the caribbean american news

MARCH 2013 WWW. THECANEWS.COM VOL 1 NO.07 ONE NEWS ONE PEOPLE ONE CULTURE

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The Caribbean American News

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WOMEN OF DESTINY

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<< opens up to TCAN about Tuff Gong

International, her father’s record label and

her successful turns as an author, actress,

clothing designer and entrepreneurPh

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Cedella Marley overlooks designs for the Jamaica team’s clothing line in her studio in England back in 2012. - Photos by Rolle De Campo

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Bob Marley’s classic song of hope has been adapted by his daugh-ter Cedella into a joyous picture book. www.bobmarley.com

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Marley’s Mellow Mood is a new 100% natural relaxation beverage created in partnership with the family of the legendary, Bob Marley.

Cedella Marley Catch A Fire, Bob Marley Military Hoodies. Visitbobmarley.com

Cedella Marley’s Nice Time Kids. Visit bobmarley.comL-R Buffalo Soldier Buttondown & Iron Lion Military Jacket from the Cedella Marley Olympic Col-lection for PUMA. Visit bobmarleyshop.com

Cedella Marley Cho! Tee. Visit bobmarley.com

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3 thecanews.com | March 2013 | Vol.1 No. 7 twitter.com/thecanewsinc Local News

D estiny Awaits was the auspiciously named restaurant on Main Street where I waited for this long over-

due interview with Hartford’s tireless promoter of Jamaican culture. I first met Vangella Buchanan in 2003 when she was writing a regular column under the nom-de-plume “Vjange Hazle” for the West Indian American News and working as a tutor at Capital Community College. There were many Jamaican students that term, and they followed Buchanan like the Pied Piper, benefiting from her unique instruction. In her column, she wrote sto-ries in Jamaican English, full translitera-tions of the Patios only comprehensible to islanders, and she could tell students the precise patterns that distinguished the dialects they spoke, and often wrote, from the one they were expected to use in order to pass their classes.Since coming to America in 1989 from Montego Bay, Vjange has never been given her full due, but her day is coming. It may happen when a mass audience dis-covers her books, including Mariana and My Father and Other Disasters on her

own imprint, Marianabooks.com. Maybe she will receive recognition for her vi-tal roles in the Taste of the Caribbean and Jerk Festival and Hartford’s Carib-bean literary festivals. Maybe she will be tapped for a full professorship, but some-day soon, someone with connections to the Big Mojo will recognize the world class cultural asset smiling in our midst. In the meantime, she teaches writing and literature at Capital Community College, online classes for Goodwin College and serves as the Early Academic Warning Coordinator at CCSU, where she is a stu-dent in the graduate English program. TCAN: When did you first start writ-ing for publication? When I was in my 20’s I took a course at the University of the West Indies with Mervyn Morris. He liked my work and suggested that I submit to The Gleaner, so that’s what I started doing. On Sun-days, The Gleaner would have a literary section, and my poetry and stories would appear in that. TCAN: How did the idea first come to you to start writing in “Jamaican”?

I never used to write in Patois before. The day when I arrived in the U.S., I was in the immigration line. There was a little girl who was standing in front of me, prob-ably about ten, and then she opened her mouth and started speaking in patois. The experience was so strange because here I am in America, and I’m not expecting to hear anyone speak that way. I thought to myself, “I wonder how she would tell her stories if she were to write them. So she kind of became this persona that I created called “Country Gal a Foreign”. TCAN: What was your role in the first Taste of the Caribbean and Jerk Festival? Before the festival, when I was work-ing for the airline [American], employees would bring food for a special “Taste of the Caribbean” day at lunch. So in 2006 we decided to take this idea to coordina-

tors of the West Indian Celebration, and we took it to Riverfront Recapture and different groups and got sponsorships. We had entertainment and food and it just kept growing after that, but after the sec-ond year I didn’t have the time to work on it anymore. TCAN: What needs to happen to raise awareness of West Indian culture in the U.S. mainstream? There are a tremendous number of Ca-ribbean students in the Connecticut State Universities; more classes about West Indian literature and culture shouldn’t be a tough sell. It should go all the way up to the Doctoral level. We need to kind of turn the tide and say, “Hey, the Caribbean has given the world great entertainers, but we are also intellectuals who need to be heard”.

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Vangella ‘Vjange Hazle’ Buchanan

HARTFORD

By J. Wayne

Woman of Destiny

The Caribbean has given the world great entertainers, but we are also in-tellectuals who need to be heard.Vangella Buchanan

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Interview

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My Father and Other Disas-ters

The Dark Side Of Darkness

Mariana

Theresa Ann Dunbar (Munchie) is four years old when she becomes aware that there is something missing from her young exis-tence.

This powerful first time novel tells the story of Mariana, a young Englishwoman who ar-rives in colonial Jamaica as the wife of the much older Fernando Sykes. She meets with resistance from a strange people she strug-gles to understand.

Cecelia’s unexpected arrival from America on her mother’s doorstep sends Bea into a panic. She must not let the neighbors know the fate that has befallen the child she has boasted about all these years, her ‘wash-bel-ly’. The family secret must be kept. But then, Cecelia disappears, and Bea must find her before anyone else in the district does.


Cedella Marley, the oldest daughter of Bob Marley, is the most interesting wom-an in the world. CEO of Tuff Gong International,

her father’s record label, she has had successful turns as an author, actress, clothing designer and entrepreneur, all of which she touches upon in her TCAN interview. She is also a delight to talk to and has a tendency to burst into song when her father’s work is mentioned. Her modesty comes out in her tendency to weigh “we” and “us” in reference to everything she has done, a conscious-ness which grew out of the experience of making music with her siblings from an early age, traveling and performing with the Melody Makers, the family band fronted by brother Ziggy. Are you a practicing Rastafarian,

and what does this mean to you? Yes. Rastafari is a way of life, really.

I’m vegetarian. It’s how you take care of each other, and loving everything that Jah has put on this Earth, and respect-ing that. Looking back at the Melody Mak-

ers, what did having that family band do for you as a family? It’s all I’ve ever known. We were

singing together since I was three. The unity...it’s like being on the road with twins...only a lot of twins. We think the

same; we feed off each other, you know? And we’re always there to support one another. You remain close, most of you? All of us, yes. We’re always a block

away from each other. That’s how close we are. You were singing background

when Ziggy was singing lead on a lot of those Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers records? Yeah, but we don’t use the word

“background”. We use “frontground”.There was a ton of publicity when

“Conscious Party” came out, but some of us were hooked with “Hey World”. What do you remember about that re-cord? (Singing): Hey World, aren’t you afraid...ohmigod...all of our albums, you know? I can’t say I have a favorite, but “Hey World” was really the first time I think we got out there, and were hitting the road, and hitting the colleges and, you know, the clubs, and really trying to promote a record. It was scary being out there with it because that album has some really conscious songs on there. It was a very rebellious album. I think we were the best people to actually do it, and I think we did it well. Hey World is one of my favorites; it still is. What’s your favorite song from

that? “Get up Jah Jah Children.” (Sings)

“Get up. Get up. Get up.” What was it like to be on the set

of “The Mighty Quinn” with Denzel Washington? A dream come true, obviously. He

made you feel very comfortable, be-cause we were playing ourselves, really. He would tease us a little bit, poke fun at us a little bit, but he made us feel very comfortable. It was really an honor to be on the set with Denzel Washington and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Which of your father’s songs do

you feel has endured and influenced the most? The songs are multi-generational.

Every time I talk to people, they’re like, “One Love” is their favorite, or “Three Little Birds” is their favorite, you know? He had deeper songs than those, but for me, it’s “Africa Unite”. That song means a lot to people, black and white. I think “Redemption Song” sums it all up. It really does. Do you have a personal favorite? Yeah, the one he wrote for me, “Nice

Time”. You designed clothing for the

Olympics. What was that experience like? Come on, I mean, to dress the fastest

man in the world, and the entire Jamai-can Olympic Team was an honor. Words can’t even express what that was like at the opening ceremony, to actually watch them walk out of that tunnel all wear-ing my designs. I wished my mom was there, and I wished my dad was there,

too. I can’t even explain it. It was just truly an honor to be asked by Puma to be part of it, and I’m glad I could play my own part in history. Usain did break his own records. How can people find your clothing

now if they want to buy it? We’re not designing right now. We

have High Tide, and people can always go to BobMarleyShop.com and find some of our deconstructed stuff there. But the future for our clothing is very bright. We just signed a deal with Bra-vado, which is one of the world’s big-gest merchandising companies. We’re going to be relaunching Catch a Fire, and maybe doing some other cool stuff: men’s, women’s and children’s. Look out for that. You have written children’s books? I have written three children’s books.

“The Boy from Nine Miles” was the first one, and then “Every Little Thing,” adapted from that song “Three Little Birds”, and “One Love,” adapted from “One Love”. In fact, “Every Little Thing” became a bestsell-er a couple of weeks ago on Amazon. So what do you want to tell the

world, or at least, Hartford? What do I want to tell the world? I

would just like to say to look out for all the Marleys all over the world. Look out for Coco’Mon, our line of organic coco-nut oil, at Whole Foods, and listen to the words of Bob Marley.

Cedella Marley: One Love

*[email protected]

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Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella: author, actress, clothing designer and entrepreneur.

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Caribbean News

By Tany Collinder

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Ev-ery year the Carnival in Cap Haitien, Haiti, provides an outlet to Haitians from all walks of life to participate in a fun filled event that allows them to put aside their daily worries. The Carnival is also an event where Haitians are given carte blanche to criticize their leaders and their government. How-ever, some recent media coverage of this year’s Carnival has raised doubts about the government’s commitment to the musical diversity and the politi-cal tolerance that are such an impor-tant part of the event. The government of Haiti has refuted any suggestion that carnival songs or music have been censored. All carnival songs are played on radio stations without limi-tation, reaching 10 million Haitians all over the country with no interfer-ence from government. The selection of bands for the carnival parade is complicated by a limited number of ‘chars’, the need for each band to raise considerable private sponsorship, con-sideration of the carnival theme, which this year is ‘environment’ and the need to give new artistes their chance and opportunity to participate. This un-fortunately means unavoidable disap-pointment for some groups each year.While there is a tradition of criticism and protest in Carnival music, it is also worth noting that in a recent indepen-dently run nationwide poll, over 70% of Haitians surveyed have confidence in the government notwithstanding the grave challenges the country faces.

WASHINGTON, DC (UNHCR) -- In the first two months of 2013, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of boats, particularly from Haiti, transporting individuals in Ca-ribbean waters. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has reiter-ated its call for all countries in the Ca-ribbean region, and the United States, to screen all individuals intercepted at sea to determine if they have a fear of persecution, or other protection con-cerns, before they are returned to their countries of origin. Since the beginning of the year, at least 217 Haitian and Cuban nationals have been intercepted in Caribbean waters. There have been interception reports off the coasts of Puerto Rico, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and the Cay-man Islands. UNHCR has urged the governments of Jamaica and The Ba-hamas to refrain from returning any Cuban or Haitian nationals scheduled to be deported this week without indi-vidual screening. “Elementary considerations of hu-manity and the fact that many coun-tries in the region are granting asylum to Haitian and Cuban nationals when applying on land, demonstrates the ab-solute need for these basic procedural safeguards to be applied at sea,” said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR’s regional representative in Washington. UNHCR has repeatedly urged all countries involved in interdiction, and rescue at sea operations, to put in place screening procedures to ensure protection for refugees and asylum-seekers of all nationalities caught in mixed migration flows.

HAITI

BERMUDA CUBA CAYMAN ISLANDS GUYANA

PUERTO RICO

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Downtown Kingston being revitalized; set to become a business hub afterdecades of decay

SPOTLIGHT: JAMAICA

BOSTON, MA, USA -- The Ca-ribbean Journal just concluded an exhaustive, 12-month competition to name its “Rum of The Year.” They tasted 50 rums from the US, the Caribbean, Central and South America before narrowing the field to three and then to “one clear winner.” They summed it up this way: “The winner was a classic, one that has been with us since time immemo-rial (at least it seems that way): Bermuda’s Gosling’s Old Rum. Bottled in a champagne bottle, the same way sailors used to drink Gosling’s in the Bermuda of yore, sealed with wax, Old Rum con-tinues to be the standard for aged rum. It is the most complete rum in the world -- flavourful, bal-anced, complex, sweet but not too sweet. And it’s our 2012 Rum of the Year.”Malcolm Gosling, the seventh generation of the Gosling’s fam-ily, was ecstatic, though not en-tirely surprised: “We’ve known all along what a rare, unique product our Family Reserve Old Rum is. A closely guarded secret recipe that is a unique blend of rum distillates aged in once used oak bourbon barrels until it acquires an extra luscious, nuanced complexity. The Old Rum is a sublime sipping rum, a superior sipping spirit.”

For decades, downtown Kingston has been left to rot, ignored by the authori-

ties and taken over by criminals and vagrants. From the historic Ward Theatre which has been left to crumble, to the St. William Grant Park where street persons roam, the neglect is evident, as govern-ment after government grappled with how to fix the problem. Made worse by the fact that communities surrounding the heart of downtown were awash with crime and ruled by area leaders who flouted the law, downtown had become the place where law and order were ignored, marijuana sales flourished in the streets in plain view of the hap-less police, and vendors took over streets and sidewalks to peddle their wares. The stink of sewage, pothole-riddled streets, perennial fear of crime and a host of other ills were synonymous with the city for years, even while it still held some nostalgic allure as the best and cheapest place to shop.

Many businesses chose to stay when others fled, businesses like Grace Kennedy, The Gleaner Com-pany and ScotiaBank retained their

LONDON, England -- Authori-ties in Cuba must immediately release Cuban journalist Calixto Martínez, currently imprisoned for reporting on issues seen by the authorities as “controver-sial”, said Amnesty International on Thursday, as it named him a prisoner of conscience. Martínez, a journalist with the unofficial news agency Hablemos Press, was arrested by the Cuban Revolutionary Police on 16 September 2012 near the Havana airport. He was investigating allega-tions that medicine provided by the World Health Organization to fight a cholera outbreak was being kept at the airport, as the Cuban government were alleg-edly trying to down-play the se-riousness of the outbreak. While at the airport, he telephoned his colleagues at Hablemos Press to inform them that he had taken photographs and had interviewed airport workers. He was arrested shortly after. When he asked the reason for his arrest, the police told him they were just follow-ing an order. Even though he was not formally charged or faced court, the police are reportedly accusing him with “disrespect” towards President Raúl Castro and his brother Fidel.

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Is-lands -- Cayman Finance CEO, Gonzalo Jalles, has welcomed recent news that Moody’s credit ratings agency has affirmed its Aa3 sovereign rating for the Cay-man Islands, viewing the outlook on the country as ‘stable’.“At a time when the global eco-nomic recovery remains uncer-tain and most countries around the world face serious chal-lenges, it is pleasing to note that Moody’s recognizes the strength of the Cayman Islands’s econo-my and the long term prospects for the Cayman Islands remain very strong in the eyes of eco-nomic experts”, said Jalles.He explained the decision to maintain Cayman’s current high ratings shows the long term strength of the Cayman Islands economy.“This bodes well for our jurisdiction because it shows the resilience of our financial services and tourism industry”, said Jalles. He explained that in the eyes of clients and investors, the coun-try’s very high sovereign rating is important to maintain and a decision factor when choosing a jurisdiction to do business with. “The strength of our economy is something we should be proud of especially when comparing to some of our competitors.”

GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Choice Hotels International will debut in Guyana with its upscale Ascend Hotel Collection in early 2013. The global lodging company an-nounced construction on a bou-tique 25-room member hotel in central Georgetown is advancing well.Guyana, a member of CARICOM (Caribbean Community), hosts several international organiza-tions, including the CARICOM Secretariat and several United Nations agencies.The new Ascend Hotel Collec-tion member hotel will be located within close proximity to several global agencies and is only a few blocks from the lively downtown shopping district.The Guyana hotel -- to be called The Opus -- will offer the same quality services for which As-cend has become globally rec-ognized, and feature 23 stan-dard guest rooms, two executive rooms (featuring wooded floors and jetted tubs), restaurant and bar, small meeting room facili-ties, free parking, quality linens, air conditioned rooms, free cable television, Wi-Fi and compli-mentary breakfast.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- Gross public debt in the Caribbean was at 80 percent of gross domestic prod-uct in 2012, Trinidad and Tobago Central Bank Governor, Jwala Rambarran, said as he addressed senior finance officials from Com-monwealth Caribbean countries. The officials met at a workshop on countercyclical loans for the man-agement of exogenous shocks in small and vulnerable economies. “It is no secret that small vulner-able economies in the Caribbean have grappled with external shocks of varying magnitudes and dura-tion over the past two decades. These shocks include a compres-sion of aid flows, dismantling of preferential trade arrangements for sugar and bananas, interventions related to anti-money laundering and combating the financing of ter-rorism,” Rambarran said.He noted that many Caribbean governments have resorted to more expensive commercial borrowing to bridge their funding gaps and this, combined with the growing inability of regional governments to generate high enough primary fiscal surpluses for debt servicing, has contributed to a large public debt overhang.

head offices in the city. The Bank of Jamaica, the Supreme Court, law of-fices and countless businesses re-mained, even while the city decayed.

There have been many efforts to revitalize downtown over the years — the parish council has made at-tempts to curb the vending problem and collect taxes and the police have attempted to stem disorder, often with resistance. Now, a new wind is taking shape for the city, a renewed effort to revitalize downtown, and with that

has come renewed interest by busi-ness and property owners to make downtown their base. The interest in the city hit fever pitch when Irish tele-communications company Digicel an-nounced that it would be building its global headquarters on the waterfront in Downtown Kingston, from where the telecom’s 32 markets throughout the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific would be managed.

Continues on page 16

Digicel Downtown Development, Jamaica

6 thecanews.com | March 2013 | Vol.1 No. 7 twitter.com/thecanewsincEditorial

L E T ’ S TA L K A B O U T D E S T I N Y The CaribbeanAmerican News

ONE NEWS | ONE PEOPLE | ONE CULTURE

PUBLISHERWelistyou, LLC P.O. Box 1973

Manchester, CT [email protected]

MANAGING EDITORHesbon A. Gisario, [email protected]

CREATIVE DIRECTORA. Francis

[email protected] EDITOR

Rod [email protected]

TRAVEL EDITORNatasha Drummond

[email protected] & EVENTS

Wayne [email protected]

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THECANEWS.COM

“Every man has the right to decide his own destiny. Those were the words spoken by the late reggae icon Bob Marley.[But] do we [re-ally] have that right?”

In this issue of The Caribbean American News, we feature Cedella Marley, CEO of Tuff Gong International, her father’s record label. She has had successful turns as an author, actress, clothing designer and entre-preneur, all of which she touches upon in her TCAN interview and how success plays a vital role in carving one’s destiny.

Living the successful life is both attain-able and sustainable by everyone, regardless of creed, race, or community status. The single most influential element of achieving success is to be vigilant in taking control of your life and manage the various components accordingly: health, social, education, emo-tional, spiritual and physical. With proper self-management, one can create immeasur-able and limitless opportunities. Taking own-ership of your life and planning for success is something that only you can do for yourself. This is the single most important job you will undertake in your generation. In fact, if you are not competent at self-management, you will not be able to manage other areas outside of yourself successfully: parental role, career, marriage and so forth. The idea that success is a choice and not a destiny was true many years ago and is true today. Some people regard success as momentary, unat-tainable and unsustainable, and that it can only be achieved by the select few. This is a dangerous and self-defeating myth that can rob you of the opportunity to become suc-cessful. Success, greatness, winner, whatever you want to call it, is a choice that every one of us makes; it’s not a destiny.

M O N T H LY P O L L“In general, do you think gun control laws should be made more strict, or less strict ?

More Less Unsure

CAST YOUR VOTE@ THECANEWS.COM

Help us donate bookbags

Support the Palmyra Foundation’sOnline Charity Auction March 1 - 23, 2013

www.thepalmyrafoundation.com

to 10,000 children this year!

Nanny, Audrey Marks, Cedella Marley, Lisa Hanna, Thalia Lyn, Yendy Phillips, Merlene Ottey, Louise Bennett-Coverly, Cindy Breakspeare, Rita Marley, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, ON, MP, Veronica Campbell, Lady Bustamante, O.J., J.P., Captain Maria Zadie, Leonie Forbes, O.D.

A. Francis, Publisher / Editor-in-Chief

Send Us Your LettersThe Caribbean American News welcomes letters to the editor and guest commentaries. Elec-tronic submissions are preferred and welcome at: [email protected]

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7 thecanews.com | March 2013 | Vol.1 No. 7 twitter.com/thecanewsinc Business Brief

This challenging economy and stagnant job market have left plenty of qualified and capable Americans without work.

And when qualified and capable people suddenly have time on their hands, many of them will think about starting their own business.

Almost everyone knows that you need a busi-ness plan, but one of the most difficult questions to answer when developing that business plan is how much start-up costs will be. There are so many factors to consider, including business li-censes and incorporation fees, patents and trade-marks, business insurance, leases for an office or production facilities, and many more.

So many, in fact, that it is almost impossible to accurately calculate business start-up costs. Even adding a new location to an existing business can produce wildly different start-up costs when com-pared to the original start-up experience.

So is it useless to plan? Not exactly, says Theodore Bolema, a professor at South Univer-sity’s Novi, Michigan campus and director of the business program. Bolema, who holds a Ph.D. in business as well as a law degree, says planning is important - but so is being realistic about the ac-curacy of your forecast.

“A decent rule of thumb is to figure out what you think your costs will be. Then double it,” Bo-lema says.

There is a good reason that it is nearly impos-sible to accurately predict these costs, according to Bolema. “Determining fees, equipment pur-chases, inventory and the like is relatively easy for most businesses. What’s much more difficult is knowing what your cost of time will be.”

The “cost of time” is an important concept for all businesses, but especially for start-ups. If a business is obligated to pay an office lease or employee salaries while it is not yet able to do business - or a regulatory agency is holding up its ability to do business - then start-up costs will add up quickly.

And don’t expect government agencies to op-erate with your costs in mind. Even the best-run agency will not move with the same urgency you would like, Bolema says. After all, it may be your lifelong dream and your life’s savings at risk, but to them, you are just another file folder stacked on the desk.

So while you are waiting for an agency to act, or a supplier to supply, or an advertising firm to get that mailer in your customers’ mailboxes, you’ll be paying building leases, business loan payments, utility bills, payroll and all the rest - all without any revenue to offset those expenses.

It can be frustrating, but it certainly will be less frustrating if you build a business plan realisti-cally and raise capital accordingly.

“It’s better to tie up capital in a cash reserve than to have an inadequately funded business plan,” says Bolema.

As in life, there is plenty of uncertainty in busi-ness. So hope for the best and plan sensibly, in-cluding how long things will take, not just how much they will cost.

Now, ask yourself these 20 questions to make sure you’re thinking about the right key busi-ness decisions:

1. Why am I starting a business?2. What kind of business do I want?3. Who is my ideal customer?4. What products or services will my business provide?5. Am I prepared to spend the time and money needed to get my business started?6. What differentiates my business idea and the products or services I will provide from others in the market?7. Where will my business be located?8. How many employees will I need?9. What types of suppliers do I need?10. How much money do I need to get started?11. Will I need to get a loan?12. How soon will it take before my products or services are available?13. How long do I have until I start making a profit?14. Who is my competition?15. How will I price my product compared to my competition?16. How will I set up the legal structure of my business?17.What taxes do I need to pay?18.What kind of insurance do I need?19. How will I manage my business?20. How will I advertise my business?

*[email protected]

When starting a business

Larry Bempong

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Many categories of individuals who wish to enter the U.S. as immigrants or non-immigrants need to prove that they will not

become “public charge” or, in other words, a financial burden to the U.S. government. Most family and certain employment-based immigrant visa petitioners are required to file an Affidavit of Support on Form I-864 and supporting documents in order to prove that they will be able to support the impend-ing immigrant beneficiary. The Form I-864 is considered to be a bind-ing contract between the beneficiary and petitioner, and thus, assuming that the pe-titioner meets the financial requirements for sponsorship, it is very convincing evidence that the beneficiary will not become public charge.However, in non-immigrant cases, the peti-tioner is not required to submit an Affidavit of Support on Form I-864. Instead, con-sular officers may request that the petitioner fill out Form I-134, which is not considered

binding, and provide supporting documentation to show that the relative will not become public charge in the U.S. This determination is discretionary and consular officers will often choose to err on the safe side and deny a case, if there is any doubt as to the petitioner’s ability to support the beneficiary in the U.S. A petitioner in an immigrant visa case who does not meet the requirements on his or her own may be able to meet the require-ments through a co-sponsor or a joint spon-sor. However, many U.S. Embassies take the position that for certain non-immigrant categories (K-1 fiancé and K-3 spouse visas in particular), a co-sponsor or a joint spon-sor may not be used. Other U.S. Embassies take the position that a co-sponsor or a joint sponsor may be used if the petitioner is in school and is being sup-ported by his or her parents as evidenced on the parents’ tax returns. Still other embas-sies might accept documentation regarding a third party sponsor’s income and find that sufficient to overcome the public charge in-admissibility ground. In the first scenario above, petitioners who cannot meet the financial requirements on their own may either have to wait until they

begin to receive a stable income, or proceed with the filing of an immigrant petition on behalf of the beneficiary instead, so that a third party financial sponsor may be used. Improperly completed Affidavits of Sup-port and related errors are a major cause of immigrant and K visa denials for other-wise eligible applicants at U.S. Embassies abroad. It is very important to consult with experienced immigration counsel for assis-tance with such visas.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

Contributions to this column are made by Patrick G. Lyle, Attorney At LawCall - (860) 242-0611

Legal Corner Using a Third Party Financial Sponsor in

Non-Immigrant Visa Cases

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U.S. Needs More College-Educated Foreign Nationals

According to a recent study by the Organiza-tion for Economic Cooperation and Develop-ment (“OECD”) roughly 25 percent of the 255 million people in the world with a bachelor’s degree currently reside in the U.S., a propor-tion much greater than our relative percent-age of population in the world (about 5 per-cent). But the U.S. is showing no growth in the share of young people attending college anymore, and studies show that an increas-ing proportion of the college bound in this country are dropping out before they gradu-ate. Meanwhile, developing countries, such as China, India and Korea, are expanding their university enrollments, and many de-veloping countries now rank ahead of the U.S. in pre-college test scores for math and science, two fields that are cornerstones of the information age. Congress could encour-age more college-bound foreign nationals to come here for their educations and settle here to raise their own children by raising the paltry limits on the H-1B specialty occupa-tion visa program, which currently allows for up to 65,000 entrants in “specialty occupa-tions” (many of whom are college-educated) and 20,000 entrants who have obtained ad-vanced degrees in this country.

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You can’t begin to imagine the story that the town of Black River has to tell!The parish capital of St. Elizabeth may be just a small dot on the map of Jamaica, but it’s a dot that packs a mighty punch in terms of its history and its significance to the island. Way Back When (Black River Heritage Tour) is a great way to explore this historic town. Way Back When is essentially a walk through Black River, which is best known for its beautiful river, and the fact that it was the first town in Jamaica to be lit by electricity. You may think that a historical tour is likely to be a bit ho-hum, but not this one.

Way Back When got Attitude, and with a capi-tal A! The tour provides an entertaining insight into the fabric of small town Jamaica.You’ll step back in time and get to know the events and the characters that helped shape Black River’s history from the 17th century forwards. You will find a cast of merchants, mistresses, soldiers, slaves and ordinary townspeople with an irrever-ent sense of humor! You will experience the feel of Black River today as people go about their everyday business, surrounded by the many heritage buildings which still

stand. As you walk through the streets of the town, your exploration will uncover a lot about Jamaica’s past and present. You’ll hear stories that have been handed down through generations. The tour was conceived by a sixth-gen-eration inhabitant of the town, and may include stories which are unlikely to be heard anywhere else. You will be sure to laugh, and you may even feel to cry. No two tours are the same. Repeat visitors are guaranteed to learn something new each time, as the tour unfolds differently on different days. And if you happen to take the tour on a day when a Black River resident is tagging along, you’ll be sure to hear a lot of “It’s the first time I’m hear-ing that and I’ve lived here all my life” and that sort of thing. Way Back When lasts approximately an hour and a half, including stops. The actual time spent walking is less than an hour. The walk begins at the centuries-old Parish Church and ends at Waterloo Guesthouse, the 19th century landmark which was the first house in Jamaica to be powered by elec-tric current. Add another half hour to the tour length in the event (as often happens) that you end up spending a little time chatting and laughing in the bar at Wa-terloo! Necessities: Lightweight clothes, comfortable shoes, water and sunscreen. A hat is a good idea too. You could have been through Black River a thousand times, Way Back When will force you to see it with new eyes.

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Contributions to this column are made by Allison Morris’ via her website www.real-jamaica-va-cations.com which showcases the parish of St. Bess, Jamaica. She also operates Way Back When, a walking tour of her historic hometown, Black River. www.real-jamaica-vacations.com/way-back-when.html

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10 thecanews.com | March 2013 | Vol.1 No. 7 twitter.com/thecanewsincEntertainment

Every Day He Writes the Reggae BookBy J. Wayne

Co-author of the Guinness Book Of Reggae and the Virgin En-cyclopedia Of Reggae, John Masouri has the world’s great-

est job, being an Irie chronicler for the past 25 years. He may be best known for his 2008 tell-all by Omnibus Press, Wail-ing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley’s Wailers. His latest is Steppin’ Razor: The Life Of Peter Tosh, due for publication in May (Amazon.com is taking orders now).Reggae came first, long before the writ-

ing. Born in Nottingham in 1953, to a working-class family on a council estate, he grew up in a time and place when Ja-maican culture was in the air and on the air. It started with a childhood crush at age eleven with Millie Small singing My Boy Lollipop on UK television. He moved to London in 1972, and has lived in Brighton since 1976.

Tell us about your personal discovery of reggae.

My generation was the first to grow up side by side with Caribbean migrants to England, and “Blue Beat” was just another ingredient of our musical diet in Notting-ham at the time, alongside pop, rock and soul. As teenagers, we took such diversity in our stride, and my tastes in music are still wildly eclectic even now. Back in the late 60s our national charts were full of Jamaican artists such as Jimmy Cliff, the Upsetters, Bob & Marcia, the Pioneers, Desmond Dekker and Prince Buster, who would play in clubs like the Beachcomb-er, where I saw my first live reggae acts. From the age of fifteen I also developed a taste for shubeens, which is where I fur-thered my education into the music and culture of Jamaica! How did you get on the “inside” to where you had access to

producers, artists, stars? I had my own design studio in Brighton

during the late 70s, and we did a lot of work for London-based reggae promoters. I also used to DJ on a local sound-system called “Field Marshall Hi-Fi” owned by someone who co-managed Barrington Levy for a while. That’s how I came to make friends with people in the UK reggae industry, to attend studio sessions and gen-erally see behind the scenes. From being an ardent fan of the music, I was already a regular habitué of the London venues, clubs and specialist record stores, and also sound-systems like Saxon and Coxsone. It was the late Mikey Dread who encouraged me to write about reggae. I’d delighted in the transition to digital recordings, which is something that wasn’t shared by too many other journalists at that time. In fact it split reggae audiences down the middle. Mikey was living in England back then and urged me to give it a try. From that point onwards, I discovered that writing for Echoes was like a free pass into all corners of the reggae world, for which I thank my predecessors profusely.

Do you contribute regularly to pub-lications?

I am a regular contributor to Echoes Magazine in the UK, Reggae Vibes in France and Riddim Magazine in Germany. I first joined the staff of Echoes – or Black Echoes as it was known then – in 1988. Black Echoes was a weekly publication covering reggae and soul and well respect-ed within the reggae community because of its charts and award shows, as well as its coverage of the music. After renam-ing itself Echoes, it then turned monthly in 2000. I’ve never missed an issue since joining them, and have contributed count-less features, reviews and articles on all

aspects of reggae music over the past twenty-five years. I believe that makes me the most prolific and longest-serving reg-gae journalist in the UK and possibly Eu-rope, as I can’t think of anyone else with that kind of track record.

What’s coming up after your book on Peter Tosh?

I have completed a book called Sim-mer Down that tells the story of the three original Wailers – Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, and which I’m hoping will be published in time for their 50th anniversary, in June 2014. I am currently working on an authorized biography of Sly & Robbie, which I’m fond of describ-ing as “my dream assignment.”

What did I miss that you’re dying to say?

That it’s always been about more than music alone. I’ve learnt so much about how to live my own life through being around reggae people and especially Ras-tafarians, whilst remaining true to my own cultural identity.Becoming a writer: something you had a passion for when you wereyoung, or fell into when you were older?

I’ve been an avid reader since childhood and first worked on magazines as a teen-ager in Nottingham, although I didn’t be-come a writer until contributing to Black Echoes. It was passion for the music that drove my writing skills and not the other way round. Now I feel incompleteif I don’t write every day – in fact it’s come to define my very existence!Has your career involved a great deal of travel? What has been your favorite spot?

I’ve been invited to many places in Eu-rope and the US and even Africa and the Middle East as a result of my journalistic work. Seeing how reggae is received and how it continues to develop in such places is very special. I’ve also visited Jamaica on many occasions over the past twenty-five years and for me, Kingston is still the best place to experience reggae music at the source. The music truly becomes alivethere.

Who has been your favorite subject?

It’s impossible to say. I loved spending time with Junior Delgado and Augustus Pablo, and have always felt comfortable being around veteran musicians like the Taxi Gang and Wailers. The late Fatis Burrell was a good friend and I’ve spe-cial memories of him and the Xtermina-tor Crew during their 90s’ heyday, when Luciano, Sizzla and Beres Hammond were in the camp.

Do you consider yourself an impre-sario? An artist in your own right? A carrier of the gospel?

In truth none of the above, since they all sound rather ostentatious. I’m still driven by the thrill of the new, and turning people onto music that excites me. This, together with highlighting the work and lives of so many talented people has long been my raison de`entre. Music journalism has changed dramatically since the advent of the Internet. Information about the music and access to it is now so easily available and it’s free, which leaves us writers hav-ing to redefine what we do.

John Masouri:

*[email protected]

Book Cover photo from Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley’s Wailers By John Masouri

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It’s an exhibition of sorts for ath-letes, the place where stars and soon-to-be stars go to show

off their athletic skills. The Grace Kennedy Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls Championships, better known as Champs, is the annual multi-sports meet where Jamaican stu-dent athletes prove their mettle in their various disciplines. It’s the big stage where many athletes — from Usain Bolt to Warren Weir — first gained national prominence, and this year is no different. From March 12-16, hundreds of young atheIt’s convene on one of the first places Jamaicans got a look at Bolt.

SportsTRACK & FIELD

and this year, the watch is on for others who may be like Bolt, the world famous sprinter. Sports pundits are placing their bets on several athletes who have already proven that they have what it takes to be greats.The males to watch in-clude IAAF World Youth Championships 100m gold medalist Odail Todd of Green Island High School in Hanover; Odean Skeen, a 2012 world junior bronze medalist from Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Kingston; super starter Jevaughn Minzie of Bog Walk High School in St Cath-erine; and Calabar High School’s first-year class two athlete Michael O’Hara. Skeen, 18, is the poster boy for his school and a double sprint champion. He has had big wins at the Junior Central American and Caribbean and Carifta games level, including a Carifta Under-17 200m title, making him one of the most high-profile athletes going into Champs. Born August 28, 1994, this youth Olympic champion has rated himself as being better at his age than Bolt was at the same age.“People call me the next Bolt, but I think I am better than Bolt compared to when he was my age,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner last July.“So I am just setting up my-self to be fast and become the next top sprinter in Jamaica.”Todd, 18, born June 9, 1994, is a 2011 IAAF World Youth Championships 100m gold medalist. He was added to Jamaica’s squad for the 2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Miramar, Florida, where he finished fourth (10.41) in the 100 metres He was born in Hanover, and along with Skeen, is con-sidered a future Olympic 100m. prospect, hav-ing won at the World Youth Championships, the same place Bolt and fellow sprinter Asafa Pow-ell began their international sprinting careers.“It’s really a boost for me to know that I am a part of the next generation of sprinters who are next in line,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner last year. Jevaughn Minzie, born July 20, 1995, holds the record as the fastest 16-year-old in Jamaica’s sprinting history. A rising teen star,

Minzie hails from the little known non-track and field focused Bog Walk High School, and ran 10.28 seconds for the 100 metres at Ja-maica’s national youth trials last summer. The talented hurdler O’Hara, born September 29, 1996, was dubbed the most improved sprint hurdler for last year’s track season, and showed exceptional form at the Carifta Trials where he won the boys’ Under-17 110-metres hurdles and 100-metres events.The 16-year-old Calabar High star athlete also won the 100m hurdle-100 metres double in 2011. He has been running since kindergarten, and was named Champion Athlete at Champs last year where he was in-strumental in his Kingston school winning Champs.The women on everyone’s watch list include Shauna Helps, Christania Williams, Chris-Ann Gordon, Olivia James and Saqukine Cameron. Cameron, from Edwin Allen High School in Clarendon, was born August 21, 1996. The sprinter helped her team cop the top spot at last year’s Champs. The youngster Helps, born October 23, 1996, represents Wolmer’s Girls’ School in Kingston. She marvelled at Champs last year, setting a new Class Three 100m record by speeding to 11.50 seconds to beat the 11.65 seconds set in 1999. Edwin Allen High School sprinter Christania Williams is a World Youth 100m bronze medallist. Born October 17, 1994, Williams helped her team capture their first ever girls’ title at Champs last year.Holmwood Tech-nical’s quarter-miler Gordon ranked number two in the world in 2011 as a junior with 51.82 seconds.The Manchester runner won the girls’ 400 metres title at the Junior Pan Am Champi-onships in Florida in 2011.World Youth bronze medallist and 400-meter runner James is from Vere Technical High School in Clarendon. She was born June 1, 1994 and is a Carifta Under-20 champion. This year’s Champs opens with 13 events being contested on day one at the Na-tional Stadium in Kingston.

By Tany Collinder

Who’s the new Bolt? The athletes to watch at this year’s Champs

Read more:thecanews.com

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12 thecanews.com | March 2013 | Vol.1 No. 7 twitter.com/thecanewsincThe Community

Oh Firetruck!

There are two things in the English language that begin with the letter “f” and end with “uck”, and both have

been often repeated in and around Hartford recently. The latest scandal in Connecticut’s capital involves a donated fire truck that never reached its destination in Jamaica back in 2008. A recent attempt by the city to make good on its thwarted pledge to send a fire truck, fizzled out during the final week of February because someone sent up a flare about what happened the last time Hartford attempted this. Clearly, it was a slow news day; now the town of Morant Bay, Jamaica,

may lose out on receiving a donated fire truck for the second time in five years. Mo-rant Bay is Hartford’s sister city in south-eastern Jamaica. In the 1860s, it was the site of the Morant Bay Rebellion, which broke out because the people were systematically frustrated in exercising their political will. Today, along with much of the Caribbean, Morant Bay is feeling the hard times of the global recession. Meanwhile, Connecticut has more fire trucks than it knows what to do with, because in a safety-conscious pro-fession, standards are often upgraded and older equipment is deemed obsolete while still functional. City fire departments some-times donate this equipment to other plac-es, oftentimes in other countries, where it would be most useful. The Bridgeport Fire Department just sent a 1982 Mack fire en-gine to Haiti. “This has many years of life saving left in it,” said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. “The City of Bridgeport is so proud to be able to take its still serviceable fire en-gines and give it to countries that need the help.” That city has also donated equipment to the Dominican Republic in the past. In Hartford, five years ago, the city council de-cided to send a 1985 Peter Pirsch Pumper to Morant Bay. Somehow, the fire truck never got there, and ended up in another part of Jamaica. The details are murky, and there’s the distinct possibility that money changed hands somewhere, since reports say that the truck was sold on arrival and is now at the Ian Fleming International Airport, a private facility. Odds are, it wasn’t anyone on this

end who took the money, but someone hereis in the hot seat. At the moment, the person taking the heat is police Sergeant Andrew Lawrence, who was overseeing the dona-tion last time around. Last fall, the Mayor of Morant Bay, Marsha Francis, was visitingHartford Mayor Pedro Segarra and filled him in about the fire truck never having reached her town. Segarra had been on the city council when it approved the original donation, so he and the council collaborated again, and prepared to send another decom-missioned fire truck. Now that the goof has gone public, Morant Bay may not get

its fire truck after all, as folks in Hartford have dropped everything to point fingers at one another (as is oftentimes the case). Maybe the fire department should set up a special unit to put out witch-burning fires, which apparently persist in New England, given the presence of charred mayors and governors littering the landscape. By the time this latest bonfire subsides, one police sergeant may be reduced to a hollow crispy husk, along with anyone else who tried too hard to do a good deed. Hopefully, all of the bad feelings will be edited out in the movieversion, the one in which a fire truck is air-dropped to Jamaica right after the first one goes missing, and Danny Glover comes out of retirement to say “I’m too old for this,” one last time. In real life, there may yet be a happy ending, but the chance seems slim.The story could have been spun in such a way as to warm school kids’ hearts; instead, in characteristic scandal-mongering fash-ion, the Connecticut media have decided to give generosity a bad name and send a teachable moment up in flames. There’s an old saying: “Would it be that all our prob-lems were this serious.” Well, we can argue until the building burns down around us, but in the meantime, please let’s keep our latest promise to Morant Bay, just in case they have a real fire to put out.

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Researchers at the University Medical Centre Utrecht studied 250 patients over three years to identify what might cause

blood vessels of the brain to burst.Ruptured blood vessels can lead to stroke. Coffee was responsible for one

in 10 cases of blood vessels bursting.The following are the various risk fac-tors, all of which trigger an increase in blood pressure to the brain, and their contribution to the percentage of cases

of ruptured brain vessels:

Babies who are bottle-fed until theage of two are more likely to be obese when they start school, a U.S. study said. Writing in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that children who were still regu-lar bottle users at 24 months were 30% more likely to be obese when they reach five and a half years old. Experts say bottle-feeding can make babies consume too many calories. The research found 22% of two-year-olds studied were using a bottle as their main drink container, or were put to bed with a bottle containing a calorie filled drink. Nearly a quarter of this group were found to be obese by the age of five,compared with 16% of children who had not been using a bottle at the age of two. This suggests that par-ents should stop using a bottle by the child’s first birthday to reduce the risk of overfeeding.

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Don’t believe the Sweetener Hype

With all the emphasis on health and well-ness these days you would think that consumption of foods that contain no

calories, low sugar and low fat would offer the best choices. Everyone knows that sugar can lead to obesity. The truth is, replacing sugar with ar-tificial sweeteners may be associated with some significant complaints. When I see patients who complain of spasms, bloating, loose bowels and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I automatically inquire about the use of artificial sweeteners in their diet. These sweeteners can upset your di-gestive tract. They can cause gas, which leads to bloating, bloating promotes cramps and spasms. Cramps and spasm result in loose bowels which in turn can lead to one upset person.

Ironically enough, although sugar substitutes tend to be several fold times sweeter than sugar, the body does not recognize it as sugar; it only recognizes it as a taste. A taste that is not associ-ated with fat causing calories. However, you may feel that you are reducing calories, but your body may start to crave what it has been missing; this may cause eventual weight gain. Unfortunately, the thought of eating low sugar foods serves as an artificial “crutch; they falsely assure themselves that eating an entire box of low calorie brownies or large amounts of “light” dressing is “alright”. However, what goes in sweet may not turn out so sweet.

Some of the more common sugar substitutes are aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, acesulfame-k, aspartic acid, and saccharine; for each of these there is some controversy as to whether or not they increase health problems. If you absolutely must have a sugar substitute please consult your doctor first. The good news is that if your doc-tor identifies that artificial sugar is causing your symptoms he or she may just ask you to toss your sugar free gum, candy, foods and drinks and your problems become history.

One might ask what other alternatives are there when you need to keep the calories at bay. The truth is there is no way to completely avoid calo-ries, just pay attention to how much you consume. If you can consume natural sugar, then go for it. If you cannot then talk to your doctor or nutrition-ist for some alternatives. In the end, the lack of knowledge can hinder your ability to aim for a healthy life-so here’s to the sweet life! And watch what you eat.

Dr. Dorvilus is a board certified gastroenterologist who cares for your digestive and nutritional needs.He was trained at NYU, Yale University and The Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Stroke triggers READING THE FINE PRINT

FYIBottle-feedingincreases obesity risk

FYI

When buying an insurance policy

Be aware of the waiting period and deferred period Disclose all information factually and accurately

It is important to read the terms and con-ditions in a health insurance policy that may affect your ability to make a claim when the need arises.

Find out the insurer’s definition of preexisting conditions

Note the exclusions for preexisting conditions Find out which services or treatments (likeNDs)are excluded from coverage

Seek clarification in writing from your insurer if you are unclear about any of the above To avoid having claims rejected or the policy being declared void by the insurer, applicants should disclose all information factually and accurately to the insurer.

Coffee10.6%Vigorous exercise 7.9%

Nose blowing 5.4% Sex 4.3%

Constipation 3.6%Drinking cola 3.5%Being startled 2.7%Being angry 1.3%

Source: BBC.com

Source: BBC.com

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*CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT GUIDE*

Brawta

This Easter, be daring. Try your hand at mak-ing your own moist, de-licious, Jamaican Easter

Bun. I wanted to make something Jamaican for Easter. I couldn’t think of anything more appropri-ate than bun and Cheese. It’s a Ja-maican tradition! I remember as a child living in England, my parents made Easter Bun and it

made our home smell so fra-grant. I was super excited when my

Mom found the recipe that she had used all those years ago. I’m using some of the ingredients for the first time with this recipe. I’m glad I now have things like an-ise Seeds in my pantry for future recipes. And I would have never guessed that I would be cooking with Dragon Stout again so soon!This bun smelt good in a tradi-

tional way. I personally prefer my bun with just raisins and not the

mixed peel. But I really wanted to make it as traditional as pos-sible. After looking at a few other recipes, this particular recipe uses Anise Seeds, which is not included in modern bun recipes. I’m fine with that. That means my recipe is special.

JAMAICAN EASTER BUN Prep time: 20 minsCook time: 1 hourTotal time: 1 hour 20 minsServes: 12A traditional Jamaican treat,

most popular during Easter

INGREDIENTS1 ½ cups brown sugar3 cups flour2 tsp baking powder1 cup dragon stout

2 tbsp melted butter1 egg2 tsp anise seed, divided4 tbsp molasses¼ cup honey2 tsp allspice1 cup mixed fruits and raisins1/4 cup sugar3 tbsp water

INSTRUCTIONSDissolve sugar, butter, honey

syrup and spices into Stout over medium heatIn a large bowl, sift in flour then

fold in fruitsBeat egg then add to the flour

mixture. Stir to combineAdd Stout mixture to flour and

half of Anise seedsPut in a greased pan lined with

parchment paperSprinkle rest of Anise seeds on

top Bake at 350 F for 1 hour or until

done Remove from ovenMake a glaze – combine¼ Cup

sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowlBrush on to bunNOTESOnce bun has cooled, cover with

saran wrap or keep in a zip lock bag in order to maintain moisture.

“Jamaica’s version is made with molasses, while the buns from England were made with honey. In Jamaica, you eat the bun with cheese, a combination that has become ingrained in island cul-ture”

*[email protected]

GREATER HARTFORDAnthony’s Jamaican Restaurant410 Middle Tpke W, Manchester860 643-8200Bernice Bragadosus851 Albany Avenue860-549-2104Channer’s Sunshine Restaurant1037 Albany Avenue860-278-6221Coconut Cafe West Indian Food719 Albany Avenue860-422-8566Destiny Awaits Restaurant & Jerk Center3343 Main StreetDunn’s River2996 Main St, Hartford860-547-1600Fire-N-Spice Vegan Restaurant (Rastafar-ian/Vegetarian)248 Sisson Avenue(860) 899-1389First Choice Cuisine Caribbean Restaurant1113 Albany Avenue860-244-9974

Make Your OwnJ a m a i c a n E a s t e r B u n

By Lyn

Golden Krust Bakery1170 Albany Avenue860-724-7983Island Cuisine300 Farmington Ave860-525-3663Island Vibes675 Blue Hills Avenue860-242-1053Jahm Ske’s Restaurant1291 Albany Avenue(860) 246-7778Jerk Pit Cafe2940 Main Street(860) 527-2214Lion’s Den (Rastafarian/Vegetarian)3347 Main Street(860) 241-0220Mama’s Place1015 Albany Avenue860-547-1658Paradise Restaurant1023A Blue Hills Avenue, Windsor860-243-0298

Pepper’s Jamaican Bakery and Jerk Center603 Burnside Ave, East Hartford860.282.0444Scott’s Jamaican Bakery630 Blue Hills Ave(860) 243-26091344 Albany Ave, Hartford, CT(860) 247-38553381 Main St, Hartford, CT(860) 246-6599Seashore Jamaican Restaurant330 Garden Street(860) 246-2828Sisters Restaurant2756 Main Street(860) 527-1234Snack-It Jamaican Restaurant399 Capital Avenue860-527-9582Sun Splash692 Maple Avenue860-548-3050Tropical Grill & Catering657 Blue Hills Avenue860-461-0864

EVERYWHERE ELSEBerties West Indian & American Restaurant928 North Main Street, Waterbury(203) 757-4330Caribbean Corner Cafe (Latino/English)175 Burritt St, New Britain860-259-5826Caribbean American Kitchen90 Truman St, New London(860) 443-0750D&G Jamaican5 Preston Road, Springfield, MA413-746-3642Four Star Chicken468 Huntington Turnpike, Bridgeport203-373-0321Golden Krust Bakery & Grill320 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA413-731-7720Green Island Chicken & Grill216 White Street, Danbury203-743-6616Original Jamaican Blend341 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA413-426-9700

Photo By Lyn

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The project, which was recently completed, saw Digi-cel bringing its 1,000 plus Digicel Group and Digicel Jamaica staff together under one roof for the first time.

Situated on the waterfront, the development spans a total area of 211,500 square feet, and is a green enter-prise — the most environmentally friendly major office building in the Caribbean, making use of solar power, wind power and geothermal cooling systems.

The telecommunications company, which entered the Jamaican market some 13 years ago, invested J$5.6billion in the project.

“Our goal is to help rejuvenate the redevelopment of Downtown Kingston,” Digicel owner Dennis O’Brien said at the ground breaking ceremony in 2010. “And we hope that this investment will lead other companies and institutions, not only in Jamaica but within the region, to look with new eyes at downtown Kingston.”

And that it did.It didn’t take long for the announcement to spur action

for downtown, especially after the company also rebuilt sections of a burnt-out Coronation Market — the largest market in Jamaica — giving vendors a clean, safe facility to work in. Another point of interest is the Redemption Arcade, where 130 spanking new stalls were made for vendors, in partnership with the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the Urban Development Cor-poration (UDC), through US$500,000 in funding from United States Agency for International Development.

Now a journey downtown will take one into a flurry of construction and sprucing up activity from businesses which stayed in the area, as well as those who plan to enter the city.

Old buildings are being torn down for new, zinc shut-ters are being replaced, dirty buildings are being patched up and painted and roads are being fixed.

Not to be outdone, property owners whose properties had been overrun by squatters have returned, many using the courts to have the illegal tenants evicted, so they can reuse their properties.

Residential property values have also seen an uptick, with apartments finally being listed at market rate, some even being advertised using the “Downtown Kingston redevelopment” tag line.

It is expected that with investment from businesses, property values will go up in the city, and Downtown will be a sought-after place to live, work and do busi-ness.

The parish council, KSAC, has also stepped up efforts to ensure that social amenities are in place and improved, and that businesses which once flouted the tax laws, pay. Newspaper advertisements have been published bearing

the names of commercial tax dodgers, as the KSAC in-sists that its work downtown can only be completed if those that owe pay up.

The KSAC has also set designated vending and no- vending zones and has been staging massive clean-up exercises in the once-filthy city. It has also hosted shop-ping extravaganzas, where shoppers were encouraged to shop in the city at hugely discounted prices, creating a wave of sales for businesses.

In January, officials of the KSAC undertook a major exercise to clear garbage and illegal vending material in the business district.

Teams from the National Solid Waste Management Authority and the police assisted in the weekend opera-tion, where 30 truckloads of garbage and vending stalls were removed from the area and illegal electric connec-tions identified for disconnection by the light and power company.

Also in January, Kingston’s mayor Angela Brown-Burke said the KSAC would be taking steps to remove illegal vendors from the streets as part of measures to keep the area clean.

She said illegal vending and the practice of businesses improperly dumping commercial waste had contributed to the pileup of garbage on the streets, and promised to hold discussions with the National Water Commission regarding the upgrade of its sewage facilities in down-town Kingston, as raw sewage had been flowing in some areas for years.

The police presence has also been ramped up, with street, vehicle and traffic patrols, and Jamaicans are en-couraged to go and shop downtown.

Head of the Urban Development Corporation UDC, KD Knight had set his sights on a rebirth when he took over office in April last year.

He told the Senate last June that a plan implemented in Costa Rica that improved the capital city one street at a time is one he would like to introduce to Downtown Kingston.

He said then that the UDC, would spend $200 million on social-intervention programmes in downtown Kings-ton for that year, so that people who live in surrounding communities would also be included in the process.

Meanwhile, government has also announced plans to relocate some of its offices downtown, and away from the pricey uptown areas. And, even as the renewal con-tinues, even more businesses are being encouraged to invest in the city, and make downtown Kingston a busi-ness hub once again.

*[email protected]

Monthly HoroscopeMarch 2013

Downtown Kingston being revitalized.

> from page 5

Urban D

evelopment C

orporation. (n.d.).

Sud

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Sudoku A

nswers

Aries March 21 - April 20 You are going through rather an intense phase at the moment and it’s putting a strain on your body, mind and emotions. Take a break. What you are searching for will be found the moment you stop looking for it.

Taurus April 21 - May 21 Don’t hesitate today or you may lose momentum and give your rivals a chance to catch up. All’s fair in love, war and business and if you make sure you are first, the rewards are sure to follow.

Gemini May 22 - June 21 Listen to your instincts and act on what they tell you. If you have one brilliant idea today you will probably have a dozen or more, so you need to be selective. What is the most realistic option? Go for it.

Cancer June 22 - July 23 Cut through all the confusion and get to the root of a problem that has been causing you a lot of sleepless nights. All you have to do is stick to the facts and avoid making value judgments. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Leo July 24 - Aug. 23 How often have you been told not to act in haste? Too many, no doubt, but today you are invited to act as quickly as you like. In fact, the quicker the bet-ter. You simply can’t put a foot wrong now.

Virgo Aug. 24 - Sept. 23 You may be practical by nature but you have flashes of inspiration like everyone else and you should listen to what your inner voice tells you today. One good idea, in particular, could be a money spinner.

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct. 23 Important things will only get done today if you step up to the plate and take charge. Inevitably, some people will complain but you don’t have time to argue: they either do as they are told or get left behind.

Scorpio Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 Do you get the feeling that someone is trying to annoy you for the fun of it? Whether or not it is true, you are advised not to lose your temper with them. Really, it’s just not worth the hassle.

Sagittarius Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 Try to arrange things so that you don’t do any real work at all. Put yourself forward as team leader. Take a supervising role. While others are working their fingers to the bone, you’ll be getting the praise!

Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 If someone o�ers you an apology today, you must accept it. No matter what it is that caused your falling out, it’s obvious that they don’t hold a grudge. So, there is no reason why you should either.

Aquarius Jan. 21 - Feb. 19 You will be in inspired form today. You will come up with ideas that others simply don’t have the insight or intelligence to think of. But remember that good ideas are like manure — they work best when spread around.

Pisces Feb. 20 - March 20 It may seem as if someone has let you down or, worse, betrayed a secret about you, but don’t get on your high horse just yet. It could be there’s another side to this story. Stay calm and find out what it is.

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