Caribbean american passport news magazine july issue by caribbeanamericanpassport

FREE Your Passport to the Caribbean American Community

NEWS MAGAZINE

Caribbean American Passport now covers the Entire State of Florida! Join our growing list of distribution locations and get listed on our distribution list for FREE! Copies will be delivered to your location monthly! See page 3 for more details.

Fly Away with Miami Broward Carnival to Antigua Carnival 2015" oin the Miami-Broward One Carnival and the Antigua & Barbuda Festival Commission with a special Charter Flight with discounted airfare of $546 Airfare + $30 Charter Processing Fee ($576 total). This special Charter will include a Free Costume to play Mas in Antigua, and all passengers get an extra entry for the 2016 VVIP all-expenses paid Antigua Carnival giveaway. The Antigua Carnival activities start on July 25th in Antigua and ends on August 5th; for Booking Flight Contact Shewana Acciaio at the Paradise Vacation Agency on phone number 1-888.846.8350 toll free or 954.701.3150 or email at contact@ paradisevacationagency.net. You can also pay in person at the MiamiBroward Carnival Office with money orders only.

Surinam Airways launches direct flight between Guyana and Orlando with connecting flights to Suriname urinam Airways officially launched service with an inaugural non-stop flight, July 2 between Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Georgetown, Guyana and the Orlando Sanford International Airport. The return flight left on July 3rd from Guyanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Minster of Governance, Raphael Trotman and Minister Orlando Sanford Interna- of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, were welcomed in Orlando tional Airport to Cheddi by the Surinam Airways team and Caribbean American Passport Publishers Sam and Guenet Gittens-Roberts. Jagan International Airport

See story & more photos on page 5

Caribbean American Heritage Month

The flight leaves from Miami (MIA) on July 29th; Flight # 400 at Miami International Airport. The flight leaves MIA at 2:00 pm and arrives in Antigua at 5:00 pm. The return flight leaves Antigua on August 5th; Flight number # 400 departs at 6:30 pm and arrives in Miami at 9:30 pm. Antiguans looking to vacation in Miami for 1 week at the same super sale airfare; from Antigua (ANU) on 29th July 2015 on flight # 401, departing at 6:30 pm and arriving in Miami at 9:30 pm. The return flight in on August 5th, Flight # 401, departs Miami at 2:00 pm and arrives in Antigua at 5:00 pm. Sale price ends July 25th. $850 after July 25th!

Owners of the Caribbean American Passport with member of the local Junk-A-Noo band at the Caribbean American Heritage Month Festival at Lake Eola

Continued on page 12

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In Antigua

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L I F E S T Y L E Sam Roberts, Publisher

Family & Friends . . . Friends that are Family

s we travel the long roads of life we face the trials and tribulations that come with it. Many of us have stories and experiences that we can share about the challenges we faced, the good and bad experiences with our family and our friends. These experiences make us who we are today, they make us stronger and more equipped to face the challenges of tomorrow while also providing us with the wisdom and knowledge to share with others. We share with the younger generations coming along behind us who have not had these experiences with the hope of by sharing our knowledge with them it will lessen their chances of having to go through these same experiences. As they say ‘knowledge is wisdom’ and wisdom sometimes trumps education. Along my pathway of life I have had the opportunity to meet many extremely educated folks who unfortunately lack the wisdom that comes with experience. A life without family and friends is no life at all; I wouldn’t trade my family and friends for all the gold or money in the world (Ok, truth be told…..I would trade a few in both categories, friends and family, for anything even a good ripe mango or even a good green mango with salt and pepper). To put this simply; family is family and I will always open my heart, my home and even my wallet for my family, but how do you measure your friends? True friends are a special breed, a true friend is hard to find but when a friend becomes like family or even when your family becomes your friends that is truly priceless. Along my 30 plus years, (Ok, 30 plus 19 years) of life I have had the privilege to experience both; family members who have become my closest friends and friends who have become my closest family, and for this I consider myself lucky. As many of you know, I grew-up in Guyana on a small street named Greenheart Street, in Georgetown. This street was the birthplace of some of the greatest memories of my life; I had an amazing childhood with dozens of friends and experiences that will live-on forever in my memory. The friends I made during my childhood days are some the greatest friends I have today; many of them have transcended into becoming my family. I also played sports while growing, mainly field hockey and football (soccer), and through sports I gained a better understanding of the meaning of teamwork and position play. Team sports teach you that you’re only as strong as your weakest link and therefore in sports we tent to shoulder more support toward the weaker players in the interest of the team. This understanding transcended off the field as well and friendships were formed and support links were established to always be there for each other. I could honestly say that more than 95% of my true friends came from either playing team sports with them or they played team sports and therefore have that same understanding. Let’s make our lives simpler; lets categorize the people in our lives in the following categories: • • • •

Family Friends Friends who are family Family who are friends

Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting new people, I love socializ-

Guenet Gittens-Roberts, Publisher/Editor

ing and networking, I love the hang-out and the lime, but life is too short and time is too precious to waste on the fools out there who have nothing positive to share, have nothing positive to say and are never supportive of anything you do or say. Read the definitions below and get a better understanding of Family, Friendship and Friends: • Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity – Khalil Gibran • Family is not an important thing. It’s everything - Michael J. Fox • The language of friendship is not words but meanings – Henry David Thoreau • You don’t choose your family, they are God’s gift to you, as you are to them - Desmond Tutu • Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together – Woodrow Wilson • True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable – David Gentry • A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you – Elbert Hubbard • Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything – Muhammad Ali • Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over – Octavia Butler • The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege - Charles Kuralt • Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival. – C.S. Lewis • Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes. – Friedrich Nietzsche

GGR Marketing & Public Relations 1969 Alafaya Trail • Orlando, FL 32828 Office: 407-427-1800 Fax: 407-386-7925 Toll Free: 877-220-8315 407-427-1800 • guenetroberts@yahoo.com For Media Information email: capnewsmagazine@yahoo.com Publisher: sroberts@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Sales: sales@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Info: .Info@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Should you desire to review past copies of the publication go to http://www.issuu.com/caribbeanamericanpassport and search for Caribbean American Passport News Magazine. Publisher ........................................................... Guenet Gittens-Roberts Editor & Publisher ............................................................... Sam Roberts Graphic Design & Layout ..................................... Jan Longwell-Smiley Contributing Writers: ............................................................ Tony Dyal ......................................................................................... Justin Fortune ...................................................................................... Daniel Dhanraj .......................................................................................... Allie Braswell .......................................................................................... Sandra Fatmi ...................................................................................... Rosemarie Roth ..................................................................................... Natasha Gittens ........................................................................................ .Karlyn Hylton ............................................................................................ Gail Seeram ........................................................................................ Kamal Abdool . .................................. ................................................... Roger Caldwell ................................................................................ Nouchelle Hastings Contributing Photographers ............ ....................................Ted Hollins .......................................................................................... Allie Braswell .......................................................................................... Sandra Fatmi ...................................................................................... Melissa Thomas ........................................... ............................................Willie David III ................................................ ............................................Sam Roberts ..................................................................................... Ronald Williams ............................................................................................. Gail Zucker .................................................................................................... Ray Ali Distribution & Sales.................................................... ...Delroy Edwards Distribution ............................................................................. Roy Benn South Florida Distribution .............................................Delroy Edwards Copyright (C) 2014 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved.

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Letters to My Lawyer™ Supportive Fathers & the Department of Revenue

By Sasha Watson, Esq. Dear Lawyer, I recently received a notice in the mail stating that I am delinquent on child support. I have always made the payment directly to the mother of my daughter and I don’t understand why I am receiving the notice. Should I just ignore the notice or what should I do to avoid suspension of my driver’s license? Please help, Supportive Father

• Suspension of driver’s license • Contempt of court and possible incarceration for up to one (1) year • Withholding of income from a delinquent parent’s paychecks • Interception of federal or state tax refunds when $500 or more is owed • Interception of lottery winnings of more than $600 • garnish (take directly) money from financial bank accounts when more than $600 or four (4) months’ of child support is owed • placement of liens on vehicles and forced sale when $600 or more is owed • placement of liens on real or other personal property and forced sale • claim and sell a delinquent parent’s abandoned or unclaimed property • freezing of a home equity line for a parent to prevent potential child support money from being spent • interception of worker’s compensation or other personal injury funds owed to a delinquent parent The Florida child support system can be very confusing to deal with and if you are unsure how to proceed, please contact an attorney for advice.

Regards, Sasha Watson, Esq. In order to avoid receiving these notices you will need HAWM, PLLC to respond to the notice by sending proof of the paysubmit your letters to letters@hawmlaw.com. Each month a reader’s selection will be chosen ments you have made to the mother to the Department Please for response. of Revenue. If you do not have all the proof, you should This column is primarily for educational purposes as well as to give the reader general information request a hearing date and request that the mother be and a general understanding of the law, not to provide any legal advice whatsoever. By reading this you understand that there is no attorney-cliet relationship between you and writer/pubpresent to testify as to how much child support pay- column lisher. This column should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney. This column is not published for advertising or solicitation purposes. The ments she has actually received directly. Dear Supportive Father:

hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.

If you make payments to the mother directly as opposed to through the Central Depository, you should make those payments via check or money order, so that you can have a receipt or cancelled check as proof of payment for situations such as this, which may arise. It is very important that you immediately attempt to resolve the delinquency notice as non-payment of support can carry very significant consequences which may include the following:

& Sari House

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Letters to My Lawyer™ is a publication of Karlyn Hylton & Sasha Watson of Hylton, Adamson Watson, PLLC 120 E. Colonial Drive |Orlando, FL 32801 Phone: 407-802-3223 | F: 407-377-1971 Email: letters@hawmlaw.com

Surinam Airways launches direct flight between Guyana and Orlando with connecting flights to Suriname Continued from pg 1 in Georgetown, Guyana with continuing service to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport in Paramaribo, Suriname. This service will initially operate with weekly flights dur-

ternational airport on the Friday afternoon at 1:30pm. Surinam Airways will use a 737-300 aircraft with 126 seats. ”It will operate once weekly for three months, after which an evaluation of the operation will be done to ascertain the way forward”, said the Airline’s Local Manager Rudi Westerdorg. Currently, Surinam Airways offers two weekly nonstop flights from Georgetown to Miami. The airline’s officials are buoyant of the success of the new route since feasibility studies signal Guyanese travelers are desirous of better arrival and departure times and also visiting the US city at an affordable price. “We work closely with travel agents, so we have a good idea of the travelers’ needs,” said Rudi Westerdorg. Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, who, along with Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman were on the Inaugural flight, stated that the introduction of the new route is great and exciting news. He added, “This initiative is a clear indication of the confidence Surinam Airways has in the volume of passenger traffic in Guyana, and by extension our aviation sector.” Minister Patterson also stated that he was impressed with CJIA’s management strategy to attract other airlines to fly the GEO route.

Surinam Airways Crew and Airport Team with General Manager, Henk Fitz-Jim, ready for departure from Sanford International Airport.

He noted that Guyana is truly the gateway to many other countries, and its potential in the aviation sector is boundless. To this ing July, August and September; arriving on Thursday after- end, he intends to actively engage CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer, noons at 3:30pm in Sanford and departing from Sanford In- Ramesh Ghir, on the untapped opportunities available to explore.

Fly Direct to Guyana with connections to Suriname, Aruba, French Guiana and Brazil From Miami & Orlando

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By Tony Deyal

Policing the Police

charge…”, “Female cop charged with robbery, beating”, “Police officer charged with shooting with intent”, “Police officer denied ust about eleven in the morning last Wednesday I was bail…”, “Seven TT police charged in triple murder”, and so on on the Priority Bus Route driving behind a grey car driven and so forth, fifth up to the almost 1 million hits. Looking at by a man wearing what, in the old days, we would call some recent cases, the police may have inflicted more hits, in a “merino” but is now a tank top or vest. What in the every sense, on citizens than Google found about them. media is called “a party of policemen” were stopping traffic. We had made sure that our pass was promi- The Government now has to pay $300,000 to a man who was nently displayed and so had no fear of apprehension or wrongfully arrested, falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosapprehension of fear. A policeman stopped the grey ecuted. Judge Joan Charles said that “the conduct of Assistant car and then called another policeman and he called a third Superintendent Zamsheed Mohammed and Assistant Commiswho carried more weight literally and metaphorically. Even sioner Fitzroy Fredericks … amounted to a gross dereliction of though my pass was prominently displayed, they carried on a their duty, and they were irresponsible and unprofessional…” long conversation with the driver who, clearly had no pass vis- The ball should be in the Commissioner’s court but since the ible. After some time, with us waiting impatiently for something to happen, either the grey car being pulled off the road to overtly receive a ticket or for the police to covertly conduct some kind of what the media refer to as an operation (essentially the removal of something from someone), the car drove off. We had already figured out that the driver of the grey car was a policeman without a pass and the others were Commissioner has no court and possibly no spheroid or ovoid debating with him what they should do until the heavyweight, objects that bounce, despite the spacious grounds he has for recognizing a “batch” (someone who was in the same group of action, I am sure it will end up with the Police Service Commisrecruits with him at the Barracks) decided to let him go on his sion and remain there forever. way without let, hindrance or any reward or remuneration. This is Police Authority and Police Commission rolled into one. There are two issues here, one relevant to Trinidad leaders and managers as a whole and the other to the police. In the As we proceeded on our way I asked one of the policemen, lexicon of TNT, “OPM” might stand for the “Office of the “Police?” referring to the driver of the grey car and he replied, Prime Minister” but where it is most displayed or apparent “Yes” and may have been referring to himself. It seemed to me is in the way we deal with “Other People’s Money.” Superto be just another example that Trinidad is not just in a state intendent Mohammed and Assistant Commissioner but a police state at that. Fredericks don’t have to pay a cent for their negligence. Police beat people, damage them physically and mentally, Two events were confirmation enough especially for those of us but the fines are paid by the Government. So long as this who already experienced our baptism of fire on gridlock day and continues, the police treatment of citizens will get worse. who see the daily cavalcade of police crimes (no misdemeanors here) in the media. I did a quick Google search using the terms The other thing is the sign I saw that says, “Buys Copper.” “trinidad”, “police” and “charged” and got 972,000 results in- Clearly he is not the only one who buys coppers. The quescluding “Twelve cops charged”, “Cop jailed”, “Cop on shooting tion is, are they worth the price we pay?

...“OPM” might stand for the “Office of the Prime Minister” but where it is most displayed or apparent is in the way we deal with “Other People’s Money.”

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Cuba sets the model in HIV-AIDS Wipes Out Mother-to-Child Transmission

ince the first case of HIV-AIDS was diagnosed in Cuba in 1986; Cuba maintains the lowest HIV Infection rate in the world with less than 0.05%; these numbers appear unbelievable for a country in the Caribbean & South American region, which has some of the highest infection rates in the world. Cuba’s comprehensive approach to controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS has provided a rare success story in the battle against the global epidemic.

number of countries to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis. It is part of a global emphasis on treating women in order to keep them healthy and to keep their children healthy and free from HIV and syphilis. To that end, WHO launched an initiative to eliminate congenital syphilis in 2007, and in 2011 UNAIDS and WHO partnered to launch a plan to end new HIV infections among children.

Globally, 7 out of 10 HIV-positive pregnant women now receive effective medication to keep them healthy and drastiCuba took a very heavy-handed response in the 1980s when cally increase the chance that their children will be HIV negathe first cases emerged, the government treated HIV/AIDS as a tive. Eight of the countries hardest-hit by the HIV epidemic have public health emergency. Patients with HIV were quarantined reduced new HIV infections among children by over 50% since indefinitely and their sexual partners tested and traced or 2009, while another four are within arm’s reach of that goal. tracked down. Any Cubans who had visited Africa were tested along with pregnant women, any women tested positive for In 2001 Cuban laboratories began manufacturing generic verHIV were given drugs to prevent transmission to their unborn sions of six different drugs, since the US trade embargo was still children and their babies were delivered by caesarian section. in place there were no anti-retroviral drugs were available. Now Cuba is one of a handful of developing countries that offer all After reports surfaced earlier this year that Cuba was the its HIV/AIDS patients a comprehensive supply. Cuba set up a host of a particularly aggressive strain of HIV, Cuba is now National Commission on AIDS to educate its 11 million people being lauded by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first country in the world to eliminate mother-tochild transmission of HIV and syphilis. Cuba’s victory, according to the WHO press release, is due to its universal health care system, which seeks to emphasize equity, access and maternal health. As part of a regional initiative undertaken with WHO and the Pan American Health Orga- about HIV/AIDS in 1983 – three years before the island’s first nization (PAHO), women in Cuba who become pregnant are case was diagnosed. Today, Cuban health officials argue that ensured early access to prenatal care and are tested for HIV their early response to AIDS was no different to that of Southand syphilis while pregnant. Their partners are tested as well. East Asian governments who quarantined suspected cases of the Those who test HIV positive are treated right away. Other respiratory virus SARS as recently as in 2003. services include caesarean deliveries and substitution of breastfeeding with formula. Dr Byron Barksdale, director of the Cuban AIDS Project, an American charity, says “The US can learn a lot of things from WHO and PAHO have been working since 2010 to implement Cuba about HIV/AIDS.” He told the annual meeting of the such regional programs throughout Cuba and other countries American Association for the Advancement of Science this year in the Americas to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of that the US too should educate people intensively if they are HIV and syphilis. “Cuba’s success demonstrates that universal newly diagnosed with HIV infection. “I don’t know if six weeks access and universal health coverage are feasible and indeed or eight weeks are the magic numbers,” he said referring to the are the key to success, even against challenges as daunting as education program, “but that is certainly a longer time than is HIV,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne, M.B.B.S., via the given to people in the US who receive such a diagnosis. They press release. “Cuba’s achievement today provides inspiration may get about five minutes’ worth of education.” But he also for other countries to advance towards elimination of mother- admits to cultural differences between the two countries that to-child transmissions of HIV and syphilis.” “Eliminating trans- would make it difficult to implement the Cuban model. “In the mission of a virus is one of the greatest public health achieve- US, the rights of the individual are foremost, but in Cuba the ments possible,” added WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, individual is expected to do what is necessary to protect the colM.D. “This is a major victory in our long fight against HIV and lective society.” That is why people in high risk categories are sexually transmitted infections, and an important step towards willing to roll up their sleeves and not protest HIV tests, he adds. having an AIDS-free generation.” In Havana the law is clear on both the rights and duties of HIVcarriers, and those suspected of being infected. Anyone who is Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, echoed Chan’s praise. HIV positive, who does not use a condom and does not tell their “This is a celebration for Cuba and a celebration for children and sexual partner, commits a crime. families everywhere,” he said in the press release. “It shows that ending the AIDS epidemic is possible and we expect Cuba to be Cuba has offered to produce anti-retroviral drugs for poor counthe first of many countries coming forward to seek validation tries if another country agrees to finance production at cost that they have ended their epidemics among children.” price. Two developed countries – Britain and France – are reported to have shown some interest in collaborating with the Cuba’s achievement is the first of what WHO believes will be a proposed project.

Cuba took a very heavy-handed response in the 1980s when the first cases emerged, the government treated HIV/AIDS as a public health emergency.

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ImmigrationINFO

Immigration News For Our Community Update & Roadmap to Filing Provisional Waiver for Unlawful Presence and Unlawful Entry By Attorney Gail S. Seeram, Gail@GailLaw.com 1-877-GAIL-LAW

@GailSeeram FREE In-Office Consultation FREE Live Chat www.MyOrlandoImmigrationLawyer.com

www.MyOrlandoImmigrationLawyer.com. When the provisional waiver process was first announced by President Obama, a clear roadmap was not provided since it was a new process. However, since we have successfully completed processing of over a dozen cases, we can provide the following roadmap or steps to the provisional waiver process: 1. Obtain I-130 approval as immediate relative of a U.S. citizen (spouse of U.S. citizen, parents of U.S. citizen or child under age 21 of U.S. citizen) 2. Pay visa fees at the National Visa Center 3. Prepare and submit Provisional Waiver to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services 4. Upon approval of Provisional Waiver, file returned to National Visa Center for submission of affidavit of support, police clearance, DS-260, photos, and original civil documents 5. Upon denial of Provisional Waiver, consider re-filing with supplemental evidence 6. Interview schedule at U.S. Embassy abroad & applicant appears to pick-up immigrant visa and return to the U.S.

eginning March 4, 2013, certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who were physically present in the United States were allowed to request provisional unlawful presence waivers prior to departing from the United States for consular processing of their immigrant visa applications. Thousands of immigrants illegally in the United States filed for the provisional waiver benefit. During The following individuals are eligible to file a provisional the period of March 2013 to September 2013, the National waiver: Benefits Center has issued the following decisions: 1. crewman (or jump ships) who married US citizens, but do not have the benefit of Section 245(i); 3,497 approvals (59%) 2. people who entered the US without inspection (EWI), who 2,292 denials (39%) married US citizens, but do not have the benefit of Section 103 admin closures in immigration court 245(i); and Although applications have been denied for various reasons, 3. people who entered the US on a K-1 fiancée visa, but did not marry the American who petitioned them, but instead marthe highest number of denials – 1,093, or 48% of all denials – is for “reason to believe.” The second highest number – 937, or 41% of all denials – is for failure to establish extreme hardship. Other reasons for denial include abandonment, applicant in proceedings, pending adjustment of status application, lack of qualifying relative, pre-2013 conried a different American; and sular interview scheduled, and applicant subject to existing or final order of removal. If a provisional waiver is denied, there 4. immediate relatives of U.S. citizens with an approved Form I-130 found ineligible to adjust status in the U.S. is no appeal process. Rather, an applicant can re-submit another provisional waiver application. Also, a denial of a provisional waiver request does not result in deportation or re- Before deciding to proceed with the “provisional unlawful presmoval from the U.S. unless the applicant already has a depor- ence waiver” process, speak with a experienced immigration lawyer like Attorney Gail Seeram, who can assess your unique tation/removal order from an immigration judge. situation and conclude if you will benefit from this new law Our office has received many I-601A provisional waiver ap- and new process. provals for our clients and copies of these approvals can be found under the “Client Case Approval” tab at Copyright © Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Although applications have been denied for various reasons, the highest number of denials – 1,093, or 48% of all denials – is for “reason to believe.”

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Caribbean American Heritage Month Festival at Lake Eola

Members of the Caribbean American Chamber and Orange County Property Appraiser - Rick Singh

The Correia brothers and Sam Roberts

The Bahamian â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Junk-A-Nooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Band at Lake Eola

Craig Camacho with the kids on stage at Lake eola

Coconutman Gary representing Guyana

Members of the Guyana Association and members of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce

Mrs. Chambers, Donna Morton and Nathan Chambers, Candidate for District 6 Commissioner, at Lake Eola

Volusia County Caribbean American Heritage Month Celebrations at the Deltona Library

City of Deltona, Vice Mayor Nancy Schleicher, Volusia County Commissioner-At-Large and Vice Chair, Joyce Cusack, were attendees of the ribbon cutting that was also attended by Representatives from the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, the Volusia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Bethune Cookman University in addition to members of the Business Community

PLEASE VISIT WWW.CARIBBEANAMERICANPASSPORT.COM TO SEE MORE PICTURES.

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Caribbean American Heritage Month Townhall Meeting and Business Expo at the Orlando Fashion Square Mall

CG of St Lucia - Mr. Kent Hippolyte, CG Haiti - Mr. Laurent Prosper, Honorary CG of Guyana - Mr. Ramzan Roshanali and the CG of Trinidad & Tobago - Dr. Anil Ramnanan

Members of the Caribbean American Chamber with Expo Panelist Elizabeth Krekel and Errick Young

Malik Ali - FMSDC, Ron Wilkinson UCF and Sam Roberts of R&R Mgt/GGR Mktg and the CAP News Magazine

Consul Generals, Members of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and other attendees of the Townhall Meeting and Expo

Caribbean American Passportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1st Annual Fashion Showcase at the Orlando Fashion Square Mall

PLEASE VISIT WWW.CARIBBEANAMERICANPASSPORT.COM TO SEE MORE PICTURES. www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com

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By Kamal Abdool une 2015 turned out to be a historic month as the United States Supreme Court passed landmark judgments on two major pieces of legislation that will change America forever. Same sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act. As expected, many Americans disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling especially on same sex marriage, their objection rooted in their religious upbringing. Let’s address it.

got married almost forty years ago, how elated I was, happy, contented and excited. Why should I deny another couple those emotions because of my religious beliefs?

And then there’s that thing called Equal Protection under the law. You love the benefits your marriage provides, for example, making medical decisions on behalf of your spouse. You love the benefits Social Security and Medicare provide for your spouse. You love the tax benefit of married filing jointly. You The Bible, Quran, the Torah or the Gita are not laws of the vacationed abroad and met the love of your life. Oh, how you land. Yes, we have the right to worship and we conveniently love the benefit the Immigration Laws provide for you to bring forget at times, the right not to worship. You cannot impose your spouse to the United States. You love all those benefits yet your religious beliefs on the entire population. Millions of us unwilling to share it with another couple because of your relido not follow any religion. We are also good people who do gious beliefs. Maybe something is wrong with you and not the good. Keep religion where it belongs, in our homes and churches same sex couple. and out of the public square. You do not approve of same sex marriage, wonderful, you do not enter into such a marriage. I read today about the Mississippi Circuit Clerk, Linda Barnette, who step down due to her opposition to same sex marriage I hear many Republicans saying that the United States was because of her religious beliefs. I applaud the stance she took founded on Christian Judean principles. I always ask, which while understanding her religious beliefs cannot trump the laws of those founding principles are not found in Islam or Hinduism. I’m yet to get a response.

I’ve heard on many occasions the term, I answer to a higher authority. Wonderful. However, if you live in the United States you better follow the laws of man.

I understand your religious teachings make it almost impossible for you to accept same sex marriage. I get it and will never ask you to compromise your beliefs neither do I expect you to conduct same sex marriages in your Church. There were times I was against same sex marriage and adoptions. My thought process included the notion that people will use same sex marriage to flout immigration laws. My generation concept of the home is a female mother and male dad. We dare not entertain the thought of same sex parents. I sell Medicare Plans for a living. I’m the ultimate live and let live guy and I still find it odd, even uncomfortable, when upon completing an application for a male and he tells me, OK take my husband’s application now.

of the land. You may share those same beliefs and your profession may run into conflict with the Supreme Court’s ruling. If you truly feel that way, then you must also step down. As noted earlier I sell Medicare Plans and if I have a problem taking an application for Medicare Plans for same sex couples, then, I too, must step down.

People of religious persuasion have a difficult time understanding a simple concept. Keep your religion within your homes and churches. I’ve heard on many occasions the term, I answer to a So why did I change my position on same sex marriage higher authority. Wonderful. However, if you live in the United and same sex parents’ adoption? I’ve come to realize that no States you better follow the laws of man. What if a one chooses to be gay. At the same time there’s nothing un- Pharmacist informs you that she cannot fill your life saving natural about being gay, in fact it is nature at work and occur- medications due to her religious beliefs? I can recall the Muslim ring in other species. I know many gay couples and marvel at taxi drivers at the Minneapolis Airport who did not want to the love, happiness and respect they share for each other. I transport their passengers alcohol purchases due to their Islamic observe more tension and bitterness amongst straight couples. beliefs. The Airport Authority stepped in and enforced the State Who am I to determine that this couple should not have the Laws. Either take the alcohol that’s part of their luggage or find love and happiness they so richly deserve? I remember when I another job. The drivers quickly learnt to transport bottles safely.

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Fit Like A Ras By Jeremy Roberts - NASM

The Concept of Pain nna/allyuh/wunna/ahyuh musse wonderin’: why we talkin’ ‘bout pain in a fitness column? And den yuh remember: “No pain, no gain!”. As wid so many tings in fitness, yuh need to be careful wid dat. Certain kinds a pain is a message to stop doin’ whuh yuh doin before yuh do real damage. Odda times, is jus a sign dat yuh doin’ real wuk. How fih figure out which is which? An’ like so many tings in life, yuh gotta figure it out fuh yuhself.

soreness from newbie training. That feeling is a good ting – yuh should learn to like dat. And learn to distinguish it from real injury pain, which, to be honest, isn’t always easy. Weight training is really small scale injuries to the muscle, and de repair process is wha’ does lead to muscle growth. Obviously, it’s going to be fairly easy to go beyond the optimal level and into the injury zone. However, that’s probably not likely for novice train-

In general, if yuh doin’ a exercise and yuh finish and at no time during the exercise did you feel like you were suffering, yuh didn’t wuk hard enough.

In general, if yuh doin’ a exercise and yuh finish and at no time during the exercise did you feel like you were suffering, yuh didn’t wuk hard enough. If everything about yuh workout was “pleasant”, you just had a mild, mood improving activity. In no way did you do anything that improved your fitness. So just as a start, we know that at a minimum, at some point during yuh exercise or workout, you should be experiencing some real discomfort, if not outright pain. Muscles should be tightenin’ up, lungs should be searchin’ fuh oxygen, something like that.

There is a theory, perhaps even a widespread acceptance, that the difference between elite athletes and de res a we is, among odda tings, dey have a higher pain tolerance. People who work with physical rehab – physical therapists and the like – also often say that they can see a difference between athletes, even former athletes, and folks who have never participated in sports in the tolerance they have for pain. That observation also tells us that, like jus about urrting in life, some a dis is innate and some can be trained and attained.

ers, so the advice is to push harder for those folks, while for more seasoned trainers, I’d say back off as soon as you think you’re close to that injury zone, coz you’re more likely to be right. Of course, that’s really very general advice, and there are all sorts of caveats involved. Pain in general is a hugely complex issue. De bottom line is, though, that yuh gotta feel some struggle, maybe even some pain, before yuh see any real gain. Learnin yuhself is a critical part of de fitness process. (For a guideline and overview of pain in weight training, go to www. ) GT Dread is an NASM CPT, who competes in Masters Track, Field Hockey and Weightlifting. He can be contacted at fitlikearas@gmail.com

So now we know: yuh gotta suffer when yuh workin’ out if yuh wan see any improvement. But how much is beneficial, and how much is too much, to the point where yuh injure yuhself and cyaan continue to train, which is a major setback in de process? A lot of it is trial and error. I cyaan tink of anyone I know, includin’ yours truly, who never train to de point of injury. As long as yuh pushin’ yuhself, it gon happen. Yuh just gotta learn from it, and learn to recover, sometime learn fuh train around de injury and mos’ important, learn how it feels when yuh about to injure yuhself. Back off before dat happens. As far as practical advice goes, I would seh most people who wid no athletic background, or no recent serious training activity, should expect that they overestimating the danger: you probably ain’t nowhere near injuring yuhself. It never ceases to amaze me how many people I talk to who never played sports will tell you how much something hurts, and they’re worried they may have done some real damage. While it hard to generalize, I would seh mos a de time is jus a typical muscle

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Dreadlocks? who says Wimbledon has no characters left? hough the all-white dress code may be restrictive, some competitors – Dustin Brown, Nick Kyrgios and Bethanie Mattek-Sands among them – are doing their level best to stand out

as well as judo and tennis but decided at the age of eight to concentrate solely on tennis. When he moved to Montego Bay with his parents, he started again on public courts, moving up through the juniors until he joined the Futures circuit in 2010.

It is a perennial refrain: where are the characters in tennis? Who are this generation’s rabble-rousers, our Jimmy Connors, Ilie “Nasty” Nastase, and, the most indulged brat of all, John McEnroe? Where are the psychologically impenetrable enigmas like Bjorn Borg and Ivan Lendl? Why has the sport become so straitlaced and humourless?

Free spirit Brown has not cut his hair for 19 years and wears a tongue piercing. His parents, worried about the lack of support from Tennis Jamaica, bought their son a VW Camper van in 2004 in which he could live and travel while playing in Europe. It took them six years to pay off and the week after they made the final HP payment in 2010, Brown cracked

The debate was reignited on the eve of Wimbledon by McEnroe himself. The three-time champion suggested that the

rules needed to be changed to make it more exciting. He’d start by removing line judges and have the players decide when the ball was in or out. An umpire and HawkEye would settle the most contentious disagreements. Then McEnroe would ban on-court microphones so that opponents could yell at each other without fearing a fine. “The players need to be able to feel that they can express themselves,” McEnroe reasoned. “I’m sure on the soccer pitch, they’re not saying, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Or on the rugby field. Is it really different in tennis? Should it be treated differently?”

the top 100 for the first time. The personalised number plate he chose was CE DI 100 which was a message for himself, according to the New York Times. CE for his birthplace, Celle; D for Dustin, I for Inge and 100 for his goal of breaking the top 100. Prejudice remains a problem He has faced prejudice both as a boy and a man at home in Germany, still sometimes finding it difficult to get into bars and clubs. He told the Observer last year: “Sure, I stood out. And there were a lot of problems when I was younger, both at school and in the tennis world. Mostly, it’s fine, I’ve got used to it, but even nowadays it can be a problem. If you’re with one guy it doesn’t matter so much, you go somewhere else, but if there are six or seven of you, and none of them can get in because of one guy – and that guy always tends to be me – it kind of takes the fun out of the whole thing.”

McEnroe is correct that real characters have become an endangered species in tennis, but the first week at Wimbledon 2015 has been enlivened by some authentically offbeat performers. On the men’s side, Dustin Brown, a German-Jamaican journeyman, provided some of the most intoxicating moments of the tournament in beating Rafael Nadal with a mix Mystery tattoo of old-school serve-and-volley and outrageous invented shots. Having changed his shirt twice during his scintillating secondround victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Rafa Nadal, So who is Dustin Brown, the man who knocked out Dustin Brown’s tattoo was on show to Centre Court, leading to Rafael Nadal? some speculation over the idenitity of the inked face on his Dustin Brown was born in Celle, West Germany, on December torso. Andrew Castle at first posited that it was Bob Marley, 8 1984 to Inge and Leroy and moved to his father’s birth coun- who it does not resemble in the slightest, but sounded quizzitry, Jamaica, in 1996. His paternal grandmother was born in cal and then came back with the information that it was the Britain, technically making him eligible for the GB Davis Cup late Dennis Brown, the Jamaican lovers rock pioneer whose team had he not made his debut for Jamaica in a match against most-remembered song in the UK is his 1979 No14 hit Money Bolivia in 2003. in my Pocket. In fact, Brown says it’s his father, Leroy. Perhaps his patting of it seconds after winning was a clue as were the While growing up in Celle, Brown played handball and football rather clunking assertions that his dad was on his side.

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Clermont Jerk Festival

he Caribbean American Association of Lake County Inc. began April 2004 in Clermont, Florida. CAALC held its first meeting with less than ten people. They have since grown to over fifty active members; they promote cultural activities, provide networking opportunities and reach out to local community through fundraising events. They have a volunteer membershipbase, they are a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organizations that is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of young people in our community. Annually they award two scholarships to deserving students of Caribbean American heritage from local high

schools. They also collaborate with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Florida through our â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pennies of Hopeâ&#x20AC;? program with to provide mentoring and financial support to children whose parents are incarcerated. This year was

their 4th Annual Jerk Festival organized and presented to the community as part of the celebrations for Caribbean American Heritage Month.

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CARICOM 2015 aribbean Community (CARICOM) was established in 1973, it is an organization of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM’s main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy. Its major activities involve coordinating economic policies and development planning; devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction; operating as a regional single market for many of its members (CARICOM Single Market); and handling regional trade disputes. The secretariat headquarters is based in Georgetown, Guyana. Originally CARICOM was mainly supported or engaging for the English-speaking parts of the Caribbean region, however in 1995, 2002 and 2012 CARICOM became multilingual in practice with the addition of Dutch-speaking Suriname on 4 July 1995, French(and Haitian Kreyòl-) speaking Haiti on 2 July 2002. In July 2012, CARICOM announced that they were considering making French and Dutch official languages.

will have a packed agenda. Key topics will include: issues and recommendations from the round table dialogue - CARICOM: Vibrant Societies, Resilient Economies; A Partnership For Implementation; The Caribbean Community’s sustainable development in the context of the international agenda; the United Nations Post 2015 Development Agenda; the third international conference on financing for development; and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP21), Paris, France, December 2015.

Leaders will also meet to discuss strengthening and utilizing science and technology in the region: the report of the CARICOM science and technology meeting; universities and the push for economic growth in the region; principles to guide the identification of CARICOM candidates for international positions; and a proposal for the establishment of a new regional institution — the CARICOM Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Border issues are expected to be tabled, and they will include the relations between Belize and Guatemala, Guyana and Venezuela, and the Dominican ReIn 2001, the heads of government signed a Revised Treaty of public. There will be a formal exchange of views with special Chaguaramas thus clearing the way for the transformation of guests, including president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela the idea for a Common Market aspect of CARICOM into in- Rodríguez, and United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon. stead a Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy. The president of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro, is also expected Part of the revised treaty among member states includes the to attend this year’s historic summit. establishment and implementation of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Since 2013 the CARICOM-bloc along with the Domini- Prior to the formal opening ceremony, a high-level strategic diacan Republic is tied to the European Commission via an Eco- logue between the CARICOM heads of government and United nomic Partnership Agreements known as CARIFORUM signed Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon was due to be held unin 2008. The treaty grants all members of the European Union der the theme CARICOM: Vibrant Societies, Resilient Economies, and CARIFORUM equal rights in terms of trade and invest- A Partnership for Implementation. During the opening cerment. Within the agreement under Article 234, the European emony, there were to be addresses by outgoing chairman of the Court of Justice also carries dispute resolution mechanisms Conference of Heads of Government, prime minister of The Babetween CARIFORUM and the European Union states. hamas, Perry Christie, and incoming chairman and prime minister of Barbados, Freundel Stuart, along with the newly elected When Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders started their and re-elected heads of government of Montserrat, St Kitts and 36th regular summit in Barbados on In June 2015, under the Nevis, Guyana, Dominica, and Suriname, and the CARICOM theme CARICOM; ‘Vibrant Societies, Resilient Economies’, they secretary-general, Irwin LaRocque.

. . . was also celebrated by our brothers and sisters at the US Customs and Border Protection Department; they invited the Caribbean American Passport News Magazine and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Florida to meet with their Officers and staff to showcase and celebrate the cultural diversity of the community. We appreciate the efforts of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee in hosting us during Caribbean American Heritage Month. Special Thanks to Russell Morgan, Asst. Port Director at U.S. Customs and Border Protection for hosting us.

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GLUTEN luten is a type of protein that is commonly found in barley, wheat and rye. Gluten is the glue that holds food together and helps to maintain the shape of the food as well. However, people with gluten sensitivity can substitute gluten-free flour as an alternative for baking and still enjoy great taste. Gluten-free flours: * Buckwheat * Quinoa * Millet * Sorghum * Amaranth * Coconut flour

Quinoa pasta is another alternative for wheat pasta, it has a wonderful texture and taste. Most supermarkets are offering a variety of gluten-free foods. Always read the label to make sure the product is gluten-free. Jamaican-Born Sandi Morais has a BA degree from Florida International University. She is the author of Recipe for Life vegan/vegetarian cook book. Sandi has been featured in local and national magazines. Sandi teaches a vegan cooking class at La Vie Wellness Spa www.lavieexperience.com To order Recipe for Life vegan/vegetarian cook book visit www.sandimorais.net

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By Justin Fortune

Hello. My name is Justin, I am 18 years old, and typically this is my monthly, objective rundown on political news from around the state, the country and the Caribbean. However, today I will be focusing on a single topic that has been on my mind. Please enjoy!

ANTO DOMINGO, DR – In 2013, a Constitutional Court ruling on citizenship in the Dominican Republic rendered several thousand Dominican citizens, born to parents of Haitian descent after 1929, stateless. In late 2014, the Dominican government announced that it would be implementing new regulations on immigration and citizens unable to provide proof of citizenship would be deported. On February 27th, President Danilo Medina used an address to the nation, on the anniversary of the day that the Dominican Republic achieved its independence from Haiti, to declare that his government would proceed with its controversial citizenship and immigration reform, despite pressure from International human rights groups like Amnesty International, and a general reaction of revulsion from the vast majority of the Caribbean Diaspora.

months ago; where’s his input on this issue?

Writers’ View Points: This disturbing news from Hispaniola fits neatly into a recent global trend of anti-immigrant sentiment that can be observed, in various forms, all around the world. From the rise of the UKIP movement in the United Kingdom, to the distain held by many in America’s own conservative right toward immigration from Mexico in particular. From a typical government’s perspective; this concept to scapegoat your nation’s migrant populations for unresolved domestic issues is convenient, but nonsensical in that there is no proof that deporting all of the immigrants in your community will solve more problems than it will undoubtedly cause. For example, we can look back to 2012 when the state of Alabama passed a series of anti-immigration laws so strict that the state economy nearly collapsed when thousands of undocumented farm workers choose to leave the state, rather than be prosecuted, resulting in a significant loss in capital for many Alabama farmers who couldn’t harvest enough product before they rotted in the fields. When we look at the Dominican Republic’s own sugarcane industry, where seasonal Haitian migrant workers have formed the vast majority of the work force for the better part of the past century, it’s not difficult to see how a similar scenario could occur, even as Dominican sugar production has decreased in recent years. Economics aside, all Dominican citizens of migrant descent are at risk of being deported with the government’s dismantling of the birth-right citizenship system, not only Haitians. Individuals who have spent their whole lives as Dominican citizens can suddenly lose everything; this makes no sense in my mind.

But that’s just my view.

As an American with a Haitian father and a Jamaican mother, I love Haiti and I love how our community has come together on this issue. I’m especially touched to see Dominicans come forward to condemn what we’re seeing on the island of Hispaniola – but there is so much more that needs to be done by the individuals that are supposed to be leaders. Personally, I think members of the Caribbean Diaspora should continue to pressure the Dominican government, with words and through actions, until they abandon these terrible policies. I also feel that we need to pressure the Haitian government until we see a substantial response to this injustice. Whether or not the United States government chooses to pay attention to what is happening in the Caribbean community, we can effect change on our own.

Thanks for reading. – Justin Sources: Reuters, Miami Herald, Amnesty.org, Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, VICE news, CARICOM

Over all, I am glad to see the Caribbean community united in pressuring the Medina government on this issue, although I can’t help but wonder why there wasn’t equal outrage when the Bahamian government implemented a similar policy earlier this year. I’m also disappointed that I haven’t heard more from the Haitian government on this issue, or from the United States government that has been unsuccessful in reforming US immigration policy for about seven years now. Haitian President Michel Martelly is a Dominican Order of Merit recipient, a visible member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and happens to be entering the final year of his term as the Haitian President; so what exactly does he have to lose from using his bully pulpit to address the Dominican government directly, or at least voice his government’s support of ethnically Haitian Dominicans being victimized by their own government? As for the silence of Washington D.C on this issue, President Obama addressed CARICOM no more than three

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