New York Liberty Star by Ivrol Hines

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR *

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ENTERTAINMENT

SEAN PAUL MAKES BILLBOARD HISTORY

SEAN PAUL’S fourth studio album, Imperial Blaze continuES to blaze fire on the Billboard charts as it debuts at #1. Page 21

SPORTS

DANIEL BAILEY NAMED SPORTS AMBASSADOR

DANIEL BAILEY was named a Sporting Ambassador and given land for his unprecedented achievement last month.

COVERAGE BEGINS ON P. 11

VOL. 9 ISSUE 170

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CONTENTS BERNARD COARD

DUDUS WANTED

SEAN PAUL ON TOP OF BILLBOARD CHART

18 21 21

Veronica Campbell

GRENADA PRISIONERS FREED

He’s been fighting for freedom since he was put behind bars 26 years ago, now he’s finally free.

A senior Jamaica government minister says the Bruce Golding administration “will act responsibly.” REV. WILLIAM D. POINTER

DR. RALPH GONSALVES

NEW CONSTITUTION

JAMAICA GOV’T TO DECIDE

FROM PAIN TO POWER

Citizens of St. Vincent and the Rev. William D. Pointer, Jr. has Grenadines will on November 25 give published a new book, Moving from their final verdict on a new constitution. Pain to Power.

Don’t Question My ‘Boundless Devotion’ Two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has pledged her commitment to her native Jamaica, and was thrilled about the success of her fellow female athletes at the recent World Championships.

PARKWAY RUMBLE Dr. Dexter McKenzie took his campaign for the Democratic Party Primary ticket for city council to Eastern Parkway and in front of an international audience of millions during Monday’s 42nd Annual West Indian American Day Carnival parade in Brooklyn. The Democratic Party Primary election for the 45th district is on Tuesday, September 15. (Sharon Bennett photo)

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McKenzie Chooses Justice Over Politics By Aubrey Campbell BROOKLYN, NY — Standing in front of a judge in a downtown Brooklyn Supreme Court is not exactly what Dr. Dexter McKenzie envisioned just days before the crucial Democratic Party Primary Elections in New York City. “When justice is or appears to be defeated, then justice is threatened everywhere,” opined Dr. McKenzie, City Council candidate for the 45th District in Brooklyn. For the second time in a week, Dr. McKenzie, one of six candidates contesting Brooklyn’s most coveted council seat, was in a Brooklyn courtroom in support of fairness, equal rights and justice for all. Taking time out from a heavy campaign schedule that included bus and subway station stops, house calls and block parties through sections of the district (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, Midwood, Canarsie), candidate

McKenzie found himself standing alongside his Democratic Party Primary opponent Erlene J. King, whose campaign is challenging the New York City Board of Elections over its decision to omit her name from the paper ballot for the September 15th Democratic Primary Elections for Brooklyn’s 45th District. On August 13, 2009, the court ruled in favor of petitioner King on a motion brought by Jumaane Williams – a candidate vying for the same seat - to have her petition invalidated on the basis of what the court determined was a minor clerical cover sheet error.” That order directed the Board of Elections to place King’s name – the lone female – on the ballot. However, send days later, King discovered that her name was not included on the absentee ballots for more than 2,500 voters. “Injustice and unfairness are not options in a democracy and certainly not here in America and

certainly not now, at this time,” said a reflective Dr. McKenzie, minutes after arriving at his campaign headquarters on Avenue D (Central Brooklyn), after a 90-minute session with Judge David I. Schmidt. During last week’s court appearance, Judge Schmidt ruled to have Ms. King’s candidacy restored. However, the paper ballots enfranchising more than 2,700 voters- including members of the armed forces stationed out of state and overseas, those persons institutionalized and disabled – were dispatched without her name. King’s legal team was back in court – the second time this week to ask the judge to nullify those paper ballots and to have new ones re-issued. “This morning I chose justice and fairness over politics as usual, standing side by side with my opponent in the cause of justice and fairness, what better test to show that you are ready to represent a

district, a community and a city,” Dr. McKenzie said, with an air of reverence. Acknowledging that it will be a tough decision for the Hon. Justice Schmidt and an even tougher one for Ms. King and her team, Dr. McKenzie warned that it could be a case of “justice delayed is justice denied,” as time is certainly not on the side of the petitioner. In a race as crowded as the one for the Democratic Primary ticket for the 45th District, Dr. McKenzie, the front-running candidate, feels that either way, the decision of the court will have a significant impact on the outcome of the September 15 Primary Elections, “especially when you consider that traditionally, these races have been decided by slim margins.” With the exception of one other candidate, Ernest Emmanuel, the other candidates ignored the court’s request, bluntly refusing to answer the call to stand up for justice and fairness.

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Jamaicans Among Seven Arrested On Drug Charges GEORGETOWN, Cayman Islands – Four Jamaicans are among seven people arrested by police after a boat laden with 600 pounds of marijuana was intercepted on Tuesday. Police have not disclosed the names of the Jamaicans, but said the three others were from the Cayman Islands. Public Relations Officer for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Force, Deborah Denis, said the names of the Jamaicans would not be released until they were charged. The boat was intercepted by Coast Guard vessels off the coast of Grand Cayman and the men are likely to face charges of importing a controlled drug and being in possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. “The men held are suspected to belong to a drug syndicate that operates out of (the western parish of) Westmoreland with links in the Cayman Islands,” said Sergeant Jubert Llewelyn, spokesman for Operation Kingfish.

MCAP Wins In Montserrat BRADES, Montserrat - The Movement for Change and Prosperity (MCAP) scored a convincing victory in Tuesday’s general election, winning six of the nine seats in the Legislative Council. MCAP leader Reuben Meade was due to be sworn in as Chief Minister on Wednesday, when he is also expected to announce his Cabinet of Ministers. He has already identified the task at hand for his new government as a “tough job”. “The people have spoken.

They have given us a mandate, a clear mandate and we expect to use that mandate to focus on the development of Montserrat and the rebuilding of this country,” Meade said after the final results were announced early Wednesday morning. The other MCAP members elected to the Legislative Council are Easton Taylor-Farrell, Charles Kirnon, David Osborne, Colin Riley and Jermaine Wade. The two other recognized parties - the Montserrat Labor Party

and the Montserrat Reformation Party - failed to win any seats in the legislature, with the remaining three seats were won by independent candidates. The new opposition will be comprised of outgoing Chief Minister Dr. Lowell Lewis, social activist Donaldson Romeo and businessman Victor James. For Meade, the result marks a return to the highest political office in this British Overseas Territory, having previously served as Chief Minister from 1991-1996.

Police Beating Of NY Tourists Threatens Antiguan Tourism ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – A year after this country’s tourism industry was negatively affected by the murder of two British visitors, tourism officials here are again seeking to stave off major fallout from the alleged beating of six American visitors by police officers. The New Yorkers allege that the incident happened last Friday when they went to the St. John’s police station to report that they had been overcharged by a taxi driver who had taken them on a tour. However, police have slapped the tourists with several charges, including assault, wounding, battery and malicious damage. The six pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared in court Wednesday and were released on EC$5,000 (US$1,872) bail.

“We’re looking to see if before they leave we can at least soften the blow,” the country’ tourism director in New York Derede Samuel-Whitlock told a local radio station. “We’re looking to see how the tourism fraternity here in Antigua and Barbuda can extend any measure of kindness, whether we can accommodate them at one of our local properties before they leave. “The last thing we want is for cameras to meet them at (the) JFK (International Airport) without having extended some kind of kind gesture to them before they depart the island,” Samuel-Whitlock added. Delores Lalanne, Mike Pierre Paul, Joshua Jackson, Shoshonnah Henry, Nancy Lalanne and Rachael Henry, all of Brooklyn, said that the taxi driver tried to charge them double after they had agreed on a fee of US$50.

Smokey Cabin Grounds LIAT Plane ST JOHN’S, Antigua – A LIAT flight with 37 people on board was grounded at the VC Bird International Airport on Wednesday after smoke was seen coming from the cabin. A LIAT statement said that a fluorescent light end connector on flight LI 316 had overheated causing smoke in the cabin as the aircraft was about to depart Antigua for St. Maarten and Tortola. “As a precautionary measure, the captain immediately shut down the aircraft engines and the passengers were deplaned and returned to the terminal building.”

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Bernard Coard H

Grenada’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Bernard Coard, right, is escorted by a prison guard upon his arrival to the Grenada Supreme Court in 2007.

e’s been fighting for freedom since he was put behind bars 26 years ago. Now he finally got his chance to walk out the gates of the Richmond Hill Prison. Winston Bernard Coard, born on August, 10, 1944, entered the Richmond Hill prison at the age of 39. Coard had been sentenced to death for the murder of his former colleague and prime minister, the charismatic Maurice Bishop, in 1983, four and a half years after the two men had successfully engineered the first ever coup in the English speaking Caribbean. Coard studied at the Grenada Boys Secondary School where he met Bishop and together they formed the Grenada Assembly of Youth After Truth in 1962. They used the organisation to publicly discuss current events in Grenada. Coard studied economics and sociology at the Brandeis University in Massachusetts and in 1967 moved to England where he studied political economy at Sussex University in Brighton. He taught for two years in London and in 1971 published the book “How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Subnormal in the British School System”. After he completed his doctorate, Coard moved to Trinidad where he taught at the University of the West Indies and was also a visiting lecturer at the Institute of International Relations at St. Augustine. In 1976, he returned to Grenada and joined the New Jewel Movement (NJM) that was created by Bishop, who was then an attorney. Three years later, the NJM would remove Gairy from power amid widespread rumours that the former prime minister, who believed in “UFOs”, was planning to use his notori-

ous “Mongoose Gang” to wipe out the leadership of the NJM, while he Gairy was out of the country. Grenada deepened its relationship with Cuba, the only Caribbean Communist country, as well as the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, Apart from being the deputy prime minister, Coard was also the finance minister and his disagreement with Bishop along ideological lines was noticeable in the period when Bishop attempted to develop closer relations with the United States. On 19th October, with the support of the People’s Revolutionary Army (PRA), Coard overthrew the government and placed Bishop and most of his ministers under house arrest. They were later executed and the United States, at the behest of the governments of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), sent soldiers to dislodge Coard and his hard line members of the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG). Coard, along with his wife Phyllis, the mobilisation minister Selwyn Strachan, John Ventour, Liam James and Keith Roberts, were arrested on October 31, 1983. They went on trial three years later and together with along with 13 others, then known as the “Grenada 17” were sentenced to death. That sentence was commuted to lifeimprisonment in 1991. But in 2007, the London-based Privy Council, the island’s highest court, ruled that the death sentences were unconstitutional and as a result this also invalidated the process by which those sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment.

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Trini Cop On Drug Charges Gets Bail PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – A police officer has been put on TT$100,000 (US$16,660) bail after he appeared in a magistrate’s court in Arima, east of here Monday, on charges related to court room evidence allegedly found at his home. Corporal Andre Barrow, who was attached to the St. Joseph Police State, where a quantity of arms, drugs and ammunition had been found last month, was slapped with nine charges arising from the discovery of the court exhibits at his home on August 13. The police officer with more than 15 years service, has been charged with possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana that were exhibits in several court matters. Barrow, who is also charged with misbehaviour in public office, has been on sick leave for the past two months Media reports said that the narcotics were used in court cases dating back to 2004. When he appeared before Magistrate Gillian David, the policeman was ordered to hand over his travel documents and return to court on September 15.

Guyanese Miner Shot Dead During Robbery GEORGETOWN, Guyana — A 39-year-old miner was shot and killed while one of his colleagues is critical after a brazen attack on his mining dredge in the Barama River operations on Saturday. Regerton Simon, called ‘Baba’, died on the spot after he reportedly sustained multiple gunshot wounds. His colleague, 33-year-old Malvin Edwards, was shot in the chest, head and right arm and is listed as critical after hospital officials say he suffered a punctured lung. Four other workers, said to be all Brazilians, including a female cook, escaped unhurt, all of whom police say are being questioned. Persons in the area recounted seeing two men in a boat with a 36 horsepower engine pass the dredge shortly before hearing bursts of gunfire. The survivors had reported seeing the same men pass some hours earlier before the shooting occurred. Donna Hinds, the shot man’s mother, said that doctors at the GPHC said her son was fortunate to have survived.

Solution to Puzzle on Page 15

Area Leader ‘Dudus’ Wanted By US Gov’t

KINGSTON, Jamaica – A senior Jamaica government minister says the Bruce Golding administration “will act responsibly” when it responds to the request by the United States to extradite Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the alleged leader of the “Shower Posse” gang, who is facing weapons and drug-trafficking charges in New York. In the indictment, unsealed in the US Southern District Court of New York last week, Coke, 40, also known as “President” and “Shortman,” is charged with “conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana” and “conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms”. The indictment further alleged that members of Coke’s “Shower Posse” trafficked in marijuana and cocaine in the New York metropolitan area and elsewhere, funnelling the profits back to Coke, who the US Justice Department has labelled as “one of the world’s most dangerous drug kingpins.” The indictment said Coke, a “businessman” in Jamaica’s inner city, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda, who is also general secretary of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) said that the government would act fairly in the treatment of Coke amid fears that his arrest could spark violence in the West Kingston area that is fiercely loyal to the ruling party. “Whatever this party does will be borne out of equal rights and justice and fair play which every citizen of this country is entitled to, so, whatever happens, the government will act responsibly and in protection of every citizen of this country. “We understand the issues, we’re consulting on it and we’ll act in the interest of the person involved and the country at large,” Samuda added. The Government on Wednesday fired back at critics of Prime Minister Golding for his silence on the request for the extradition of the popular Tivoli Gardens businessman. Information Minister, Daryl Vaz, was dismissive of the critics as he responded to questions from journalists at this morning’s Post Cabinet media briefing. According to Vaz, the matter is duly before the justice minister and the attorney general’s department. Vaz says the Government will not be pressured into rushing the process. On Sunday, former National Security Minister, Dr Peter Phillips, demanded that the Prime Minister address the extradition issue. Other persons have echoed that call. Coke, also known as ‘The President’ or ‘Shortman’, is the second youngest son of Shower Posse boss Lester Lloyd Coke, also called ‘Jim Brown’, who died in a mysterious fire in his cell at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston in 1992.

That same year, Coke’s elder brother and heir to the Shower Posse throne, Mark ‘Jah T’ Coke, was shot and killed as he rode a motorcycle along the lower section of Maxfield Avenue. Mark Coke was buried in May Pen Cemetery the same day his father burnt to death. Coke also lost his sister to gunmen’s bullets, and in 2005 another brother, Christopher ‘Chris Royal’ Coke, was cut down by police bullets minutes after the shooting death of Corporal Hewitt Chandler near the Canadian High Commission in the Corporate Area. According to a police source, Coke’s influence stretches wider than his West Kingston fiefdom to other JLP strongholds across the country. “He is the leading figure among JLP garrisons and many leaders in those communities report to him. He is tremendously powerful and is feared by friends and foes alike,” the source told the Sunday Observer. Since the deaths of his father and brother in 1992, Coke, who attended Ardenne High School, has been the leader of the Tivoli Gardens community. Coke and his close confidant, Justin O’Gilvie, are partners in the construction company Incomparable Enterprises, which was awarded three contracts valued at $32 million from the Ministry of Water and Housing in June for work in Tivoli Gardens. Incomparable Enterprises was also awarded a $1.3-million contract, under emergency procurement, to transport materials from Bull Bay in St Andrew to contain a blaze which broke out at the Riverton City landfill in January. Coke is also the principal of the Presidential Click company which is headquartered in Tivoli Gardens. Presidential Click organises the Champions In Action stage show which is known to attract thousands of patrons and has widely been touted as one of few live events staged without any violent incidents. The show is usually held without the usual battery of security guards and police officers but patrons are known to line up in an orderly fashion and no one dares to jump the fence or get into any of the venues by dishonest means. “Jamaicans are known for their disorderliness, but they know what will befall them if they behave badly at a Champions in Action show,” one cop, who refused to be named, said. Police say that Coke also owns several

Christopher “Dudus” Coke residences, including a lavish house nestled in the cool hills of Plantation Heights in Red Hills, St Andrew. Coke was arrested in 2005 after police raided his upper St Andrew home and found a small quantity of ganja. He appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court and was fined $200 or 10 days for ganja possession. Coke was among several persons whose names were handed over to former police commissioner Colonel Trevor MacMillan by former member of parliament for West Kingston, Edward Seaga. On Friday, Seaga refused to comment on the latest development involving Coke. “I have been out of Tivoli Gardens for five years and I have nothing to say on the matter,” Seaga told the Sunday Observer. In his Tivoli Gardens fortress, Coke is known for his benevolence and reportedly hands out money and school supplies at the start of each school year to children in need. The proceeds are said to come from the profits made at the Champions In Action stage show. He is also known to be a nononsense man who runs his community with an iron fist. Coke has been credited for the drop in petty theft and crime in downtown Kingston. In Tivoli Gardens, rapists, thieves and others who violate the community order are disciplined harshly. Coke’s influence is said to stretch to overseas cities in England and the United States where his father’s underlings once ran amok as the Shower Posse. He has been credited with reorganising Shower Posse operatives and has managed to keep them below the radar of the authorities in those countries. However, he came to the attention of Scotland Yard after a rise in violent crimes among rival Jamaican gangs in the UK in 2001. He has also been under investigation by the United States authorities since 1999.

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Guyana Wants Clarity On Antigua Immigration Policy GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Guyana government says it is investigating reports that the passports of a number of Guyanese children have been seized by the authorities in Antigua and Barbuda. “We have had reports that the authorities in Antigua are at this point in time retaining the passports of children travelling with their parents,” said Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues – Birkett. “Certainly the Guyanese passports are the property of the Guyana government and so we have written to them because we need to know what is the policy,” she added. During the last Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit held here in July, both Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados complained that they were being overwhelmed by Caribbean nationals who were coming to the islands in search of jobs. The communiqué issued at the end of the summit, said the regional governments re-affirmed the goal of free movement of persons as expressed in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and that free movement is an essential element of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The leaders acknowledged that given the current global economic and financial crisis, the full implementation of the CSME at this point in time will be challenging for some member states. In addition, the leaders “agreed on the importance of training and sensitising Immigration Officers on the implementation of the region’s approach to free movement and hassle free travel”. The Foreign Minister said that there had been significant improvement in the treatment of Guyanese nationals residing in Bar-

“We have had reports that the authorities in Antigua are at this point in time retaining the passports of children travelling with their parents.” Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues – Birkett. bados following that government’s announcement in May of a six-month amnesty for CARICOM nationals who have been living in Barbados illegally. The Barbados authorities warned that with effect from 1st June 2009, all undocumented CARICOM nationals who entered Barbados prior to the 31st December, 2005 and remained undocumented for a period of eight years or more, are required to come forward and have their status regularised. “I think we should not underestimate the impact of the discussions on this issue both in the media and discussion that were held by our heads of government and I think that certainly would have resulted in what we are seeing now, Rodrigues – Birkett said. “I think it’s an improvement in what we saw in the earlier period,” she said, warning Guyanese nationals that only certain categories of workers, who are able to obtain the necessary documents, could move freely across the region.

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Political Parties Gearing For Referendum On

New Constitution For St. Vincent By Kenton Chance KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – After six years, during which they participated in a number of public consultations here and overseas, citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will on November 25 give their final verdict on a new constitution for the island. “Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the date for the referendum, the election on which the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines would vote on this Bill, will be Wednesday, the 25th of November,” Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told Parliament as legislators this week approved the Constitution Bill 2009 after three days of intense debate. Gonsalves said that his administration would be tabling the Referendum Bill on September 16 and defended the long period between the introduction of the bill and the referendum in November on the grounds that the dates for general elections are usually announced three or four weeks before the polls. Six years ago, both the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) and the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) agreed to the establishment of a Constitutional Reform Commission, now called the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC), to re-examine the 1979 constitution that was handed down to the island when it gained political independence from Britain. The CRC has consulted with Vincentians across this multi-island nation and citizens overseas before presenting its first draft to parliament in May. It has published in the local media, the proposed constitution and CRC Chairman, Parnel Campbell, a former attorney general, in summarising the main changes, notes that “one of the most dramatic features of the proposed new Constitution is the extent to which it reduces the constitutional powers of the Prime Minister, whilst increasing the constitutional powers of the Leader of the Opposition”.

Campbell, who likened the constitutional reform exercise to renovating a family house, said, “it is important that all concerned in the exercise should be willing to arrive at reasonable compromises so that the final renovations would meet with the widest possible approval”. Prime Minister Gonsalves says he has identified no fewer than 14 weaknesses in the 1979 Constitution and that there were “creative” and “innovative” solutions available. But the NDP has described the changes as being “cosmetic” and is calling on citizens not to provide the required 66.67 per cent support needed to replace the 30-yearold document. “I am not getting carried away by all this talk about dramatic change, at all. We have our position on some of these matters and we maintain our position, and we will vote ‘No’ in relation to this piece of legislation,” said NDP and Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace, adding that “I see no fundamental provision that markedly reduces prime ministerial power.” Further, Eustace believes that the new document will not receive the proper attention it deserves given the fact that the island would soon be engaged in a campaign for a general election. “Both parties are looking at it with (elections) in the back of minds, at this stage,” he said, adding that the party would” would campaign against it fully like is we are running an election campaign”. Prime Minister Gonsalves is promising the same intense campaign for a “yes” vote in the referendum and has dismissed the suggestion that the referendum is coming too close to the next general election. “People are going to say in the election to come, ‘The guys are backward. They prevented 62 per cent of the people from getting a new constitution. We must punish them.’ So on either way, punish them electorally if they continue on the path on which they are.” But Eustace said the Prime Minister is

using the referendum to gauge his party’s chances at winning a third consecutive term in office. “My view is that the Prime Minister is hoping that he gets 55 per cent (of the votes), which will give him a clue as to whether he should go with the election sooner or later,” he said, noting that it would be very difficult to obtain a two-thirds of the votes case, recalling that when the NDP won all the seats in parliament in 1989, it still did not have that support. The People’s Movement for Change (PMC), a socio-political organisation, also wants the referendum postponed until after the next general election. “The years of effort and scarce financial resources expended so far can be saved if the referendum is depoliticised…, held at a time when both major parties will have the opportunity to think in the national interest rather than from a partisan vantage point,” the PMC said in a statement. The Prime Minister contends that the draft constitution “deepens participatory democracy, extends the range of our rights and freedom and enhances their protection, and it provides for greater accountability of the elected members to the people who have elected them. “This is a nationalist, home-grown constitution, which brings our constitution to our people. It is an exercise in historical recognition. The manifestation of this includes a home-grown president and the process for ending final appeals to the Privy Council and substitution by the Caribbean Court of Justice. “Finally this Constitution makes it far easier for greater facilitation in deepening the regional integration process. …As a bundle, better government all around: for individuals and the state administration, the country as a whole,” he added. But Eustace is not impressed, reiterating there “is no proposal there now that I see reduces the powers of the prime minister. “As the Prime Minister said, we can de-

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves scribe the present system as one not of parliamentary government, not of cabinet government, but essentially of prime ministerial government.” Eustace said that reducing the powers of the prime minister is fundamental to the NDP’s support of the constitutional exercise, arguing also that there were inequities in the system that have not been corrected. He believes that the mixture of the firstpast the post and proportional representation as outlined in the new document is not fully representative of the wishes of the electorate. He provides as an example, both parties winning 50 per cent of the popular votes, with one party winning one seat more and the other one vote more. Eustace believes that the party with one seat more should form the government. However, under the proposed constitution, the party with the one-vote majority will be given two additional seats and thereby form government. “Let them change that! We are not accepting that under any circumstance!” he said, proposing instead a one-seat increase per three percent vote.

Three Killed As Fire Sweeps Grenada PM Praised For Prisoners Release Through St. Lucia Hospital By Ernie Seon CASTRIES, St. Lucia –Prime Minister Stephenson King is promising to rebuild the St. Jude’s Hospital “within the shortest period of time” after fire swept through the facility killing at least three people and injuring an unknown number of others during the early hours of Wednesday. The authorities said that the charred remains of two persons had been found in the burnt out building in the southern town of Vieux Fort, while a third person died on the way to the Victoria Hospital in the capital. Their identities have not been released. Fire officials confirmed that a number of persons had also been injured in the blaze that destroyed the surgical and recovery wards as well as the operating theatre of the 110-bed hospital.

They said that patients were evacuated to the nearby campus of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College which has now been transformed into a make shift hospital. Disaster Coordinator at the hospital, Pius Benjamin, thanked the staff and members of the public for the quick evacuation of the patients. “They ably assisted in taking most of the patients to Campus B and ensuring that they were comfortable as far as possible,” he said, adding that efforts had also been made to remove several pieces of equipment from the hospital. Prime Minister King, accompanied by his Health Minister Dr. Keith Mondesir and the National Security Minister Guy Mayers, travelled to Vieux Fort, 45 miles south of here, and met with hospital officials. “Clearly it is far too early to

say much about the destruction that has taken place here regretfully, but all hands are on deck and we intend to do all in our power to get the hospital rebuilt and back in operation within the shortest period of time I have had dialogue with members of the management at the scene of the fire and they have given me a situation analysis...,” he added. Security guards said the fire spread quickly after they noticed an air condition unit ablaze at the hospital which is managed by the United States-based Mercy Hospital Medical Center. The facility, which is owned by the St. Lucia government, was until 1992, managed by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. The hospital, which employs about 200 local staff, including 14 full-time physicians, provides high-quality primary care for persons mainly in the south of the island.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – A Trinidad and Tobago defense lawyer has praised the Grenada government for not seeking to prevent the release of seven persons convicted of murdering former prime minister Maurice Bishop in 1983. Attorney Keith Scotland, who spearheaded the legal battle that resulted in the release of the socalled “Grenada 17” over the last two years, said he was grateful that Prime Minister Tillman Thomas had allowed the law to take its course. “The Prime Minister has shown a legal acumen and a will to adhere to the spirit of what the Privy Council said,” Scotland stated, who was among persons at the Richmond Hill prison on Saturday when the prisoners, including Bernard Coard, the former deputy prime minister of the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG), were released. The PRG came to power in 1979 after it ousted then Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy in the first successful

coup in the English speaking Caribbean. But the left wing government that had close ties with Cuba, the Caribbean’s only Communist country, was split along ideological lines and Bishop and several members of the government were placed under house arrest and later shot and killed. Three of the convicted persons - Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroude and Cecil Prime – were released in 2007 after High Court Judge Francis Belle ruled that they had spent enough time in jail for their roles in the 1983 killings. Justice Belle had also ruled that 10 other convicted men, including Coard, would serve 40 years hard labor on their murder convictions, clearing the way for them to be freed within three years. The new court sentencing followed a ruling by the Londonbased Privy Council, the island’s highest court that overturned the death sentences that had originally been imposed on the former government and military officers.

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CARIBBEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, INC. (CACCI) BUSINESS COURIER WWW . CARIBBEANTRADECENTER . COM

24TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION

ESTABLISHED SINCE 1985

Caribbean American Chamber Celebrates 24 Years of Service to the Small Business Community With a Power Packed House at Brooklyn Borough Hall NEW YORK, NY -- The Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) celebrated 24 Years of Service to the Small Business Community with its Official Anniversary Membership Business Networking Reception on Thursday, August 27, 2009, 5:30 p.m. at The Historic Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY. More than 300 participants including members and prospective members joined in the celebration and the congratulatory remarks by New York State Assembly members Nick Perry, Helene Weinstein and Karim Camara. Remarks were also made by New York City Councilmembers David Yassky and Dr. Kendall Stewart. Business presentations were made by Derek Broomes, CACCI Board Chairman; Rev. Hilton Smith, Sr. Vice President, Turner Construction Co. who served as Chairman of the Event; Miguel Centano, Vice President, AETNA; Collette Burnett, former Bank Executive now President, Super Wings New York and Winston Thompson, CPA, President and owner, Thompson and Co. CACCI also received Letters of Commendation from numerous elected official including New York State Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Brooklyn Administrative Chief Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix. According to Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr., President/CEO: “We celebrate this major milestone with humility and gratitude and seize this opportunity to thank our board of directors, CACCI members, elected officials, economic development partners, support-

Dr. Roy Hastick, Sr., President/CEO of CACCI

More than 300 New Yorkers showed their support for the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry as it celebrated 24 Years of Service to New York’s Small Business Community at The Historic Brooklyn Borough Hall, August 27th. ers and well-wishers who have helped to sustain CACCI over the years, and enabled us to survive and thrive despite many challenges. We also wish to thank our contributors to our 24th Anniversary celebration including Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and his staff; Moet Hennessey USA; Heineken, USA; Tropical Paradise Restaurant and Catering Hall; Super Wings, NY; LaCretteCatering.com and Back Home Bakery. Over the years CACCI has accomplished the following: Developed expertise in providing business assistance to small business owners in areas of business planning, preparing for accessing financing, certification preparation, business expansion, and doing business in the Caribbean. CACCI’s extensive track record of service delivery, established partnerships with government and private sectors have enabled the organization to survive and thrive for 24 years. Hosted Caribbean trade delegations in New York, and conducted trade missions to the Caribbean focusing on trade and investment, health, mental health and disaster relief. Launched a Financial Literacy Initiative targeted to youth, seniors, faith-based groups, small business owners and conducted Small Business Workshops on such

issues as Credit Worthiness, Cash Flow, Insurance, Budgeting, Real Estate Mortgages, Homeownership and Asset Protection. Made considerable progress in developing the first ever Caribbean Trade Center in New York, a 28,000 sq. ft building located in a major commercial corridor adjacent to one of New York City’s historic educational institutions, Erasmus High School, in East Flatbush Brooklyn. Upon completion, this landmark building will serve as CACCI’s headquarters, house major anchor tenants, offer fee-for-service domestic and international business services, and create jobs. Managed and operated the Flatbush Caton Market (FCM), a 9,000 sq. ft. microenterprise incubator, an indoor shopping mall in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn with over 40 vendors who sell a variety of African, American and Caribbean artifacts. Recently, as a result of the modernization of the FCM by the City of New York, the signage on the Market was selected from hundreds of submissions reviewed each year by City of New York, and was awarded its highest honor for excellence in design, which exemplify the highest design standards. Continued to provide MWBE Certification Preparation business services for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE), and continues to be part

of New York City’s efforts to help MWBE’s become certified by the City of New York, Department of Small Business Services (DSBS) so that they may enhance their business growth and development. In addition, CACCI and Service Corps of Retired Business Executives (SCORE) conduct weekly confidential small business clinic at the Flatbush Caton Market Conference Center, which have proven to be helpful for start ups and emerging business owners who need technical assistance in how to start, operate and manage a business. CACCI and State University of New York Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center have partnered to address CACCI members’ staffing needs, by providing trained graduates eligible for employment from such programs as computerized bookkeeping, medical office administration, computers and networking technology, general office support web page design and maintenance. For further information on CACCI membership; the next CACCI Business Networking meeting, MWBE certification preparation, vending opportunities at the Flatbush Caton Market, and/or to request an appointment for free small business confidential counseling services through CACCI/ SCORE, contact CACCI: Tel.: (718) 8344544. info@caccitradecenter.com

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(Top) Dr. Roy Hastick Sr., CACCI President/CEO, addresses the gathering during CACCI’s 24th Anniversary Celebration, held at the historic Brooklyn Borough Hall on August 27th. Seated from (left to right) Dr. Eda Hastick; Dr. Roy Hastick, Sr.; Dereck Broomes, Chairman of CACCI; and Collette Burnette, CEO of Super Wings, NY and CACCI Member. (Above) Audience shots of CACCI members at the 24th Anniversary celebration, held at Borough Hall. (Below) Assemblyman Karim Camara and his son at the CACCI Anniversary celebration. Standing in rear is Hilton Smith of Turner Construction. (Bottom right) Assemblyman Karim Camara and his son, Dr. Roy Hastick, Sr., Bishop Dr. Cecil G. Riley, Collette Burnette, and Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Hon. Yvonne Graham at the grand opening celebration for Super Wings in Brooklyn recently. Photos by Seitu Oronde

CARIBBEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, INC.

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CARIBBEAN TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

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Managed by: Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. (CACCI) Roy A. Hastick, Sr. President/Founder Sponsors: NYC Department of Small Business Services (NYCDSBS) NYC Councilmember 40th District, Brooklyn, NY Hon. Matthieu Eugene, Councilmember

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YOUR WEEKLY

HOROSCOPE ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Past partners are likely to reappear. Catch up on your correspondence and reading. Opposition is present and you should be prepared to counteract it as best you can. TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) Travel opportunities must be taken advantage of. You can get a great deal accomplished if you bring work home. You will have additional discipline that will aid you in your objectives. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You should take good care of your health; get lots of rest. Social events will lead to a strong and stable relationship. CANCER (June 22-July 22) You will be entertained and intrigued by the logic foreigners possess. You need a change and you need to earn more cash. You will meet new romantic partners through the company you keep. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Your accomplishments could exceed your expectations if you mix a little business with pleasure. You will have a great day if you just say what you feel. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Get involved in physical activities that will stimulate you. You are in a high energy, get it all done, mood and you'll have little patience with those who are slacking off.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) You could find yourself left with someone's dirty laundry. A romantic infatuation from your past may surface if you frequent places that you both used to go. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Trips should be your choice. Your involvement with children will be most rewarding. You can make successful moves. Ignore colleagues who appear to be going in circles. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) Be cautious and use your head wisely in situations that deal with the use of machinery or vehicles. Advancement can be yours if you put your efforts into work related matters. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) Your competitive nature will enable you to win any contest you enter. You should get involved in competitive sports this week. Don't let others know about your private affairs. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) Sudden changes in your financial situation are likely. You will communicate easily and should be able to develop new friendships. PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) You have to feel free to come and go as you please to achieve happiness. You are likely to reveal information unintentionally.

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PAGE 8

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Brooklyn Pastor Preaches ‘From Pain To Power’ BROOKLYN, NY -- Respected Brooklyn pastor Reverend William D. Pointer, Jr. has published a new book, Moving from Pain to Power to help those who are broken in spirit understand the healing that can come through the Word of God. “You no longer have to give into the interruptions that distract you from God’s purposes in your life,” said Reverend Pointer, who as an associate pastor preaches and teaches at the 31,000-member Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. “It is my hope that each chapter brings you clarity and meaningful steps toward seeing how your experience with pain can navigate you into a pattern toward power, instead of becoming patterns of giving up, shutting down

Reverend William D. Pointer, Jr. to appear this Sunday, September 13, with journalist Dominic Carter at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

and descending into depression,” he said. Reverend Pointer observes that as the nation remembers the terrible September 11 attacks, the concept of “moving from where you are to where you need to be” proves to be the best antidote for the cycle that has led many towards personal and emotional defeat. “Trauma is trauma and whatever level you have experienced will be the level of your depression as it relates to pain. But God doesn’t want us to give up or to give into the circumstances that war against us. He wants us to worship Him in spite of being in the midst of our most difficult challenges.” Admitting that worshiping God while filled with pain is difficult, Reverend Pointer advises that the spiritual road can teach how to find God’s purpose in the pain. “The suffering of Jesus Christ seemed unfair. After all, He was the Savior, but had it not been for the pain inflicted upon Him and His suffering, our very salvation would not have been purchased. He has graciously placed His own Spirit inside of us so that though we walk in a land full of trials and tribulations, we can live simultaneously in another realm where the very power of God resides - the Spirit realm. To understand we’ve been called and who called us is very important to our healing.” Reverend Pointer adds, “If you call on God, He can turn it around. God for you is more than the whole world against you.” This Sunday, September 13, 2009 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Reverend Pointer joins fellow author and television personality Dominic Carter of NY 1 for an inspiring conversation on living through painful situations, starting at 3 p.m.

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ENTERTAINMENT First Jamaican Artiste To Top Rap Charts

Sean PPaul aul Debuts AAtt op Billboar ts Billboardd Rap Album Char Charts

Nahesha Chin, Diane Johnson and Letiesh Davis.

Diane Johnson Wins Miss Jamaica US Beauty Pageant

The winner of the Miss Jamaica US Beauty Pageant 2009 is Diane Johnson of St. James. Wearing a stunning gold and purple gown by Vindictive Couture of the Bronx, Diane, 5 feet 11 inches tall won from a field of fifteen finalists representing various parishes of Jamaica. Miss Johnson 23, has a degree in Architecture from the University of Technology. She also wants to become involved in interior design and at the same time develop her talents in singing and other performing arts. She has ambition to become a role model for young people. In her promotional efforts, Miss Johnson would be reaching out to Caribbean-American businesses, civic, and charitable organizations. Diane won the winner’s trophy, five thousand dollars cash,

and one round trip ticket to Jamaica courtesy of Air Jamaica. The first runner up was Letiesh Davis, 22 from Queens representing St. Andrew. The second runner up was Nahesha Chin, 24 from Staten Island representing St. Catherine The third runner up was Talice Sagerer, 19 from the Bronx, representing Portland. The fourth runner up was Monique Scott, 21 from the Bronx, representing St. Elizabeth. Monique also won the most internet votes. This was the 23rd annual staging of the pageant produced by Ken Williams. Mr. Williams would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the contestants for their spirit of cooperation and hard work. He would also like to thank the sponsors for making it possible.

Sean Paul might be in Switzerland, but that won’t stop his fourth studio album, Imperial Blaze from continuing to blaze fire on the Billboard charts in the US. The album, his first in four years, has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Rap Album charts, toppling the likes of Eminem, Fabolous and Twista to top the charts. Sean Paul is also sitting comfortably atop the Billboard Reggae Album Charts, ahead of a Bob Marley compilation, Ziggy Marley’s Family Time, and VP Record’s Reggae Gold. This is his first time atop the rap album charts, and his second time on the Billboard Rap Album charts overall as his third studio album, The Trinity, peaked at #3 on the rap charts in 2005. It is also the first time a Jamaican artiste is topping that chart. Imperial Blaze is heading for international success, debuting it debuted at #1 when it was released in the dancehall-hungry Asian nation of Japan last week, selling upwards of 50,000 copies in its first week. He topped the Oricon Weekly International Album Sales chart, the first time he has done so, and is holding his own on the Billboard Canadian Albums, France Albums, and European Albums with positions #5, #8, and #20 respectively. It is has also been certified Gold in France. Aside from those charts, Imperial Blaze is also #3 on the R&B/ Hip Hop Album Charts, #12 on the Billboard 200, and #9 on the Digital Downloads charts. The platinum-selling dancehall superstar, hailed by Essence.com the online outfit of the popular North American publication Essence Magazine - as the “dancehall king”, is now celebrating his first time atop the competitive rap charts. “Anytime a song or an album makes it on a chart I get excited, and now to be able to top the Billboard Top Rap Album charts is something that I’m especially excited about. Not because it’s the Billboard charts, but because it’s a dancehall album. It’s made in Jamaica by Jamaicans. So I didn’t top the Billboard Rap Album Charts, Jamaica did,” said Sean Paul from Switzerland

Sean Paul

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SPORTS CONCACAF WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS RESULTS Collated results of 2010 World Cup qualifying matches played in the CONCACAF zone on Wednesday night. At the Azteca Stadium: Mexico beat Honduras 1-0. MEX – Cuauhtemoc Blanco 76th. At the Hasely Crawford Stadium: United States beat Trinidad & Tobago 1-0. USA – Ricardo Clark 61st. At the Estadio Cuscatlan: El Salvador beat Costa Rica 1-0. SAL – Rudis Corrales 90+.

Don’t Question My ‘Boundless Devotion’ Says Campbell-Brown MIAMI, Fla. – Two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has pledged her commitment to her native Jamaica, and was thrilled about the success of her fellow female athletes at the recent World Championships. Campbell-Brown admitted that she did not fulfill her goals at Worlds, but she was pleased about the success of other athletes. “By now, you know the results – a 100 meters fourth place, as well as my second consecutive 200m silver medal at the World Champs,” wrote Campbell-Brown in her online diary on the website of the sport’s World governing body, the International Associations of Athletics Federations. “I did not participate in the 4x100m and a lot has been made of that, incorrectly I might add. I have however, put that aspect of Berlin behind me, except to say that my boundless devotion to Jamaica should never be questioned. “I am happy Jamaica won the 4x100m being especially glad for ‘Simmy’ [Simone Facey] and Kerron [Stewart] winning their first ever senior global gold medals.” Campbell-Brown had to shrug off two lengthy injury-induced layoffs early in the season, and was clearly not in her best form at Worlds. She however, enjoyed her experience in Germany She said: “August ... what a month! It came and went in a flash. However, it was not fast enough to escape my enjoying my first extended stay and competition in Germany. “Over the years, I have had so much fan mail from Germany yet I have never competed there, it was therefore a thrill for me to finally grace a track there.” She added: “Prior to settling in the German capital for the World Championships, team Jamaica had its camp in Herzogenarauch or ‘Herzog’ as it is commonly referred. “Incidentally, it was in Herzog

Two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown as well that Jamaica had its preOlympic camp in 2004. With minimal distractions, it is quite useful a place to prepare.” Campbell-Brown is now looking forward to the end of the season, next year’s IAAF Diamond League, and the release of her first book. “The season is winding down and I have two more races on the slate,” she said. “Both will be in Asia, one is in Shanghai [one of my favorite places to compete], and Daegu [the site for the next World Champs]. “Shanghai will be part of the new Diamond League in 2010 and I am looking forward to that new athletic series. “Speaking of ‘looking forward’, the off-season is just ahead and I eagerly await that as well. I will be launching my book, ‘A Better You, Inspirations for Life’s Journey’, in Jamaica as well as a continuation of my ‘giving back’ to assist in the betterment of the lives of children in Jamaica.”

Jamaica Captures 6th Caribbean Cup Title BROOKLYN, NY – Jamaica wrote itself into the record books on Sunday when it captured the Digicel New York Caribbean Cup championship for a record-fifth-consecutive-time. The New York Reggae Boyz demonstrated their football prowess by beating five-time champions St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 4-2, on penalty kicks after the scores were locked nil-all at the end of regulation. Jamaica clinically converted all four of their penalty kicks to record their sixth title. (The Reggae Boyz also won the Cup in 2003, trouncing St. Lucia 4-1) Ryan Reid, Irvino English, Allan Maragh and current national Reggae Boy Desmond Braekenridge all scored for Jamaica while Rayvon Jack and Chris Meyers converted for SVG. Grayson Alexander, who has scored a hat-trick of goals in SVG’s 5-0 swamping of St. Lucia in last week’s semi-final duel, failed to convert in his team’s first penalty kick, as the ball went wide of the far post. Jamaica’s goalkeeper Maurice Evans saved SVG’s third penalty kick from the boots of Seinard Bowens. Earlier, SVG staved off the Jamaicans’ aggression with solid defence and spectacular saves by custodian Marcus Williams, and came close to scoring on several occasions. But the Jamaicans, reinforced by four national players – Braekenridge, Jermaine Hue,

Jamaica’s Ryan Reid scored a penalty kick to give the Reggae Boyz their 5th consecutive Digicel Caribbean Cup title. (Photo by Ivro Hines) Damian Williams and Brian Wolleston – and 10 other premier league stars, were not contented to roll over. It was, clearly the Jamaicans’ toughest fight of the season before an effervescent Labour Day crowd. “Five consecutive wins – it’s the greatest achievement in the whole Caribbean Community in New York,” said an elated Jamaica head coach Norbert Radjpaul in a CMC Sports post-match interview. “You can’t deny that. When it comes to penalty kicks, nothing misses. We’re professional penalty kickers.” Stanley “Luxie” Morris, head coach of St. Vincent & The Grenadines, said his team did not practice sufficiently in the preceding week to match the dexterity of the Jamaicans, especially in penalty kicks. “I’m totally disappointed. Ev-

erybody feels bad,” he said. “The players always like to play Jamaica but we did not create enough chances. And we let down on penalty kicks.” He lamented that it had become habitual for SVG to lose in the finals since they had lost to Grenada 2-1 on penalty kicks in 1998 and 1-0 to the same team a year later. Grenada, who was beaten 2-1 by Jamaica in the other semi-final encounter last week under controversial circumstances, failed to show up for a third-place battle with St. Lucia. As a result, Cup officials said Grenada would be banned from competition for a year and denied any prize money. St. Lucia was awarded the third spot. St. Lucia drew 3-3 with last season’s runners-up St. Kitts and Nevis in a pre-championship exhibition match.

Mullings, Bailey Win At Athletics Bridge ‘09 DUBNICA, Slovenia– Jamaican World Championship sprint relay gold medallists Steve Mullings and Aleen Bailey registered victories at the Athletics Bridge 2009 International Track and Field Meet on Sunday evening. Mullings captured the men’s 200 meters in a stadium record 20.59 seconds and Bailey notched a victory in the women’s 100 meters in 11.36 seconds. In the men’s 200 meters, Mullings, who ran the lead-off leg in Berlin last month to help Jamaica add the IAAF World Championship 4X100-meter relay gold to their Beijing Olympics triumph last summer, was an emphatic winner. He was almost 3/10ths of a sec-

ond in front of Azerbaijan’s Ramil Guliyev (20.88) at the finish. Mullings narrowly missed the sprint double, finishing second in the 100 meters in 10.13, just a shade behind American Michael Rodgers, who clocked a stadium record 10.12. Bailey also had a win and second-place finish in the women’s sprints. She won the 100 meters ahead of the US Virgin Islands’ LaVerne

Jones-Ferrette (11.43) but was beaten by Jones-Ferrette in the 200, the big USVI sprinter clocking a 22.91 stadium record to relegate Bailey (23.05) into second spot in the half-lap sprint. There was a fourth Caribbean win at the meet when Jamaican Isa Phillips registered a stadium record 49.10 seconds to win the men’s 400meter hurdles over the Dominican Republic’s former World and Olympic champion Felix Sanchez (49.35). In one of the highlights of the meet, Olympic champion Dawn Harper, of the USA, captured the 100-meter hurdles in a new stadium record 12.57, pushing Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (12.67) into second spot.

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Bolt-Mania Shakes Up Track And Field World PARIS, France — The world of athletics, the reported demise of which has been repeatedly touted over many years, is not only bucking that trend but currently riding a high thanks largely to the performances of one man: Usain Bolt. The Jamaican sprinter has turned the sometime-stilted athletics circuit upside down with his breath-taking sprinting ability allied successfully with his outgoing personality and showmanship. Bolt dominated last month’s World Athletics Championships, just as he did at the Beijing Olympics, shattering the world records for the 100m and 200m, while Jamaica again won the 4x100m relay to complete his hat-trick of gold medals. He sliced a massive 0.11sec off both his 100m and 200m world record times to be crowned the undisputed sprint king, to the delight of massive crowds seemingly enthralled by his presence. Bolt has delighted fans by adopting silly poses for television cameras, often just seconds before a race gets under way, something that his rivals have also started to adopt and a far cry from the “street” posturing that used to be more prevalent in the sprinting world. “I have a lot of energy and I like to show it,” says Bolt. But for all his ‘Lightning Bolt’ poses, play-acting for the cameras and care-free attitude, the Jamaican is kept in check by coach Glen Mills and has insisted that he would never be over-confident of his ability. “I’m not too confident,” Bolt said. “I have a coach who won’t let that happen.

He’ll always be on top of me, working me hard, pushing me and reminding me to keep an eye on myself.” “Last year I was a joker, but I showed people that this was no joke here,” he said after sweeping all before him in Berlin. Bolt, who is mobbed like a pop star when he is reeled out for media or publicity commitments, said he was “still on the way” to becoming a track-and-field legend, adding that only hard-earned success would earn him the accolade. “I am not there yet: year after year, I have to become a champion again and again. I’m getting to be a legend. I don’t consider myself a legend yet,” the 23-year-old said. Tellingly, Lamine Diack, head of world athletics’ ruling body the International Athletics Associations Federation (IAAF), said that Bolt had achieved something which most athletes could but dream. Bolt, Diack said, “may now be the most famous sportsman in the world, not just in athletics.” Wherever Bolt has gone this season, he has won and, importantly for meet organizers, acted as the main catalyst for more people coming through the turnstiles. Some meetings such as the Paris leg of the Golden League seemed to hang all their publicity solely on the Jamaican and at times it was difficult to remember that athletes would also be competing in a host of other disciplines. Bolt’s crowning as the new sprint king has also synched comfortably with the IAAF’s launch of the Diamond League, a 14-meet series that will replace the six-leg Golden League and associated Grand Prix

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt events. It means that Bolt will race head-to-head against his biggest rivals, something that agents have traditionally liked to keep to a minimum during the Golden League. Bolt, for instance, did not race once against American Tyson Gay - the treble world gold medallist from the Osaka 2007 worlds who claimed a silver behind the Jamaican in Berlin - in this season’s Golden League.

The IAAF, however, will not allow too many head-to-head encounters in a bid to preserve the uniqueness of showdowns at the World Championships and the Olympics. Come London in 2012 and Bolt has hinted at adding the long jump to his repertoire in a bid to emulate the four-gold medal haul achieved by Americans Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, in 1936 and 1984 respectively.

Bailey Named Sporting Ambassador ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The Antigua and Barbuda government has named the country’s history-making sprinter, Daniel Bailey, a Sporting Ambassador and given him land for his unprecedented achievement at last month’s IAAF World Championship in Berlin, Germany. Bailey became the first athlete from his country to contest an IAAF World Championship (senior) final when he placed fourth in the high-profile 100-meter event that Jamaican Usain Bolt won in a stunning world record of 9.58 seconds. “I will advise Her Excellency the Governor General to officially appoint you as one of our new Sporting Ambassadors, conferring on you the title of Your Excellency,” Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer told the 22-year-old during an elaborate homecoming ceremony for him on Sunday. In the historic World Championship 100-meter final on August 16, Bailey clocked a fast 9.93 seconds, a mere 0.02 seconds outside his own Antigua and Barbuda national record, as he came in behind Bolt, American Tyson Gay (9.71) and Jamaica’s former world record holder Asafa Powell (9.84). In front of a large gathering during a recognition ceremony at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket (SVRC) Stadium, Spence also announced that government is handing over half an acre of land to Bailey, a training partner of the phenomenal Bolt at the Racers Track Club in Kingston. “I would like to take this opportunity to once again commend Daniel Bailey for his performance and to officially announce my government’s decision to acknowledge your performance by way of a gift of half an acre of land which we hope will serve as a symbol of our pride to you and successive generations,” Spencer announced. “What you have accomplished in a matter of months for Antigua and

Barbuda, no large sums of money could have produced such recognition for Antigua and Barbuda. You are truly an Ambassador for this great nation of ours.” Spencer acknowledged that Bailey has now entered the country’s elite in sports. “You have joined the ranks of star athletes such as our National Hero Sir Vivian Richards, Richie Richardson, Andy Roberts, Maurice Hope, Curtly Ambrose and the list goes on,” Spencer said.

Antiguan sprinter Daniel Bailey

There was a welcoming ceremony for Bailey on his arrival – from Europe — at the VC Bird International Airport Sunday followed by the recognition ceremony in the evening at the SVRC Stadium. Prime Minister Spencer hailed the young athlete’s effort and urged him to strive for even greater heights. “We applaud his outstanding achievements and encourage him to go for the gold.” Spencer used the occasion to pledge his government’s support and commitment to facilitating the growth of sport and recreation in the country. “The series of events which began earlier this afternoon represents our nation’s, our people’s, high regard for the outstanding performance of our own people. It is also indicative of our government’s commitment to the promotion and development of sport and recreation. This commitment derives from our knowledge that sport and recreation serve to build our nation and are an essential part of our efforts to improve the quality of life of all,” he said. “I believe that our sports men and women, including those who are here today, must see themselves as we see them, as a crucial component part of our narrative of national progress,” he added. Bailey, who also placed fourth at the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championship in Italy, had gone to Berlin as one of the medal favorites, having clocked a national record 9.91 – then the world’s fourth fastest time this year — for the runner-up spot to Bolt at the Paris Golden League meeting in July. As many as five Caribbean athletes contested the Berlin 100-meter final and among those finishing behind Bailey were Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson (fifth) and Marc Burns (seventh), both from Trinidad and Tobago.

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BOLT-MANIA SHAKES TRACK & FIELD NEW YORK’S CARIBBEAN NEWSPAPER UP LOCAL & CARIBBEAN SPORTS COVERAGE, P. 21 * SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 * NEW YORK LIBERTY STAR

N E W YO R K L I B E R T Y S TA R