ST. CROIX, US VIRGIN ISLANDS(VI DAILY NEWS-2/27/09)- A man fishing off St. Croix caught a Pacific Lionfish, raising concern among biologists that the voracious predator that can devastate coral reefs, may be establishing itself in territorial waters. It is the fifth one recovered off the coast of St. Croix in 4 months.
A predator with a voracious appetite for smaller reef fish, the lionfish is a native of the western Pacific. Recent studies done in the Bahamas showed drastic drops in the density of native fish species on coral reefs after lionfish appeared in the area. Lionfish radidly reproduce, disperse and establish themselves in new areas. They have spread throughout the Bahamas in less than 2 years. A single lionfish can reduce juvenile fish on a 4-square-meter reef by an average of 85%.
Scientists believe lionfish were introduced into the Atlantic in the 1990's through people releasing them- they are a popular aquarium fish- and through the ballasts of traveling vessels. The striking, striped fish with fan-like fins and venomous dorsal spines has thrived, spreading along the East coast of the US and into the Caribbean.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD(AP-4/18/09)- US President Barack Obama made a splash on a stage of leaders from across the Americas and promised to offer them a new style of US politics: more pragmatism, less arrogance.
"We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms", Obama said. "But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."
Barack & Michelle Obama arrive in Trinidad.
Obama's drive to reshape the image of the US as a humble, cooperative partner is perhaps the most significant mission while in the Caribbean. Grappling with an economic swoon that has touched them all, the heads of 34 nations have gathered for the first time in almost 4 years to fashion a fresh agenda.
Obama's concessions came after reversals of decades-old policy toward Cuba. Cuba is not a participant at the summit, but the potential for a sudden upward shift is dominating attention. The summit itself is not expected to produce any major breakthroughs. The final document is an already locked-in declaration of joint efforts on the economy, energy and security. But Obama's mission is broader. It is to get the countries in this part of the world- a mix of emerging, hurting, tiny and overshadowed places- to believe the US is truly engaged.
ST. THOMAS, USVI(VI DAIL NEWS-4/4/09)- Government officials told senators that video gambling contractor Southland Gaming could owe the territory more than $20 million, based on unresoved disputes about how revenues to the government are calculated and unpaid taxes.
The video lottery terminals are all connected to a central computer system housed in Southland Gaming's offices. The system electronically tracks money put into the machines and winnings throughout the islands. The system also calculates how much money goes to the VI government and how much is kept by Southland. The VI Lottery does not have access to the computer system. Assistant Attorney General Paul Paquin- who serves as legal counsel to the Lottery Commission- told senators that the contract between the government and Southland is flawed. For example, the contract breaks down how much profit goes to Southland but not how much goes to the government.
Paquin said the Justice Dept. also believes Southland Gaming owes approximately $2 million in unpaid gross receipt taxes. A 2007 audit by the US Interior Dept. Office of the Inspector General found that the company should be paying gross receipt taxes, which it has not since beginning operations.
The contract took effect in 2003, after the 24th legislature in its last session voted to override Gov. Charles Turnbull's veto of legislation allowing the gambling machines on St. Thomas and St. John.
The contract lasted 5 years, but automatically renewed for a second 5-year term last July. It will automatically renew for a 3rd term in 2013. The contract can only be terminated 2 ways: if Southland Gaming decides not to renew it; or if the government finds that Southland has defaulted.
Throughout the hearing, senators expressed outrage about the vague language in the contract, the proliferation of the gambling machines, and the money the company may owe the government. Later this month the VI Lottery Commission will publish a request for bids to obtain a central computer system mirroring the one at Southland to provide more accountability for the government.
TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS(AP-4/7/09)- More than 400,000 companies share a few local addresses in tha British Virgin Islands, where there incorporation papers are kept in a grey 2-story building. The vast majority have no employees on the islands. All conduct their business elsewhere and many avoid paying taxes back home.
And yet the BVI welcomes their business, which provides more than half of the government's revenue, making it one of the Caribbean's most prosperous places.
An estimated $7.3 trillion is stashed in offshore financial centers worldwide by corporations and wealthy individuals seeking to shield their operations and lessen their taxes. Now these havens are under scrutiny like never before.
Leaders of the G-20 meeting in London, warned that countries refusing to share tax information would face tough sanctions. Hammered by the financial meltdown, the world's richest countries say they are serving notice they won't tolerate shady offshore operations anymore. Some of the havens capitalise on secrecy. Others, like the BVI, provide incorporation registries so businesses can claim they are based in the islands and avoid taxes in the countries where the work is performed.
The amount of money involved in this global shell game is staggering. Between 30 and 40 percent of global trade is billed outside the country it actually takes place according to the Tax Justice Network. In the US alone, $100 billion in tax revenues is lost. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that $7.3 trillion flows through offshore financial centers.
The BVI government insists it cooperates with money laundering probes, but doesn't have much to share with investigators: financial records aren't required to be kept on the island and the incorporation paperwork need not include the identities of shareholders or directors.
ST. CROIX, USVI(VI DAILY NEWS-4/6/09)- Fishermen have harvested the seas around the Virgin Islands for hundreds of years to supply residents with a consistent, fresh local food source. Now however, the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council(CFMC) has made proposals that it says will protect fish stocks around the islands, but that fishermen say will push them over the brink financially.
Fishermen, scientists and administrators have known this day was coming for some time. The Magnusson Stevens Reauthorization Act of 2006 requires that catch limits be set by 2010 for species in federal fisheries that are subject to over-fishing. Annual catch limits must be set for all species in federal waters by 2011.
The CFMC has proposed action that will change regulations for taking silk, blackfin, vermillion, queen yellowfin and cardinal grouper; tiger, black and red snapper; queen conch and parrotfish. Fishing for Nassau grouper is already banned in the Virgin Islands.
What fishermen do not want is any more areas closed to fishing. Several permanent and seasonal closures already are in effect in territorial waters. Fishermen say they are concerned that any more closures will put a strain on any fisheries that are left open.
Already closed to fishermen are spawning aggregates of several species. These are set for times of the year when vast schools of fish congregate to breed in shallow offshore banks, making them vulnerable to fishing. The goal of the fisheries council is to find a sustainable optimal yield for a given fishery. This is defined as the maximum amount of a particular fish that can be extracted over time without decreasing the population of that species.
A group of local fishermen and community leaders has formed to create a set of regulatory proposals. These will be discussed during meetings May 6 on St. Thomas and May 7 on St. Croix. The public input will then be discussed and voted on by the CFMC at its next meeting on St. Croix on June 24th and 25th.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD(AP-4/18/09)- Leaders of so-called Caribbean tax haven countries say they will ask US President Barack Obama to oppose a planned crackdown on offshore tax evasion that they consider a threat to their financial services industries. A proposed US law would make it harder for Americans to keep money in such places, and similar efforts in Europe have exerted pressure on offshore banks and corporate registries.
Obama has said he supports the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act and was one of the bill's co-sponsors when he was still a US senator. The bill would make it harder to hide assets in more than 30 tax havens including Belize, Panama, the Bahamas and Antigua/Barbuda.
ST. THOMAS, USVI(VI DAILY NEWS-2/27/09)- Lt. Governor Gregory Francis publicly received his new passport card to drum up enthusiasm for the new form of identification that is a less expensive option to a full passport.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, new laws were passed mandating that US citizens have passports to cross US borders. Previously international travel within North America- Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico- did not require a passport. So, the federal government is offering this option to those who travel by land or sea within the North American region. The cards are not good for international air travel. A passport is still required. In the territory, passport cards are a good option for residents who travel by ferry to the BVI.
A first-time applicant for the card will pay $45 and $35 for children. Renewals (every 10 years) are $20.
SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC(AP-4/9/09)- Gunmen killed 5 people in a raid to oust farmers from a contested parcel of coastal land in eastern Dominican Republic. Seven people were also injured in the shooting in Miches, a fishing village where the fast-developing tourism industry has sent real estate prices soaring.
Ownership of the property has been disputed for weeks between a farming community of about 150 people, which currently occupies and says it holds the title to the land and another party that police and prosecutors refuse to identify. Police have arrested 2 suspects.
Miches, on the northern coast between Samana and Punta Cana, is one of the Caribbean nation's fastest-growing tourist destinations. Once known as a stopping point for migrants making voyages to Puerto Rico, it now markets itself as a premier location for ecotourism. Tourism development over the past decade has produced other cases of poor people facing eviction from hot-selling property,
usually with dubious claims to the land.
The people of Miches say the raid began when 10 men arrived in the same vehicle and began shooting into the air. When some of the farmers took up machetes to defend themselves they were shot. Police say they have bolstered security in the area to prevent further clashes.
ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA(AP-3/14/09)- Antigua's ruling party will stay in power, but with a narrower margin in Parliament, following an election shadowed by US fraud allegations against R.Allen Stanford.
The United Progressive Party won 9 of the 17 seats, compared to 12 before the election. It was however, enough to keep Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer at his post. The Antigua Labor Party won 7 seats, with the remaining seat going to the Barbuda Peoples Movement. One of the seats went to former Prime Minister Lester Bird, who helped Stanford establish his business empire here.
The country has been struggling in recent weeks to deal with the fallout of US allegations that Stanford operated a massive Ponzi sceme through his Antiguan-based offshore bank. Spencer's government has seized some of Stanford's assets in hopes of keeping the businesses operating and preventing them from being seized to compensate investors.
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS(AP-3/17/09)- Britain plans to dissolve the Cabinet and legislature of this territory following a corruption inquiry that found "clear signs of political amorality and immaturity", the London-appointed governor said. Gov. Gordon Wetherell also said an order has been drafted to suspend parts of the constitution and transfer the authority of government ministers to him.
The inquiry into the island territory located between Haiti and the Bahamas began last year after a Parliament report found complaints of rampant corruption, including claims that government officials misused public money and profited from the sale of government-owned land. The lead investigator could recommend criminal investigations in his final report.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI(AP-3/10/09)-Bill Clinton and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon are trying to refocus international attention on Haiti with a visit that they hope will lure more aid to keep the impoverished country from sliding back into chaos. The former US president and the UN chief toured the run-down capital and met with officials who have been struggling with high food prices and a devastating series of storms during a period of relative political calm.
They were met at the airport by a delegation that included Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean. The delegation stopped at a school in the rough Cite Soleil neighbourhood, once the site of violent clashes between gangs and UN peacekeepers, to view a food program for children. Clinton was pleased to see efforts such as the program, run by Jean's charity, Yele Haiti, and UN World Food Program. Clinton, who last visited Haiti in 2003, is popular for his past support of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was forced to flee following a violent uprising in 2004.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO(AP-3/14/09)- US authorities said they have seized more than $11 million worth of cocaine from a high-end yacht based in the BVI. US Customs reports finding the cargo on board the Black Sea in the Puerto Rican coastal town of Fajardo. The 248 bricks weighed 633 lbs.
The 54-foot Viking vessel is valued at $1.6 million and is registered to MDS Caribbean Seas Ltd. in the BVI. No company with that name is listed in the BVI phone book. Authorities have arrested 4 US citizens from Puerto Rico.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA(AP-3/1/09)- Jamaican regulators say they are forbidding all explicit references to sex and violence over the airwaves. The new rules from the island's broadcast commission ban any song or music video that depicts sexual acts or glorifies gun violence, murder, rape or arson.
The announcement follows a Feb. 6 ban that specifically targeted Dancehall tunes and videos depicting "daggering"- a dance style popular with Jamaican youth that features pelvic grinding simulating sex. The beat-driven fusion of rap and reggae known as dancehall music is hugely popular in Jamaica despite recurrent controversy over lyrics and the dance style.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO-(AP-3/1/09)- Sismologists say a light earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.5 rattled the US and British Virgin Islands. The seismic network of the University of Puerto Rico says the afternoon quake was centered about 66 miles from Anegada in the BVI.
Disaster officials had no reports of damage or injury from the undersea quake, which had a depth of 18 miles.
ST. JOHN, USVI(STJ TRADEWINDS-4/21/09)- A Tennessee man visiting St. John Didn't even make it to his rental villa before an attack by several young men in downtown Cruz Bay sent him to the emergency room with extensive injuries and an empty wallet.
The 54-year-old man arrived in Cruz Bay on the midnight ferry from Red Hook, St. Thomas. He then walked down the street looking for a taxi. However, the man was jumped, robbed and severely beaten on Easter Sunday morning, April 12. The beating left the tourist with a sprained leg and ankle, a fractured nose, a fractured left eye socket and a number of cuts and abrasions. He'll need reconstructive surgery on his eye socket.
While the attack was reportly caught on a surveillance camera, it is uncertain how clear of a recording it is. VI Police officials are investigating the incident and expect to make an arrest shortly.
"I'm recovering, but it's really unfortunate what happened", the Tennessee man said. "The police were very professional and everyone has been very compassionate. Despite my reservations about safety, my fears are being offset by all the responses I'm getting from people."
SPORTS:
PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD(AP-3/11/09)- West Indies endured nervous moments to cling to a series-clinching draw against England with 8 wickets down on the final day of the 5th and final test at the Queen's Park Oval. The home team set a target of 240 to win off 66 overs, preferred to defend and just avoided defeat at 114-8.
West Indies won the 5-match series1-0 and regained the Wisden Cup for the first time since 2000. The series victory was West Indies first against an opponent since June 2004 when it defeated Bangladesh at home.
In a thrilling finale featuring 7 centuries, England declared twive at 546-6 and 237-6, while est Indies finished with 544 and 114-8. England lost the first test in Jamaica by an innings but was one wicket away from victory in the third test in Antigua and just 2 wickets away here.
Other highlights of the final Test:
West Indies captain Chris Gayle scored his 10th century on Day 3 as his team cruised past the follow-on target and reached 349-4 at stumps. Brendan Nash hit 70 not out and Shivnarine Chanderpaul 52 not out to share an unbroken stand of 146 for the 5th wicket that spanned the last session and a half and dulled England's attack. Nash arrived at his 4th Test half century off 98 balls while Chanderpaul took 142 deliveries to reach his landmark.
Chanderpaul cracks a 6.
Left-handers Chanderpaul and Nash completed defiant centuries on Day 4 to lead West Indies to within 2 runs of England's first innings total. Chanderpaul carried his 21st test century to a marathon, unbeaten 147 as he and Nash shared a record fifth-wicket stand of 234 that anchored the West Indies innings. The 34-year -old Chanderpaul, the reigning ICC Player of the Year, cracked 13 fours and a six off 361 balls in 522 minutes. The 31-year-old Nash, in his 7th test, hit a fine 109 which spanned 257 balls and 329 minutes and was decorated with 17 fours.
ST. THOMAS, USVI(VI DAILY NEWS-4/15/09)- The Leeward Islands have finally done it. After 6 years of taking the field at Addelita Cancryn cricket grounds, Leeward broke through and finally beat the Windward Islands. Windwards, needing 138 runs- 249 overall- to win with 3 wickets remaining, lost on strong bowling by Leewards, especially Garvin Tonge, who took 5 wickets in the second innings. Windwards managed 220 runs, 29 shy of victory.
Caribbean News-Vol.7#2|caribbean_news17.shtml|05-1-2010||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY NEWS
VOL. 7 #2
MAY, 2009
ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS(VI DAILY NEWS-4/7/09)- A
memorial of flowers, brooms and a prayer mat in Mandela Circle
honors the life and memory of Dale Rogers- known to most people
as Bakimba- the man who spent nearly every day of the last 20
years sweeping the streets, picking up trash and transforming sim-
ple patches of dirt into works of art. Not everyone knew his name,
but everyone knew who he was. The instantly recognizable sight of
the slim, bearded man- broom in hand- tirelessly cleaning the streets
of St. Thomas was a daily event in many lives.
In his earlier years, he was a landscaper with the Dept.of Agriculture
and Gov. Cyril King used to personally call Bakimba to do the
grounds of Government House for big events with his trademark de-
signs and artistry. He was also a facilities manager at the Knud
Hansen Hospital, where he designed the landscaping.
In 1983 he was in a car accident that left him partially paralyzed and
in a coma for months. It was months before he was able to walk
again, shuffling along with help. Not long after that, he was sweep-
ing the house, only able to use 1 arm. It was his therapy. As he re-
gained his strength, he expanded his sweeping to the area around
Oswald Harris Court where he lived, and eventually to the entire
Estate Thomas area.
While most simply knew Bakimba as the man who swept Mandela
Circle, he was much more than that to his family and friends:
"People never felt sorry for him. They just knew there was some-
thing special about him", said Bakimba's daughter Damali. "The
Sweeper was just part of being a Muslim. He always used to say,
'cleanliness is close to godliness' ".
"He's such the epitome of a community person", said 1 St. Thomas
resident. "I admired him very much. I feel very sad for us as a com-
munity. Nobody's going to forget him"
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS-3/12/09)- They gave Lionel Roberts Stadium a brand new coat of paint. They cleaned beaches. They spruced up schools across the island- painting, landscaping and adding mulch to playgrounds. And they painted and did some landscaping at a homeless shelter, a home for developmentally-challenged adults, and a senior citizen center.
Approximately 500 employees of Novo Nordisk disembarked from the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship and spread out across the island with a single purpose in mind- doing community service work. Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company that specializes in products to treat diabetes and hemophilia, recently awarded the VI government a 3-year grant to promote diabetes awareness and prevention in the territory.
At the stadium, Novo Nordisk also presented the Dept. of Human Services with 200 duffel bags- filled with pajamas, toiletries, school supplies, cameras and photo albums- for local foster children. At Sibilly Elementary School, the volunteers painted tables and playground equipment, put in new planters, added mulch to the playground- and then lunched with students in the cafeteria. After lunch, they joined students in a phys-ed class and played games with them.
ST. JOHN, USVI (STJ SUN TIMES-4/16/09)- St. John artist Livy Hitchcock has spent the last 10 years using her art to help heal the wounds left by the April 1999 shootings in Columbine, Colorado. In the days after the tragedy, Hitchcock resolved to help the survivors, the families of the 13 children who lost their lives in the attack. An artist since the age of 5, she put her skills as a portrait painter to use, reaching out to the families and offering to paint a portrait of the one they'd lost. A simple enough premise, but her offer of solace through art has grown into much more.
Now, a decade since the massacre, Hitchcock has completed portraits for 10 of the students. Each one is deeply personal, based both on photos of the student and on Hitchcock's interactions with the families. Each painting contains a portrait within a portrait. "Each portrait is done with the student as a young adult...combined with a young version of them and painted in a way that celebrates something unique about that particular child", said Hitchcock. She says the portraits she's completed have meant a great deal to the parents- "They say that they'll never forget what I did."
She may soon have some help in finding the remaining family members. Hitchcock was recently contacted by the therapist of one the first reporters to arrive at the high school on April 20, 1999, who is now suffering from Post Traunatic Stress Disorder. The therapist has encouraged him to help with Hitchcock's project as part of his therapy. However, Hichcock says, "It has to be the impetus of the parents. I'm also aware that even 10 years is not enough time for some people."
Livy Hitchcock.
She has just begun illustrating an allegorical book written by Dawn Anna, mother of Columbine victim, Laura Townsend. Hitchcock said, "I'll never really be done, in terms of how it has impacted my life".
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS-4/23/09)- Ursula Krigger- known by many as "Aunt Sula"- turned 107 years old and is still sharp as a tack. She was born in St. Thomas on April 22, 1902 and still lives in the Neltjberg home she and her 7 siblings grew up in.
"Thank God for life", Aunt Sula said. "I feel so blessed." Despite the fact that she is completely blind from glaucoma and cannot leave her house, her state of mind, personality and spirit are as clear as ever.
Ms. Krigger experienced the events and changes in the Virgin Islands most only know from books including the transfer from Danish to U.S. rule in 1917, the granting of U.S citizenship in 1927 and the election of the first Virgin Islands governor in 1970. She was 15 during the transfer and didn't fully understand the significance of the event. "I didn't know what had happened", she said. "I just saw old Danish people cry when they pulled down the Danish flag and put up the American flag."
She said that back then people were well-behaved and polite to each other. "There was no money, but still we got along nicely."
ST. JOHN, USVI (STJ TRADEWINDS-3/1/09)- Due to the success of this year's St. John Arts Festival, it was extended 2 extra days in Franklin Powell Park in Cruz Bay. The event was concluded on its final day with a concert by reggae favorites Inner Visions and prizes to applaud exhibitors who supported the "Caribbean-made" theme in their dress and their exhibits as well as attending the full 5-day event.
First prize went to Sonia Sprauve. Two second prizes was awarded to Shenoi Bunge and Karen Mandelbaum/Sally Bolhous. Three 3rd prizes were awarded to Nzeeba Rabsatt, Alton Adams and Shirley & Laurie Gallagher.
Nzeeba Rabsatt.
ST. JOHN, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS-4/15/09)- It was a fresh beginning for a well-used structure. The site of the former Horace Mann Building, which was recently used as the John Folly Learning Institute is now the home of the St. John Montessori School.
"It is my pleasure to come home', stated renowned St. John educator Guy Benjamin, who taught at the Horace Mann School many years ago. "This was my first teaching position where I was boss."
The center, which teaches students from ages 2 1/2 to 5, will provide education to to those particularly at the east end of St. John where options are few.
ST. JOHN, USVI (STJ TRADEWINDS-3/16/09)- Celebrating Our Sons And Daughters Of Music, an event sponsored by the VI Culture Heritage Institute and the Council on the Arts, honored two St. John musicians who have dedicated their lives to the art.
Phillip "Grasshopper" Pickering, a founding member of the acclaimed reggae band INNER VISIONS, was fascinated with music at an early age. Following a stint in the military and collaborating in the band PROPHECY, Pickering settled into the groove which became Inner Visions. Glen Davis of the Cultural Heritage Division said, "Grasshopper's music has a positive influence on the Virgin Islands. It is his ambition to use music to remind mankind that love is the only solution to our social ills."
Growing up on a then sleepy St. John, Godfrey Smalls passed the time playing flute as a small boy in Coral Bay. As he grew up, his musical interest matured as well. By the time he was 17, the self-taught musician was a serious clarinet and saxophone player. Smalls, who still plays with the band he created in 1963- SMALLS & THE MERRYMAKERS- has collaborated with local musical luminaries Jamesie Brewster and The Mighty Groover. Myron Jackson stated, "Godfrey is an integral part of social and cultural activities in the Virgin Islands. His contributions have been recognized before and the St. John tradition bearer continues to give to the community."
This year's musical series is the third annual celebration of local musicians during VI History Month. In creating this year's theme, organizers focused on making historical local music relevant to todays youth.
ST. JOHN, USVI (ARAWAKROOTS NEWS-4/27/09)- Hundreds of people enjoyed an afternoon in the sun at Vie's Campground as the Coral Bay Yacht Club hosted the 12th "Almost Annual" Flotilla benifitting Guy Benjamin Elementary School. The event raised about $9,000 for the small Coral Bay school.
Sails dotted the horizon the day of the event as GBES students enjoyed a cruise on Coral Bay's tall ship "Silver Cloud", thanks to its captain, Elliot Hooper. Many CBYC members also took guests out on the morning sail, which turned into a happy "regatta" with boats firing cannons at each other, and then to the East End beach for a beach party and delicious food provided by local chefs.
"There was a great turn-out of people and boats, glorious hot sunshine accompanied by calm seas and gentle breezes for a leisurely sail", said CBYC's Clare Weaver. "In fact, there was such a good turn-out of school kids, we had to transport them to Vie's on 3 other sailboats besides SILVER CLOUD. It was a hugely successful day which was thoroughly enjoyed by all."
ST. JOHN, USVI (ARAWAKROOTS NEWS-5/1/09)- While most kids were relaxing on the beach during spring break, high school junior Christen Marsh was busy helping to construct a house for under-priviliged families in Guyana. She traveled to the small South American country with the National Association for the Prevention of Starvation(NAPS). The group of 16 stayed at a family's home.
"I had fun", said Ms. Marsh. "We helped build a house for 3 days and then went into the community and talked to the kids and taught them songs." She had plenty of support from St. John residents, many of whom donated funds to help cover her air fare to Guyana.
Christen Marsh(center) & other volunteers.
As Marsh, an honors student who graduated from Guy Benjamin Elementary School, ponders her future another NAPS trip is certainly possible. "I had a really good time and I think it made me a better person", Christen said.
Caribbean News Vol.7#3|caribbean_news18.shtml|06-1-2010||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
CARIBBEAN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
Vol. 7; No.3
June 2009
ST. JOHN, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 3/31/09)- With a $2.25 million appropriation signed by President Barack Obama earlier this month, the V.I. National Park is getting closer to owning most of the land
on a hillside south of Maho Bay. It has remained pristine while the ownership and development rights have been sorted out in the terriitory's courts. In the 1960's, Harvey Monroe Marsh left the massive parcel of land in Maho Bay and Estate Usher's Cay to his 11 grandchildren. The heirs did not get specific parcels, but instead inherited 11 equal interests in the entire property.
The VI National Park purchased 3 of the interests in 1970. The Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit conservation organization, purchased 1 interest in 2003 and purchased 419 acres- 6 of the remaining interests- in 2007 for $19 million. When the trust purchased the land, the intention was to gradually sell it to the V.I. National Park as funds became available. The Trust is selling the land to the park for $9 million- about 47 cents on the dollar.
The territorial court finished partioning the land on March 11- meaning that the lines divvying up the property had been drawn and agreed upon. With the partition finished, the park can take control of the 3 shares it has owned on paper for nearly 4 decades, as well as the acreage it will be purchasing from the trust.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 2/28/09)- For 3 weeks, the U.S. EPA will study coral reefs around the US Virgin Islands using the EPA's ocean survey vessel, BOLD. The ship will conduct a series of scientific observations gathering data on the marine environment and reef ecosystems.
EPA scientists and divers will observe and analyze reefs at 60 locations around St. Thomas and St. John to create a record of existing coral conditions. Data from the studies will be used to develop water quality standards and to enhance the Virgin Islands coral reef monitoring program.
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD (AP- 4/11/09)- Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean's top exporter of oil and natural gas, plans to finance a renewable energy industry to help diversify its economy as falling oil prices slash public income. A government-appointed committee is researching wind, solar, wave and biofuel projects.
The twin-island nation is the top supplier of natural gas to the U.S.. But with petroleum prices falling, Trinidad will post an $880 million budget deficit, more than 10% of its budget. An alternative energy industry would also help Trinidad, a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, reduce carbon emissions.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 3/27/09)- The St. Thomas Coastal Zone Management denied a developer's request for 2 major permits to build a residential and marina project at Mandahl Bay. Mandahl Bay Holdings sought the permits to build an 87-slip marina at the Mandahl Bay salt pond, 39 townhomes, 17 apartments and 48 condominiums, as well as a commercial center. The commercial center was slated to provide support services to a number of additional estate lots and residential units to be built on the hillside by the same developer.
In the CZM's recommendations to deny the permits, it stated the permit applications were inconsistent with the goals, policies and standards of the territory's environmental protection and development law. The permit application for the marina did no incorporate mitigation measures to lessen or eliminate adverse environmental impacts. The application did not back up the developer's claims that the project would provide social and economic benefits to the territory.
The CZM staff noted that "the salt pond at Mandahl Bay is the sole remaining wetland area on St. Thomas that is free from immediate development or other anthropogenic impacts."
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 3/28/09)- The Senate Planning and Environmental Committee speedily approved a major coastal zone permit to allow a large high-end residential development on Thatch Cay with a 5-1 vote. This vote solidifies the permit, which was first approved by the St. Thomas Coastal Zone Management last May.
Ever since Thatch Cay LLC submitted its application for the permit, controversy about the project and plans has surrounded it. Thatch Cay is a rocky, undeveloped 230-acre island. The developers plan to build 101 homes and 24 support buildings. The project includes a community center, clubhouses, a yoga pavilion, spa, 2 dining areas, a 21-slip marina, 25 boat moorings and a helicopter landing area, among other amenities.
The committee's decision on this permit is likely to set the tone for future development proposals on other outlying cays, many of which remain undeveloped.
Senator Adlai Donastorg, the one dissenting voter, said that part of the reason for his vote was the environmental concerns the development poses. Another issue is the large docking area which includes a 7,104-sq-foot barge landing facility, a 7,875-sq-foot snorkling pier and 25-slip marina. It has been argued the area must first be re-zoned for a dock this large.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (AP-4/23/09)- The U.S. EPA may add a paper and plastic bag factory in central Puerto Rico to its list of hazardous waste sites. Scientists say contamination from the Papelera Puertorriquena Inc. plant in the mountainous town of Utuado may have polluted soil and a river with industrial chemicals including ethyl acetate.
Businesses and homes surround the plant and several public schools are within a half mile. The Superfund list targets the most severe hazardous waste sites.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 3/3/09)- A bill to keep the Caneel Bay Resort in business after the property is transferred to the V.I. National Park, passed through the U.S. House of Representatives and is now under further consideration.
When Laurance Rockefeller donated more than 5,000 acres on St. John to the federal government in 1956 to create a national park, he kept 170 acres for his resort at Caneel Bay. Since 1983, the resort has been operating under a Retained Use Estate agreement which expires in 2023. The agreement lays out terms for the property's use and states that in 2023, the title for the Caneel property would be transferred to the national park and the land and resources incorporated into the park.
The bill- sponsored by V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen- authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a lease agreement with the resort owners. The legislation states that the lease cannot exceed 40 years. The ruins and historical structures located on the property would be maintained by the park. The general character of the resort must remain as it is. The resort cannot change in overall size, sell timeshares or increase the amount of guest accomodations. No new buildings, pools or golf facilities can be added.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 5/2/09)- The Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge is closing for the rest of the summer to protect the leatherback sea turtles that may hatch on the beaches there. The refuge has closed every year since 1995 during this time of year to ensure the safe hatching of the endangered turtles.
Leatherbacks begin nesting in late February, and the hatchlings will begin to emerge this month and can continue to hatch through August. The turtles hatch a few inches under the sand and stay there until dark, when they make their way to the surface and head toward the sea.
The refuge has a turtle watch program that allows groups to observe the nesting turtles and watch the hatchlings as they emerge from the sand. To make reservations for the program, contact the refuge office at (340) 773-4554. The beaches will reopen Sept. 5th.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (AP- 3/14/09)- Hundreds of leading scientists warned that global warming is accelerating beyond the worst predictions and threatening to trigger irreversable climate shifts on the planet. Saying there's no excuse for inaction, the nearly 2000 climate researchers meeting here urged policy makers to vigorously implement the economic and technological tools available to cut emmissions of greenhouse gases.
The climate change panel predicted in 2007 a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century. But more recent research presented at the conference suggested that melting glaciers and ice sheets could help push sea levels up at least 20 inches and possibly as much as 39 inches.
Caribbean News Vol.7,#4|caribbean_news19.shtml|07-1-2010||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
VOL.7, NO.4
JULY, 2009
WESTMORELAND, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER- 6/28/09)- With very few jobs available and the returns from farming being less than viable, some residents of this deeply rural constituency have willingly admitted to engaging in illicit ganja farming. A lack of opportunities for the youth is also being blamed for the activity.
Because of the lack of development in the area, the majority of the young people with skills have been migrating to Montego Bay where there are more opportunities. While the mainstay for the 40,000 residents here is agriculture, a fair amount of people rely on fishing and tourism.
ST. JOHN, US VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/4/09)- In an effort to save Maho Bay Camps, the Trust for Public Land has started a fund and is seeking donations to help purchase the property. The 14 acres occupied by the camp does not belong to its founder, Stanley Selengut. Selengut has had a long-term lease on the property for the past 37 years that expires in 2012. The camp is planning to close July 31, 2011, to have enough time to dismantle the structures and vacate the property.
Once the lease expires the landowners will sell the property, which is already on the market. The land is zoned W-1, waterfront pleasure, which encompasses commercial and residential uses. It would be ideal for a large resort or condominium complex, the type of development the trust seeks to prevent.
The trust uses donations from individuals, foundations and businesses to purchase land for conservation and public use. The new fund will finance land appraisals and negotiations needed to finalize a purchase. Ideally, a third-party trust would be created so that Maho Bay Camps could continue to operate and lease the property and revenues would stay in the Virgin Islands.
The new fund is not connected to the recent 400-acre purchase of Estate Maho Bay, the property directly above the eco-campground. (See article in Vol.7,#3.)
The Trust for Public Land has conserved 9 sites in the Virgin Islands since it started working in the territory in 1999. To make a tax-deductible donation in support of the Maho Bay Camps acquistion,
email: john.garrison@tpl.org or visit: www.tpl.org/caribbean.
ST. JOHN, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/6/09)- Music, fireworks and revelry marked July 4th as St. John put on its biggest party of the year. The St. John Festival reached its climax with a full day of activities.
The day kicked off before sunrise with J'ouvert drawing hundreds of people. The earliest partyers started tramping behind a steel pan band in the heart of Cruz Bay. Soon the volume kicked up as three bands began tramping from the east end of town. The largest group partied with JAMMERZ for about 2 hours. The group moved slowly through Cruz Bay, dancing in the streets.
Later in the day, thousands packed into town to take part in the Festival Parade, led by Festival Royalty in convertibles. Then came many entertaining troupes, floats and musical acts. Jump-ropers, twirlers and majorettes performed dazzling routines for judges as they passed. One troupe paid tribute to Michael Jackson as they danced to "Billie Jean". The LOVE CITY PAN DRAGONS and PANS IN MOTION performed along the street, bringing people to their feet. Hula-hoopers, grass-skirted revelers and classic troupes with shimmering costumes rounded out the 5-hour parade.
Lights flashed over the harbor at 9 PM as fireworks exploded in the sky. People huddled along the beach in Cruz Bay as the explosions lit the night sky. The night wrapped up with music by Destra Garcia in the Festival Village while revelers enjoyed their last bites of local food from the vendors.
(VI DAILY NEWS- 7/4/09)- The reverberating sound of a conch shell blown by Manu Boyd rolled through Franklin Powell Park as the fight for freedom from slavery was remembered in Cruz Bay on Cultural Day during St. John Festival. Emancipation Day was marked with dancing, drumming, singing and speeches that recalled the history of emancipation in the Virgin Islands.
The crowds sampled free traditional foods such as cassava bread, almond sugar cakes and red grout. Vendors offered African clothing, jewelry and local crafts in the park. Delroy "Ital" Anthony spoke out as he played drums with The ECHO PEOPLE. "Let's not forget our ancestors. Let's not forget our freedom fighters", Ital spoke.
On July 3, 1848, a slave revolt on St. Croix bore down on Fort Frederik. Governor Peter Von Scholten, fearing the destruction of the towns and plantations, declared "all unfree in the Danish West Indies are from today free."
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER- 6/26/09)- When ETANA and TARRUS RILEY take the stage at what has been dubbed the "greatest reggae show on earth", REGGAE SUMFEST patrons will have already seen performances from some of the biggest names in reggae. However, a major part of the closing night of the festival rests in the hands and voices of the reigning prince and princess of reggae.
Etana, who released her debut album, THE STRONG ONE, on VIP Records last year, is known for strong lyrical and vocal content and soul-stirring performances. Label mate Tarrus Riley, whose sophomore album will be released just days before he takes the Sumfest stage, joins Etana with an enviable track record of outstanding performances around the world. His hit single,"She's Royal" has become a staple on reggae radio.
While patrons and journalists praised the two for their performances at last year's festival, expectations are high for this year as the pair has consistantly released singles, easily whetting the appetites of those ready to see them in action on stage.
(JA OBSERVER- 7/3/09)- This year's staging of SUMFEST, the most successful reggae festival globally, will be dedicated to the memory of the late Michael Jackson. "This year is going to be dedicated to Michael", stated Robert Russell, chairman of Summerfest Promotions. "Just like the BET Awards, performer's will sing some of Michel's songs ."
It was also disclosed that Rasta crooner JAH CURE will become the first performer from Montego Bay to be the closing act at Sumfest. Self-proclaimed "King of Dancehall" BEENIE MAN will be honoured for performing at 15 of the 17 Sumfest's.
This year's SUMFEST, which runs from July 19-25, features: Damian "Junior Gong" Marley, Bounty Killer, Lady Saw, Morgan Heritage, Elephant Man, Jah Cure, CoCo T, Tarrus Riley, Mavado, Etana,
Vybz Kartel, Nas, Jazmine Sullivan and Toni Braxton.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER- 6/28/09)- If everything goes according to plan, Jamaica's gift for its 46th anniversary of independence, is the local premiere of the latest movie on Jamaican music entitled, "Rock Steady- The Roots of Reggae". According to Canadian producer Robert Boulos, what started as a documentary has not only evolved into a full-length flick, but promises to be better than all such projects featuring Jamaican music.
"We are trying to release it in August for Jamaica and the Caribbean and internationally in September.", Boulos said. "We're ready to distribute the movie worldwide. It's not just a straight-to-DVD kind of documentary. We're very excited about that."
The movie- with a budget of US $1.5 million and jointly funded by Canada and Switzerland- has some of reggae's greatest stalwarts in its cast including: Ernie Ranglin, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Lyn, Gladdy Anderson, Headley Bennett, Lloyd Parks, Calvin Cameron, Leroy Sibbles, Marcia Griffiths,
Judy Mowatt, Dawn Penn, The Tamlins and Bongo Herman.
OSLO, NORWAY (JA OBSERVER- 7/4/09)- Former world 100m record-holder Asafa Powell won the men's 100m in a time of 10.07 seconds at the Golden League Bislet Games here. Antiguan Daniel Bailey was second in a photo finish, that included Powell's Jamaican teamate Michael Frater who finished third in 10.08 seconds.
In the female sprints, Jamaica's Kerron Stewart won the 100m in 10.99 seconds with Trinidad's Kelly Ann Baptiste 2nd in 11.14 and Bahama's Chandra Sturrup 3rd in 11.15.
Africa, as expected, dominated the longer distances, with Kenya's Collina Cheboi winning the 1500m and Ethiopia's Deresse Mekonnen winning the mile.
Caribbean News Vol.7,#6|caribbean_news21.shtml|09-1-2010||ARAWAKROOTS NEWs
THE VIRGIN ISLANDS EDITION
VOL. 7 NO. 6
SEPTEMBER, 2009
ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS- 8/18/09)- A weakened Tropical Depression Ana passed to the south of the territory, while Tropical Storm Bill, churning in the Atlantic, became the seasons first hurricane. Ana- located south of Hispaniola- had dissipated into a low-pressure trough with no closed circulation, and all tropical storm watches had been lifted.
Ana passed about 70 miles south of St. Croix. The depression did bring some showers and thunderstorms to the territory, with Doppler estimates of up to an inch of rain fell across St. Croix and up to 1 1/2 inches in both St. Thomas and St. John.
The weather caused some flight delays, although the territory's seaports and airports remained open. The weather also prompted some cruise ships to change their itineraries.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Bill was located about 850 miles east of the Lesser Antilles Islands, moving west-northwest at 17 mph with sustained winds of 100 mph.
ST. JOHN, USVI (ARAWAKROOTS NEWS- 8/30/09)- All eyes were on the NOAA map websites here on St. John, as the 2 low pressure systems that became TS Ana and Hurricane Bill first appeared one behind the other off the African coast August 14th. The original forcasts at that time had both storms heading directly our way. By the next day, it was determined that Ana would be sheared apart as the storm headed south into drier air. Bill on the other hand, would slowly move northwest, but continue to grow.
As Ana passed just to the south of St. Croix, the thunderstorms were intense from time to time on St. John on August 17th, but were short-lived and created no flooding.
Because Hurricane Bill was rather slow in taking its turn to the northwest, noone took their eye off of Hurricane Bill until the storm passed the 20N line. As Bill passed about 350 miles to the the north of St. John, the island got caught in one of the hurricane's inflows. Instead of receiving rain from one of the outflow bands, the air was basically sucked away- very still, heavy, hot and humid. Most St. Johnians said it was definitely the hottest day that summer.
Ana(center), Bill(lower right) and Claudette(upper left)
On August 24th, the tropical wave that organized into TS Danny formed just to the Northeast of Tortola, BVI. Heavy rains fell on St. John, however no winds were associated with the system as it passed north of the Virgin Islands. Over 2 inches of rain fell in parts of the hill country, however no rain fell in the southeast end of the island.
Now all eyes are on the Atlantic once again as TS Erica gets revved up. It's shaping up to be an interesting season. To follow the tropical storm season, click on our Weather Maps page, where you can choose from different NOAA maps.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 8/11/09)- The Virgin Islands government and Alpine Energy Group entered into an agreement to construct two alternative power plants- one each on St. Croix and St. Thomas- that will reduce the territory's dependence on oil, lower energy costs and solve the territory's mounting waste problem.
Colorado-based Alpine Energy Group President James Beach said the company will invest $440 million in the territory, create 600 jobs during the peak construction period and 75 permanent jobs in each district to operate the facilities upon completion. The plants will burn garbage that would otherwise enter the territory's landfills. To bolster the amount of energy produced, the plants will also burn petroleum coke- a byproduct produced at the HOVENSA oil refinery on St. Croix.
The Water And Power Authority(WAPA) signed 20-year power purchase agreements and will annually receive a minimum of 33 megawatts from the St. Thomas plant and 16 watts from the St. Croix plant. WAPA estimates that the new power plants will save the average residential consumer about $10 on their monthly bill and will save WAPA from buying 600,000 barrels of oil a year.
Similarly, the Waste Management Authority signed 20-year agreements with Alpine Energy to pay $18 million a year for Alpine to process the territory's solid waste. The agreements with Alpine will ensure that the Virgin Islands will be able to manage its solid waste stream. Waste Management is under a deadline to close the Anguilla Landfill on St. Croix by Dec. 31 and plans to close the Bovoni Landfill on St. Thomas in 5 to 7 years in order to meet federal regulations and come into compliance with orders from the EPA and District Court.
Alpine Energy is aiming to have both plants up and running by 2013.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 8/17/09)- To boost the catches of commercial and recreational fishermen, the VI Division of Fish and Wildlife is planning to deploy 50 special devices to attract fish. Fish aggregation devices (buoys) have been placed across the territory in limited numbers for the past 2 decades. The reason is because the devices are expensive and the cost of deployment high.
To save money and allow for more devices placed in the water, Fish and Wildlife decided to design its own cheaper version. Gerald Greaux, an environmental specialist at the devision, came up with 3 designs that were shown to international specialists, who told him the designs would work as fish buoys.
The first design prototype was deployed Aug. 7, off St. Thomas and St. Croix. The buoys will be placed on the waters surface and at different depths to see what works best. The design with the best results will be used to build 47 buoys- 21 for St. Croix and 26 for St. Thomas. The devices are made from recycled tires, PVC pipe and anchored with I-beams. Each is equipped with a GPS unit, a solar light and Radar reflector. The buoys grow algae and provide a hiding place for bait fish, which then attract larger fish that feed on them.
Part of the Project will be to update and maintain an existing database with data collected from the buoys. Fishermen's required reports on catches will provide information about species and abundance around the buoys. The buoys will be placed in strategic locations to attract tuna, marlin and dolphinfish. The locations of the buoys will be published once they are deployed.
ST. JOHN, USVI (STJ TRADEWINDS- 8/25/09)- When several recent large-scale developments pushed building heights on St. John to new records, residents feared towering skysrapers were just around the corner. VI Senator-at-Large Craig Barshinger is trying to ensure that never happens.
Barshinger is sponsoring a bill to restrict building heights on St. John to 3 stories. The building cap would protect the architectural feel of the island and protect the community from large-scale developments. The bill would also close loopholes in the building code which allow for some buildings, while remaining technically within the zoning limits, to have visual impacts of taller structures- the SIRENUSA development being a major case in point.
While the current bill is worded for holding only residential buildings to the 3-story height limit, it is hoped to expand the scope to include all buildings.
In a related story, it is rumored that Banco Popular has foreclosed on the SIRENUSA project and sold the property to a Puerto Rico-based developer.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 8/20/09)- The US federal government will reconsider placing 2 native Virgin Islands plants on the endangered species list after a settlement agreement was reached in a federal lawsuit regarding their status. The 2 species are agave eggersiana, an aloe-like plant native only to St. Croix, and slonum conocarpum, a bushy plant with small purple flowers found only on St. John. (Go to "Archived News" Vol.4 #3)
The Center for Biological Diversity- represented by the University of Denver Environmental Law Clinic- reached a settlement agreement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Dept. of the Interior to revisit the issue. However, this agreement does not gaurantee that the plants will make it to the federally protected list.
In 1996, the VI Dept. of Planning and Natural Resources petitioned the federal government to protect the 2 plants under the Endangered Species Act. Two years later, the US Fish and Wildlife Service submitted an initial report that agreed with the local government. Although a final report was supposed to be submitted within 9 months, six years went by without any action by the feds.
In 2004, the Center for Biological Diversity picked up the territory's cause and took the federal government to court. When the final finding was submitted, US Fish and Wildlife reversed its initial position and found the petition to protect the plants unwarranted. The CBD filed another lawsuit, stating that the Fish and Wildlife Service ignored its own experts and other evidence that proved the vulnerability of the plants.
In this most recent settlement, the government agreed to revisit its 1996 rejection. The new agreement lays out a timeline for the government to produce new findings. If the plants are listed as endangered species, the government would create a recovery plan to reintroduce the plant into the wild and protect the plant's critical habitat.
WASHINGTON D.C. (AP- 8/21/09)- July was the hottest month for the world's oceans in almost 130 years of record-keeping. The average temperature world-wide was 62.6 degrees, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The previous record was set in July 1998 during a powerful El Nino in the Pacific.
Meteorologists said there is a combination of forces at work: a natural El Nino just getting started on top of worsening man-made global warming and a dash of random weather variations. Already the resulting ocean heat is harming coral reefs. In the summer of 2005, an increase in water temperatures led to a massive coral die-off, both here in the Virgin Islands and globally.
The Gulf of Mexico has temperatures hovering around 90 degrees. Most of the water in the Northern Hemisphere has been much warmer than normal. The Mediterranean is about 3 degrees warmer than normal and higher temperatures rule in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The phenomenon is most noticeable near the Arctic, where water temperatures are as much as 10 degrees above average.
And in the "You must be joking" Dept.:
ST. CROIX, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 8/19/09)- Police on St. Croix confiscated an undisclosed number of marijuana plants after a police chase in which passengers in the fleeing vehicle started flinging the plants along the roadway.
The Police Dept. reports that around 10:30 PM, an officer from the traffic division was on patrol on Queen Mary Highway when a large passenger van cut him off. The officer turned on his lights and siren and the van pulled over. At that time the officer noticed the windows were covered with black trash bags. When the officer ordered everyone out, the van sped off. A chase ensued, with other officers providing support.
An off-duty officer heard the call and went out to set up spike strips along the path of the chase. As the chase wound around the island, the traffic officer noticed that passengers in the van were tossing out marijuana plants and fertilizer.
When the chase reached the spot where the spike strips were deployed, 3 of the vans tires were deflated. The van turned onto a dirt road, where it got ahead of the pursuing officers, stopped and the occupants fled into the bush.
Officers found that the van contained marijuana plants ranging from one to six feet high, and were likely being transported from an indoor cultivation site. Noone was apprehended in connection with the chase. However, police have a number of leads.
SPORTS::
BERLIN, GERMANY (AP- 8/17-24/09)- Looking around and seeing no one close in the biggest race of the year, Jamaica's Usain Bolt proved again he races in a world all his own. The Olympic champion won a huge matchup against Tyson Gay in the 100M at the world championships, beating his chest after he crossed the line and watched the clock stop at 9.58 seconds.
Running full-out in ideal conditions and against the toughest competition possible, Bolt blew away his own world record by .11 seconds and made Gay seem slow despite setting a U.S. record of 9.71 seconds, the 3rd fastest time in history. It was the biggest increase in the world record since electronic time was introduced. Asafa Powell of Jamaica took bronze in 9.84.
The record time was hard to believe even with Bolt's knack of doing the unbelievable. He grabbed a flag, hugged Powell and wrapped themselves in the Jamaican flag.
In the women's 100M, the Jamaican and American women got their own sprint rivalry going. Kerron Stewart ran 10.92 for the best time, leading a Jamaican team effort which placed 3 of their runners in the top four. Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. was the only one able to split the trio, running 10.94 for silver.
Tabarie Henry became the first USVI sprinter to win a race at the World Campionships by winning his qualifying heat in 45.14 seconds, the 2nd fastest time of the day in the men's 400M and advanced to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, in women's 400 competition, Sanya Richards of the U.S. ran with confidence, overwhelming the field and taking the gold in 49 seconds. She held off Jamaica's Shericka Williams for the win.
On the third day of competition, USVI's Tabarie Henry placed 2nd in his heat to advance to the finals of the 400M. The St. Thomian crossed the finish line with a time of 44.97, behind Bahamian Chris Brown's 44.95. St.Croix's Laverne Jones-Ferrette came 1/10 second from joining Henry for medal contention when she failed to qualify for the final in the women's 200M.
Bolt winning the 200M
On Day 4, Usain Bolt extended his stunning domination in the sprints, adding the 200M gold to his tally with another world record. Gritting his teeth and pointing to the clock as soon as the record flashed, Bolt is now 5-for-5 in major sprint events going back to the Beijing Olympics, each time with a world record. His time of 19.19 slashed .11 seconds off the mark he set last year. Alonso Edward of Panama took silver- amassive .62 behind- and Wallace Spearmon of the U.S. took bronze.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Click here: Guest Editorial to read a guest editorial that appeared in the VI Daily News on 8/13/09 concerning the "alternative" power plants being built on St. Thomas and St. Croix. It gives a counterpoint to the so-called "green" technology being proposed for the power plants.
(photo courtesy of Christian Simescu/VI Daily News)
Holiday Edition - 2009|caribbean_news22.shtml|01-1-2011||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
HOLIDAY EDITION
Vol.7; No.7
December 2009
ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS-11/17/09)- The thunderstorms that hit the Virgin Islands on 11/16 were actually part of a trough associated with a low-pressure system that used to be Hurricane Ida, according to the National Weather Service.
Ida formed almost 2 weeks ago in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, moved into the Gulf of Mexico, made landfall as a tropical storm in Alabama USA and weakened. Its remnants moved up the eastern coast of the US as a powerful "Nor'easter". Those remnants have drifted into the central Atlantic Ocean.
St. Thomas and St. John received over 4 inches of rain with St. Croix receiving over 2 inches. Flash flooding occurred in those areas that typically see it during heavy rains. Cyril King Airport on St. Thomas had flooding in the main terminal causing flight delays.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS-11/12/09)- A group of taxpayers have asked the Public Services Commission to reconsider its approval of the power purchase agreement between the Water & Power Authority (WAPA) and Alpine Energy Group. In October, the PSC approved 2-20 year agreements for waste and petroleum coke energy plants Alpine plans to build in the territory. (See Vol.7 #6 for more details.)
Because the deal between Alpine and WAPA ultimately will affect the ratepayer, the PSC was charged with ensuring that the deal will save money in the long run. At the series of public hearings held, many residents spoke of their concerns, particularly the large number of unknown costs that may be passed on to them.
The problem with the agreement is the high economic risk involved. Included in those risks are construction cost overruns, fluctuating petroleum coke prices, and special incentives to get Alpine to burn more trash than pet coke. Stricter regulation of carbon emissions in the future could end up costing the ratepayer. Pet coke is 80% carbon and one of the highest emitters of CO2. The agreement makes WAPA responsible for any penalties or upgrades needed because of new regulations.
Alpine Energy President James Beach said the provisions to protect Alpine are standard and necessary to obtain financing for the $440 million project.
The PSC was not charged with considering the environmental impact of the project. The project must still jump several hurdles- the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers being 2 of them- before construction can begin.
ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 11/12/09)- The brown pelican has made its way back from the brink of extinction and has been removed from the endangered species list. Known for its swooping and diving for fish in the Caribbean's turqoise waters, the brown pelican provides an essential element to the Virgin Islands experience.
Photo courtesy Denise Beal
The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are 650,000 brown pelicans in the US, Caribbean and Latin America today. They were listed as endangered in 1970 after pelicans were discovered dying from eating fish laced with the pesticide DDT. The species began to recover after DDT was banned in 1972.
Past efforts to protect the brown pelican led to the birth of the National Wildlife Refuge System more than a century ago. Paul Kroegel, appalled by the slaughter of pelicans for their feathers, approached President Theodore Roosevelt who later created the first National Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island in Florida in 1903. Kroegel was named the first refuge manager and today the system has grown to 550 refuges.
The agency has developed a post-delisting plan which is designed to monitor the pelican for the next 10 years. The plan is based on tracking colonies and nesting pairs at breeding grounds. If a decline in the colonies is observed, Fish and Wildlife will investigate the causes and can even re-list the brown pelican on the Endangered Species List.
Although the brown pelican has been removed from the list, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act will continue to protect the bird, its nests and its eggs.
KINGSTOWN, ST. VINCENT (BBC/CARIBBEAN- 10/26/09)- Food prices remain stubbornly high in the Caribbean even as countries wrestle with increasing food production. Island nations are being urged to produce much more than they are. A new report from Great Britain's Royal Society is warning that the world must increase food production by 50% by 2050, when the population is expected to reach 9 billion.
A combination of changing diets, growing population, demand for farmland for biofuels, and high energy prices have stoked food prices and renewed interest in agriculture. St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves is among those worried by prices in local markets. "I can't understand how ripe bananas in Kingstown Market are more expensive than in supermarkets in London.", he said in reference to the fact that the fruit is produced locally.
Gonsalves said that his country's food bill last year was almost $70 million(US). He stated that a Taiwan-backed program of agricultural diversification was bearing fruit, with St. Vincent now self-sufficient in pork production as one example of progress. In Barbados, the government is considering establishing its own bulk import agency to bring down the cost of imported food. CARICOM's total import food bill has been estimated at US$3.5 billion.
Editor's Note: In the article that follows, when the reporter refers to "skunk" cannabis, I believe she is speaking of Cannabis Indica as opposed to Cannabis Sativa.
LONDON, UK (BBC NEWS- 12/4/09)- People who smoke potent skunk cannabis are more at risk of psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia than those who use other types of cannabis, scientists suspect. According to new research, regular users more than double their risk of psychosis, with the increase in the levels of THC being the primary culprit.
The authors of the research- published in the British Journal of Psychiatry- were quick to stress that their work is merely to inform. They point out that drug use accounts for only 10-15% of cases of psychotic illness. But they say Cannabis, particularly skunk, should be considered a potential health hazard in a similar way to alcohol.
When doctors at the Institute of Psychiatry screened 280 patients admitted with psychotic symptoms for the first time, they found most- nearly 80%- were heavy skunk users. Unlike skunk, hashish- cannabis resin- contains substantial quanities of another chemical called cannibidiol. Research suggests this can act as an antidote to high concentrations of THC.
Experts are concerned because skunk cannabis has come to dominate the cannabis market in recent years.
CARIBBEAN NEWS BRIEFS from the BBC/CARIBBEAN:
ROSEAU, DOMINICA- Hundreds of angry residents from the community of Layou brought traffic to a 7 1/2 hour standstill as they protested about health problems being caused by a nearby French quarrying company, Emile Gaddarkhan et fils. They are also protesting the proposed opening of an asphalt plant, which the MP for the area said the company has not been given permission.
ST. JOHNS, MONTSERRAT- There are plans to launch a long-term ferry service between Antigua and Montserrat beginning in January. The 100-seat ferry will be jointly owned by the governments of the 2 islands. The vessel is due to sail from Southampton UK to St. Thomas VI this month. In the meantime, Montserrat is introducing temporary ferry service for December to cope with increased travel during the holiday season.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO- Sceintists say that lower-than-feared sea temperatures over the past few months have given a break to fragile coral reefs across the Caribbean that have been severely damaged in recent years. Unusually warm sea temperatures causes the organisms that make up coral to expel the colourful algae they co-exist with, creating "bleaching", eventually causing death. At a meeting of the US Coral Reef Task Force here, one scientist stated: "We dodged a bullet this year."
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER- 11/1/09)- Newly-appointed managers of the Peter Tosh estate plan to resurrect the late reggae legend's slumping royalties via a marketing campaign invoving albums, apparel, internet, film, TV and video game exposure. JAM INC. will release a Tosh album next year and is currently focusing on building an official website and creating pages on Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites. It will also align Tosh's image and philosophy with human rights organisations.
Jam Inc. is also acquiring the services of 7 different marketing companies- including US-based ROCKET SCIENCE- to increase the presence of Tosh in various media.
Peter Tosh is arguably the most important reggae star after Bob Marley. However, while Marley dominates the charts and has an incomparable online popularity, this eludes Tosh. Jam Inc. blames poor marketing for his waning influence, particularly among teenagers.
With Tosh's masters in the hands of 5 different labels, releasing albums will require cooperation. Negotiations are in the works with Sony surrounding the albums "Legalize It" and "Equal Rights".
Jam Inc. also manages the estates of rock icons The Doors and Janis Joplin.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (AP- 11/1/09)- Bob Marley's heirs are plunging into the global trademark wars, seeking to enforce their exclusive rights to an image that has grown steadily since Marley's death in 1981. The Marley name, look and sound are estimated to generate $600 million a year in sales of unlicensed wares. Legal sales generated a mere $4 million in 2007.
The family has hired Toronto-based Hilco Consumer Capital to protect their rights to the brand. The turn to big business has stirred some grousing from die-hard fans in Internet chat rooms, who say it goes against the grain of a singer who preached non-materialism and popularised the Rasta credo of oneness with nature.
However, a representative of the Bobo Ashanti Order- a Rastafarian community- stated in an e-mail release: "Bob Marley was and still is a stepping stone for many around the world who seek Rastafari roots and culture. We can only hope and pray for the family's success, as the task seems insurmountable due to the years of piracy and counterfeiting."
The family says it cares less about moving merchandise than about preserving the patriarch's legacy. "People need to know what they're getting is from the Marley movement", said Rohan Marley as he showed the AP around his organic coffee farm, whose product is dried, roasted and packaged in bags emblazoned with Marley song titles such as One Love and Misty Morning.
(Editor's Note: Marley Organic Coffee can be purchased by clicking on the "ReggaeNetLink" icon on our Home Page. You'll find the Marley Coffee icon towards the bottom of their Home Page.)
MUSIC REVIEWS:
compiled by Pato
RAS ZACHARRI- HERBSMAN
Just released on Shem Ha Boreh Records, Ras Zacharri's debut album HERBSMAN is a blessing. A perfect mix of roots reggae and dancehall stylings, the album consists of 15 solid tracks, with Luciano, Gregory Isaacs and Natty King lending vocal support on various tracks.
From the opening 30-second intro, you sit up and take notice, and not just for Zacharri's powerful voice. I could hear from the start the production and engineering values- it sounded in perfect balance. The harmony vocals are as up front in the mix as any of the instruments and play a crucial role in conveying each of the songs messages ("Dem A Fight I" and "We Survive" stand out). As the album played on, I noticed there were no boom-boom, wah-wah guitar solo's- nothing like that. And there was no need- each song said what it had to say and got out of the way for the next one. "Jah Reign" revives a classic reggae bass-line and breathes new life into Jamaican Dub. "Knock Knock" is a sweet Lovers Rock with Gregory's voice adding the perfect backdrop. Speaking of featured vocalists- Luciano's cameo on "River Jordan" is a perfect blend with Zacharri's chants and the message of the lyrics. The messages for the youth in "Gun Boom and Bullets" and "Too Much Youths A Die" are not gentle exhortations, but messages to be heeded. The Binghi Mix of "Dem A Fight I" proves the song's worthy in any genre. And the Dubs that round out the album are pure engineering artistry- homages to the masters of Jamaican Dub. The album is mixed and mastered at Anchor Recording Studio in Jamaica. Head to our Music Store to hear more samples after I entice you with "River Jordan" below.
River Jordan-Ras Zacharri w/Luciano
CARLTON LIVINGSTON/ECHO MINOTT
Over the summer I mentioned, right here on this page, the 7" vinyl release on Uniteam Records by 2 household names in the annals of reggae music- Carlton Livingston and Echo Minott. If you never got the chance to mosey over to Uniteam's website (it was summer after all), let me get you caught up:
Carlton Livingston has recorded for legendary producers and his classic album "100 Weights Of Collie Weed" is still distributed by Greensleeves Records. His work with Sir Coxsone- Why, Here I Stand, Predictions, etc.- were on many different labels like Channel One and Bull Whackies. Echo Minott released his first album at age 17 working with Prince Jammy. His album with George Pheng, "Echo Minott Meets Sly & Robbie" is classic. His first #1 Jamaican single- Love Problems- was produced by Joe Gibb. His singles with Jammys label- Original Fat Thing, What The Hell, etc.- were Jamaican hits.
Flash forward to now, with the UNITEAM ALL-STARS producing a classic reggae riff and bringing 2 legendary vocalists into the studio to dub their latest vocal styling over top and you've got the classic "Mix Up Maggie/Summertime".
Carlton Livingston-Mix Up Maggie sample
Echo Minott-Summertime sample
MOSAIC FOUNDATION
Led by the soul-stirring vocals of Laura "Eva Bless" Haykel, this 9-piece(!) roots band from Rochester,NY blasts the power of a 3-piece horn section, a strong rhythm foundation and some tasty guitar licks and mixes in lyrics sometimes of social justice ("We Stand Strong", "Solutions"), sometimes easy-breezy lovers rock ("The Long Way Home") to easily prove that-"yeh, Rochester Rocks!"
The double-whammy of having a live horn section and a strong female vocalist (a rarity these days), makes this band a must see. Already opening for acts as diverse as Toots and the Maytals, Rebelution, and John Brown's Body makes it a sure bet they'll be coming your way soon!
Mosaic Foundation-The Long Way Home sample
JUAKALI
My man JuaKali has had a busy, busy year. Bouncing coast-to-coast, producing 2 of his own phenominal EP's (BreakGround and Come From Yard) and appearing on trend-setting DJ's albums from around the world (Sub Swara's Coup D'Yah, Kush Arora's Dread Bass Chronicles, Other Weapons' Basis To Break This, and various Babylon Station singles), he is now preparing (with a little help from his friends) his next video project for his song "Dem City".
Directed by Cory Shaw, the story goes something like this: JuaKali's music and lyrics open up a dimension that turns the city into a surreal landscape of all the evils of Babylon. His soundpower protects and guides him through the treachery....Whew, can't wait for this one!
JuaKali-New Cycle sample
JuaKali-Dem City sample
RANKIN & SMOKES - The HAPPY LIFE RIDDIM
Direct from St. Lucia, Mezzo Forte Records released this installment of their "Riddim Vendor Series" in October. Alot like The Uniteam All-Stars, RANKIN & SMOKES (Rankin Morgan and Irvine Springer) had produced a great riddim and searched out St. Lucia's best vocalists to each add their "vision" to the track.
The Happy Life Riddim fuses rock guitar and sudden pop overtones with a signature dancehall bass-line that gives each vocalist room to express their ideas full on. Although Louis Dan, Mac 11, and Pizo appear on the EP, featured here is Bounty Hype/Baby Blue's version, "Up In The VIP".
Bounty Hype feat. Baby Blue-Up In The VIP sample
A Holiday Gift from ArawakRoots News:
Check our FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD page Dec. 24-25 for a special treat.
CARIBBEAN HOLIDAY CULTURE:
This article and recipe came from the ST. JOHN TRADEWINDS and was submitted by Eliza Magro:
SEASONAL SORREL
You may have seen sorrel juice on sale during the Holiday season as it is a common beverage in the Caribbean and West Indies during this time of year.
Caribbean Sorrel, an annual herb- as opposed to the perennial European Sorrel- is a tropical fruit cultivated and harvested. It can grow to 7 feet with flowering branches. It begins flowering in October and is ready for harvesting in late November. One can often find the red, fresh sorrel flowers for sale in December, while the rest of the year it is most commonly sold dried. Sorrel Juice is easy to make and has a fruity taste.
5-6 one-inch slices of Ginger
1 cup dried sorrel petals
1 tablespoon of Cloves
Brown Sugar Syrup (1 cup water + 1 lb. brown sugar boiled together)
Orange Peel for flavor (optional)
Dark Rum (optional)
1.Let cut ginger sit for 2-3 hours. The longer it sits, the stronger it becomes.
2.Boil ginger in 2 qts. of water.
3.Once water is boiling, add sorrel, cloves and orange peel.
4.Boil for 30 minutes.
5.Cover tightly and steep over-night.
6.Strain and add sugar syrup and rum to taste.
7.Chill and serve.
As seen from this recipe, a juice or a rum drink can be made with this flavorful flower. Sorrel liquid should be juicy and syrupy after chilling. If it is too syrupy, dilute it with water or club soda. The strong color of sorrel juice, which is also used as a natural food coloring, is also excellent for frostings. With its orange and clove flavors, it is like a Caribbean-style mulled cider. It gives off a wonderful aroma while boiling and is simple to make. Although it really is a seasonal beverage due to its harvest time and considered a holiday treat, experiment with it. In the meantime, enjoy this spiced, fruity drink!
If you need to make something quick for a Holiday gathering, check out this uniquely Caribbean recipe:
CANNED BISCUIT MONKEY BREAD
3 (7.5 oz.) cans of country-style biscuits (Note: If you use the 16-oz. cans of larger biscuits, such as Home-Style Grands, cut into quarters instead of halves)
1/2 cup of sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of light brown sugar, lightly packed.
1 Bundt Pan
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Open 1 can of biscuits and separate into individual pieces. Combine sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a bowl and stir until well-combined.
3. Cut each biscuit in half and toss in the cinnamon sugar, coating completely.
4. Pile coated biscuit pieces in a bundt pan. (Pile them in an even layer, but don't worry about spaces between the pieces.)
5.Sprinkle half the walnuts into the pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar over that.
6.Continue with second can of biscuits, ending with remaining walnuts and more sprinkled cinnamon sugar.
7.Finish with the final can and any remaining sugar.
8. Place butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute.
9.Pour hot syrup evenly around the biscuit pieces in the bundt pan
10.Place in oven and bake 40 minutes.
11. Remove from pan and let stand for 10 minutes. To Remove: Run a knife around the outer edges and the center tube of the pan. Place a plate on top, invert the cake onto the plate and remove the pan. Serve warm. (Can be wrapped in foil and reheated before serving.)
Pato's Holiday Tip:
Be sure to have plenty of Trinidad Charlie's Hot Pepper Sauce on hand, especially the West Indies Pumpkin flavour. It will heat up the coldest nights!
At this auspicious time of year, I am reminded of these words credited to Jesus. The passage comes from one of the so-called heretical Gospels- the Gospel of St. Thomas, Verse 28:
"Jesus said, 'I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see. For they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world empty. They are drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will change their ways.' "
Happy Holy Days from ArawakRoots News!
Caribbean News Vol.8,#1|Caribbean_News1.shtml|02-1-2011||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
Volume 8, #1
January, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (BBC/CARIBBEAN-1/13/10)- A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The extent of the devastation is still unclear, but there are fears tens-of-thousands of people have died.
Haiti's worst quake in 2 centuries hit south of the capital, wrecking the presidential palace, UN headquarters and other important structures. A number of UN personnel were reported missing. Many people spent the night outside in the streets amid fears of more aftershocks. The Red Cross says over 3 million people have been affected.
The quake, which struck about 15km (10 mi.) southwest of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by 2 strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. The tremor hit in the late afternoon on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Haiti's ambassador to the US said the presidential palace, the tax office, the ministry of commerce and the foreign ministry had all been damaged, but the airport is intact. He said that President Rene Preval and his wife had survived the quake.
In the minutes after the quake, a visiting official from the US Dept. of Agriculture said he had seen houses tumble into a ravine. An operations manager with Food For The Poor said the capital was in total darkness overnight, with thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go.
A number of nations- including the US, UK and Venezuela- are gearing up to send aid. US President Obama said he expected an "aggressive, coordinated aid effort by the US. Venezuala said it will send a "50-strong humanitarian assistance team". The Red Cross is dispatching a relief team from Geneva and the UN's World Food Programme is flying in 2 planes with emergency food aid.
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including 4 tropical storms and hurricanes in 2008.
If you would like to help in the relief effort, contact the Red Cross, OXFAM, UNICEF or Wyclef Jean's Twitter.
ArawakRoots News will be updating this story as it unfolds.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (BBC/CARIBBEAN-12/23/09)- An American Airlines jet has overshot the runway on landing in heavy rain in the Jamaican capital, injuring more than 40 people, 4 seriously. The fuselage broke apart after the incident and the plane came to a halt just 3-5 meters (10-15 ft.) from the sea.
The plane, which originated in Washington DC, was carrying 148 passengers and 6 crew. An American Airlines spokesman said the fuselage of the Boeing 737 was cracked, the right engine had broken off and the landing gear had collapsed.
Local journalist Roland Henry said passengers thought the plane was landing normally before there was a series of jolts and luggage tumbled from overhead lockers.
A team of investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board has arrived in Jamaica to help with the investigation.
In a related story:
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER-1/1/10)- The Airports Authority of Jamaica says repair work on the approach lights at Norman Manley International Airport is scheduled for completion this month. The approach lights were out at the airport on Dec. 22 when American Airlines flight 331 overran the runway, crossed the Port Royal Road and crash landed mere metres from the Caribbean Sea.
However, the authority noted that the absence of approach lights has never been detrimental to an aircraft landing safely before. According to a pilot who spoke on condition of anonimity, the high-tech instruments landing system on newer aircraft do not require a pilot to even be familiar with an airport.
Meanwhile, NBC NEWS has reported that the Boeing 737 had exceeded its weight limit and this could have made it difficult for the pilot to properly land the aircraft. It quoted sources familiar with the investigation as saying the plane was carrying extra fuel for the return trip- a practice known as ferrying fuel.
ENTERTAINMENT:
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER-12/30/09)- Distinguished poet, performer and political activist, Linton Kwesi Johnson- or LKJ, will give an illustrated lecture on African Consciousness in Reggae Music on January 3rd. His lecture marks the launch of the Global Reggae Studies Centre, a private sector initiative of Doctor Carolyn Cooper.
Born in Jamaica, LKJ migrated to the UK at age 11. As a teenager, he joined the Black Panther Movement which shaped his political consciousness. He found his voice as a poet and performed with Rasta Love, a group of upful poets and drummers. His poems were first published in the journal RACE TODAY, which also released his first collection of poetry- "Voices of the Living and the Dead"- in 1974. Johnson has more than 20 albums to his credit including "Poet and the Roots" and the 3-volume "LKJ in Dub".
Dr. Cooper has done pioneering work to establish reggae studies as an academic enterprise in Jamaica and internationally. She is a professor of literary and cultural studies at the University of the West Indies- Mona and is the author of 2 innovative books on Jamaican culture: "Soundclash: Jamaican Dancehall Culture at Large" and "Noises In The Blood: Orality, Gender and the 'Vulgar' Body of Jamaican Popular Culture".
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (JA OBSERVER- 1/1/10)- Music aficianados, members of the media and the music fraternity were constantly reminded of the holistic concept on which REBEL SALUTE was established as the 17th edition of the popular cultural showcase was launched. Speaker after speaker extolled the virtue of the positive approach taken by FLAMES PRODUCTION in the promotion of reggae music that has characterized REBEL SALUTE since its inception in 1994.
Minister of Agriculture Dr. Christopher Tufton- in whose constituency the cultural fiesta unfolds at the Port Kaiser Sports Club in St. Elizabeth on January 16- stressed that music has a critical role to play and leadership requires us to buck the trend when the trend is going in the wrong direction.
"Rebel Salute does that", he observed.
Recognising the widespread support from home and abroad for this musical product, Tony Rebel- founder of FLAMES PRODUCTIONS- defended the theme around which the product is built. "You can't preach violence in music and expect the people of Germany to accept it. Because Hitler already show them what violence is. You can not teach the French and the Americans about sex. A dem mek it. What they love about us, is when them going through hardship and terrible times, dem hear 'don't worry about a ting'. That is what they want....So mi want tell all a you sey- Don't apologise for endorsing and loving and support the real authentic side of Jamaica music", he said.
According to Rebel, the line-up for the 2010 REBEL SALUTE includes: Steel Pulse, Queen Ifrica, Tarrus Riley, Etana, Capleton, Lady Saw, Ritchie Spice, Gramps Morgan, Freddie MacGregor, Junior Murvin, Daddy U-Roy, Pinchers, Ronnie Davis of The Itals (Itals member David Isaacs died recently, so the group will not be performing) and many others.
ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS-12/31/09)- Music thumped loudly as thousands of people danced their way down King Street for J'ouvert. Bodies packed tightly and with calls of "hands in the air", the dancers moved in unison, inching slowly toward the Crucian Christmas Festival Village.
UMB Soldiers led the crowd with hundreds of fans dancing alongside the big rig truck they used as a stage. They were followed by X-Press Band, Daddy Jones and Crew, Stroka Band, The Stylee Band and Fusion Band. The event, as usual, started a bit late and the sun was high in the sky as it ended at the village. Across the crowd, smiles dominated as people pressed close to the booming music.
Before J'ouvert was over, the enticing aromas of Crucian cuisine had already begun to waft through the park. By noon, the feeding frenzy and celebration of local culture that is the Crucian Christmas Festival's Food, Arts and Crafts Fair was under way in earnest.
Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, along with several family members, created a stir when they showed up in the early afternoon, strolling through the fair and stopping to order food from the Frederiksted Moravian Church booth. Rev. Dion Christopher stated, "Now I can boast that the president has eaten with the Moravian Church."
The Food Fair honoree this year was Corrine Milligan, who has cooked for the fair for more than 20 years. Her specialties include pates, bullfoot soup and rice. Milligan acquired her gift for cooking from her grandmother, she says.
At a booth featuring the cooking of Daphne Davis and her sister, the seafood kallaloo was a crowd favorite and was gone by noon. At De Cake Man booth, Keith James, decked out in a madras shirt and chef's hat, served up vienna cake and Southern Red Velvet cake.
Carter gave a short speech, introducing himself as someone who "used to be President of the Virgin Islands" and quipping that with 31 members of the Carter family vacationing on the island, they were doing their part for the local economy. "We could go anywhere for our vacation", he said, "but we are very glad to be here." He closed with, "Keep the island beautiful- that's all we can ask."
John "Mighty John" Williams claimed the Crucian Christmas Festival Calypso Monarch crown after nearly 5 hours of competition among the 10 calypsonians who were vying for the title. Williams, who won his first Calypso Monarch title 6 years ago as a teenager, unseated reigning monarch Campbell "King Kan" Barnes.
The announcement came well after midnight following an evening of rollicking music, biting social commentary, clever lyrics, robust competition and an enthusiastic, responsive audience at Island Center For the Performing Arts.
King Kan was first runner-up, while Morris "King Generic" Benjamin was 2nd runner-up.
CULTURE: MAUBY
(BBC/CARIBBEAN-12/24/09)- Mauby adorned many a dinner table this holiday season in the Caribbean. And there might be a good reason to drink up, particularly those suffering from high blood pressure.
The drink made from the bark of the mauby tree is quite popular in many Caribbean countries. For generations, folk medicine practitioners have claimed all sorts of health benefits. Some claim it is an aphrodisiac and others say it helps arthritis.
Now a new study appears to give support to one that claims mauby might be useful in lowering blood pressure. It was conducted by Trinidad-born Kwame Amin, a student at City University at New York's Manhatten Community College. Amin's work won him first prize at this year's Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students.
Also known as mavi in Puerto Rico, and mabi in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the drink is made with sugar and the bark of certain species of the mauby tree, a small tree native to the northern Caribbean region. Recipes usually include other spices as well, aniseed being the most common. Often the drink is fermented using a portion of the previous batch.
Mauby is often bought as a pre-made syrup and then mixed with water, but many still make it themselves at home. It's taste is initially sweet, somewhat like root beer, but changes to a bitter aftertaste. To many it is an acquired taste. In several Caribbean countries, it is a Christmas cordial.
Pato's note: There is a commercial carbonated drink called "Mauby Fizz" that is sold throughout the Caribbean. Give it a try and see if you like it before trying Granny's home brew.
Caribbean News Vol.8,#1B|Caribbean_News1b.shtml|02-15-2011||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI
Vol.8, #1B
Jan. 23, 2010
"Page 2" of our coverage of the earthquake in Haiti:
DEBT FORGIVENESS:
The Inter-American Development Bank has announced that it would forgive Haiti's $480 million debt to its organisation. Additionally, the bank said it was prepared to grant Haiti $364 million that can be put to use immediately, and establish a fund to finance Haiti's reconstruction over the next 6 years.
HAITIAN NEEDS:
Trinidad & Tobago's PM Patrick Manning stated that the reconstruction of the institutions of Haiti is one of the most immediate needs. He told reporters in Port of Spain that the government in Port-au-Prince had "effectively collapsed".
CLINTON DEFENDS EFFORT:
Former US President Bill Clinton, who is UN's special envoy to Haiti, has been defending the relief effort here. He told reporters he didn't believe help had been slow to arrive. He also said American and UN troops were cooperating to get aid to those who needed it most.
ENOUGH FOOD:
The Spanish News Agency- EFE- quotes a Haitian government official as saying the country has received more food in international aid than it can store and distribute. Michel Chancy, the secretary of state for agriculture, was named to coordinate food aid in the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
"In principle, he told EFE, "we have enough food. The problem is unloading and storing it."
UNITED EFFORT:
The Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Ralph O'Neal has called for residents to coordinate local aid effort aimed at Haiti. Their government wants to discourage groups and individuals from initiating multiple fund-raising efforts. "The government is appealing for a coordinated territorial approach", he said.
HAITI'S RECONSTRUCTION:
Four CARICOM leaders joined the presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and officials from the EU and international agencies in Santo Domingo. In a communique, the coordinating committee stated that a team will be tasked with drawing up a draft strategy plan for the reconstruction of Haiti. It further stated: "Going beyond emergency aid, it will help strengthen the viability and social, economic and political stability of Haiti." Haitian President Rene Preval pledged to strengthen his country's institutions.
The communique also said that the government and people of Haiti are, and must continue to be, the main protagonists in the reconstruction of their country. "For thousands of Haitians, this tragedy has assumed an end. It is our responsibility to ensure that, for millions of citizens of this and other continents, it will likewise be a new beginning."
(Acknowledgements to BBC/CARIBBEAN NEWS)
SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF THE QUAKE:
Since the ground shook Port-au-Prince and sent the densely populated city into chaos, scientists have been harnessing every possible tool to quickly assemble a detailed picture of a region in which scientific research has already been difficult to conduct. A geophysicist at Purdue University said, "The question we are trying to address right now is if there could be other faults nearby or perhaps other portions of the fault to the east or west that could go." Purdue has been using GPS stations to monitor the area since 2003.
The shallow earthquake occurred along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system, one of several major faults defining the boundary between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates that move past each other in an east-west direction near Haiti. A section of fault approximately 50k long moved during the quake. The largest amount the fault slipped was 4.5 meters.
Poor building construction and dense population have made what by seismic standards is a big but not massive earthquake, into a major disaster. Scientists are now acquiring all the imagery they can in order to examine possible landslide-dammed drainages that could create subsequent flash flood hazards, identify surface ruptures and look for the extent of ground failure.
Though the planet is littered with some 4,000 seismic stations that constantly detect waves produced as the Earth's crust moves and shifts, not one station is in Haiti. For measuring the big quake, that's not a problem. "Every sand grain on the planet dances to the music of those seismic waves", says Ross Stein of the USGS, who is part of a team working to quickly model the possible after affects of the quake. But, there are no local stations in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter from which to obtain data to help constrain very detailed characteristics.
Most aftershocks are smaller than the first rupture and they become less frequent with time. But the strength of aftershocks doesn't necessarily decrease with time. A small percentage of them can be larger than the main shock. And a large aftershock could still hit a hundred days later. For the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system, the early data from other Caribbean seismic stations shows aftershocks defining a western limit to the portion of fault that slipped. When the rupture stops at those strong points, the change imparts large stresses that can make those areas more likely to experience quakes.
It wasn't until 2003 that the researchers were able to begin quantifying the movement along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault. In 2008, the research team announced at a meeting of the Caribbean Geological Conference that the fault posed a major seismic hazard. The team had measured plate motion of 7mm a year, 1/5 of the motion of the San Andreas, which is a similar type of fault. The problem is the fault had been quiet for quite a long time. The last major earthquake on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault was in 1770. By Jan. 12 of this year, a large amount of stress had built up along the fault.
The fault was behaving as most faults do, but the quake hit a place totally unprepared for it. And it hit just as scientists were able to quantify what's going on there. Unfortunately, the progress came too slow and the earthquake happened too early.
Acknowledgements to Science News (www.sciencenews.org)
THE CARIBBEAN'S EARTHQUAKE HISTORY:
The Caribbean region may be better known for hurricanes, but as any regular reader of ARAWAKROOTS NEWS knows, the area is always at risk for earthquakes. Our News Archives are laced with stories of earthquakes large and small in the region- from 3.5 temblors north of the Virgin Islands to the major 7.4 quake near Martinique.
The Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies says hundreds of earthquakes occur each year, in and around the Eastern Caribbean. The first earthquake in the sub-region this year was recorded on Jan. 4 north of Paria Peninsula in northern Venezuela and was felt in Trinidad.
The 7.0 tremor in Haiti was the largest known to hit the island nation, according to the USGS. The quake occurred along a vertical fault line that runs from Montego Bay in Jamaica to the southern part of Hispaniola.
Below is a list of the major historical earthquakes in the Caribbean region:
June 7,1692- Port Royal, Jamaica- unknown magnitude, 2000 dead, much of the city slipped into the sea.
May 2,1787- Puerto Rico- magnitude 8.0, possibly the strongest to hit the region, widespread damage.
February 8,1843- Leeward Islands- magnitude 8.5, at least 5000 dead, largest earthquake in Eastern Caribbean, felt from St. Kitts to Dominica.
October 11,1918- Mona Passage, Puerto Rico- magnitude 7.5, 116 deaths, $4 million in property damage.
August 4,1946- Samana, Dominican Republic- magnitude 8.1, quake and resulting tsunami killed 1600.
November 29,2007- Martinique- magnitude 7.4, because of the earthquake's depth only one death, but much infrastructure damage.
January 12,2010- Port-au-Prince, Haiti- magnitude 7.0, number of confirmed dead- over 100,000 and rising, infrastructure devastation.
EDITORIAL:
We at ARAWAKROOTS NEWS felt that you, our readers, had been saturated with stories of the shock, sadness, triumphs and tribulations from your major News sources as well as the opposite viewpoints from such sources as DEMOCRACY NOW!, that we felt it was a moot point to tell basically the same story here. I thought it strange to hear and see NBC NEWS finally report about people in Haiti eating dirt cookies to survive, as if this was something new. ARAWAKROOTS NEWS reported this story back in April, 2008 (Archived News- Vol.6,#2), as well as the fact that the aid has been pouring in to Haiti for years, but because of corrupt government and port workers, so much has been left to rot or eaten by vermin. We have also reported on the more positive reports on the Haitian relief efforts over the years. Probably the happiest story we reported out of Haiti appears in our Vol.5,#2 edition.
Anyway, this is the reason for the leaning in reporting ARAWAKROOTS NEWS is doing: to study the science and history, culture and society, and mistakes of the past, to come up with the best, most expediant solution to help Haiti help itself back to its feet.
Arawak Promotions has joined in the relief aid campaign for Haiti. Click here:
ArawakRoots Top 10 for Haiti
to join in our unique way of supporting Haiti in its time of need.
Caribbean News Vol.8,#2|Caribbean_News2.shtml|03-1-2011||ARAWAKROOTS NEWS
Volume 8, No.2
March 1, 2010
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (BBC/CARIBBEAN- 2/24/10)- Latin American and Caribbean leaders from 32 countries have agreed to set up a new regional grouping that excludes the US and Canada. The accord was announced at a summit here by the host, President Felipe Calderon who said the new alliance would represent an alternative to the Organisation of American States(OAS). The OAS- which includes both the US and Canada- has been the main international forum for the region for the past half-century.
Calderon emphasised the benefits of the new community and said the new bloc "will consolidate and globally project a Latin American and Caribbean identity."
Dominica's Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, who is also current chairman of CARICOM, said that the establishment of a new hemispheric organisation should not be seen as an attempt to replace existing arrangements in the region. Skerrit said Cariibbean countries were not aligning themselves with Latin America to do away with the OAS- only that it would create another avenue where the countries could meet together.
The leaders agreed to meet again in Venezuela in 2011 when furthur details of the new bloc, including its name, were to be decided.
The summit also expressed full support for Argentina in the dispute with Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, as well as repeating calls for the US to lift its decades-old sanctions on Cuba.
Cuban President Raul Castro was one of the first to laud the new bloc as an historic move toward "the constitution of a purely Latin American and Caribbean regional organisation." Cuba was suspended from the OAS in 1962 and, although the body last year voted to readmit the communist island, Havana has expressed no wish to rejoin the US-based organisation.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (BBC/CARIBBEAN- 2/26/10)- Through all the devastation here, another small but deadly event almost slipped under the radar. Researchers have discovered that January's earthquake triggered a tsunami.
Along with 4 Haitian colleagues, Dr. Hermann Fritz, a civil engineering professor at Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, travelled around the coast of Haiti gathering evidence before it disappeared forever. He had heard reports that a wave up to 3 meters high had hit some areas of the coast south of the capital and had claimed at least 3 lives.
"This was a relatively small event," Fritz told BBC News. "Most of the fatalities were due to the earthquake, but at least 3 victims survived the earthquake and were hit by the wave." A father and his 2 sons were on the shore at Petit Paradis watching the wave instead of heading for higher ground. "And on the border with the Dominican Republic, fishermen were taking photos and video of the draw-down of the sea. It was pure luck that the misinformation didn't kill more people."
The ominous draw-back in the water level is a classic sign that a big wave is approaching- although it should be noted that not all tsunamis are preceded by this behaviour.
Despite the devastation it caused, the Haiti earthquake was not of the type or magnitude usually associated with tsunamis. It also occurred on land and, to generate a tsunami, the event must be under the sea.
Dr. Fritz explained that the main causes of the Haitian tsunami were "local landslides". "But there are fault lines in this region where you are more likely to generate a tsunami," he said. "In the north of Hispaniola [Haiti/D.R.], we have fault lines running along very deep water." (In 1946, a Mag 8.1 earthquake hit the Dominican Republic, producing a tsunami that killed almost 2000 people.)
Fritz stated, "Education is critical to local tsunamis. Once you see the water draw down, you really shouldn't be there taking pictures."
The Haitian tsunami gave scientists a chance to find out how well vital and potentially life-saving warning systems were working. NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory has developed a warning system- called DART(Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis), that picks up signals of tsunamis directly from the sea floor. If seismometers detect an earthquake, the DART buoys determine what is happening to sea levels and whether a big wave might be on the way. This information is sent via sattelite to a central location which can organise an alert.
Within 50 minutes of the Haiti earthquake, the system was able to issue an alert to other countries in the Caribbean to say that a small tsunami had been triggered, and that it was unlikely to affect them. Right now, there are 50 of these DART buoys around the globe- 4 of which are in the Caribbean.
Of course, the infrastructure needs to be in place. In Haiti, the warning came in by telephone to a police station that had already collapsed.
CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA (BBC/CARIBBEAN- 2/26/10)- Caribbean agriculture officials, already struggling to cope with a prolonged dry spell, are now facing another major challenge- a deadly plant fungus known as Black Sigatoka. The fungus, which affects mainly banana and plantain crops, causes premature ripening, which is a serious defect in exported fruit. The disease can cause a reduction of as high as 50% of the banana crop.
Black Sigatoka has been reported in at least 3 member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS): Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. There have also been suspected cases in Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago.
Sigatoka is spread by wind, water, insects, and humans in a number of ways including field visits and successive handling of diseased and healthy plants.
Agriculture economist for the OECS, George Alcee, called for stringent management and control practices in managing the disease. "One of the ways of helping curb the disease is for the quarantine experts to be more vigilant," he said. "You also need to intensify your management practices...such as detrashing to prevent spores from germinating in the field."
Black Sigatoka is not new in the Western hemisphere. The disease was first spotted in Fiji in 1963 and in Honduras in 1972, before making its way into the Caribbean.
CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA (BBC/CARIBBEAN- 2/18/10)- Several Caribbean nations are battling prolonged low rainfall and the pattern could continue for some time, according to forcasters. The drought has been affecting countries from Jamaica to Guyana, as residents and farmers battle a shortage of water.
St. Lucia, the latest to report a crisis, is said to be ready to declare a "water-related emergency". The John Compton Dam, which supplies the north of the island, has seen its levels drop by a foot per day.
Drought-like conditions are not uncommon at this time of year in the Eastern Caribbean. But the situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the low rainfall began in October, the wettest month in the sub-region. The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology anticipates that the dry spell should last through March and possibly beyond.
Farmers in Guyana are crying out as well. The important rice industry is forcasting that production will be down by 6% because there is insufficient water for irrigation.
Other countries experiencing drought to varying degrees include Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica and Grenada.
In Barbados, bush fires triggered by flammable dry conditions and aided by high winds, have soared. The local fire service said it has responded to 587 grass fires, up from 35 last year. This has meant the diversion of water from domestic sources to fight fires.
ST. CROIX, US VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS- 2/24/10)- Proponents and opponents of 2 proposed power plants hashed out their positions at a Senate hearing here. No decisions on the controversial project were made at the hearing and the full Senate has yet to decide whether to OK the lease of government property on St. Thomas for one of the plants. (See Vol.8,#1 and Vol.7,#6 for more info)
The plants, to be built by Alpine Energy Group of Colorado, are to be fueled by petroleum coke and fuel derived from burning garbage from the landfills. They are being presented as a way to reduce the territory's dependence on oil, lower energy costs and solve the territory's mounting waste problem.
However, the Alpine plants will be considered major sources of air pollution because of the rate at which they emit particulate matter, volitile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen, and will require a "prevention of significant deterioration" permit from the EPA. Alpine will also have to show projected ground level emission impacts in nearby communities.
Water & Power Authority Executive Director Hugo Hodge Jr. said, "Computer dispersion models show that our citizens will still experience clean healthy air once the AEG plants are built and their impacts are combined with those of all other major sources. The clean air areas of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix will continue to remain clean and healthy based on comparisons to EPA air quality standards."
Opponents however, raised health and environmental concerns incuding: the disposal of the tons of ash produced as a byproduct of the process, the impact on St. Croix's south shore marine and wetland environments and the emission of dioxins into the atmosphere.
Michael Barron, a board member of the St. Croix Environmental Association said, "Communities all over the mainland have completely rejected coal-fired generation of power and 111 of 150 proposed coal and petroleum coke burners have been stopped by municipalities that decided not to take the easy way out. I submit that there is no such thing as 'clean petroleum coke' ".
Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Robert Mathes said the selection of Alpine was based on "the most comprehensive due diligence" and that those who negotiated the contracts "did the Virgin Islands proud."
ST. CROIX, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 1/28/10)- Castle Nugent is one step closer to becoming a National Historic Site, winning a vote in the US House of Representatives despite opposition from House Republicans. They used the Castle Nugent measure as an example of unnecessary spending in a tough economy.
"The Republicans were trying to make points in advance of the President's State of the Union Address and tried to make our bill a poster child for too much spending," Delegate to Congress Donna Christiansen said. "We got the votes we needed to pass the bill and move the process on to the US Senate."
The measure would add 2,900 acres to the National Park Service, protecting Caribbean dry forest, extensive coral reef and a substantial black mangrove population. It also would preserve the archeological remains of indigenous Taino inhabitants and a Danish colonial estate house that already is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service has found that Castle Nugent meets the criteria to determine national significance, suitability and feasability to become a National Historic Site. (See Archived News- Vol.3,#6 for an early look at this bill.)
The land currently operates as a cattle ranch owned by St. Croix resident Caroline Gasperi and operated by the University of the Virgin Islands, where Senepol- a breed native to St. Croix- has been raised since 1957. Cotton and indigo have also been grown on the farm, which was cultivated as early as the 1730's.
The bill ensures a continuing relatioship with UVI to support ongoing scientific research on Senepol cattle.
ST. JOHN, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 2/25/10)- Fundraising drives for relief efforts in Haiti are ongoing throughout the Virgin Islands and continue with a concert here by more than a dozen local musicians on Feb. 27.
The Haitian Relief and Goodwill Concert, a grassroots effort organized by local musicians, is scheduled to run from noon to midnight at Winston Wells Ballfield. Donations collected at the concert will support the Doctors Without Borders in providing medical relief to earthquake-torn Haiti.
The event is the brainchild of guitarist Phillip "Grasshopper" Pickering and the other members of Inner Visions, St. John's premier reggae band. They reached out to St. John Administrator Leona Smith and Ira Wade from Public Works for coordination assistance, informing the public and collecting donations.
The musical line-up includes: Inner Visions, Cool Sessions Brass, Ah We Band, Wrecktion Band, Echo People, Mighty Groover, Michael Beason, The Pan Dragons and many others.