Florida’s Caribbean Sun

I’M UP TO THE CHALLENGE says new Trinidad & Tobago PM

PM Persad-Bissessar (right) being interviewed by Caribbean Sun’s Busi-

ness Editor Laverne McGee

T rinidad and Tobago’s new Prime Minister, Kamla Per-sad Bissessar has made it

clear that she is up to the challenge of leading the country and has pledged to tackle the tough issues of crime and a declining economy which the people of the twin-island republic want addressed immedi-ately. Riding on a wave of popularity after winning national elections in May by a wide margin, the new prime minis-ter said that her major task is to “clean up Trinidad and Tobago and trans-form the way government works.” With her party not having held office for over a decade, there are some who have questioned whether the new prime minister has the ex-perience to handle some of the tough issues facing Trinidad and Tobago. Florida Caribbean Sun‟s Business Editor Laverne McGee spoke exclu-sively to Persad Bissessar on her first official trip to Florida last month. She said that “I am more than up for the challenge, and have been prepar-ing for the last 24 years.” That‟s how long the lawyer with a background in

education has been in politics. And it‟s those years of experience that she says will help her combat the tough crime, economy and other issues that Trinidadians say they want dealt with immedi-ately. Persad Bissessar takes her place in history as only the 14th woman to become an elected Prime Minister. She now joins an elite club of women including Margret Thatcher and Benazir Bhutto. But she says she does not want that to be the focus of her leadership. She says “her goal is to clean up Trinidad and Tobago and transform the way government works”. For years nationals have com-plained of government corruption, especially in the police

force. “I have an extensive and de-tailed plan to deal with past prob-lems and make sure our streets and homes are safe.” During her four day visit to South Florida, the PM had a hectic sched-ule. She flew into Ft. Lauderdale di-rectly from Jamaica after attending the Caricom Summit. Just hours after arriving she made her first appearance at a gala in her honor hosted by Florida arm of her political party. The evening was filled with music, art and speeches along with special presentations from local dignitaries and commu-nity leaders. She attended several private dinners, and was the keynote speaker at a Trade Reception also in her honor. Trade and business with Trinidad is becoming a hot topic with Trinidad nationals abroad who are now becoming interested in in-vesting in Trinidad because of the change in government. Persad-Bissessar has also made it clear she wants the Caribbean to be more unified, saying she wanted to stop the rivalry between islands and - Continued on page 2

“I AM JAMAICA” CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths and other Jamaican singers involved

in the “I Am Jamaica” campaign

T he “I AM JAMAICA” Campaign was launched simultane-ously in Jamaica, USA, Canada, UK and other locations around the world with the international premier of the theme song,

music video and Declaration signing on Saturday, July 17, 2010 through to Sunday, August 14, 2010. The “I AM JAMAICA” campaign, an initiative of the Jamaican Dias-pora, calls on all Jamaicans, at home and abroad, celebrities, commu-nity leaders, artists, entertainers, entrepreneurs and others, to encour-age a sense of personal responsibility, to inspire each other in embrac-ing our talents and resources as a burgeoning global community for the upliftment and prosperity of our youth, and to evoke an emotional connection of hope, positive vibes, prosperity, one-ness, and all other core qualities of „Brand Jamaica‟ among Jamaicans worldwide. The campaign encourages Jamaicans to elevate their level of communi-cation and collaboration in addressing issues of national interest. The campaign also encourages the support of law and order in the society and implores a sense of personal accountability for re-socializing the mindset of the nation, at home and abroad. (Continued on Page 5)

Over 4000 Guyanese get permanent US visas yearly

Over 4,000 Guyanese are granted immigrant visas to live permanently in the United States each year, the outgoing head of the US embassy in Guyana has disclosed. In a recent briefing for media in Guyana, Karen Williams, Charge d'Affaires at the US embassy, in re-sponse to a question disclosed that in 2006 the embassy issued some 5,135 immigrant visas. In 2007, 3,059 immigrant visas were granted. This was followed by 4,836 in 2008 and 4,586 in 2009. So far for this year some 2,624 immigrant visas have been granted. The issue of migration from the Caribbean region, especially of its skilled personnel including teachers, nurses and scientists has long been a concern to regional governments. It is estimated that some 15,000 US immigrant visas are issued to Caribbean nationals each year. Immigrant visas are issued to persons who qualify to come to the US as permanent residents. Non-immigrant visas are for those persons who are approved as visitors to the US.

Karen Williams briefs media in Guyana

2 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

Florida’s Caribbean Sun is published by Caribbean Sun Publishers, LLC

1013 N. Pine Hills Road, Orlando, FL 32808

Phone (407) 374-2979

Email: caribbeansunnews@gmail.com

Administrative Manager: Melinda Gordon

Advertising: Vanessa Chin Churaman (407) 325-5466

Business Editor: Laverne McGee

Lifestyles Editor: Sharazade Kirton

-Continued from Page 1- all work together. After having lived in Jamaica for 14 years and being a school teacher there, she talked fondly of the island and calls it her second home. Another passion of the PM‟s is a fund she is working on to help save the lives of less fortunate children. She told McGee she wants her Chil-dren‟s Lifesaving Fund to be one her legacies. There are children in Trinidad whose families cannot afford to get life saving medical opera-tions. Some are not even available in Trinidad and the kids must be flown to other countries to get the life saving surgeries. She made an appeal quoting a famous soca song “5 cent, 10 cent, dollar”, saying she wanted donations no matter how big or small. There was little personal time for the PM during her visit, although she does have several close friends in that part of Florida. She is ex-pected to return to the US in September.

I’M UP TO THE CHALLENGE

EDITORIAL

A s thousands of high school graduates prepare to enter col-leges and universities at this time of year, many are forced to rely on student loans to pursue their higher education. Relying on government and private student loans is understandable

particularly given the current economic circumstances. However, it is imperative that students and parents read the fine print since these loans can turn out to be very expensive in the long run. As tuitions rise, many people are borrowing heavily to pay their bills. Some no doubt view it as "good debt," because an education can lead to a higher salary. But in practice, student loans are one of the most toxic debts, requiring extreme consumer caution. Unlike other kinds of debt, student loans can be particularly hard to wriggle out of. Home-owners who can't make their mortgage payments can hand over the keys to their house to their lender. Credit card and even gambling debts can be discharged in bankruptcy. But ditching a student loan is virtually impossible, especially once a collection agency gets involved. Although lenders may trim payments, getting fees or principals waived seldom happens. There is an estimated $730 billion in outstanding federal and private student-loan debt and only 40% of that debt is actively being repaid. The rest is in default, or in deferment, which means payments and inter-est are halted, or in forbearance, which means payments are stopped while interest accrues. Some students who started out with a $50,000 college loan to get them through their first degree have seen this debt rise to over $100,000 as a result of payment deferrals. The US Department of Education and private lenders such as Sallie Mae say they are working with borrowers to modify their repayment plans. The US Department of Education has expanded programs like income-based repayment, which effectively caps repayments for some borrowers. The Obama Administration has also included in its health care reform new provisions for student loans which will cap interest rates and offer easier repayment terms. However, it is imperative that both students and parents understand the conditions of these loans-they must read the fine print!

Be Careful With Student Loans-Read the fine print!

3 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

Lifestyles

The Center for Multicultural Well-ness and Prevention Inc. (CMWP) is collaborating with the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Florida Inc., Orange County Health Department and several Community Partners to host the 8th Annual Carib-bean Health Summit. This commu-nity event will take place on Satur-day, September 11th, 2010 at the Cen-tral Florida Fair & Exposition Park (Fairgrounds), located on West Colo-nial drive, Orlando. The Health Fair is free and will be open to the general public from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

The theme “Your Health Matters” was chosen because many individu-als, in light of Health Care Reform, do not take their health seriously. They take it for granted. These indi-viduals pay no attention to the way they eat, they live sedentary lifestyles and they are not motivated to visit the doctor on a regular basis. By fo-cusing on this year‟s theme, we hope that more individuals make their health a priority, by taking the neces-sary actions to improve their health and well-being. The impact of the Caribbean Health Summit on the Central Florida‟s communities has been significant. Over the past seven years, thousands of people have been screened for hypertension, diabetes,

cholesterol, HIV, lung function, pros-tate, breast and cervical cancer. Through these screenings, many ab-normal results have been detected and many lives have been saved in the process.

Florida House Representative, Geraldine Thompson said that “the services provided at the Health Sum-mit will assist countless of families in Central Florida as we experience some of our worst economic times in recent history. The event gives the community an opportunity to be in-formed about the benefits of staying healthy”. Commissioner Daisy W. Lynum adds that "Our health is very important and I applaud the Carib-bean Health Summit for the years of collaboration with our communities to educate, serve and enlighten each of us toward the value of great health and healthcare."

The Health Summit will provide par-ticipants from the Central Florida and Caribbean communities of all ages, access to health screenings, in-formation and educational seminars related to health maintenance with an emphasis on promoting safety, optimal wellness and a happy life-style.

Caribbean Health Summit September 11

By Sharazade Kirton Reality television shows which focus on the issue of weight loss and involve participants that are significantly overweight have become very popular on various television networks. Among these shows are The Biggest Loser, More to Love, Celebrity Fit Club and Dance Your Ass Off. These reality shows are aired on primetime television, attract high ratings and are money makers for the various televi-sion networks. According to Janelle Rich, a 20 year old telecom student at the University of Florida, “these shows can be viewed as a form of exploitation of the partici-pants who are making money for the television networks. These people display them-selves to the world, opening themselves up to the possibility of ridicule and taunting.” These new weight issues reality shows have however given new life to the public debate on obe-sity in America and around the world, evidently encouraging fat people to become more com-fortable with discussing obesity as well as their efforts to deal with the problem. “Many of these reality show contestants go on looking for fame and fortune and with the hope of winning the cash prizes or finding a soul mate. They go on there to be in the lime-light and create a name for them-selves,” Rich said. According to Brian Donelly, the writer of a feature on celebrity-cafe.com, the success of shows like NBC‟s “The Biggest Loser” proves that people want to see stars that look more like them, ones that they can relate to. Other series experimenting with the trend are Oxygen‟s “Dance Your Ass Off,” Style‟s documen-tary series, and Lifetime‟s “Drop Dead Diva,” which premiered to 2.8 million viewers, the chan-nel's largest audience for an original series in two years. Safety is one factor that has al-ways been a question for the shows‟ contestants. Are the weight- loss methods employed safe and medically approved or are they at odds with professional medical treat-ment for losing weight? Dinney Lawrence, a sports doc-tor and alumni of Howard Uni-versity, said “liability is impor-tant to these television networks and they wouldn‟t risk putting the contestants in danger, they usually have doctors standing by to monitor them and to make sure everything‟s okay.” The environments in which these reality shows are set are forced environments which give these contestants no other choice but to go along with a daily routine of diet and exer-

cise. “The dif-f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n the way a d o c t o r would treat those who are over-

weight and the reality shows are that doctors cannot force, they could just recommend what you need to eat and how you need to exercise,” the Jamaican-born doctor said. Dr. Lawrence sees no real dan-gers in the methods employed by the reality shows noting that apart from having doctors on hand, these TV shows provide chefs and personal trainers which make losing weight more convenient for the participants. After losing the weight while participating in these reality television shows, contestants tend to become extremely confi-dent and enjoy the results of their hard work and dedication. But what happens after leaving the show? “That‟s on them, maintaining a consistent routine of diet modi-fication, exercise and will power allows a person to maintain positive results” says the Cali-fornia-based Dr. Lawrence who works with young athletes. Obesity among children and teenagers is especially high in America prompting the likes of former president Bill Clinton to launch a program to address the issue. According to Colin Heywood, a high school teacher in Brooklyn, New York, a significant percent-age of people that are catego-rized to be obese or overweight lie in the high school age cate-gory. He says that the emergence of reality television shows which focus on weight issues has gen-erated greater public awareness of the issue and a higher com-fort level among teenagers for discussing and actually taking steps to lose weight. “These shows have had two ef-fects on high school students. One, there is a vast reduction in the negative comments which fat students have had to endure from their peers and second, while they feel less humiliated about being fat they are taking steps to lose weight and become more healthy. They are a lot more self-confident now,” The Guyana-born Heywood said. Talking about being overweight can be a touchy subject, espe-cially when kids are going through an adolescence stage, where many are trying to find themselves “These shows allow talking about being overweight much easier, and make it more comfortable, especially with kids this age,” he said.

Former Orange County Commissioner Homer

Hartage is a candidate for Chairman of the Orange County School Board and he is urging the county‟s Caribbean American community to support him. Hartage, considered a friend of the Caribbean American community in Cen-tral Florida, in an e-mail to the Caribbean Sun said “I will listen to parents, students, teachers and business leaders and give them greater voice in our children‟s education.” Hartage referred to a recent interview he granted the Orlando Sentinel news-paper whose questions he said he answered with clarity, reflecting “what I am hearing in the communities across the County, that there are serious con-cerns about accountability, and how we make our schools excellent places of learning.” “I answered that I am a compassionate leader; I will make sure that our stu-dents don't suffer because of arbitrary budget cuts. I told them that the pri-mary purpose of my candidacy is to provide a great education for our youth. I expressed to them that taxpayers expect us to tighten our budget and show real accountability that makes a difference,” Hartage said.

Homer Hartage promises great

education for Orange County

youths

Sharazade Kirton

Are weight-loss reality television shows harmful?

4 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

Prayers offered for Barbados Prime Minister

B arbadians at home and abroad as well as other Caribbean nationals have been

offering prayers for the re-covery of ailing Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson who is currently receiving medical attention in the United States. Thompson, in an address to the nation at the end of June announced that he was pro-ceeding on two months leave to receive medical treatment abroad. He asked Barbad-ians to pray for his recovery and they have responded by offering prayers and get-well wishes on web sites, blogs and at events. There are rumors circulating that the prime minister has been diagnosed with cancer which were generated by his rapid weight loss just prior to leaving Barbados. “During the past few weeks I have under-gone observation, tests and medication. My doctors then put me on a rigorous die-tary regime which did cause me to lose weight. This was necessary and I know that you all have seen the changes. I have not completed my regime of treatment and therefore there is nothing significant to report at this time. Shortly, an evaluation

will take place to determine if I need sur-gery. It may be a complex and serious pro-cedure,” he told the nation. Thompson stressed that he had been oper-ating at a reduced level and expressed the hope that he would be able to resume his duties at full capacity, in the shortest pos-sible time. “I reckon that it will be a few weeks before I am, God willing, able to discharge my functions in a manner that is required in the circumstances. Accordingly, I am re-

questing the nation‟s forbearance as I have decided to take two months leave from my duties as Prime Minister. This time will be spent outside of Barbados,” he announced. The point was also made that the functions of the Prime Minister‟s Office have been left in the hands of Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General, Freundel Stu-art, who would have full author-ity to run the Government as he saw fit. “Naturally the Deputy Prime Minister will act as Prime Minis-ter throughout my absence... and I am devolving on him the au-thority to make whatever deci-sions he deems necessary to keep

the social and economic ship of state on even keel,” said Thompson.

“He certainly has my undisputed confi-dence and respect and that of the entire Cabinet and the members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament... I have every reason to believe that, in these cir-cumstances, my absence from this country will have minimal effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of government institu-tions”, he said.

Prime Minister David Thompson has lost a

lot of weight due to his illness.

Florida supports Arizona immigration law despite Department of Justice law suit

US warns new Suriname president

By Gail Seeram

O n July 6, 2010, the Department of Justice challenged the state of Arizona‟s recently passed immigration law, S.B. 1070, in federal court. In a brief filed in the District Court of Arizona, the Department said S.B. 1070 unconstitution-

ally interferes with the federal government‟s authority to set and en-force immigration policy, explaining “the Constitution and federal law do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immi-gration policies throughout the country.” A patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforce-ment. Having enacted its own immigration policy that conflicts with federal immigration law, Arizona “crossed a constitutional line.

However, Florida Attorney General and candidate for Florida Gover-nor, Bill McCollum, filed a brief in support of Arizona, stating that the federal government has failed to do their job with respect to immigra-tion. Bill McCollum is also working with state Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, to introduce a law in the Florida legislature. Florida joins eight other states - Michigan, Alabama, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and Texas - in filing the brief sup-porting Arizona's law.

The Department of Justice brief said that S.B. 1070 will place signifi-cant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from high-priority targets, such as aliens implicated in terrorism, drug smuggling, and gang activity, and those with criminal records. The law‟s mandates on Arizona law enforcement will also result in the har-assment and detention of foreign visitors and legal immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens, who cannot readily prove their lawful status. The Department of Justice filed the suit after extensive consultation with Arizona officials, law enforcement officers and groups, and civil rights advocates. The suit was filed on behalf of the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, which share responsibilities in administering federal immigra-tion law. Additionally, the Department of Justice has requested a pre-liminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the law, arguing that the law‟s operation will cause irreparable harm.

T he United States has warned newly elected president of Suriname, Desi Bouterse to re-

spect human rights and the rule of law. Bouterse is a former mili-tary coup-leader who has been convicted of drug-trafficking in the Hague and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He is also on trial in Suriname for the 1982 killings of 15 politicians, journalists and other critics of his military re-gime. In 2007 he publicly apologized for that sordid chapter, saying that he accepted political responsibility, but not any direct involvement. Suriname‟s Parliament elected Bouterse president in July after he won the support of a number of small parties to register a majority, follow-ing national elections held in May. US Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Public Affairs, Philip J. Crowley has said that while the Barack Obama administration supports the re-sults of free and fair elections and processes, it expects that the Bouterse administration would not tolerate corruption or violate democracy in the former Dutch colony. "We look to maintain our good ties with Suriname and the people of Suriname, but we will be clear with the incoming Suriname govern-ment that, for good relations with the United States and the interna-tional community, we expect this new government to stand firm against corruption and respect democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law," Crowley said. The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper in a recent editorial has called on CARICOM to suspend Suriname. “The decision of Suriname's parlia-ment notwithstanding, we do not believe he is morally fit to lead Suri-name, about which we can do little. Nor do we deem him worthy to sit in the council of Caricom, about which the community can do a lot. Prime Minister Bruce Golding, as Caricom's current chairman, will hopefully agree and will lead the charge to suspend Suriname from the community until another leader is in place. Leaders must know that the passage of time doesn't of itself free them of responsibility for acts of impunity,” the newspaper said. Neighboring Guyana, which has a border dispute with Suriname, has indicated that it wants talks with the new president aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries.

5 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

Attorneys support fired USDA official say employers must thoroughly investigate racial incidents

R ussell Permaul has served the Orange County Sheriff's Office with distinction for 30

years. During his three decades of service-which he celebrated last month, Permaul has had some "close shaves" having been in-volved in several shootings. But thanks to the prayers of his late parents and his still alive 96 year-old grandmother, who was on hand to see him receive his 30-year service award, Commander Per-maul has never been injured on the job. The Guyana-born Permaul, cur-rently the highest ranking West Indian in the Orange County Sher-iff's Office, has over the years worked closely with the county's Caribbean American and other minority communities. He told Caribbean Sun in an exclusive in-terview that his wish is to see mi-

nority communities develop better relations with law enforcement agencies. "I want to see minority youths and law enforcement offi-cers develop better relations based on mutual respect. Young people should not be intimidated by law enforcement officers in uniform." Currently head of the vice and or-ganized crime unit of the Metro-politan Bureau of Investigations (MBI) Permaul says his 30-year career has been "a great experience which I have really enjoyed. Per-haps some people wouldn't expect this type of career from a boy from Albouystown," Permaul said, in reference to a poor section of the capital city Georgetown, Guyana. "I really enjoy working with the community. I began as a uni-formed patrol officer and worked my way up in the process develop-ing good relations with minority

communities and citizens in gen-eral, said Permaul who has headed the Orlando International Airport narcotics unit and the Gang Resis-tance Education And Training (GREAT) program for the south-eastern United States, including Puerto Rico and The US Virgin Islands. Among relatives and friends at-tending the award presentation was Elvernest Goring, his 96 year-old grandmother, whom Permaul had join him as he received the award from Sheriff Jerry Demings. Permaul would not discuss his retirement plans beyond indicat-ing that when he retires he would want to play a role in helping to address crime and security issues in Guyana and the Caribbean. He holds a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a Master's in organizational management.

Permaul completes 30 years in law enforcement

A Proud Elvernest Goring with

grandson Commander Russell Per-

maul at Award ceremony

A grouping of attorneys which includes several Caribbean Americans has thrown its support

behind Shirley Sherrod, former Georgia Director of Rural Develop-ment for the USDA, who was un-fairly depicted as a racist based on a distorted video clip of a March 27th NAACP speech and subse-quently forced to resign. The Lawyers‟ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, said in a statement "the ensuing series of events which resulted with public apologies from the Obama Administration and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vil-sack to Ms. Sherrod on July 21st serves as yet another teachable moment to help our nation deal with its long history of racial ten-sions while also dealing with is-sues of wrongful termination and due process.

“As an organiza-tion estab-lished by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 to mo-bilize the private bar in the vig-orous en-

forcement of the nation‟s civil rights laws, the Lawyers‟ Commit-tee for Civil Rights Under Law maintains an ongoing commitment to ensure racial justice and equal-ity for all Americans,” said Law-yers‟ Committee Executive Direc-tor Barbara Arnwine. “As Mr. Vil-sack indicated, there are thousands of civil rights claims against the USDA. The Lawyers‟ Committee has long supported redress from

racial discrimination against Afri-can American farmers and contin-ues to seek justice for those not yet paid pursuant to the Pigford case in which Ms. Sherrod was a com-plainant. We have also supported the objectives for similar claims of Latinos, Native Americans and women.” “Furthermore, from an employ-ment perspective,” Ms. Arnwine continued, “it is incumbent upon any employer made aware of an alleged racial incident to conduct a thorough investigation. Due proc-ess is fundamental to equal jus-tice.” “Ms. Sherrod has a remarkable background, skills and talents and should be embraced as a shero for her courageousness in turning her personal experience into lessons for the entire American public to appreciate our commonalities and to embrace equity for all poor peo-ple. We call for her full compensa-tion and hope that Ms. Sherrod will return to the USDA in a major position to direct critical policy to help thousands of small, poor and minority farmers in need of assis-tance,” added Ms. Arnwine. “Unfortunately, this matter was precipitated by misguided reac-tions to the NAACP‟s vital resolu-tion regarding the need for the Tea Party to reject any expression of racism in its ranks. Nevertheless, issues of race must not be sensa-tionalized in a “24/7” news envi-ronment, but instead requires the highest level of professionalism and journalistic integrity in mak-ing sure that news coverage is fair and balanced. We hope that the entire Obama Administration, the media and the public will learn from this episode.

The legendary Calypso Rose will perform August 28, 2010 at the new Timehri Banquet Hall, Colonial Drive in Orlando. McArtha Linda Sandy-Lewis, better known as Calypso Rose has been thrilling audiences around the world for decades. Born April 27, 1940 in Bethel, Tobago, she began writing songs at the age of 15, and has written over 800 songs. In 1966 she wrote the song Fire in Me Wire, which has since become a calypso an-them. Rose was the first female to win the Trinidad Road March Com-petition, in 1977 with her song Tempo. She won the Calypso Queen title five years running. She has also won both the Trinidad Calypso Crown and Road March competitions in 1978, the Sunshine Award in 1989 and the Trinidad and Tobago Hummingbird Medal in 2000. American Blues/R&B and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist Bonnie Raitt covered Rose's song "Wah She Go Do" on an album, released in 1973, entitled Takin' My Time. For ticket information call: (407) 291-2047.

Calypso Rose comes to Timehri Banquet Hall

The spine of the campaign is a Declaration for Change and Account-ability which supporters are asked to sign, uphold and share with oth-ers. An official “I AM JAMAICA” theme song featuring several reggae veterans has been produced to convey the message of the campaign and mobilize the community with the realization that music moves people. The reggae artists include Hopeton Lindo, Shaggy, Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths, Courtney John, Peter Gee, Sophia Brown and Anthony Cruz. Accompanying the theme song is the official “I AM JAMAICA” music video. The video, directed by Lukkee Chong and Max Earle of Frame by Frame Produc-tions, was filmed in various locations throughout South Florida and Jamaica and features the contributing vocalists, scenes from the Jamai-can landscape and people of the Diaspora supporting the mission of the campaign. Today‟s leading social media platforms are being used to further the campaign‟s mission and galvanize the Diaspora. In addition to the “I AM JAMAICA” web site, www.IAMJAMAICA.org, supporters can follow the campaign‟s progress on Twitter at www.twitter.com/

IAMJAMAICA2 or join the “I AM JAMAICA” Fan page on Facebook at http://bit.ly/IAMJA-FB. The campaign has also arranged for a cus-tom YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/IAMJAMAICA2, pro-vided to the community as a platform to upload their personal thoughts and offer suggestions and solutions, via video response, on issues pertaining to the upliftment of the Jamaican community at home and abroad. Over a four week period leading up to August 6th, Ja-maica‟s Independence Day, supporters and members of the Diaspora will be asked to sign the “I AM JAMAICA” Declaration for Positive

Action and Accountability, to spread the mission of the cam-paign and to upload campaign response videos.

I am Jamaica -Continued from Page 1

6 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

Trinidad and Tobago is ready to do business says PM

D uring her first visit to the United States since being elected

Trinidad‟s Prime Minister on May 24, Kamla Persad Bisses-sar encouraged Ameri-can entrepreneurs to invest in and do business with the twin island nation. That was the focus of the speech she gave at a trade re-ception in Ft. Lauderdale , Florida recently. Several

South Florida and foreign dignitaries were in attendance, including Lauderhill Vice Mayor Dale Holness who hosted the event. Holness is of Jamaican descent, says Jamaicans have a fondness for Bissessar since she taught and lived there for 14 years. In her speech, the prime minister said her goal is to diversify Trinidad and Tobago‟s economy and to be competitive in the global mar-ket. That‟s why, she said, she is putting things in order to make Trini-dad and Tobago a business friendly country. “New opportunities are being created and mechanisms are being put in place to make it as easy as possible for those abroad to invest, trade, or operate their business from T&T. For instance, a single electronic win-

dow is being worked on. This will allow most business transactions to be done from one website. All information and documents that need to be filed will be accessible by the click of a button,” she said. Then there is the issue of customs. Right now it can sometimes take days or even weeks for clearance. Bissessar says her government is working to improve the efficiency to make it fast and easy for customs clearance. Best of all for investors, however, may be incentives such as tax free policies, waivers, and exemptions that could save a business thousands of dollars. Especially with the exchange rate, which cur-rently averages around TT$6 for US$1, the savings could potentially be significant. Many reasons were given why it is easy to conduct business with Trinidad. It has a stable economy, a stable political system and a skilled workforce of over 600 thousand English speaking people. And right now the Panama Canal is being widened, which will allow a lot more freight to come through. That expansion is expected to be com-plete in the next five years. One of Bissessar‟s other big selling points is that investors will also have access to other external markets.

“Currently there exist formal trade agreements between T and T and Costa Rica, the European Union, Dominican Republic, Columbia and Venezuela. In addition, T and T as part of Caricom is currently negoti-ating a trade and development agreement with Canada, which is ex-pected to be complete in 2011,” she told her audience.

PM speaking at Business Forum

Laparkan embarks on modernization program Disaster response center set for new Florida warehouse

L aparkan has embarked on a program to modernize its shipping and money transfer operations in an effort to offer

customers improved quality service at com-petitive prices. The company is taking a num-ber of initiatives as part of its restructuring and modernization including the appointment of a number of agents across the State of Florida, and the opening of a new warehouse in Miami says Glen Khan, Laparkan‟s chairman and chief executive officer. Khan says the restructuring has resulted in the lay-off of some workers “but we have dealt with this in the most humane manner possi-ble” including the payment of severance pack-ages. Here is the text of the interview: CS: How is Laparkan doing today in light of the economic recession? GK: We have been in operation now for 27 years during which I believe we have given reasonably high quality service to our custom-

ers. It‟s our customers and our hard working employees that have kept us in business over the years and we are doing all that is necessary to keep our loyal customers and attract new ones. Like any other business the current global economic situation has had a negative impact on our business. Revenues are down but it is my view that we have begun to turn around slowly. We at Laparkan have under-taken, in fact the process is now ongoing, to recalibrate our operations so as to become more cost efficient and effective and to ensure that we offer the best quality service at com-petitive prices. CS: What are some of the specific initiatives you are taking to achieve this? GK: In Florida we have begun to appointment a number of agents in various communities so as to facilitate easy access to our services. Our new warehouse and corporate headquarters is taking shape and we are working with the Americas Relief Team (ART) and other donor

agencies at establishing within this facility an emergency disaster re-sponse center. You know that fol-lowing the earthquake in Haiti we donated the use of 50,000 square feet of warehouse space at this new facility which was used and is still being used as a staging area for relief and development sup-plies to Haiti. We are in the mid-dle of a major restructuring of our operations in the Northeast United States-the New York or the tri-state area. We have introduced a new state of the art Cargo Manager Sys-tem throughout the Laparkan net-work which enables us to better track cargo and to be able to keep customers updated in a timely manner on the status of their ship-ments. Once fully implemented this will significantly reduce some of the problems we have had in the past with cargo being misplaced and delayed. We have also set up a customer service call center in New York which is operational seven days a week for extended hours each day so that customers can check on their shipments, schedule a pick up or a delivery of

barrels. Also, we recently closed our Linden Blvd. warehouse in Brooklyn and now use a third-party handling facility which is designed to accommodate the quick turn round of cargo so that this cargo makes the first available sail-ing. CS: Has this restructuring resulted in the loss of jobs? GK: Unfortunately it has. No business likes to see good hardworking employees go. But as we restructured this became necessary. About 30 employees were affected in New York and some in Florida but we addressed this issue in the most humane way we could. We informed those affected more than 90 days in advance of their separation, offered them incentives to stay on until the closure of the Linden Blvd. facility, paid them severance packages and ar-ranged professional help for them so as to help them prepare their resumes and gear them-selves to find reasonable alternative employ-ment. In Florida some of these employees apart from receiving severance packages, have be-come special Laparkan agents. CS: Where do you see Laparkan going in the future? GK: I don‟t have my crystal ball with me….but on a serious note we are working to make La-parkan a stronger, more efficient and modern company. We have a bunch of dedicated, com-petent and hardworking people and a loyal customer base which we are seeking to ex-pand. I am confident Laparkan will continue to grow and to be of service to Caribbean people both in the Diaspora and in the region.

(L-R) Glen Khan, Jeb Bush, Wesley Kirton

and Raphael Meijas at recent Disaster Relief

Awards Luncheon on Carnival Imagination

7 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

A section of the crowd at Kalla’s Kitchen

watching World Cup Finals

L-R Jahan Manraj,

Sheriff Demings,

along with Vanessa

Churaman and

Melinda Gordon of

the “ Caribbean

Sun” at recent

Immigration Forum

L-R Vibart Boodhoo, Fmr. Citizens Bank Chief

Executive Allan Parris and Banks DIH Execu-

tive Desmond Gajraj relax over a beer at

Timehri Restaurant

Jamaica‟s first female Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, presented her Letters of Credence to the United States Presi-dent, Barak Obama at the White House re-cently. In presenting her credentials to President Obama, Ambassador Marks expressed Ja-maica's desire to "deepen the bonds of friend-ship and the ties of co-operation that have united our peoples for so many years," and to build on existing relationships on the economic and security fronts, which will serve to aid Ja-maica's progress and development. Ambassador Marks identified the areas of trade and investment as key components of the partnership between Jamaica and the United States. On the role of the Jamaican Diaspora in the United States and its facilitation of a long-standing and vibrant interchange between both countries, President Obama said that the United States had provided Jamaicans with the

ability "to acquire a wide range of professional and technical skills (and) to rise to positions of leadership within busi-ness, government and the non-profit sector. It is as a result of this that they have been able to make such a significant contribution to the de-velopment of the United States." To this end, Ambassador Marks told the U.S. President that the Government of Jamaica would continue to actively work with the Ja-maican Diaspora to "jointly stimulate greater growth in our economy, such as through the identification of opportunities for joint venture arrangements that will expand the quantity of foreign direct investment that originates from the United States."

For his part, President Obama has expressed his desire to see the continued development of the special relationship that exists be-tween Jamaica and the

United States. The US President expressed strong support for the Jamaican government and people. He pointed out that he had enjoyed meeting with Prime Minister Bruce Golding in Canada last weekend at the G8 meetings and understands the importance of what the Government of Ja-maica is doing and that they can look for-ward to his full support.

Jamaica's Ambassador presents credentials to Obama

8 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

By Laverne McGee

It was a celebration, a gala and a proud moment in time for Trinidadians in South Florida. Over 300 welcomed Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar to the Mi-ami, Ft.Lauderdale area with warmth and an excitement that hasn‟t been felt in years. Like many Trinidadians living in the US and other parts of the world, there is a re-newed interest in their homeland since her recent victorious election. The event was held at an upscale ban-quet hall called the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Most people attending came from nearby Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Lauderhill, but some even came from Trinidad. Former UNC Government member Carlos John was in the crowd, along with local Florida politicians and community leaders. UNC Florida hosted the evening filled with singers, dancers, and special tributes to Persad Bissessar. The PM flew into South Florida on Friday July 9 directly from Jamaica, where she had been attending the 31st Caricom Summit. Accompanied by her husband, and dressed in a simple yet elegant black dress, she was surrounded by formally dressed friends, family and supporters, some of whom she has known for years. UNC Florida had hosted her many times

before her election and has been key in promoting her popularity in Florida. But this time was diffned as a history making icon. With simplicity and charm she gra-ciously accepted well wishes from every-one. Security and the Master of Ceremo-nies had to remind people that she was no longer “Auntie Kamla” , as many ac-quaintances were referring to her. UNC Florida Vice-President Gregory Antoni said people had been calling their offices non-stop to get tickets to the event. The highlight of the evening was her speech. She began by thanking South Flor-ida for supporting her long before she be-came Prime Minister. But she did not fo-cus on herself, she talked over the world. On Saturday July 10, Persad Bissessar spent time with family and friends, and attended several private meetings. Mon-day she was the featured speaker at a net-working and trade event in Ft. Lauderdale about establishing her Children‟s Life Fund, asking for help for Trinidadian chil-dren in need of life saving surgeries. That was followed by several presentations, in-cluding a painting of her, and a White-berry phone from Rim. But the evening wasn‟t just about cele-brating Persad Bissessar‟s victory. With the economic crisis that‟s been hanging

over the US economy, some members of the Trinidadian Diaspora are wondering what the possibilities are of investing in Trinidad. Whether it‟s business invest-ments, trade, or even buying homes, there is a huge buzz about possibilities to renew connections with their former homeland. Minister of Trade and Industry Stephen Cadiz and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan also made the trip, and met with members of the South Flor-ida community to discuss these inquiries. Press Secretary Garvin Nicholas, who also made the trip, said they are looking for-ward to hearing more from Trinidadians in Florida as well as all . She returned to Trinidad Monday July 12.

South Florida Welcomes New Trinidad PM

The Guyanese American Cultural Association of Central Florida hosted a criminal and immigration law forum with invited speakers, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and Attorneys Gail Seeram, Wayne Gold-ing and Arturo R. Rios. The appreciative audience learned about their rights when stopped by the police and how a simple traffic stop can lead to criminal proceedings and even deportation for a permanent resident or undocumented alien. Above a section of the audience and the panel at the Forum held at Timehri Banquet Hall

GACACF LEGAL FORUM

US President Barack Obama has named Pamela Bridgewater to fill the post of US ambassador to Jamaica. Bridgewater is a career diplomat who previously served in Jamaica as deputy chief of mission. Her other overseas postings have in-cluded Belgium, South Africa and the Bahamas, and she has served as US ambassador to Ghana and Benin.

New US Ambassador to Jamaica

PM receives portrait from artist Sirju Mohan

9 Florida’s Caribbean Sun

G lowing tributes have been paid to the life and work of retired Banks DIH executive

Ken De Abreu who died last month at his home in Orlando, Florida. The funeral service, held at St. An-drews Catholic Church was at-tended by scores of relatives and friends including Demico House Manager Gajraj and former Citi-zens Bank chief executive Alan Parris. At a repast following the burial, a tribute from Guyana‟s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony was read by Ar-nold Gajraj, a close family friend.

Guyana Pays Tribute to Ken

De Abreu

Aries (21 March - 19 April) This month is rich with potential for personal progress, though overall success won't come easily as some of your goals slip out of reach. Moti-vation is high and hope is in the air, but it's mixed with tension as your need for freedom battles with your responsibilities to others.

Taurus (20 April - 20th May) Delicacy reigns early this month as sensitivity and caution are in the spotlight. There is a strong potential to deepen your understanding of others this month, as long as you open your eyes to the unspoken sig-nals of those around you. The long-lasting struggle between controlling your own life and responding to the life's little surprises can be allevi-ate now.

Gemini (21 May -21 June) The month gets off to a slow start, leaving you time to adjust to recent changes and disappointments. Still, much of July may be spent dealing with one distraction after another. Yet between the distractions, you are being called to reexamine your core values and immediate needs, and take decisive action while you can.

Cancer (22 June - 22 August) The pace of change doesn't slow this month, as you are driven toward deep self-examination and aim to tackle unfinished emotional business. You may feel a need to separate yourself from others now, which can actually create enough distance and clarity that you can start to view your relationships more objectively.

Leo (23 August - 22 August) Your appearance and demeanor are sparkling this month, as is your relationship with money, your possessions and even your self-esteem. Nonetheless, it can't always be about you, and you are being called to improve the efficiency of your interactions with others on both a busi-ness and a personal level now.

Virgo (23 August - 22 September) Thinking gives way to feeling for much of this month. Focusing on per-sonal matters first will allow you to have a good time later without be-ing plagued by tiny details. This month is a time to cut out what you no longer need and focus on how you can better work and play with oth-ers.

Libra (23 September - 22 October) Part of you would rather avoid confrontation and conflict this

month, yet there is still a push to speak your mind. Burying your feel-ings can leave you emotionally distraught, while revealing unexpressed vulnerability can lead to closer connections now.

Scorpio (23 October - 21 November) A long process of change is finally coming to a head , so you can expect radical shifts in your daily routine, your job and even your spiritual practice. You are more able to let go of old fashioned beliefs and unreal-istic expectations about your future, and should feel more certain about the current direction of your life.

Sagittarius (22 November - 21 December) You now realize the unproductive patterns that have been blocking your potential, but there's still hard work to do, and change won't come easily. Tensions mount between your personal independence and the demands of career-related responsibilities. Your whole life may feel at a tipping point, but all-or- nothing ultimatums won't prove as successful as sincere compromise now.

Capricorn (22 December - 16 January) The month of August brings a more solid foundation to any job you have by defining what's working, what isn't and what you can do about it. There's also a significant shift in your love life now, but while you may be confronted with issues you'd rather not face, riding these waves of emotion instead of hiding them suits you better now. This is an op-portunity to take effective action.

Aquarius (20 January - 18 February) You are now tempted to take all sorts of risks, yet reckless behavior won't accomplish as much as you hope this month. You are aware now of what's been holding you back, and now is the time to start gathering information to work toward positive new you.

Pisces (19 February - 20 March) Relationships roll into the foreground this month, and you feel more of a desire to express your feelings. August is a time to get rid of beliefs and goals that no longer apply, making you stronger and more able to climb much higher later on.

UPCOMING EVENTS Jamaican Caribbean Cultural Festival

Sat. August 14th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Florida Horse Park

11008 S. Hwy 475, Ocala, FL34480

A Magical Night of Music and Dance

Sat. August 14th 2010 @ 7:00PM

Shri Suryanarayan Mandir

8406 Clarcona Ocoee Rd, Ocoee,FL

TTAC Independence Dinner & Dance

Sat. August 21 2010 @ 7PM

Orlando Garden Club

710 Rollins St., Orlando, FL

Haitian Soccer Team Plays at Disney

By Scott Gleba

T hanks to Walt Disney World and the benevo-lence of a member of the US Women's Under 17-

team, the Haitian Under-17 Women's squad competed in the Disney Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament, July 12-17, at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Haiti and the team were ravaged by the colossal earthquake that struck on January 12. Six months later, the country is still fighting valiantly to recover, but the U17s are among the nearly 200 elite partici-pants from across the globe that made their way to Disney. Clubs featuring boys and girls (ages 9-17) from nations as far away as England, Brazil, Malay-sia and Mexico were part of the biggest field in the tournament's 12-year history. "This year's field was one of the most diverse and largest we've had in our tournament's history," said the event's tournament direc-tor Mark Luster. "The Disney Cup continues to be a great opportu-nity for teams from around the world to compete against other top young athletes while also get-ting to relax and enjoy a vacation

at Disney." Even though their coach and family members were victims of the earthquake, the Haitian team somehow sum-moned the cour-age to travel last March to Costa Rica for the CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Championship. Despite losing, 9-0, to the U.S. in their opening match, both teams made global news with their moving interac-tion afterwards. When the final whistle blew, Hai-tian goalkeeper, Alexandra Colby crumpled to the ground in tears and emotional exhaustion. In a demonstration of genuine com-passion, U.S. goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin approached Colby and gave her a warm hug. Soon after, the entire American squad joined in, creating a memorable and in-spiring moment that captured the world's attention. Following its three group games, the team returned to Haiti, where life continues to be extremely dif-ficult. This is where Heaberlin, 17, re-entered the picture.

"That (the hug with Colby) just really impacted me and I thought I needed to help them in any way I could," Heaberlin told Fox 13 TV in Tampa. "So I started brain-storming and that night, me and my family came up with the idea to try and bring them here." As a result, Heaberlin created the Many Hearts One Goal founda-tion, which gave her a vehicle to raise money and bring the Hai-tian players to her home state of Florida. As fate would have it, Heaberlin was called to the US team playing at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany. And though she wasn‟t with the Haitian U-17 team in body, she undoubtedly was in spirit.

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Guyana Republic Gala February 19 celebrity guest speaker likely

Jamaica Independence Ball August 7

The planning has already begun for next year's Guyana Republic Anni-versary Gala which will return to the historic Ballroom at Church Street in downtown Orlando, Florida on Saturday, February 19, 2011. This fundraising event, put on annually by the Guyanese American Cul-tural Association of Central Florida (GACACF), was first held in 2005 and is one of the signature events of the organization. The planning committee for the event has already been formed and an agreement signed with Puff ‘N Stuff caterers, operators of the ballroom, for the use of the facility. The planning committee is chaired by Wesley Kirton and includes George Lyking, Gail Seeram, Andy King, Vanessa Chin-Churaman, Sulay Manraj, Carolyn Baker and Melinda Gordon. Tickets for the event are already on sale at a cost of $60 each which covers a three course meal, dancing and an opportunity to meet the keynote speaker, who the organizers say is likely to be a big name ar-tiste with Guyanese roots. In anticipation of this celebrity guest speaker, the committee says it is pre-selling tickets before announcing who the guest speaker will be.

"We are offering a payment plan under which persons who wish to at-tend this gala could place a deposit of $20 on each ticket and pay the remaining $40 within 60 days but no later than November 30, 2010. This will help ensure that, should we be successful in having our celeb-rity guest speaker, there is no scalping of tickets. We want to ensure that Guyanese and friends of Guyana get an opportunity at an afford-able price to be part of this event," said Kirton. Kirton said that the committee is also seeking sponsors for the event and appealed to Guyanese owned businesses as well as other busi-ness establishments that benefit from Guyanese patrons, to support the event with their sponsorships. He said payment plans will also be put in place for sponsorships so as to ease the burden of having to make a one-time payment. Plans are also being finalized for top class musical entertainment. For more information e-mail wesleykirton@aol.com or call Melinda (407) 374-2979, George( 321) 438-0571 or Vanessa (407) 325-5466

The annual Jamaica Independence Ball put on by the Jamaican American Asso-ciation of Central Florida will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel, from 7pm until 2 am. The association's president, Denis Hall told Caribbean Sun that the event will reflect the rich diversity of Jamaican cul-ture through food, presentations and en-tertainment. Jamaica is celebrating its

48th anniversary of Independence this year. During the event, Hall said community service awards and scholarship awards will be presented. He said tickets are reasonably priced at $65. The popular 506 Crew band and DJ In-spector Rogers will provide the music. .

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