and asked her to put my name down; she emailed me an application form and asked me to send it back as soon as possible. She told me they were over-subscribed but I completed the forms anyway and got them signed off by my supervisor and mailed them off.

With only a fortnight before polling day, I got a call asking if I could be available for the training and polling day. I confirmed I could be. I was excited - I hadn’t cancelled the annual leave I had booked in anticipation of being called, so I was able to attend the mandatory training and carry out the polling clerk role, with little disruption.

I got the confirmation letter in the post the following day. I had to arrive at the polling station at 6am in the morning, and finish at 10pm in the evening. This was going to be a long day.

I was provided with the name of my presiding officer and her telephone number just in case I needed to know anything. I wanted to know if there were parking facilities and when we were allowed breaks so I called her up – there were no breaks.. no lunch breaks, no morning breaks, unless of course it was extremely quiet and then it was still at the discretion of the presiding officer. £160 for 16 hours it was a long time – but I was up for the challenge.

It was approaching mid-day and I had not used the bathroom, but I had been able to sip on a bottle of energizing drink throughout the morning. I had my ham sandwiches but was worried about taking them out and eating them when ham was taboo in most Asian communities. Wid hunga a kill me, I hid my container under the desk on my knee, and crammed large bits of the ham sandwiches into my mouth during those scarce moments when there was no-one coming through the door, and only those standing at the ballot stand, hoping that the contents could not be deciphered from a distance.

I attended the training and on the night before I set my alarm for 5:00 am, made myself some ham sandwiches and set off when the alarm went off in the morning.

I arrived at 6:00 am to an almost empty church. The caretaker was there looking bright and cheerful and a fellow polling clerk was putting up the stands in preparation. It wasn’t long after the presiding officer arrived, and I knew from the area (densely populated Asian community) that we were in for a busy day.

I mentioned it to the presiding officer who scoffed it off in disabelief!

As people streamed through the door, I realised the necessity of good teamwork. My colleague was an excellent mathematician, so he infuriatingly kept a tight reign on the numbers by constantly telling me to stop processing the voters so quickly, but it paid off. We closed the door at 10’oclock, registered 983 voters and managed to balance the numbers by 10:20p.m. I managed to use the toilet; I managed to eat a couple of bananas, but apart from that, there was no break. At the end of the evening, I said never again – I was knackered. It was fortunate that our polling station was busy – I was on a roll, and at the end of it I felt accomplished. It was a remarkable feat, one I would probably repeat in a year’s time!!

I was right though - from the time we opened the doors (and even before we opened them, we had voters asking what time they could come in), and streams of eager voters throughout the day into the evening – sometimes the queue was a quarter of a mile long!

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CONTENTS

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1 A Role of a Polling Clerk Editorial

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SUBJECT: MUBARAK'S CORRUPT FORTUNE Dear friends, Mubarak is out - but he may take unimaginable wealth out with him. Estimates of his stolen fortune range as high as $70 billion, more than a third of the entire Egyptian economy.

But the days may finally be over when corrupt rulers can escape with their fortunes intact. The new United Nations Convention Against Corruption explicitly calls for the return of corruptly-gained assets to the countries of origin, and Egypt's military government has already asked European Union governments to freeze Mubarak's fortune. The key question now is whether action will come fast enough: all the laws in the world won't help if the Mubarak billions are shuffled out of sight before authorities can seize them.

Time is running out for world governments to freeze Mubarak’s assets before they disappear into a maze of obscure bank accounts - like so many other dictator's stolen fortunes. Switzerland has already frozen his finances, and some EU ministers have offered help - but without an immediate global outcry, action may come too slowly to stop the Mubarak billions from vanishing.

Our voices as citizens can help the people of Egypt make good on the promise of their revolution. Join the call for Egyptian wealth to go back to the people of Egypt:

Let's call on leaders of all nations to ensure that Egypt's money is returned to the people. Our petition will be delivered, if we reach 500,000 signatures, to G20 finance ministers when they meet this Friday in Paris. Let's add our names now and spread the word!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/mubaraks_fortune/?vl As millions of Egyptians risked -- and even gave -- their lives for democracy, there was little that we around the world could do beyond send our hopes and solidarity. But now we have a special responsibility: to do our utmost to restore the national property stolen by a dictatorship that our own governments tolerated for far too long.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/mubaraks_fortune/?vl Millions of Egyptians live on less than $2 per day -- yet experts say that corruption costs Egypt more than $6 billion in public money per year. The Mubaraks themselves have benefited massively from a web of business deals, crony-capitalist privatization schemes, and stateguaranteed investments throughout Mubarak's 30 years as president. Estimates of their wealth run from a "mere" $2-3 billion to the staggering $70 billion figure, which would make Hosni Mubarak the world's richest man. And 25 senior government officials are already under investigation for amassing fortunes above $1 billion while serving under him.

The people of Egypt are ready now to build a new nation.

Let's ensure that they regain the resources that were taken from them, as they create the future that few dared to dream possible.

With hope, Ben, Alex, Ricken, Mia, Rewan, David and the whole Avaaz team

SOURCES Washington Post: "Egyptians focus their attention on recovering the nation's money" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/12/AR2011021203767.html

Egypt's Mubarak Likely to Retain Vast Wealth; Mubarak Family May Have as Much as $70 Billion Stashed Away, Experts Estimate http://abcnews.go.com/Business/egypt-mubarak-family-accumulated-wealth-days-military/story?id=12821073

Seize Money Stolen by Mubarak and Return it to Egypt http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20Editorials/2011/February/15%20o/Seize%20Money%20Stolen%20by%20Mubarak%20a nd%20Return%20it%20to%20Egypt%20By%20Paul%20Dunk.htm

EU Yet To Agree Action On Egypt Asset Requests http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201102151027dowjonesdjonline000253&title=ecofineuyet-to-agree-action-on-egypt-asset-requests

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/convention-highlights.html#Asset_recovery

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Glass ceiling keeping black staff from top social care jobs Daniel Lombard Wednesday 02 March 2011 16:06 Council chiefs have been urged to remove a glass ceiling holding back black and Asian social care workers from promotion after it emerged just 2.5% of social services directors are from ethnic minorities.

Just four of the 152 directors of adult social services in England are believed to be from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 17% of registered social workers, according to Association of Directors of Social Services statistics. The Association of Directors of Children's Services said it kept no data on the issue.

People from ethnic minorities make up 12% of the population in England, according to the Office of National Statistics, showing how frontline social work is over-represented by people from non-white backgrounds.

But the Race Equality Foundation, which works to promote racial equality in health and social care, said the under-representation at senior management level dated back to the 1970s.

Despite efforts over the last 10-15 years, many councils have lost the impetus to promote equality through senior appointments, according to Jabeer Butt, deputy chief executive of the foundation "Councillors and directors need to change their mindsets when hiring people to senior positions," he added.

A national programme supporting ethnic minority staff in social care to gain promotions, Get Ahead, delivered by the Improvement and Development Agency, closed in 2010 after four years when funding ran out.

Former social care director Roy Taylor, who is leading Adass's response to the issue, admitted local authorities were in danger of appearing out of touch with service users from different cultures. He is planning an event later this year to discuss solutions, bringing together recruitment agencies and managers.

"If you have a senior management team which is overwhelmingly white, BME service users will not feel full of confidence that their needs will be met," he said.

Butt added that a lack of leadership in promoting diversity in social care was resulting in a poor standard of care for some people from ethnic minorities. "You get pockets of good practice but this is dependent on individuals and teams, rather than across the local authority - but this picture was identified as far back as 1977."

Barriers for progression include diversity falling off the agenda in the current round of public spending cuts, and a lack of "champions" raising awareness of the issue, according to Taylor.

But added that BME managers were being excluded from networks of senior councillors and executives responsible for appointments.

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KEEP THE FAITH

by Carl Foster

Talkin’ Blues MONTHLY RELATIONSHIP FORUM (Let’s Talk about Love....) www.facebook.com/talkin.blues Email: talkinbluesforum@aol.com INFORMATION COLLECTED IS FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF TALKIN’ BLUES AND WILL NOT BE SHARED UNDER ANY CONDITION.

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In the current climate of world recessions, high cost of living and job cuts, fuel costs and house prices rising every year, you may feel like throwing in the towel and giving up on the good life. The idea of success seems like a distant dream and a distant memory. The temptation to follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing may seem a desirable option. All though these may be challenging times, one thing is for sure there are still people winning in this world. The dreamer lives on. There is still room to dream. No matter how bad it gets you can still win. In the 1930's America suffered a great depression of which brought suffering and hardship onto millions of people. People lost their jobs and their lives. They saw no hope and no way out. It was inconceivable to even think of success in those conditions, but sure enough during the great depression there were still people winning, there was still people making money and living the dream. Such people as: 1) Henry Ford (Ford car motor company) 2) Luther Burbank (World famous scientist) 3) John D. Rockefeller (Inventor) 4) Andrew Carnegie (multimillionaire) 5) Napoleon Hill (author writer and philosopher) Napoleon Hill once “said anything the human mind can believe, the human mind can achieve“.

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The power of faith. The dream was still alive just a little dusty, but the dream was still here. In life we live by the law of polarity: Polarity is a point of view and your level of awareness.

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For example for every up there is a down, for every right there is a left. For every back there's a front.

There are some people wining, there are some people lousing. There are some people living, there are some people dying, there are some people working, there are some people out of work. Rich or poor these are the laws of POLARITY. Depending on your mind set if ever positive or negative, his will

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determine which group you will fall into. POLARITY states that there is always opportunity no matter how bad it gets. It just depends on your level of awareness. If you have a prosperity consciousness you will see opportunity for success in all situations and if you have a poverty consciousness you will see lack of opportunity and limitations. The world will seem like a dark and empty place to you. The dynamics of prosperity are always there, which means the opportunity for happiness and success is all ways there too.

The great 18th century philosopher James Alan once said: Man is made or unmade by himself. As a beings of power and the masters of his thoughts. Man holds the key to every situation and contains within himself the transforming and regeneration agency by which he may make himself that he wills.

As human beings we are natural born survivors and creators. When one resource dries up we find new resources, new solutions and new opportunities. We have a mind that is so powerful it has the answers to all things possible. We need not worry as one thing is for sure, we will succeed and overcome our challenges and obstacles. In fact we will grow stronger than ever. We will think and create new ideas, new jobs, new inventions, new inventions, new technology and new ways of living. When one thing ends another is created that’s polarity. That’s the law. There are always positive conditions and negative conditions side by side. Despite the media and wide spread fear for loss of jobs. There are millions of people right now happy as ever and living out their dreams. They are enjoying their life as they see it.

The rich and famous hold dear to their dreams and never give up despite a forever changing world. In today’s current climate despite recession and job cuts there are many successful people enjoying great wealth and fulfilment such people as: 1) Richard Branson (Multi millionaire) 2) Allan Sugar (Multimillionaire) 3)Oprah Winfrey (Actress, talk show host and multimillionaire) 4) Simon Cowell ( Creator of X factor, reality show and multimillionaire) 5) Katie Price aka Jordan (Model and multimillionaire) 6) Donald Trump (Multimillionaire) You need never give up on your dreams as you can win too. Your success is important to us all, as your success may be an idea that could change the world for the better. Your success could be the solution: Let’s take a look at the dreams of the past that came true and changed the world and made human life more comfortable for us: A house, the motor car, the phone, the aeroplane, the train, buildings, great cities, Sky scrapers, ships and boats, Radio, television, the phone, the computer, the internet, the mobile phone, all these dreams that came true and many more have changed the world for the better. These creations seemed impossible in the beginning but somebody was persistent and what is sure someone kept the faith.

That’s why your success in life is important as your ideas, your goals and dreams may change the world for better too. You see it’s all connected success is important to us all in one way or another. Are you serious about your dreams? How serious are you? Do you want a happy and successful life? Freedom, love life, happiness, great health and wealth. It’s up to you. You hold the key to your new life. Your success is buried deep in your subconscious mind, with all the answers you need to succeed.

Earl Nightingale from Greatest Secret said: All you need is a purpose and FAITH. Understand you hold the key to your dreams.

KEEP THE FAITH. Your success begins now. You can win 6

Your awareness event Applying for a grant is optional and has restrictions. Even if you are not eligible for a grant you can still organise an EMCAW event. You can find leaflets and posters at www.emcaw.co.uk that you can order to give out at your event. We will publicise your event on the EMCAW website, so please send us the details of the event, using the order form, so that we can include it.

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week (EMCAW) 11th July - 17th July 2011

Please can you circulate this information through any networks and contacts who may interested in taking part.

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week (EMCAW) was launched by Cancer Equality in 2008. That year saw the establishment of the EMCAW Alliance, comprised of organisations such as The Afiya Trust, Cancer Equality, and ACLT as well as national cancer charities including Macmillan, Breast Cancer Care, The Prostate Cancer Charity and bowel cancer charities.

Some past EMCAW events “Breast Cancer Care’s Breast Health Promotion Team ran an information session on breast awareness and screening, to promote early detection of breast cancer.

We took publications that are specially produced to be accessible to different communities. Our attendees were members of the public, community workers, faith groups and healthcare professionals. It was as useful an event for us as it was for the attendees – we learnt more about communicating with different groups, while they went away with a better knowledge of breast awareness. The feedback was great; it was a really valuable event and well worth doing again.”

Why EMCAW is important Cancer affects 1 in 3 people; it is an important issue for everyone. However, awareness of cancer and uptake of cancer services may be lower among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. In some cases, diagnoses are made when the disease is more advanced, leading to poorer survival. Research suggests that some cancers are more common among particular communities. For example, African Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men of the same age; mouth cancer is more common in South Asian communities, and liver cancer is more common in Bangladeshi and Chinese communities.

“Debbie Marais and the Oswestry 'Knit and Natter' group raised money and awareness for EMCAW and Beating Bowel Cancer in 2010 by having a coffee morning and selling their wonderful knitted items. The theme was tea party treats!”

“Bowel Cancer UK organised a bowel cancer awareness day at the Dominion Community Centre in Southall, and invited members of the local South Asian community to come along. We advertised it on radio and in the local paper, and we put flyers and leaflets in the shops, and also in the temples in the town centre. More than 100 people attended and a local restaurant provided the food. We had speakers and showed a film about bowel cancer symptoms, risks, screening and prevention.

Everyone really enjoyed it – particularly the food – and they went home more knowledgeable about bowel cancer.”

What happens during EMCAW The aim of EMCAW is to encourage community organisations and health and social care professionals to organise events to raise cancer awareness in BME communities. The focus is on early detection, highlighting signs and symptoms of cancer and raising awareness of and encouraging the take up of cancer services.

The events can be large or small ranging from conferences, information sessions or part of other events such as melas or health fairs. The Alliance supports events by providing resources including leaflets, posters, speakers and publicity. A resource pack has been produced which gives ideas for organising events.

Many thanks for your support, Madhu Agarwal Chair of Cancer Equality, on behalf of EMCAW Alliance

EMCAW Grants Programme 2011 This year the EMCAW alliance is pleased to announce an exciting new grants programme to support organisations holding events during EMCAW. Groups can apply for a grant of up to £250 to help with organising an event.

Please see the attached information about the fund and an application form.

For further information please visit www.emcaw.co.uk, email info@cancerequality.org.uk or telephone 020 7735 7888

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This article shows how diagnosis and treatment of a range of conditions are still based on the assumption that outcomes based on white patients v experiences, is the standard 'source of data', rather than also looking at or considering racial and ethnicity trends as part of such research. The consequence of this 'blinkered' approach is made quite clear in the article below for Black/BME women

Start Quote ”Black women develop breast cancer on average 10 to 20 years younger” End Quote ‘’Abi Ajose-Adeogun and Marina Raime Better Days Cancer Care’’ But the lack of focus on this area has meant that the outcome for black women diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK is worse than their white counterparts leading to an inequality in survival rates.

RACE BIAS IN CANCER 'COSTING LIVES' VIEWPOINT By Abi Ajose-Adeogun and Marina Raime

In the UK, only a handful of studies have been conducted looking at black women and breast cancer.

Better Days Cancer Care These studies have confirmed the results of the vast number of studies conducted in the US on AfricanAmerican women.

Each day around 125 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, but are they all getting the same chances?

They demonstrated that black women develop breast cancer on average 10-20 years younger than white women.

In this week's Scrubbing Up, biochemist Abi AjoseAdeogun from Better Days Cancer Care - a cancer charity for African Caribbean women - and its founder, Marina Raime, argue that black women are getting a raw deal.

In addition to this, a significant number of black women develop a more aggressive form of breast cancer. The upside for black women is that they are less at risk of developing breast cancer but for those that do develop breast cancer the outlook is worse than their white counterparts.

They say black women with breast cancer suffer from higher death rates and that research carried out mainly on white women can produce skewed data.

These differences - the younger age of onset and the more aggressive nature of the cancer - can reduce the chances of survival. And to make matters worse many of the younger women tend to be misdiagnosed and/or diagnosed late.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in the UK with approximately 40,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

For many years the "face of breast cancer" has been that of white middle class women, who have Breast cancer facts: been used to illustrate posters and be in adverts.

• Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK The lack of any other ethnic image has led to the • In the UK in 2007 almost 45,700 women perception, by many, that other ethnic groups partic- were diagnosed with breast cancer, that's around ularly black women are not at significant risk of 125 women a day developing breast cancer.

• 277 men in the UK were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 And this emphasis on white women may have cost lives.

In addition, as a result of research being based on white women the breast cancer screening age was Research has continued to focus primarily on white set at 50, which, based on the younger age of onset women, leaving unearthed for many years the of disease, is too high for black women. effects of breast cancer on different ethnic groups.

Also the misconception by black women themselves Only in the last few years have studies demonstrat- that they are not at risk of developing breast cancer ed that there are significant differences in the biolo- also leads to delayed diagnosis. gy and epidemiology of breast cancer in black women.

But unless we want more unnecessary deaths we must correct the balance by lowering the screening Continue reading the main story... age for black women; ensuring more balance by 8

lowering the screening age for black women; ensuring more research is conducted; introducing health education programmes to raise awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors of breast cancer; and supporting programmes to eliminate the barriers that black women face when accessing breast health services.

The same applies to prostate cancer, by the way.

And, now I've searched, lung cancer. And with a little further searching, it seems that many types of cancers have mortality rates that favour caucasians (skin cancers seem to be exceptions).

Eddie Dubourg, Lothians Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11492960

Your comments All care is based on the bog standard 'white' male women of different races are ignored and women are ignored generally in non-sex specific cases. It is as if people cannot see differences make a difference. I am mixed race and don't know how it will affect me - and I have lost so many Asian and Black friends with breast and other female cancers - it cannot be accidental. The researchers themselves need to change - they need to become not exclusively white males but represent actual ability, people should not be hired because they come from the same white male background as they are now - men are hired "on the nod" and such men simply cannot "see" women or black or Asian people.

Katy Charles, London

DID YOU KNOW… ....Bill Cosby slammed Trump on the Today Show regarding his ridiculous actions and remarks about our President.

Lawrence O’Donnell the host of the Last Word a program on MSNBC noted tonight the ratings for The Celebrity Apprentice have been dropping since Cosby slammed Trump and also because of the statements he made regarding Obama. Also, NBC the station that televise the Celebrity Apprentice will decide whether or not to pick the show up for another season. The date NBC decides to pick up the show for another season is May 16th. Let's band together and show Trump he's not as great as he think he is. I am pleading with each of you to forward this email to all in your address book and ask them to forward it to everyone they know. We should also boycott his casinos, hotels, etc., anything with Trumps name on it. This man does not respect our President so let's show him just how important he's not.

Trump needs to pay for his outrageous antics. _____

This is a particular instance of something more general; we know of a great many factors which predispose to breast cancer, but this information (apart from family history) is not being used to identify and help the women most at risk. In Germany, women in their 40s get a check-up every year with a specialist doctor.

Helen, Bristol This is a very important article, and on a very important subject. Doctors have known for years that there are important differences between races, and this is the latest to add to the list (diabetes liklihood, alcohol tolerance etc), but the problem is how to square the circle of known risks against the politically correct brigade who deny such differences, and claim that race is only a social construct? Breast cancer screening is in fact based on a radiation benefit ratio, not cost, but suppose that anaysis were to show that the screening should be different for black women, either earlier because of age as above, or avoided completely because of the lower rate of disease and higher radiation sensitivity in youger women making it more likely to kill than cure. We can all imagine the headlines - "special treatment for black women" or "black women denied the same rights as white" - all of which would miss the true underlying medical differences. And that's all before we start to consider sub-groups, mixed-race, and all the other issues around racial categorisation.

Dr Dave Harvey, Swansea

....GAMAL ABDUL NASSER Gamal Abdul Nasser was a Egyptian revolutionist that successfully drove British out of his country after 72 years of rule, under his presidency Egypt came out of intense poverty to prosperity, he became famous all around the Arab Peninsula after standing firm against Western domination.

Even after his death, he is still remembered by Muslims as a man who stood up to Western Dominance and lead his country from a poor slaved British Colony to a Free Progressing Nation. Even his harshest critics who accuse him of turning Egypt into a police state with controlled rule, censorship, still beyond doubt see him as the foremost Arab leader, who restored Arab dignity after the long humiliation of Western domination. _____ …A bad attitude will take you...further than you want to go...keep you longer than you want to stay...cost you more than you want to pay...

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CAMPAIGN TO STAMP OUT UNFAIR TAX Submitted 4 Feb 2011 2:45pm Facilitators for a Better Jamaica (FFBJ) have again joined up with Caribbean community organisations and the Caribbean Council to lobby against the Airport Passenger Duty (APD) tax. Sylbourne Sydial asks for your support.

Our organiatsion began its campaign against APD in June 2009 along with other Jamaican and Caribbean organisations when the April 2009 the UK Budget proposed a change to the tax system for flights.

The new tax system resulted in an increase in the cost of flights to the Caribbean from November 2009 and a further increase in 2010. Under the new tax, the cost of every visit by a family of four to visit the Caribbean to see family and friends or to return for happy or sad events will be £300 in tax alone (and up to £600 in premium classes).

The Caribbean has been lobbying the UK government over the fact that the tax on flights to the Caribbean has increased so much in the past two years and also because the tax is calculated unfairly.

This is not only damaging the Caribbean tourism industry but also making it much more expensive for the Caribbean community in the UK to visit friends and relatives.

We are coming to a really important stage now as we understand that the Treasury is looking at how it might revise APD and we know that there is a budget statement due on 23 March. Obviously in these difficult economic times, the treasury wants to maintain the same level of tax, but we have been arguing that APD should be redesigned so that the Caribbean is in the same tax band as the USA - £60 no more The Caribbean needs the support of the UK Caribbean community and also prospective visitors to Jamaica if change is to be possible.

So what can you do?

We are asking supporters to end a letter to their MP now so that they receive it urgently and before March 2011. If you are writing to your local MP, you need to make sure you put on your name and address as they will only pick up issues that relate to someone in their constituency and they will check this first.

HOW TO FIND YOUR LOCAL MP 1. Visit the Parliament website which provides a full list of all UK MP’s as well as a variety of other useful information.

2. Visit ‘find your mp’ and enter your postcode into the ‘Search’ box. However if you know the name of your MP or constituency you can enter those details into the ‘Search’ box instead.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR MP 1. By Email: Once you have discovered who your local MP is, you can ’copy and paste’ the draft APD letter and e-mail him/her directly at the assigned address.

2. By Letter: You may prefer to print a version of the draft APD letter and post it to your MP at the following address: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. A full alphabetical directory of MP’s can also be found at the Parliament website.

Sylbourne Sydial Founder/Director of Facilitators for A Better Jamaica (FFBJ) He recently stood as a Local Government candidate in Catford South, Lewisham for the Conservative party in the 2010 General & Local Government Elections.

Email: info@ffbj.org Source: http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/campaign-stamp-out-unfair-tax 11

MONEY WORRIES How much do you love your partner?

Confused.com columnist Sam Dunn says couples should tread carefully when considering a financial union.

I don’t pry out of excessive prurience, of course, rather from genuine concern for your cash.

When any couple make a commitment to each other, it’s not too long before their finances draw closer together too – a joint credit card often pops up first, followed by savings, then a current account and mortgage.

Naturally, two wallets are better than one: a step-up in spending firepower; more generous savings for a smarter car; a bigger mortgage for a larger property.

Yet your heavenly match could also leave your money in hell if it all turns sour.

For starters, your credit rating could collapse.

Or you could end up forking out for your partner’s profligacy and bad card debts.

And how about paying every penny of a joint home loan because your ex-partner is either bad-tempered enough to refuse to pay or has fallen on hard times and can no longer keep up?

Double trouble The problems are twofold. First, very few of the lovestruck bother to stop and carefully question the risks of hitching their personal finances to those of another.

Second, and rather more delicately, even fewer would ever dare suggest a solution to the risks of bigger joint financial decisions such as a mortgage or pension: a neat legal document detailing what would ever happen in the event of a split.

Unfortunately, passion killers don’t get any bigger than two sets of lawyers’ bills so to spare you such humiliation, here are crucial pointers about knowing when to best pool your finances - and when you’re better off pulling apart.

Home is where the heart is Doubling up has its greatest impact with a mortgage as you can usually borrow a larger sum than when going alone by adding your salaries together; an income multiple of three or four times a combined £60,000 tends to buy you a swankier pad than one with a solo £30,000.

Yet make no mistake, when you sign the mortgage forms, you become jointly and severally liable for that monthly sum; if the relationship heads south and either you or your ex can’t – or won’t – pay, the bank or build

ing society can legitimately hound either or both of you for the money.

This same principle can sour joint credit cards or loans (and even utility bills) too: if your personal circumstances deteriorate, the debts must be settled. And if one party defaults or is unable to pay, the other half remains liable.

Banking issues What about a joint current account? While it at least relieves a couple’s administrative burden by corralling payments for all bills, it also poses a credit rating risk by creating a financial “link” between the two of you noted by credit reference agencies (a joint mortgage will alert them too).

So if you or your other half hit the skids financially, the poor money management can be contagious if it damages your joint account and make it harder to obtain fresh credit.

A joint life insurance policy might sound like a simple money saver – a £500,000 payout for less than the price of two separate £250,000 policies – but carries particular risks all on its own.

If you were to split years down the line, that joint cover would need an instant junking in favour of a likely very expensive replacement (to pay for dependent kids, say) since you’ll be older with less robust health.

Similarly, even if still together and one half sadly dies, the survivor will benefit from the larger payout but any new subsequent life cover would likely cost more if many years have passed.

Get saving and avoid tax At least joint savings offer a brighter vision of financial unity: two incomes channelling spare cash into an emergency fund will generate a bigger savings pot much more swiftly than one.

You’ll also qualify for double the usual £85,000 guaranteed protection in the event of a bank crash – cash in joint accounts counts as a half each, so together you can save £170,000 without fear of loss.

And if one partner earns significantly less than the other – or nothing at all – they can cannily avoid higher tax bills.

By parking as much in the way of joint savings in the name of the lower-earning partner, they can make use of the £7,475 tax-free personal income allowance (if under 65) and lower savings tax rates to legitimately keep as much interest as possible.

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How to be rich: our 10-point guide Published: 16 Apr 2011 in Money and Savings If you’re still waiting to amass your first million, you’re not alone. But is your attitude to money holding you back?

By Chris Torney The sad truth is most of us aren’t as rich as we had hoped we’d be. Nor are we well on the way to acquiring great wealth. But why?

You might put it down to the fact your job doesn’t pay enough, or that you haven’t been fortunate to come up with a once-in-a-lifetime business idea. Maybe you just forgot to buy your lottery ticket the week your numbers came up.

But could there be other reasons why you’re not a millionaire that have more to do with your approach and attitude to money?

Follow these 10 tips to set yourself on the road to wealth.

1. Live within your means If you’re relying on borrowing through loans and credit cards to fund most of your spending, you are never going to be able to build up your wealth.

A dependency on credit means your future earnings will end up going towards debt repayment rather than adding to your own nest egg. This is the more or less the problem facing the UK economy at the moment.

If your credit-card debt is growing by 15 per cent a year – a typical rate – this means you are paying considerably more for goods and services than people who only spend the money they have.

2. Cut out wasteful habits Where does all your money go? If you’re spending a large chunk of what you earn on alcohol and cigarettes, it could explain why your wealth isn’t growing.

In isolation, a packet of cigarettes or a lunchtime pint may not cost all that much, but they quickly add up.

Cutting these vices back – or stopping them altogether – could free up an awful lot of cash. For example, if you give up a 20-a-day smoking habit, you’ll save almost £2,500 a year at current prices. Try our cost calculator to see how the little things add up.

3. Set budgets and targets A lot of rich people are, unsurprisingly, very disciplined when it comes to money. So that’s what you need to be.

This means setting yourself strict, but realistic, budgets, and targets for how much money you want to save, for example.

Draw up a list with your income and outgoings on it. Are there any areas of spending – such as smoking or drinking, as mentioned above – that you could cut back on?

Are your debts costing you too much? These may need to be paid off as soon as possible, otherwise they’ll be a constant drain on your finances.

Sticking to a budget is easier said than done, of course, but if you don’t try, you won’t be able to accumulate wealth. Read our article on how to budget in 60 minutes.

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4. Take control of your money When it comes to looking after your cash, don’t rely on advice from people you know: work it out for yourself.

This could apply to getting a mortgage, choosing a bank account, or making investments. The more you rely on yourself, the more you’ll understand about how money – and growing it – works.

5. Don’t expect to get rich overnight One simple way to lose a lot of money is to try and make a lot of money quickly.

For example, investing in “can’t fail” ventures recommended by your friends may sound like a great idea, but they are inevitably full of risk. For every one that comes off, perhaps 10 will fail, and you’ll lose all your investment.

It’s fine to use your money like this if you understand the gamble you’re taking: but for most people, it’s unlikely to be a short cut to wealth.

6. Keep it simple Investing in anything where you don’t understand how you’ll make money is another recipe for disaster. If a financial adviser says: “Just trust me,” then just don’t.

If someone can’t explain in a couple of sentences how a money-making scheme is going to work, treat that as a warning sign.

Look at the people who invested with fraudsters like, who kept providing the returns without explaining how he was making so much money.

7. Don’t be cautious By putting all your money in a savings account, you’re keeping it safe but missing out on the chance to get significantly higher growth.

Once you have enough spare cash to cover rainy-day emergencies (three months’ after-tax salary as a rule of thumb), consider investing in higher-risk shares or funds, for example.

8. Face up to your finances If you’re having problems with money, burying your head in the sand isn’t going to help.

Working out how to clear debts – or even calculating how much you owe in the first place – is the first step towards sorting things out.

9. Don’t expect it to be plain sailing One of the reasons a lot of people struggle financially is because they are hit by emergencies that cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds to put right.

That’s why you need to make sure you have proper insurance cover: this means protection against losing your job or falling ill and being unable to work.

And don’t forget the basics: decent home insurance and car insurance policies are a must.

10. Stop keeping up with the Joneses Spending your cash on status symbols such as flash cars and iPads does not help you accumulate wealth.

If you want to set yourself on the road to riches, wasting money impressing other people is probably not the way to go about it.

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Great quotes by great ladies Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut her up with cookies.

-Cora Harvey ArmstrongA man's got to do what a man's got to do. A woman must do what he can't.

-Rhonda HansomeEvery time I close the door on reality, it comes in through the windows.

-Jennifer UnlimitedI'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb - and I'm also not blonde.

-Dolly PartonIn politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.

-Margaret ThatcherI am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.

-Zsa Zsa GaborI refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows.

-Janette BarberA male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic who never owned a car.

-Carrie SnowIf you can't be a good example - then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.

-CatherineThirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.

-Caryn LeschenWhen women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country..

-Elayne Boosler-

THE SHOEBOX A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years.

They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had Cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but One day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said She would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took Down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was In the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls And a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents.

'When we were to be married,' she said, ' my grandmother told me The secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that If I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box.

She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.

-Maryon Pearson-

A Prayer........

Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.

-Charlotte Whitton-

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods; Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death, Because I don't have time to crochet.

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Update on Falmouth - Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas It's not just new ships that help cruise traffic at South Florida ports, but the allure of new ports, as well.

That's reason enough for the local economy to celebrate Thursday’s opening of the historic Falmouth port along the north coast of Jamaica.

Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas, which is based in Galveston, is the first ship to call at Falmouth, but it will soon be followed by the world's biggest cruise ships, the twin Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas, plus the smaller Navigator of the Seas, which are all based at Port Everglades, and the Freedom of the Seas, which is based at Port Canaveral.

The Caribbean is the No. 1 cruise destination in the world, so new destinations help freshen the experience for repeat Caribbean cruisers. Roatan, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Mexico, are other examples of ports that have been developed to serve cruise ships.

Passengers who go to Falmouth will experience one of the best ports in the Caribbean, said Miami's Stewart Chiron, aka Cruise Guy, who tweeted Thursday that thousands of Jamaicans were amassing on rooftops, churches and roadways as the Voyager arrived.

"It's a big moment for cruise industry and Jamaica," Chiron said in an e-mail to me.

While many Caribbean ports of call emphasize shopping and natural beauty spots, Falmouth also has the allure of history.

Founded in 1790, when Jamaica was the world’s leading sugar producer, it has Georgian-style architecture and more than 80 sugar estates nearby, Royal Caribbean said in a news release.

The restoration and preservation of several historic buildings in Falmouth is currently under way. Chiron said he was impressed by the changes since he visited the city in September.

The first phase of revitalization includes a two-berth pier, stores and restaurants. Subsequent phases will include attractions, hotels and residential developments.

The town was mapped out in the colonial tradition, with streets named after British royalty and heroes – King Street, Queen Street, Rodney Street (after 18th century naval leader Admiral Lord George Rodney) and Wellington Street (after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington).

The grand opening celebrations of Falmouth will take place on March 22, when the Oasis arrives.

Among the attractions in Falmouth and nearby are: • Good Hope Great House, an 18th century plantation that offers carriage rides, river tubing and all-terrain vehicles for exploring.

• Dolphin Cove, which has a swim-with-the-dolphins attraction, and Dunn’s River Falls, which adventurers can climb. There's also a zip line ride through the rainforest canopy and a Jamaican version of a bobsled.

• Appleton Estate, a rum plantation, offers samples and visitors can learn about making rum.

• The Martha Brae River, which offers a tranquil ride on a 30-foot bamboo raft.

Correction: The Voyager of the Seas is currently based in Galveston. It will be based in New Orleans later this year after spending the summer in the Adriatic Sea. Margaret P.S. Falmouth also had a piped water supply and indoor plumbing before New York did.

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own act, “under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign Power or State.”

A Caribbean Journal Editorial

DUAL PASSPORT PROBLEM

In the landmark Dabdoub v. Vaz case from 2007, this meant that the act of renewing a foreign passport, even one earned only by birth, meant ineligibility for Parliament. Vaz’s victory in the West Portland seat over Abraham Dabdoub was accordingly invalidated by the Jamaican Supreme Court.

For decades, Caribbean citizens have been making their way off their own islands in search of prosperity abroad — whether that be in the United States, Europe or South America. These men and women typically send back a large portion of the prosperity they derive back to their families in the Caribbean.

Now, it is news that five parliamentarians in Jamaica have had the two-passport problem, with some resignIt is no surprise, then, that many Caribbean nationals ing, some renouncing their seats, and some renouncing have two passports — one from the island of their their passports and re-entering politics. Two more birth, and another from the country in which they such cases are currently in dispute. work. This is true for many of their children. The two- The news that Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding passport problem is nothing new — and while the knew of the problems and chose not to address them is optimistic mind sees a future Caribbean from which no troubling; but the only lesson that should emerge is one needs or wants to leave, the benefits of such trans- that in future, such candidates should never be on the migration in the present should not be undervalued. ballot in the first place. The Electoral Office should Indeed, many families support themselves with remit- ensure that no candidate with a second passport is tances. allowed on the ballot – such an initiative (which would not seem to be altogether difficult) would spare the cit“Two-passport” Caribbean nationals tend to keep their izens – and Parliament — a great deal of headache. home countries in their hearts, but it is no surprise that they soon develop strong affections for their new coun- It is not unrealistic to think of a CARICOM that does tries of residency. But for most who wield dual pass- not see workers traveling abroad for greener pastures. ports, there is not a concern of mixed allegiance — But while the two-passport problem will be here for a when one is employed within a given country, their while, it is incumbent upon those running for office — passport does not generally determine the amount of and those who purport to ensure the integrity of eleceffort they put into their jobs. But there is one job for tions — to read the constitution first. which this is always an issue — working in the business of government.

There is a reason that section 40(2) of the Jamaican constitution (and, for that matter, sections in most Caribbean constitutions) makes restrictions on the eligibility of citizens to sit in Parliament. For those who are employed by their own governments, any kind of dual citizenship is simply bad business. An employer cannot have an employee having any other company in mind when he or she does his work. For those in the business of serving their countries, loyalty is absolute.

When one devotes his or herself to serving the people, only one people can be in the heart. Naturally, that the Jamaican constitution demands it.

According to Section 40(2)(a), which has been in the news domestically in Jamaica for some time, no one is eligible to sit in Parliament if they are, by virtue of their 17

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