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CONTENTS UNDILUTED pays tribute to John Maxwell by featuring two previous columns by him from the Hot Calaloo UNDILUTED archives:
Not just a book but an invitation to join the Goodwill
Revolution against an unfair, unjust and deceptive system that
keeps the world poor and without hope. Find out how you can join,
quit the rat race, and achieve a happier more meaningful life for
yourself and others through goodwill to all
--------------- 
For
the Life of Laetitia
by Trinidad -born Merle Hodge
Price: $10.54a wonderful book about a young girl in the Carribean, the first of her family to go to secondary school.
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AugSept 2014 US
subsidies threaten CARICOM rum
industries
US subsidized rum is killing CARICOM
rum producers. Barbadian Trade, Industry and Commerce Minister, Donville
Inniss, is criticising regional leaders for lack of support in the current
trade issue with the United States over rum. Because of it,
producers will be able to produce and export rum to the US at much
cheaper rates than many of the spirits made by producers in CARICOM. They
argue that the subsidies were in breach of WTO rules. He has compared it
to the banana struggle of the nineties when the US attacked and pretty
much killed CARICOM banana trade.
Tablets
for e-Learning project begins in Jamaica
THE distribution of 25,000 tablets to teachers and students under the
Tablets in Schools (TIS) Pilot Project has begun with the delivery of
approximately 180 devices. The deliveries will now allow the commencement
of training of teachers in seven educational institutions included in the
pilot phase. The devices were delivered in mid-July by Digicel Jamaica, which is one
of four companies contracted to provide the tablets under the year-long
pilot project. The other three companies are Innovative Corporate
Solutions, Productive Business Solutions and GeoTech Vision Enterprises. Groups of teachers will be in training for two-week periods, focusing
on tablet integration in instructional delivery ahead of the roll-out of
the devices to students in September. CEO of e-Learning Jamaica Company
Ltd (e-Ljam) Avrill Crawford explained that all the teachers in the 38
schools are being trained so that by September they will be ready to
integrate the tablets into the normal teaching/learning process. Students
and their parents or guardians will sign an agreement regarding their
responsibility for proper use and care before receiving the tablets.
Dozens
arrested in T&T
HUNDREDS of people are expected to appear before the courts after
police exercises in ten areas in southern Trinidad. Officers arrested 131
people for robberies and narcotics and one man was held for possession of
a gun with five rounds of ammunition. A warrant was issued for another who was in his company and escaped in
nearby bushes. More than 130 traffic tickets were issued by officers,
while 83 people were arrested on warrants. Twenty-seven people will appear
before a magistrate for driving under the influence of alcohol. Officers
also recovered five stolen vehicles during the exercises. They stopped and
searched 975 motorists in Moruga,
Jamaican
gets US patent for anti-cancer formula
Renowned Jamaican scientist and
entrepreneur Dr Henry Lowe has been awarded a second patent from the
world's leading United States Patent Office on the anti-cancer
activities of the ball moss. The patent was issued on May 6 and
titled," Methods for inhibiting prostate cancer by kinases and angiogenesis
inhibitory mechanisms." Dr Joseph L. Bryant of the University of
Maryland shares the patent with Dr Lowe. The patent states that the ball moss isolates have been demonstrated to
inhibit the growth and viability of prostate cancer cells by selectively inhibiting
certain types of proteins called kinases, which signals the directive for
cancer cells to grow and spread. The mechanism also prevents angiogenesis,
which is the growth of new blood vessels to feed the cancer tumors. Not only has he been doing laboratory
and clinical work on prostate cancer with ball moss isolates and alpha
prostate formula, Lowe is the lead author in the development of a book, The
Prostate Cancer Guide - a resource for Jamaican men and their families,
which was sold out and is being updated for a second edition. Dr Lowe has published 12 peer-reviewed research papers on ball moss in
leading academic journals and his discoveries and publications make him
the world's authority on this subject. He is the first person to have
discovered that the ball moss has major bio-medicinal properties.
Parrotfish
ban resisted in Jamaica
Scientists
have highlighted the benefits
to reefs by banning the catching the parrot fish, but vendors cite loss of
earnings it would cause.
Jamaicans love parrotfish. Steamed, fried or roasted, the brightly
coloured sea creature is a common feature on many a dinner plate. It’s
also a favourite at the beach and at roadside eateries on the weekend.
Bu,t the enjoyment could soon come to an end as local and international
groups are lobbying for a parrotfish ban. The arguments are that: 1) the
fish clean coral reefs by eating the algae that grows on them, and 2) they
excrete sand, which is one way of countering beach erosion. Lenbert Williams, director of projects with the Negril Coral Reef
Preservation Societyreported that the parrotfish should be declared an
endangered species in order to solve both problems or at least stem the
tide of degradation. A mature parrotfish can weigh up to 40 lbs and in its
lifetime it generates about 800 lbs of sand. A study released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation,
recommended that parrotfish be listed as a specially protected species
under the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW
Protocol). It has found that Caribbean corals have declined by more than
50 per cent since the 1970s and may disappear in the next 20 years as a
direct result of the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin — the area’s
two main grazers — and not primarily as a result of climate change, as
is widely believed. The proposal to ban or restrict the catching of parrotfish seems
logical enough to scientists, but it’s a much harder sell for the people
who earn a living catching and selling it. They argue that parrot and
snapper are the most abundant fish at sea and that any sort of restriction
would severely hurt their ability to earn. By contrast, fishers in Barbuda, which is about to ban all catches of
parrotfish and grazing sea urchins and set aside one-third of its coastal
waters as marine reserves, are reportedly in support of the restrictions. There are currently 14
fish sanctuaries in Jamaica, and many of them have been very successful at
restoring populations of fish and lobsters, with one sanctuary achieving
an amazing 540 per cent increase in fish biomass in just two years.
Modern
day
pirates
attack
Guyanese coast
Modern day pirates are being blamed as four Guyanese fishermen have
disappeared from their boat off the seas near the coasts of the South
American nation and its neighbor, Suriname. The country’s Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy said the attack
reportedly occurred off the coast of neighboring Suriname. The fishing
boat’s captain claims he jumped into the Atlantic Ocean as the vessel
was being boarded by machete-wielding bandits who then attacked his four
crewmates and apparently dumped their bodies overboard. The blood-spattered boat was recently found drifting at sea near De
Hoop, Mahaica but the bodies of the four men – Andrew, of Lusignan,
Dinesh also known as Monkey Brain, of Uitvlugt, Raymond Gomes, 37, and
Chandrapaul Jallim, 19, both of Recht-door-zee, West Bank Demerara –
have yet to be recovered. Ramsammy is calling for greater cooperation between
Jamaica
health facilities to generate energy from sewage
In Jamaica six health facilities across the island will, in just under
two years, will be able to generate energy from the upgrading of their
sewerage system through anaerobic technology developed by the Scientific
Research Council (SRC) and funded with a $389 million grant from the
National Health Fund (NHF). The anaerobic technology, which is patented by the SRC, protects the
environment because of its low carbon process that contributes to the
reduction of greenhouse gas emission, and prevents the uncontrolled
emission of methane (gas that has no smell) into the atmosphere. The institutions where the plants will be installed are the Fellowship
Health Centre in Portland; Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, Westmoreland; Noel
Holmes Hospital and Lucea Health Department, Hanover; Ulster Spring Health
Centre, Trelawny; Princess Margaret Hospital, St Thomas, and Percy Junor
Hospital, Manchester. Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell, said
the collaboration of the SRC, which is an agency of his ministry, with the
Ministry of Health, must be seen as a practical "demonstration of
cost effective application of technology to add value to the lives of
people". To date, the SRC has commissioned some 500 wastewater treatment
systems, inclusive of biodigesters across the island, at the residential
and commercial levels. The Scientific Research Council (SRC) is
Latin
America condemns Israel
Latin
America's leaders are among the most vehement in condemning Israel's Gaza
offensive -- labelling the Jewish state "terrorist", recalling
ambassadors, and offering near-unanimous, unwavering support to
Palestinians. Peru,
Ecuador, Chile, and El Salvador have also recalled their ambassadors for
consultations, while Costa Rica and Argentina, which have the largest
Jewish populations in the region, called the Israeli ambassador for
meetings at their foreign ministries. Other politically leftist Latin American countries had years earlier broken diplomatic relations with Israel, including Nicaragua in 2010, Venezuela and Bolivia in 2009, after a previous military campaign in Gaza, and Cuba, in 1973, after the Yom Kippur War.
Guyana
seeking to deal with high suicide rate
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Guyana has by far the highest
suicide rate among countries in the Caribbean. It has also been listed in
the top 10 most suicidal countries. So far this year more than 30 people have committed suicide, while
several others are recovering from failed attempts. The IAC said it will stage a walk on September 14 to highlight the
issue and was urging all nationals, religious and non-government
organizations to support the initiative “to heighten awareness about the
need to prevent suicide.” The Guyana government says it has developed a “strategic
partnership” with the Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) to heighten
awareness on the need to prevent suicides in the country The IAC in the past had demonstrated its willingness to lead and
support any intervention regarding this issue and based on the magnitude
of incidents, called for suicide to be declared a national priority. The
IAC believes that much more can be done and had called for meaningful
collaboration among the various government ministries “to derive a plan
of action which will lead to the provision of education through awareness
and related counselling with the aim of reducing, and hopefully,
eliminating incidents of suicides.
US
cuts funding to UWI HIV/AIDS Programme
THE United States’ President Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
has cut funding to the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART)
Program, formerly headed by retired University of the West Indies (UWI)
Professor Brendan Bain. Bain’s contract as head of the UWI-based program
was terminated in May after a coalition of gay advocacy and civil rights
groups pressured the university to fire him for the expert evidence he
gave in a Belize case involving a gay man who challenged the
constitutionality. Professor
Bain’s dismissal had sparked widespread public debate, resulting in
several protests involving church and lobby groups calling for a reversal
of the university’s decision.
Tax
dodgers abound in Jamaica
Recent
revelations show over 60% of
Jamaica landowners in Kingston and St Andrew fail to pay their property
taxes, which go towards payments for garbage collection and street
lighting in the city. Even though the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC)
had collected close to one billion dollars or 60 per cent of its
$1.5-billion annual target, the compliance rate of the various communities
in the city was between two to 39 per cent.
Aristide
arrested
Former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has
been placed under house arrest as a judge continues to investigate
allegations of corruption, money laundering and drugs smuggling involving
the former leader and close allies. As a result of the ruling issued by Judge
Lamarre Belizaire the residence of the former president, in the district
of Tabarre, is being guarded by agents of the prison administration, known
as APENA, while the perimeter of the residence will be guarded by agents
of the Central Department of the Judicial Police (DCPJ ). Aristide and several of his former
colleagues have been accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars
from the State through his organisation, Aristide for Democracy Foundation
and other organisations during the period 2001-04. Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest,
and his colleagues including Mirlande Liberus, Yvon Neptune, Jean Nesty
Lucien and Gustave Faubert, have also been banned from leaving the
country.
Since his return to Haiti in 2011, President Aristide has led the
reopening of the University of the Aristide Foundation (UNIFA), which
now has over 900 students in medical, nursing and law schools.
Yet he continues to be the target of government repression. On August
21, Haitian police wearing black masks and carrying heavy arms appeared
in front of his home as a Haitian judge issued calls to arrest him.
Hundreds of people courageously surrounded the house to protect him.
This is the fourth time since his return that President Aristide has
been the target of a politically motivated legal case. Each time the
case has been dropped before he has had a chance to even defend himself.
We can expect more attacks as legislative elections in Haiti in October
draw closer.
While President Aristide is being threatened with arrest, former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier – who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Haitians during his rule – is living freely in Haiti, and has been openly embraced by Haiti President Martelly.
Barbados
student enrollment plummet at UWI
Cave Hill campus
Campus Registrar,
Ken Walters told reporters that overall, there had been a total of 1,468
students registering this academic year, as compared with 2,240 at the
start of the last academic year in 2013. Last year, Finance
and Economic Affairs Minister Chris Sinckler in his 2013-14 budget
presentation, said that effective 2014, Barbadian students pursuing
studies at the university’s three campuses will be required to pay their
own tuition fees, while the government continues to fund economic costs. Sinckler said the
tuition fees range from BDS$5,625 to BDS$65,000 (One Barbados
dollar=US$0.50 cents) and that the new policy would reduce the transfer to
UWI by an estimated BDS$42 million a year.
Let us know what you think. Email us at hotcalaloo@yahoo.com
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