New York Liberty Star by Ivrol Hines

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 201

Caribbean News

T&T SWEARS IN FIRST WOMAN PM

KAMLA PERSAD BISSESSAR, a 58-yearold attorney, was sworn in as the first ever woman Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Wednesday. Page 23

Sports

ASAFA TOPS BOLT’S TIME IN 100M

ASAFA POWELL overshadowed Usain Bolt at the rain-soaked IAAF World Challenge Golden Spike meet.

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FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

CHRISTOPHER COKE

PATRICK MANNING

MANNING RESIGNS AS PNM LEADER AFTER LOSS

GARY COLEMAN

DUDUS AFFAIR, A LESSON FOR EASTERN CARIBBEAN

USAIN BOLT

GARY COLEMAN DIES FROM BRAIN HEMORRHAGE

JAMAICA RETURNS USAIN BOLT FAILS AT TO NORMALCY , P7. 300M WORLD RECORDa fund for at-

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FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

Local News

CACCI Honors Entrepreneurs Of The Year The Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., (CACCI) has announced that its 25th Annual Entrepreneur of the Year Corporate and Partnership Recognition Awards Luncheon will be held on Friday, June 18th, 2010 at 11:30 a.m., at Steiner Movie Studios Stage 6, Where The Magic of Hollywood meets the Glamour of New York, Brooklyn Navy Yard Complex, Brooklyn, NY. This year’s award recipients to be honored are: Susan Vieira, Senior Director, Business Development, NYC School Construction Authority will receive CACCI’s Corporate Diversity Recognition Award; Keith Y. Gordon, Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, Healthfirst will receive CACCI’s Corporate Partnership Award; Haitian American United for Progress (HAUP) will receive CACCI’s Community Partnership Award and Julian Lynch, President, Windward Islands Health Care Union, NA will receive CACCI’s CARICOM Community Partnership Award. The recipient of CACCI’s Year 2010 “Roving Ambassador” Award is Richard Anthony Best, Senior Editor, New York Carib News CACCI’s Entrepreneurs of the Year Award recipients are: Garner Bannister, President, Bannister Brothers Construction Company; Christine Tyrell, Owner of Three Golden Krust Restaurants; David Gayle, President/CEO, Tropical Paradise Ballroom and Restaurant; McDonald Romain, President, La Baye Market; David Morissett, Esq., Owner, Law Office of David Morissett; Daniel Ramos, President and CEO, Liberty Computing Center, Inc.; Frank Singh, President, Marine Funding, Inc.; Yolanda SullivanHernandez, President, SullivanHernandez Agency, Inc. and Edmund Braithwaite, President, One Caribbean Radio.

AG Says Jamaica Violence Underscores Need For Strong Security Ties

LENECIA HINES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF IVROL HINES MANAGING EDITOR LEONARDO HARRISON GRAPHIC DESIGNER & WEBMASTER EARL “JR JAMROC” LYN VP OF OPERATIONS

US Attorney General Eric Holder says the recent outbreak of violence in Jamaica underscores the need for strong security ties between the United States and its Caribbean partners. Addressing the launch of the Caribbean-United States Security Initiative here on Thursday, Holder said “this new initiative is an important step forward in addressing our shared concerns, advancing our common interests, and strengthening our collective commitment to protect our citizens from crime, violence, trafficking, and terror”. Holder, the son of a Barbadian father, also welcomed the meeting as an opportunity to launch a new chapter in US/Caribbean engagement. “The situation in Jamaica reminds us all just how important this work is,” he said. “Today, we offer our condolences to the Jamaican people. And we mourn the loss of the citizens and law enforcement officials who have been killed in connection with recent attempts to apprehend Christopher Coke for extradition. “As the Jamaican government seeks to uphold the rule of law, the United States stands in support of its efforts to ensure public safety and to combat drug trafficking and other criminal activity and we honour our brave law enforcement partners for their service, sacrifice, and commitment to the cause of justice. “As we continue to monitor events in Jamaica, let me assure each of you that this effort is a top priority, not only for the Department of Justice, but also for the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Defense. And we are all proud to call you our partners,” he added. The one day meeting was in

SPIRITUAL READING Man from Jamaica Woman from Haiti

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US Attorney General Eric Holder keeping with a commitment made by US President Barack Obama at the 5th Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April last year. At that historic summit, Obama called for a “new chapter of engagement” between the US and its “friends in the Caribbean. “Today, with the launch of the Caribbean-United States Security Initiative, we renew our commitment to delivering on that promise to future generations and we strengthen our resolve to work together. We share, after all, so many priorities – securing our borders, eliminating gangs and violence, curbing drug trafficking, reducing recidivism, fighting terrorism and much more,” he added. “As my nation’s chief law enforcement officer, I recognise that each of these threats not only burdens the United States and your individual law enforcement communities, but also places citizens throughout the Caribbean at risk.” He said these threats were not isolated, since drug trafficking and organised crime, for example, are problems across the hemisphere –

from the United States, Canada and Mexico to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. “And none of us, alone, can ward off the violence. Criminals know no borders. They respect no flag. They embrace no rule of law but their own,” the US Attorney General said. He said the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) is designed to complement the larger Merida Initiative, launched in 2008 to help Mexico, Central American countries, the Dominican Republic and Haiti fight drugs and other gangs. Arturo Valenzuela, US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said that the Obama administration was committed to providing the already pledged US$45 million to maintain regional security. “Security must be advanced through our commitment to partner with those who are courageously battling drug cartels, gangs and other criminal networks throughout the Americas,” he told the historic meeting. “And I take note of the challenges that Jamaica is facing,” he added.

“Saint Philomena “Saint Joseph keep us Keep us grounded.” steady in our doings.”

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New York Liberty Star welcomes letters from readers and press releases. We reserve the right to edit all materials, in keeping with publication standards. To submit an article, send email to: nylibertystar@yahoo.com. Hours of operation: M-F, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. All material due by 12 p.m., two days prior to publication. The New York Liberty Star is not responsible for typographical errors in ads beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Copyright New York Liberty Star 2001. All rights reserved / Ivrol D. Hines.

This psalm is good for protection against enemies; also good for court cases. This is a good pocket piece as well. Psalm 35

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In the name of Shango, Lightning and thunder for all our enemies.

Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me; fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and block the way against them that persecute me. Say unto my soul, “I am thy salvation ...” To be continued. Read three times daily. 917-216-1507

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FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

Caribbean Human Rights Group Calls For Investigation

Caribbean Consulates In New York Antigua & Barbuda 610 Fifth Avenue, Suite 311 New York, N.Y. 10020 Tel. 212-541-4117 Bahamas 231 East 46th Street New York, NY 10017 (212) 421-6420 Barbados 800 Second Avenue, 2nd Fl. New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. 212-867-8435 Belize 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400G New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. 212-599-0233 Cayman Islands (Dept. of Tourism) 420 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10170 (212) 682-5582 Dominican Republic 1500 Broadway, Suite 410 New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel. 212-768-2480 Grenada 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400K New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. 212-599-0301 Guyana 866 UN Plaza, Room 304 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. 212-527-3215 Haiti 271 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor New York, N.Y. 10016 Tel. 212-697-9767 Honduras 80 Wall Street, Suite 415, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10005 Tel. 212-269-3611 Jamaica 767 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10017-2993 Tel. 212-935-9000 Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel. 212-838-6887 Montserrat 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel. 212-745-0200 Panama 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel. 212-840-2450 Puerto Rico 666 Fifth Avenue, 15th Floor New York, N.Y. 10103 Tel. 800-223-6530 St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel. 212-535-1234 St. Lucia 800 Second Avenue, 9th Floor New York, N.Y. 10007 Tel. 212-697-9360 St. Maarten 675 Third Avenue, Ste. 1807 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. 800-786-2278 St. Vincent & The Grenadines 801 Second Avenue, 21st Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. 212-687-4981 Trinidad & Tobago 125 Maiden Lane New York, N.Y. Tel. 212-682-7272

A woman waits for news of a family member at the gates of Jamaica’s National Stadium in Kingston, Thursday.

Back To Normal Government Says Downtown Kingston Safe

The Jamaica government says it is assuring the public, particularly business owners, that they could now resume their normal operations in the capital, even as the security forces widened their search for Christopher “Dudus” Coke, wanted in the United States on drugs and gun running charges. Unconfirmed reports said that as many as 73 people may have been killed since Sunday, when gunmen loyal to Coke, 41, the reputed leader of the notorious Shower Posse gang, began running battles with the security forces in the west Kingston constituency. The gunmen have vowed to prevent the extradition of Coke, who faces life imprisonment if convicted of the charges in the United States. Information Minister Daryl Vaz said that he had been advised by the security forces that downtown Kingston was safe and that members of the public, living and working in the area can now resume their normal lives. “I have been in contact with the Chief of Staff and the Commissioner of Police and I have been assured that there will be adequate patrols in the downtown Kingston area concentrated in the business district,” he said. A government statement called on members of the public “to cooperate with the security forces as they continue to serve the public’s interest. “Members of the public are also advised to have available, photo identification (ID), preferably a national ID such as voter’s ID, driver’s licence, or passport,” the statement said, adding that “ministries, departments and agencies located in the area will also be open for business”. The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has also confirmed that service to the Downtown Kingston area will be resumed on a limited basis. “Members of the security forces have been directed to be courteous and respectful in all their interactions and have been told that no acts of indiscipline or misconduct will be tolerated,” the statement added. But the statement said that all schools in Kingston would remain close on Thursday and “this will remain in effect until the affected areas are brought back to a state of normalcy”. The security forces have widened their search for Coke, visiting also sections of upper St Andrew in the corporate area where Coke is said to have a home. Chief Executive officer of Madden’s Home, Ferdinand Madden, said his morgue could accommo-

Information Minister Douglas Vaz date only 10 more bodies, amid reports that several others were still lying on the streets. “I am appealing to have postmortems done urgently,” Madden said. In the western city of Montego Bay, Commanding Officer, Superintendent Merrick Watson, confirmed that a new police post in the area had been firebombed. Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, has said that he is in full support of the efforts of the government of Jamaica to repel criminal elements in Western Kingston. In a statement, Insulza encouraged the government to take advantage of the opportunity the crisis presented. He said that “the violent response of certain sections of society to the Government’s attempt to serve an extradition order on an alleged gangster, is unacceptable in a democratic society. “I have long lamented the threat that organised crime poses to the safety of citizens and the stability of governments in Latin America and the Caribbean. The confrontation that we are now witnessing in Western Kingston is just the latest manifestation of the threat that such groups pose to peace and security in the Americas.” Insulza stated that he welcomed the assurance given by the Bruce Golding government that the security forces will show restraint in their interactions with the public and will ensure that the rights of innocent Jamaicans are respected. “In every challenge, there is also opportunity. I am hopeful that the Government and people of Jamaica will come out of this difficult situation even more committed to addressing the root causes of crime and violence in their society,” he added.

The international human rights group, Amnesty International, is calling on the Jamaican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the deaths of a number of people killed while the security forces engaged criminal gangs during the search for Christopher “Dudus” Coke who is wanted in the US for drug trafficking and gun running charges. “While the Jamaican police have a duty to maintain law and order, the attribution of extraordinary powers to the security forces may lead to human rights violations,” said Kerrie Howard, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s America’s programme. The police said that at 73 people have been killed since the security forces began its operations in west Kingston and environs on Sunday. The lawmen are seeking to execute the warrant to arrest Coke, who is reputed to be the leader of the notorious Shower Posse gang and faces life imprisonment if he is convicted of the charges in the United States. “The human rights record of the police force in Jamaica is dire. Every year the police are responsible for a high number of killings. Evidence indicates that many of these killings are unlawful,” said Howard. “In this context, residents of the affected areas, including those not involved in the armed confrontation, may become victims of abuses by the security forces. Only an impartial and thorough investigation of every death or injury caused by the use of force will enable the facts to be established regarding possible unlawful killings or extra-judiciary executions” Amnesty International said. The local human rights group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has also raised concern about the number of casualties. JFJ spokesperson, Susan Goffe, said her organisation is worried that extra-judicial killings were taking place and called for an immediate return to law and order.

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

Manning Resigns As Leader Of PNM

Former prime minister Patrick Manning has resigned as leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM), three days after he led it to defeat in the May 24 general election. PNM Chairman, Conrad Enill, said that the party will hold a special convention on June 27 to elect a new leader and that in the interim, Diego Martin West representative, Dr. Keith Rowley, one of the longest serving PNM legislators, will act as Opposition Leader in the new Parliament. Enill told reporters that the General Council, which met on Thursday to discuss the 29-12 defeat in the general election, had accepted Manning’s letter of resignation. In his letter, Manning said he would “give support to the new leader” and Enill said that the Council thanked him for his 23 years as leader of the 54-year-old political party. “May I also indicate that if it is the party’s wish I am prepared to stay on as political leader until a new political leader is elected at which time it will be my pleasure to gracefully demit office,” Manning said. “I was first elected to the office of political leader on the 8th of February 1987, and it has really been a pleasure to serve the party these past 23 years. I wish to thank the party’s membership for the opportunity to serve at this level and for such a long time,” Manning wrote. Manning said he also had no intention of operating in a manner “the effect of which would be to bring the party into disrepute”.

Seaga Wants PM Out Of Tivoli

Former PM Says Golding’s Political Career Is Over

Former Jamaican prime minister Hon. Edward Seaga has come out in support of calls for the leader Bruce Golding’s resignation over his handling of the Christopher “Dudus” Coke saga that has resulted in over 70 deaths to date.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning is pictured as he concedes defeat in the country’s general elections in Port of Spain. Manning called the general election more than two years ahead of the constitutional deadline, but the PNM lost 14 of the 26 seats it held in the last parliament. The People’s Partnership, an amalgam of five opposition parties

and trade unions, swept the PNM out of office on Monday and in the process also provided Trinidad and Tobago with its first female head of government in Kamla Persad Bissessar , the leader of the main opposition United National Congresss (UNC).

Jamaica Children’s Advocate Concerned About Tivolli Detainees The Office of the Children’s Advocate is expressing concern over the number of children detained by the security forces as they continue their search for Christopher “Dudus” Coke, wanted in the United States on drugs and gun related charges.

A women yells at a passing convoy near the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood of Kingston, Thursday.

Police said they have started releasing some of the 500 persons detained in west Kingston and its environs since Sunday after the security forces came under fire from gunmen, loyal to Coke, 41, whose whereabouts remain a mystery. Mary Clarke, a senior official of the Office of the Children’s Advocate, said that the police have confirmed that young people were among those detained during the security operations. “The Office of the Children’s Advocate is to instruct the lawyers who are appointed to promote and protect the rights of children and enforce the rights of children, to seek early dates for the hearing concerning children and to be there on behalf of the children,” Clarke said. Attorney Tom Tavares Finson, who has been given access to more than 200 of the detainees, said he expects at least 17 juveniles to be released on Thursday. “We have the assurance that those who need medical attention will be given it and that the youngsters, some as young as 14, will be processed quickly. “I am satisfied that the police authorities are doing everything to process these people as quickly as possible,” Tavares Finson said. Investigators are also probing media reports that some of those detained may have been paid up to J$100,000 (US$1,135) to engage the security forces and ensure that Coke is not arrested. Meanwhile, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), said it will conduct a study to determine the extent of the mayhem on business activity in the capital. JCC president Milton Samuda, said initial estimates put the cost in excess of J$100 million (US $1.1 million). “We have some preliminary information coming in, but as you can image there will be some significant losses caused by disruption to normal services and commercial activity,” Samuda disclosed.

Seaga, the former leader of the now ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has described Golding's leadership as a major failure while contending that the ongoing security operation in the constituency of West Kingston was an unnecessary outcome of a long drawn out dispute over the United States request for Coke’s extradition. "I have never known a prime minister to display such a lack of moral rectitude ... he is showing day by day that he cannot cope ... the Prime Minister ought not to have interfered with the service of the warrant that led to Coke's rejection of it and that led to the need to go and get Coke and that led to the calling of the state of emergency and all the atrocities that have taken place," Seaga said. The former prime minister, who served as member of parliament for West Kingston for 43 years before he was succeeded by Golding in that constituency in 2005, also suggested that Golding should give up the embattled constituency and seek another seat. So far, members of the ruling party have refused to comment on Seaga’s damning assessment of Golding. However political commentator Lloyd B Smith is in agreement with the former prime minister and believes that Golding is facing a representational crisis in the constituency.

"If he (Golding) hopes to recoup his political career he needs to try somewhere else and of course where will that be is another matter because he not only faces a constituency crisis, he also faces a national crisis in terms of his overall performance," Smith said. Latest police reports indicate that 73 persons have lost their lives in the recent battles involving security forces and gunmen loyal to Coke. Several residents of Tivoli Gardens have been venting their anger at Golding, claiming that the man who has represented them for the last five years has let them down. In the meantime, US media reports have indicated that Coke was seeking to make a deal with US authorities and has volunteered to surrender to US officials. "After attempts to arrest him in Kingston, turned into urban warfare that left dozens dead, Coke began negotiating with US authorities. The 41-year-old alleged head of the notorious Shower Posse (so named because they are known to shower their victims with bullets) could be in custody in Manhattan by the end of the weekend," reported the New York Daily News, in an article published today. On Thursday, the US network ABC news also reported that US law enforcement officials have put planes on standby pending the outcome of the investigations and that the Drug Enforcement Agency was in a wait and see mode to see if Coke would be brought out of Jamaica in handcuffs or in a body bag. Despite continued appeals from the police high command for Coke to turn himself in, there has still be no response from him to date. The latest appeal from the police made late Thursday followed reports that Coke had slipped out of Tivoli Gardens and was now on the run. The police have also called on Coke's brother and other gang leaders to turn themselves over to lawmen.

Bajan Police Investigating Death Of St. Lucian Woman Barbados police are investigating the murder of a St. Lucian woman, whose nude body was found in the backyard of her home in St. Michael on Wednesday. Police said the body of Callista “Theresa” Alleyne, 51, a popular fruit and vegetable vendor was found with multiple wounds to the head and shoulders. Investigators said that they found a basin of water and a calabash near the body. They said that a 53-year-old man with life-threatening injuries to the throat was under police watch at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). The injuries are believed to have been self-inflicted. The Barbados Nation newspaper quoted sources as saying that the couple had been experiencing domestic problems over the last several days and that the woman had received several threats to her life in the past.. The newspaper said a cutlass and a knife believed to have been used in the killing were recovered from the scene.

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

‘Dudus’ Affair, A Lessons For Eastern Caribbean By Tennyson S. D. Joseph

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The Caribbean has watched, in bewilderment as the Jamaica government has slid into crisis, over Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s involvement in efforts to block the extradition to the United States, of an alleged gun and drug runner, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. Emerging first as a disagreement with the US on the ‘legality’ of the extradition of Coke, the situation has since descended into an all out war between the Jamaican security forces and the organised criminal gangs of Golding’s Constituency determined to protect their ‘don’. Unconfirmed reports said that as many as 60 people may have been killed, including a police officer. The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated, particularly since it has brought to the fore the deep links between the political directorate and the organised criminal elements of Jamaica. Indeed, Golding would not have been Prime Minister of Jamaica today, had Coke not sanctioned his ‘taking over’ of the Garrison constituency of West Kingston, in place of former PM Edward Seaga, following Golding’s re-entry into the Jamaica labour Party (JLP). The link between crime and politics has now been crudely exposed. The international dimension has only served to exacerbate the difficulties for Jamaica. Before, however, the rest of the Caribbean begins to shrug the problem off as a Jamaica problem, we should all take careful note of similar trends in Caribbean politics. We have not yet seen the emergence of “garrison constituencies”, but we have had too many examples of the criminalisation of the state, for us to be comfortable. Thus since 2006, St. Lucia has

A Jamaican police officer searches overhead buildings near the Tivoli Gardens area of Kingston, Jamaica, Wednesday.

witnessed: the emergence as Foreign Minister of a US ex-convict, ; the interference of the Executive arm in matters best left to the courts; cabinet cover-ups of criminal wrong doing by Ministers of Government; and evidence of a foreign power shaping foreign policy decisions through private inducements to individual parliamentarians. In St. Vincent the dependence of some constituencies on the largesse of the ganja farmer, is well established. The shenanigans of the Bird family of Antigua have been well documented in the book “Caribbean Time Bomb” by Robert Coram and do not need repeating here. In Dominica, several voices were raised in protest when Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit re-appointed Ambrose George to his 2010 Cabinet, against a background where former Prime Minister Pierre Charles and Skerrit himself had both fired George from previous cabinets. These incidents stand apart from the usual allegations of corruption and graft which have grown to monumental proportions in recent times. On top of all this, is evidence of organised gang activity, linked to a growing gun and drug trade, which have taken root in many urban constituencies across the Caribbean. Indeed the Eastern Caribbean differs from Jamaica in degree, but not in kind. Since the end of the ideologically based politics of the 1970s to the mid1980s, politics in the Caribbean has tended to be fought along lines largely revolving around the material comfort of voters, state handouts to citizens, and contracts for large and small public works. The politics of money has replaced the politics of ideas, freedom, democracy sovereignty and national self-determination. In this context, men of ideas, skill, talent honesty and true ability count for very little. A new genre of politician has emerged whose skills set is no different from that of the petty thief and average con man. It is such persons that voters now find attractive, and it is such men who they swear to defend to their death. In this context vote buying and auctioning particularly among the urban poor youth-on-theblock, is now a common practice. Voting on principle has been replaced by voting for money. A clear sign of the confusion of the impact of the new value system on the attitudes of Caribbean voters was revealed during the airing of the Barbados-based CBC TV’s “The Peoples’ Business” on Sunday May 23rd. During that programme, several callers tended to interpret the ‘Dudus’ Coke affair as a sovereignty issue in which the internal affairs of the Caribbean needed to be defended against US interference. However, whilst it is true that the history of the US subversion of Car-

ibbean sovereignty remains a sensitive issue for many Caribbean persons, it was interesting that many of the callers seemed to want to look past the allegations of criminality which led to the extradition request in the first place. There have been several breaches of Caribbean sovereignty in the recent past by the US to which Caribbean leaders have responded only with silence or acquiescence. In light of this, the energy and passion with which Golding sought to defend the rights of Coke, a wanted criminal with a deep power base in his constituency, reveals much of the new directions in Caribbean politics. Golding was willing to risk political death for a criminal, when he would be moved by self-preservation in far more noble and worthy causes. The first defence against US interference is principled domestic politics. Given the pervasive nature of this new value system, it is clear that the Caribbean has travelled a long way down towards the Jamaica situation. The Caribbean should remember however, that politics is a one way street. Once we go too far down the wrong way, it is extremely difficult to reverse course. Ultimately, therefore, the lesson from the ‘Dudus’ Coke affair is that we cannot leave the protection of our fragile democracy to the politicians. The defence of our democracy must be the work of a truly independent judiciary, an honest and non-partisan media, a well educated and fearless intellectual class, and a committed and truly patriotic civil society that is not a slave to the political directorate. In this regard the callers to the Peoples’ Business who queried what appeared to be the “double standards” with which the courts treated the ‘big man’ on one hand and the small man with one spliff on the other, were not off the mark. The many who claim that the judiciary should step in as the natural defenders of the democratic order in the face of the failure of the executive, should take note. The ordinary Caribbean person has lost confidence in the executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. It is this which has set the stage for the legitimization of criminality. There is a need for honesty and principled politics at every level of the political system. We therefore need to take a fresh guard, and begin a new innings. Most importantly, Caribbean society must agree collectively on the value system by which it wants to be guided well into the next few generations. Central to this value system must be a collective rejection of all manifestations of criminal behaviour. In particular, the society must agree that criminals should not hold public office of any kind. Every effort should be made to keep the political order free of the stench of criminality. We must all agree on these things and we must drill them into our children from birth. The Jamaica situation, bad as it, now presents us with a chance to stop the rot. It is a lesson that civil society will either embrace, or be damned by future generations, for their failure to do so. History is paying studious attention.

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar of the United National Congress (UNC) celebrates after winning the country’s general elections in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

T&T Swears In First Woman Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, a 58-yearold attorney, was on Wednesday sworn in as the first ever woman Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, who led the United National Congress (UNC)-led People’s Partnership to victory in the May 24 general election, took the oath of office before President George Maxwell Richards at the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, near the historic Queen’s Park Savannah, in the center of the capital. The ceremony was also attended by the victorious members of the coalition, comprising five political parties and trade unions, as well as party supporters and prominent local dignitaries. Prime Minister Persad Bissessar said that she had an “enormous responsibility” before her and called on all citizens to help in the socio-economic development of the oil-rich twin island republic. “We have to move forward as one nation,” she said, reminding her audience that the election is “long over”. “The task ahead of us is challenging,” she said, adding “we have been given an immense oppor-

tunity to develop Trinidad and Tobago. “There is no reason why a nation can reach the heights of development never seen before,” said the Prime Minister dressed in a green dress and a white pearl necklace with matching earrings. She promised to announce the composition of her new Cabinet within the “coming days” but indicated that there would be a Ministry of Tobago Development to ensure the sister isle is not neglected. Lawyer Anand Ramlogan .was sworn in as a Senator paving the way for his appointment as Attorney General. “I want to thank all of you who voted for hope and for change...and as we continue on this journey to build a Trinidad and Tobago that we will all be proud off....we will all hold hands together to develop this nation. Together we aspire and together we will achieve,” she added, expressing “my deepest gratitude to the people of Trinidad and Tobago”. She also paid tribute to former prime minister Patrick Manning for his contribution to the development of the country. Manning called the general election more than two years ahead of the constitutional deadline and his People’s National Movement (PNM) was only able to win 12 of the 41 seats in the Parliament.

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WHAT’S PLAYING AT THE MOVIES? New Releases Shrek: Forever After Iron Man 2 Nightmare on Elm Street How to Train Your Dragon Date Night The Back-up Plan Furry Vengeance Clash of the Titans Death at a Funeral Robin Hood

MACGRUBER Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In the 10 years since his fiancee was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands. But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that's been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter, MacGruber figures he's the only one tough enough for the job. Assembling an elite team of experts -- Lt. Dixon Piper and Vicki St. Elmo -- MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice. His methods may be unorthodox. His crime scenes may get messy. But if you want the world saved right, you call in MacGruber.

‘Diff’rent Strokes’ Star Gary Coleman Dies Gary Coleman, the child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom “Diff ’rent Strokes” whose later career was marred by medical and legal problems, died today after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 42. Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank said life support was terminated and Coleman died at 12:05 p.m. MDT. Coleman, with his sparkling eyes and perfect comic timing, became a star after “Diff’rent Strokes” debuted in 1978. He played younger brother Arnold Jackson a pair of African-American siblings adopted by a wealthy white man. His popularity faded when the show ended after six seasons on NBC and two on ABC. Coleman suffered continuing ill health from the kidney disease that stunted his growth and had a host of legal problems in recent years. Coleman suffered the brain hemorrhage Wednesday at his Santaquin home, 55 miles south of Salt Lake City. A statement from the family said he was conscious and lucid until midday Thursday, when his condition worsened and he slipped into unconsciousness. Coleman was then placed on life support. Diff’rent Strokes” debuted on NBC in 1978 drew most of its laughs from the tiny, 10-yearold Coleman. Race and class relations became topics on the show as much as the typical trials of growing up. Coleman was an immediate star, and his skeptical “Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout?” — usually aimed at his brother, Willis — became a catchphrase. In a 1979 Los Angeles Times profile, his mother, Edmonia Sue Coleman, said her son had always been a ham as a small child. He acted in some commercials before he was signed by T.A.T., the production company that created “Diff’rent Strokes.” “Gary remembers everything. EVERYTHING,” co-producer and director Herb Kenwith told the newspaper. “His power of concentration is unlike any adult’s I know.”

Gary Coleman Asked by Ebony magazine in 1979 how he learned his lines so easily, young Gary replied, “It’s easy!” But the attention his starring role brought him could be a burden as well as a pleasure. Coleman told The Associated Press in 2001 that he would do a TV series again, but “only under the absolute condition that it be an ensemble cast and that everybody gets a chance to shine.” “I certainly am not going to be the only person on the show working,” he said. “I’ve done that. I didn’t like it.” The series lasted six seasons on NBC and two on ABC and lives on thanks to DVDs and YouTube. But its equally enduring legacy became the former child stars’ troubles in adulthood, including the 1999 suicide of Dana Plato, who played the boys’ white, teenage sister. Todd Bridges, who played Coleman’s brother, was tried and acquitted of attempted murder. Coleman had financial and legal problems in addition to continuing ill health from the kidney disease that required dialysis and at least two transplants. As an adult, his height reached only 4 feet 8 inches. He continued to get credits for TV guest shots and other small roles over the years. But he told the AP in 2001 that he preferred earning

money from celebrity endorsements. “Now that I’m 33, I can call the shots. ... And if anybody has a problem with that, I guess they don’t have to work with me.” Coleman was among 135 candidates who ran in California’s bizarre 2003 recall election to replace then-Gov. Gray Davis, whom voters ousted in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Coleman, who advocated drastic steps for California’s faltering economy such as lowering income taxes and raising sales tax, came in eighth place with 12,488 votes, or 0.2 percent, just behind Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt. Running for office gave him a chance to show another side of himself, he told The Associated Press at the time. “This is really interesting and cool, and I’ve been enjoying the heck out of it because I get to be intelligent, which is something I don’t get to do very often,” he said. Coleman told The New York Times at the time that “I want to escape that legacy of Arnold Jackson. I’m someone more. It would be nice if the world thought of me as something more.” But legal disputes dogged him repeatedly. In 1989, when Coleman was 21, his mother filed a court request trying to gain control of her son’s $6 million fortune, saying he was incapable of handling his affairs. He said the move “obviously stems from her frustration at not being able to control my life.” In a 1993 television interview, he said he had twice tried to kill himself by overdosing on pills. He moved to Utah in fall 2005, and according to a tally in early 2010, officers were called to assist or intervene with Coleman more than 20 times in the following years. They included a call where Coleman said he had taken dozens of Oxycontin pills and “wanted to die.” Some of the disputes involved his wife, Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of the 2006 comedy “Church Ball” and married in 2007. In September 2008, a dustup with a fan at a Utah bowling alley led Coleman to plead no contest to disorderly conduct. The fan also sued him, claiming the actor punched him and ran into him with his truck. Coleman was born Feb. 8, 1968, in Zion, Ill., near Chicago. His mother told Ebony his kidney disease was diagnosed when he was 2.

Voicemail Singer Dies Oneil Edwards, a member of the group, Voicemail, has died, nearly three weeks after he was shot by gunmen.

Edwards, 36, died at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) on Wednesday. He was shot on May 9 near his home and police said they had since held one of his assailants while another had been found dead. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange, said she was deeply saddened and that she had been praying for his recovery. “Even as we mourn his passing, we must resolve to do all we can to stop the violence that is robbing us of young men such as Oneil,” she said in a

Oniel Edwards

statement. Some entertainers have announced plans to do a video celebrating Edward’s life. “It’s just real sad, Craig, Alaine, Natel and I were at a video shoot for a tribute song to Oneil. It’s a remix of the song Can’t Even Walk, produced by me and Mikey Bennett,” said the entertainer, Clifford Smith, aka, “Mr. Vegas”. “Craig had just done an interview and told the reporter that Oneil was doing better and five minutes later I got a message that Oneil was dead. I don’t know what to say ... maybe my faith in God just wasn’t strong enough,” the singer said. He said that many artistes were participating in the video “at such short notice… because Oneil is a good guy. “He isn’t mixed up, he doesn’t sing gun lyrics and he doesn’t preach violence. The fact that this has happened to Oneil means that it could happen to any one of us. We had to abandon the video shoot because we were all in tears. Perhaps God is showing us a sign,” he said.

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Shaggy Headlines 18th Festival Of Life CHICAGO, Ill. — In his first Festival of Life appearance, internationally renowned Grammy and IRAWMA Award-winning Reggae Dancehall artist Shaggy will headline the 18 th African Caribbean International Festival of Life (IFOL), July 3rd. Merging the best of the traditional with the most innovative new entertainers, the Festival of Life takes place in Washington Park at 55th and South Cottage Grove Avenue from Friday through Monday, July 2-5, a four day celebration of African and Caribbean culture, including R&B, Jazz, Gospel and music of the Diaspora. After a decade, two multi-platinum albums, five number one hits, and eleven top ten singles worldwide, award-winning Big Yard recording artist Shaggy is still making music that celebrates his culture and being an ambassador for Reggae music. He is Jamaica’s only living Diamond-plus selling artist. In the early 1990’s Shaggy entered the scene with his deep throaty remix of the Ska classic ‘Oh Carolina’, the first major Reggae record to come out of the dancehall underground. In 1995, Shaggy walked away with two IRAWMA Awards at the Field Museum here in Chicago. Soon after, the steady dub rhythm of the platinum selling Boombastic solidified Shaggy as a dancehall hit-maker, winning the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. When Hotshot dropped in 2000 no one could have predicted that this was going to be the album to set Shaggy totally apart from any artist on the dancehall stage. Hotshot, the best-selling album in 2001, sold over 13 million albums worldwide and topped the charts in the US, UK, Germany and Australia simultaneously. The album was seven times platinum certified in Canada and six times platinum in the US. Hotshot rocketed to the top of the charts with two phenomenal singles, “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel”, which featured Big Yard protégés Rik Rok and Rayvon, respectively. In 2005 Clothes Drop featured chart topping dancehall singles like “Wild2Nite” and “Ready Fi Di Ride”. In 2006 Shaggy released “Reggae Vibes,” the first song to ever feature this famed deejay singing. Then in 2007 another huge hit single “Church Heathen” was released, as well as the full length album Intoxication. The album continues to do very well all

over the world. To date, Shaggy has sold over 20 million albums. The festival is a nod to old school and new school. Kicking things off is R&B tinged Reggae performer Gramps Morgan (also of Morgan Heritage) — who recently captured three IRAWMA Awards in New York— returning to the IFOL stage after a successful appearance in 2009. Also featured Friday, July 2nd is the Roots Rock Reggae group Live Wyya. King and Queen of Calypso, The Mighty Sparrow and Calypso Rose and Jamaican Dancehall dj Admiral Bailey set off the fireworks on the 4th of July. Also on July 4th The Brown Sisters light up the Gospel/

Shaggy

Educational Stage with their passionate praise. Closing out the Festival on the “official” 4th of July holiday – Monday, July 5th — is Nigeria’s Afrobeat Hip Hop star 2Face, whose MTV Award-winning song “African Queen” is still on the tongues of music lovers, and Barbadian Soca star Alison Hinds, whose song “Roll It Gal” and provocative moves are bound to set the stage on fire. These internationally renowned headliners will be joined by some 100 acts on two stages – the International Mainstage and the Gospel/Educational stage – for the best of Reggae, Calypso, Soca, Latin, African, Haitian, Gospel, Jazz, R&B and other world-beat music. Dedicated to Health Awareness, the Festival will feature a Health Pavilion sponsored by Walgreen’s, offering free health screenings and other services. More than two hundred exhibitors/vendors will replicate the flavors of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America through an international food court, arts & crafts, textiles, jewelry, ceramics and other cultural items from around the world.

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Health

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According to researchers, young children like all things to be equal.

No Fair! Kids And Adults View Fairness Differently What we consider “fair” changes as we age, a new study finds. Young children like all things to be equal, but older adolescents are more likely to consider merit when it comes to dividing up wealth, the researchers say. The shift from the “egalitarian” view of fairness to the more merit-based “meritocratic” view occurred largely between fifth and seventh grade, although it continued to change through high school, with seniors placing the most importance on achievement. This transition likely results both from changes in the brain as it develops, and from exposure to new social experiences as we age, the researchers say. For instance, children might participate in more and more activities in which a greater emphasis is placed on individual achievement as they grow up. A better understanding of what people think is fair, and how this perception develops, might lead to changes in how institutions, such as schools, are set up, said study researcher Ingvild Almas, of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen, Norway. “The idea that social experiences contribute to shape our views on fairness is fundamental to how we design optimal policies and institutions in society such as the educational system,” Almas told LiveScience. For example, it might be the case that schools should not give academic grades to children when they are very young if grades based on merit do not fit with the fairness views of the children, Almås said. Previous work has shown that most adults think some inequalities are OK when it comes to divvying up income. For instance, they think that differences in what people have accomplished can justify an unequal split of money. Or a less than even distribution might be OK if it means the total income for everyone is larger. However, adults don’t agree on whether differences in luck are an OK source of inequalities. Almas and her colleagues wanted to know when exactly these views on fairness develop. They recruited 486 children from 20 schools in Norway in grades 5 through 13 (some high schools continue through grade 13 in Norway). The children played two different games designed to tease out exactly what goes into deciding what is considered fair. In one scenario, the kids played an online game in which they could collect points by find-

ing certain numbers within a number sequence. They also had the option of going to a different website where they could view pictures, videos and cartoons and play games, but did not get points. This element of the experiment meant there would be differences in the children’s achievement. Their total score was then assigned a monetary value, with each point worth $0.08 (0.4 Norwegian Kroner, or NOK) or $0.03 (0.2 NOK). This added an element of luck to the game. Then, children were paired up and asked to decide how to distribute their wealth. They were made aware of all the information about their partners’ scores, earnings and time they spent playing the points game. The researchers looked for three types of views on fairness: egalitarianism (those who believe all inequalities are not fair), meritocratism (those who think inequalities regarding differences in achievement are OK) and libertarianism (those who think that all inequalities are OK). Almost all the fifth graders were egalitarians, with very few meritocrats. The proportion of egalitarians fell as children got older, with most in late adolescence adopting a meritocratic point of view. The proportion of libertarians did not change much over all grade levels. In a second game, children where simply given a certain number of points and asked to distribute them between himself or herself and a partner. However, they were told that each point they kept for would be worth $0.15 (1 NOK), while each point given away would count as $0.15 multiplied randomly by 1, 2, 3 or 4 for the other participant. This was done to look at so-called “efficiency considerations,” or how to distribute something so that the total income is maximized. Children in fifth and seventh grades didn’t appear to care significantly about maximizing their total income, according to Almås. However, later in adolescence, around the age of 16, it started to matter, particularly for male students, Almås said. “So this development happens later,” she said. The older children’s views on fairness match up quite well with those of adults, Almås said, making the researchers more confident that they actually have captured the progression of these views as people age. Like adults, older children give more weight to achievements and less to luck when it comes to deciding how to divide up money.

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“I would argue it’s completely immoral and unethical to fail to treat those individuals and to allow them to suffer and allow the community around them to suffer.” Thomas Kerr, Director of the Urban Health Research Initiative at the University of British Columbia

Prescription Heroin Helps Addicts Off Street Drugs By Frederik Joelving

Prescribing heroin to addicts who can’t kick their habit helps them stay off street drugs, British researchers said Friday. So far, doctors have had little hope of treating the 10 percent or more of heroin users who don’t respond to methadone, the standard anti-addiction medication. Fueled by drug cravings, those users often spiral downward into crime and diseases spread by dirty needles and unhealthy living. Short of actually getting addicts off the drug, “heroin clinics” can at least get them off the streets. “What we are dealing with here is a very severe group of heroin addicts, where all of the treatments have been tried and have failed,” said Dr. John Strang, an addiction expert at King’s College London, who led the new study. “They are like oil tankers heading for disaster,” he added. “The question we were asking was, ‘Can we change the trajectory of these tankers?’ And the answer was, ‘Yes we can.’” To test how prescription heroin would work for this group, Strang and his colleagues invited 127 addicts into supervised injecting clinics. The researchers then randomly chose who would get heroin, injected methadone or typical swallowed

methadone. After six months, 101 addicts had stuck with their treatment. More than two-thirds of those on heroin had no sign of street heroin in their urine at least half the time they were tested; before the study, they had been using the street drug almost every day. In comparison, less than a third of the addicts on either type of methadone had a similar number of “clean” tests. At this point, said Strang, several users have continued in the program for more than two years. He did not have exact numbers, but told Reuters Health that some had been able to get jobs and reconnect with their families. “These sorts of changes are typical of what we are seeing,” he said. “People are not only physically getting better, but they’re getting back into society.” The researchers had to treat about two addicts for each one who get off of street drugs at least half of the time. An estimated 3.7 million people in the US have used heroin at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Of current users, studies suggest that some 200,000 spend time in jails each year. The most common drug treatment for heroin users is methadone, a synthetic drug related to heroin. Although methadone decreases the cravings for its chemical cousin, it doesn’t produce the same high, according to experts. This could help explain why a substantial proportion of addicts in treatment backslide.

Before the new study, a handful of other reports had indicated that prescription heroin could help these people. But the scientific community wasn’t completely convinced, in part because earlier urine tests weren’t very sophisticated. “What this study did is that it used a very novel urine test that can differentiate between street heroin and prescription heroin,” said Thomas Kerr, director of the Urban Health Research Initiative at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Street heroin contains papaverine, a remnant of the opium poppy that can be detected in the urine. Now, he said, “the evidence is quite clear that there is a place for prescription heroin for the treatment of individuals who do not respond to methadone.” Only a few European countries prescribe heroin to addicts, and in the US this practice has been illegal since before World War I. Many argue that giving addicts more of the substance they abuse makes little sense, and would be like treating an alcoholic with whiskey. But Kerr said that analogy wasn’t apt. “I would argue it’s completely immoral and unethical to fail to treat those individuals and to allow them to suffer and allow the community around them to suffer,” Kerr said. Strang said he supported the UK Government’s 2008 Drug Strategy, which proposes rolling out prescription heroin. “Now that we know that it works, we have to debate whether or not we should use it,” he said.

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Travel

Simple Rules To Keep Family Travel Fun, Affordable And Stress-Free

Spring Sale

(ARA) - If you’ve watched any of the “Vacation” movies, you’ve seen what can go wrong on a family vacation. While hilarity is the end result of the mishaps in the movies, certain blunders aren’t as funny in real life. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that you and your children will remember your trip for the right reasons. By following a few pieces of advice, you can make your next vacation relaxing and affordable - and a blast for your whole family. Try these tips courtesy of website Offers.com, which specializes in aggregating the best money-saving offers for consumers and has a section dedicated specifically to travel coupons and discounts. Score free meals. When you’re feeding a whole family, costs add up quickly. Look for hotels that offer a free breakfast so you can save on one meal each day. Many hotels now offer oatmeal, waffles, eggs and other, more kid-friendly selections, in addition to the traditional coffee and pastries. To save on other meals, it might be wise to find a hotel room with a refrigerator so you can stock up on sandwich meat and snacks. Find kid-friendly travel. Search for travel discounts where kids fly free or for a reduced rate. In addition, especially if you have younger children who aren’t used to flying, you might want to look for airlines that offer inflight entertainment options like child-friendly movies. If you’re driving, consider renting a vehicle with built-in child seats or entertainment options like a DVD player. Choose a resort with more. Many all-inclusive resorts are especially tailored to families with children of all ages, so if your children are farther apart in age, this may be a good option. Many family-friendly resorts cater to children, tweens and teens alike with age-appropriate activities such as story time, sports and game rooms. Some also offer kids’ camps so mom and dad can enjoy a little alone time. Have a plan. It’s especially important when you are traveling with children to go over your plan ahead of time and make them aware of it, so they know what to expect. It’s also a chance to get them excited about your vacation. By sitting down and finding out the things each family member would like to do during your trip, you’ll ensure everyone comes home happy. Many of your destinations may offer free travel guides that can aid in planning, which can also be found at Offers.com/travel. Travel light. Instead of cramming a stroller into your car, consider rent-

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If you’re driving, consider renting a vehicle with built-in child seats or entertainment options like a DVD player. ing a stroller at the attractions you plan on visiting. When booking a hotel room, check to see if they have cribs available for your younger children. By eliminating extra items from your load, you’ll keep your sanity. Take advantage of coupons and deals. Since many destinations are competing for your dollar, there are plenty of deals and travel coupons to be had. When looking at booking flights or accommodations, or even restaurants once you are on the road,

check for money-saving offers online before purchasing. Same goes for theme parks or other attractions you plan to visit. The easiest and fastest way to find offers is to visit a website like Offers.com, whose staff does the work for you by compiling easy-tonavigate, easy-to-search and verified and updated travel specials for you to peruse. You never know, you might even find a deal that allows you to explore an opportunity you hadn’t yet thought of.

Florida............................... 168 Trinidad..............................238 Kingston............................ 238 Montego Bay..................... 238 Haiti................................... 298 London...............................541 St. Lucia.............................318 Barbados........................... 278 St. Vincent......................... 480 George Town..................... 458 Grenada............................ 622 Taxes not included. Restrictions apply. All rates are subject to change.

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W E E K LY W O R D S E A R C H

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Commentary

How Can I Keep My Son From Falling Behind This Summer? Q. My son almost failed 4th grade this year. We got him extra tutoring and with the help of his dedicated teacher, he was able to make it through the rest of this school year. I am concerned that he will lose the new skills he has gained over the summer. How can I keep him from falling behind over the summer and prepare him for the next grade? A. Good question! It is so important to keep academic skills solid over the summer. Many children experience what’s called the ‘summer slump.’ When they return in September, it appears that they’ve never seen the tasks before. Keeping kids sharp academically, while they still enjoy the summer, is key to academic success. Kids are most vulnerable to lose the skills they learned in the last few months of school as there was less time to practice. Keeping the previous skills in tact and learning some new things for the next grade, do not have to be expensive. Most bookstores, including Borders, have paperback books for various subjects and for various grade levels. Some have one big book for each grade. I would recommend focusing on reading, math and writing skills. Science and social studies are important subjects too, but if your child is behind in reading skills, he/she will have difficulty reading about science and social studies. It’s very important to remember that it’s more beneficial to work on academics everyday for short periods than once a week for long periods of time. For your son’s age and grade, I think 2 hours per day is adequate. If he is way behind, he can practice 2 hours in the morning and then enjoy some free time and then an additional hour in the late afternoon to polish his skills. Get a 4th grade book for the first few weeks of summer and then introduce

the 5th grade skills for the rest of the summer or combine them. You will be re-teaching, teaching, and pre-teaching. Here are some ideas you can use to assist you this summer: 1. Visit your local library and get your son a card so he can take out books to read. This can be a shared time to read together. 2. Take advantage of the programs your library may offer for the summer. 3. Look for local churches that have small camps that provide academic support. 4. Do some simple science projects with your son that he can help with. 5. Visit local parks, the zoo, aquariums and museums as this builds much needed vocabulary skills. 6. Take him grocery shopping with you and buy some new foods you’ve never had before and let him help you find recipes and help you cook. This again builds vocabulary and organization skills. He can also benefit from measuring and weighing as math skills. 7. Let him help you plant a garden in the backyard or in pots in an apartment window. 8. After all of these activities, encourage him to write about all he did that day. 9. Visit the following website link below! It has printable summer books for each grade and are free for you! Good luck! http://school.familyeducation.com/back-to-school/skillbuilder/62428.html Lisa-Anne Ray-Byers is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist who has worked in education for over two decades. She holds graduate degrees in speech-language pathology and multicultural education. She also holds certification in educational administration. She is the author of the book, They Say I Have ADHD, I Say Life Sucks! Thoughts From Nicholas available at Amazon.com. You may contact her at speechlrb@yahoo.com or by visiting her website at www.AskLisaAnne.com.

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Sports

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CARIBBEAN CUP SOCCER 2010 SEASON KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND Follow your favorite teams. Full coverage, stats and schedules in Liberty Star.

Powell Clocks Year’s Fastest 100 Bolt Fails At 300 World Record

For once, Asafa Powell overshadowed his more celebrated compatriot Usain Bolt at the rain-soaked IAAF World Challenge Golden Spike track & field meet on a wet, chilly Thursday night. Powell clocked a World-leading time of 9.83 seconds in the men’s 100 metres dash to erase three hundredths-of-a-second from the previous best this season set by Bolt in Daegu, South Korea, earlier this month. “I was disappointed when I saw the rain, but I was happy then when the rain stopped, shortly before the start,” said Powell. “I’m very satisfied with the time. The weather condition didn’t mean a lot. I feel good, I’m in good shape.” Bolt also appeared at the meet, but failed in his bid to set a new World record in winning a rarely contested 300 metres, and this allowed the performance of the 27-year-old Powell to capture the headlines. Over the last two years, he has operated in the shadow of Bolt, whose record-setting in the Olympics in Beijing and the World Champion-

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ships in Germany, have made him a household name around the World. Powell is seeking to re-establish his reputation this year, and he took a small step toward this goal, when he got out of the blocks quickly, and ran unchallenged to the line, more than three metres ahead of his nearest rival. Powell led a Jamaican sweep of the 100, with Lerone Clarke running 10.18 secs, and Dexter Lee a personal best of 10.20 secs. In victory, Powell also improved the Worldbest time over 100 yards to 9.07 seconds, after organizers of the meet took the split time at 91.41 metres. Powell broke the previous best of 9.21 set by Charlie Greene of the United States 43 years ago. Bolt missed the trick in the 300 by 12 hundredths-of-a-second, after a 20-minute delay for heavy showers. The Olympic and World 100 and 200m champion clocked 30.97 secs to finish well clear of compatriot Jermaine Gonzales, who clocked 32.49. Bolt had a strong start, but several puddles on the track, and a strong headwind in the final straight, prevented him from taking away another of Michael Johnson’s World records. At the Beijing Olympics, Bolt eclipsed Johnson’s 200m World record, but the American 30.85 over 300m was just beyond the Jamaican megastar. Another victory for Jamaica came in the women’s 100, where women’s Olympic and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, whose exploits have also gone unnoticed, gained a timely boost of confidence. Fraser won the 100 comfortably in 11.04, with Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas second in 11.13, and Sherri-Ann Brooks of Jamaica

Jamaica's Asafa Powell celebrates his victory in 100 meters during IAAF World challenge Zlata Tretra (Golden Spike) athletic meeting in Czech's eastern metropol of Ostrava, Thursday. third in 11.17 in a Caribbean clean sweep of the top spots in the women’s 100. Lavern Spencer of St. Lucia was second in the women’s high jump, where American Chaunte Howard Lowe cleared the bar at 1.98m to win. Spencer cleared 1.92 to beat Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic in a count-back in an upset of the World indoor and outdoor champion. Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London also finished second in the women’s 100 hurdles, four hundredths-of-a-second behind Canadian winner Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, whose 12.69

was her fastest time of the year and the fourthfastest in the World this season. Jamaicans Shericka Williams (51.13) and Rosemarie Whyte (51.28) could finish no higher than second and third respectively in the women’s 400 metres, which was won by hometown girl Denisa Rosolova in 50.85. Isa Phillips of Jamaica was the other English-speaking Caribbean national to make it to the podium, when he finished third in 49.16, behind Trinidad & Tobago-born American Kerron Clement (48.69) and Britain David Greene (49.05) in the men’s 400 hurdles.

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Issues Keeping Simmons Out Of Selection Frame West Indies selection chief Clyde Butts says discarded allrounder Lendl Simmons needs to return to the drawing board to sort out “issues” that have affected his cricket. The talented 25-year-old Trinidadian has been overlooked by regional selectors since returning from the one-day tour of Australia in February, prompting speculation over his continued absence from the squad. “Lendl is one of those players that we’ll have to do some developmental work with,” Butts told the Line and Length Network here Friday. “Lendl has had some issues, not only now. If you remember when Lendl was in England a few years ago there were some issues as well,

Lendl Simmons

during the World Cup [in 2007] there were some issues with him as well and this tour of Australia [earlier this year].” Simmons, an attacking right-hander, struggled on the one-day tour Down Under, posting scores of 5, 29, 1, 1 and 29 in his five innings. Also a brilliant fielder and useful medium pacer, Simmons was overlooked for the one-day tour against Zimbabwe in March, the recently concluded World Twenty20 Championship and the current series against South Africa. He was also ignored for successive A team series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and was overlooked for the upcoming A team tour of England and Ireland. While declining to say what Simmons’ issues were, Butts pointed out that the player was lacking some of the qualities that selectors were looking for. “Again with Lendl in Australia, when you look at the way how he batted I don’t think he showed that sort of discipline and maturity,” said the former West Indies off-spinner. “I think there is some work to do with Lendl. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s a talented person but there is some work to be done with him.” Simmons has played just three Tests since making his debut last year against England, and has also featured in 19 One-Day Internationals and eight Twenty20 Internationals. Butts made it clear that while performance was a key requirement for selection, there were other factors which came into play. “The criteria is not only performance as everybody would tend to think it’s just performance,” he explained. “It’s the way how you play the game, your discipline – not only on the field but off the field as well. “These are the sort of combinations we look at in terms of your fielding, batting, your bowling … every little thing we take into consideration when we consider you as a West Indies Test cricketer.”

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

Recipes CURRY GOAT INGREDIENTS: 3 lb. Goat Meat (cut up in bite size pieces) 1 Large Onion (chopped) 2 cloves Garlic (chopped) 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (chopped and seeded) 4 oz. Jamaican Curry Powder 1 oz. Cooking Oil 1 oz. Ground Black Pepper 2 tbsp. Salt 4 sprig. Thyme 1/2 oz. Vinegar 6 Pimento Seeds (Allspice)

METHOD: Wash goat meat with vinegar and water. Rub in all the season with goat meat and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and then remove the seasoning from the goat meat. In a saucepan, heat the oil on high until it smells. Add 1 oz. curry powder to the hot oil. Stir curry powder in oil until the color starts to change. Put the goat meat in the saucepan now. Stir the meat in the hot oil for two minutes; be careful not to burn the meat. Add 1 oz. water to the pot, keep stirring until the meat looks like the muscles are tightening up. Now turn down the heat to medium and add 2 cups of water to the meat in the saucepan.Cover the pot and let this stew simmer for 20 minutes. Check on the meat in the pot, stir again and add water to cover the meat. Simmer for another 20 minutes, and then check to see if the meat is medium soft. If it is so, add the seasoning you removed earlier to the pot. Let the stew simmer for another 15 minutes on a slightly lower heat (between medium and low). (Optional) You can add potatoes to the pot the same time you add the seasoning. You can also add bread crumbs to thicken.

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR