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CONTENTS
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Bolt leads dominance of Olympics by Caribbean athletes

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Jamaica bauxite plant shutdown to cost 600 jobs

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St. Lucia says no to IMF assistance

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Guyana bans gold, diamond mining in rivers

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Jamaica Broilers lights up chicken houses with solar plan

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Geothermal energy to reduce Dominicans light bills by 40%

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Jamaica to spend US$33 million for highway land

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Arizona racism hits 96 year-old latino former Arizona Governor

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US teenager helps Jamaican school

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Sick leave mill in Dominica irks employers

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Miss Guyana wins

UNDILUTED pays tribute to John Maxwell by featuring two previous columns by him from the Hot Calaloo UNDILUTED archives:

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Hot Calaloo's Undiluted Vol. 15, "The Audacity of Hopelessness"

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Hot Calaloo's Undiluted Vol. 14, "Cuba's Benevolence versus US Belligerence"

 
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Boycott Money and Save Your Soul - Launching the Goodwill Revolution
by Michael I Phillips

List Price $11.95 (paperback)
Special Clearance
$10

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 more book info see
     goodwillie.org

Buy through Paypal or  send check for $5 + $3 (shipping) to 
Hot Calaloo
PO Box 411
Columbia MD 21045, USA

 

cover River Woman by Donna Hemans ... $16.10
  The Rio Minho in Jamaica provides much more than a setting for this potent, accomplished debut by Jamaican-born Donna Hemans.

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cover  For the Life of Laetitia by Trinidad -born Merle Hodge  Price: $10.54
a wonderful book about a young girl in the Carribean, the first of her family to go to secondary school.

 

 

August 2012

Bolt leads dominance of Olympics by Caribbean athletes

Usain Bolt did not disappoint at the London Olympics. He confirmed that he is the fastest man on the planet by winning the 100 and 200 meter races as well as bringing home the gold for Jamaica in the 4 x 100 m relay in world and Olympic record time.

Medal Count

Country

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

Cuba

5

3

6

14

Jamaica

4

4

4

12

Trinidad & Tobago

1

 

3

4

Dominican Republic

1

1

 

2

Puerto Rico

 

1

1

2

Bahamas

1

 

 

1

Grenada

1

 

 

1

But the medal count does not portray the story of the dominance of Caribbean athletes in the shorter races. This is better done when we look at the results of these races with Caribbean athletes highlighted in gold:

Men

100 m – 1 Usain Bolt Jamaica; 2 Yohan Blake, Jamaica; 3 Justin Gatlin, US
200 m - 1 Usain Bolt Jamaica; 2 Yohan Blake, Jamaica; 3 Warren Weir, Jamaica
400 m – Kirani James, Grenada, 2 Luguelin Santos, Dominican Republic; 3 Lalonde Gordon, T&T
110 m hurdles – 1 Aries Merritt, US; 2 Jason Richardson, US; 3 Hansle Parchment, Jamaica
4 x 100m relay – 1 Jamaica; 2 USA; 3 T&T
4 x 400m relay – 1 Bahamas; 2 USA; 3 T&T

Women

100 m – 1 Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica; 2 Carmelita Jeter, US; 3 Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaica
200 m – 1 Allison Felix, US; 2 Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce; Jamaica; 3 Carmelita Jeter US
400 m - 1 Sanya Richards-Ross, US (Jamaica-born); 2 Christine Ohuruogu, Great Britain; 3 Deedee Trotter, US
110 m hurdles – 1 Sally Pearson, Australia; 2 Dawn Harper US; 3 Kellie Wells, US
4 x 100 m relay – 1 US; 2 Jamaica; 3 Ukraine
4 x 400 m relay – 1 US; 2 Russia; 3 Jamaica

But this was not all. Probably the biggest shock of all came from T&T teenager Keshorn Walcott. The 19-year-old took the gold for the javelin. He became

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the first athlete from the English-speaking Caribbean to win gold in a javelin event

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the first in 60 years from the Western Hemisphere.

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the youngest-ever gold medal winner of the javelin in Olympic history

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Jamaica bauxite plant shutdown to claim 600 jobs

NEARLY 600 Jamaicans will be forced to join the unemployment line later this year as Russian aluminium giant UC Rusal moves to shut down its Ewarton plant in St Catherine.

Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell, in a statement to the House of Representatives yesterday, said he was "verbally advised" on July 6 this year that the company had made the decision to close its Ewarton plant for a year.

According to Paulwell, the planned closure of UC Rusal's Ewarton plant comes despite efforts by the Government to grant a full waiver of production levy for the plant for one year, which would have taken effect on June 1, 2012.

He said the main conditions of the waiver included a commitment from the company to implement certain short-term projects, aimed at improving the capacity, efficiency and the environmental management of the Ewarton plant. But, UC Rusal did not utilise the waiver which was granted. Even worse, indications are that the continued operation of the Ewarton plant is in doubt.

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St. Lucia says no to IMF assistance

St. Lucia Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has declared that the island will not seek financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Parliament approved a government motion allowing it to borrow EC$135.5 million (US$50 million) from a private sector concern instead to finance projects under the capital expenditure component of the 2012-2013 national budget.

Anthony said the move is aimed at ensuring that his administration never sees the door of the International Monetary Fund as has been the case with two countries Antigua & Barbuda and Grenada - which were now engaged in agreements with the Washington-based financial institution.

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Guyana bans gold, diamond mining in rivers

Guyana has indefinitely banned all diamond and gold mining in rivers because of pollution, loose regulations and other concerns. Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud says the government will take stock of the damage done so far. He said  that riverbanks have been damaged, several species of fish are dying and that large trees have fallen and blocked channels.

The announcement comes as gold overtakes sugar as the country's top export, generating more than US$1 billion in revenue. The government said earlier this year that it would open offices in the country's interior to cut down on gold smuggling and try to ensure miners' safety.

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Jamaica Broilers lights up chicken houses with solar plan

Poultry farmers, Jamaica Broilers are going green. Their new project, valued at US$10 million, or the equivalent of J$890 million, will introduce energy-saving devices such as LED lamps, or light-emitting diodes, as a source of light, as well as solar photovoltaic systems, on chicken farms throughout its supply chain.

One of the solar systems was installed less than three weeks previously and has so far generated 1.7 megawatts of power or the equivalent of one barrel, or about 42 gallons (159 litres) of oil. It is also equivalent to the energy from 5,800 cubic feet of natural gas.

Oil fuels about 90 per cent of Jamaica's electricity supplies sold through the national grid.

Jamaica Broilers has long experimented with energy-saving programs, including co-generation from bio-waste at its St Catherine-based complex. The company diversified into production of fuel-grade ethanol about five years ago, which it sells domestically and in overseas markets.

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Geothermal energy to reduce Dominicans light bills by 40%

The Dominica government says it is pleased with the developments within the geothermal energy sector and has assured nationals that they could expect at least a 40 per cent reduction in electricity bills within the coming months.

Energy Minister Rayburn Blackmore told Parliament that the Roosevelt Skerrit administration is considering building a 10-15 megawatt plant in the near future as the island seeks to develop alternative sources of energy, describing the geothermal sector as a success story.

"We are committed therefore to adding to our energy portfolio, geothermal energy. Already we have 40 per cent hydro and 70 per cent fossil fuel", he told legislators during debate on the national budget.

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Jamaica to spend US$33 million for highway land

THE JAMAICAN Government will be budgeting US$33 million (J$3 billion) for the acquisition of land to facilitate the construction of the US$600 million north-south link highway project.

Chinese construction firm China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) will be responsible for financing, constructing and operating the project for the concession period of 50 years.

Managing Director of the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), Ivan Anderson told a parliamentary committee  that the Government's responsibility in the north-south concession was to acquire land. In addition Government lands would be leased to the developer for the life of the concession after which the lands and the highway would be reclaimed by the state.

As part of the agreement, the Jamaican Government will provide five square kilometres of land to CHEC, adjacent to the highway, for further development. Along the alignment will be housing, hotels and commercial office complexes, but the Government has not made any financial investment in the US multimillion-dollar Chinese project.

Editorial: Not so fast! I used to support these massive highway projects, but no more. Why do we need to spend such vast quantities of money to get from A to B faster on such a small island. It saves time but spends huge sums of money, mortgaging our future. We don’t need to save time. We have lots of time and no money. Besides mortgaging our future, these superhighway isolates communities, and deprives others of drive-by business with disastrous financial consequences. Think again. This superhighway money could be better spent elsewhere.

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Arizona racism hits 96 year-old latino former Arizona Governor

In the racist state of Arizona, former Arizona Governor Raúl Héctor Castro was stopped and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol, and made to stand outside in 100-degree heat during the process. The former governor was on the way to his 96th birthday celebration.

Family friend and University of Arizona professor, Anne Doan, was driving Governor Castro. The agents said their radar had picked up a nuclear threat. When asked if anyone in the car had recently had a medical treatment, Governor Castro informed them that he had received a treatment at the hospital, involving his heart and pacemaker, the day before. An agent replied that the solution used must have set off the radar, but still ordered the Governor and Ms. Doan out of the car.

The two were directed to a tent for a secondary inspection. Doan asked if the Governor could remain in the air-conditioned car, due to his age and medical condition, but was told that was impossible. To add to the discomfort, the Governor was dressed in a suit. He was finally offered a chair under the tent, but had to wait for the agents to scan him with a wand—front and back—and to produce a document for him to sign before he was released.

As Castro and Doan started back to their car, they were again stopped, this time in full, blazing sunlight, and the Governor was asked for his identification. The agents registered the information from his ID before he was allowed to proceed to the car. The entire incident took 30-45 minutes, in the middle of a broiling desert.

Doan had informed the agents of Castro’s background. He was governor of Arizona from 1975-1977, at which time he was tapped by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina (1977-80). He was previously Ambassador to El Salvador (1964-68) and Bolivia (1968-69) under Presidents Johnson and Nixon.

Then this occurs to her: "After all of this chaos in the Arizona heat I thought it was interesting that the agents never asked me for my identification, and I was driving the car. Maybe I was the nuclear threat." Interesting, indeed. The white lady doesn’t even get asked for her ID. If Arizona’s "papers please" law wasn’t about racial profiling, then how come the 96-year-old Latino former governor of the state was detained?

Keep boycotting Arizona!

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US teenager helps Jamaican school

The MARIE Cole Primary School is located in the Burnt Ground district at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains in rural St. Elizabeth Jamaica., the school, which was opened in 1968, was built for 170 students. However, by 2012, more than 400 students are enrolled there. Since 2009, many of them have been learning in an old bus that was transformed into a makeshift classroom.

Morgan Gonzalez, 17, who has worked with charities such as Zoo Miami and Habitat for Humanity found out about Marie Cole Primary School from a colleague of her mother. Even though she resided in Florida, she fell in love with the school and began working towards her dream of having temporary outdoor and 'bus-room' classes moved permanently indoors.

This remarkable teenager developed a website, Classes for Marie Cole, with information on the project and how to donate to the Sandals Foundation, which would oversee the construction efforts in her absence. In addition, she sold schoolbooks and facilitated a school-supplies drive that brought in packs of construction paper; tools such as pencils, pens, crayons, markers; and more than 70 books. On June 19, these were donated, along with sporting gear and US$5,900, which will go towards the construction of a classroom.

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Sick leave mill in Dominica irks employers

The Dominica Employers Federation (DEF) says many workers were reporting sick for duty and wondered whether some medical practitioners were engaged in a practice that cost the island millions of dollars.

Figures released in Dominica show that employees, who presented certified sick leave papers, were paid more than $7 million (US$2.59 million) in salaries and wages.

The DEF said that social insurance logged more than 86,600 days of sick leave claimed by a workforce of less than 23,000 last year.

It said that the figure was more than the 78,425 days recorded for 2010 and does not include certified sick leave for less than four days.

The employers organisation said that if those statistics were included along with uncertified sick leave, occupational injuries, disablement, and a few other related areas, the total sick leave for the year would exceed 100,000 days.

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Miss Guyana wins

Miss Guyana, Arti Cameron, is the winner of the official Miss World 2012 People’s Choice Award. Miss Cameron, whose journey to the China Miss World pageant was beset by many hurdles, won the award with over 7,000 votes in a poll conducted by Missosology. Nepal’s Shristi Shrestha & Slovenia’s Nives Orešnik placed second and third respectively.

 


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