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Your Passport to the Caribbean American Community
Jan/Feb 2020
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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As we approach Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it is a blessing and honor to reflect on his memory and legacy. We are inspired by this devoted Christ-follower and servant leader who poured out his life for others in order to point us all toward God’s design for humanity. As we consider his legacy, let’s be encouraged to dream big dreams, to be lights in a dark world, and celebrate our oneness in Christ (I Corinthians 12). Let me share five highlights/observations from his remarkable life. 1. Dr. King was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize In 1964, at the age of 35, Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. As parents, this resource can be used to encourage our children to be courageous and understand that their faithful and prayerful dedication to a cause will be rewarded. Cont'd on pg 5
Guyana Oil Production Begins
December 20th marked a historic milestone for Guyana, the small South American country that is soon to become the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean. ExxonMobil and its partners announced that it had produced the first commercial crude from the Liza field, located in Guyana’s offshore Stabroek Block. The output from the first phase is expected to reach capacity of 120,000 gross barrels of oil per day (bdp), utilizing the Liza Destiny floating production storage and offloading (FPSO), and the first cargo is set to be sold within several weeks. Stabroek Block is expected to produce 750,000 bpd by 2025. Guyana President David Granger declared December 20 as “National Petroleum Day” and said that the revenues from oil would be “transformative” for the Guyanese economy. The international
community agrees – the International Monetary Fund has predicted the country’s GDP could grow 86 percent next year. “That’s 14 times the projected pace of China,” according to Bloomberg. The IMF further projects that the country’s current $4 billion annual gross domestic product will grow to $15 billion by 2024. Granger took the occasion to announce the government’s “National Decade of Development” plan, which will prioritize reforming the public education system and providing free schooling for all Guyanese. The “Petroleum production has brought the prospects of a higher quality of life closer to our households and neighbourhoods. It is a momentous event,” Granger said. “Every Guyanese will benefit from petroleum production. No one will be left behind.” Recent months have seen a flurry of activity as the government takes steps to...... cont'd on pg 9
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L I F E S T Y L E
Guenet Gittens-Roberts, Publisher/Editor
Caribbean Christmas, Family & the New Year
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hat does it mean to be Caribbean, you Samuel J. Roberts can eat de food, drink de drinks, drink de Owner/Publisher/Editor rum, drink de mauby and even marry a Caribbean wife or husband and had to go through a Caribbean Christmas that you really understand what it means. As a husband, Christmas starts as early as your mother or wife or mother-in-law or woman-of-the-house wants it to start, which could be the end of October, November or 2 days before Christmas…if you piss-off the wife/mother/mother-in-law or the woman of the house. Christmas starts with the cleaning of the entire house, yard, closet…everything!!! This is further followed by cleaning the entire house, yard, closet,…everything and then that is usually followed by cleaning. However, if you piss-off the wife, mother, mother-in-law or woman-of-the-house then the cleaning is either followed with more cleaning or hands-down-donothing until either the WHOLE family apologies or starts cleaning for the 4th or 5th time on their own…which could get you all the way to Christmas eve night and if she, the wife/mother/mother-in-law/woman-of-the-house still isn’t happy…Christmas. I don't think, we’ve ever pushed the envelope that far. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning is followed by either, painting, painting and more painting or whatever it takes to prepare the house for the family visitors, which isn’t always guaranteed. We could have no scheduled family visits but come Christmas the house still has to be ready for the imaginary family visitor or maybe Santa himself. This whole house prep-process is followed by decorating the whole house… inside and out and outside and in and top to bottom and bottom to top with fairy lights, if you don’t know what ‘fairy lights’ are… Christmas lights. Also, if you stand one place too long, you’re either in trouble for not doing anything to help or you’ll be covered, wrapped in fairy lights…every power outlet has lights plugged in, breakers trip or fuses blow...often. More fires are started during the Caribbean season by ‘fairy lights’ than any other cause.
First rule is that your family has no filter in their mouth…they say anything, they start off with the unfiltered words…“you get fat” (if you’ve gained 1 or 2 pounds or none at all), “you look maga or scralley” (if you’ve lost a few pounds or not), “dis food need salt” or “this food too salt” (even if you’re gourmet chef)….“dis is a dry house, where de alcohol” (even if you have a fully stocked bar).Family and unfiltered mouths. The unwritten Caribbean rules of the Caribbean Christmas season – you can’t leave your house on Christmas day only until Boxing day. And if you are coming in after mid-night you need to come in the front door backwards, to keep out the bad spirits, evil spirits…don’t ask me, I don’t know why. New Years Eve or Old Year’s Night…the New Year must find you ‘Right’ everyway...clean house, clean clothes, together with family, black eyed peas cookup on the stove, money in your pocket, a full fridge and food pantry so that you will have all those things for the rest of the New Year. My mother in law just brew a big pot of bitters cause she said all ah we need a clean out cause she didn't know that we could go through 32lbs of meat in pepperpot and 14 bags of plait bread...ah gone, Christmas done. 1969 Alafaya Trail • Orlando, FL 32828 Office: 407-427-1800 Fax: 407-386-7925 Toll Free: 877-220-8315 For Media Information email: Publisher: sroberts@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Info: .Info@caribbeanamericanpassport.com
Should you desire to review past copies of the publicationgo to http://caribbeanamericanpassport.com and click on the 'Print Archive'. Editor & Publisher................................................................................... Sam Roberts Publisher ............................................................................. Guenet Gittens-Roberts Graphic Design & Layout .....................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Writers: ................................................................................ Tony Dyal .......................................................................................................................Ryan Davis ...................................................................................................................Sandra Fatmi .......................................................................................................................Gail Seeram .................................................................................................................Sasha Watson ..................................................................................................................Aleia Roberts
Once the cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and hour prep with decorating is complete, then starts the whole big ordeal Photographers ............ .......................................................Ted Hollins about cooking for Christmas. When a Caribbean person talks Contributing .....................................................................................................................Dilia Castillo about cooking for Christmas, they mean cooking, cooking, .............................................. .............................................................Nancy-Joe Brown cooking and more cooking –as Guyanese we do - pepper-pot, Central Florida Distribution........................................................Kadeem Roberts ham, bake chicken, garlic pork, roast pork, black-cake, fruit- South Florida Distribution .............................................................Norman Williams cake, rum-cake, plait-bread, buns, sweetbread, custard and NorthFlorida Distribution .....................................................................Theo Jack Jr. Tampa Distribution ..................................................................................Julian Pina pastries...just to name a few. Then you’ve got the Christmas Copyright (C) 2016 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved. drinks, the mauby, the sorrel, the ginger beer and the puncho-cream and eggnog with rum. Do not attempt to diet or stay sober during Christmas. Family…wow family, where do I start about Caribbean family. www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
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Letters to My Lawyer™ Letters to My Lawyer™ is a publication of HAWM Law, PLLC 1820 W. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32804 P: 407-802-3223 | F: 407-377-1971 E: letters@hawmlaw.com
Dear Lawyer: I recently got married to a US citizen. We have submitted the paperwork for my green card and to get a work permit and travel authorization. I am waiting on the permit to arrive. My wife would like us to go on a honeymoon as soon as the travel authorization is approved. I am nervous about travelling before I get my green card, is it ok to travel with the travel authorization? From Patiently Waiting
USCIS is responsible for issuing the advance parole document. It is usually a part of the employment authorization document / work permit card when there is an endorsement that says “serves as I-512 Advance Parole.” If you applied for travel authorization separately from your work authorization you will receive a separate I-512 document with your picture attached. If you choose to travel on advance parole while your green card application is pending, you should be aware that upon re-entry you are not considered seeking admission and therefore US Customs & Border Patrol lacks authority to deny you entry based solely on one or more of the grounds of inadmissibility. Therefore, generally, you will be permitted to renter the US following travel on advance parole without issue. However, if the application for adjustment is denied and/or you are placed in deportation proceedings you may have limited options for relief based on your status as a parolee. I generally recommend that my clients not travel while their green card application is pending unless it is absolutely necessary. Regards, Sasha Watson, Esq. HAWM, PLLC
Dear Patiently Waiting: The government issues a travel authorization / advance parole document which permits persons, seeking to adjust their status to permanent residents in the United States, to depart temporarily from the US for any bona fide business or personal reason during the processing of the application. If you depart the country while your application is pending prior to approval of travel authorization, your application for adjustment of status will be deemed abandoned.
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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2. Dr. King did not intend to become a minister
Here's how you can partake in celebrations in Florida:
After high school, Dr. King attended Morehouse College to study medicine and law. His relationship with mentor and President of the college, Dr. Benjamin Mays, influenced his decision to go into vocational ministry. Dr. Mays was an outspoken advocate for racial equality and an influential theologian. The direction he pointed Dr. King dramatically changed life for him and for all of us. I’m personally grateful the living curriculum influencers and coaches at TFA pour into our students daily, equipping them with the tools to develop and grow the vision God has placed in their lives to be positive influences in our world.
Tallahassee The annual MLK Dare to Dream Festival in Tallahassee, Florida, is a community celebration that honors the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event features live musical performances, theatrical showcases, historical exhibits, local fare, dancing and children's attractions such as inflatables and face painting. Orlando The theme for this year's parade is “King 2020, The Beloved Community: The Fierce Urgency of Now.” This annual event will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 10:00 AM. Watch the parade from Southwest Orlando Jaycees, Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. Jacksonville The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation and Marketing Genius, Inc., will host the 2nd Annual MLK Day at the Ritz Theatre and Museum on Monday, January 20, 2020. Local authors, food and community vendors will participate at the MLK Day Celebration. Entertainment will be provided by an array of local musicians, dancers, choirs, poets, and speakers. Miami On January 20, 2020, join hundreds at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park in Liberty City, for a celebratory parade and day of festivities for the entire family. Ft. Lauderdale The Dr. MLK Celebration Committee along with the City of Ft. Lauderdale presents the annual King Holiday Parade featuring the FAMU Marching 100 Band Monday, Jan 20, 2020, Parade Begins at 9:00 AM Festival Begins Immediately Following: Esplanade Park, Ft. Lauderdale Tampa MLK Parade and Street Festival in Plant City on Saturday, Jan 18th, 2020 at 11:00am. Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with food, music, and vendors, as this festival reminds us that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape our country and our neighborhoods.
3. Dr. King drew inspiration from a wealth of leaders and cultures around the world From West Africa to India, Dr. King was a student of people and leadership. What he learned from others provided a framework for his non-violent social justice movement. Encouraging our children to understand the Gospel in a variety of cultural contexts prepares them for life as Christian leaders – a key component in our mission statement. 4. Dr. King didn’t just fight for racial equality. Through the eyes of his biblical faith, Dr. King saw that in order to promote true freedom and justice, he needed to address poverty, speak to economic inequality, and pray for peace. In November 1967 he personally led an effort to equip and empower impoverished Americans so that they might share in the dreams he had for this country. 5. Dr. King forged ahead when even some of his clergy colleagues weren’t ready to move forward. In April of 1963, Dr. King wrote his famous Letter From Birmingham Jail addressed to the religious leaders in Birmingham. In his letter, Dr. King responded to the leaders’ criticisms of his movement. He shared that the biggest roadblock to the progress of his movement was not hatefilled secular groups, but groups of believers who remained silent in the face of injustice.
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Irving Burgie: Songwriter behind Day-O and other calypso hits
The song was simple enough, opening with a distant, a cappella rumble from singer Harry Belafonte. But with its swinging percussion, yearning refrain about a dockworker finishing his night shift, and lyrics about a “beautiful bunch o’ ripe banana” and “deadly black tarantula," the 1956 single “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” helped to launch a calypso craze around the world. Adapted from a traditional Jamaican call-and-response tune, the song was in large part the creation of Irving Burgie, a half-Barbadian, New York-born songwriter who wrote or co-wrote more than 30 songs for Belafonte, drawing on Caribbean folk music for hits including “Jamaica Farewell” and “Island in the Sun”.
An earlier rendition of “Day-O” was recorded by Trinidadian singer Edric Connor, under the name “Day Dah Light”, and Burgie said he wrote his version in 1954, inspired by chants of Jamaican dockworkers loading bananas. He, Belafonte and Attaway polished the song in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, New York, and all three men were listed as songwriters, with Burgie claiming primary credit in interviews. The song was later sampled by singer Jason Derulo and rapper Lil Wayne, and covered by legions of artists in genres as varied as funk (George Clinton), go-go (Chuck Brown), rockabilly (Hasil Adkins) and dancehall (Shaggy). Astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis woke up to “Day-O” in space, and dinner-party guests in the 1988 movie Beetlejuice were forced, by ghosts, to join hands and dance along. Irving Louis Burgie was born in Brooklyn in 1924. His father was a day labourer at a slaughterhouse, his mother a seamstress and domestic worker. Burgie played in a local drum-and-bugle corps but became seriously interested in music only during the Second World War, when he served in the China-Burma-India theatre with an all-black army engineering unit, and began singing during chapel services. He later studied at the Juilliard music conservatory in Manhattan, the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California, without receiving a degree.
Burgie, who has died aged 95, also sang under the stage name Lord Burgess, penned a well-received off-Broadway musical and wrote the lyrics to Barbados’s national anthem. Although he was surrounded by Caribbean folk music as a boy, Burgie began his music career singing German lieder and French and Italian arias. The American folk musical revival of the 1940s and 1950s led him to reconnect with Caribbean sounds, and he went on to adapt countless songs, from Trinidadian calypso to Jamaican mento. By the time he connected with Belafonte, he was being hailed as “the black Alan Lomax, a walking library of songs from the islands”, by the novelist and screenwriter William Attaway. The trio united for Belafonte’s album Calypso, which spent 31 weeks atop the Billboard charts and is generally considered the first million-selling record by a single artist in the US. Eight of the album’s 11 songs were credited to Burgie, including “Jamaican Farewell”, which was later covered by Chuck Berry, Jimmy Buffett and Sam Cooke. But it was the album’s opener, “Day-O”, that became an international sensation. The single reached No 5 on the US charts and spawned five Top 40 versions of the track by other artists within the next year. An earlier rendition of “Day-O” was recorded by Trinidadian singer Edric Connor, under the name “Day Dah Light”, and Burgie said he wrote his version in 1954, inspired by chants of Jamaican dockworkers loading bananas. He, Belafonte and Attaway polished the song in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, New York, and all three men were listed as songwriters, with Burgie claiming primary credit in interviews.
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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, New and Returning City Commissioners Sworn into New Terms at Oath of Office Ceremony
Monday’s oath was Mayor Dyer’s sixth oath of office and was administered by his son Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz, District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan, and District 6 Commissioner Bakari F. Burns were officially sworn into office and affirmed their commitment to faithfully perform the duties of their office as elected officials for the City of Orlando on January 13, 2020. Mayor Dyer celebrated the ceremony by crediting the community’s spirit of collaboration as key to Orlando’s continued success. “This day is not about me. It’s about us. It’s about a group that came together 17 years ago and said Orlando can, and must be, more and then set to work to create a better future for our City and everyone who calls it home,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“We are so grateful that our community has emphatically chosen to continue the journey we started together,” said Dyer. " As we are fond of saying, success is not a destination, it is a direction. We are excited to continue the journey, together.” During their remarks, each newly elected or re-elected commissioner shared their unique vision for Orlando with those in attendance, reiterating Dyer’s call for partnership, unity and love, pledging to work alongside the mayor and the other city commissioners to continue to move Orlando forward.
Dyer called on partners to recommit themselves to the community’s shared vision and emphasized Orlando’s continued commitment to creating the highquality careers and companies of tomorrow, focusing on workforce development programs and solving important community challenges like affordable housing, homelessness and transportation issues, all while ensuring innovation is part of everything the city does. Commissioner Patty Sheehan was sworn in for her sixth term representing District 4.
Commissioner Tony Ortiz’s was sworn in for his fourth term representing District 2.
This oath is for the first term for newly elected District 6 Commissioner Bakari F. Burns.
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Seven steps for making your New Year’s resolutions stick Maybe you plan to ring in 2020 with a new resolve to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, not sweat the small stuff. And maybe these resolutions sound familiar — maybe just like the ones you made a year ago! So how can you ensure that your determination to get healthier in 2020 sticks around past Valentine's Day? By creating new habits. Creating new habits takes time and energy. A new behavior won't become automatic overnight, but you may enjoy some of its benefits fairly quickly. Also, as you start to take walks regularly or engage in stress-soothing practices frequently, you'll find you won't feel quite right if you stop. That's a great incentive to continue. So, keep nudging yourself in the direction you'd like to go. And try the following seven tips to help you create long-lasting change. 1. Dream big. Audacious goals are compelling. Want to compete in a marathon or triathlon? Lose 50 pounds or just enough to fit into clothes you once loved? With perseverance, encouragement, and support, you can do it. An ambitious aim often inspires others around you. Many will cheer you on. Some will be happy to help in practical ways, such as by training with you or taking on tasks you normally handle in order to free up your time. 2. Break big dreams into small-enough steps. Now think tiny. Small steps move you forward to your ultimate goal. Look for surefire bets. Just getting to first base can build your confidence to tackle — and succeed at — more difficult tasks. Don't disdain easy choices. If you start every plan with "Make list," you're guaranteed to check one box off quickly. That's no joke: a study on loyalty programs that aim to motivate consumers found giving people two free punches on a frequent-buyer card encouraged repeat business. So break hard jobs down into smaller line items, and enjoy breezing through the easy tasks first.
5. Give yourself a medal. Don't wait to call yourself a winner until you've pounded through the last mile of your big dream marathon or lost every unwanted ounce. Health changes are often incremental. Encourage yourself to keep at it by pausing to acknowledge success as you tick off small and big steps en route to a goal. Blast your favorite tune each time you reach 5,000 steps. Get a pat on the back from your coach or spouse. Ask family and friends to cheer you on. Look for an online support group. 6. Learn from the past. Any time you fail to make a change, consider it a step toward your goal. Why? Because each sincere attempt represents a lesson learned. When you hit a snag, take a moment to think about what did and didn't work. Maybe you took on too big a challenge? If so, scale back to a less ambitious challenge, or break the big one into tinier steps. If nailing down 30 consecutive minutes to exercise never seems to work on busy days, break that down by aiming for three 10-minute walks — one before work, one during lunch, one after work — or a 20-minute walk at lunch plus a 10minute mix of marching, stair climbing, and jumping rope or similar activities slipped into your TV schedule. 7. Give thanks for what you do. Forget perfection. Set your sights on finishing that marathon, not on running it. If you compete to complete, you'll be a winner even if you wind up walking as much as you run. With exercise — and so many other goals we set — you'll benefit even when doing less than you'd like to do. Any activity is always better than none. If your goal for Tuesday is a 30-minute workout at the gym, but you only squeeze in 10 minutes, feel grateful for that. It's enough. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
3. Understand why you shouldn't make a change. That's right. Until you grasp why you're sticking like a burr to old habits and routines, it may be hard to muster enough energy and will to take a hard left toward change. Unhealthy behaviors like overeating and smoking have immediate, pleasurable payoffs as well as costs. So, when you're considering a change, take time to think it through. You boost your chance of success when the balance of pluses and minuses tips enough to make adopting a new behavior more attractive than standing in place. Engaging in enjoyable aspects of an unhealthy behavior, without the behavior itself, helps too. For example, if you enjoy taking a break while having a smoke, take the break and enjoy it, but find healthier ways to do so. Otherwise, you're working against a headwind and are less likely to experience lasting success. 4. Commit yourself. Make yourself accountable through a written or verbal promise to people you don't want to let down. That will encourage you to slog through tough spots. One intrepid soul created a Facebook page devoted to her goals for weight loss. You can make a less public promise to your partner or child, a teacher, doctor, boss, or friends. Want more support? Post your promise on Facebook, tweet it to your followers, or seek out folks with like-minded goals online.
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Puerto Rico Is Recovering, But the Earthquakes Keep Coming Days after a devastating 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico, the island is still reeling from aftershocks, including a 5.9-magnitude quake that hit Saturday. As the island prepares for more quakes in the coming days, here’s what we know about the latest disaster to devastate the U.S. territory. A series of small earthquakes began hitting Puerto Rico on December 28, with the first major quake, at 5.8 magnitude, coming Monday, January 6. The next morning, before dawn, a 6.4 quake hit, damaging hundreds of buildings, leaving thousands without shelter, and killing one person. Puerto Rico has seen more than 1,400 earthquakes, primarily in its southwest region, since December 28, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Twenty-six have been a magnitude of 4.5 or higher. In a projection released Monday, the agency said there is a small chance of another major quake, and a certain chance of many more small aftershocks.
The bulk of the damage from the quakes lies in the coastal towns between Ponce and Guánica. Images shared by reporters and citizens on social media show buildings reduced to rubble and people suffering without electricity and water. At least one natural wonder was destroyed in the quake. The Miami Heraldreported that Punta Ventana, a popular tourist attraction, was toppled last week. According to Reuters, 5,000 people are sleeping in shelters following the quakes, and many more are sleeping outside of their homes. Reporter David Begnaud tweeted that camps set up by the Puerto Rico National Guard, which will house upwards of 500 evacuees each, are going up in five affected cities. Across the island, public schools are closed and will not reopen until inspections take place. This has led one expert to label the infrastructure problem an “educational crisis.”
Puerto Rico drains half of emergency funds as it awaits White House response on disaster designation After the U.S. territory was hit with yet another significant earthquake on Wednesday, rattling the island even further as residents scramble to recover from a series of tremors up to 6.4 magnitude in recent weeks, Puerto Rican Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced requested the White House declare a major disaster. President Trump did approve some federal emergency funding for the island, but declaring a "major disaster" — rather than an "emergency" — would authorize further federal funding. The request for the new designation came on Jan. 11, but officials still haven't gotten a response, despite pleading letters both from Florida congressmembers and more than two dozen Democratic senators, reports CBS News' David Begnaud. Without any additional government help in sight, Vázquez Garced decided to disburse the island's emergency funds to regional officials, reports Begnaud. "They aren't waiting on [Trump] to approve new aid," he wrote. There's $260 million in emergency reserve cash, from a fund that was established
after Hurricane Maria's devastation. The Trump administration still hasn't released $8 billion in funds allocated for Puerto Rico's hurricane recovery, reports The Hill, so the island's own backup fund is the best way to ensure it has quick access to money. While Puerto Rico drains half of its entire emergency fund, the Trump administration imposed "severe restrictions" on billions of dollars in aid for the island, reports The New York Times. The new requirements bar Puerto Rico from paying its $15 minimum wage to contractors working on federally funded disaster projects, and restrict any money from going toward the island's delicate power grid. If Puerto Rico doesn't agree to the requirements, the administration could withhold the allocated funding entirely, reports The Washington Post. A White House spokesperson called the restrictions on emergency funding "a great win for Puerto Ricans and U.S. taxpayers." Summer Meza
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Commissioner Regina Hill's Florida Classic Leadership Awards 2019
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Parramore Holiday Party - Snow came to Parramore - Presented by Commissioner Hill
The Parramore Holiday party was a wonderful celebration for the families, especially the kids, of Parramore. Over 200 kids got the opportunity to see Santa, see and touch real live Raindeer, engage with the Orlando Magic to win basketballs, receive school supplies from the Caribbean American Passport and Laparkean Shipping, enjoy gifts complements of the Bronze Kingdom, enjoy free hotdogs complements of Commissioner Hill and Centeal Florida Food Trucks and last but not least...play in real snow; who said it doesn't snow in Parramore, Commissioner Regina Hill made it snow for the kids of Parramore for Christmas. The venue was provided by the Orlando SED
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Guyana Oil Production Begins cont'd from pg 1
prepare for the first oil production. The Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Energy has been established to manage the country’s resources and build the institutional, legislative and regulatory architecture to manage the sector effectively. Head of the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe cautioned that “Guyana’s future is bright, but we can only secure that future by strengthening legislation, conducting due diligence, emphasizing education, following a balanced development paradigm and utilizing the best skills in the industry through partnerships.”
Orlando Congresswoman Val Demings to serve as impeachment manager during Senate trial House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that Orlando's own, Congresswoman Val Demings will serve as an impeachment manager during the Senate trial of President Donald Trump. The committee also include Democrats Adam Schiff of California and Jerrold Nadler of New York, who led the
Congresswoman Val Demings
House impeachment probe. Pelosi made the announcement Wednesday morning, hours before the House was expected to vote to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial. "I've enforced the laws and now I write the laws," Demings said last month while delivering a speech as the Judiciary Committee was drafting articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump. "Our President put his personal interests above the interests of the nation, corrupting and cheating our democracy," Demings said. "And he shall be held, accountable." Trump was impeached last month on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges stem from his pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrats as he withheld security aid to the country. Demings represents Florida's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was first elected to Congress in 2016. Before her time in Congress, Demings was Orlando’s first female chief of police. Demings is married to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
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Rich oral histories are changing everything we thought we knew about West Indian migration to Britain Throughout West Indian households, like the one in which I grew up in 1970s Luton, you will hear the phrase, “Me don’t like people chat my business.” There has always been a reticence about sharing information. That reluctance is in part the result of fear and anxiety that information volunteered might be used against you. It explains, I think, why so many of my parents’ generation clung to their nicknames – which were often simply physical descriptions. My father was called “Bageye” because of his baggy eyes; “Pumpkin head” had a pumpkin-shaped head and “Clock” had one arm longer than the other. Though the nicknames were humorous, they also seemed designed to keep you from truly knowing the individuals’ true selves. It was as if the West Indian adults of my youth had a kind of emotional exoskeleton which we could not penetrate. It was problematic, because without a narrative to frame your life, without history, what are you? Marcus Garvey, the great 20th century Pan Africanist, famously asserted that, “a people without a history is like a tree without roots.” History grounds you and gives you a centre. Too often in West Indian households in Britain children were denied this grounding through an absence of story. Perhaps parents were too busy getting on in their new and bewildering homeland, working and providing for the material side of their children’s lives without giving enough attention to the spiritual dimension. That nervousness about sharing information was passed on, like a meme, to the children. This was evident when I turned up to interview people
who were now in their eighties for Homecoming, an oral history of Caribbean migration to Britain from the 1940s-60s. The front door would be opened by adult children who remained in the room during interviews, barely masking their suspicion. They seemed determined to police their parents’ stories, to ensure that no embarrassing family histories (real or imagined) leaked out. There was an attempt to tidy up and simplify the stories as well. But life is untidy and you cannot legislate for embarrassment. Often, when I sat with my elderly interviewees, a veil of respectability would descend as soon as I switched on the recording machine. Though I am black, at such times I was reminded of the tetchiness of the writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston towards white researchers who increasingly in the 1930s, during the heyday of the Federal Writers’ Project, turned their focus on African American lives. Hurston questioned the motives of the researchers; she felt some of the African American interviewees were being exploited; their stories mined to further the careers of the researchers. But, perhaps because of my Jamaican ancestry, that apprehension, if it existed amongst the octogenarians I met, soon lifted. By the end, the adult children were turning to me and saying, “We've never heard these stories before or in such detail.” I began to think of these testimonies as antiques like those brought out by amateurs at the Antiques Roadshow. The stories were precious jewels that had been tucked away in a corner in the past, and their true value was only now being fully appreciated.
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Jamaican-American Dale VC Holness elected mayor of Broward County in Florida. Holness, the first Jamaican-American to hold the position, received a unanimous vote from the Broward County Commission which is required by charter to elect a mayor and vice mayor each year in November. Prior to that, Holness served as vice mayor. He was first elected in 2010 to represent residents of Broward County's District 9, which includes a population in excess of 200,000 and covers more than eight municipalities in Broward County. Prior to being elected a Broward County commissioner, he served as a City of Lauderhill commissioner from 2004 to 2010. During his terms in office he served as vice mayor twice — 2007 and 2010 — started the Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce and established the Lauderhill Business Incubator. A practising real estate broker for more than 30 years, he is the president and CEO of All Broward Realty. He is a wellknown advocate for small, minority and women-owned businesses, fair wages for workers, improving and providing
economic development homeownership.
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His global advocacy includes positioning Broward County as the centre for international trade with the recent success of the annual Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo held October 9-10, 2019 with representation from 60 countries and nearly 2,000 people in attendance, the largest to date.
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GROUNDBREAKING TELEVISION REALITY TALENT SHOW RETURNS FOR ITS 2ND SEASON The groundbreaking television series Mass Star is the Ultimate Reality Talent Show, airing on Fox Broadcasting Network. Considered one of the most prestigious shows to come out of the New England region, Mass Star is a first of its kind: A talent show competition that seeks to find the next ultimate, triplethreat, “Massively talented” star! For media inquiries, contact: Marjory Sheba Public Relations Department, Mass Star Management Headquarters Media@MassStarTVShow.com Tel Number: (800) 985-5354 Ext 201 859 Willard Street, Quincy, MA 02169
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Basil Butcher: Batsman and giant of West Indies cricket Perhaps reaching his peak on the West Indies tour of England three years later, he again topped 1,000 runs. His highest ever score, 209 not out, came in the third encounter at Trent Bridge. Coming to the wicket with his team in trouble, after occupying the crease for seven and three quarter hours, his double century set up a West Indies victory. He made headlines again when England visited the Caribbean in 1967-8. After timely half centuries in the first and third tests, having dismissed Cowdrey in the fourth test, he then ran through the tail to claim a best bowling return of 5-34.
Basil Butcher, who has died aged 86, was a powerfully built and highly effective right-handed middle-order batsman who, between 1957 and 1969, played 40 four test matches for the West Indies. On his day a cultured stroke player and a powerful hitter on both sides of the wicket, he could rarely resist punishing anything short of a length. While a strong on driver, he also possessed a rapier-like square cut. An equally fine fielder, whether close to the wicket or chasing in the deep, his talents as an occasional leg-spin bowler often saw him break even the most stubborn of partnerships. One of seven children, born in Port Mourant, Berbice, British Guiana (now Guyana), of Amerindian descent, Basil Fitzherbert Butcher was educated at Corentyne High School. First making his mark for Port Mourant Sports Club, he benefited from the influence of the West Indian test star Clyde Walcott, who organised cricket for the local sugar cane plantation workers.
Butcher’s fine form in Australia and New Zealand in 1968-9, won him a place on the truncated tour of England later that summer. Accruing 984 runs, he topped both the batting and bowling tour averages. At Headingley in the final encounter, with the West Indies closing in on victory and a vintage Butcher on 91, he was controversially given out to a hotly disputed catch by wicket keeper Alan Knott off the bowling of Derek Underwood. Losing both the match and the series, they then moved on to Ireland with Butcher now Captain. Bowled out for only 25, they lost by nine wickets. Retiring from the test arena following that tour, with seven centuries among his 3,104 test match runs, Butcher also claimed five wickets and held 15 catches. The following year he was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. Stepping down from first-class cricket two years later, there his record of 11,628 runs includes a remarkable 31 centuries. He later became a test selector. While running a sports goods business, he went on to work in public relations for a Guyanese bauxite company. A trust, set up in his name, supports young cricketers in his native Berbice. He is survived by his wife Pamela, three sons and a daughter. Basil Butcher, West Indies Cricketer - Sept 1933 to Dec 2019.
Making his first-class debut against Barbados in 1954, like many before and after, he made a duck on that occasion. Undaunted, a later glut of big scores saw him chosen for the 1958-9 tour of India and Pakistan. There, rapidly coming to the fore, his 1,333 runs included 50s in each of his first six tests. During the third at Calcutta, he hit 103 and took part in a fourth wicket partnership of 217 in just over three hours with Rohan Kanhai. At Madras, Butcher scored a second successive test century, 142 in five hours and 35 minutes. However, after some surprisingly poor performances in the 1959-60 home series against England, he lost his place in the test team. In 1962, he made a great impression, scoring more than 1,000 runs when engaged as the professional at Lowerhouse in the Lancashire League. Back in England the following season and playing in all five fiercely contested test matches, Butcher enjoyed a particularly prolific summer. Totalling 1,294 runs, they included a match saving 133, made in the Lord’s test. This, a marvellously determined rearguard effort, included two sixes and 17 fours. Having averaged 47.87 in the series, thereafter Butcher became one of the first names on the team sheet. www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
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Shattering Taboos in Guyana: A Q&A with Patricee Douglas Patricee Douglas, MBBS, a 120 Under 40: The New Generation ofFamily Planning Leaders winner of 2016, stands out as the only winner from the Caribbean region. The program, organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, shines a light on the “positive disruptions” made by young leaders in family planning. Douglas, from Guyana, is a passionate advocate for empowering teenage mothers. For Women Across Differences, an NGO that seeks to reintegrate teenage mothers into the school system, she serves as the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) counselor. She is also the medical director of Days for Girls Guyana, and supports the Ministry of Public Health as a peer educator. She used her $1,000 120 Under 40 grant award to launch SRHR Adventures, an organization that expands her advocacy and educational work in SRHR in Guyana—with an emphasis on fun, creative, and taboo-shattering approaches. What are the most underreported reproductive health stories involving young women in Guyana? From what I’ve seen, the most underreported stories about reproductive health—and even the sexual abuse—of young women in Guyana include rape and sexual molestation, especially in cases perpetrated by a family member—and the related issue of adolescent pregnancy stemming from sexual abuse. Coercion by partners into unprotected sex, because of a lack of negotiating skills or because young women are afraid their partners will leave them if they refuse to have sex without condoms, is another issue. In addition, many women refuse birth control because their partners “instructed” them against use, citing myths—such as, it will lead to infertility or cancer; they will feel the IUD string while having sex, or the pills will cause their partner to gain weight. DIY abortions, due to the stigma attached to accessing abortion services and the high rates of unwanted/ unplanned pregnancies, are also underreported. Still, women and girls find ways to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, such as using Cytotec (Misoprostol) unsupervised. Has your “SRHR Adventures with Dr. Pat” program, launched with your 120 Under 40 grant, helped you break new ground reaching young women on social media, in terms of encouraging questions and conversations about sensitive topics? Oh, yes, it certainly has—even young men have reached out to me! Before the advent of the Facebook page “SRHR Adventures with Dr. Pat,” I conducted group sessions, and people would approach me after with personal questions that they didn’t feel safe asking in a group setting. However, I have noticed that people feel safe sending extremely personal questions concerning their sexual lives, fear of STIs, infertility issues, etc. through Facebook. I provide a non-judgmental and confidential zone to those who reach out to me. Whatever is said remains confidential, unless I’m given permission to share their question with others who may be better positioned to help them.
with teen mothers, do you also try to reach out to and educate young men—or is that a possibility for the future? Even though my family planning promotion works is focused on women and girls, I encourage men and boys to participate in the sessions. I have realized that—out of a desire to empower women and girls to take control of their sexual and reproductive health—other programs have failed by leaving the male counterparts out of the conversations. That practice has proven counterproductive. For example, you might empower a woman to use contraception, but when she arrives at home if her spouse tells her not to use it, she most likely won’t. But when spouses are also educated on the importance and the myths are dismantled, the likelihood of the couple using birth control increases significantly. In your work raising awareness about preventing HPV in Guyana, have you encountered parents reluctant to let their daughters be vaccinated, and if so how have you countered that?
Opposition to the vaccine by parents and the general public has been the biggest challenge thus far, due to the myths people have been fed about the vaccine. Many parents are concerned that the vaccine will lead to infertility in their daughters, and that it is “a sex vaccine”—meaning that if given, it will encourage their children to have sex at an early age. SRHR Adventures has been countering that through the “HPV Vaccine Awareness Campaign” that seeks to educate the public on the importance of the vaccine and to dismantle the myths surrounding it. Since launching the campaign last April, I’ve heard from a lot of people that they have gotten their daughters vaccinated after hearing our program on the radio or TV, or through one of our local sessions. As a mentee in the Commonwealth Women’s Mentorship Scheme, how do you think young women can best support each other in this field? When women support each other, the possibilities are endless! In this field, it is particularly helpful for us to support each other by sharing relevant information with each other, celebrating each other’s accomplishments, and seeking out opportunities to promote each other’s successes. My mentor, who has a wealth of experience in SRHR promotion, helped me develop a way to engage key groups such as adolescent mothers and the LGBTQ society in SRHR Adventures activities.
Along with your family planning educational efforts
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Cod to Be Praised Whether in Indian food, Bajan fishcakes or Trinidad accras, Spanish bacalao or Jamaican ackee and saltfish, saltfish is omnipresent in the region, used and appreciated by all. Earlier this week, I went fishing for cod. The last time I did that was about 35 years ago. We were in a boat on the Gulf of Paria and safely, we hoped, within the maritime border with Venezuela. My diver friend, Henry, better known as ‘Sploof’ because when his teacher asked him, “What is the plural of roof?” he said, “Sploof”, was in the water with a speargun. I had joked that his weaponry was no match for a cod. In fact, I had asked the guys on the boat, “What swims in the sea, carries a machine gun, and makes you an offer you can’t refuse?” They had said “Venezuelan soldiers”, meaning the feared Guardia Nacional Bolavarina (also called, ironically, ‘the Armed Forces of Cooperation’), who would as easily cooperate with one another in taking your life, as well as your boat, net, and engine. I laughed and replied, “Not them. The only fish that can make you an offer you can’t refuse is the Codfather.” It was even more ironic than the Guardia calling themselves “cooperative” that Sploof had an encounter with a cod and came second. This one was not armed but finned. Sploof was on the surface, gun in hand, heading towards the boat, and came face to face with a large codfish. He shot at the cod, the fish thrashed about with its tail, and the blow to the back of Sploof’s head, what Trinis call a ‘tap’ but was more like a stopcock, required Phensic for an entire week. We joked about singing a hymn for Sploof, ‘Nearer My Cod To Thee’, but seeing a cod in the southern waters of the Atlantic, so close to the equator, was a first for me.
by Tony Deyal
‘penny’s worth’ or a ‘pinch’, which flavoured all the “provisions” and rice. The calypsonian Sparrow is an aficionado. He boasts, “Nothing in the world is sweeter than salt fish.” He also makes up in enthusiasm what he lacks in discrimination, pointing out, “When you want to eat, all salt fish sweet.” This is where I disagree with him. Nothing beats the genuine article, the Cod Almighty. I have heard it said in Trinidad especially, “When God can’t come, He does send a man”, and I have seen that where cod is scarce, we press-gang other substitutes like pollock in the northern seas or shark and catfish here in the region. But having been born right after the Second World War, when almost everything edible was rationed, I grew up on salted cod and the other preserved common piscine option, smoked herring, or, as it is known in Jamaica, ‘Solomon gundy’. This is why I cannot stand the substitutes for cod and herring, which cost much more in the region than the genuine cod and herring are sold for abroad. The whole thing is what the British would describe as “a load of codswallop”. THE CODPIECE
This is how I ended up fishing for cod last week – not in the sea but the dictionary. After ‘codswallop’, meaning ‘nonsense’, the first COD I caught – in fact it, caught me and my attention simultaneously – was COD meaning ‘Call Of Duty’, which started off as a ‘shooter’ game and has now reached the modern warfare stage. For me and my generation, COD was not a game but the ‘Call Of Dasheen’, which is still my tuber of choice when there is chopped-up codfish swimming in oil, garlic, onion, and pepper. In legal terms, this combination not only weakens my will but is enhanced by a codicil. There is also COD meaning what the shopkeepers (and others) demand these days for a little piece of salt fish – cash on delivery.
DECLINING CATCHES
The one that caught me hook, line and sinker by the appropriate anatomical appendage was ‘Codpiece’, which, according to one commentator, “drew attention to a part of the anatomy that couldn’t even be mentioned in polite society”.
Additionally, codfish are getting smaller and have shrunk about 30 per cent in the last 30 years because harvesting all the big fish has caused the average size to be drastically reduced. I consider this a tragedy.
‘Codpiece’ comes from an old English word ‘cod’ meaning ‘scrotum’, and is generally a pouch enclosing the genital area. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was no big thing to wear one, and even today, people who are into rock, metal, and leather find these garments swell. In cricket, what is called a ‘box’ to protect the genitals of batsmen (in use long before helmets) is essentially a codpiece.
The fact is that for a long time now, since the 1850s, cod catches have been declining. In one of the major cod-fishing areas, the Gulf of Maine, the annual catch has dropped from 70,000 tonnes in 1861 to just a few thousand.
We in the Caribbean have in common a love for salt fish and other foods associated with slavery and indentureship. Fresh meat was denied to the labourers, and they had to subsist on salt fish, salt ‘kine’ (pork), and canned foods like sardines. Over the years, we have continued our love affair with salt fish, even though it was initially part of our punishment and the penalty we paid for not being white. This love of salt fish is universal and makes it ubiquitous in the Caribbean. Whether in Indian food, Bajan fishcakes or Trinidad accras, Spanish bacalao, or Jamaican ackee and salt fish, it is omnipresent in the region, used and appreciated by all. We used to buy it by the ‘piece’, asking the shopkeeper for a
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As an aside, and more a spoof than a Sploof, I end with this quote from historian Victoria Bartels: “For me, the interesting thing about 16th-century male fashion is the way in which it reveals what was important to men at this time – their preoccupation with masculinity, military prowess, and virility.” I wonder what she would say about my passion for cod in pieces rather than in piece? Tony Deyal was last seen saying that in American drug slang, “COD” means “a large piece of money”. It is no different and might be worse in the Caribbean.
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