newpalm.gif (5880 bytes) 


Back to Hot Calaloo

CONTENTS
bullet

Marcus Garvey petition fails for lack of support

bullet

US leaves Antigua holding the bag for 13 years

bullet

Red Stripe beer re-Jamaicanized

bullet

Caribbean organisers gotta do better

bullet

California AG with Jamaican roots elected to US Senate

bullet

Rating agency lowers Barbados’s credit rating

bullet

IMF approves US$39.6m loan for Jamaica

bullet

Ardent statehood supporter wins Puerto Rico’s governorship

bullet

Inventive Cubans hunt expensive fish using inflated condoms 

bullet

Ramleela – Open-air folk theatre in the Caribbean

bullet

Jamaica’s  Andre Blake cops MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

bullet

Bolt causes panic in New York airport

bullet

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

bullet

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

bullet

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

 
bullet

 


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.

---------------

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.

 

 

October/November 2016

  Marcus Garvey petition fails to get enough support

What a shame! The online petition launched to commence the proceedings of clearing the name of Jamaica  National Hero Marcus Garvey was archived yesterday after it failed  to amass the 100,000 signatures needed for it to be considered. More than 9,000 signatures were added in its final hours but it was not enough. By yesterday's deadline, 25,732 signatures were attached to the petition, 74,268 short of the required 100,000 signatures.

Garvey, Jamaica’s first named National Hero, was made a criminal in the United States in 1923 after he was found guilty by nine of 12 jurors of committing mail fraud.

The petition alleges that Garvey, a civil rights activist, was wrongfully convicted of use of the mails in furtherance of a scheme to defraud. It further alleges that Garvey was convicted after being targeted by J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and deprived of a fair trial.

According to the petition, "during a time when Blacks were seen as second-class citizens, Garvey led a mass movement to elevate the Black community through economic empowerment and independence".

This is a crying shame considering the millions of Jamaican living in America.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

US leaves Antigua holding the bag for 13 years

“How can it be that the United States, the most powerful economy and county in the world, can so blatantly disregard the very trade rules that it demands be observed by other countries? This domineering behaviour by the US is troublesome. We are a small state, but we have rights too. And we will stand in defense of the sovereign rights of Antigua and Barbuda,”.

These are the words of Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne at the recent summit of non-aligned nations. He told the summit that Washington has failed to offer a fair settlement after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) had ruled 13 years ago that the American action was illegal. Thirteen years ago!

The WTO had ruled  against the United States’ total prohibition of cross-border gambling services offered by Antiguan operators. He contended that Washington’s failure has “deprived that small country of revenue, employment and economic growth to the tune of  about US$250 million since the ruling.

“How do small and micro states get justice when powerful nations refuse to co-operate?” Brown asked.

He said his country has begun to seriously consider selling US material without paying copyright to the value of US$12 million a year until Washington finally settles the dispute. He also called for the “active solidarity” of members of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) in his island’s Internet gaming dispute with the United States.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Jamaica records lowest unemployment rate in five years

More jobs! Jamaica has recorded its lowest quarterly unemployment rate over the last five years, according to newly released statistics by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).

For the month of July 2016, Jamaica’s unemployment marginally decreased to 176,400 people, 0.2 per cent down or 3,200 less unemployed individuals than the numbers posted in July 2015. The decline represents the lowest quarterly unemployment rate recorded since October 2011.

Subsequently, Jamaica’s employment rate trended upwards, with total employed labour force for the month of July 2016 increasing by 39,400 people, relative to the comparable period in 2015 to total 1,186,900 people. It represents the highest employment level ever recorded for a single month since October 2008 at 1,174,500 people.

 The economy was impacted by the global financial and economic crisis which resulted in a loss of 90,900 jobs as at July 2011, and since then the Jamaican economy has added 103,300 jobs today, establishing the new record employment level.

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Red Stripe beer  re-Jamaicanized

Red Stripe beer is truly Jamaican again. In 2012, Red Stripe took the decision to move its export operations to the United States as part of a broader cost-reduction strategy aimed at stemming the performance slide driven by two successive years of significant volume decline.

Against this background, the restructuring exercise was a last resort, and Red Stripe remained staunchly committed to managing a business that would be able to survive tough times. Today, all production has moved back to Jamaica. The company says it is making good on its word by positioning itself to resume export growth and increase local employment.

WITH the reinstatement of exports to the United States expected later this month, Red Stripe announced that it has already hired an additional 50 employees, and will take on another 30 in the areas of brewing, engineering, packaging, and logistics.

Red Stripe has invested over €16 million, or $2.2 billion, in plant upgrades and increases in staff capacity. Among the upgrades to its production facilities, in preparation for this historic milestone in the life of the brewing giant, were the modernisation of the brewery, the installation of a combined heat and power plant, the commissioning of a new 12-pack machine, and the complete overhaul of the existing packaging line.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Editorial

Caribbean organisers gotta do better

I went to the Jerk Festival. It was held in blocked off streets of downtown Washington DC, just a few blocks from the White House. It was a hot summer day.

As my car approached the festival I noticed the line to get in stretched around the block. I immediately dropped of my American companion to stand in line, while I looked for parking. I had to park several blocks away as nearby parking was filled. By the time I rejoined my companion in the line, we were now near the entrance. My companion was my adult stepson and I was all proud to display Caribbean culture.

Finally we reached the entrance. I had one ticket and needed one more for him.

“This line is for ticket holders only so you will have to go in another line to get the other ticket”,

“What!” I said. “You mean I must leave this line, join another line, buy the ticket and then rejoin this line? I asked.

“Yep”, she replied to my rising frustration.

Eventually we got in and I was now hungry for some Jamaican food.  The temperature radiated up from the black pavement made it even hotter and I yearned for some cold ginger beer. However, there were severe obstacles ahead – more lines, long lines. I would have to get in a long line to get tickets for food and drink, then another line to get the actual food, and another line to cash my drink ticket.

The band played. My hunger and thirst intensified. My patience ebbed. The prospect of waiting in more everlasting lines overwhelmed me. So, I waited not.  I left the Jerk Festival.

The reports are that the Jerk Festival was a resounding success. But, not for me.

 Unfortunately, this type of thing is typical. Good customer service is an unknown concept in too many Caribbean  entertainment functions.

bulletAnother time, I went to a Jamaican play. Doors open at 7 but we milled around in the hallway until 8 when the box office opens. Then  when just before the start of the play. the announcer makes fun of keeping us waiting, attributing it to some quaint  Jamaican custom. We were not amused.
bulletI go to another play, only to learn that the leading actress has dropped out, and her part as a sexy attractive young lady is read, yes read, script in hand, not spoken, by the matronly middle-aged director. I’m so glad I did not take an American with me.
bulletI attend carnival parade in Washington DC. The masquerade bands are bedecked in beautiful costumes, but you cannot see them because the crowds have joined in among them spontaneously almost obliterating the view of the costumed participants. Join in by all means, but stay behind the band.  I have to wait in the heat for half hour between floats.  Do the math. The police did. The carnival culminated in a concert in the park. The headliner did one song and the police moved in to close them down. Because of all those frustrating delays, they had exceeded their allotted time. “Time’s up!” said the police and that was that.
bulletThere are Caribbean concerts presented with some outstanding performers. But can I get a seat to watch? Only if  I lug some portable chair around. Instead,  I must stand around  for over an hour for the show to start. I might have to stand even more while the introductory act does their thing. Then at last, after all that, the real show begins. By that time my remaining un-replaced knee is demanding that it needs surgical replacement too. Is there a Caribbean concert where we can sit down or is that too much to ask? Or are all these concerts only for the young and the spry

You get the picture? There is a sense among Caribbean organisers that they are the only game in town and Caribbean people will put up with any atrocious service they dish out.  They reserve this bad treatment for us.

Now, I know that some of these organisers have put their heart, souls, time, tremendous work and even their own money in these efforts to keep the Caribbean culture alive. It is very commendable. But, they need to hear this criticism. They need to heed this criticism. To ignore it would be undermining their hard work in the long run. The Washington DC carnival no longer exists.

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

California AG with Jamaican roots elected to US Senate

California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris, whose father is Jamaican, has been elected the state’s first new US senator in 24 years and, according to the Associated Press. She will become the first black politician in history to represent California in the Senate.

Harris beat her fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez for the open Senate seat to replace retiring Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer. California’s unusual primary system allows for the two top finishers from the June primary to advance to the general election.

It was the first major test of the “top-two” primary system, an experiment in democracy that California voters approved in 2010 in an effort to reduce the highly partisan influence of the Democratic and Republican parties and give independents and moderates more clout in the political process.

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Rating agency lowers Barbados’s credit rating

International credit rating agency Standards and Poors (S&P) has lowered its long-term foreign and local currency sovereign ratings on Barbados to B- from B. The global ratings agency says the outlook for the island is negative.

In a statement the S&P said over the last several years, the Government’s financial profile has been eroded “because of persistently high fiscal deficits, reflecting both budget slippage and unbudgeted spending”.

The agency noted that the central bank continues to finance the Government, “which we consider at odds with its goal to defend Barbados’s long-standing currency peg with the US dollar”. The report added that the “deficits, coupled with current account deficits not fully financed by foreign direct investment, (FDI) have increased the country’s external vulnerabilities”.

However, S&P said while economic growth should pick up during the next two to three years, there is “lacklustre private sector confidence, continued delays in several tourism projects and potential spillover from Brexit”, and this should keep growth moderate.

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

IMF approves US$39.6m loan for Jamaica

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is providing Jamaica with US$39.6 million and is commending the island for its continued commitment to reform the economy.

The IMF said that its executive board concluded the 13th review of the US$932.3 million four year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Jamaica has with the Washington-based financial institution.

It said that as a result of the review, Jamaica will receive immediately US$39.6 million.

The IMF said Jamaica’s continued commitment to the demanding reform program even in the fourth year of the program is commendable.

“All quantitative performance criteria for end-June 2016, as well as the continuous quantitative program targets and structural benchmarks, were met. Domestic confidence indicators are at an all-time high, and there are improving signs of economic activity, including agricultural recovery, strong performance in tourism and manufacturing, increased FDI (foreign direct investment) inflow, and stronger private sector credit growth.”

The IMF said that real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is estimated at one per cent for the financial year 2015-16 and is projected to reach 1.7 per cent in the next fiscal year.

Ardent statehood supporter wins Puerto Rico’s governorship

An ardent supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico has won the governor’s race on the island after campaigning on a pledge to turn the economically troubled US territory into the 51st state during his term.

Ricardo Rossello of the New Progressive Party had nearly 42 per cent, or 566,000 votes, when his main opponent, David Bernier, conceded defeat with more than 70 per cent of precincts reporting. Bernier had more than 527,000 votes or 39 per cent.

Rossello, a scientist and the son of a former governor who also sought statehood for Puerto Rico, argues that barring island residents from voting for president deprives 3.5 million people of their full rights. He also says statehood would boost an economy mired in a decade-long slump, a belief that resonated with many voters.

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Inventive Cubans hunt expensive fish using inflated condoms 

After six decades under US embargo and Soviet-inspired central planning, Cubans have become masters at finding ingenious solutions with extremely limited resources. Few are as creative as what Havana's fishermen call "balloon fishing," a technique employing a couple of cents worth of condoms to pull fish worth an average month's salary from the ocean.

On any given night in Havana, dozens of men can be found "balloon fishing" along the Havana seawall, using their homemade floats to carry their lines as far as 900 feet into the coastal waters, where they also serve to keep the bait high in the water and to increase the line's resistance against the pull of a bonito or red snapper.

These fishermen use condoms as floats. They blow  up about four of them at a time to the size of balloons. Then they are tied them together by their ends, attached to the end of a baited fishing line and set them floating on the tide until they reached the end of the fishing line as much as 750 feet long..

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Ramleela – Open-air folk theatre in the Caribbean

(Thanks to Dr. Kumar Mahabir of Trinidad and Tobago)

Anyone ever heard of the Ramleela festival? I hadn’t. Ramleela is perhaps the oldest living form of free outdoor folk theatre in the Caribbean. It definitely holds the unrivalled record of being the only play to have been performed at dozens of venues in Trinidad and Tobago for over 100 consecutive years in the region.

 Produced by community groups throughout the country, villagers all serve without the expectation of payment. The attractions include the performances of actors in their glitzy costumes, their opening parades through the streets, their rhythmic stylized dancing, the colourful stage décor, the spectacular giant effigies, and the thunderous tassa drumming.

 Villagers play the roles of animals, clowns, humans, saints, gods and demons through masks, costumes, props, gestures and body movements. They do not speak but mime to the songs and dialogues of a pundit [priest] who narrates through a loudspeaker in Hindi and English.

 The performance takes place in a large flat space in a playing field fenced off by bamboo trunks. The spherical “stage” allows the crowd to have unrestricted view from all vantage points. The final scene of the play climaxes with the torching of the 30-foot effigy of the giant demon, Ravan. He turns into a towering inferno in the dark night until he totters and comes crashing down to the ground with thunderous applause from the audience.

 In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Sweden in 1992, poet and playwright Derek Walcott spoke glowingly of the awesome annual re-enactment of Ramleela: “Here in Trinidad, I had discovered that one of the greatest epics of the world was seasonally performed, not with that desperate resignation of preserving a culture, but with an openness of belief that was as steady as the wind bending the cane lances of the Caroni plain.….

“They [the performers] were not actors. They had been chosen; or they themselves had chosen their roles in this sacred story that would go on for nine afternoons over a two-hour period till the sun set. They were not amateurs but believers. There was no theatrical term to define them. They did not have to psych themselves up to play their roles. Their acting would probably be as buoyant and as natural as those bamboo arrows crisscrossing the afternoon pasture. They believed in what they were playing, in the sacredness of the text, the validity of India …

 

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Jamaica’s  Andre Blake cops MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

Jamaica’s first-choice goalkeeper Andre Blake has been named US Major League Soccer (MLS) Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year 2016. The number-one pick in the 2014 SuperDraft, who plays for the Philadelphia Union, won the award ahead of the New York Red Bulls’ Luis Robles and US national team and Colorado Rapids’ Tim Howard.

Andre (Blake), who started his football career at Clarendon College  has played at the National Under-17, 20 and 23 levels for Jamaica.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Bolt causes panic in New York airport

Passengers at Kennedy Airport ran for the exits on Aug. 14 after cheering at a terminal bar during the Olympics was mistaken for something sinister. Panic spread to two other terminals when news of a gunman spread on social media, and police responded by drawing their weapons.

However, it only loud cheers for Usain Bolt which somehow led to a false report of gunshots, according to a review by a team of top security officials. Poor communication among police, private security and other personnel contributed to the  mass panic that erupted at the New York City airport

A letter from the officials to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, made public on Monday, blamed both airport employees and law enforcement for fueling the hysteria by overreacting to several mistaken reports of gunshots, instead of seeking to calm travelers.

Among the more glaring missteps: At the height of the chaos, the flight crew of a Korean Air jetliner deployed evacuation chutes, “producing a ‘popping’ sound that may have been mistaken for gunfire.” The officials also said that in the end, the airport had no efficient way to let travelers know the threat wasn’t real.

The chain-reaction scare began with a call about a disturbance at a cafe, where travelers were watching TVs showing Bolt sprint to a gold medal victory in the Olympics. Several calls that followed reported shots fired in the same terminal, the letter said.

After spotting Port Authority police officers pull their weapons and move toward the commotion, Transportation Security Administration agents began heading for the emergency exits, it said. Passengers followed their lead, with some even fleeing onto the tarmac.

Over the next 90 minutes, a total of 275 officers — 88 from the Port Authority and 187 from the New York Police Department — responded to the calls before authorities determined there was no evidence of a shooter, the review concluded.

 
 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Let us know what you think. Email us at hotcalaloo@yahoo.com